Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
It has been a long time. Recently my stepdaughter was watching Stargate Atlantis and sort of forced me to watch it with her. Once that was done, I felt like watching something more, but I wasn't yet ready to start watching Stargate SG-1 again. I decided to give Stargate Universe another go. Over the course of three days or so, I watched both seasons. Honestly, I was somewhat surprised to find that my opinion on the show now feels quite different from my opinion of it when it first aired.
I once wrote a review of the first episode (or rather three episodes, as they form one together) here. I haven't looked it up, but I recall writing that I liked the way the show got started. I found that this is still the case. The atmosphere set by the visuals and music is quite good and makes me want to keep watching. I was weary of certain scenes that I knew would be coming up. These scenes, like the one with Scott and James having sex in the closet for example, really bothered me when I saw them the first time. This is partly because I'm not a fan of such scenes in general. In any TV show or movie I see them, I always feel that they're out of place. Generally there's no need for them and they don't add to the story. This is especially true for Stargate, since nothing like it had ever been a part of the shows. The closest we got was probably a kiss. And of course, there were titties in the uncensored version of Children of the Gods, which by the way I have no problem with. Titties are almost always good. No titties were shown in Stargate Universe though, just sex. Boring! Anyway, I knew the closet sex scene would be coming, and once it was there, it was over with quickly. I didn't find it nearly as bothersome as I originally found it. I still feel that it doesn't belong in Stargate, mind you. My mind sort of just skipped over it.
I was also prepared for other things which would be coming, which I knew might annoy me. For example, the communication stones used to bother me a lot. They were in fact the very origin of my former handle, which I have used for a long time since. I still feel that these stones should not have been a part of Stargate Universe. I understand that they were used as a plot device in order to tie in characters from the previous Stargate series, however mainly they were used to explore philosophical edge cases related to inhabiting other peoples' bodies, and especially to create drama. Whilst some of these edge cases were in fact interesting, they served no purpose for the main plot of the show. It would have been more interesting if the "crew" aboard Destiny would have been just by themselves with no interference from earth. That said, I knew that these scenes would be coming. Honestly, they didn't really bother me as much though. I think I managed to see them as interludes for the main story this time around and perhaps I paid less attention to them. To be perfectly honest, the communication stones were a part of Stargate SG-1 originally and Stargate Atlantis after that. I accepted their existence in these shows, so logically I have no basis for not accepting their existence in Stargate Universe. It would just have been better if they had not been there, or at the very least, not have been used as much and definitely not have been used for the drama as has been done here.
Upon disregarding the previously mentioned two aspects, what remains is actually a very good show. The concept is fantastic. An ancient spaceship, created by a very advanced race which no longer exists (in their original form anyway), sent on a mission to investigate what is perhaps the biggest mystery one could imagine, crossing countless galaxies and the vastness of space all by itself. A group of people of a race not anywhere near as advanced end up on the ship, forced to find ways to survive in fairly desperate and dire situations, cut off from their home and all they know (aside from the cursed communication stones), with no way to get back thus being forced to continue the journey set out for the ship by the ancients. It is a brilliant premise. It is not poorly executed either. Upon rewatching this, I found myself bingeing as much as I could. I did manage to watch all 40 episodes within a time span of three days after all, one of which was a working day. I think that says a lot. By far the largest part of the episodes was actually quite interesting and they kept getting more and more interesting along the way. It is truly disappointing that the show was forced to end where it did. I would really have liked to see more of it. I still would like to see the mission completed, but even with the rumors about a new show being in the works, there's a fat chance of that ever happening.
I suppose this leaves me feeling kind of sad. Not just because I will not be able to see the end of the story as the creators of the show had intended, but also because I feel I was a part of the reason why this didn't came to be. Even though later on (at the time) I voiced my opinion that the show was improving, the damage had already been done by that point. I did things to show my initial disapproval of the show which I now feel were in poor taste and I regret having done them. That said, I do recall the creators of the show being dismissive and rude towards their original fan base. When I think about it now, that fact alone is probably the reason why I picked up a virtual pitchfork. That and the fact that at Gateworld people were being silenced and getting banned, simply for having an opinion that wasn't entirely positive towards the show. It is such a shame. Things could have turned out so differently if that hadn't been the case. The creators of the show made some mistakes. They were arrogant when fans of the original series spoke their minds. Things went from bad to worse. But the creators were not the only arrogant ones. It was also me. I suppose that having followed the previous two shows with great interest over the course of 15 seasons, watching them over and over, gave me the idea that my opinion was important. How could they destroy the thing which was so dear to me?!
But, the thing is, they did not destroy anything. The original two shows are still here, in their entirety. They can still be enjoyed, over and over. They were made by the same people who made Stargate Universe. All they did, was give us more. Sure, it wasn't the same we were used to. Still, at its core, Stargate Universe is very much Stargate. If you take away the drama, if you take away the communication stones, if you take away the sex, and you take away the shaky-cam, you are left with an intense and immersive story which is truly worthy of exploration.
I am sorry for, and also a bit ashamed of, how I have treated the people creating Stargate Universe in the past. I wanted to get that off my chest. I am by the way also curious how others here would view the show now, if they were to watch it again, with an open mind. It has been a decade, and both the times and us ourselves have surely changed.
I once wrote a review of the first episode (or rather three episodes, as they form one together) here. I haven't looked it up, but I recall writing that I liked the way the show got started. I found that this is still the case. The atmosphere set by the visuals and music is quite good and makes me want to keep watching. I was weary of certain scenes that I knew would be coming up. These scenes, like the one with Scott and James having sex in the closet for example, really bothered me when I saw them the first time. This is partly because I'm not a fan of such scenes in general. In any TV show or movie I see them, I always feel that they're out of place. Generally there's no need for them and they don't add to the story. This is especially true for Stargate, since nothing like it had ever been a part of the shows. The closest we got was probably a kiss. And of course, there were titties in the uncensored version of Children of the Gods, which by the way I have no problem with. Titties are almost always good. No titties were shown in Stargate Universe though, just sex. Boring! Anyway, I knew the closet sex scene would be coming, and once it was there, it was over with quickly. I didn't find it nearly as bothersome as I originally found it. I still feel that it doesn't belong in Stargate, mind you. My mind sort of just skipped over it.
I was also prepared for other things which would be coming, which I knew might annoy me. For example, the communication stones used to bother me a lot. They were in fact the very origin of my former handle, which I have used for a long time since. I still feel that these stones should not have been a part of Stargate Universe. I understand that they were used as a plot device in order to tie in characters from the previous Stargate series, however mainly they were used to explore philosophical edge cases related to inhabiting other peoples' bodies, and especially to create drama. Whilst some of these edge cases were in fact interesting, they served no purpose for the main plot of the show. It would have been more interesting if the "crew" aboard Destiny would have been just by themselves with no interference from earth. That said, I knew that these scenes would be coming. Honestly, they didn't really bother me as much though. I think I managed to see them as interludes for the main story this time around and perhaps I paid less attention to them. To be perfectly honest, the communication stones were a part of Stargate SG-1 originally and Stargate Atlantis after that. I accepted their existence in these shows, so logically I have no basis for not accepting their existence in Stargate Universe. It would just have been better if they had not been there, or at the very least, not have been used as much and definitely not have been used for the drama as has been done here.
Upon disregarding the previously mentioned two aspects, what remains is actually a very good show. The concept is fantastic. An ancient spaceship, created by a very advanced race which no longer exists (in their original form anyway), sent on a mission to investigate what is perhaps the biggest mystery one could imagine, crossing countless galaxies and the vastness of space all by itself. A group of people of a race not anywhere near as advanced end up on the ship, forced to find ways to survive in fairly desperate and dire situations, cut off from their home and all they know (aside from the cursed communication stones), with no way to get back thus being forced to continue the journey set out for the ship by the ancients. It is a brilliant premise. It is not poorly executed either. Upon rewatching this, I found myself bingeing as much as I could. I did manage to watch all 40 episodes within a time span of three days after all, one of which was a working day. I think that says a lot. By far the largest part of the episodes was actually quite interesting and they kept getting more and more interesting along the way. It is truly disappointing that the show was forced to end where it did. I would really have liked to see more of it. I still would like to see the mission completed, but even with the rumors about a new show being in the works, there's a fat chance of that ever happening.
I suppose this leaves me feeling kind of sad. Not just because I will not be able to see the end of the story as the creators of the show had intended, but also because I feel I was a part of the reason why this didn't came to be. Even though later on (at the time) I voiced my opinion that the show was improving, the damage had already been done by that point. I did things to show my initial disapproval of the show which I now feel were in poor taste and I regret having done them. That said, I do recall the creators of the show being dismissive and rude towards their original fan base. When I think about it now, that fact alone is probably the reason why I picked up a virtual pitchfork. That and the fact that at Gateworld people were being silenced and getting banned, simply for having an opinion that wasn't entirely positive towards the show. It is such a shame. Things could have turned out so differently if that hadn't been the case. The creators of the show made some mistakes. They were arrogant when fans of the original series spoke their minds. Things went from bad to worse. But the creators were not the only arrogant ones. It was also me. I suppose that having followed the previous two shows with great interest over the course of 15 seasons, watching them over and over, gave me the idea that my opinion was important. How could they destroy the thing which was so dear to me?!
But, the thing is, they did not destroy anything. The original two shows are still here, in their entirety. They can still be enjoyed, over and over. They were made by the same people who made Stargate Universe. All they did, was give us more. Sure, it wasn't the same we were used to. Still, at its core, Stargate Universe is very much Stargate. If you take away the drama, if you take away the communication stones, if you take away the sex, and you take away the shaky-cam, you are left with an intense and immersive story which is truly worthy of exploration.
I am sorry for, and also a bit ashamed of, how I have treated the people creating Stargate Universe in the past. I wanted to get that off my chest. I am by the way also curious how others here would view the show now, if they were to watch it again, with an open mind. It has been a decade, and both the times and us ourselves have surely changed.
