Why are some people so desperate for the Stargate to be USED each episode?

[Tanith0709]

Think what people are trying to get across is that with SGU you could easily forget that they even have a Stargate on-board in most episodes. Without the occasional reference to things happening on Earth you could also easily forget that it's set in the same Universe as the other 2.

To me in both SGA & SG1 the Stargate felt like an important plot device (in general). But with SGU the Destiny feels like the important plot device & the Stargate itself is just the occasional tool they use (something you don't give a second thought to).

With Stargate in the title you would expect the Stargate to at least feel important.

[chrono trigger]

Think what people are trying to get across is that with SGU you could easily forget that they even have a Stargate on-board in most episodes. Without the occasional reference to things happening on Earth you could also easily forget that it's set in the same Universe as the other 2.

To me in both SGA & SG1 the Stargate felt like an important plot device (in general). But with SGU the Destiny feels like the important plot device & the Stargate itself is just the occasional tool they use (something you don't give a second thought to).

With Stargate in the title you would expect the Stargate to at least feel important.

exactly

[thekillman]

Think what people are trying to get across is that with SGU you could easily forget that they even have a Stargate on-board in most episodes. Without the occasional reference to things happening on Earth you could also easily forget that it's set in the same Universe as the other 2.

To me in both SGA & SG1 the Stargate felt like an important plot device (in general). But with SGU the Destiny feels like the important plot device & the Stargate itself is just the occasional tool they use (something you don't give a second thought to).

With Stargate in the title you would expect the Stargate to at least feel important.

given that we have our own spaceships now, i don't think the Gate CAN be that important anymore. it was so powerful because it was cheap interstellar and even intergalactic travel. SGA lost the true meaning of the 'Gate, SG1 in it's later seasons as well.


SGU just continues that trend.

besides, how many more episodes can you stand where the gate goes funky?

[Ukko]

In how many episodes were the gate in use (exploading gate included):

SGA:
- S1: 16
- S2: 12
- S3: 13
- S4: 9
- S5: 11

SGU:
- S1: 11
- S2: 9-10 (given the spoilers)

I quoted this from another thread. There is hardly any difference between gate usage.

[Skarmory]

I believe what makes the difference is not how often the gate is used, but how well it is used...quality over quantity. I have never been a SGU fan so I cannot comment there, but in SGA, it still seems that the gate was made to feel like an integral part of the expedition without overstaging everything...even when it was not used, often shots of the control tower would have the gate shown. (Of course, this is when the writers did things correctly). In SG1, the gate obviously started the entire program, and was later joined, but not pushed out of the way by ships and other devices. The gate was used for it's primary purpose, as the best means of transportation instead of a be-all-end-all.

Thinking from the part of the writers, it is hard keep incorporating the gate into plot in original ways...how many different ways can you look at what is basically a fancy portal, whose purpose is to get you someplace? And I strongly agree with thekillman, we can only take so many episodes where something goes wonky with the gate/DHD/computer/control crystals/etc.

[Quetzocoetl]

I see it all as semantics.
There are Star Wars novels and comics that take place during times of peace...or at the very least lack any sort of full-scale war. In the same vein, the comic Serenity: Float Out, doesn't even mention it's titular ship.
I see the name "Stargate" and don't think "It's going to use the Stargate" but rather "It's going to take place in the continuity of Stargate". The actual use of the titular object isn't really a necessity in my eyes, the title is just a way of informing the viewer that it's part of a shared continuity.

[Puddle-Jumper]

The new season of torchwood does infact revolve around Torchwood...... And episodes like Grace from SG1 are great every now and again, but the point is that the writers have this amazing tool to put the characters of the show in any situation anywhere anytime and yet most of this season of SGU has just been them pottering around the ship crying (even though I do really like the show) like they could be off fighting autons and sea devils but they waste it... like I loved early SGU where they were exploring different planets all the time but there was an overarching story to them. I think the stargate should be in every episode because I think it keeps the show fresh, as long as the stories are well done.

[themyst]

I have always been so impressed with the whole stargate idea. It was brilliant. I like to see it used in all of the Stargate shows as it is kind of behind the whole gist of the story. I don't think I mind much if there is an episode or two that doesn't use it (especially when talking about SU), but I do expect to see it in use - with mediocrity even - 90% of the time - just walk through the darn thing ... receive a visitor or something. Not using the stargate to me would be paramount to an episode of Star Trek filmed solely at the Starfleet Academy on earth (which doesn't thrill me at all thinking about it).

[garhkal]

I quoted this from another thread. There is hardly any difference between gate usage.

Did that thread have a rundown of how much gate use SG1 had?

[Ukko]

Did that thread have a rundown of how much gate use SG1 had?

It may have, im not sure. I just quoted the one i did because its usualy SGA had this, SGU didnt, SGU never uses the gate, SGA did all this blah blah blah stuff. The quote shows there is hardly any difference between the two and i felt like sharing

[chrono trigger]

Did that thread have a rundown of how much gate use SG1 had?

i would be interested to see aswell but i dont think we would need one as it's fairly obvious the gate was used the most in sg1 overall than the other two.

[garhkal]

True, but it would have been nice to see a rundown anyway.. for comparison.

[YodaMate]

To be fair, the earliest SG-1 episodes (you can't get more 'classic', unless you're in James Spader territory) broke down as follows : Children of the Gods (1 and 2) used the Gate a lot, Enemy Within was Earthbound with exactly two Gate activations and no successful travel, Emancipation took place entirely off-world and we didn't see them use the Gate at all.

That's 1 out of the first 4 being completely Gate-less. Thus, at least one quarter of all SGU (10 episodes) can be safely Gate-less (and another quarter, or 10 episodes, can have minor Gate usage ; which means we can have an entire season with minimal Gate activity) without breaching 'classic' standards

[Selkhet]

I have always viewed the Stargate itself as just a plot device like any other. Sure in the earlier seasons when Earth was still inexperienced, the gate was used pretty much every episode and there was more focus on it.
Nowadays however the SGverse is much bigger and Earth's capabilities are much more.
I don't see any reason why the Stargate needs to be used in every episode.

I totally agree. I never felt like I was missing something if I did not see the gate open up. I have always felt it was a natural progression as Stargate Command's capabilities increased the need to use the gate lessened.

[RJLCyberPunk]

Since the show is canned does it matter anyway? Let's us enjoy what little we have left before we are put out to pasture in Syndication up 'till 1 or 2 generations down the line when we are gone and whole new generation enjoys a rebooted Stargate franchise.