TV Show Chatter Thread

[b-guy]

Anybody check out Stargate: Universe this weekend? If not, it's worth watching.

[cmdrajd]

I missed that, but I did see the first two episodes of Flash/Forward. The show has a definite LOST feel to it, and I was engaged enough that I'll keep watching. I have to questions so far, though. First, how does this show last beyond one season? And second, are we completely out of American leading actors? The couple at the center of the series are both Brits playing Americans.

[Trekkette]

I have plans to watch Stargate Universe online tonight. I don't know if it'll become habit, but I want to see some of it. If only because Lou Diamond Phillips is in it. He's awesome in his guest role on Numb3rs, and I hope he's awesome in this, too.

[borgcrazy]

I wouldn't get my hopes too high on seeing Lou in SG:U; he is awesome in it ... for all of the eight minutes of screen-time he's got.
I had to watch it On Demand myself, but I was impressed with what I saw. Leading up to the premiere, I was concerned that it wouldn't be too good (Sci-Fi, excuse me, SyFy doesn't exactly have a stellar track record with their original productions), but I think the fact that the production crew from SG-1 also made Universe was the difference.
That being said, seeing Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) Amanda Tapping (Sam Carter) and Richard Dean Anderson (Jack O'Neill) all made guest appearances leant a greater air of credibility and legitimacy to Universe.
There's a lot of potential for greatness here, and I'm looking forward to seeing it develop. And, since they're ... where they are (trying not to give away spoilers here) I don't have to worry about any spoilers as I work through my SG-1 dvds.

[Trekkette]

SG-1 guests? Universe just got a pass for the first episode.

I'm not expecting too much. I love SG1 and tolerate Atlantis (until they killed off Carson ), but as long as there're explosions and dry wit, I'll be happy. Attractive actors to stare at would be a bonus.

[b-guy]

I like the way they're trying to make Universe accessible to everybody. All you really need to know about the franchise is 'Stargates can take you to different places. They were built by the Ancients, who also happened to leave a lot of cool stuff lying around.)

On the other hand, there's still a lot for the old SG fans to appreciate. Aside from the guest spots, I especially enjoyed seeing anything relating to the Ancients.

I was a little worried by the rumours that SG-U was going to be Stargate: 90210. Luckily, just because they have a younger cast doesn't mean they're going in that direction. But it does mean that at least there's some eye candy.

I guess to summarize, Universe is starting to look like an odd blending of Stargate, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek: Voyager. Here's hoping they don't make all the mistakes Voyager did...

[Trekkette]

Okay. Just watched it. Gotta say, I cried when ^SPOILER^ the senator volunteered to be the one to close the hatch . For reasons I have no desire to contemplate.
There was a lovely big explosion, but not enough laughs. Maybe a smile or two, but nothing huge. Of course, ever since RDA left the Stargate franchise, there haven't been enough.
I remember having a converation with a friend of mine who watches Stargate, about this new show. My big hope then was some confirmation of a Sam/Jack thing. A bit upset that there was nothing, but it would probably have drawn attention away from the actual plot. Still, I can dream.
Definitely seeing the parallels to Battlestar and Voyager - and DS9, too. The whole "we don't really understand this and it's broken" type thing they had going on in the earlier seasons seems similar.
My biggest problem was the cinamatography. I think that's what it's called. It seemed too real, like it was taken of reality. Does that make sense? Too harsh.
On a final note, Dr. Rush reminds me of some weird combination of Daniel Jackson and Charles Eppes from Numb3rs. With more than a touch of meglomania.
All in all, I'll keep watching. If only to see how Eli reacts to an alien planet. I like him already.

[cmdrajd]

So just how Battlestar is SG:U? As most of you know, BSG was a bit too dark for my tastes. I appreciated that it was well done, but it didn't make me want to watch it week after week. I read a review of SG:U that said the series seemed like the SyFy (oh, how I HATE that name) folks went to the Stargate producers and said, "Since Battlestar ended (and you guys are a lot cheaper), can you do Battlestar in the Stargate universe?" The SG1 I watched had a relatively light touch. Hopefully SG:U won't go too far the other way.

[borgcrazy]

Well, given the situation the castaways found themselves in, there really wasn't much room for humor in the pilot, though some of the flashbacks did get chuckles out of me, particularly Eli's fish-out-of-water reactions to his new life.
I'm hoping as the characters settle in and gel as a team there will be more humor. If not, well, I might just stick to my SG-1 dvds...

[b-guy]

I wouldn't call it as dark as Battlestar, but it's hard to tell from only a pilot.


Some minor spoilers below:


Comparing pilots...

Battlestar: Destruction of 12 planets and billions of people.
SGU: Some people die.

Battlestar: The last remains of our civilization are searching for a legend called Earth that probably doesn't really exist, but we're gonna pretend it does so people have false hope.
SGU: We wanna go back to Earth, where we came from. We know it exists.

Battlestar: The Cylons are trying to wipe us out.
SGU: Nobody's trying to wipe us out, but we have a good chance of dying anyway.

Battlestar: WTF? A school-teacher is running the show?
SGU: WTF? Who's REALLY running this show?

Battlestar: We have no idea where the hell we're going.
SGU: The ship knows where it's going. We don't have a clue.

Battlestar: We're all gonna die!
SGU: We have a good chance of dying.


To sum up, while SGU is darker than other Stargate series, it doesn't seem to be as bleak as Battlestar was.