Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Stargate Universe: A season in review

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Stargate Universe: A season in review

    I was originally going to title this review, Stargate Universe – The good, the bad and the god awful. However after much thinking I decided that such a title would be misleading to anybody who read this review. Simply because there is absolutely nothing good about this show. Saying this show has any good elements too it is like saying you could build a new Eiffel tower to scale of the current one using nothing but buckets of diarrhea. Well thats not really fair either, I mean its possible to build an object using nothing but feces.

    The reason I dislike this show so much is because in the series premier alone we saw them take pre-established cannon and science of the show and squeeze it through a colon and dump it into the toilet alongside Rick Berman and Brannon Braga's vision of Star Trek, or, lack there of. For those of you that understand that reference let me go into a little more detail.

    Stargate had a formula which it followed quite successfully from television into movies. It was written in an episodic style where a problem would occur and everything would be wrapped up in a nice neat little package at the end of the show. Basically they told a story in forty five minutes but they also added overarching plots that (in the case of Stargate SG-1) lasted seasons in length. Stargate Universe however was simply written by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper to take advantage of the popularity of Battlestar Galactica.

    Now I'm not going to start in on Battlestar Galactica because thats shaking ground for me. I was never really a fan of the series, never really watched it so I can't judge it. However the general feeling I get from BSG is that it is heavy on drama and Soap Opera-esque type stories with episodes regularly leaving you hanging for an answer in the next episode and the next episode, etc, etc. Now I have no problems with the serial writing style because there are instances where it can work without coming off too teen soapy and some instances where it just fails. SGU being an instance where it fails.

    Alot of the stories in Stargate Universe rely on you being invested in the characters and too be brutally honest after one season of this show I am just not that emotionally invested in any of the characters enough to sit through forty five minutes of stories driven by one dimensional caricatures of your average stereotypes (Eli as your fat computer nerd, Chloe as the space whore, Rush as the jerk who's not really a jerk.)

    Let's circle back to my Berman/Braga remark so that I can expand on that. Those of you who are readers and Star Trek fans know what I am talking about when I say this but for the benefit of all possible readers I will expand on this a little more. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga pretty much took over Star Trek after Gene passed away. Now these two had pretty much full creative control over Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise and they managed to take Star Trek and grind it down to its superficial traits by the time they were done with the Star Trek franchise. They declawed the Borg, turned Q into a joke and got Voyager stuck in the Delta Quadrant for the stupidest reasons known to man. On Enterprise they had the most stupid storylines, their Captain was a lunatic and their Vulcan's had more in come with Agent Smith from the original Matrix movie then Vulcans from prior shows. In the end the series was left with nothing but stereotypes fueling its scripts...which just made the shows plain and awful.

    My fear is that we are beginning to see those first steps taken with StarGate Universe. Now I want to make this clear so nobody says things like “Don't watch it if you don't like it.” I want to like this show. I want to like it badly because of how much of a fan I was of SG-1 and SG:A but I just don't see it as holding anything remotely similar to those two shows except the most baseline and stereotypical traits.

    In the first episode of the SGU series we see pretty much all the science regarding the stargate and its operation get blatantly assassinated in favor of plot conviences. This starts in the form of the address dialed to reach Destiny. The address dialed to reach destiny is refered to as a 'code' and this code uses the point of origin symbol of the earth gate. In the episode they change the point of orgin symbol in order to match the planet that they are on but in the end the dial the earth point of orgin and gain a connection. Now this is so screwed up I don't even know where to start. Point of Orgin symbols are unique to each gate. That means that the point of orgin symbol on the Earth gate cannot be dialed on another gate, its just not possible because the DHD doesn't have that symbol. You can contrive an explanation for this by saying that they had a dialing computer hooked up to the DHD but it still doesn't make sense. If an address is dialed with the earth point of orgin then logic would dictate that the wormhole would connect between destiny and the dialed point of orgin or in this case, Earth.

    We further see the science of the stargate pretty much crapped on in the pilot when people go running through one end of the gate and go flying out the other end. I know that this particular gripe is really just knit picking but it really does bother me. Although an explanation can be contrived for this too (the planet was in the process of blowing up.)

    Beyond that each episode that passes by we don't really get the Stargate feel. There isn't alot of exploring done the only episode where the stargate is prominent is the pilot and a few others but mostly the series just takes place on the ship, which I admit wouldn't really bother me except for the fact that all the characters are boring and stereotypical.

    At this point my review and opinions are beginning to circle so I'll just close it off by saying that I had high hopes for this series and it had good things going for it, like Doctor Rush. But as you would expect from Berman/Braga style management, they crapped on that too. Seriously though...are they getting their ideas for George Lucas' morning BM doodle pad? That's a serious question. Brad if you're reading this PM me the answer.

    #2
    Originally posted by Toast King View Post

    The reason I dislike this show so much is because in the series premier alone we saw them take pre-established cannon and science of the show and squeeze it through a colon and dump it into the toilet alongside Rick Berman and Brannon Braga's vision of Star Trek, or, lack there of. For those of you that understand that reference let me go into a little more detail.

    In the first episode of the SGU series we see pretty much all the science regarding the stargate and its operation get blatantly assassinated in favor of plot conviences. This starts in the form of the address dialed to reach Destiny. The address dialed to reach destiny is refered to as a 'code' and this code uses the point of origin symbol of the earth gate. In the episode they change the point of orgin symbol in order to match the planet that they are on but in the end the dial the earth point of orgin and gain a connection. Now this is so screwed up I don't even know where to start. Point of Orgin symbols are unique to each gate. That means that the point of orgin symbol on the Earth gate cannot be dialed on another gate, its just not possible because the DHD doesn't have that symbol. You can contrive an explanation for this by saying that they had a dialing computer hooked up to the DHD but it still doesn't make sense. If an address is dialed with the earth point of orgin then logic would dictate that the wormhole would connect between destiny and the dialed point of orgin or in this case, Earth.
    the whole thing was a code, the earth symbol was NOT a point of origin is was part of the code

    We further see the science of the stargate pretty much crapped on in the pilot when people go running through one end of the gate and go flying out the other end. I know that this particular gripe is really just knit picking but it really does bother me. Although an explanation can be contrived for this too (the planet was in the process of blowing up.)
    wrong again, watch Solitudes and The Fifth Race (and Rising) an unstable energy energy source will cause objects to exit much faster then they entered, and a stable one (say the ZPM they used in Rising) doesnt.



    the show is different, we were told it was going to be different, get over it

    Comment


      #3
      I don't think the problem, or his argument, is that the show is "different". The problem is that it sucks.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by vszulc View Post
        I don't think the problem, or his argument, is that the show is "different". The problem is that it sucks.
        thats because ur expecting it to be the same as the other two series. if u dont like it, please stop watching, stop posting here and move on with your life. I believe another poster summed it up as such "Even my cat moves on to other things when shes bored with something, congratulations, you have just been beaten by my cat"

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by vszulc View Post
          I don't think the problem, or his argument, is that the show is "different". The problem is that it sucks.
          His problem is that he thinks it sucks, I think you mean.

          Comment


            #6
            Fanboi's frothing at the mouth because a director goes against 'established' 'cannon.' You have to laugh...
            Bless the Maker and all His Water. Bless the coming and going of Him, May His passing cleanse the world. May He keep the world for his people.

            Comment


              #7
              Don't you usually review a season once its finished?
              sigpic

              Comment


                #8
                Well, yeah. Judging by the review, it seems that the reviewer hasn't seen anything but the first half and didn't quite get it. Of course, I could be wrong, but he still didn't get it.

                Comment


                  #9
                  So, stop watching. I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the darker more adult themes. I've enjoyed the focus on character. I'm looking forward to next season.

                  I am a BSG fan too.
                  All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story...

                  "Scott isn't out. Actually, he'll probably soon get back in, then out, then in, then out, then in, with rhythm and stamina." reddevil 4/22/2010

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Ser Scot A Ellison View Post
                    So, stop watching. I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the darker more adult themes. I've enjoyed the focus on character. I'm looking forward to next season.
                    I did stop, and that's part of the problem. Not enough viewers for the show to be renewed past season 2.

                    I like BSG as well, but was severely disappointed over season 1 of SGU. Teasers that don't live up to their promises, all plotlines resolved in a predictable and conventional matter, and as for next season, it's apparently nothing but more of the same infighting between two factions that half the episodes in season 1 was about. Yawn.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by vszulc View Post
                      I did stop, and that's part of the problem. Not enough viewers for the show to be renewed past season 2.
                      If you've stopped watching, why would it be a problem? Why would you care? Also, why would you post this rant in the Subversion thread?

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Ok we get that you think the show sucks. However if you look at the amount of viewers lost from SGA to SGU it's clear more people liked it than stopped watching. Not saying it's great viewers have been lost but I hate this idea that the fans of the show are the minority.

                        And while I respect the o/p right to an opinion I completely disagree that SGU is the "Enterprise" of the franchise. Completely different scenarios there.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          vszulc,

                          Originally posted by vszulc View Post
                          I did stop, and that's part of the problem. Not enough viewers for the show to be renewed past season 2.

                          I like BSG as well, but was severely disappointed over season 1 of SGU. Teasers that don't live up to their promises, all plotlines resolved in a predictable and conventional matter, and as for next season, it's apparently nothing but more of the same infighting between two factions that half the episodes in season 1 was about. Yawn.
                          Then you're missing out. Many of the complaints about the first half of the season are resolved in the second half. The first half was laying the groundwork (foundation if you will) for the development in this half. I've really enjoyed the second half of the season. I hope the development continues into season 2.
                          All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story... All plot and no character makes for a dull story...

                          "Scott isn't out. Actually, he'll probably soon get back in, then out, then in, then out, then in, with rhythm and stamina." reddevil 4/22/2010

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Tell ya what, if and when you can compose a post without your constant reference to feces and calling characters names - which is against the rules by the way - try reposting this. Try posting it without the bile and nastiness and name calling.

                            Your opinion is valid, the way you expressed it is not. that's why this thread is closed.
                            Where in the World is George Hammond?


                            sigpic

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X