WormholeRiders News Agency

Tag: Bridge Studios

Gina Holden: An Intimate Interview with One of Entertainments Rising Stars!
Welcome back movie, television and Gina Holden fans!

In the afternoon of Monday June 27, 2011 WormholeRiders News Agency had the pleasure and great honor to interview Ms. Gina Holden of Vancouver British Columbia, Hollywood, and her second home in Los Angeles California.

While Ms. Holden’s home base is in Vancouver, she spends a lot of time at her second residence in Los Angeles working on her successful career as an actress.

Relatively new to Twitter, Gina is building a solid reputation on-line as a person who enjoys interacting with her fans from around the world and thereby has more than proved she has a huge heart with her wonderful tweets!

If you love the talent that Gina Holden, we would suggest you follow her on Twitter and visit her web site and blog. Ms. Holden does all her own tweets and writes updates about her career at the Gina Holden blog too. You can learn more about Ms. Holden below or click here to visit her official web site!

Who is Gina Holden you may ask? Well if you have ever been to the movies or watched movies on television you should recognize this outstanding actress.

Gina has starred in many films since her career took off in 2002 including AVPR: Aliens vs Predator – Requiem, Final Destination 3, Fantastic Four, The Butterfly Effect 2, Perfect Romance, Roughing It, A Family Thanksgiving and Christmas Cottage.
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More recently Ms. Holden has starred in the 2010 blockbuster Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, Mysterious Island (trivia: directed by Who? The answer is provided in Gina’s interview) and Gina is currently working on a new science fiction thriller called Sand Sharks we hope to see on Syfy soon!

Last but certainly not least, and surely to be a 2011 holiday favorite, Gina stars in Dear Santa with Amy Acker!

In addition to a fine movie career, Ms. Holden is known for her roles in many television series including Legend of the Seeker, Life Unexpected, Harper’s Island, Blood Ties, Smallville, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Da Vinci’s Inquest, The L Word, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, and Reunion.

Gina is also working on some new projects which neither she or we are not at liberty to discuss at the present time.

However ideas about what is coming (and when) are discussed in her wonderfully detailed answers she provided during our time together including discussing one of her favorite charities, Save Your Skin.

I would like to share with you quite candidly that Ms. Holden is a pleasure to interview.

She is a warm, friendly, open person, and is a delight to talk with as you will find out for yourself! Gina shared many aspects of her career and her personal life including her favorite books, music, stunts, friends at Stargate, her pets, sports, charity activities, her thoughts about Vancouver, Hollywood and Los Angeles and a favorite show we cover at WHR that she almost guest starred in if not for a scheduling conflict at the time!

During the 80 minute interview she also addressed questions from several fans and shared who her favorite music star is and one of her favorite foods too.

A favorite actresses of many, Gina Holden is as beautiful on the inside as she is gorgeous on the outside.

A fabulous acting talent certainly in the prime of her career, we now bring you an intimate interview with Ms. Gina Holden for you, her fans, to enjoy including a special end credits section we are sure you will enjoy!

About Gina Holden:

Gina was born in the small mountain town of Smithers, B.C., Canada, where she developed a love of performance from an early age. Her first performance took place at a figure skating exhibition when she was five. She has been at home on center stage ever since.

Through most of her early years, as she moved around with her mom and older brother, Gina’s first love was dance. She credits her training in classical ballet, tap, modern and musical theatre with developing the work ethic that, as a teenager, helped turn her love of performance into something resembling a career.

At the age of fifteen, Gina was scouted by a modeling agency and traveled to Japan to embark on a modeling career. Embracing the move with both hands, Gina schooled herself on the culture and language and the country quickly became her second home. Professionally, Japan was a major break. Gina was an immediate success and appeared on upwards of twenty magazine covers. But modeling was never Gina’s passion. While her talent and drive gave her a taste of success, modeling was ultimately a stepping stone to bigger things, in another medium.

On returning to North America, Gina went back to school, where she continued to study Japanese and graduated top of her class. Then, while working two jobs, Gina took acting classes to develop her stage skills. Before long the the roles started coming, getting bigger with each booking. Now, her hectic work schedule demands that she split her time between Los Angeles and Vancouver.

With an impressive portfolio that includes leading roles in feature films and TV series, Gina continues to work hard to achieve bigger and better things. She is constantly challenging herself with new and unfamiliar roles. “I have to press forward and try new things,” she says, “That’s what excites me.” Surrounded by loving friends and family, Gina Holden is always looking ahead. And up!

Gina Holden is busier than ever, with an exciting slate of upcoming film and television projects in the works. For her latest film project, Gina will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to shoot MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, a sci-fi action film based on the epic Jules Verne novel. Directed by Mark Sheppard, the action-adventure adds to Holden’s ever-growing resumé of strong leading female characters.

Gina’s acclaimed work in the horror genre recently earned her a 2010 Eyegore Award, which she accepted with fellow honorees Eli Roth and Christopher Lloyd. In her latest horror role, Gina stars as Joyce in SAW 3D, the final chapter in the hugely successful film franchise, set to hit theaters in October 2010.

Gina also recently worked alongside Faye Dunaway and Daphne Zuinga in Hallmark Channel’s A FAMILY THANKSGIVING, a heartwarming story of family and friendship. The film is a movie of the week premiering in November 2010.

She was also recently cast in the hit ABC fantasy LEGEND OF THE SEEKER, based on the popular book series by Terry Goodkind. As an elegant and strong-willed widow, Gina’s character sacrifices her life to protect her young son. Shot on location in New Zealand, the role was an incredible experience for the actor, demanding stunt skill and a deep emotional range.

In another impressive television credit, Gina was enlisted to play high-powered radio executive Trina Campbell on the CW family drama LIFE UNEXPECTED. The sexy and sophisticated exec turns the radio station upside down by forcing the cast to reevaluate where they are in life and what they want to do. The role was a departure from some of the sci-fi and dramatic characters Gina had been playing, and she was thrilled and honored to be cast.

Her other recent television appearances include a lead role as controlling mother Shea Allen on HARPER’S ISLAND, the popular CBS horror-drama set off the coast of Seattle. In an unprecedented move for network television, the show’s cast was unaware of where the script was going and who would die next. Gina also guest starred in the CBS police drama FLASHPOINT alongside a talented cast led by Hugh Dillon. As Rachel Simpson, she plays a devoted mom and recovered drug addict who lives at the rehab facility in the country where her parents left her fifteen years ago.

Gina previously starred in MESSAGE DELETED, is a suspenseful thriller that found her opposite Matthew Lillard playing aspiring screenwriter Millie Councel, and in SCREAMERS 2, a sci-fi thriller based on an acclaimed Philip Dick story. As the beautiful, strong Lieutenant Victoria Bronte, Gina leads a group of humans sent to investigate mysterious happenings on another planet.

Gina’s acting versatility was previously displayed in the well-casted hit CW series, SMALLVILLE. As Patricia Swann, Gina played the daughter of Virgil Swann, played by Christopher Reeves.. Gina says it was “an honor and a privilege” to be cast in a role connected to the man who’s name is synonymous with Superman on screen.

In addition to memorable roles in big features and television series such as FINAL DESTINATION 3, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR 2, and SUPERNATURAL, Gina played Coreen Fennel in twenty-one episodes of BLOOD TIES, the popular vampire series that aired for two seasons on Lifetime.

Off-screen, Gina is pursuing multiple projects on the production side of her craft. Early in 2009, she executive produced BANGMASTER GENERAL, a surreal skateboarding web series created by award-winning director Corey Adams. Earlier this year, she also pursued another creative vision by producing and art directing a photo shoot for her website and publicity materials. As always, Gina is up for new challenges, both on-screen and off.

© My Direction Shine Inc., All Rights Reserved

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We thank Ms. Kim Edwards (Ms. Holden’s agent) for arranging this interview. All images used herein are copyright property provided courtesy of Gina Holden with the exception of two items courtesy of Getty Images. As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. 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 Team WHR look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn
June 29, 2011
Stargate Liquidation: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been? Saying Goodbye and Looking Forward!

What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.

~T. S. Eliot

Hello again Stargate fans,

Since the announcement of Stargate Universe’s cancellation some months ago, emotions have been running high.

Well, maybe that is an understatement. In all honesty emotions have been pretty high since the cancellation of Stargate SG-1, then Stargate Atlantis, and even further with the birth of SGU (which some angry fans refused to ever even watch, out of protest).

On Friday June 17, 2011 at The Bridge Studios conducted by Maynard’s Auctioneer’s, I watched fans line up, eager to purchase a piece of Stargate History.

While waiting in line, some told stories of favorite episodes; some complained of the cancellations; some simply looked forlorn with tears in their eyes. When the doors opened and fans were allowed into the liquidation, some even briskly ran into the FX stage, most heading toward the costumes and props first.

With the finality brought by this weekend’s liquidation, understandably many fans are left with a sense of sadness, emptiness, and lack of direction. What is the correct response? Should fans be mad, sad, or just move on? What fans do not want is to be without a path forward.

Many of you probably have heard of the protests as well as felt the encouragement to participate in boycotts in an attempt to force the networks and studios to either continue with the Stargate franchise or at least to give the fans the Stargate movies they desired. It is very understandable that fans wish to take action; no one wants to feel helpless in a situation such as this one. However being explosive and attacking the studios, actors, creators and or the networks will not produce effective results.

Fans want to be heard; they desire a voice and even more the continuation of the programming they enjoy; after all, they have put blood, sweat, and tears into supporting the entertainment they love. These shows have become an integral part of their lives through forging fandom friendships, attending conventions, following online fan communities, collecting memorabilia, and even writing and reading fan fiction. So yes, the events of late, especially with the liquidation, have caused great distress for many dedicated supporters of the franchise.

We all know that endings are rarely easy, but it is very important that none of us loses sight of the bigger picture as we choose our course of action now that the reality that Stargate has truly ended begins to set in. The sets are gone; the costumes are sold off; the Stargate offices at Bridge Studios are empty, with the stages now being used for other new shows. Our research confirms that all of those involved in the beloved franchise are moving on to other projects.

Recently I have spoken to quite a few involved in the show in various capacities, and they are sad, too; they feel very proud to have been involved in the Stargate franchise. However these actors, writers, and producers are also realistic and are looking to the future. They want and need to move on to other creative projects.

After all, there are many great stories out there yet to be told, some of which may also grow into fan favorites. If fans close themselves off to future shows because off their anger over the loss of the Stargate franchise, no one wins, not the actors, writers, studios, production companies, and certainly not the fans. Even the city of Vancouver suffers dramatically. So many people depend on such shows and facilities like Bridge Studios for their livelihood.

It was not until I was walking around Bridge Studios, seeing all of the busy workers go about their day, that I realized how many are affected by the end of a show. Sure, actors lose work, but workers at many levels suffer, including caterers, set design, accounting, construction, you name it, all lose out. Truly everyone loses when shows end when they could have continued with proper support.

It is important to remember there are still wonderful shows out there to support, and fans can save them from a similar fate as the Stargate shows. Among other shows such as Warehouse 13 and Eureka, fans still have Sanctuary, a show supported by a great number of Stargate fans and perhaps considered by many a close cousin to the Stargate franchise. Unfortunately, the tactics of some who are angry over recent cancellations could really harm Sanctuary and call the future of the show into question.

A boycott may seem like a good idea on the surface, but most often such activities have the opposite of the intended effect: boycotts exacerbate poor ratings rather than attract the attention of those in charge. Ratings are a big deal, like it or not, television and movie entertainment is a business. The Powers That Be, whoever they are at the time, must make fiscally responsible decisions based on the ratings. Yeah, I know—not what any of us wants to hear, but still this a fact of life.

On the brighter side, the way ratings are tallied is improving to more accurately reflect the viewing audience; now methods used by networks include “On Demand”, DVR recording and legal downloads, which are how many Sci Fi fans watch programming. With this in mind, it is very important for fans to watch the shows in ways that tally their viewership—not through illegal downloads; such illegal file sharing harms the future of shows we love and even the potential for future shows down the road.

So once we have said good bye, at least for now, to Stargate, where do we go from here? How can fans be heard by The Powers That Be regarding their displeasure with network choices, grief over loses of programming, suggestions and support for shows, as well as hopes for future programming?

There are ways to be heard without causing harm to the very shows fans love. It is much more productive to focus on forward motion rather than stagnating over past losses. Recently WormholeRiders News Agency published a guide with positive suggestions for a campaign to support Sanctuary and help keep it from the path that ultimately doomed Stargate. The campaign has been effective helping fans overcome their frustration ending the season up over 600,00 live viewers from series lows.

While this model is based on Sanctuary, these ideas can work with any show. Fans should have a voice. If the efforts are constructive the networks and production companies should and do listen. However there is a huge difference between providing constructive criticism versus reacting emotionally in negative ways that will not benefit anyone in the long run.

And beyond the sadness, disappointment, and ultimate ending (for now) of MGM Studios Stargate franchise, symbolized so fully by the whole entirety of nearly 15 years of production priced, stacked, and sold to the public this weekend at the liquidation, life and the entertainment industry goes on.

To that point, last weekend viewers were introduced to a new science fiction Falling Skies which a new team at WHR is covering at conventions and with great reviews. Falling Skies features many celebrities who have successfully learned to move on in their careers when things in life end and new beginnings are realized. Respectfully, fans need to internalize this as well.

It is true, beginnings and endings are different sides of the same coin; perhaps this new series will provide a new chance for fans to engage in and support a wonderful, new creative endeavor. Many of the actors we all know and love are part of this project. And with the support of the fans, there will be other exciting shows to take us forward. Let’s relish the memories, respectfully say goodbye, and move forward with open minds for what lies ahead.

Thank you for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here, or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Sincerely,

Sherry Fowler

June 22, 2011
Stargate: “Liquidating the Gate—Everything Must Go…” An Exclusive Pre Event Visit!

Hello Stargate Fans,

A sad day for all of us is about to occur.

This weekend at The Bridge Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia the Stargate may be dialing its last gate address and close for a final time, ending over 14 years of entertainment from the much loved franchise.

Friday and Saturday June 17 and 18 2011 between 10AM -6PM, thousands of items, all props, sets, costumes,–well, in fact everything really, down to the filing cabinets, paperweights, cans of Wraith-Be-Gone, and maybe a half-used tube of Joe Flanagan’s hair gel—will be liquidated in a public sale at Bridge Studios.

Today, Wednesday June 15, 2011, WormholeRiders News Agency was granted a private viewing of the contents of the sale courtesy of Maynard’s Auctioneer’s, MGM and Bridge Studios., The liquidation which will be taking place on the FX Stage, a place often viewed as the Motherland for not only Stargate fans but also for many Sci Fi fans in general. I know some of you have already made your Stargate pilgrimage with a set visit during a Creation convention in the past.

This is my first journey to Bridge Studios, which is situated in a light industrial area of Burnaby, not too far from downtown Vancouver. The studio’s façade gives no hints that this lot has been the birthplace of so much entertainment beloved by many; such a wealth of creativity, adventure, and alien wonder that has endeared and entranced fans for so long was brought to life in this very place!

I am amazed by all of the Stargate history around me as I walk among the massive amounts of offerings, some organized by type, some in rather odd combinations (there alien prosthetics stacked next to printers).

There were some items I tried to figure out but was left saying “WTF” (What the Furling!).

Each item has been tagged, categorized in some manner, and priced very reasonably. A few items include a reference to character, but most are generic. There is an entire section devoted to O’Neill, however.

I also ran across an enormous amount of golf balls—I bet many of you can guess the episode where these were used!

Some of the uniforms are imprinted with character last names.

Here is another character-specific item from Mitchell’s office:

Memories line every wall and fill each table. It is a quiet, somber, somewhat chaotic hall filled with relics of the adventures from the more than 14 years of traveling through the Stargate, beginning with Stargate SG1, continuing with Stargate Atlantis, and ending with Stargate Universe.

Looking at mementos of such a rich history of the franchise, I feel very sad. We all are sad, I am sure. The fans of course are heartbroken, but also sad are the actors, writers, producers, set crew, everyone whom this show has touched—for this liquidation marks the end of a very important, endlessly adored era.

It forces us to say goodbye to an old friend when none of us want to do so, and that is always hard. I hope that I will receive some solace this weekend at the sale when I return Friday to watch loving eyes light on an object that will be purchased, loved, and will become a timeless and treasured memory of the show for dedicated and passionate fans. When you shop the liquidation, consider the following:

Perhaps you would like a new alien theme to your living room?:

Or, you could be in need of some warmer clothes:

And, who could use a new décor around the house….?

Or maybe you need some protection around the house:

And sometimes it is fun just to freak out the neighbors!:

So, if you are in Vancouver (or can score a plane ticket in the next 48 hours!), come by Bridge Studios and claim your piece of Stargate history to love and cherish forever. I am amazed at how many bargains are up for grabs; these items would go for a fortune on eBay or at a convention. See you there! I will be back with a more detailed look at the auction itself after it concludes Saturday night.

Thank you for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here, or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Sincerely,

Sherry Fowler

June 16, 2011
Stargate Liquidation: WormholeRiders to Witness End of Era in British Columbia!

Hello Stargate Fans,

It is with great sadness to bring you this news: After 15 episodic years, 3 series and 3 movies that WormholeRiders News Agency will be covering live at the Stargate liquidation by Maynards Auctioneers in which everything we all know about all three franchise series will be liquidated beginning this Friday June 17, and continuing Saturday June 18, 2011.

The auction will be at The Bridge Studios facilities at 2400 Boundary Road in Burnaby British Columbia. Courtesy of Maynards Auctioneers. WHR will bring you details about the developments throughout this weekend ahead as the franchise is placed on the shelf.

Please check back as we will be announcing additional details and ongoing news coverage about the liquidation of Stargate very soon. In the meantime, we ask everyone for respectful behavior from all involved, especially for and to all those who lost their jobs as a result of a ridiculous boycott of the Stargate Universe program which doomed the wonderful series on Syfy and hence contributed to the end of the entire MGM Stargate franchise itself.

We appreciate your respectful reverence at the public auction as an epic end of an era occurs in our time right before our very eyes. Thank you.

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here, or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and we look forward to will Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Best Regards,

Kenn

June 14, 2011
Stargate Universe: “Blockade” with Special “Gauntlet” Sneak Peek

Greetings Sci Fi Fans!

It is hard to believe that the last new episode of any Stargate flavor will air so soon, at least for the foreseeable future, and I am personally very nervous about how Stargate Universe will end. Our beloved SG-1 and SGA each had the luxury of a years-long run that allowed characters and story lines to fully develop in a way that they could be brought to some kind of reasonable (if reluctant) close.

Sadly, Stargate Universe was not afforded the same opportunity and I am afraid it may be difficult to bring the series to a conclusion that will not leave us tangled in a bunch of hanging threads. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that the writers will be able to give us some kind of closure, preferably through a door that might, some day, be opened again.

This latest episode, “Blockade,” continues to expand on two themes: the descendants of the crew’s other selves, and the Drone ships programmed to destroy any technology other than their own. What might happen if two thousand years of human evolution came up against such a mindless, destructive force?

The advent of the aggressive Drone ships is strikingly reminiscent of the Replicators, nemesis of both SG-1 and Atlantis. Like the Replicators, the Drones are a machine intelligence, mindlessly fulfilling its prime directive and destroying all technology and technology-capable beings in its path. In “Blockade” we begin to see that there may be lot more Drones out there than we might have originally thought. This may be one story element that cannot be concluded with only one more episode to go. Maybe if all the brilliant scientific minds from all three series get together in one last big effort they could figure out a quick and miraculous solution!

“Blockade” begins with Eli Wallace (David Blue), watching the video of the dedication of the little school that was named after his other self. He has obviously watched it many times, and his face betrays both sadness and perhaps some longing as he watches. The Kino footage of the other Eli has affected him very deeply. He saw himself alone while all the other survivors slowly paired off, had children, became families. That other Eli ultimately married Corporal Barnes (Leanne Adachi), who really didn’t seem like his type. I don’t think our Eli was all that excited about the pairing either, yet another reason to feel regret for the fate of his other self. On the other hand, that Eli accomplished great things, creating the basis for an entire people’s education.

Destiny is low on fuel and drops out of FTL to fuel up at the nearest appropriate star but for some reason the ship has decided to detour around a big gas giant. This turns out to be a lucky decision because as soon as they get around the gas giant and in view of the star, they see a Drone command ship blocking the path to the star and the Drones swoop in on the attack. Time for a hasty retreat! Destiny takes a few hits before jumping back into FTL but they get away without any major damage. How did the Drones know about Destiny’s refueling methods? How did they know to position themselves on that particular side of the star? Even Destiny’s crew was surprised that the ship chose such a circuitous approach.

After getting away from the Drone ship, Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) seems strangely interested in having everyone let go of the idea that the Drones can track them or know their destination. When Eli challenges him, Rush says “call it wishful thinking, if you like.” Rush? Wishful thinking? That seems a little out of character, doesn’t it?

Rush plots a course for an appropriate red dwarf star that is not on Destiny’s normal route, in hopes of avoiding the possibility of another Drone attack. If the Drones are waiting for them at all of the eligible stars along their route, Destiny’s only hope for safely refueling—and they are almost out of gas—is to find a star that the Drones will not think to check.

On approach to the next star, Camile Wray (Ming Na) gets to sit in the captain’s chair! She is reluctant at first to take Colonel Young’s (Louis Ferreira) seat, but he says, “What am I, Captain Kirk?” Of course, Rush has to tell her not to touch anything, as if she would.

That Star Trek joke was just the first of many fun references to other sci-fi shows peppered throughout this episode.

Despite their careful planning, when they drop out of FTL they find the Drones are blocking their way to this star too. Destiny jumps back into FTL but they cannot keep this up forever. In fact, power reserves are so low that there will only be one more chance before Destiny is incapable of reaching any more fueling stops.

The Drone blockade does provide some useful information, though. Since the Drones are forming a blockade to prevent Destiny accessing any potential source of fuel, it follows that the Drones are not able to track Destiny after all.

Eli comes up with another brilliant but risky plan to get them the fuel they so desperately need. He proposes they try refueling at a star that the Drones will never suspect they would try, simply because it is incredibly dangerous. Sgt. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) gets the joke in this scene—“Don’t tell me—Death Star.” But no, Eli is proposing they pass through a blue supergiant. If you want to know more about blue supergiants, click here. (WHR’s own SciFiFanGirl616 was named for a blue supergiant. How awesome is that?)

Eli and Rush are convinced that Destiny’s shields will be able to withstand that extreme temperatures of passing through one of the hottest stars in the galaxy, but the people on board would not be able to survive. Temperatures inside the ship are expected to climb to nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone will have to be evacuated through the Stargate to whatever habitable planet is in range while Rush and Eli stay on board to pilot Destiny through the star. They can wear two of the three available suits to protect them from the extreme temperatures.

It is agreed that there is really no choice but to try Eli’s plan so everyone starts getting ready to carry it out. High on the priority list is to salvage whatever they can of the fresh food they have managed to cultivate in the hydroponics dome. Under the dome it is lush and green, plants heavy with lots tomato-looking fruits.

As the ship comes nearer and nearer to the blue supergiant, more and more systems start to shut down and Destiny starts locking down hatchways. When the first set of doors unexpectedly shut and locked I was immediately put on alert. This seemed to be an ominous development and I started to get worred.

When the time comes to evacuate, Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) has a crazy idea. She volunteers to stay behind in the one remaining suit so she can use the additional time before Destiny enters the star to salvage more of the precious plants. Again, her decision to stay behind made me nervous. Things were starting to look dicey.

Dropping out of FTL, there are no Drones in sight and there is one gate address in range. So far, so good. Eli sends the Kino through the gate, revealing what looks like a long-unused warehouse of some kind, very earth-like and cluttered with debris. Eli’s comment: “Holy crap, we’ve dialed Pittsburgh.” I am sure no offense was intended to Pittsburgh or its residents; merely a comment on how very earth-like the city appeared! Eli theorizes that this must be one of the planets that their human descendants settled but whoever once lived there, it looks abandoned now.

Once on the planet, Col. Young decides to send a few small teams out to search for useful goods like food and weapons. Sgt. Greer has already noted that their supply of ammunition is running low. Camile Wray remarks that she would kill for a new outfit. That made me laugh because the subject of outfits actually came up during Elyse Levesque’s (Chloe Armstrong) Q&A at the 2010 Stargate Convention in Los Angeles.

On the ship, Eli helps Dr. Park harvest the precious plant material until Dr. Rush calls him back to the bridge. Eli and Park have already suited up, but when Eli gets to the bridge he finds Rush is still suitless. He says there is still plenty of time before they reach the star and in the meantime they can work better without the suits. Eli: “Yeah, but now I look ridiculous.” Rush: “Yeah.” Hilarious!

Rush surprises Eli by asking which of the two of them will be piloting the ship through the star. Naturally Eli had assumed Rush would be in charge, but it is Eli’s plan and Eli’s calculations, after all. They agree that Eli should be in charge of the operation so he can enter any necessary course corrections on the fly.

An alarm sounds in the dome as Dr. Park is still pulling up plants. She grabs her bags and heads for the door, but too late—Destiny locks down the hatch and she is trapped inside. Okay, I definitely saw that coming. This is the kind of thing that can happen when a show is cancelled. Characters can be killed off because there is no tomorrow for them anyway. The end of a series can bring shocking outcomes. I knew in my heart that Park was doomed the minute she announced she would stay on board to gather plants in a space suit. Still, I clung to a tiny shred of hope and clutched the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next.

Sgt. Greer finds some canned goods with the labels faded to nothing. Handing some to Dr. Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore), Greer insists that they take the cans along. Volker: “Mmm, botulism.”

In the warehouse, one of the men, Morrison (Vincent Gale), finds a page from what looks like a newspaper, the headline reading “ATAK!” Young finds a rooftop vantage point and sees that this city was not just abandoned, it was destroyed.

The search teams are halfway across town, walking past abandoned stores with names like Kand-i-Mart and Harmuth Markit. (I wonder if Harmuth Markit is an homage to Harmut Essinger, the person responsible for much of Apple Computer’s early design strategy? I always wonder what inspires writers and set decorators to choose things like store names, don’t you?)

Meanwhile, Morrison thinks he has deciphered the newspaper article. It says the attack on the city came from space, from machines that went after the inhbabitants’ technology. Of course, we knew all along that it was going to be Drones, right? There is no evidence yet, but I know it is just a matter of time.

The salvage teams still have not found anything like a gun shop or a grocery store. Suddenly they hear something that sends them running for cover. A Drone has somehow detected them and comes down to hover over the street, just outside the teams’ positions.

Eli tries desperately to find some way to override Destiny’s systems and get Park out of the hydroponics dome, but nothing is working. Eventually, Rush brings everyone back to the very real problem: trying to help Dr. Park has taken Eli away from the bigger job in front of him, which is piloting Destiny through that star without killing them all and stranding everyone else on some unknown, abandoned planet. He tells Park to get down in the collection basin and ride it out under water. No one really thinks that will work, but they all accept the situation and Eli gets back to work. Rush assures Eli that she will be fine, but his expression seems more doubtful.

The salvage teams remain hidden in buildings on opposite sides of the street, but after a while they can hear more Drones arriving. The people near the Stargate can hear them too, and Morrison panics. He grabs the remote and dials the Gate. Lt. James (Julia Benson) knocks him out with an awesome elbow to the face and shuts down the Gate, but too late. The Gate activation has alerted the Drones. Worse, when James radios Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith) to report the situation, the ratio chatter gives away Scott’s position and the Drone fires. Greer takes that as his cue to go on the attack. He fires on the Drone to distract it from Lt. Scott and give the rest of their party a chance to escape. Greer and Scott keep firing while everyone else makes a run for it. Then Young unexpectedly shows up and between the three of them they finally shoot the Drone out of the sky. Lucky for them, the other one had taken off for the Gate location. Too bad they used up so much ammunition. That could prove to be a problem down the road.

Destiny is entering the star and Rush and Eli are fully suited, helmets and all, manning the controls. Temperatures inside have already climbed to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Eli theorizes that the ship closed off the hatchway to the dome and would not let them override because it knew the dome would never be able to survive the heat and stress of passage through this particular star.

Lt. James radios that a Drone has just appeared outside the warehouse. Scott warns her to stay off the radio but says she is counting on the Drones being drawn to the signal. Varro (Mike Dopud) comes out with a grenade launcher and blasts the Drone out of the sky.

Park is still clutching her bags of plants. It looks like the temperature in the dome is outrageously high. We can hear the fear in her breath, and we can see it in the way she moves, hesitantly, toward the edge of the collection basin. What a great performance by Jennifer Spence. With a last look around, she climbs into the pool with her sacks of greenery and grabs on.

Eli manages to make all the necessary course corrections and get them into the star long enough to charge all systems to maximum capacity. He starts moving them back out of the star but then the roof of the dome blows apart. The garden is on fire, massive flames leaping toward the sun, Park barely hanging on in the collection pool, her body being pulled toward the shattered roof. With flames all around her and the prospect of being sucked out to a burning death, she screams, but is still stubbornly hanging onto one of her bags. I am personally wondering why the bag is not burning right now.

They make it out of the star with interior temperatures all the way up to 310 degrees. As Rush prepares to start cooling the Gate room so they can bring everyone back on board, he sees on the ship indicators that they have lost the dome. Eli runs from the bridge.

Camile Wray explains to Young and the rest of the salvage team what they have learned from the newspaper article. Apparently, the plan was to move the Stargate from a place they called Terminus to an older part of the city, the building where they are now. There is no technology at that location so the inhabitants were probably trying to avoid attracting the Drones. Volunteers were driving vehicles away from the city to draw off the Drones and save as many people as they could.

There are a few little details bothering me at this point. Where are the remains of the dead? They couldn’t all have gone to dust already, not with the buildings still so intact and no vegetation taking over. And why do they have to try and decipher the newspaper article? Store names and headlines all appear to be a close relative to English. Could the rest of the article have been that much different? What about remnants of vehicles? The Drones don’t have disintegration rays; they just blast things to pieces. The streets just seem too clean. Okay, pickiness moment over!

There is still at least a half hour to go before the crew can expect to rejoin Destiny. Camile asks Young about what he brought back from his salvage run, and it’s a new outfit! Although he was not able to find anything like weapons or food, he did find a dry cleaner.

When Eli arrives at the hydroponics dome, to his immense relief Dr. Park is able to tell him that she is just on the other side of the door. Now that they are through the star, Destiny allows Rush to override the lockdown and he gets the door open. With Eli’s help, Park makes her way back inside the ship, still stubbornly clutching that bag of plants. Miraculously, she is alive and seems to be okay. But she is blind.

On the planet, the landing party does not like what they are hearing outside. Young decides it is time to dial the Gate. As everyone starts through to the ship, a Drone command ship descends low over the city.

Everyone makes it safely on board. Rush sends Lt. Johansen (Alaina Huffman) to the infirmary, reporting that Dr. Park has flash blindness, and says that hopefully it is only temporary.

Rush tells Young that Eli got them through. He said he kept checking Eli’s calculations looking for a mistake but there weren’t any. He said it was genius, and that he had never seen anything like it, but: “Please don’t tell him I told you that.”

So at the end of this episode, Destiny’s systems are fully recharged, but they will not be able to use the same trick to refuel that way again. Rush says the Drones will not fall for it again, plus that type of star is very rare. Young thinks they are right back where they started but Rush says not exactly, they have a full tank of gas. Last funny moment of the episode: Brody (Peter Kelamis) and Volker: “Yay.” Okay, not so funny in print but very funny on video.

And Destiny jumps back to FTL.

I am both anxious to see the next episode, so I can see what will happen next, but wishing it would not air just yet, so the end will never come. For now I am going to live in the present and relish the fantastic experience of getting to see these talented actors give us their all, interpreting rich storytelling from the gifted writers of the Stargate Universe series. Thank you everyone, cast and crew. We love you all!

Stargate Universe will air its concluding episode May 09, 2011 on Syfy and on the Space Channel on May 10, 2011 with “Gauntlet”. We encourage all Stargate fans to watch the episode live to prove your support of this superb MGM Studios franchise. Thank you. Here is a sneak peek at “Gauntlet:”

Until next time,

OffworldTravelr

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you.

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May 7, 2011
Stargate Universe: “Common Descent” and “Epilogue” Clearly Worthy of the Stargate Lineage!

Hello once again Stargate fans,

The latest episodes of Stargate Universe were once again a delightful experience for the supporters of the current incarnations of Stargate by a large portion of the fandom in the United States and an overwhelming majority in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe as measured by percentage of the populations in those regions.

As we have reported previously and unfortunately for Stargate fans, according to Brad Wright’s recent disclosure at the Creation Entertainment Vancouver Stargate convention, the franchise has been placed on the shelf for the time being. The good news is that Stargate may (repeat MAY) be back in the future in one form or the other.

However, it is not likely we will see Stargate in the form of the three series Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis or Stargate SG-1. Why? For that answer we suggest you stay tuned to WHR as our team will have more on that particular subject in the near future.

In the meantime, this analysis review encompasses two outstanding episodes which are intrinsically tied together at the hip; “Common Descent” and “Epilogue”. Read on to find out just how much entertainment fun is in both!

Common Descent:

With outstanding writing by creators Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, “Common Descent” was directed in typical awesome fashion by Stargate legend Peter DeLuise. Not to be missed are more superb effects under the guidance of Mark Savela witnessed in a wilderness like location where the descendants of the “other” Destiny crew was sent as a result of a solar flare Stargate time warp far into the past.

“Common Descent” featured superb acting by virtually the entire ensemble cast including the return of one of my favorite actresses, Ms. MingNa as Camile Wray. Normally confined to the environs of the Destiny itself or on visits to Earth via the Ancient Communications Stones, Wray is observed on a rare away team mission to a strange planet with even stranger inhabitants. I was very pleased to see MingNa return in “Common Descent” since she portrays the Camile Wray character so effectively.

The seventeenth episode of Stargate Universe opens with Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) examining the air purification system which is in need on lime and other minerals to keep the air onboard the Destiny breathable. The recent encounters and battles with the heartless robotic drones have precluded the crew from locating the supplies they needed for survival. In addition to the air purification minerals, food stuffs are also in short supply.

Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) and Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) are observed sharing the concern discussing the bad air on Destiny which is causing headaches and nausea on board the ship. Both do a nice job in portraying officers able to focus on the business at hand, setting aside the fact that a relationship is developing between TJ and Varro (Mike Dopud).

Speaking of Camile Wray (MingNa) the scene then makes a segue to a fun and humorous scene with Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) and Eli Wallace (David Blue). As the ship decelerates from Faster Than Light (FTL) speed, the two ladies are also discussing the need for supplies, specifically a horrid purple fruit procured previously as Eli enters the observation deck. As with most men being oblivious to such matters, Eli cannot for the life of him figure out why Chloe and Camile want more of the nasty tasting fruit?

Well this is one gentleman who knows the answer and I got a good belly laugh in the process! The ladies on board have not been enjoying or liking the fruit for the taste, they have been using the purple fruit as lipstick for goodness sakes! I guess we better get Eli some glasses because despite the evidence looking him right in the face, he cannot figure it out saying “why am I always the last to know?” As indicated it is a very funny vignette. So I must ask; Are most men so dense?! I suggest you ask your girl friend, wife or female soul mate. They will undoubtedly let you know in two words: “You bet”! So go figure!

Finding the three of them on the observation deck, Eli’s attention on the fruit and pretty lips quickly looses focus as the subject is the return of the hostile drones which have somehow located the poor and ailing Destiny and her crew.

The suspicion is that the drone captured previously and used for study to program a defense in the earlier attack may be the culprit. The orders are given to jettison the drone and Destiny make a jump back to the temporary safety of FTL. Each time the different angles of the Destiny entering FTL are witnessed one can only praise the special effects of Mark Savela and his team including Sonia Gilmore and Andrew Karr. Even more spectacular is a new angle of Destiny entering FTL where they will visit a planet in search of the minerals and food stuffs the crew desperately needs.

We are then treated to new guest supporting actors, fresh faces to be featured in both “Common Descent” and “Epilogue”. Some of the new faces include Reilly Dolman (Supernatural) as Jason, Kate Findlay (Fringe and The Killing) as Ellie and the excellent and well known veteran movie and television character actor August Schellenberg (Eight Below, Free Willy, Free Willy 2, Free Willy 3) as the elder leader Yaozu, who is named after her father, an ancestor of Camile Wray!

As we quickly learn, all are the descendants of the “other” alternate reality Destiny crew from the episode “Twin Destinies” whom escaped destruction using the time honored Stargate solar flare time warp factor to send the “other” Destiny crew thousands of years into the past.

These people of “Common Descent” are found living on a planet they were to colonize for the “home” planet of the “Novus Civilization” where a faction called “Futura” worships many things, but others do not think very highly of Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle).

In another of several very funny sequences, Yaozu recalls the other faction “The Futurans” who think Rush is a demon or devil who steals peoples souls and send them to live an eternity in a lifeless “hell”. No doubt inspired by memories of Rush manipulating the memory core of Destiny these are most enjoyable sequences with Dr. Park and Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) sharing differing opinions about Rush. This plot twist will play a key role later in the second part of this ninety minute “movie” imparted by Kino flashbacks.

No doubt the seeds of thought about Rush are what lead to the two diverse factions that think of him as a devil or futurist. In any event the colonists were sent from Novus to this new planet through the Stargate after determining the home world was facing imminent destruction from volcanic eruption.

Also most enjoyable is a scene an older woman from the settlement who says that Sgt. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) is more handsome in person than is his Kino footage. Like most women who enjoy Smith as Greer and the character he portrays, she appears to have a hankering for Greer! I would swear he actually blushes in the scene!

Unfortunately the colonists lost contact with Novus and apparently the ability to get back home since they cannot dial the Stargate to make a connection to the Novus gate. During the historical perspective we are delighted to observe the “other” Destiny crew in “ancient” Kino footage on a device similar to a USB hard disk drive. TJ has had a baby and is seen screaming through the process. We are happy to see birth not for the pain of childbirth, but since our TJ lost her child previously.

Colonel Young among others are observed as older people in an aged state and is sharing knowledge on their journey and salvation on the new world that will become known as Novus. Young is seen talking about the challenges that face them in generations to come.

While the crew we know from our reality are reminiscing over the Kino footage, the hated drones return attacking both the planet and Destiny destroying the Stargate ring and circuitry taking a huge chunk out of it on the planet colony. It was rather a nice scene to see a Stargate not fully destroyed. Very nice work by the field crews and VFX teams once again. The end result of this attack leaves many of our heroes stranded while they were evacuating the inhabitants of the planet to Destiny.

In the meantime Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) has ordered to Eli to try to fix the gate, an impossible task given the circumstances. Eli states that he can barely turn the power source off crystals off and on. Eli is an undisputed genius, but it takes the experience of the military officer to put two and two together to figure out to use the low power emanations as a Morse Code signaling device to signal Destiny.

A nice script writing mechanism (to say the least) to save the team left of the planet. This is not to mention the excellent overhead VFX sequence of the Destiny shuttle coming back to their rescue.

Forced to leave the area to save themselves before returning, we get another laugh at the humor as Dr. Lisa Park makes a joke about “Futura” being a “font” while Volker and Brody are observed bickering in their good nature banter we have come to enjoy from week to week!

As always the interplay between the Volker and Brody characters brings another moment of humorous distraction from the drone attacks and what is about to come next. As we have come to expect it is this great job at levity by both Patrick Gilmore and Peter Kelamis with a bit of ever present catalyst provided by Jennifer Spence!

We leave the first half of the wonderful two part adventure with the Destiny journeying to the home world of Novus. The shuttle is observed over an advanced city covered in what appears to be deep snow fall. No one is found on the planet and no electromagnetic radio emissions can be detected. What is the world has happened to all the millions of people of Novus and the civilization they have built?

Epilogue:

We begin with another very cool, in fact outstanding VFX sequence with the shuttle coming in for a landing on Novus attempting to return the settlers to their home world. A statue of Col. Young is in the foreground. The away team is comprised of Eli Wallace (David Blue), Camille Wray (MingNa). Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith), Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith), Jason and Yaozu. They quickly realize it is not snow covering the city but is instead volcanic ash. The fear on the faces of the away team are palpable.

We discover that the main weapon of Destiny will be used for another purpose. Yaozu knows where there is an underground bunker of the archives of the Teneran Archive. The Teneran’s were one of two countries created after the Rush faction setup their own society “Futura”. The archive is however protected by a very thick blast door and here is where the Destiny weapon will play a constructive role in gaining access to the archive facility where the secrets of the society are secreted.

Using a superb digital angle on the Destiny main gun, we see an energy blast leave the weapon from orbit and zoom towards the city archive bunker doors. It is another great special effect which is a pleasure to behold.

The team begins the investigation of the archives. Especially enjoyable is the elevator “Muzak” sequence. Along with all the crew, the look on Greer’s face sure to bring a grin to anyone who has been in such situations themselves.

Another scene with Greer illustrates the actor doing his characters part perfectly! Greer finds a food storage locker with beef jerky perfectly preserved after 2,000 years and immediately has a snack festival throwing a bag of the jerky at Dr. Rush! At least we know that the problems with Earth-like food will be solved for the time being!

During the initial reading of the archives, Chloe finds her own daily diary and her first entries from 200 centuries earlier. This effective use of brilliant science fiction writing technique allows us all to take a journey back in time to learn details about the alternate Destiny crew.

Each member of the crew is observed, many with tears in their eyes as they see their alter selves living life under initially primitive circumstances. In these sequences we see Varro (Mike Dopud) and TJ are not getting along while he sees Young and her kissing. A moment of sadness on is the expedition’s first loss, the death and burial of the alternate Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) character.

We also see other tender moments including Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) and Lt. Scott discussing his pending marriage to Chloe. Despite the reputation she wrong deserves as a wild woman, James wishes him well and says that she is proud and happy for both of them.

TJ and Young get together again in the alternate story arc. To enhance the romance and hence need for couples, in fact survival, of course there is the making and delivering of babies!

Fans of the TJ Varro romance could be heard groaning in pain just like TJ above as James and he are making eyes at each other! Sure enough a little baby Varro/James is the result! We see then observe the many alternative babies being born with good ole’ Lt. Scott is standing by “on duty” with scissors to cut the umbilical cords! Everyone gets in the act including the proud poppa and momma Greer!

Even Eli gets in the act himself and finally has the relationship we all wanted to see with Corporal Barnes (Leanne Adachi) after the two “bust their buns” helping support the birth process of all the other couples!

And yes you guessed it, they are next on the list for making and having babies as the Kino visage documents the screaming Cpl. Barnes in the process of bringing new life into the universe while papa Eli look on in panic!

We observe the leading ladies of the community some years later. Chloe, TJ and Camile Wray are working in the vegetable gardens. TJ’s young child is growing up and playing in the crop fields of Novus.

Chloe sees him reading his diaries and teases Eli; “Something to pursue”? Throughout “Epilogue” Eli’s Kino footage coupled with the flashbacks from the computer journals is a great way to share the story and wrap the story arc of what happened to the alternate reality versions whom went through the Destiny Stargate and actually survived.

I often found myself wishing I could spend a lifetime in the Teneran archives to learn all about the characters and their descendants of the alternative versions. So many stories left to explore, and so little time!

The lighter moments of humor in “Epilogue” more than effectively demonstrate the path of character development in Stargate Universe. This outstanding episode clearly proves that the writers had planned, all the way along, great things for fans of this series in general and all the dedicated supporters of the Stargate franchise in specific.

The light moments are offset by the urgent situation that the planet Novus is being pulled apart by a Black Hole in the vicinity. The gravitational effects have led to the cracking of the planets crust and subsequent volcanic activity that led to the evacuation of the entire planet. We also learn that the two opposing factions developed into separate countries.

The current reality versions of our characters begin transfer of the Teneran archive database. Brody works with Eli to effect the transfer of the many exabytes of research. However we all know that dire circumstances will not allow then to discover all the secrets and research. This item will become critical as we will discuss in the coming analysis.

The transfer of the archive data is where everyone can learn a valuable lesson in life. What lesson? That people with differing opinions can learn to respect each other and work as a team to obtain progress rather than slinging mud at each other. Doing so in real life is never an easy process. We all have observed this senseless mudslinging on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook as well as in the interactions of our real lives at work, in politics and even at home between family members. The fact of the matter is that people slinging mud at others is most often a cover-up by the slingers hiding their own shortcomings as they seek to blame others for their own mistakes. Such is a sad but true part of life.

As observe the alternate survivors raising their children in flashbacks, we find out that coming to the planet has consequences for TJ in both story arcs. She has contracted the un-curable disease ALS also known commonly as Lou Gerhigs Disease. The elder citizen Yauzo indicates there is a cure in the Novus database, but ther emay not be enough time to transfer all the data. “Our” Varro rushes to his love saying it does not mean she has the disease. TJ knows this is not the case and tears well up in her eyes (mine too).

We learn that she will likely die some eight year later much as the diary from the past 2,000 years ago documented. The current reality scenes between TJ and Young are accentuated by the primitive life sequences of her death some 2,000 years ago in the house as we saw Young at the table with the two children and an empty seat. I am convinced that there was not a dry eye for lovers of this series.

As the episode progresses we see the surviving alternate reality characters become grandparents. The make-up used to age the characters seen in the Kino footage is simply excellent. We see James and Varro, Scott and Chloe, Greer and Park and Camile Wray all becoming old. One of the best bits included a very grouchy and grumpy older Adam Brody!

MingNa is especially wonderful when she talks about writing the new Novus constitution and that Eli has become a teacher! I gigged when Camile said that Eli is good at it too. The look on her characters face says it all!

Back in the story arc version of “our” characters, fans of Varro (Mike Dopud) get a heart attack moment as the violent earthquakes lead to a ladder rung giving way during the escape from the archive facility while he saves TJ’s life. Varro falls to the bottom of the shaft and after observing the SGU hash tag tweets on both Monday April 25 and Tuesday, more than several hundred tweeted “Nooooooo”!

Varro is of course saved by none other than his main competition for the affections of TJ, Col. Young. Young takes critical time to rig a rescue line to haul the injured Varro to safety. A fitting bit of irony would you not say? As TJ diagnoses Varro whom has merely suffered a broken arm, we learn that the result of data transfer from the archive did not contain the cure for ALS. She knows her life is limited and will likely be cut short. At this point I wanted to pass the tissue box to TJ as her tears begin to form again.

Based on the fact that Stargate Universe is canceled, this episode could easily serve as a fine ending to the series. There were too many moments of excellence to effectively analyze in this review. However, two very poignant moments really did it all for me.

The first is the scene at alternate Col. Young’s deathbed with Chloe, Scott and his children at his side. Col. Young feels that failed in his mission to bring the crew back “home”. The telling moment is the quote from Chloe when she shares with Young that “We are home”. You see people it is fairly simple; home is where you make it under any given circumstance.

The final sequence with a very old Camile Wray portrayed by MingNa was both touching and brilliant. Kudos to the writers in this regard and to the considerable acting talent that is what MingNa herself is all about. We find ourselves at the Eli Wallace School. Camile Wray is the last living member of the expedition. Camile she delivers the heart felt lines about “Wahn Shee Rul Yee”, “May all go according to the wishes of those who hear it” and life being about “Our mission is and always will be about the journey itself”. We all take such journeys’ in our lives, but not everyone gets the message. Bravo MingNa for superb delivery in the closing sequences!

The visual effects team then takes us on a “journey” as we witness a move through Novus history to see the society evolve into a fine civilization over the two millennia to the present. The episode ends with a look at a magnificent city and the first of the giant space ships beginning their journey to life on a new planet some 200 years distant.

No matter what you think of Stargate Universe, this two part story epitomizes the greatness of the Stargate franchise. I would suggest that you go to Hulu or tune in to Comcast or other cable system to view these two episodes to witness for yourself it’s greatness. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed.

Stargate Universe begins its concluding episodes May 02, 2011 on Syfy and on the Space Channel on May 03, 2011 with “Blockade”.

If you call yourself a Stargate fan do everyone a favor and watch the episode live to prove your support of this superb MGM Studios franchise. Thank you.

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you.

If you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side“! Thank you.

Best Regards,

WR_Systems (Kenn)

May 2, 2011
Stargate Universe: The Hunt Season 2 Episode 17 with Mike Dopud Interview
Heya my fellow Stargate Universe fans.

Welcome back to yet another awesome episode of this fantastic series, Stargate Universe.

Okay, when I was told that this was the best Varro (Mike Dopud) episode to date. I simply HAD to request that I write this review. Though I am not writing this review to score points (I do not feel I need to).

Now do not get me wrong, I love the entire cast of Stargate Universe, however I am a big fan of Mr. Mike Dopud! And well to be perfectly honest with Varro in leather in The Hunt– OMG!! Why on earth would I or anyone pass that up? 😛

Again, if you have not seen this episode, one question – WHY THE HELL NOT?? Or for that matter, ALL of them. But anyway. this episode focuses on a several interesting story lines. The Hunt does have focus on the Varro character and his future with the crew of the Destiny. However there is also Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) who continues in being conniving – no big surprise there. The episode includes Sgt. Ronald Greer‘s (Jamil Walker Smith) new outlook on life. Then there are new and interesting creatures to blow our minds!

And I apologize if I seem to have more Varro pictures in this report then anyone else. It just cannot be helped. After all, this is more of a Varro-centric episode. Though I will have others in here too. And I might jump around a bit, so I hope you still enjoy the read.

I must say the location where they filmed The Hunt episode is awesome. I have never had the pleasure of venturing over that far west in Canada, but when I eventually do, the locations where Stargate Universe is filmed is definitely one place I will want to go and visit.

Besides the gorgeous scenery, you cannot help but be in awe when you see the new alien animals created by Mark Savela and his visual effects team . One of which Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith) and Sgt. Greer decided to try and hunt down to take back to the Destiny for food. Hey, nine plus months on the ship with no fresh meat? The crew certainly needed some steaks!

Of course, The Hunt does not go without dislike from Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence), she is a vegetarian. Dr. Park voiced her opinion on the matter in no uncertain terms. A good doctor, she did so not for the fact that she does not eat meat, but that they were on an alien planet and she did not know if the dear-like creature was going to be safe to eat at all.

In the end, Lisa leaves with a “not cool” and heads back to the camp they have set up.

And the fact good ole’ Dr. Rush lured Eli (David Blue) and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) to an unopened and unexplored section of the ship, Rush knew that their curiosity was going to get the best of Eli. Especially when they opened the door to a room full of stasis pods. Everyone knows that Eli wasn’t going to just open, look around and then leave. Which was what Rush told them to do.

Leaving the stasis pods reluctantly, Eli started getting fed up that Rush seems to always call the shots as to what is important to check out and what to leave. So going against Rush’s “orders”, he turned around and went back, with Brody running to catch up with him.

Of course with Rush back in the main bridge, he could see that Eli could not help but to go back to the room. I was thinking that there was no way in hell that someone was going to actually get in a pod voluntarily, so by being the sneaky little snake, Rush had Eli and Brody fall for his trap.

Then we have Varro stepping up and asking Lt. Scott to let him and his team go to the planet and help in the search. Scott I find is a character that cares for his teammates that much that he would do anything to keep them safe. Or for that matter, if he could, he would take their place.

Of course the best moment is when Varro and his team met up with Young and his and start on the tracking of where this new and dangerous creature has taken TJ and the other officer.

But what I found to be really touching was when Col. Young (Louis Ferreira) got injured and Varro went to his side and convinced him that he is a liability to the mission. Young knows that Varro will do whatever it takes to get TJ back. So stepping aside (sort to speak), Young issued Varro a gun so Young could go back to the Destiny.

Varro and Greer have their moments as well. Varro heard what happened to Greer not able to take the shot at the deer-like animal. So to Varro he needed to find a way to kick Greer in the arse and get back to his usual loving self. LOL

Of course with Greer having had a near death experience, he did not feel like his usual, shoot now – ask questions later. Instead he felt himself questioning everything he has ever done. Suddenly he was afraid, but he knew that could get him in trouble or the very least a liability to everyone on the ship.

The pivotal point to his enlightenment was when he was having a chat with Lt James (Julia Benson). She did not understand how someone like Greer could go from wanting to kill everything or anyone who got in his way, to a guy who started thinking of what his actions could cause.

I think Greer has grown a lot this past few episodes. Learning to live with a group of terrorists who wanted to take the Destiny from them is one thing, but then turning around and putting in a good word for Varro. Which leads to Varro’s freedom aboard the ship.

Although, like Varro tells TJ, he doubts very much that if he had to confront Greer about it, he would deny it. So it does show that Greer is lightening up and getting a bit more trustworthy. Least I hope so.

Then we have Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) in the cave trying to calm down the young officer with her. He was freaking out that he did not want to be some creature’s dinner. She had to step up and whip him back into fact – no one gets left behind. Same sentiment as SG-1 and Atlantis. That I found was awesome to see them carry some aspects from each of the previous series, into this one. Very nice way to tie them all together.

I found this next sequence of pictures so awesome. Finally we get to see the connection that have obviously has gotten stronger between Varro and TJ. When she came to visit him in his room to inform him that he was a free man, he smiled and said “I know”.

As I watched this I said, “Well it’s about bloody time!” Then with him looking at her.

And she looking at him.

Then he walks in closer and reaching out for her to draw her near.

With their lips just about to touch, do we finally get contact?

OF COURSE NOT!!!! Young had to beep at the door and F*** it all up. I never wanted to go through the TV so badly then at that moment.

But the look on Young’s face as Varro left to join the rest of them for their version of a BBQ, he then realized what was about to happen AND what he lost.

I am sorry, but I do not feel bad for Young at all. If he had been there for TJ when she lost their baby, maybe that would have bonded them closer. But I think, as does TJ, that Varro would have been the better choice in the end anyway. And who would pass Varro up? A man in leather!! Can you say HOT!!

The best way to end this episode was to have Varro carve the meet in the end sequence. That I found was an awesome gesture to have him included into the rest of the crew.

However, what I did not know was that Varro is left on his own now. Something that Mr. Dopud had pointed out in the interview you are about to listen too at the end of this report. The rest of Varro’s Lucien Alliance members are all gone from one thing or another. But I guess we can take comfort that he’s got TJ there for company. Something in fact I believe has brought them together, they both lost loved ones. TJ her unborn baby, and Varro his wife.

Besides the fact that this episode was full of Varro — and in LEATHER!!! But it had a lot of interaction between Rush with Eli and Brody, Young and Varro, even Varro and Greer moments. And especially Varro and TJ. Whatever it is with this episode that makes you love it, it’s definitely well worth watching. This has been an awesome journey, one that I hope will come back in the future.

Until we meet again below is a treat I have for you. An interview I had with Mike Dopud the aid of WR_Systems (Kenn) from WormholeRiders with an amazing actor from SGU. I hope you all enjoy this little — well, far from little, it’s an hour long — interview. This interview gave me butterflies ten minutes before it actually happened. And with this being my first time interviewing someone, I was worried that I was going to trip over my words. But this awesome actor made it easy to relax and to get the job done.

I have been thinking up questions for this for a while, even googling him for hints or ideas as to what to ask. I must say, coming up with the questions was somewhat the easy part. But when it came time to actually ask them is when I got nervous.

We chatted about his previous role in this episode that you just finish reading about. As well as his other projects he has had the opportunity to do, one of which was Exit Strategy. Though, in saying that, I may have given away who this actor was that I had the honor of having a chat with.

However, once everything was said and done, and we had signed off, that is when I remembered one other question that I forgot to ask. I am sure that I will get to ask it on twitter.

So without further adieu, I give you, Mr. Mike Dopud.
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Thanks for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency this review of Stargate Universe and our interview with Mike Dopud.

Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this review and interview or you can nab me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Come again.

Karen Ford XO
April 18, 2011
Stargate NOT Over: But The End of An Era – Brad Wright’s Panel at Creation Entertainment Vancouver

Hello Stargate Fans!

I had the opportunity to attend Creation Entertainment’s official Vancouver Stargate Convention. I would like to thank the great people on the Creation Entertainment team for allowing me to provide coverage of the convention for WormholeRiders News Agency.

On Sunday April 17, 2011 one of the masterminds behind the Stargate franchise appeared at the convention, Brad Wright. Mr. Wright has been with the Stargate team at MGM Studios and the production facilities at Bridge Studios since the beginning, investing some 15 years of his life. Mr. Wright is truly is a beloved fixture in the epic Stargate franchise.

Mr. Wright opened his panel with the revelation that the Stargate franchise as we know it has officially come to an end. He elaborated that they were unable to secure funding for any of the three Stargate movies (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis or Stargate Universe), and therefore the Stargate franchise will be placed on the shelf for the time being.

He did say that the people at MGM Studios are smart and at some point in the future Stargate will be back. The fans were quite supportive of this statement and it seemed that they hoped he was right as we all do.

Mr. Wright was kind enough to open the floor to the audience and answered many questions from the fans in the room. A fan asked if there was pressure from the studio for Stargate Universe to be more like “Battlestar Galactica” with the darkness and film style. Brad explained that there was no pressure applied from the studio to be more like Battlestar Galactica.

Mr. Wright went on to share an amusing anecdote about how during production of the pilot episode he received a screening copy of it to review. He sat down to watch it and the screen was nearly pitch black- you could barely make out the faces of the actors on screen.

The next day he went into the studio to check the original and it was just as dark as his screening copy from the night before. In a panic he called up one of the staff and asked what had happened. She took a look at it and said that wasn’t what they had done. In the end it turned out that the film had been run through the process that makes it darker twice instead of once!

Brad was asked what moments he was most proud of. He talked about how Stargate was a family at Bridge Studios and that he was proud to watch as the various members of the crew who started at the bottom work their way up and become something more and better.

When it came down to the shows he said really enjoyed the last day on the set of Stargate SG-1 and every day on the set of the Stargate SG-1 movie “Continuum”. He also said that he was extremely proud of the pier scene in Stargate Atlantis’ fifth season episode “The Shrine”. Brad also spoke of how proud he was of the scenes in upcoming final episodes of Stargate Universe.

Mr. Wright was also asked whose idea it was to land Atlantis outside the Golden Gate Bridge near San Francisco Bay. Mr. Wright replied that it was probably Robert C. Cooper or Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie. He talked about how in his movie script Atlantis is on the far side moon where it could still be visited and help defend Earth from attack. Mr. Wright mentioned that it would be a great image with the moonscape and Atlantis!

After having heard all weekend about various jokes that were played over the years, Brad said that no he was not the perpetrator of any jokes because he didn’t want to slow down the shooting process.

A fan asked if he could share what any of the ideas for season six of Stargate Atlantis would have been and if we would see them in books. Mr. Wright replied that it would be unlikely that we would since no one outside the writing team knew what those ideas were.

In response to one fan’s comment about the introduction of Stargate Universe shortly after the announcement of the cancellation of Stargate Atlantis. Mr. Wright spoke about how proud he was of Atlantis. He said that it was a very important part of his career and that he was more proud of Stargate Atlantis than any of us would ever know.

Mr. Wright also spoke briefly on the future of the industry and how he thinks that whoever can figure out the direction that the industry is going will make a lot of money. He talked about how if he is not writing for a series he would possibly like to write a novel, most likely a science fiction novel and therefore join the ranks of those with unpublished novels.

Mr. Wright apologized sincerely for hurting anyone’s feelings, especially those of Stargate Atlantis fans. He said it was never his intention to hurt anyone’s feelings, especially those of the Atlantis fans.

When he was finished, Brad Wright received a very touching standing ovation from the crowd in recognition of his many years of work and the dedication that he put into the Stargate franchise.

In the end Brad Wright’s panel was quite informative and I enjoyed it very much. I hope to have the chance to see more things from him in the future be they a new television show, a novel or just another convention visit. Thank you Mr. Wright!

Please feel free to leave me a comment here or you can visit me on Twitter as so many of our convention friends often do by clicking my avatar below right of my text link.

As always thanks for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency here or at Conventions Corner. See you all soon “On The Other Side” on Twitter!

Regards,

MacKenziesMomma (Kassandra)

April 18, 2011
Stargate Universe: “Seizure” Season 2 Episode 15 Analysis with S2x16 “The Hunt” Trailer

Hello once again Stargate fans,

This has been the most anticipated episode of Stargate Universe ever since I saw the preview over a week ago. Although, I have known about this episode for some time now, I put in my request that I write on this one. As I am a fan of Stargate Universe, that still did not take away from the fact that I am still a fan of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1. To love one and not the other is ridiculous. I love each series for what they were and what they are.

That being said, let us get on with the reason for your visit today. To read my thoughts on the Stargate Universe episode Seizure.

***SPOILER ALERT*** If you have not seen this episode yet, then stop right now and wait until you do.

On the other hand, if you do not mind reading what you have to look forward to, then by all means, keep reading. I will NOT write a play-by-play of the episode, that can get boring real fast. I will NOT jump around to different places as that will only confuse the hell out of you. I WILL however write in sequence from beginning to end the parts that stood out to me the most.

First of all, let me start off by adding in this lovely picture of Washington D.C. I am not adding it in for who it represents, but more of the beautiful landscapes and surrounding areas. I only wish that someday I will get to visit.

Of course first we see our beloved Mr. Woolsey (Robert Picardo) trying to convince everyone that by using the Langeran stargate to dial the ninth chevron, they can get a good connection to get everyone aboard the Destiny home. Only problem was the leader of the Langerans (Victor Garber) wasn’t easily convinced. So seeing that Woolsey was having problems in convincing them, our other lovable guy, Col. David Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips), stepped in and said that they have someone who is qualified that this will work.

And who should we see walking in the door?

Yes, it’s our very own Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett). This was a delight to see Rodney return to Stargate. And it was very cool how they brought McKay back into the Stargate series in the way they did.

With Dr. Nicolas Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Eli Wallace (David Blue) aboard the Destiny, and Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) off doing her own thing, it only left us with McKay to solve the problem.

Now do not get me wrong, I like McKay, however I personally like John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) a bit more is all! 😛

And of course, you can not have Rodney on any planet without some sort of technical gadget with him to solve the scientific problem!

In this case Rodney had his trusty laptop with him to try and convince the Langarens that HIS idea will work. Well of course it would. He is the one and only Dr. Rodney McKay after all 😛

Even if I try to look past Rodney’s egotistical manners (wow, I typed that word correctly the first shot), he was a joy to watch. This fact made me miss Atlantis that much more. Though, the best part that I laughed my arse off was where Rodney used the communication stones and switched bodies to go on board the Destiny.

I guess when it comes to certain areas on a woman, McKay does not notice the color of the hair. Of all the years we heard him say that blond women does something to him, (his constant mention of Samamtha Carter), it is quite the flip for him to sort of hit on a brunette. LOL. The line that had me cracking up was when Lt. James was on McKay duty and noticed that he was looking at something that he should not have been. “I’m up here” to Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) as Rodney was transfixed by her feminine attributes!

I still find myself laughing when I remember the looks on both their faces. Then of course McKay tried to be somewhat polite and offered “Ladies first.” Of course that kinda backfired as James did not move, leaving McKay to walk out ahead of her with his tail between his legs! :-P.

The look on James’ face was of typical, “another boob man”. But I still could not help but giggle. I can not wait for the DVD’s, there has to be some funny behind the scenes from this episode for sure!

Of course, it does not take long to figure out why Rush would want to sit in the chair VOLUNTARILY!

Yep! Rush finally gets a bit!

Then we observe Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) informing Col. Young (Louis Ferreira) that Rush hooked himself up to the chair, but he was not fixing or alternating anything. He was in some sort of virtual dream state thingy. No, I am not that technical when it comes to wording. This is as good as it gets, and if you know me on twitter, I have my own way of describing things.

Then we have our geek-fest with Eli and Rodney.

I swear, it is a good thing that Rush is not among the rest of them cause I do not think that we could cope with three brilliant minds in the one episode.

Though, besides the fact that Rodney loved making himself seem way smarter then anyone else on any given day, he did manage to get out a compliment to Young about how smart Eli is. I found that to be a nice touch

This is a beautiful scene with TJ (Alaina Huffman) and Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith). And then we can see Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) in the background, feeling much better then Greer is at the moment. From the last episode, we seen Greer give up his kidney to help someone in need. Unfortunate, Greer will need extra time to be himself again.

We then observe see Eli and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) trying to figure out what is happening to Rush. That is until Eli gets an idea and tells Brody to go back into the computer log records of what is being uploaded.

This is where I need some science geeks to tell me what is really happening. Where is my good friend Redone68?? She is way smarter when it comes to the science of things. I think she would have been a great asset to the brilliant minds on the Destiny.

This is a great picture of the old style Stargate! It was so cool seeing it in action again.

And, we can never forget the huge KAWOOSH from the event horizon.

With it ending with the lovely blue shimmer of an open wormhole. It takes me back when I saw the event horizon open for the very first time. It still puts me in awe how the special effects by Mark Savela and his crew including Sonia Gilmore are able to make it appear so real!

Another part of all this that seems to never get old, is the using of the Ancient Communication Stones. One second you have you, the next you have a totally different conscience in your head, controlling your every action. The freaky thing about it is the fact that you are oblivious to it all. Freaky, but very cool!

Yet another part that had me laughing, was when the Captain of the Langerans (Darren A. Herbert) was in the body of Lt. Matthew Scott and he looked into the mirror at his reflection. The amazing camera work to pull that off is nothing but astonishing. Plus it only goes to show how awesome these actors are when doing each episode. Mr. Brian J. Smith in his portrayal of Lt. Scott in my opinion demonstrates once again that is a very talented actor and does an amazing job.

Though, in saying that, I believe they all deserve their own recognition when it comes to trying and succeeding to make the characters in Stargate Universe believable each week including a special guest star Victor Garber as the Langaran Ambassador.

I am not sure about you, but does Telford not resemble General Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) when it comes to scientists. Especially when it comes to McKay. I guess in a way, McKay makes it very hard to like, from a working with point of view. Mr. Hewlett on the other hand, seems to have a very large following. Especially on twitter.

There was a lovely moment between Eli and Ginn (Julie McNiven) as well. This was a bittersweet one, where Ginn told Eli what Dr. Amanda Perry (Mandy – Kathleen Munroe) was doing and that Rush was in a lot of danger. Typically from actually dieing. And that he had to be the one to terminate the program for them (the girls) to be able to interact with their other half’s (the guys). This was tough for Eli.

There were also a fair amount of touching moments with Rush and Mandy. Until Mandy gave a small peck on the cheek that he felt that something was “off” a bit. Not really realizing he was still inside the ship, per say, just that something felt different.

So he thought he’s put his assumptions to the test and do a little fiddling around with the computers to see if his thoughts were right. And sure enough, when he confronted Mandy, she told him that he was going to kill everyone. He knew that was not the case, and they stood there and watched the Destiny blow up.

Unfortunately, because Ginn had warned Eli of Mandy’s plan and what she was doing. Eli had no choice to do what he done. Mandy could “feel” this and she confronted Rush about what she had tried to do.

To find a way to keep him there with her. She confessed to him that she did love him, and that that was the reason for her messing around with the program. She told him she will always love him and then she was gone. Unfortunately, we are left again to witness Rush go through another mourning. First with his wife, and then with Mandy – twice.

When Rush finally wakes up in the infirmary it has been two days that he was in a coma. Again, TJ was so sympathetic with what Rush went through, as well as Eli. After all, if you think about it, it was Eli who had to severe all ties he could possible have with Ginn, just to save Rush. Of which Eli made that quite clear when Rush asked him, “what did you do?” Eli told him as much, if he did not do what needed to be done, Rush would be dead. TJ concurred with Eli, and Greer spoke up from his bed to tell Rush to listen to the good doctor. She knows what she is talking about.

I felt so bad for Eli. He lost Ginn once, then to get her back in the last episode, only for Mandy to screw it up, he had to essentially loose her again for the second time. Maybe he can figure a way to give her access and not tell anyone. Take a page out of Rush’s book for secrecy.

I shall end my review with an amazing picture of the Destiny flying through space. On her way to her predestined destination. The talents of Mr. Mark Savela and his team can not go unnoticed. Very well done.

That concludes my review. Hope you all had a great read. Feel free to comment below, click on a button to share it, or you can catch me on twitter. Be sure to venture back next week when I will have my thoughts on the episode “The Hunt” posted for all to read. Until then we include the promotional trailer for “The Hunt” below courtesy of Syfy via Hulu.

I will end this analysis with some personal thoughts I have been wanting to say for a long time. I would have thought that the ratings would have gone up a few notches with this episode, solely because we have McKay back again. But I do not think that happened. I am surprised actually, that the fandom as a whole did not support this endeavor.

Yes, I would have loved to have had another season of Stargate Atlantis. Or the very least, the third Stargate SG-1 movie and the first Stargate Atlantis one. But because of the anger by certain factions, this is the main reason why Stargate Universe was not renewed. Ratings for any given show are what counts at the end of the day and this is also what happened to Atlantis.

The only point they are showing is how their lack of support is NOT going to get them their “promised” movies. We were never promised these movies. We were told that it was a possibility. But, here’s a question, why should we be rewarded with a movie for such behavior? It’s no different if a child is misbehaving. Do you reward that behavior with what they want? Or do you say, “until you can learn to behave yourself, you’re not getting it.”

And I know that I will probably loose a nice few followers on twitter for some reason or another. And I wouldn’t be surprised if i did. Especially from certain factions in the Stargate Atlantis fan groups. Yes, they are passionate, and I love Stargate Atlantis just as much as the next person. However, being a STARGATE FAN first and foremost, I will show my support for anything that has the name Stargate in it.

And another subject about this whole thing that has my goat is the fact that the convention organizers go out of their way to give the fans awesome conventions year after year. Yet you have some (and I repeat SOME) who will buy the gold tickets to see every guest there, and then boycott the SGU stars because they figure they will “prove a point” that way too to the creators. How sad.

But what it does is piss me off even more. I would love nothing more then to be able to afford to buy a gold ticket for a Stargate convention that Creation Entertainment presents wonderfully and see ALL the Stargate stars they have confirmed to attend. But you have these “people” that would buy a ticket, only to go and see who they want and ignore the others. That to me is a waste of money. They would take away from someone who would have loved to have seen EVERY Stargate guest going to these things.

And acting like spoiled little brats too. This is my opinion mind you. If I sound like a b***h, then so be it. I am a Stargate fan through and through and I for one enjoyed the many years and countless adventures our heroes have brought to my life these past 14 years, 17 if you count the original movie that started it all.

Like I said, these are my personal thoughts. If you don’t like it, oh well. But just to let some of you that love to cause debates and arguments in open tweets, I will NOT be apart of that. If you feel the need to send me messages to try and provoke me, just so you know, I will NOT answer to it. Not that I am a coward. It is just a fact that I will not be drawn into a pointless debate.

I think that is all I have to say. In fact, I feel I have said what I needed to say. So end of story.

Thank you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency and reading my thoughts.

I hope you come back again soon. You can leave a comment here or you can reach me on twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Till next time. XO

Karen Ford

April 10, 2011
Stargate Universe Hope; Season Two Episode 14 Critique

Hello again Stargate Fans,

Episode 14 of season 2 of Stargate Universe, entitled Hope, aired this Monday evening March 28, 2011 on SyFy, and Tuesday night March 29, 2011 for those of us in Canada who are cursed with having to wait an extra day until we get to see it on the Space Channel. Thanks for the spoilers, Twitter. Always appreciated.

Even with the spoilers the episode remained enjoyable for me I did see from the few people who post them (that I still follow who post spoilers), when Canadians have to wait an extra day, spoiler posts are a reason that may cause me to un-follow on Twitter.

Hope was another episode which took place entirely on the Destiny. An outside connection had still not been made – at least not with Earth. With everyone taking rounds manning the stones, hoping for some sort of news to do with the impending explosion of the last episode, no one expected the consciousnesses of two prior shipmates to jump into an unsuspecting Chloe, whom had fallen asleep during her shift.

I want to start off by saying Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) must be really getting used to her body being stolen or taken over by some foreign substance. Unlike the others, who switch bodies through the stones alone, Chloe always seems to be the one who gets taken by aliens and experimented on – or whatever exactly they did to her – and now by the free-floating consciousnesses of Amanda Perry (Kathleen Munroe) and Ginn (Julie McNiven) interacting with Eli Wallace (David Blue) and Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle). I bet if she ever gets a month of just being herself in her own body, she is going to have some sort of withdrawal symptoms or something.

At the same time, I admit, it was nice to see Ginn return. Eli is always so alone. Well, maybe not physically, but I always sense a bit of loneliness from him, even when he’s cracking jokes. Maybe I’m imagining it, though. He finally found love and she was taken from him, only to return now in Chloe’s body. I felt so bad for him that it was like he finally had her back, but with the constant fear of losing her again – especially with the episodes she was having as she flashed back to being strangled.

As mentioned Amanda Perry came back too, like I said. I guess I am not a huge Rush/Perry fan or anything so I was not really excited to see her. Also, I was not really surprised when suddenly she showed up halfway through in the body of Chloe while Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) looked on. It is not that I was expecting her, really, I just was not shocked either. It was more like I nodded and said, “Oh, huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” All I can really say about her and Rush, I guess, is that it is nice to finally see him be happy.

I think my problem with these two is, I really have a problem with bodynapping, or whatever you would call it. It is different from body-switching, where at least both parties are allowed to live, albeit in a strange and, I imagine, awkward existence. Bodynapping always bothers me – where more than one consciousness are fighting over the body. It reminds me too much of Stephenie Meyer’s book The Host (yes, she did write something besides the Twilight series) where alien parasites come in and take over the bodies of humans.

It is not so much a struggle as a domination. Of course, yes, the Goa’uld did this too, but I was making the comparison more that in The Host the aliens were not trying to start a war or rule the galaxy, they just wanted to live on Earth and went about it in an ethically questionable way, much as I saw with this.

I do concede (and was relieved to see) that the circumstances were different in that Amanda and Ginn neither tried nor wanted to take over Chloe’s body. Thank goodness. I spent half of Hope crossing my fingers that one was not going to get comfortable and take over. I might have lost some of my faith in the series had that happened. It’s too overdone, in my opinion, so I personally thank the Stargate Universe writers for thinking better of that!

I liked how that story concluded, temporary though the resolution may be. Again, I feared that Chloe’s consciousness would be one of the two downloaded into the ship and that Amanda or Ginn (though I was leaning toward Amanda) would end up inadvertently taking over her body. So thank you again, writers, for proving me wrong.

It was interesting how they tried to explain how this may have happened – that Amanda and Ginn came to be inside of Chloe. I find it hard to believe that she was the only one to fall asleep, but I guess they must have had relatively short shifts. Either way, Rush’s explanation that her consciousness must have relaxed just enough to let another in was cool. I like that he just knows things. Everyone else is puzzling and he jumps in going, “This is probably exactly what happened,” and everyone else goes, “Oh. Okay, then.” Well, I’m paraphrasing. I just wish I had that kind of magical power where explanations I make up actually make sense and are not just random like the kiss with Eli.

I do have to wonder, though, as they did, where exactly were Amanda and Ginn for all of this time? Obviously their souls neither died nor moved on, so they must have been somewhere. But were they in limbo somewhere – just in a vast dark space between universes or realms? Or were their souls being held somewhere within the stones themselves, almost like a container? I know they were radio signals, but that really does not explain to me where exactly they were or how they got transferred from the stones. I know they were trying to figure that out too and I’m curious to find out. I hope they do not just let that one waver and die, and that they actually pursue an answer.

I have one more question. They kept saying that they wanted to find bodies to put Amanda and Ginn into, but where exactly do they plan on coming up with these bodies? Unless they have magical special powers – or the Ancients have some powerful technology that the crew learns to use – they cannot bring a dead body back to life. The consciousness is one thing, but if the body dies, it generally cannot be brought back to life. A heart does not start beating again because a consciousness has been installed. Well, unless it is a vampire or a zombie. I know this is science fiction, but I somehow do not see Stargate going that route.

The other option, I suppose, would be for them to share a body, but haven’t we learned from this episode how badly that would turn out? Yes, the Goa’uld and the Tok’ra shared bodies – moreso in the case of the Tok’ra – but they were snakes which took over the body, not just a free-floating consciousness. Even then, good luck finding a willing host.

Plus, now Eli can be with Ginn – at least in some small way. I may have audibly squee’d with the line, “Just being here, seeing you, hearing your voice. It’s enough.” Haven’t we all felt that way about someone? Loved them so much that just knowing they’re around brings us comfort. As much as a physical presence would obviously be better in many ways, who can deny that being able to talk to and see someone who was once thought to be dead – someone who meant so much – is incomparably better? I think that simple quote brought out that emotion so well, even if it is so simple. Sometimes, something simple like that is better than a big speech, and I think that was the case in this instance. I really felt it when Eli and Ginn were together and now maybe he won’t be so alone.

Now, if only they could bring Sharon onto the ship for Camile, I’d be a very, very happy girl. (Yeah, they’re my favorite couple to ship on Universe.)

The other major story which took place in this episode was Dale Volker’s (Patrick Gilmore) need for a kidney transplant. I guess this story dealt mostly with TJ’s (Alaina Huffman) growth as a doctor and her ability to use the Ancient technology.

The episode also focused on some of the characters we don’t get to see as much, mainly Volker and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis). Those two have a great bromance, if you ask me. I think we should definitely see more of them. I know there are a lot of friendships which have formed on Destiny, but theirs is one of the least explored and I feel it could be really interesting.

At first, I was skeptical how this would work out. So many complications with the storyline. First, there’s the part that TJ is only a medic, not a surgeon. Obviously, being the only one with real medical training, she had to get over that at some point. I am actually surprised it wasn’t sooner. But there is also the problem with the fact that they seem to not have near enough medication. Two planets they need to find: the medicine planet and the clothing planet. Seriously. They need to change. I don’t want to know how much their clothes must stink by now.

I got over that quickly, though. Mostly what bothered me is that immediately everyone on the ship was tested. Okay, that makes sense, but shouldn’t they have asked for volunteers? The surgery is shaky, at best, and for real, it’s a dangerous procedure even done in a hospital. Instead they just drafted everyone and decided one of them would give up their kidney? I mean, I felt a bit better when Greer volunteered and they were asking him if he was sure and all. At least there was that, but it really bothered me before that.

Well, Greer offered, and it’s not that I’m upset he did or that I think it was the wrong decision, but I just want to point out that considering repercussions of functioning on only one kidney, it might also not be the best decision. People who donate kidneys are not supposed to undergo any overly strenuous activities – barely exerting effort on much during the recovery, but even after, there’s a lot they are not allowed to do. Greer is one of the main offensive, one of the military guys that is constantly involved in fighting the enemy.

If cheer leading is not allowed, then how exactly is he supposed to brave strange terrains of future planets, run around and fire guns? That’s dangerous all on its own, but with one kidney?! You’re practically asking for him to die!

I know, I know, it’s a television show and they can suspend reality, so perhaps that might not be a problem. It’s just that as someone who has had family members both donate and receive kidneys, I think about these things.

Now, that said, I thought it was really sweet of him to offer and to go through with it. I think it shows a lot of Greer’s character that he would be willing to do that for someone he barely seems to know, despite their close quarters on the ship. I always thought deep down he must be a softy, even if he doesn’t show it very often. Maybe he is just trying to be noble or did it because of a sense of duty, but I think it was much more than that. He genuinely wanted to help.

While I am on that topic, how sweet was the scene in the greenhouse (or arboretum or whatever it is called)? Totally sweet, right? I’m a sucker for friendship and bonding. I loved the look on Greer’s face as he looked up at the stars. He was so content. It made me think of a child looking at him. It was nice for him to bond with Volker a bit – especially since now they’ll be bonded forever like Amanda and Rush.

Who else found it hilarious when Brody started playing music before the surgery? Not just that it was the most inappropriate song for the moment, even if it was with good intent, but also just that it was such a strange thing to do.

Like I said before, though, I love Brody and Volker’s friendship. I’m so glad he was there to support his friend through it. Those two are always together so it’s only right that he was there. In fact, I thought for a long time it would be Brody who was going to give up his kidney. I hope before the series ends, we get to see more of them.

Of course, in the end, they finally made contact with Earth to find out the bomb had been diffused. I was mostly just hoping this meant that Camile would go visit Sharon soon… I actually really like these episodes which focus on just relationships on the ship. I thought overall it was really well done. I am excited to see where this addition of Amanda and Ginn into the ship’s systems will take the Destiny crew and how it affects Eli!

I trust you have enjoyed this review of Stargate Universe. As always thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We appreciate your taking your time to visit our news sites.

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Regards,

ValaBlack (Steph)

April 4, 2011

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