Stargate Universe Drops into a Black Hole

Being a long time fan of the Stargate saga, I found myself looking forward to their latest series, Stargate Universe all summer. The advanced previews looked visually stunning and the underlying concept was definitely intriguing - kind of Star Trek Voyager meets Stargate Atlantis. I recognized at least two fairly talented actors prominently positioned in these trailers, so I was thinking that perhaps the Stargate producers were going to take the brand to the next level. I still recall the first Stargate series fondly, which I think was probably the best one and was initially very pleased by how things were shaping up in the evolution of the overall saga plot line. So, I was all geared up and ready to go and get into this new televised adventure as Stargate was positioned to leave the galaxy and go where no wormhole had gone before.

The trouble began though with episode one of Stargate universe. There was a sort of darkness pervading both the characters and the cinematography of the premier. We soon discovered that the darkness became bleaker as the series progressed. And I'm not just speaking metaphorically here, the sets were actually dark; the characters were brooding, melancholy and miserable. Worst of all the, the plot lines as they began developing seemed unnaturally full of despair. As each episode passed, I became increasingly depressed and began to parallel the feelings of the characters on screen. Most of the characters on Stargate Universe are unhappy and miserable with one another. After only four episodes I began openly rooting for whatever disaster might present itself to help wipe out the crew. If only the ship would explode, if only the mysterious little alien monsters that they found we just finished them off, if only they would all just kill each other and get it over with. I don't believe I've ever watched a show before of any genre which had no characters at all with any redeeming values whatsoever. Stargate Universe is that show.


Send this show to the end of the Universe and please keep it there...

I started to become frightened that rooting for the demise of everyone on the show that I was watching might be considered somewhat psychologically disturbing, so I had to give up watching the show altogether after about six episodes. By that time however, I was confident in my prediction that none of the characters would become any more likable and that none of the plot lines would become any more interesting between that point and the end of season one. So the question I'm asking myself now, is how is it possible to create a show with no redeeming characteristics whatsoever? What were these folks thinking when they put this concept together?

Were these folks trying to put together another edgy science-fiction saga like BattleStar Galactica? In BattleStar there were few characters that weren't entirely likable (well maybe about 4), there were some dark sets and it also had an over-arching sense of doom hanging over everyone - yet in BattleStar there were a number of redeeming qualities as well. More importantly, there were a number of very well-defined characters who were clearly identified in the series premiere who we could follow throughout the course of the series. We had Capt. Adama, his son Apollo, Starbuck and even the bad guy was kind of interesting and those Cylons, wow that was interesting. All of those folks on Battlestar evolved throughout the series and even in the early episodes. The only character growth that’s occurred so far on Stargate Universe is that all of the characters got creepier.

When in doubt blame the writers; that’s what I always say. The writing team for Stargate Universe obviously jumped headfirst into a creative black hole. The plot lines were confused from day one, the motivations and behaviors all the characters seem wildly inappropriate and despite there being obvious talent amongst the actors they chose the main characters aren't given any likable traits whatsoever. For viewers to invest their time in a multi year series, there's got to be something for us and it. And what we’re looking for above everything else is a premise and a story that both entertains and inspires us. Unfortunately, Stargate Universe merely insulted our intelligence, especially when using the ridiculous "communication stones" gimmick which defies all scientific laws and seems to serve only as a plot crutch when they can't think of anything to do on that boring ship.

I tend to think that this latest installment in the Stargate saga will not destroy the brand and that like Star Trek’s rebounds it will be able to come back from this failure. However, Stargate Universe took a wrong turn when it left the galaxy and many of us hope that the series keeps flying away towards the edge of the universe at the highest possible velocity.


Copyright 2009, Raving Reviews™