2024/09/30

 

The 3rd show with the name Stargate! Stargate Universe, or SGU! SGU turned 15 on October 2nd, 2024. SGU was announced and Stargate fans immediately seemed to hate it! This was, I think, mainly because without looking a little closer and knowing the reasoning behind it from the creators, Stargate Atlantis was cancelled so that Stargate Universe could begin. In reality this wasn’t the case, the plan was to transfer Stargate Atlantis to ‘Direct to DVD’ movies, like Stargate SG-1, so that there would be just one show on the air because after 3 years of doing two shows at the same time, the creators and the producers realized that wasn’t doable a second time because it was just really exhausting for the creators, the writers, the crew and so on.

 

So yes, from a far it looked like SGA was cancelled in favor of SGU but this wasn’t the case. What you also should realize that, at the time, Stargate Atlantis viewing numbers were in a steady decline and to be fair, speaking for myself, at that time, I didn’t mind that SGA was ending, with the knowledge of ‘direct to DVD’ movies in the near future. Back then, I thought SGA could use some time off. In hindsight however, after rewatching the show 3 or 4 times since then, I feel regret that SGA got cancelled after five seasons.



Anyway Stargate Universe got a lot of backlash when it first aired: It was too slow, it was a copy of Battlestar Galactica’s reboot. It was boring, it had no aliens, the cast was whining about wanting to go home, it was totally different than its predecessors, it was too dark.. etc. Well yes, it was kinda slow at first, however, I didn’t mind this, in fact the series 3-part opener is one of my favorite episodes of the season. The accusations that is was a copy of Battlestar Galactica, well that too, I found it not to be the case, yes, they were both dark, yes it had flawed characters but other than that, they really are different from each other. Plus: why can’t there be two (slightly) similar SCI-FI shows, but it is alright to have 4 NCIS shows or CSI or some other crap show. Such bullocks to use that argument it is the rip-off. If that is the case, everything is a rip-off. There are so many drama, thriller of cop shows, all similar, little to no originality but when there are two SCI-FI shows which are dark and gritty, it is a rip off!

 

I do agree with the fact it took too long to see the first aliens. The Voyager crew also moaned that they wanted to go home, especially in the beginning. Think if you were in that position, would you really not feel the same? I thought SGU certainly wasn’t boring, in my opinion there are only 2 weaker episodes, other than that nothing to complain, certainly not boring. SGU indeed was different than the predecessors, but why would you want to see 3 of the same kind of shows? Times were changing, even back then. TV was changing, more story arc, darker stories and such. I welcomed a different kind of Stargate, why not, you had two shows to go back to if you wanted a lighter show to watch. I have rewatched SGU 3 times I think and with every rewatch I love it even more, it hold up so well. The last two rewatches I could not stop watching, I was going through it so fast because it really consumed me, I was so excited and I know with my next rewatch I will experience this again because it is a very good show, great TV!



While the SG-1 and SGA characters are all likable and damn near perfect, the SGU characters are the opposite of that. Most of these characters are flawed as hell and with more than a few of these characters, you have to get used to them, see what ticks them. Are they evil, obnoxious and / or just flawed. The first flawed character that comes to mind definitely is Colonel Everett Young (Louis Ferreira). One could ask if he is even fit to be a colonel, a commander. The other one is of course Dr. Nicolas Rush (Robert Carlyle), he has his own agenda, is blunt, obnoxious, an asshole most of the time and does not mind if someone else sacrifices his or her life so that he can live on. These are only two examples but most of them are flawed. And that is the beauty of it, having flaws but at the end of the day you still must try to do the right thing, admit when you are wrong and learn from it. With SG-1 and SGA this isn’t the case, all likable characters and such. Don’t get me wrong, I love SG-1 and SGA, but I also love SGU, it is different, who cares, it is a good show, I think if you would give it a chance, a real chance, you’ll be surprised, season two is just outright fantastic.

 

SGU is a great piece of television, it had cross-overs and this would not have stopped in future seasons! We would regularly see SG-1 and SGA characters drop in, the stones made this possible, which was a cool thing, although I also think these stones have a downside, see my 2021 blog.



I say this often, but it is a complete mystery why it has been 13 years since Stargate is of the air. On social media Stargate is still so popular, people are begging for more stargate, preferably in the same universe as the first 3 shows of course. This franchise should be flourishing right now, but for some reason it hasn’t happened yet and I am not that optimistic about a new show any time soon. It just takes too long. Brad Wright, Mr. Stargate made a script a few years ago, he wanted to restart the franchise and for a while it seemed possible, he wanted to continue in the same universe as the other shows, he even wanted to give closure to both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe. But then Covid hit, and suddenly nothing was possible anymore.

 

I love Star Trek but current Star Trek is not my Star Trek. I was hoping that Stargate could get back to that time we as fans, love so much. With Brad Wright at the helm, it would have been a sure thing, to get that same feel. If there is going to be a new Stargate show, I am afraid it will be something completely different. Yes, I do see the irony, what I just wrote about SGU in comparison to the predecessors, but SGU was still a show in the same universe, in the same time period as the other shows with the same creators and producers, which is a very important difference if Brad Wright and other former Stargate creators and producers are left out of this new and possible upcoming project.

 

Final Word:

Stargate Universe is a top quality product, this is my opinion and I stand by it! I love it, I adore it and it certainly stands the test of time. I for one can’t wait to start another rewatch but that will take a few more months at least because I am only now finishing Stargate SG-1’s 4th season and I want to watch it chronologically. It only has been 3+ years since my last rewatch so I don’t mind it take another 6 months or so, but I can tell you, I already are looking forward to see it again! Happy 15th Anniversary Stargate Universe!


Screencaps taken from: GateWorld




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