Stargate Universe Revisited

As I mentioned in my last post, I have recently become quite addicted to the shows in the world of Stargate. I still have yet to test the waters in Atlantis, but I'm making strong headway into the original SG-1, and I've completely caught myself up on the current episodes from SG-U. I must say, as much as I love SG-1, There is something remarkable about SG-U that has me quite literally hopping up and down in anticipation of the next episode.

Here's why: We can officially add this to the very short list of shows with characters I truly love. Very few times can I say that I was sitting here watching the show shouting at the screen (it's like what most people do with football) or that I had to get up and pace because the show was making me nervous.

Though I still have a little over 7 seasons to go in SG-1, I do feel pretty comfortable saying that I'm going to like SG-U better... much better. See, while there are some pretty awesome characters in SG-1, a truly memorable lot, SG-U seems to be almost entirely focused on the characters. We get back stories, we get relationships, rivalries, and camaraderie.

All this on the backdrop of being stuck on a spaceship that seems capable of taking care of the people on the ship without allowing them to leave or get home. And this is where the show succeeds in my opinion - the stuff about the Stargates is really just a backdrop for the characters and their interactions. It reminds me of The Mist, in that the people can survive, so the story becomes one about the people and their natures. My favorite kind of story.

In any case, my favorite character of the bunch remains Lt. Scott. His arc even in the first 6 episodes is just fascinating and a pleasure to watch. The character has a lot of back story that can be built upon and expanded, and I positively can't wait. Also, Dr. Rush continues to get ever more complicated. His motives are questionable, but his ends seems to work for the benefit of everybody on the crew. Like Scott, I cannot wait to see how his character evolves.

One character that I didn't mention in my first post on the show was Colonel Young, and shame on me, because he is the gravity and the maturity that really keeps the show level. He's obviously a seasoned soldier, and the weight he lends the pieces of the story on board the ship really makes it all seem so... plausible. His back story, though, is what really got me on his bandwagon. It's kind of heartbreaking, and they really dig into it in the episode entitled "Earth." This also happens to be the basis for the biggest OMG moment I've had watching TV in quite a while. It was the cliffhanger ending of the show, and it had me staring slack-jawed at the screen for many a minute after the credits had concluded.

In any case, This show has definitely been added to the weekly must-watch list - right up there with House, Heroes, Cougar Town, and V (and Southland in January :-). Check it out if you get the chance.