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Stargate Universe: Visitation Review

Welcome back Stargate Universe (SGU) fans!

As always, there are complete spoilers in my post, so if you have not seen the episode, please come back later.

It has to be difficult when your episode is airing the next week after Robert Cooper’s episode “Malice.” Everyone is going to be using that as the yardstick of measure.

As with every Stargate since Stargate SG-1, there were your action-packed episodes, and then the more intellectual episodes that required you engage the thinking part of your brain. “Visitation” is similar to those many Stargate SG-1 episodes with a spooky twist. Remi Aubuchon, writer of this particular episode, and his first script Stargate Universe, excels at these kinds of scripts. He likes exploring the world of the walking dead or the walking undead (as in Caprica).

As we open, it appears Rush (Robert Carlyle) is integrating more with the crew, but we find out they are only really there for the still that Brody (Peter Kelamis) is fixing and have little interest in Rush’s discovery, much to his dismay. At least he gave it an effort.

Having traded his shift with Brody so he could fix the still, Volker (Patrick Gilmore) radios Young (Louis Ferreira) after potential planets since they dropped out of FTL; however, a shuttle similar to the ones that came from Destiny is next to them, carrying within it the crew that was left on the planet in “Faith”, now dubbed as Eden by them. Rush, Volker, Brody, Eli (David Blue) and Young all speculate how this could happen.

A still-injured Greer (nice continuity) and his team go to meet the shuttle. His team includes our fantabulous extra Herb Sommerfeld, still sporting his military short haircut.

Now we will know what happens to Carmen, TJ’s (Alaina Huffman) and Young’s baby. In my post on “Intervention”, however, having had a similar experience to what was scripted, I said this: “So here I was sitting, watching a mirror experience of my life being performed on Stargate Universe. 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.” My heart knew the fall she was about to take, but I also need for certainty. Caine (Tygh Runyan), Val (Camille Sullivan), Peter (Tobias Slezak), and Dr. Chan (Bill Y. W. Butt, aka B.A.G.) were all there. But no baby. Also of note, the character was supposed to be called Vince Kwan instead of Dr. Chan (or Dr. Chen? hard to tell with Mr. Carlyle’s accent), but I guess that was changed as well.

Oops! Continuity error. Where’s Dana? When TJ went to what she thought was the Faith planet, Peter and Dana visited her in Caine’s cabin. Three female exited the shuttle. One was Val, one was Rachel, and one was an unknown woman who did not look like Dana (played by Caroline Cave in “Intervention”). Caroline Cave actually looks similar to the actress they got to play Val (Camille Sullivan). All the people who were on the Faith planet were brought back to Destiny. Joe Mallozzi said about a half dozen people along with Caine stayed behind on the Faith planet on his April 17, 2010 blog, so perhaps she is the mysterious passenger number 7 whose fate remains a mystery.

Chloe (Elyse Levesque) talks about being there in her consciousness but this other thing having priorities. I wonder if again that is a continuation of the metaphor with the communication stones, being two people inside of one body. Chloe prepares a “goodbye” Kino that sort of reminded me of Stargate Atlantis, “The Shrine” episode.

Young and TJ discuss how the former crew members were creeping them out. In fact, the crew of Destiny does not want to associate with the Eden planet-dwellers. TJ wants to talk to Caine alone and shows him the hydroponics area where we get to see our Destiny robot hard at work (thank you Mark Savela and team!). They discuss her dream.

The scene with Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and Scott (Brian Jacob Smith) in the hallway was awkward. The scene was well acted, but the story just seemed contrived as did the whole Chloe storyline which is why this episode did not sit well with me. It felt like these were scenes that should have been placed in another episode. Scott also is a 1st lieutenant and only 2nd lieutenants are called butter-bars. I looked this up to be sure. I will expand on my issue with the Chloe storyline in this episode in just a bit.

Eli feels sorry for Val who is sitting alone. After engaging in conversation, she begins to have a memory and relives what seems to be an aneurysmal event and collapses.

Meanwhile, Rush and Caine have a discussion about advanced aliens versus God. Rush brings up a good point: The shuttle was returned to a condition better than it was on Destiny, so why weren’t the crew members? “Either He’s lost his touch or God’s got nothing to do with this.” Caine is summoned to the infirmary because Val is now dead. TJ determines that Val died from a blunt-force trauma to the head.

Regarding the “B” storyline of Chloe: Like I’ve said before, the actors did a fine job with what they were asked to say and act, especially the dialogue between Greer and Chloe. I understand Chloe is slowly changing into something else and understood the sequences for it. The storyline feels contrived. I do not know how else to say this than to just be blunt: It is like Chloe’s has been pegged into a corner and no one knows what to do with her, especially leaving her in isolation over the last couple of episodes. Just an episode or so ago, they were discussing the fact that they might have to put Chloe on a planet that seems habitable IF she becomes a threat.

While the scene between Greer and Chloe was beautifully acted, how did we get from “Chloe is changing” to “Greer is going to have to execute Chloe when she fully transforms?” Seeing the scenes from next week might help explain a few things, but they did not put enough emphasis on Chloe’s transformation to make that scene between Greer and her as important as it should have been.

It’s like we went from A to C and next week we will be at “D” but we forgot about “B.” I only see a few possible outcomes to this story: First, Chloe continues to transform but proves she is friend, not foe. Second, Chloe continues to transform and dies in a blaze of glory. Third, Chloe continues to transform and is either left on a planet or executed by Greer. Fourth: They find a way to reverse the changes in Chloe. Fifth: Chloe makes it onto the alien ship and reverses the transformation herself. My own personal choice would be the first outcome: Let Chloe become part alien and get her out of isolation. The character has been through enough, with the first season playing the fish out of water, not knowing where her place was among the crew. This season she’s been walled off from the rest of the crew with the exception of Lt. Scott and Eli.

Camile puts Peter under hypnosis who remembers who happened to Val and then shortly succumbs to hypothermia and exposure.

TJ figures it out: What if they are dying again in the order they died on the planet. Scott and Greer visit Rachel (Michelle Harrison). After seeing her, our hero Scott dives right in and grabs her to carry her to the infirmary despite Greer’s warning that she might be contagious and TJ’s admonishment once he did. Rachel dies. Young picks Caine to be next up for the hypnosis.

Caine relives his time on the planet. Camile has him describe the last night. He, the last survivor on Eden, prays for help. Then he woke up next to Destiny. After the session, he knows his time is short. “I’m already dead.” Feeling his impending death, he asks TJ to join him in the observation deck so he can see the stars one last time. Even though it is not shown on camera, we know that is where he dies.

James brings Eli a Kino from the shuttle that shows the last moments with Caine and then a bright light. The aliens heard his plea and tried to intervene, but they are not God.

FAVORITE LINES

I had quite a lot of them in this episode.

1. Brody (when Young sniffs him on the bridge): “I wasn’t drinking. I was…fixing it.”

2. Rush: “That sounds like Caine.”
Volker: “Caine’s more monotone than that.

3. Eli: “Trust me. These aliens built a planet from scratch. They can just throw a shuttle between galaxies. I’m pretty sure they can impersonate Caine if they wanted to.
Volker: “Boone used to do a pretty good Caine.”
Brody: “I thought it was the other way around.”

4. On having the crew back and how exciting it will be to talk to them:
Young: “I wouldn’t mind having a working shuttle again.”
Rush: “Then there’s that.”

5. Caine: “I don’t even drive a car.
Brody: “Just what a Trojan would say.”

6. After Eli quotes somebody the appearance of alien beings and advanced technology does not make them God.
Young: “Turn the mic back on. — Winston Churchill.”
Eli: “Really.”

7. After thoroughly checking out the shuttle, Young reports in for a report:
Brody: “Even has that new shuttle smell.”

8. Park to Greer: “Okay, you’re being too deep again.”

9. A conversation Camile and Young have after she shows them Kino footage of interviews:
Young: “They don’t creep you out, even a little.”
Camile: “A lot of people creep me out a little, so I’m not the best person to ask.”
Young: “Really?”
Camile: “A little.”
Young: “Me?”
Camile: “Not as much now.”
Young: “Hmmm. That’s good. Progress.”

10. Young in response to finding out Camile can perform hypnosis:
Young: “Did the IOA teach you that?”
Camile: “Yeah, they did.”
Young (suspiciously): “Anything else I should know about?”
Camile: “That I was a little overqualified for HR.”
Young laughs and nods.

11. TJ to Scott (for obvious selfish reasons — blushing)
“Strip down and get your ass into decon.”

12. That scene with Varro (Mike Dopud). Argh! Another episode without him. Hope he is in next week’s mid-season finale.

13. And my most favorite of all the lines in the episode: Caine to TJ: “I believe that my soul has already moved on and is looking down, even now, marveling at how kind you are to comfort a shadow.”

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.

This episode gets into some interesting points about the body, the soul and the days we have been allotted. In my own faith, the body is part of an evolutionary process; the soul is what is eternal. In 1996, Pope John Paul II came out saying that the theories of Charles Darwin were factually and wholly compatible with the teachings of the Church. It is steadfast that our soul is given to us by God and that is something not bound by the laws of evolution. Remi Aubuchon explored this idea of the walking dead/walking undead in the Caprica miniseries.

The question there was when does a machine, built by science, become sentient, i.e., develops a soul. Here the Eden dwellers were only returned to their state of well-being as that when they arrived to the planet. The aliens could not replicate their souls. Until the very end, Caine still believes that there is a life beyond this one, one that his soul has already moved onto. And in some warm cabin, Caine, Dana, Val and Peter truly are taking care of Carmen.

I’m melancholy about next week’s episode of SGU. It has become part of my weekly schedule. I thought that we would only have to wait until February or at the latest March for the rest of season 2. I have heard it is more like April. It is going to be a harsh and cold winter, similar to that on the Eden planet. Hopefully by the time April comes around I will be more than just a shadow of my former self, having been starved in the desert without my SGU energy drink.

The only thing that could comfort me, I think, is hearing that Stargate Universe has been renewed for season 3. It would make a wonderful holiday gift.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Please feel free to leave a comment, or contact me on Facebook or Twitter. Also, you are welcome to use the “share” options.

PBMom (Hilda)

November 29, 2010
Stargate Universe: Malice Pre Review – Dr. Rush’s Dirty Little Secret!
Hello once again Stargate fans!

Stargate Universe continues this evening with “Malice” on SyFy at 9 PM east and west time zones with one of the best Stargate episodes of all time across all three series and three movies. “Malice” is the second of two parts that began with “The Greater Good”. WHR assures you that Stargate fans do not want to miss the second of them, “Malice”!

WARNING: Certain parts of the series, and the music news videos specifically of season two episode eight “Malice” are discussed and illustrated. However the details will NOT be discussed so you can enjoy them for yourself.

My grade for “Malice”? An A PLUS. This episode is the proof that Stargate Universe is Stargate and always has been. My hope? A season three of SGU!
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The fact that the franchise changed demonstrates the maturity of the MGM Stargate efforts so eloquently that some have become perplexed by the deep story arc. Nonetheless, Stargate Universe is rooted in the original mythology of Stargate, The Ancients.

We continue focus on the series development that accentuates why the discoveries on Destiny are edification of the purposes of The Ancients. These factors which I refer to as Dr. Rush’s “Dirty Little Secret” are discussed on the MGM Stargate site interview featuring Robert Carlyle.

REPEAT: Some passages and the Dr. Rush promotional trailer on revenge (below courtesy of MGM Studios) may be be considered spoilers by some fans of the series. If you do not enjoy spoilers, please stop reading and viewing now. Thank you.

Before beginning, WormholeRiders News Agency once again expresses thanks to SyFy Publicity for making “The Greater Good” and “Malice” available to our team for pre air date review. We appreciate the courtesy extended by SyFy Publicity staff for entrusting WHR with the digital material much as Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) is trusted at the controls of Destiny in Stargate Universe.

We would also like to thank our friends in the Stargate Fandom for the wonderful music news video we feature below supporting an effort to promote a Stargate Universe season three.

And no we did not hold them at gun point like the Lucian Alliance! 😛

This review is an ongoing analysis development in the series including theories. As excellently illustrated by the character actors in Stargate Universe, you will see for yourselves just how much thought and hard work has gone into creating SGU.

Last week we began such an analysis tied to the developing storyline. This week we will continue the analysis including paying homage to one of the Stargate legends, Mr. Robert C. Cooper. The images used herein are exclusively from “Malice” including ‘as previously seen on SGU’ shots in the prologue.

First, as previously reported, congratulations to Robert Carlyle for his 2010 Gemini award. Mr. Carlyle’s portrayal of Dr. Nicholas Rush in the series is brilliant. We featured our initial character analysis starting with Dr. Rush last week being hopeful he would earn the acclaim he so richly deserves from the Gemini award committee. We we NOT disappointed! In “Malice” you will once again see why he won the award. Simply put, the mastery of Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush is a pleasure to behold.

Of note before the overview analysis of “Malice” is the team lead ably by Mark Savela and his Visual Effects Coordinator Sonia Gilmore of The Bridge Studios located in Vancouver British Columbia. Nominated for an Emmy, this team of many contributors should be commended and supported for their outstanding accomplishments. Their visual effects magic are quite prominently featured in Stargate Universe “Malice”.

As seen in the Stargate Universe trailer above “Malice” begins with a horrific scene leading to pure acts of malice by a member of the Lucian Alliance who has been driven previously witnessed as overcome by jealousy and resentment regarding another crew member. The complexity of such rich episodic emotion is not hard to internalize based on the real world that we live in. The effects of the ongoing acts leads to a fateful conclusion within “Malice” that many will relate to when they see the ending minutes.

Written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, “Malice” reflects much in our the real world of action and emotional reaction of people operating under stressful conditions. WHR had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Cooper. This episode represents some of his last active contributions to the Stargate Franchise as he discussed with us at Comic-Con earlier this year. You may click the image below or text link above to understand his intent.

Now that the crew of Destiny has learned about Dr. Rush’s “dirty little secret”, the consequences of that discovery lead the crew to a planet to search for a missing member of the Lucian Alliance who has gone through the Destiny “Gate” to escape.

Dr. Rush is the first to go through the gate to find out what has happened. It is here that he finds Dr. Park (Jennifer Spence) waiting on the other side after she has been held at gunpoint for reasons you will learn when you see “Malice” for yourself.

The away mission is lead by the crews erstwhile young officer Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith), supported by Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith), Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson). I cannot reveal the story line of what happens on the planet, but I can and will share this; The activities on the planet are shot on location in the Badlands of New Mexico. The cinematography and visual effects are stunning in their raw natural beauty.

The episode “Malice” is filled with action, adventure and explosive scenes as crew of Destiny on the planet works closely together with one exception you find out only at the end of the episode.

If “The Greater Good” is a “Rubicon” episode (using a phrase we borrowed from Brian J. Smith), then “Malice” is the crossing of that rubicon both on the planet (as seen above) with Julia Benson and back aboard as the crew including David Blue, Peter Kelamis, Patrick Gilmore and Elyse Levesque investigate Dr. Rush’s not so little secret.

Meanwhile our poor medical officer TJ (Alaina Huffman) and Col. Young (Justin Louis as Louis Ferreira) deal with blood and gore of the events that took place! Suffice it to say the scenes leading up to the ending sequences of episode 8 “Malice” are clearly what the the epic nature of Stargate has always been about.

The location of the secret bridge on board the Destiny in “The Greater Good” proves my earlier theory that The Ancients were on their mission in distant galaxies to find the secrets of existence and life itself. My theory about the original crew of Ancients opens many new secrets about where the Destiny has been and why.

In the opinion of this reviewer, the question remains are Dr. Rush’s apparitions the Ancients way to guide the crew to find the path to not only ensure the survival of the humans aboard Destiny in this galaxy to complete the mission about the microwave radiation messages? Can Chloe (Elyse Levesque) help solve the equations?

As the story progresses beyond “Malice”, the next question we should consider is whether or not The Ancients (who can cross galactic distances with ease) will reveal themselves? And when will they do so? Or will they take a hands off approach as in Stargate SG-1 unless disaster threatens the mission of Destiny? I suggest that you tune in as we will to find out the Secrets of The Ancients as they continue to unfold!

We leave you now but will return with more Stargate Universe news in the near future including character analysis over the course of season two. Stargate Universe returns this evening on SyFy at 9 PM East and West in the United States. “Malice” is such a superb episode filled with so many wonders of Stargate, we suggest that you get set and go through the Gate to their, your and our Destiny!

Your support would be appreciated by the creators, actors, writers, and crews, so If you can, please view the episode live to enjoy the series as we here at WHR have.

In closing, please resist the urge to illegally download Stargate Universe or any other program or movie because if you do you are not only committing a crime, you are supporting the siphoning of revenue away from the creators to persons of dubious intent whom are only profiting from the hard work of others. Your help in promoting an anti-piracy campaign not only helps Stargate, but all others who work so hard to bring their labors to our homes and theatres around the world. Thank you for not being a pirate!

As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. 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 16, 2010
Stargate Universe: “Malice” Preview

Welcome SGU fans. It is rare that I can say this:

This will be a spoiler-FREE preview (instead of spoiler- full recap). “Malice”, the new episode of Stargate Universe, airs in the United States on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 on the Syfy Channel and November 19, 2010 on SPACE in Canada (check local listings for times).

This is the episode that was filmed in the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico. The terrain of the area is perfect for SGU because it looks truly alien, even though it is from our own world. The red rock almost looks like Georgia clay against the sand. What beauty our own planet has, yet few of us have discovered.

Joel Goldsmith did a stellar job on the music, especially towards the end where it sounded like he incorporated regional sounds of the perhaps the Hopi and Navajo Indians of the New Mexico region into Stargate-like music. It was simply beautiful.

With all the drama in this episode, it would not be Stargate without at least one moment of levity. I burst out laughing (and this is nonspoilery) when one of our characters says: “Please shut up.” I could just picture myself saying the exact same thing in the exact same situation.

Overall, “Malice” shows us the consequences of plot points from “The Greater Good.”

For those living in the United States, you probably saw the trailer for “Malice” immediately after “The Greater Good” finished and know what happens to at least one of the characters. I had intended to make this part of my report since Syfy opened the door on the subject matter, but Space and other channels around the world may air a different cut, and I have decided to remain silent about who this individual is so as not to spoil it for those who are still in the dark on this subject matter.

Robert C. Cooper is a master storyteller. Everyone loved Stargate Atlantis’ “Vegas” episode (he must love the desert). He both wrote and directed this episode. It starts off strong and does not stop. There are injuries, death, mayhem, destruction, ground-shaking events. Mark Savela and his team have whipped up a fabulous new visual effect on the planet. A character we have not seen in awhile returns.

The crew gets help from an unexpected source. TJ is up to her elbows in blood. Other characters who haven’t had many dialogue lines get their chance to shine once again during this episode. Most of Destiny’s crew will be put in harm’s way. Who lives? Who dies? You will have to tune in to find out. It is better than a rollercoaster ride–it’s a wormhole kawoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or question here or click one of the social media icons below to share this article.

See you on the other side for my recap of this wonderful episode. Come join us on Twitter for a SGU Tweet-Up on Tuesday night before SGU comes on. Just use the hashtag #SGU.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hilda Bowen (PBMom).

November 16, 2010
Stargate Universe: Get Ready for “Malice”

Greetings, SciFi Fans!

WARNING: This pre review is as spoiler free as possible, However images are from Stargate Universe season two episode eight “Malice.” One image should be considered a spoiler. If you do not like spoilers, stop reading now. Thank you.

If you made other plans for Tuesday night, we suggest you cancel them because you are definitely going to want to be home watching Stargate Universe.

This week’s episode, Malice (Episode 208), is one of the most heart-pounding Stargate Universe episodes yet.

With outdoor cinematic scenes staged and filmed in the rocky, high desert landscape of northwest New Mexico, fantastic 3D creature effects by special effects guru Mark Savela and his team of VFX experts, and top notch performances by the Stargate Universe cast, Malice will take your breath away!

This is not SGU’s first trip to New Mexico. Part 3 of Air (Episode 103) was shot near Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. For Malice, a location was chosen near Farmington in the Four Corners area of the state. The stark beauty of this area formed the perfect backdrop for Malice.

Malice the emotion is an ugly thing. It is “the desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another.” Depending on your dictionary, the definition may include the idea that malice is the desire to harm someone else without provocation. But does any emotion just pop into being without some catalyst? Who aboard Destiny might have a reason to feel malice right now? Enough to want to take action, maybe take revenge for some perceived wrong?

Revenge is very like malice, in that it is the act of inflicting injury on someone in return for something they have done. In the official Syfy trailer for Malice, Col. Young (Louis Ferreira aka Justin Louis) says, “Revenge can be a very dangerous game.” Everyone on board Destiny has a reason to be angry after everything that has happened up to this point, and especially after the dramatic events of last week’s episode (Episode 207, The Greater Good). Tension is building, emotions are running high, some people have a short fuse anyway, but even the unlikeliest characters may be ready to explode.

At the end of The Greater Good, much had been revealed but we were left on the edge of our seats wondering what had just happened and what would happen next.

First, we finally found out why Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) had been so secretive about having discovered Destiny’s command center and his ability to control the ship. Destiny is on a mission, set on its course by the Ancients toward the source of a mysterious signal. With so many people involuntarily stranded on Destiny, Rush was probably right to think he might be forced to turn the ship around in an effort to get those people back to Earth. Col. Young said it before, “That ship is the best chance we have for getting home.”

But what if they tried to take the ship back to Earth, effectively ending Destiny’s mission? Would the ship allow it? Destiny has already made adjustments to accommodate the humans now on board while keeping to its primary purpose.

And there is another possibility: the ship was built and sent on its way by the Ancients. There is a chance that the Ancients, even after they Ascended, have continued to monitor Destiny’s progress. Despite their policy of non-interference, would the Ancients prevent Destiny’s human component from destroying hundreds of thousands of years of progress when the goal is now so close?

Also revealed last week were the deep feelings and blossoming relationships of Eli (David Blue) and Ginn (Julie McNiven), and Rush and Amanda Perry. Eli and Ginn had already taken things to the next level. Rush and Amanda had not yet had the opportunity, but they had definitely made the emotional connection.

At the end of The Greater Good, both of these relationships were in terrible danger. If you recall, Ginn and Amanda (Kathleen Munroe) had changed places using the communication stones. Ginn’s body, inhabited by Amanda’s consciousness, remained on Destiny. Ginn’s consciousness was in Amanda’s body on Earth to answer questions about Lucien Alliance plans to attack the home planet. Eli was not happy about his new girlfriend’s body being used by Rush’s love interest, and someone else on board Destiny–Simeon–was not happy about the possibility that Ginn was spilling Lucian Alliance secrets.

Simeon of the Lucien Alliance (Robert Knepper) was among those kept on board Destiny when most of the Alliance personnel were put off the ship. Despite the agreement that had kept him on board, Simeon had apparently never let go of his ill will towards Earth or the people aboard Destiny. Seeing Ginn cozying up to Eli and getting so cooperative with the crew was making Simeon very nervous.

Simeon failed to get to Ginn before the switch, but he was able get to Amanda in Ginn’s body and we saw what appeared to be the aftermath of Simeon’s violent attack on her. So what happened last week? Is Ginn’s body dead? And if so, what does that mean for Ginn and Amanda? Is Ginn’s consciousness alive in Amanda’s body? Is the connection severed at death? Are they both dead? She certainly looked dead lying on the floor, her eyes open but vacant. But in TV and movies nothing is certain.

What we do know from Syfy’s trailers for Malice is that both Eli and Rush are very, very angry. Eli asks for a gun and Rush is screaming in rage. But again, they could be angry for many reasons. For example, you might expect them to be angry whether the women they loved were injured or killed, or even if they were unhurt but had been threatened with harm.

What if Amanda’s consciousness and Ginn’s body were dead, but Ginn’s consciousness remained alive in Amanda’s body? How might they respond to that? Or they could be angry about something else entirely, like sabotage of some kind. What if Destiny was irreparably disabled and everyone stranded on a (mostly) lifeless rock?

Thanks to the folks at Syfy I had the great privilege of viewing a rough cut of Malice and I can tell you, this is one you will want to watch live, then you will want to watch it again–so fire up those DVR’s!

As mentioned, the WHR Team of reporters will have more special Stargate Universe news reports over the next 24 hours about S2x08 “Malice.”

As always, thank you for reading and visiting Wormhole Riders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a 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.

See you on the other side on Twitter,

OffWorldTravelr

November 15, 2010
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.

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Hilda Bowen (aka PBMom)

November 15, 2010

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