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| Stargate |
How many of you like science fiction? Answer: all of you. If you claim you don’t…just shut up. Have you ever heard of “Stargate”? It was originally a movie with Kurt Russell and James Spader that was made into a (mostly) fantastic TV show, which spawned another less fantastic show, which spawned some pretty decent movies, which spawned a third show.
That right there is almost three generations of media, which have all been at least watchable. “Stargate” is a prolific media empire. What is inexplicable to me is how incredible the third show, “Stargate Universe,” has become. It started off a little slow, but recently (within the last two months) it has gone from okay to magnificent.
Trapped on a spaceship called the Destiny, millions of light-years from Earth, the characters have to survive and try not to kill each other. If this sounds like “Battlestar Galactica” well, it is. But “Stargate Universe” is amazing. I swear to all of you not watching it (and that is everyone, because the show has awful ratings) that this is one of the best shows on television, bar none.
First, the way the show integrates the previous “Stargate” mythology is incredible. The creators took a series that became unrealistically campy and lighthearted and made it an intense drama that can keep you entertained for weeks.
The characters’ only interaction with home is through a device that allows people to switch consciousness with someone on the other end. Can you imagine only being able to see your family through the eyes of another person? Being able to see everyone you love, but without them seeing you, no matter how many times you told them who you really were?
If you are more interested in the politics of the fake universe, you may prefer when the crew of the Destiny helps in a special-ops raid on an allied planet using the body-swapping technique. Perhaps even a nuclear terrorist attack on Washington, D.C. And if you hate politics, two senators have been killed over the course of the show, so you will find something to like, too.
How about basic survival? Time travel does happen in the “Stargate” universe, so it’s pretty cool to see the characters stripping a future version of their own ship so they can fix their own. There’s never enough food, water or medical supplies, and in one recent episode the ship medic (who was never trained as a doctor) performed a kidney transplant without help or electricity.
What truly makes this show demand your respect are the characters. All the actors (literally everyone) act so well, from the commanders to the scientists to the psychotic Marines, that you can’t help but pay attention. And they don’t deal with stupid problems like the previous iterations of “Stargate” did. For example—what would you do with a soldier trapped under a bulkhead who is going to die painfully over the course of several days? Well, if you were the commander, you’d suffocate him with your bare hands.
Unfortunately, virtually nobody watches “Stargate Universe.” It is pretty certain that Syfy will cancel it in favor of more god-awful original “movies.” At this point, I doubt we can do much to save it, but seriously, if you want some good science fiction if you want some fearless, unbelievable, dramatic, amazing television, just watch this show. You won’t be disappointed.
That right there is almost three generations of media, which have all been at least watchable. “Stargate” is a prolific media empire. What is inexplicable to me is how incredible the third show, “Stargate Universe,” has become. It started off a little slow, but recently (within the last two months) it has gone from okay to magnificent.
Trapped on a spaceship called the Destiny, millions of light-years from Earth, the characters have to survive and try not to kill each other. If this sounds like “Battlestar Galactica” well, it is. But “Stargate Universe” is amazing. I swear to all of you not watching it (and that is everyone, because the show has awful ratings) that this is one of the best shows on television, bar none.
First, the way the show integrates the previous “Stargate” mythology is incredible. The creators took a series that became unrealistically campy and lighthearted and made it an intense drama that can keep you entertained for weeks.
The characters’ only interaction with home is through a device that allows people to switch consciousness with someone on the other end. Can you imagine only being able to see your family through the eyes of another person? Being able to see everyone you love, but without them seeing you, no matter how many times you told them who you really were?
If you are more interested in the politics of the fake universe, you may prefer when the crew of the Destiny helps in a special-ops raid on an allied planet using the body-swapping technique. Perhaps even a nuclear terrorist attack on Washington, D.C. And if you hate politics, two senators have been killed over the course of the show, so you will find something to like, too.
How about basic survival? Time travel does happen in the “Stargate” universe, so it’s pretty cool to see the characters stripping a future version of their own ship so they can fix their own. There’s never enough food, water or medical supplies, and in one recent episode the ship medic (who was never trained as a doctor) performed a kidney transplant without help or electricity.
What truly makes this show demand your respect are the characters. All the actors (literally everyone) act so well, from the commanders to the scientists to the psychotic Marines, that you can’t help but pay attention. And they don’t deal with stupid problems like the previous iterations of “Stargate” did. For example—what would you do with a soldier trapped under a bulkhead who is going to die painfully over the course of several days? Well, if you were the commander, you’d suffocate him with your bare hands.
Unfortunately, virtually nobody watches “Stargate Universe.” It is pretty certain that Syfy will cancel it in favor of more god-awful original “movies.” At this point, I doubt we can do much to save it, but seriously, if you want some good science fiction if you want some fearless, unbelievable, dramatic, amazing television, just watch this show. You won’t be disappointed.
