WormholeRiders News Agency

Category: Remi Aubuchon

Stargate Universe: The Greater Good

Welcome back SGU fans!

I would like to extend my congratulations to Robert Carlyle for his win at the Gemini Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his portrayal in the episode, “Human” on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The cast and crew of Stargate Universe were among talented people in their respective fields within the categories in which they were nominated. The fans are so proud of the level of quality they continue to bring to the screen week after week and appreciate all they do.

Here is looking forward to your season 3 renewal. After SGU airs live on Syfy, I tell my husband, “OH, this one was the BEST one yet.” He rolls his eyes now and he says, “You ALWAYS say that.” Then we watch it on DVR for him immediately afterwards (because our child is in bed) and he nods, “Ah, I see, yep.” I wonder how you consistently outdo a personal best week after week across the board in every area. What kind of award is given for that kind of feat? Perhaps the Olympics. The Stargate Olympics.

As with all my reviews, they are full of spoilers. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this and hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

When we see Carl Binder’s name on the “written by” list, you can sure of a few things: 1) You are going to get rich character storylines; 2) you are going to get a dense amount of information in a short amount of time; 3) several plot storylines parallel each other; 4) expect surprises. Director Will Waring has brought us such varied shows like “Faith”, “Aftermath” and “Pain.” As you remember, two of our favorite supporting cast, Patrick Gilmore as Dr. Dale Volker, and Julia Benson as 2nd Lt. Vanessa James, were both nominated for Leo Awards for their performances in “Pain” with Julia Benson winning in her supporting role. A director helps get those types of performances out of the actors.

One of the complaints of the show basically has been a “Where’s the beef?” type question: Where’s the mythos? Tuesday night, the mythology of Destiny’s mission was revealed to the audience. Another question that made the rounds of the internet was “How could there be anything more powerful than the Ancients?” The answer, according to Rush (Robert Carlyle): “A sign of intelligence from the beginning of time.”

Rewind though, if you will, to the beginning of the episode. True to life, although Young (Louis Ferreira) appeared to be climbing back up to lead his people in “Trial and Error”, he took one step backwards in this episode. He seemed to be missing appointments, daydreaming, and not caring about making decisions.

To my delight, the relationship between Eli (David Blue) and Ginn (Julie McNiven) is taken to the next level. I have to do a little bit of wondering here though: Why did we not see Eli and Ginn in bed together? Were the writers trying to move away from that because of fan complaints? Or perhaps David Blue or Julie McNiven did not feel comfortable with it? I would hate to contemplate the only other possibility. So I am going to choose to believe the writers are trying to make Stargate Universe a more family-friendly show.

Dr. Brody (Peter Kelamis) vents his frustration at the continual pattern of the ship’s movements being directly tied to the disappearance and inaccessibility of Dr. Rush.

Although I had been certain that when he said “goodbye” to Chloe (Elyse Levesque) in the episode “Cloverdale” as he walked through the gate back to the ship, the scene Eli had with Chloe where he talks about his new relationship with Ginn hinted to me that his feelings for Chloe were not 100% dead, only mostly dead (to borrow a famous phrase from “The Princess Bride.”).

The crew invents another clever use of the Kino: A space-diver’s buddy. Because there is no gravity in space, a person could literally use it to go in whatever direction they want. This gets Rush and Young onto the abandoned ship they discover in space.

Speaking of the Kino and getting off track here: MGM/Syfy/NBC Universal: The fans miss the Kino episodes terribly. We got to see a side of Destiny’s crew we didn’t get to see on the show. For season 3, please think about putting them back on (or even the second half of second 2). Those were some of Destiny’s funniest moments.

I enjoyed seeing Young’s helmet bump the ceiling on entering the ship because not all aliens will be average human size. Whose ship is this? Why, it is the Ursini! Those cutie-pie aliens you wanted to adopt. Those cutie-pie aliens that looked poised to eat Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) at the end of the episode “Awakening.”

In the process of getting the ship working, the ship propels itself away from Destiny. Rush now knows their only hope of rescue is for someone to be on the bridge. Rush tells a half-truth about discovering how to override Destiny’s program. Still not trusting the crew, he asks for the brilliant and beautiful Dr. Amanda Perry (Kathleen Munroe).

Before leaving Destiny to switch bodies with Dr. Perry, Simeon (Robert Knepper) of the Lucian Alliance pays a visit to Ginn about her involvement with the crew and sharing of privileged information. Ginn is scared of him.

There was a nice call-back there when she comes on board in Ginn’s body to the first episode she was on where she still finds movement a wondrous, miraculous event. Her face just glows when her hands move ever so slightly. She is a wonderful actress to be able to convey so much emotion and intention in her face. For those viewers who are not familiar with her character, she is a brilliant scientist on Earth who loves Rush and happens to have quadriplegia. The first episode she was on, Camile Wray (Ming-Na) switched bodies with her in “Life” (an episode Carl Binder directed as well) and it was a wonderful episode. Later in the episode, there was also a subtly about how she was holding a pen and writing for the first time in years. I don’t quite remember her doing any writing the last time she was on Destiny, but it is possible she did. It was still quite awhile ago.

Did anyone else notice that the window where Rush is standing on the alien ship looks like an eye? I liked the thought that it was an eye to the window of the universe. It makes me wonder if the Ursini aliens are the watchkeepers.

On her way to the bridge, Dr. Perry runs into Simeon. Greer’s disdain for Simeon shows when Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) sees him in the hall harassing Ginn, who is currently the consciousness of Dr. Perry.

Out of her respect for Dr. Rush, Dr. Perry keeps his secret. Eli’s continued suspicious and recording-device obsession helps him unlock the equations and what Dr. Perry is doing, leading Eli, Dr. Volker and Dr. Brody to the bridge. Again, we have yet another nice call-back when Eli utters the phrase, “What the hell?” that echoes back to the episode “Time.”

On the alien ship, Young finds out Rush has been withholding this information. Tempers flare and they fight. This fight scene, created by James Bamford and his team, made me cringe. Every time one of their heads hit a metal component or the floor, I was expecting severe head injuries. Great sound mixing! Young blames Rush for Riley’s death.

After pounding the daylights out of each other, Rush explains what happened and why Young was not told. Rush goes into a lengthy discussion (and I’m paraphrasing the actual dialogue lines given to Rush here) about the Ancients discovering a structure within the cosmic microwave background radiation from the Big Bang. They believed at one time the structure had genuine complexity coherence, and therefore could not have occurred naturally. It was a message, perhaps, or a sign of intelligence from the beginning of time. “Sent by?” asks Young. Rush continues: That is the very question they sought to answer when they launched Destiny. “We are talking about a mystery rooted in the foundation of reality, a puzzle, with pieces scattered across the length and breadth of the universe itself.”

Later Young says he just wants to get these people home. Rush believes that seeing the mission through may be their only chance of doing just that. They are talking about a level of order present at the very beginning of space-time that goes beyond anything they’ve ever experienced. Rush believes that the more they learn, the more pieces Destiny uncovers, the greater their power to control everything around them will be. Young thinks it is just about power to Rush, so they can play God, but Rush corrects him and says, “No. To gain greater understanding.” Now you can see why the Lucian Alliance would be very interested in this ship. They would become the new Goa’uld with God-like power. Rush proposes a side-by-side partnership.

Even though it was meant to be serious and full of drama, the scene with Dr. Perry, Dr. Brody, Dr. Volker and Eli trying to drive Destiny was hilarious. It reminded me of being in the car with my husband. There is nothing like a bunch of backseat drivers, only to be joined by bewildered Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian Jacob Smith) and Camile Wray who jump right into the commenting. When they hit the alien ship, I tweeted, “That’s going to increase the Destiny’s insurance rates.” Woodysg1 came back with an even better tweet that read that Geico could save them 15% or more. Why is that funny, you might ask? Because the Geico commercial was playing at that exact moment. Proof we do watch the commercials!

Matching rotations, Rush jumps from the Ursini ship to the Destiny. Young jumps too soon and almost misses, but Rush grabs him. The scene reminded me of a football game. The visual effects, once again, from Mark Savela and team are stunning.

It was lovely seeing the crew on the bridge, especially with Eli in the captain’s chair, not only because he is a geek on the show and would the envy of all his friends, but because as a sci-fi fan in real life, who wouldn’t relish the opportunity to play a scene in a captain’s chair.

Rush visits Dr. Perry (still in the body of Ginn). He does not want to waste an opportunity. For fans who didn’t get to see Dr. Perry last time, she wanted to make love to him (while she was in Camile’s body). She wanted to feel what it actually felt like (because in her body she has quadriplegia and has no feeling), but Rush was not emotionally ready. He was now. I tweeted: “Just kiss her!”

And then the door opens. Does anyone knock on doors in Destiny? The last time Dr. Perry and Rush were together, TJ just barged in. This time it was Eli. Eli looks disturbed by all this. Throughout the show, he has been the one to raise the moral and ethical questions of body/consciousness swapping. Eli brings this point up to Dr. Perry, and as she looks in the mirror, she sees Ginn staring back at her. I think she understood at that point.

Simeon seems to have ditched his guard and opens Ginn’s door to her quarters. The door shuts with a menacing look on Simeon’s face. You know next week is not going to be pretty.

FAVORITE LINES AND/OR SCENES

1. On the observation deck when they see the new abandoned ship, Volker says, dripping with sarcasm: “New friends. Yay.” A line perfectly delivered.

2. Camile spotting Eli’s shirt in Ginn’s room. The look is one of embarrassment, of happiness, of “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

3. The scene with Varro– OH WAIT!!!! That’s right. There was NO Varro (Mike Dopud). Our favorite resident Destiny Knight was not in this week’s episode (again). I suspect absence makes the heart grow fonder, but we can always cross our fingers and toes in hopes of seeing him next week in “Malice.”

4. The scene with the boarding party: Brody: “We got no shuttle.” Park: “We could use the space suits. Volker: “What? To just jump over?

5. Young to Scott after Scott suits up to go over to the ship: Scott: Maybe I should go with him instead. Young: You say that now that I’m already in the suit? Don’t worry lieutenant. I’m not going to leave him behind.” I know the game of semantics because I played it for so many years with my son’s school district. Notice he did not say anything about not killing him. He could kill him and bring him back and he would have technically told Scott the truth.

6. Brody to Perry: “And you thought this wasn’t gonna be any fun.”

7. Perry: I was able to manually fire the maneuvering thrusters.” Eli: (Suspiciously): Wow, okay. Do you need any help?

8. Rush to Young after their fight: “I know I’ve made mistakes.” It almost makes him, to pardon the pun, “Human.”

9. Rush to Young: How can I trust you when you don’t even trust yourself.”

10. Volker to Eli: If they miss this ship. Eli (smiling): “They won’t.” It is so great to see Eli have confidence about what he is doing.

11. Young to Rush after Rush says to Young that he has his word. Young chuckles and says, “Oh man, you are a lot of work.”

12. The driving the ship scene with Eli, Volker, Brody and Dr. Perry.

With the crew now having some control over Destiny’s maneuvering capabilities, I wonder if they go back to the Faith planet and that is how we get to see those people again. I have no knowledge of this, but it is the most logical explanation. I was thinking perhaps they would go back to the planet where Riley (Haig Sutherland) died and try to fix that shuttle and get it back, but with the Lucian Alliance members there, I doubt that would be a good idea. The Faith planet, however, does have a shuttle. Perhaps the aliens have helped them get it working again. And we might be able to see if TJ‘s and Young’s daughter is alive in the flesh or in the spirit.

As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on Facebook or Twitter.

Hilda Bowen (aka PBMom)

November 15, 2010
Good Luck to SGU at the Gemini Awards

WormholeRiders would like to congratulate all the Gemini Award nominees of Stargate Universe.

Best Dramatic Series

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Robert Carlyle for “Human”; Louis Ferreira for “Justice”)

Best Direction in a Dramatic Series (Andy Mikita, for Part 1 of Air).

*Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series: Jim Menard “Light”

*Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series: Rick Martin – “Human”

*Best Sound in a Dramatic Series: Kelly Cole, Jay Cheetham, Kirby Jinnah, Bill Mellow, Patrick Ramsay, Steve Smith, Joe Watts, Matt Wilson – “Air, Part 1″

*Best Visual Effects: Mark Savela, Brenda Campbell, Shannon Gurney, Vivian Jim, Andrew Karr, Michael Lowes, Kodie MacKenzie, Krista McLean, Alec McClymont, Craig Van Den Biggelaar – “Air, Part 1″

*Best Original Music Score for a Program or Series: Joel Goldsmith – “Light”

*The winners were announced at a separate celebration on November 3, 2010. While Stargate Universe did not win in any of these categories, we know all of these people are winners in our hearts for the love and effort they put into their work every day, and for the long hours they take away from their families, to bring us fans 42-44 minutes of a superior quality science fiction show.

The cast, along with Brad Wright, John G. Lenic, and Andy Mikita, was in the studio of CTA Canada A.M. The entire interview can be seen here:

WormholeRiders News Agency send our best wishes to the cast for Saturday evening, November 13, 2010 as they find out if Team Young or Team Rush wins (for now), if Andy Mikita’s brilliant directorial work on Air 1 is recognized, and if SGU can capture best dramatic series. There is stiff competition; but it is their Destiny.

November 13, 2010
Stargate Universe: The Greater Good – Begin Focus: Character Analysis

Hello once again Stargate fans!

Stargate Universe continues this evening on SyFy at 9 PM east and west time zones. As Stargate Universe continued in “Aftermath”, “Awakening”, “Pathogen”, “Cloverdale”, “Trial and Error” and “The Greater Good” we experienced a continuing positive development of the story arc in general and expansion of the characters in specific. This and the next episode “Malice” are tied together and I assure you do not want to miss either of them!

However, be warned. Certain parts of the series, specifically episode seven “The Greater Good” are discussed in some detail. These passages should be considered spoilers if you have not viewed Stargate Universe episodes two through seven for yourselves. If you do not enjoy spoilers, please stop reading now. Thank you.

Before beginning, WormholeRiders News Agency expresses thanks to SyFy Publicity for making “The Greater Good” available to our team for pre air date review. We appreciate the courtesy extended by the Southern California SyFy Publicity staff for entrusting WHR with the digital material.

As is our standard procedure, this material is only viewed by senior members of our team and only for the purpose of pre air date review. WHR never shares the episodic material with anyone outside of our news agency respecting the courtesy that has been extended by the fine team at SyFy.

This review and analysis is not a recap of Stargate Universe episodes two through seven. Rather this review is an analysis of character development in the series touching on an exploration of various theories within Stargate Universe tied to the developing storyline. Although this analysis covers some material from previous season two Stargate Universe episodes, the images used herein are almost exclusively from “The Greater Good”.

Several real treats have been experienced beginning with and under the direction of our favorite Stargate directors, William Waring, Andy Mikita, Alex Chapple, and SGU new comer, the multi-talented Robert Carlyle (in Pathogen) who also portrays Dr. Nicholas Rush in the series. And what an outstanding job they performed working with the material of series creators and writers Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper and Joseph Mallozzi!

Throughout the first seven episodes of season two of Stargate Universe we also observe ongoing and excellent special visual sequences from the team lead ably by Mark Savela of The Bridge Studios who was nominated for an Emmy for his superb accomplishments.

Based on the accomplishments of the MGM Team at The Bridge Studios, there is little doubt in the minds of Stargate franchise supporters that Stargate Universe represents a quantum leap forward in series complexity with much thoughtfully accomplished hard work by the creators whom continue the Stargate franchise. We will share more thoughts on the benefits of supporting Stargate Universe at the end of this review.

Therefore, let us begin then with a discussion of “The Greater Good” featuring the return of William Waring as the episodes director. We will then reflect back on the some of the characters and their development in previous episodes of Stargate Universe season two.

At this point in the second season it has become quite obvious that the actual bridge of the Destiny has been under Dr. Nicholas Rush’s control for some time. However it has not been revealed directly just how long Dr. Rush has actually known about “his secret”.

While this factor has been alluded to in previous episodes of Stargate Universe, in “The Greater Good” you will learn precisely when Dr. Rush gained access and what he has been planning all along the way. We can share this, viewers will be surprised when they find out who among the cast (crew) actually discovers Dr. Rush’s secret and what the consequences of that discovery will be.

In “The Greater Good” we will see the relationship that Eli (David Blue) has developed with Ginn (Julie McNiven) continues to flourish. Above this Eli – Ginn relationship, which pleased many that Eli has a love interest, a fateful event will unfold leading to S2x08 “Malice”, the second part of the “The Greater Good”.

Amanda Perry (Kathleen Munroe) in Ginn’s body via the Ancient Communication Stones will play a key role revealing several items using both direct and indirect methods about where the Destiny has been and what the mission of the ship has been since the Ancients apparently left the ship untold eons ago. Under the guidance of Amanda – Ginn we will all learn what has been the obsession that has consumed virtually all of Dr. Rush’s (Robert Carlyle) motivations.

Speaking of the Ancients, aliens and alien ships, the contributions of Mark Savela are not to be discounted. Will there be new alien ships? Yes. Will we see new alien species as the story continues? Yes. How do they play a role in the epic story of Stargate Universe? To learn those secrets will require that SGU enthusiasts (you) to tune in to SyFy in the United States and see the wonder for yourselves in “The Greater Good” and in episode eight “Malice” (which we will also review pre air date).

Of galactic import, and I do mean that seriously, Stargate Universe “The Greater Good” delves into real science dovetailing the series characters The Ancients most effectively. I will not reveal the precise nature of the revelations, but will share this; The use of real science theory has always been a part of the Stargate franchise as a foundation of the story line. In episode seven we learn how and what our beloved Stargate Ancients learned and why Dr. Rush has been so obsessed with his quest aboard Destiny. In “The Greater Good” we will also learn that others in the Destiny crew will internalize these science based theories. These facts within the story arc will do much to draw the crew of Destiny closer together.

“The Greater Good” to borrow a phrase from Brian J. Smith is a “Rubicon” episode. In the episode a great tragedy will occur that will likely break the heart of many who follow the series. I cannot reveal what occurs at the very end of the episode, but will say this; “The Greater Good” ending sequence sets up episode 8 “Malice” (which has stunning location shooting in New Mexico) very nicely. In fact the underlayment in “The Greater Good” illustrates the epic nature of Stargate as they have always done in the past.

We will continue now with a look at several (but not all) characters of Stargate Universe. We will follow up is future reviews and run character analysis of the entire cast of fabulous actors and actresses as season two continues.

In the opinion of this reviewer, above the award winning type of special effects, it is the character development, hence the writing that demonstrates how well the Stargate Universe story arc have been depicted. I will also discuss the quality of the special effects as they impact the characters. Direction, location shooting and cinematography will be discussion in future analysis. Included are select images courtesy of SyFy and MGM Studios for news analysis and review purposes.

Stargate Universe represents a fine example of detailed story telling in the tradition of Stargate continuing the epic saga begun 16 years ago with the original movie, now on board Destiny. We resume the adventure subsequent to the crew regaining control from an invasion by agents of the Lucian Alliance who continue their quest for dominance over Stargate Command’s access to Ancient Technology in the Milky Way galaxy and on board Destiny.

The story arc is one of conflicts arising from the consequences of the failed attempt by the Lucian Alliance to take control of the Destiny for their own evil agenda, an impending attack on Earth by the Lucian Alliance. In fact the Lucian Alliance discussion sets up the possibilities of follow on Stargate movies very nicely. But I am digressing a bit.

With some now freed from being locked up, the majority of the Lucian Alliance survivor prisoners faced being deposited on a planet facing an uncertain fate due to limited food supplies aboard Destiny. This has in fact occurred. Individuals who cooperated with the crew of Destiny, noticeably ‘Ginn’ Julie McNiven and Varro (Mike Dopud) are given more access to the ship and even lend a hand in “The Greater Good”. Others like the evil Dannic (Ian Butcher) are not so conciliatory as you will observe yourself.

Forced by Dr. Rush to a planet of dubious merit as a source of food, a disaster unfolds with the death of one of the more well liked characters Sgt. Hunter Riley (Haig Sutherland). Many felt genuine loss of Riley who may yet re-appear in future episodes based on the momentum of the story. You will see why in a few moments as I theorize on this likelihood.

In ‘Aftermath’ through ‘Trial and Error’ , we observe the series alternating protagonist and antagonist Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) once again displaying recalcitrant behavior to Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) after awaking from a nightmare about his torture by the Lucian Alliance in earlier episodes. In “The Greater Good”, we see that Dr. Rush’s secretive nature about his obsession has devastating consequences.

The nightmares reflect that Dr. Rush himself is a tortured soul and has been ever since the loss of his wife Gloria Rush portrayed by Louise Lombard. We were originally introduced to Gloria Rush in the heart rending Stargate Universe episode “Human”. In Aftermath and beyond we become reacquainted with Gloria Rush and other ‘dead’ characters we will discuss in a moment.

As long suspected by the viewing audience, Dr Rush has been clandestinely investigating the location of the bridge of the Destiny and keeping his findings secret from Col. Young. In Aftermath we learn that he has found the bridge in a special effects sequence of outstanding perspective by Mark Savela’s team of special effects gurus.

During the time on the Destiny bridge, Dr. Rush is visited by what I can only describe as apparitions from his past no doubt either from his subconscious mind being influenced by Ancient Technology on Destiny itself. The first returning character is his wife Gloria Rush who chides him for keeping the bridge of Destiny a secret. One can assume that Rush has had access to the bridge for some time since he has continually come up with answers to the crews problems time and time again in search of planets to sustain the crew aboard Destiny.

The question arises; how long has Dr. Rush been accessing the bridge? My theory is ever since ‘Human’ (indirectly) when he was interfaced with the Destiny after the death of Dr. Jeremy Franklin (Mark Burgess) in the Ancient Chair which Dr. Rush survived. In the secret bridge location Dr. Franklin returns in Dr. Rush’s mind to warn him of oversights on a pending shuttle mission to a planet with a malfunctioning Stargate.

I find the use of ‘dead’ characters quite revealing. Dr. Rush talks with these two characters figuring out that the apparitions are likely being caused from some sort of neural interface between his mind and Destiny. One is instantly reminded of the holographic interface room in Stargate Atlantis where Ascended Ancient Morgan Le Fay was actually taking part in the Lantian device revealing knowledge to Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran in ‘Pegasus Project’. Could the same be happening in Stargate Universe aboard Destiny? I believe so, but that exact reference remains to be delineated by the creators.

Therefore, the hypothetical question is: are there Ascended Ancients in the galaxy helping Dr. Rush? My theory and answer is a definite yes there are. Although we do not know where the original crew of the Destiny went, in the opinion of this reviewer, the apparitions are the Ancients way to guide poor Dr. Rush find the path to ensure the survival of the humans aboard Destiny in this galaxy.

As the story progresses, the second question on this point is whether or not Dr. Rush will put two and two together and figure it out in his self inflicted state of obsessive exhaustion. These factors caused him to make mistakes leading to the death of a crewman. We see in Aftermath the results of Dr. Rush’s exhaustion. This awareness by Dr. Rush to the presence remains to be seen, but I am hopeful because I do not believe Dr. Rush is evil. He is simply obsessed with the mission that Destiny has embarked on with its new crew. However, Dr. Rush’s obsession appears to be blinding him to the truth which we learn more about in “The Greater Good”.

The development and continuing expansion of the Camile Wray (MingNa) character is a wonderful to behold in season two of Stargate Universe. In the previous episodes we all witnessed the total mastery of this great actress upon more than one occasion. In “The Greater Good” we observe that Camile has made peace with her failed attempt and plays a much stronger characterization role.

In specific the scene at the end of season two episode one ‘Intervention’ with Lt. Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) was heart wrenching and inspired. In Aftermath, we see further evidence of the talent inherent in MingNa’s performance when she interviews the Lucian Alliance character Ginn portrayed by Julie McNiven. MingNa is an anchor character in Stargate Universe that is not to be overlooked nor discounted. Her talent is outstanding as witnessed by her facial expressions and body language in several scenes with Col. Everett Young (Justin Louis as Louis Ferreira). MingNa’s acting skills are simply exquisite!

The Camile Wray character portrayed by MingNa has grown dimensionally with each appearance in Stargate Universe to the point of delighting this reviewer. I expect much from Camile as she continues to expand her influence on Destiny. We know that the civilians already trusted her well before the failed attempted to take over the Destiny in season one. Importantly since the return of Stargate Universe in season two, we witness a healthy measure of respect between her and former nemesis Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) in several sequences that include a “nod” from Sgt. Greer to Camile as he protects the crew from the likes of Simeon (Robert Knepper) of the Lucian Alliance.

One of the greatest impacts of her characterization is MingNa’s scene with Col. Young in ‘Trial and Error’ when he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Despite her disdain for what Col. Young did to Dr. Rush, MingNa has illustrated (in her character Camile Wray) that compassion must be well acted to be believable. MingNa does an excellent job in doing so. We do not see much of MingNa in some recent episodes, however we know that her influence is there by the way the crew, civilian and military are behaving themselves and working more like a team. I for one look forward to more of MingNa as Stargate Universe continues in season two and hopefully in season three.

Newcomer Julie McNiven as Ginn is a nice addition to the cast scheduled to appear in five episodes of season two of Stargate Universe. 30 year old McNiven, a versatile actress perhaps best known for her roles in Supernatural and AMC’s Madmen is most believable as Ginn. An apparent victim of the Lucian Alliance, Ginn has been forced into servitude for fear of harm to her family.

We certainly can thank Ginn (Julie McNiven) for disposing of the evil Dannic portrayed by Ian Butcher. In the sequence with MingNa when she is interviewed as part of Aftermath, we want her to be included in future episodes. I for one am sad she is only scheduled for one more episode.

What happens in “The Greater Good” will answer the why of this question much to the shock of the viewing audience with a scene reminiscent of Stargate SG-1 and use of the Ancient Communications Stones. I cannot share what this secret is without ruining the fun for you the viewers, but the end sequence and the beginning of “Malice” will certainly make for interesting story telling.

One of the series strongest new character actors is veteran Stargate performer Mike Dopud as Varro. Mike Dopud has appeared in all three incarnations of Stargate and he simply excels as the Lucian Alliance character Varro in Stargate Universe. From his first appearance in season one ‘Subversion’, we have seen several times that he appears conflicted but is not truly evil. This was evidenced in a scene with Lou Diamond Phillips. Mike is scheduled to appear for seven episodes extending into the second half of season two in episode ‘The Hunt’.

Speaking of Lou Diamond Phillips, a principle character in the series as Col. David Telford, we observe that he remains loyal to the crew of Destiny after being de-programmed he had been assigned to guard duty over the lock up with the Lucian Alliance, not a very choice assignment. For his role for being in cahoots with the Lucian Alliance, Col. David Telford is treated somewhat as a second class citizen by Col. Young. In a scene with Varro, Col. Telford appears to be downtrodden, but his character is by no means defeated as seen in Cloverdale.

In a highly effective portrayal of Col. Telford guarding in the lock-up, we are treated to a fight scene in which Telord (Lou Diamond Phillips) pulls Col Young (Justin Louis as Louis Ferreira ) off of a Lucian Alliance soldier whom he is literally banging the head into the floor. After a fight breaks out in the makeshift brig, if not for Col. Telford, I do believe that Col. Young would have literally choked the Lucian Alliance soldier to death.

There is good in Col. Telford displayed in his act of stopping Col. Young. The ultimate fate of Col. Telford may well be dependent on this act witnessed by Camile Wray (MingNa), Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and other crewman. He ultimately makes the greatest sacrifice staying behind on the alien infested ship to allow the others to escape. However, Telford is not gone. if you check the future episode listings, note that we will see more of Lou Diamond Phillips’ superb acting as Stargate Universe continues in season two.

Moving back to Dr. Rush’s errors in judgment, he sends the crew on an away mission lead by Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) in the company of Eli Wallace (David Blue), Lt. Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman), Second Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson), Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence), and Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore). Dr. Rush’s errors in judgment become completely exposed in “The Greater Good” in a confrontation between Col. Young and Dr. Rush. For fans of this confrontation be prepared for a turn-about in Dr. Rush when the shoe is placed on the other foot so to speak. It is a subtle touch in “The Greater Good”, but nevertheless Dr. Rush reveals what I stated earlier, there is good in this character as you will see for yourselves.

Concluding for now, some people and groups have chosen to live in the past and unfairly blame Stargate Universe for the non-renewal of Stargate Atlantis. They are simply put just plain incorrect in such an assessment. Anyone who has worked in the entertainment industry (such as myself), knows that SGU was not responsible for the non renewal of SGA.

Some misguided individuals are of the same ilk as when SGA continued after Stargate SG-1 was not renewed for an eleventh season. People need to understand that entertainment is a business not a right or an inevitability simply because people want a series to continue. People and groups that protested the non renewal of SG-1 in 2007 and SGA in 2009 must understand that the business realities of advertising revenues dictate whether a series will be funded for additional seasons and live on or not. Therefore be happy and toast to Stargate Universe!

Such individuals protest too much (especially on Twitter) making claims that they would confront the celebrities as if the celebrities make the business decisions. Several ran up their ego’s Saturday night before the appearance of Brian J. Smith and Elyse Levesque at TriCon in Los Angeles. As it turned out these so called experts are very brave when hiding behind a keyboard, but are reticent to make a scene in public where their transparency would be exposed for the world to see for what it is: keyboard bravery.

Notably amongst these are Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica which had their initial runs in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. The protests by the critics and the fans by their failure to support the studios and creators lead the creators to place the franchises “on the shelf”. These two series returned, but it took many years, sometimes decades for the franchises to return in movies and new series. People that attack Stargate Universe are risking the same fate. So ask yourself these simple questions:

1.     Do you want more Stargate in movies and television series? If your answer is yes, then be thankful for all the painstaking work the Stargate creators, crews and actors have gone through to continue the franchise over the past 16 years.

2.     If you do not enjoy a series, then why are you watching and complaining? Doing so is like spitting into the wind or urinating on one’s self. Be respectful of the creators, the studios and the actors and critically to yourself. If you do not like a series then do not watch it. Do not go around the Internet making “loud noises”. Remember that if you do, you have no right to complain because you did not support a series and or franchise that was discontinued because you the fan failed to support it.

3.     Think of the Stargate franchise (and other shows and movie franchises) like a family with children. Is it appropriate to say “I love one child more than the other”? Or is it appropriate to say “This child is not as good as the other(s)”? And lastly if you are a parent, would you like it if someone referred to members of your family in such a fashion? Hardly.

Let us set the record straight. First the actors are doing the jobs they were hired for. To attack them is reprehensible conduct displaying behaviors similar to grade school children. Second, over the past 44 years the fans of several series buried their favorite series franchise producers by failing to support the programs by watching the shows live only to complain when a show is not renewed. Shame on you and learn this: You cannot have it both ways. Support the actors, creators, crews and studios whom are simply doing their jobs. Please do not snipe at them.

We leave you now but will return with more about Stargate Universe in the near future. Thankfully Stargate Universe returns this evening on SyFy at 9 PM East and West. I hope you enjoy “The Greater Good” as much as I have.

As mentioned, Team WHR of reporters will have more special Stargate Universe news reports very soon about S2x08 “Malice” and beyond!

As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. For now, signing off to report on our coverage Day Of Days and Hollywood Charity Auction 42!

Please feel free to leave a spam free comment or question here or click one of the social media icons below to share this article.

if you prefer (as so many of our visitors do) you may also visit and follow WHR on Twitter or Facebook with your comments or questions.

Best Regards,

Kenn

November 9, 2010
Stargate Universe: Trial and Error

Welcome back Stargate Universe fans!

As with all my expositions, this contains full spoilers.

This week’s episode “Trial and Error” was written by Paul Mullie and directed once again by Andy Mikita. It had the great sense of suspense combined with some equal wonderful moments of humor that we love so much in the Stargate franchise. It also expanded the previous traditional since season 1 episode 1 of one-word episode titles.

It had a lovely balance of action, suspense, drama, and humor. With the first run-through of the battle scenario, you thought it was actually occurring. During the second run-through, one might have thought Destiny was caught in some time-dilation loop similar to Stargate SG-1’s episode “Window of Opportunity” or Star Trek TNG’s episode “Cause and Effect.” However, the ultimate resolution was uniquely linked to Stargate Universe (Destiny) alone.

As the title infers, Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) goes through mental trial-and-error processes as the Destiny syncs to his brain wavelengths, proposing different battle scenarios, as he spiral towards rock bottom. It was the perfect time to resolve the psychological toll of Young’s command. If it was stretched out any longer, the audience would have gotten frustrated (according to posts in fandom, they were already there). In our own world of great stressors, we often tune into TV to see heroes, people better than ourselves, characters we can look up when our own leaders are failing us. I do so love the dark tone of SGU, making the characters a little more real but also showing the consequences of decisions that are made, for better or worse. However, while one individual may be having a psychological breakdown on this show, there are many other heroes within the cast to whom one can look to for that role model.

Young still has lessons to learn. His marriage has failed because of a lack of communication of his intimate feelings which then led to his infidelity. Emily has filed for divorce, yet he still cannot communicate with TJ (Alaina Huffman) about his feelings of loss of his baby. From personal experience, my emotional journey through my grieving process after the death of my child was a much different one from my husband. It generally ends a marriage or makes it stronger. For us, it made ours stronger; for TJ and Young, the chasm could not be any bigger. This will solidify her draw towards Varro (Mike Dopud) who embraces both warrior and chivalry, a true knight.

As I had hoped, Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian Jacob Smith) grew from the experiences in Cloverdale. He loves Chloe (Elyse Levesque) and will stand by her regardless of what is happening to her on a genetic level. Scott has grown a great deal since Air, Part 1, in terms of believing in the capacity of his own leadership skills. When Camile (MingNa) and Rush (Robert Carlyle) want him to step up into command, Scott instead heads straight for Young. Drawn perhaps to Scott’s priestly nature, Young confessed his sins of command. A nonjudgmental Scott listens and gives him a great speech that seems to finally get through to him, something that even General O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) was not able to accomplish. It was a great student-becomes-teacher moment and a highlight of this episode.

Other highlights were the brotherly bonding between Eli (David Blue) and Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and the love blossoming between Eli and Ginn (Julie McNiven). When Camile first brought Ginn to meet Eli, I am guessing, judging from her face, that she knew Ginn had a crush on Eli and could not resist an opportunity to bring some more happiness into Eli’s life.

It was fun to see Greer and Eli planning some afternoon delight for Eli. Who helps Greer pull off this plan? Greer’s lover, Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence), calls Greer away so Eli and Ginn can be alone. When Eli gets cold feet and goes out for a pep talk from Greer, Ginn stumbles across the emotionally touching video from Eli about his mother. Ginn is thinking not only do I love his mathematical brilliance, but he also has an emotional depth that is so sexy.

Inquiring minds want to know, Ms. McNiven? Are David Blue’s lips as soft as they appear to be when he was kissing you? Fan girls all over the world are awaiting your reply.

Later on, it is adorable again when the lines of business and casual blur for Eli, letting everyone in the room know that they may have a thing going on. I especially loved Dr. Park’s smile she flashed him.

As always, I appreciate that our other guest starring cast which includes Dr. Park, Dr. Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) and Dr. Volker (Patrick Gilmore) are being given more dialogue lines. I am looking forward to seeing some back story on them some day, especially regarding Dr. Brody and Dr. Volker.

Rush is al ways the voice that speaks the truth no matter how difficult it is to hear. When Chloe is in her room still quarantined from the rest of the crew, he reminds Chloe that there are advantages to what is happening to her, including the fact that she saved Matt’s life. Rush shares with her that he is closing in on what Destiny’s true mission was/is and thinks Chloe can help him by filling in the missing links.

TJ takes the opportunity at Brody’s still to share her concern for Young and to talk to him about the baby. TJ shares her dream with Young. I thought this was an interesting writing parallel since Young was now also having dreams he felt were like they were actually happening to him (at this point, TJ did not know this). I wonder if this is just Destiny or if Destiny and the aliens from the “Faith” planet have a symbiotic relationship with each other? We are going to find out before the midpoint season finale. She is hoping that perhaps this information will snap him out of his impending crash.

This episode allowed Camile to play a leader once again. Distraught by his dreams, Young confides in her. This later helps to form a hypothesis that Destiny is communicating with Young. It appeared to me that Camile has gained some credibility in the eyes of Young as a leader, definitely representing the leader of the civilians versus Rush whom he still does not trust. They also believe that once Young resumes a commanding role, Destiny will jump back into FTL.

Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) beamed with pride seeing Colonel Young take his commanding role once again. She has a deep respect for her Young.

It was also nice to see Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) once again, even if ever so brief. I’m happy to see that they are expanding his role as a soldier so he is not just molded into just a cook. He is a character of many talents: Chef, hairstylist, and warrior. Perhaps he would win Top Chef: Destiny and go on to take the double crown of Shear Genius.

The viewer, however, finds out at the end that it was Rush who actually jumped the ship. For what exactly then was Destiny waiting? This question is formulated with the help of the apparition of Franklin (Mark Burgess).

My Favorite Visual Effects Shots

1. Scott getting blown out of the observation deck. And kudos to James Bamford and his stunt team for bringing us these wonderful stunt moments.

2. The Destiny blowing up.

3. Brief return of the blueberry alien.

4. Destiny in FTL.

My Favorite Lines

1. Young to TJ regarding his pending divorce: “Is it even legal to sign papers in someone else’s body?” (It continues to ask the moral and ethical parameters of the communication stones. Would that indeed hold up in a court of law? )

2. Greer to Eli in the mess hall (with regards to a potential relationship with Ginn): “Time to man-up.”

3. Brody on his Kino episode on Eli’s console: “Ancient toilets! Here we go!” (This better be on the BluRay extra content; inquiring minds really want to know).

4. Greer to Eli (during the pep talk): “I guess I’m supposed to tell you to be yourself but in your case…”

5. The Greer/Eli exchange during the pep talk:
Eli: “Okay, I’ve got this.”
Greer: “You’ve got this?”
Eli: “How long are you gonna be?”
Greer: “How long you gonna need?”
Eli shrugs.
Greer: “I’ll take my time.”

6. The whole Scott pep talk to Young.

7. Park to Eli in the mess (with Ginn sitting there) when Eli thought it might be creepy that Destiny might be in his head: “Well what have you been dreaming about?” and Eli looks at Ginn and Ginn looks at Eli. So sweet.

Looking forward to next week’s episode of Stargate Universe. Remember: We need to watch it live or live+same day. I know it being on Tuesday has made things very difficult with the popular shows it is up against on other channels, but decisions will be made regarding season 3 based on the first half of season 2. Let’s show our support for the franchise.

Season 1 is always a get-out-the-kinks season; season 2 is solidifying itself as part of the Stargate franchise and not copying the Battlestar Galactica format.

It is worth a second look. Spread the word throughout the land. Leave a comment, or find me on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you again for taking the time to read my point of view.

Hilda Bowen (PBMom)

November 8, 2010
Stargate Universe: Cloverdale

Welcome Stargate Universe fans.

As with all my reviews, this will contain complete spoilers.

This week we were treated to a differently paced SGU episode with Brad Wright’s script. I am just going to say it: It was not my favorite SGU episode. Before you throw communication stones at me, it was a mere difference of having 1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar in your tea instead of 2. It was a mixture of a “Wizard of Oz” homage, combined with a Robert C. Cooper’s “Time” like story, combined with classic elements of SG-1 storytelling. It also reminded me of the Farscape episode, “Dog With Two Bones.” Alex Chapple makes a return appearance as director, having last directed “Subversion” and “Life.”

Click to visit MGM

Highlights of this episode for me (in no particular order)

1. The episode gave the entire cast a different location and different personalities to showcase their talents based on the point of view of Matthew Scott’s perception.

At the heart of this week’s episode was a broader canvas for Brian Jacob Smith to strut his acting stuff, delving into the psychological makeup of Lt. Matthew Scott. Some of the people in his dream state were obvious: For example, Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) being his father, Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) being his best man, Eli (David Blue) being Chloe’s (Elyse Levesque) brother, Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) having a bar, Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) being law enforcement, Tamara (Alaina Huffman) being the paramedic–

Lt James (Julia Benson) being the Brody’s Bar version of the Hooter’s girl.

Some were odd: Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) as his pharmacist? What is Dr. Volker, astrophysicist, cooking up in the hydroponics lab that we do not know about? Rush (Robert Carlyle) as the justice of the peace. I did not think his title was significant but rather the honesty at which he posed questions to Scott. On Destiny, Dr. Rush says the things that others are afraid to say.

2. Brody hitting Matt with the car. I liked it because it was something totally unexpected.

3. It put the cast in the sunlight for a change on a set different from the Destiny.

4. Our secondary characters got more lines of dialogue which is always enjoyable. It was great to see Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) have a bigger part on the Destiny. Dr. Park is brilliant but does not want to be responsible for hurting anyone or having her decisions result in hurting anyone.

Pvt. Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) got some dialogue lines, too. We have not seen much of Becker in Season 2.

Dr. Dale Volker got to be socially awkward and quirky.

5. Dr. Rush participated as a caring member of the away team, not just trying to save his own skin.

6. Chloe looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress.

7. Having Telford back. Not only was he back, but the person characterized in Scott’s dreams was still haunted by his brainwashing. Lou Diamond Phillips is an amazing actor, conveying subtle nuances of his face that expand the words written on the page. You believe he is a haunted and repenting man.

8. Greer having just too much fun with the flamethrowers.

9. Chloe’s commitment to Matt and the symbolism between her giving him her blood to heal him and Matt’s commitment to marry her finally at the end (before he sees her half-alien face).

10. The picture of what looks like a younger Brian Jacob Smith at the house. Great attention to detail.

11. The visual and special effects. The best one was at the end where the wormhole cuts off the head of the alien. The Kino flyover was awesome as well.

12. The movie within the movie reminded me of Wormhole Extreme from SG-1.

13. Greer dancing.

14. The Clova theater is a real place in Cloverdale, British Columbia.

15. Eli saying his goodbyes to Matt on the planet. It reminded me of the Chloe scene in “Time.”

The best lines (in no particular order)

1. Young to Scott in the bar: “You are a lot of work.” We haven’t heard that phrase since season 1.

2. Matt to Chloe: “I really, really have to pee.”

3. Telford in the car: “But I’m sorry to tell you that when you wake up, you’re going to feel guilty for things you’ve done or said. Some you won’t even remember. It will just be a blur. And you’re gonna wonder if you’re ever gonna feel like the person you used to be again.”

4. Matt to Rush: “Hi, I’m Matt Scott. You’re marrying me tonight?”

5 Conversation between Matt and Eli: Matt: “What, you think you know me?” Eli: “You’re not that deep. Nobody who knows you at all thinks of you as a one-girl guy. It’s not a criticism. It’s who you are.” Matt looks very hurt from hearing this from Eli, but remember, this is Matt’s only alter-ego taking personification in the form of Eli. In essence, Matt is saying this to Matt. It’s an interesting form of self-reflection and that is why I liked it. It also serves that Matt is not shallow because a shallow individual would not be having that level of introspection.

6. Eli to Chloe: “Bye.” It was not the line, but how it was delivered. I think it was this precise moment that Eli let go of Chloe and the hope they would be together some day. I think this is the moment that frees him up to open his heart to Ginn (Julie McNiven).

7. Young to Matt: “Wake up! Wake up!” A double entendre. Those of us having bad dreams know that sometimes within our dream we will verbally tell ourselves to wake up from the nightmare we are having. In this case, I think it also to tell Matt that he needs to change his ways.

8. Brody to the crowd at the wedding: “It’s true, I nearly killed him yesterday. I ran right over him.”

9. Rush to Scott when Scott says his dad just wants him he just wants Scott to be happy: “The sage advice of great men.”

What I did not like:

1. You aren’t 100% sure at the end of the episode if Matt has come to some sort of revelation or not from his dream state. He realizes that his whole life has been made up of doing things that others expect him to do, never making any choices of his own. You think that at the end, with the smile on his face, he is freely making the choice to marry Chloe, but once he sees her face turning into the blueberry alien, it appears he is not 100% committed there. Perhaps the growth of the character from the introspection will pay off in a future episode. There are hints of this in the scenes from next week.

2. Not seeing Mike Dopud (Varro) anywhere in the episode or MingNa (Camile Wray) although someone said she was in the wedding scene.

3. At the end of the episode, Young’s anger is misdirected at Scott. Scott had no idea what has happened to him, and instead of his commanding officer explaining the situation to him, he quarantines him and Chloe, and tells him Chloe will explain things to him.

As I said, it was just a matter of a few sprinkles of sugar between the other episodes of season 2 versus this one. After crying so much in previous episodes, it was nice to have an episode that was not to dark and dreary. I look forward to next week when our favorite blueberry aliens are back and Chloe begins her transformation. I wonder if Chloe will start looking like Zhaan from Farscape soon.

This was not my typical post, but this was far from a typical episode. I hope you enjoyed the post nonetheless.

Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency and for taking the time to read it.

Looking forward to next week’s “Trial and Error.”

Take care!

Hilda (PBMom)

October 31, 2010
Stargate Universe Intervention: Recap and Exposition

Welcome back Stargate Universe fans!

The long weeks of waiting and wanting were finally over. As a prelude for the occasion, fans on Twitter began putting SGU into famous movie lines. The excitement was palpable for those of us in the United States, while our international friends began feeling like the SGU stepchild, having to wait until later in the week or even into next week before they would view the show, trying to avoid Twitter to avoid spoilers. I can only imagine the suffering. Had the shoe been on the other foot, I would have been majorly depressed.

Syfy Connect held a simultaneous chat with David Blue, our beloved Eli Wallace, and people were quite respectful not to post spoilers. David Blue, as always, was amazingly generous to the fans and answered as many questions as he possibly could, which included questions about Stargate Universe, his other roles, his opinions, and his likes and dislikes. If you missed out you can read the transcript here at Syfy.

You may also desire to visit SGU on MGM Studios website for a plethora of Stargate Universe interviews and fun detailed information! We also have an interview courtesy MGM Studios with David Blue here on WHR in case you may have missed it.

Please note that this recap is full of spoilers so if you do not want to read any, please come back another time. I thank you, as always, for taking time to reading this. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. It is more lengthy than usual because of this personal experience I wished to share.

The Recap

When we last left Destiny, Eli was running to save Scott (Brian J. Smith) and Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) who were last seen running on the hull to an airlock to escape the next pulsar radiation wave. Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) and the military personnel with him were about to be shot. There was a shoot-out in the infirmary that left some dead and many wounded, including TJ (Alaina Huffman) and her baby. Having been shot and bleeding out, Chloe (Elyse Levesque) was on death’s door. Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Brody (Peter Kelamis) went off to escape capture by the Lucian Alliance to give the Destiny crew another chance to take back the ship. A schism begins in the Lucian Alliance camp between Varro (Mike Dopud) and Dannic (Ian Butcher). Kiva (Rhona Mitra) and Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) shot each other. Drs. Volker (Patrick Gilmore) and Park (Jennifer Spence) were put into the civilian room. Lt. James (Julia Benson) and Pvt. Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) were also captured. The destiny of the crew appeared uncertain.

As episode 1 of season 2 opens, TJ wakes to a warm cabin and is reunited with Dr. Caine (Tygh Runyan) who was last seen on the planet in the season 1 episode “Faith.” She gets to meet and hold her baby.

Just when it seemed that Scott and Greer had missed their date with the airlock, Scott radios the group that he went to plan B when it was obvious they were not going to make it. Varro tries to save the lives of the Destiny crew by intervening with Dannic, especially after Young goes ballistic upon hearing the TJ was injured, and suggests using the communication stones with some of the Destiny crew to get qualified doctors on board to treat the wounded.

An apparently healed Chloe walks into the airlock where Scott and Greer have joined Eli. TJ learns what happened to the crew left behind on the “Faith” planet and that the aliens from that planet brought her to this cabin to save her and the baby’s lives. Unable to save Kiva, Dr. Brightman (Alisen Down) informs Varro.

Scott and Greer go on a Kino recon mission of the enemy.

Eli, Chloe, Brody and Rush reunite and Rush has a plan. The only way to stop the ship jumping and to level the playing field was to manipulate the shields and force the Lucian Alliance into surrender.

Meanwhile, Varro tries to convince Dannic to just deposit the crew on a habitable planet as was originally planned. On the “Faith” planet, Dr. Caine shows TJ this beautiful nebula that appeared and asked if she understood the significance.

Telford wakes up and gets caught up on the situation. Simeon (Robert Knepper) is suspicious of the circumstances of Telford and Kiva being shot.

Most of the Destiny crew are sent through the gate to the planet, except for Rush, Brody, Eli, Scott, Greer, TJ and the crew whose bodies are being used with the communication stones for the doctors, Dr. Volker and Camile (Ming-Na), as well as two newly named characters, Kemp and Rider.

The Lucian Alliance finds Rush, Brody, Chloe and Eli. Dannic orders them to kill everyone except Rush, but Greer and Scott save the group. Lt. James has found shelter for the group on the planet as a storm moves in. There is a power struggle between Dannic and Varro, and in the end, Varro and those loyal to him were sent to the planet. Scott and Greer get to the infirmary and find out that TJ’s baby died. Dr. Caine informs TJ that the baby can stay, but she has to go back to the ship. Brody seals in the group in hydroponics to protect them from the next pulsar flare that is anticipated to kill everyone outside that room, thus allowing them to retake the ship. Scott orders them to seal the door, knowing that their lives will be sacrificed.

TJ rushes back to her baby in the cabin, refusing to be separated from her. The group on the planet shelter in a series of caves, but James is still struck by an intense lightning bolt.

The Lucian Alliance finds the hydroponics area, and orders the group to blow the door. Telford pleads to save Rush. Ginn (Julie McNiven) says it won’t matter because they only have 5 minutes. Rush orders Dannic to surrender. Dannic believes Rush is bluffing, but Telford reinforces that he is not. When Dannic goes to kill Telford, Ginn shoots him and offers their surrender.

TJ gives her baby a name: Carmen, after her mother. Dr. Caine tells TJ that if she shares what she experienced, no one will understand because they saw events differently. He shares that out on the edge of the universe who you are and what you believe are everything and with that TJ leaves the planet. She wakes up in the infirmary where Camile tells her the baby died. Everyone from the planet comes back to the ship, the Lucian Alliance members being separated as they embark.

Scott tells Young about TJ. He goes to the infirmary and holds her hand.

A video montage to the song by Mumford and Sons “After the Storm” plays as the crew settles back in. It is interrupted by Destiny coming out of FTL. TJ gets up and goes to the observation room where she sees the nebula she saw on the planet. Hopefully she saw what I saw in the nebula.

Exposition

A warm welcome to two new production members: Executive Consultant, Remi Aubuchon, and Supervising Producer, Linda McGibney. The main writer was Paul Mullie, although as Joe Mallozzi points out on his blog, it is a group effort. And the Primetime-Emmy-nominated Mark Savela and team gave us some wondrous visual effects, my favorite the nebula because there is something special in that nebula if you look closely enough (more on that later). Andy Mikita never disappoints as a director and there were many new camera angles used in this episode that we have never seen before.

Disclaimer: WHR supports each person’s right to believe in a faith of their own choosing or for those who do not believe and their right to choose not to believe. WHR is neither comparing nor stating one is “better than the others.” Our only editorial purpose is to analyze the potential religious elements that are represented in this Stargate Universe episode.

The one-word title described exactly what was happened in this episode: Interventions. Varro intervened on behalf of the Destiny crew to minimize casualties. Rush intervened when Young could not make the tough decisions because of personal emotions. The aliens intervened on behalf of the Destiny crew. Perhaps Young said a prayer asking for help (the look up he gave at the end of the last episode). Perhaps the aliens implanted the idea in Scott to look for shelter on the underside of the Destiny to save his life and Greer. They healed Chloe. They brought TJ and her baby to a place where both their lives could be saved. We also had the SG medical personnel intervening to save lives of both the Lucian Alliance and the Destiny crew. Lt. James was hit by an intense lightning bolt but sustained no injury from it.

Before I get to the TJ storyline that deeply touched my soul because it practically mirrored my experience, let me comment on the rest of the story.

Throughout season 1 and now into season 2, we have seen Colonel Young evolve from this stoic, even-tempered commander to someone on the edge whose personal emotions cloud his command decisions. From the previews we got on the Syfy, it looks like he continues into the downward spiral for quite awhile. He will have to grieve the death of his child. Telford has to pretend to still be part of the Lucian Alliance. Camile is not quite ready for that leadership position. That places Rush at the head of the pack, especially after his decisions led to the successful return of Destiny to the SG crew.

Lt. Scott has had enormous personal growth since the beginning of season 1. Although he was always putting himself in harm’s way and performing heroic acts, I got the sense he was unsure of himself as a leader. In “Intervention” we see him making command and tactical decisions with great confidence. If it is as Dr. Caine told TJ that who they are and what they believe matters this far out here, with the great faith Scott has in God, I believe the aliens communicated this new idea to him on how to save their lives subconsciously, just as Dr. Caine and the group were told by these same aliens that TJ and the baby were coming.

Since season 1, Chloe has found a home on Destiny, acceptance of who she is, and not for things that her friendship can bring because of her father. She did not flinch when faced with a gun pointed at her, but hey, when you’ve been probed by aliens, I guess a gun is not so scary. I have a theory for her miraculous recovery (discussed below). Is it just me, or does her hair look darker?

Eli got to play the hero by taking care of Chloe and running to save Scott and Greer. “Just another day in outer space” will get a lot of playtime. I wonder if this is a new running gag they have embedded. Eli has to stop opening doors and getting the unexpected. In “Divided” he was greeted by a fellow crew member with a gun to which he said, “Irony.” Then in “Incursion”, he opened a door after being distracted by Chloe that was venting atmosphere. “Intervention” he went to the opening door expecting Greer and Scott, but got the Lucian Alliance instead. David Blue plays so well the “regular” guy. I love the subtle touches of his acting when he scrunches up when facing execution. I could see myself doing the exact same thing.

Jamil is displaying some excellent fighting skills. The quick-action take-down of the enemy, choreographed by none other than James “BamBam” Bamford and his team, reminds me of the “Bourne Identity” films, which according to a documentary is accurate on the training of real agents. I am not sure which my favorite is: GI Greer taking down the enemy or Smiling Greer. Look at those biceps!

I sobbed along with Ming-Na as she grieved over the death of the baby. Her performance was real, as if she were standing beside me giving me the same news (and not too far from my own reality). I thank her for the lovely performance.

Eli’s future girlfriend, Ginn, was a pleasant surprise. When one thinks of the Lucian Alliance, the images you conjure up are thugs, not scientists. I was startled when Dannic grabbed her by the throat and equally shocked when, in the end, she shot him to end the standoff. I send Julie McNiven a warm welcome to Stargate Universe fandom and am looking forward to her being weaved into the Destiny crew.

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Mike Dopud and I make no apologies for it! He has been in SG-1, Atlantis and now SGU. His Atlantis performance solidified my fan-girl state. Varro has a past, and I believe we are going to find out that perhaps he had a wife and child who maybe died, which is why he was drawn to TJ and his need to protect her, especially after she saved his life. Having seen the previews, I am 10000% in favor of a relationship between TJ and Varro. Alaina and Mike look great together on screen. Varro was both peacemaker and warrior in tonight’s episode. There was one thing missing from SGU and that was our big guys. In SG-1, we had Teal’c; in Atlantis, we had Ronon. Now in SGU, we have Varro. Yes we can have a sensitive bad-ass!

Dr. Brody looked like he needed a drink from his still after all the events that took place, but one could not help but notice the long pause that occurred at the end of the episode when Dr. Volker asked him if they were safe from radiation when they dropped out of FTL. Was he just bracing himself for yet another event, or did he see something on his screen?

I had wondered what happened to Lt. James since she was captured and then disappeared in the final sequences of Incursion with the military group. She had been rounded up with Becker, who we saw in the final scene, but I looked and she was not there. So either there was a scheduling conflict for that shot, a flick flub, or they had more military in another place (but I doubt that). She helps find the safe place for shelter on the planet. I have worked for a cardiologist before and we used to have several patients who had permanent heart arrhythmias from lightning strikes (usually via telephone, so that is no myth). She gets hit by this powerful lightning bolt in the cave, smoke from it can be scene, yet she is not hurt. Divine intervention (i.e., in this case the aliens) played a role. It is nice to see Lt. James becoming comfortable as a team leader, deftly crafted by Julia Benson, Leo Award Winner, for her role in last year’s episode, “Pain.”

We did not get to see much of Dr. Volker or Dr. Park, but this episode was so jammed packed, I’m sure we will be enjoying more of their exploits in the future. A Brody-Volker-Park love triangle would certainly be fun to explore.

Dr. Caine is back and seems to be more monk than scientist. After reading his Q&A on Joe Mallozzi’s blog, Tygh Runyan also has a very interesting personal life and I believe drew from his experiences for this role. I think his hair has gotten darker, too.

I continue to enjoy Riley’s (Haig Sutherland) humor. He is sounding less like Eeyore and more like a pseudo-optimist. Glad he made it into season 2 as did Becker (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman).

We all need to keep our eyes on Simeon. Robert Knepper excels at playing a bad guy, having enjoyed his performances in Transporter 3, Hitman, and Heroes. Although there was a schism with Dannic and Varro, I believe there is another brewing between Simeon and Varro in upcoming episodes.

He seems to have a good relationship with Telford, who is still playing the part of being with the Lucian Alliance. It would be wise for the Destiny crew to continue Telford in that role to keep an eye on their new detainees.

The portion of this episode that spoke to me the most was the storyline about TJ and the baby. Alaina Huffman was brilliant in this episode and I hope she is nominated for an award for her heart wrenching performance.

Although our universe was created with the big bang, the question of the involvement of “God” has neither been proven nor disproven. I believe that when there are things we just cannot understand yet, we have to give them a certain name or term for our minds to be capable of understanding. For example, the Bible says the world was created in 6 days, but one must think about the time period in which that part of scripture was written. No one of that time period could grab a concept of a billion or trillion years. For them, they understood what “a day” was.

My faith allows for evolution, but believes that the soul is eternal, thus given to us by “God.” People imagine God as being a man with a beard in the simplest terms. If one believes that God is an intelligent energy, then the Big Bang Theory and God might not conflict at all. But what if there is a group of beings who have been here a long, long time, who in the case of the planet “Faith” could create a solar system that was perfect to sustain the people on Destiny if they chose to remain, would they not seem like Gods to us? Perhaps these beings are on a higher plane of ascension than the Ancients, where intervention is allowed in certain cases?

Many fans found it frustrating that the Ancients in SG-1 and Atlantis had a noninterference policy. We saw the Ori develop, a group whose power was fed by those who worshipped them, but this is an area yet to be explored. Can there be some entity out there like the Ancients who have an interference policy with regards to those who are pure of heart, those who have faith in something greater than themselves?

I would like to share something deeply personal with you; some might think I’m off my rocker, but it was very real to me. Conception for me was going to be a difficult. My baby died in my second trimester in August of 1993. When we found out he was a boy on the autopsy, we gave him the name Matthew Joseph. Matthew means God’s gift and he certainly was to us, regardless of the loss. In May of 1994, I was traveling for work when I had a vivid, intense dream that was as real as my life. In this dream, I discovered my baby was alive (the hospital had made a mistake). There were all these locked doors to get to him and panic overwhelmed me, but I eventually got past all the barriers. I picked him up and he was about the age he would have been had he been born at his due date.

Holding him close, I rocked him back and forth, tears streaming from my eyes, telling him over and over again, “I am so sorry. I didn’t know you were alive. If I did, I would have come for you.” I actually felt like I was holding him, something I did not get to do because the medical personnel felt it would be too traumatic for me to see his remains. In my dream, I could even smell him. This went on for quite awhile. When I pulled him away from my chest, he said, “Mommy, I’m so glad you came.” I said to him, “Of course I would come. I would always come for you.” Mind you, no words were coming out of his mouth because he was a baby, but that was the message being translated to my mind as I lay sleeping.

They say that when you are in a dream state, you are more open to visits from the other side, for those who do believe in an afterlife.

I could have woken up and felt that it was a curse, but it was such a healing event for me. I was given a blessing. It didn’t matter how it happened, if it was God, or some part of my subconscious, but for a brief period of time I got to hold my child and know what that felt like.

After that point, I would get cute little reminders that his presence was around. I have a pose of Patrick that is an exact copy of how Matthew was in my dream. It is eerie. Several people would say Matthew instead of Patrick, not knowing the name of my first child. They would all say, too, “I don’t know why I said that, I don’t have any patients named Matthew” or “I don’t know any Matthews.” I would just chuckle. When a friend’s husband was dying, the last thing I said to him before he lost touch with reality was when he reached the other side, if he saw my son, to tell him his mother was looking for him. About 2 months later, not knowing his condition had deteriorated, I was typing one evening and I felt this familiar energy embrace me and whirl around me that started at my feet and moved to my head and then left. I woke up Jeff and I said, “Tom died.” Two days later, I found out he indeed had died and I asked his wife about what time it was.

The visitation I received was about 45 minutes after he passed. I told her the story and added, “I could just envision Tom saying, in his thick New York accent: Hey, your mother is looking for you!” At the worst moments of my life, I felt his presence. I got to “see” him again when my golden retriever died. As I lay there with my eyes closed, petting Sam’s coat, saying my goodbyes, the repetitive motion put me into what I think was some sort of meditative state. I saw a figure of a young boy and my sweet dog, Sam. Sam saw me and did his funny butt wiggle and barked at me, with his tail in full wag. I said to Jeff, “Sam is with Matthew.” Jeff exclaimed, “OF COURSE he is!” I said, “No, you don’t understand. I can SEE THEM!” The mist started to dim, and as it did, Sam got his last bark in, and Matthew put up his hand to say goodbye, my hand mirroring his. He was no longer a baby, but about the age he would have been had he’d been born.

This is not the only connection I’ve made. After my mother and father passed, I had similar healing-type dreams where I felt I got an opportunity to talk to them on this other plane of existence.

So here I was sitting, watching a mirror experience of my life being performed on Stargate Universe, reliving that part of my life. On the Destiny, I am certain Carmen’s body remains, yet she exists in this other state. Are the people on the Faith planet dead now, just remaining alive in this alternate plane of existence? I think so, but time will tell. The ending scene of the nebula was breath-taking. If you look hard enough, you can see an image in there. Look past my horrid art work in tracing the outline. I see a mother cradling her baby.

Or perhaps I am just seeing what I want to believe.

You can leave a message below or contact me on Twitter (click on image below) or Facebook. Let me know what you think?

Let’s have a conversation about the episode.

See you next time, Hilda (PBMom)

October 1, 2010
Overview: Caprica the Future of Humanity Begins a Choice
Hey Battlestar and Caprica Fans!

On January 22, 2010, the Syfy Channel will launch Caprica, its new drama set in a science-fiction world. Taking place 58 years before the fall of Caprica and the other colonies to the Cylons, one does not need to have watched any of Battlestar Galactica (BSG) to love this show.

Fans of BSG, however, will be rewarded in knowing the genesis of creative elements from that show. Writers Ronald D. Moore and Remi Aubuchon (Persons Unknown, Summerland, 24) do not shy away from the same social-commenting topics that earned Battlestar Galactica The George Foster Peabody Award for excellence.
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The story focuses mainly on the Graystone family and the Adama family (known to us at first as Adams). The technology engineering genius, Daniel Graystone, is played meticulously by Eric Stoltz (Grey’s Anatomy, Medium, The Triangle). Esai Morales, of Jericho, Vanished, NYPD Blue fame, brings to us the complicated character of Joseph Adama. The SyFy video embed below also includes Zoe Graystone and other Caprica mini-clips.

Directed by Jeffery Reiner of Friday Nights Light, the pilot brought a new style and feel to Caprica to define it as its own series, apart from Battlestar Galactica. Released previously on DVD and digital download April 21, 2009, it will be this particular story that airs on January 22, 2010 to start the entire new series on SyFy (check local listings for times).

On-board as executive producers are Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson and the main showrunner, Kevin Murphy. Bear McCready continues to provide the cutting-edge music that we have come to love on Battlestar Galactica.

Rounding out the main cast are Paula Malcomson (Deadwood, ER, Lost, Star Trek Enterprise), who plays Amanda Graystone, wife of Daniel; the fabulous Polly Walker (Cane, Rome) playing Sister Clarice of the Athena Academy; and Sasha Roiz (Lie to Me, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), as Sam Adama, brother of Joseph. Actor Sina Najafi plays William Adama, the son, the future Admiral of BSG, in the pilot episode. Science fiction fans will love spotting their favorite guest stars from other science fiction shows, like Brian Markinson who plays Jordan Duram, the investigator, who has been on Stargate SG-1, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek Voyager; Hiro Kanagawa, who plays Cyrus Xander (Sanctuary, Stargate SG-1); Panou as Olaf Willow (Sanctuary, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1); Terence Kelly, who played the mayor (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Eureka among many others).

The DVD pilot opens in the Virtual Club where we are introduced to Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and CSI), her friend, Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz of Kyle XY), and boyfriend, Ben Stark (a relative newcomer, Avan Jogia). Much of the V-Club, I imagine may be edited from the broadcast pilot episode because of the graphic sex and violence. It is an important story element to note, however, that this virtual club is a place into where teenagers hack in order to do anything they want without limits or consequences. It reminded me a great deal of the movie Minority Report as did the holographic bands.

Circumstances bring Adama’s wife, Shannon (Anna Galvin, Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis) and daughter Tamara (Genevieve Buechner, Supernatural, 4400) together with Zoe Graystone where their lives are cut short by an extreme act of terrorism. Joseph and Daniel bond over their respective losses.

In just the pilot episode alone, we are introduced to themes of organized crime, monotheism, polytheism, prejudice, moral dilemmas of artificial intelligence, religious zealots and acts of terrorism.

Stylistically, Caprica City looks like any modern city of today. It is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia where most of our beloved science-fiction shows now call home. I enjoyed the duplicity of having computers that were as thin as a sheet of paper, yet people were still driving in cars.

Having experienced the agonizing event of the death of a child, it is an intriguing thought that is voiced by the dialogue, “What would you do if you had the chance to be with your child again?” The pain is something I can only described as having the air being sucked out of your lungs while your heart is being sliced open by a sharp knife while some part of you dies with them; it is a piece of yourself you never recover. It is something you never “get over”; you just learn how to live life differently. I could see myself in both Daniel and Joseph, wanting to do anything I could for even just one last time to say things unsaid, but ultimately realizing, like Joseph, that it was an “abomination” of the circle of life. People go through great lengths to keep that attachment to their loved ones. Some individuals are cloning their beloved pets. Many seek the guidance of mediums to contact their loved ones on other planes of existence. In Caprica City it is no different.

As with the Catholic faith doctrine, belief in evolution of mankind’s body, but believes the soul is eternal, the thing given to us by God in our evolved bodies. The pilot produces a question for me: Can you reproduce or clone the soul? The people cloning their pets would have you believe that it is indeed possible; they will swear their pet is exactly the same. One hundred years ago, however, the technology was just not there to make it happen. Will our technology some day catch up to the point where we can download our consciousness into new bodies?

Another theme I took away from this pilot was the recurrence presence of love and devotion. It is extreme love and devotion of one’s religion that drives a character to their act of terrorism; that same love and devotion to religion leads another to create rather than destroy. It is extreme love and devotion that drives Daniel Graystone to finish what his daughter started, not only for love of daughter but for love of his company. It is love of heritage that makes Joseph Adams want to be Joseph Adama once again. It was the love and devotion of a friend who heals the virtual body of a virtual character with a simple hug. As with Battlestar Galactica, it leaves the viewer to decide for themselves what is right and wrong and in between those polar dichotomies.

The pilot episode ends with a tantalizing cliffhanger that lives up to the jaw-dropping disbelief for which Ronald D. Moore has become famous. The DVD viewers have had to wait 9 long months for this story to evolve. Those watching on January 22 will only have to wait until January 29 for the next episode. It’s going to be a wild ride.

Please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments!

We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future!

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“

PBMom
January 18, 2010

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