I have to say, I was never a big fan of Stargate SG-1 or Stargate: Atlantis. They always struck me as a bit too lightweight and silly. However Stargate Universe is a bit of a left-turn for the franchise, going in a darker, more intense direction.
The series opens with a group of civilians and military, most of whom are trying to study a mysterious ninth chevron on the stargate, coming under attack and dialling into a destination that ends up being a vast, ancient and unmanned spaceship, Destiny. Once through the gate, they discover they are millions of light years from Earth and unable to go back the way they came.
Now trapped on the spaceship, the various people must come to terms with their new situation, something made more difficult by the fact they don’t really know how the ship works, and that with the energy resources needed by its new inhabitants, the whole thing seems to be shutting down. With the situation getting ever worse, the crew has to get used to suddenly being thrust into a desperate situation that calls for more than just basic survival skills. Col. Everett Young (Louis Fereirra), the senior military man on the station, attempts to take charge, but the civilians aren’t impressed by suddenly being expected to act as if they’re in the military. There’s also Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), who's undeniably a genius, but is also duplicitous, prone to working to his own rules rather than anyone else’s and impossible to trust.
Although the basic premise is a little bit Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate Universe feels very different, taking a darker and more personal tone. It’s a show really concerned with how people would deal with suddenly being isolated in an unfamiliar environment, whether it’s a spaceship or anywhere else.
The early episodes in particular are excellent, using interesting little stylistic devices, such as video diaries that members of the crew record, that pull you into the dangers, relationships, tensions and problems the characters are facing. It feels very different to earlier Stargate series, and to be honest that’s a good thing.
Things get a little bit more generic as the season goes on, losing some of the interesting and unusual flourishes and indulging in more typical sci-fi plots. To be honest this was inevitable, as there’s only so far you can go with the characters coming to terms with their situation. It’s still very entertaining, but not half as strong as the show starts out, which is a great shame but perhaps unsurprising. However, we really need to cross our fingers that things don’t go downhill further with Season 2. It certainly threatens to, as the slightly confusing two-part finale to Stargate Universe - Season 1 is more a return to the OTT silliness of earlier Stargate incarnations, rather than the clever, intense and exciting feel of the early episodes.
The five disc box set comes with a great selection of special features, including a selection of extra ‘Kino’ video diaries, which were initially made for the internet and feature members of the crew describing their life on the ship, as well as the difficulties they face building an entirely new life after being wrenched millions of miles away from everything they’ve ever known, living in fear on a ship that could break down at any moment.
There are also some audio commentaries, featurettes looking at the likes of having to design completely new aliens for a new area of space that Stargate has never visited before. It’s a great set, for what start out as a truly excellent sci-fi show, and ends up as a pretty good one.
Overall Verdict: It may go downhill after the exceptional first few episodes, but Stargate Universe is still a strong sci-fi show that’s worth checking out even if you weren’t fans of earlier shows in the franchise.
Special Features:
Audio Commentaries
Kino Video Diaries
‘Stargate 101’ Featurette
‘Designing A New Race: Space Aliens’ Featurette
‘Tanked’ Featurette
‘Finding Destiny’ Featurette
Cast and Crew Interviews
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
