Unimpressed with "Stargate: Lost in Space"
I have to say, if it hadn't been for Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, and Michael Shanks being mentioned as guest stars in the opening credits, I might have deleted the premiere of "Stargate Universe" from my DVR without watching, since the bits that I did happen to see while taping were extremely underwhelming.
Maybe it'll improve in later episodes, but right now even the little nods to 1980's sci-fi flicks like "The Last Starfighter" (updated so that it's the online role-playing game which contains the 'test' that leads to the young guy with the dead-end life being summarily recruited to save the galaxy) can't make up for the dark, depressing suspicion that Dr. Rush will turn out to be just another "Dr. Smith" -- one of the major reasons why I've always hated watching reruns of "Lost in Space", hot Guy Williams (formerly Disney's Zorro) and witty robot notwithstanding.
It also occurred to me that the creators of SGU might've learned the wrong lessons from the success of BSG, trying to include all the grim, gritty, darkness that characterized much of the "Battlestar Galactica" reimagining, but without including the heart and the brighter lighting which made the emotional darkness of BSG tolerable . . . for me, at least.
There were SOME new characters whom I didn't immediately hate, but none so far that I really feel compelled to know more about. If I watch next week, it'll probably be in hopes of either more cameos from "real" Stargate characters like O'Neill, Carter, Walter, and even Dr. Lee, OR some marked improvement in the tone and likability of the new series.
Maybe it'll improve in later episodes, but right now even the little nods to 1980's sci-fi flicks like "The Last Starfighter" (updated so that it's the online role-playing game which contains the 'test' that leads to the young guy with the dead-end life being summarily recruited to save the galaxy) can't make up for the dark, depressing suspicion that Dr. Rush will turn out to be just another "Dr. Smith" -- one of the major reasons why I've always hated watching reruns of "Lost in Space", hot Guy Williams (formerly Disney's Zorro) and witty robot notwithstanding.
It also occurred to me that the creators of SGU might've learned the wrong lessons from the success of BSG, trying to include all the grim, gritty, darkness that characterized much of the "Battlestar Galactica" reimagining, but without including the heart and the brighter lighting which made the emotional darkness of BSG tolerable . . . for me, at least.
There were SOME new characters whom I didn't immediately hate, but none so far that I really feel compelled to know more about. If I watch next week, it'll probably be in hopes of either more cameos from "real" Stargate characters like O'Neill, Carter, Walter, and even Dr. Lee, OR some marked improvement in the tone and likability of the new series.