This is How We Geek Out: Interviews, Reviews & More
The first two episodes of “Stargate: Universe” have aired and a lot of Slice of SciFi readers are firmly divided on the series.
What did you think of the premiere? You can tell us below in our poll and add your thoughts on the comments section (please, keep it PG-13 and respect that others may have different thoughts or ideas about the series).
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SG becomes Lost in Space!
I’ll give it a shot.
NOTE: I have never watched *any* of the other Stargate shows on TV (other than flipping by the channel for a few minutes)
Liked it more than the pilots for SG-1 and Atlantis. Now, whether the rest of the series will be like that remains to be seen, but I’m optimistic.
Where is the fun/humor that has always been the trademark of the Stargate franchise. If I want dark and sullen I’d watch Battlestar again.
It’s more like a very desperate version of Star Trek: Voyager, even further away from Earth (although once your travel time to get home is longer than you’ll be alive, it becomes rather academic).
Instead of a complete ripoff of Lost (which I stopped watching when the stupid polar bear appeared in episode 1 or 2). Why not be a complete ripoff of BSG, it would be far more watchable then. The constant flashbacks that plagued Lost were so irritating and I hope they disappear quickly in SGU. My other gripe is that SGUs formula so far is:
1. Little bit of action,
2. a discussion between 2-3 people about their emotions,
3. Little bit of action mixed in with a bit of self discovery
4. more discussion of emotions with 2-3 people with a little bit of mutiny thrown in
5. repeat 1-4 until show ends
A bit too soon to call it formulaic don’t you think?
Polar bears can only improve things. Maybe SG:U needs polar bears too (not that it needs anything – after the first couple of eps I’m there).
I thought it was excellently done. The acting was superb and the story seems solid.
I’d like to point out that this seems in part like SG-1 resurrected. There’s definitely a military aspect and it’s about discovering new worlds. There just the addition of civilians and an ancient spaceship, which builds on the original SG-1 premise. So it’s good, I like it and will continue to watch.
If I had kids, and if they had kids, I would be one day be able to tell my grandchildren about the exact moment this series lost me. It was when the creepy doctors mentions he has a Ancients communication stone and O’Neil has put him in charge . . . and then nothing is said or done with the communicator for the next hour of the two hour premiere.
Let’s recap . . . a bunch of people stranded thousand of light years away, their families and friends unsure of their fate. Plus, they are on a ship of the Ancients struggling to work out how it works, or if it even works.
1) I’m guessing everyone on that ship would want to let their loved ones know they are still alive. Not later, but now (especially since they are sitting around not doing anything).
2) I’m guessing they would want to tap into whatever accumulated knowledge the original SG-1 team has acquired over their lengthy investigation of stargates and the ancients.
3) I’m guessing someone would double-check, and pronto, the statement O’Neil would put the creepy, socially inept, and possibly demented scientist “in charge”.
Truthfully, does anyone here doubt that at least for the first week or so they would not be in constant communication with Earth?
I am all for giving a series a chance, but the characters have to behave in a somewhat believable manner. Even discounting the apparent lack of interest in the means to communicate with loved ones back on Earth, I found none of these characters believable, and consequently the contrived conflicts failed to capture my interest, as did the “mystery” of the ship.
I’m not seeing anything here that is likely to grow into anything worthwhile primarily because the foundation is not there. I’ll watch a the next two episodes, but seeing as this is an obvious remix of past series, they would have to step up big time, and bring some fresh ideas to the plot, for me to be interested.
That said, I am a jaded old guy, and consequently have little patience for anything less than stellar, and I’m definitively not in the “crappy-sci-fi-is-better-than-no-sci-fi” camp. Perhaps others are starved for huge plot holes, transparently contrived conflicts any one of us would be able to resolve in 10 minutes, and characters whose angst seemed designed to irritate the audience, and make said characters as unsympathetic as possible. Me? I’ll be watching good shows, be they sci-fi or not.
I enjoyed it! I think it is past time for Star Gate to become a touch ‘darker’ shall we say. While anyone can find issue with almost any show’s pilot, I think it was done well enough for me to give SG:U a chance!
The first episode (the first two hours) were not bad….. However the second episode, “AIR” was dull as dirt. We shall see.
Eric: The “2nd episode” was actually the 3rd hour of the Pilot.
Snarkle: chill out, we all know what he meant.
Since the first three hours basically make up a giant pilot episode, I’ll say that it’s been pretty solid so far. It’s set up the world and the people in it for new viewers (which was, of course, a bit heavy on the exposition for longtime fans like myself, but executed nicely). I gave it a “B” because a series’ pilot is never its strongest episode. If it is, they’re doing something very wrong. Look forward to see how it plays out from here.
I was very impressed by it. I was skeptical going in, but I really enjoyed it in the end. I think there is a lot of potential for future stories which will hopefully bring some interest and originality back to the series. I could have lived without the sex scene, but other than that I thought it had a nice feel of seperation/desperation, while Eli was able to bring in some of the trademark Stargate humor. Plus the effects were very well done and the Destiny looks awesome.
The other Stargate shows were always for lazy Sunday watching, fun but not “must see.” SG-U is now my #1 Sci-fi must see show. I gotta have my space ships.
ditto Skiznot !
Whilst I can certainly se why some folks didn’t enjoy it (boring in places, slow exposition etc) and whilst the tag “Battlestar: gatevoyager” wold be appt for the first 2 hours of the premiere (all I have seen, and was only aired here last night), I reckon it was very good. Maybe I expected it to suck (or blow depending on whether you are inside or outside the ship). Eli was funny enough, McStone was creepy, and the newly in charge military guy struggled to find his own voice of authority. Tried and true territory of an SG show. i admit, I will take bad sf over none, but this wasn’t bad SF, it was TBC SF, and will improve as holes get infilled.