Stargate Universe premiere: Review and Screencaps
So, what did you all think of Stargate Universe?
On the whole, I liked it. As I've seen others say elsewhere, it was a bit derivative plot-wise, but I think the strength for this show is going to be in its characters (which makes it not that different from previous Stargates, because let's face it, plot has never been their strong point). That's what's going to make or break the show, and from what I've seen so far, I think it has potential. And if I hear one more comparison to BSG I'm going to start busting heads. BSG did not invent dark. It did not invent gritty. It did not invent particular camera styles nor particular character archetypes.It did not invent the premise of being trapped on a ship and having to fight for survival. Hard as it may be for some BSG fans to believe, BSG did not invent either television or science fiction. And while I'm at it, neither did Joss Whedon. Just saying.
Anyway, I hope SGU doesn't fall into the trap of taking itself too seriously. I think, or at least I hope, that the writers can keep a little humor in it. What I want to see is some other characters developing senses of humor. I love Eli, but I don't want him to be the only source of levity in the show. It'll too easily become "Stargate: Dark and Gritty, Except for the Comic Relief Guy Over There." Humor and darkness and seriousness and silliness can all integrated together without grating. It just has to be done right. And I definitely don't think the franchise has lost its sense of exploration, like I've seen some others accuse it of. This was the first (two) episodes. It wasn't even a complete story. There's going to be some set-up before they really settle in. It's essentially the first season of SGA all over again, with the stakes a little higher and a TV14 rating instead of a TVPG.
(And to give you all a little perspective of where I'm coming from, I wasn't too hot about the first several episodes of SGA, either. I mostly watched it because it was on after SG-1. It wasn't until the mid-season two-parter that I started actively looking forward to the show each week, and it wasn't until the hiatus between the first and second seasons when I rewatched the first season that I became fannish. So it usually takes me a long time to move from "actively criticizing," to "passively watching," to "OMG I LOVE THIS SHOW").
Um, random thoughts from all over the place:
1. The steadicam was well-done, but a couple of times they did that THING. That THING I HATE. It's when the camera does a quick, fast zoom-in on someone's face to indicate a dramatic moment. I'm not talking about slow zoom-ins, like what a lot of shows do when they're about to go to commercial, I'm talking about those really short, fast ones. I hate them. They look cheesy and stupid no matter what kind of show they're on. There weren't that many, and I know none of my begging will prevent there from being more, but UGH.
2. Eli is my favorite, but I could have told you that before the show even started.
3. Robert Carlyle is indeed a fantastic actor, but I have no idea what's going on with his character. I don't know yet if I find that intriguing or annoying. Morally ambiguous characters can be so much fun, but can also go so very wrong.
4. The set-up was...odd. A lot of things seemed to happen for the sake of happening and whatever sense they might have made was glossed over by the writers. So Jack shows up and just beams away a kid who solved a math problem the SGC had been trying to solve for several months? They didn't even give him (much of) a choice? Were they that desperate? Where the hell were Sam and Rodney? Where the hell was Jeannie Miller? The writers put in so many references to the previous series to create the sense of an integrated world and then just hand-waved over the fact that they didn't have their best physicists working on this apparently incredibly important problem. And I know obviously Sam and Rodney couldn't be there because it's not their show, but the way they got Eli involved was too unbelieveable. Most of the rest you can make sense of: why a bunch of inexperienced people, politicians, and IOA members were at the base, why Rush opened the gate to the Destiny instead of Earth (he did kind of have a legitimate concern even if he was just using that as an excuse for a last, desperate attempt at dialing the ninth chevron), why the ship they ended up on is the way that it is. But really, why the hell was Eli even there?
5. Needs moar Lou Diamond Phillips.
6. Two main military dudes (not Col. Young) are sort of not convincing me of anything just yet. A lot of stitled acting going on there. Hopefully they'll get better.
7. Needs a lot more of the female characters!
8. T.J. and Young totally have/had something going on with each other, yes?
9. Was there any particular point to the random part where Rush goes to his quarters and sobs over a picture of his (presumably dead) wife for a couple minutes?
10. The effects were amazing. The ship design is gorgeous. It's a really pretty show, anyway, even if the lighting is turned down.
11. Eli makes the best faces (there are several examples in the screencaps I did; see below). I'm kind of tempted to make an Eli Wallace mood theme.
12. The part where Chloe's father sacrificed himself actually got me a little choked up a little. That kind of thing really pushes my sadness button, I guess. Emotional manipulation: achieved.
13. I believe the reason their cast is so big is so they can kill off characters throughout the season while still keeping the main main characters relatively safe.
14. So they've got Daniel doing the Stargate introduction and instructional videos. Ha.
15. Lots and lots of Gate porn, but NO going through the wormhole effects? What's up with that?
16. I do like that they're all there with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs (and the clothes are more than matching uniforms). It'll be interesting to see how the writers deal with the severe shortage of resources in future episodes. At least Eli got some pants.
Overall, it was a bit of a letdown after all the hype, and I'm still not convinced the writers can pull off Stargate: Now With 95% Less Crack! I'm also not sure if I want them to. But I'm on board for now.
Also, they blew up a planet in their first episode. That has to count for something.
And! I made screencaps! 1557 screencaps! Samples and download link here.
On the whole, I liked it. As I've seen others say elsewhere, it was a bit derivative plot-wise, but I think the strength for this show is going to be in its characters (which makes it not that different from previous Stargates, because let's face it, plot has never been their strong point). That's what's going to make or break the show, and from what I've seen so far, I think it has potential. And if I hear one more comparison to BSG I'm going to start busting heads. BSG did not invent dark. It did not invent gritty. It did not invent particular camera styles nor particular character archetypes.It did not invent the premise of being trapped on a ship and having to fight for survival. Hard as it may be for some BSG fans to believe, BSG did not invent either television or science fiction. And while I'm at it, neither did Joss Whedon. Just saying.
Anyway, I hope SGU doesn't fall into the trap of taking itself too seriously. I think, or at least I hope, that the writers can keep a little humor in it. What I want to see is some other characters developing senses of humor. I love Eli, but I don't want him to be the only source of levity in the show. It'll too easily become "Stargate: Dark and Gritty, Except for the Comic Relief Guy Over There." Humor and darkness and seriousness and silliness can all integrated together without grating. It just has to be done right. And I definitely don't think the franchise has lost its sense of exploration, like I've seen some others accuse it of. This was the first (two) episodes. It wasn't even a complete story. There's going to be some set-up before they really settle in. It's essentially the first season of SGA all over again, with the stakes a little higher and a TV14 rating instead of a TVPG.
(And to give you all a little perspective of where I'm coming from, I wasn't too hot about the first several episodes of SGA, either. I mostly watched it because it was on after SG-1. It wasn't until the mid-season two-parter that I started actively looking forward to the show each week, and it wasn't until the hiatus between the first and second seasons when I rewatched the first season that I became fannish. So it usually takes me a long time to move from "actively criticizing," to "passively watching," to "OMG I LOVE THIS SHOW").
Um, random thoughts from all over the place:
1. The steadicam was well-done, but a couple of times they did that THING. That THING I HATE. It's when the camera does a quick, fast zoom-in on someone's face to indicate a dramatic moment. I'm not talking about slow zoom-ins, like what a lot of shows do when they're about to go to commercial, I'm talking about those really short, fast ones. I hate them. They look cheesy and stupid no matter what kind of show they're on. There weren't that many, and I know none of my begging will prevent there from being more, but UGH.
2. Eli is my favorite, but I could have told you that before the show even started.
3. Robert Carlyle is indeed a fantastic actor, but I have no idea what's going on with his character. I don't know yet if I find that intriguing or annoying. Morally ambiguous characters can be so much fun, but can also go so very wrong.
4. The set-up was...odd. A lot of things seemed to happen for the sake of happening and whatever sense they might have made was glossed over by the writers. So Jack shows up and just beams away a kid who solved a math problem the SGC had been trying to solve for several months? They didn't even give him (much of) a choice? Were they that desperate? Where the hell were Sam and Rodney? Where the hell was Jeannie Miller? The writers put in so many references to the previous series to create the sense of an integrated world and then just hand-waved over the fact that they didn't have their best physicists working on this apparently incredibly important problem. And I know obviously Sam and Rodney couldn't be there because it's not their show, but the way they got Eli involved was too unbelieveable. Most of the rest you can make sense of: why a bunch of inexperienced people, politicians, and IOA members were at the base, why Rush opened the gate to the Destiny instead of Earth (he did kind of have a legitimate concern even if he was just using that as an excuse for a last, desperate attempt at dialing the ninth chevron), why the ship they ended up on is the way that it is. But really, why the hell was Eli even there?
5. Needs moar Lou Diamond Phillips.
6. Two main military dudes (not Col. Young) are sort of not convincing me of anything just yet. A lot of stitled acting going on there. Hopefully they'll get better.
7. Needs a lot more of the female characters!
8. T.J. and Young totally have/had something going on with each other, yes?
9. Was there any particular point to the random part where Rush goes to his quarters and sobs over a picture of his (presumably dead) wife for a couple minutes?
10. The effects were amazing. The ship design is gorgeous. It's a really pretty show, anyway, even if the lighting is turned down.
11. Eli makes the best faces (there are several examples in the screencaps I did; see below). I'm kind of tempted to make an Eli Wallace mood theme.
12. The part where Chloe's father sacrificed himself actually got me a little choked up a little. That kind of thing really pushes my sadness button, I guess. Emotional manipulation: achieved.
13. I believe the reason their cast is so big is so they can kill off characters throughout the season while still keeping the main main characters relatively safe.
14. So they've got Daniel doing the Stargate introduction and instructional videos. Ha.
15. Lots and lots of Gate porn, but NO going through the wormhole effects? What's up with that?
16. I do like that they're all there with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs (and the clothes are more than matching uniforms). It'll be interesting to see how the writers deal with the severe shortage of resources in future episodes. At least Eli got some pants.
Overall, it was a bit of a letdown after all the hype, and I'm still not convinced the writers can pull off Stargate: Now With 95% Less Crack! I'm also not sure if I want them to. But I'm on board for now.
Also, they blew up a planet in their first episode. That has to count for something.
And! I made screencaps! 1557 screencaps! Samples and download link here.