Posted Nov 7th 2009 12:30PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Stargate, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E07) With the IOA and Stargate Command planning a risky rescue mission aboard
The Destiny, Eli, Chloe and Young used the communication stones to head back to Earth and... indulge in a little drinking and sex!
The crew faced death again, Col. Telford came aboard to annoy everyone again, and Rush hovered on the fringe, skulking and whining about the military's plan of action. Again.
Still, I really enjoyed how everything played out this week. Finally Eli, aka the
Star Wars-referencing funny guy, was given more to do than make jokes and pine for Chloe. David Blue really sold the scenes with Eli talking to his mother. I sensed a real longing from Eli to want to take care of his mom and prove himself to her out of love and respect. It was a good idea to have him pose as a co-worker. That way, we got to see what he really thinks about himself, his mother, and his current situation.
Continue reading Review: Stargate Universe - Earth
Posted Nov 1st 2009 9:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Stargate, Reality-Free
On this week's episode of
Stargate Universe, "Water," we saw a return of those swirling sands of ... something ... that appeared in the earlier episode on the desert planet. Only on the desert planet, they were helpful. This time, they were a bit more nefarious, attacking a crew member and, apparently, depleting the ship's water supply (which, quite frankly, must be ancient water; let's hope they've got some good purification systems in place).
It makes you wonder if the swirling sands are the reason that particular planet was a sandy abyss, and now that they've been stargated to a planet with lots of precipitation in the form of ice, they should be happy for a while.
So what do you think they are? Aliens, as the crew surmised? And why were they helpful on the planet, but deadly on the ship? Why didn't they attack Johansen? And if they're aliens, could they have the ability to read a person's mind and form visions based on that person's memories and thoughts?
Feel free to discuss the rest of the episode, too. Because of a power outage, I wasn't able to get a full review up in a timely fashion, so decided to focus on the most interesting part of the episode for me -- the swirling sands.
Posted Oct 24th 2009 1:57AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Stargate, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E05) "Why am I watching this on TV?" – Eli Wallace
This week's episode of
Stargate Universe picked up right where last week's left off, with
The Destiny heading straight for a star and, presumably, oblivion. Thankfully, "Light" featured less of those tired
Real World-esque confessionals from last week, but the first few acts really dragged, and it was hard to wrap my head around that out-of-nowhere love scene between Chloe and Scott (more on that in a bit).
With only 17 people able to fit aboard the shuttle, Col. Young came up with a lottery system to decide who would escape to a nearby planet and who would remain aboard the ship to burn. I was expecting a riot to explode during the lottery drawing, but Greer was able to quiet the storm with one swift blow to a Marine's face. The respectful relationship between Greer and the quiet and noble Young is a welcome addition to the series. I like how Greer has Young's back, and it seems like Young might inspire Greer to become something more than just an angry brute with a meditative side. And watching Rush do something other than stress and shout was a nice change of pace.
Continue reading Review: Stargate Universe - Light
Posted Oct 21st 2009 11:00AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, Stargate, Interviews, Reality-Free, Galleries
The writers and producers of Syfy's
Stargate Universe could've played it safe and got along just fine with their latest series.
After Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's 1994 feature film from MGM, the series' first TV adaption (
SG1) arrived in 1997. When you throw in the follow-up series,
Infinity and
Atlantis,
the Stargate franchise has run on TV in one form or another for more than 12 years.
When the time came to invent the next step in the franchise, show-runners Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper could have trotted out more of the same and done perfectly well. Instead, they upped the ante -- bringing a bigger budget and updated production techniques to
Stargate Universe.
MGM and Syfy welcomed journalists to Vancouver's Bridge Studios to
explore the show's starship Destiny set and discover how this series cruises beyond its successful predecessors.
Continue reading Set Visit: Stargate Universe ups ante for veteran franchise
Posted Oct 20th 2009 6:04PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Industry, Smallville, Stargate, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
Fans of actor Michael Shanks won't have to wait until the next
Stargate DVD movie/telefilm to see him back on the small screen. The
SG-1 alum has
landed the role of Hawkman on the upcoming Justice Society episode of
Smallville.
Shanks' Hawkman won't be the only classic DC Comics hero making an appearance in the episode. Dr. Fate, played by Brent Stait, and Stargirl, played by Britt Irvin, will also appear in the ep, penned by comic book writer Geoff Johns. More Justice Society characters are expected to appear.
Continue reading Stargate's Michael Shanks swoops into Smallville as Hawkman
Posted Oct 19th 2009 5:06PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Industry, Stargate, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
HBO has added another cast member to its upcoming
Game of Thrones pilot, based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series
A Song of Ice and Fire.
Stargate Atlantis alum
Jason Momoa has been cast as Drogo, a powerful warlord who has never been defeated in battle.
This sounds like the perfect role for the hulking 6' 4" actor, best known as
SGA's resident Wraith killin' badass, Ronon Dex. Hopefully, Momoa's potential
Game of Thrones schedule won't keep him from appearing in the proposed
Stargate Atlantis DVD movie/telefilm.
Continue reading Stargate vet joins HBO fantasy pilot
Posted Oct 18th 2009 9:03AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Stargate, Reality-Free
Ok, first of all, I think I already have a bit of a girl-crush on Sgt. Vanessa James. I mean, for cripes sakes, look at her. And I love that she told the guys she could whup their ass. You do not want to cross her.
Four episodes into
Stargate Universe, and I'm starting to get hooked. I like that this week's episode, "Darkness," took place mainly on the ancient ship Destiny, which looks ultra-cool flying through space. The whole thing has a
Firefly feel to it.
I'm also starting to get a better feel for the storyline and characters, thanks in part to their little bio recordings engineered by Eli. Most of the crew are in their 20s or 30s, and most would rather be anywhere but there.
I appreciated them trying to figure out the ship's systems -- waste, water, showers, etc. As some of the commenters have said, that probably would have been first on the list of things to do three episodes ago, even if Dr. Rush was having some power issues of his own.
Continue reading Stargate Universe is starting to remind me of Firefly
Posted Oct 11th 2009 9:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Stargate, Reality-Free
I once again checked out
Stargate Universe this week. Apparently,
the first two episodes hooked me enough to watch this one, even though I'm still a little in the dark on the whole portal jumping / chevron stuff.
So I'll let you veterans talk about all the inter-dimensional Stargate stuff, and will just point out a few things I liked about this episode, part three of "Air." For one thing, I'm really liking the kid, Eli Wallace. He sort of grounds the series and keeps it from being completely in a sci-fi universe where none of us could ever imagine going, because that's exactly what's happening to him.
Continue reading Stargate Universe: Air, part two - I'm liking Eli Wallace
Posted Oct 4th 2009 9:00AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Stargate, Reality-Free
I'll preface this by saying that while I'm familiar with the
Stargate franchise and recently watched the 1994 movie starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, I've only seen an episode here and there of the various TV shows. So this is my newbie look at
Stargate Universe, which premiered Friday night. (And, uh, there really isn't that much on Friday night, and it happened to be on Charter's video on demand, so I checked it out after the premiere aired.)
I'll say right off the bat that it seems a little cheesy, so I'm wondering how it compares to the previous
Stargate incarnations. The characters seem a little cliche:
- the blowhard politician with health problems (and his caring daughter), which resulted in the episode's most heartbreaking moment
- the nerdy guy with long hair and a sad past
- the nerdy kid who ends up being transported to a spaceship and helping the crew with important stuff
- the tough-guy military people with guns and crew cuts
- the gorgeous female crew members
Continue reading A newbie's look at Stargate Universe
Posted Sep 29th 2009 2:02PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Stargate, Early Looks, Reality-Free
When word broke that the
Stargate franchise was moving into darker territory with
Stargate Universe, fan reaction ranged from cautiously optimistic to downright angry. The anger mostly came from fans who felt jilted by Syfy's sudden cancellation of the veteran show
Stargate Atlantis (it didn't help that Syfy announced the new series in a press release that also announced the cancellation of
Atlantis). To some, it seemed like the fan favorite (
Atlantis) had to die so the edgy new experiment (
Universe) could live.
Universe –- a fine, scrappy show packed with great actors – might now be facing an uphill battle with some of its target audience members.
Stargate fans unwilling to give the show a chance should know one thing: The franchise's spirit of adventure remains intact in the first three episodes of
Universe. It is different and darker than
Stargate: SG-1 and
Atlantis – even blatantly dreary at times – but it's still
Stargate.
Continue reading Stargate Universe -- An early look
Posted Sep 14th 2009 11:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Desperate Housewives, Stargate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Chuck, Reality-Free, Dollhouse, Gone Too Soon, Joss Whedon, V
When I first started exploring this project, there were a few shows that I knew were going to be important to hit. This is the first of those.
Firefly was
Joss Whedon's sci-fi western series. The show mustered disappointing ratings in its short eleven-episode run on FOX.
Since then it's gone on to near mythic cult status. There was such an outcry of support from its loyalists, the Browncoats, over its cancellation that the producers made a feature film sequel. That movie,
Serenity, answered a lot of questions about the future fate of the cast. Unfortunately, like the television series, it couldn't find quite enough people to show up and tune in to warrant a sequel. Nevertheless, the few morsels of
Firefly we did get are enough to prove that this is one of the most innovative and enjoyable series ever to hit the airwaves.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Firefly
Posted Aug 28th 2009 2:29PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Stargate, Celebrities, Reality-Free
I'm eagerly anticipating the Oct. 2 premiere of Syfy's
Stargate Universe, the third show from the popular sci-fi adventure franchise. We've all read the reports about
Universe being "darker" and more "serious" than its predecessors,
Stargate: SG-1 and
Stargate Atlantis, but star David Blue has a slightly different perspective on the show.
In a recent interview with
SciFi Wire, the
Universe cast member said the show is "not as much darker as it is more real." Blue said the characters on
Universe are less like characters in a sci-fi epic and more like real people dealing with an extraordinary crisis.
"You can say 'darker,' because in some ways it is, ... but when you really get down to it, it's like everyday life. That's kind of what I like about it," he said.
Continue reading David Blue on the realistic tone of Syfy's Stargate Universe
Posted Aug 12th 2009 8:03PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, TV on DVD, Stargate, Reality-Free
... At least that's what
Stargate producer Robert C. Cooper is saying. Cooper has written scripts for another
Stargate SG-1 DVD movie and the first
Stargate Atlantis flick, but those projects are on the back burner for now. Cooper and MGM are focusing on the launch of Syfy's
Stargate Universe before those movie scripts go into production. Oh, and the sh*tty economy isn't helping either.
"We're just waiting for the right opportunity. We want to be successful with it. The studio wants to be successful, and we really don't want to proceed with something in the wrong climate, which I think financially it is right now," Cooper told
Sci Fi Wire.
I'm looking forward to
Stargate Universe, but I'd love to see the franchise continue releasing DVD movies every few years.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth and
Stargate: Continuum were great and they sold well on DVD, but projected DVD sales for new projects aren't looking good these days.
Continue reading New SG-1 and Atlantis movies aren't coming anytime soon
Posted Aug 4th 2009 11:03AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Programming, Stargate, Reality-Free
Syfy will air a ten-hour
Stargate SG-1 marathon on Sept. 25 in anticipation of the Oct. 2 premiere of
Stargate Universe. Like I mentioned earlier at
SciFi Squad, the network is asking fans to pick their ten favorite
SG-1 eps for inclusion in the marathon.
I was never a big
SG-1 fan, but I'll be popping in and out of the marathon to catch some of the series' more popular eps. Hopefully, Syfy will do fans a solid by capping off the marathon with
Stargate Continuum, last year's excellent
Stargate DVD movie.
Continue reading Stargate: Continuum should be a part of Syfy's upcoming marathon
Posted Jul 21st 2009 5:00PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Stargate, Casting, Reality-Free
Stargate Atlantis alum Paul McGillion has signed on to
guest star on Syfy's Sanctuary. The actor, who played Dr. Carson Beckett, and later played Dr. Beckett's clone (it's complicated), on
Atlantis will appear in the final two episodes of
Sanctuary's second season. McGillion will play "Wexford," a character he played in the original Web series version of
Sanctuary. The show's second season kicks off Oct. 9.
This news might get me to start watching
Sanctuary regularly again. It's not a bad show, but it never really hooked me. Like
Warehouse 13, the procedural elements of the show felt tedious, and I never really connected to any of the characters.
Continue reading Stargate's Dr. Beckett to guest star on Sanctuary
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