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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.

Please feel free to share this news article by clicking one of the social media icons below. You may also leave a comment here, feel free to visit me on Twitter by clicking my avatar to the right.

Regards,

ValaBlack (Steph)

April 4, 2011
Stargate Universe: Reasons Why Stargate Fans Should Watch SGU Live from March 07 Onward with Full S2x10 Resurgence!

Hello once again Stargate fans,

I say Stargate fans because there is something you the fans of all Stargates can do to perhaps help support and save the MGM Studios franchise from being put on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Let’s set the record straight. WHR put out a tweets recently about the great Stargate Universe marathons on Syfy. We received mostly positive replies, however a few sent Twitter direct messages slamming Syfy being unwilling to open tweet their frustrations using foul language in the process.

We ask why be negative? The Stargate franchise needs the support of all fans. Please look at the tags and see all the wonderful people who made Stargate a reality for 15 years! Lets work as a team on March 07, 2011 shall we? Thank you. We include the full 10th episode Resurgence for your enjoyment!

Syfy, an NBC Universal company, has been one of the greatest supporters of the MGM Studios Stargate franchise for a very long time. Syfy saved Stargate SG-1 from oblivion. Syfy brought us five wonderful years of Stargate Atlantis. In the United States Syfy signed a two year contract to broadcast Stargate Universe on their channel.

A two year commitment is virtually unheard of in the fast moving television industry, not only now but since the inception of broadcast television programming many decades ago.

No matter what you think of Syfy, below are two very good reasons to watch Stargate Universe LIVE on Syfy beginning March 07, 2011 in the United States.

Reason Number One: If the ratings are high enough Syfy may (repeat may) consider a different fate for the Stargate franchise on their cable based channel. Mr. Engler of Syfy tweeted earlier this week (with a giant MAYBE) that if the ratings were high enough there may be a different outcome for Stargate. For a network affiliate to make such a statement is a hint to the fans of Stargate. Please do not let this “hint”, really an opportunity pass you by Stargate fans.

Reason Number Two: Our research confirms that some 500 individuals are employed directly or indirectly (contractors) whom help create Stargate. Should Stargate Universe be put on the shelf for a period of years, many if not all of these employees, all human beings like you and me stand to lose their jobs.

Stargate Universe was canceled not because Syfy has not supported Stargate. Quite the contrary. They have continued to broadcast all the Stargate programs and movies regularly. It was canceled because of low ratings AFTER a two year commitment by Syfy. Many fans chose to boycott the program for various and sadly, often selfish reasons.

Now you are free to think whatever you want, but if the people that make Stargate lose their jobs, a portion of the fault lies in the Stargate fandom fostered by groups that wrongly believed if they ‘killed’ SGU it would lead to Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis movies. Sorry people, if the individuals who make Stargate are no longer employed, there will likely not be any Stargate movies. In fact there may not be any Stargate at all.

Even if you do not like Stargate Universe for whatever reason, okay, we respect your right to your opinion. BUT this is not about your opinion. This is about demonstrating solidarity for and within the entire Stargate franchise fandom.

What’s up? People seem to enjoy expressing hatred of and to Syfy. Many have analyzed this type of behavior with the same conclusion as our team here at WHR, this is wrong headed thinking.

Please set aside your grudges and or frustrations to prove you are a Stargate fan by watching Stargate Universe LIVE for the next ten episodes on Syfy. Your reward for demonstrating your support? You may just find out that Stargate will continue and not be “placed on the shelf” like so many other series have been. The “feel good” you and many desire for investing your time by doing so?

You may just help save the jobs of approximately 500 people including the Bridge Studios crews, the contractors, the creators, and the very talented actors and actresses of the Stargate franchise!

Stargate Universe returns Monday March 07, 2011 at 10 PM EST/PST on Syfy and on March 08, 2011 on the Space Channel. We ask that you do the right thing and watch the program live to prove that Stargate fans can work together to save the Stargate franchise from potential extinction. We appreciate your consideration of our request. Included below is a sneak peek courtesy of Syfy via Hulu! Thanks Syfy!

As always we thank you for your visit to our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a spam free comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible.

If you prefer, you may also 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 we will see you on See You on The Other Side“!

Thank You and Best Regards,

Kenn

March 3, 2011
Spreading the SGU Love, Jamil Walker Smith, Brian J. Smith, Patrick Gilmore and Beyond!

My apologies for my cyber-silence as of late.

I am a full-time student at the Academy of Acting, and it seems like tonight Wednesday February 09, 2011 is the first night I’ve had to myself, away from my studies…other than of course having the assignment of lifting a frying pan to see how it affects my muscles, then miming it to play with my arm muscle’s memories.

But enough with the acting technobabble, let’s get on with the campaign updates and other Stargate-related news that might be out there. Recently there was a Stargate Universe marathon on Syfy network, and from what I understand, the ratings were good enough to justify doing a standard run-out of the second season.

I am hoping that will lead to continuing on the Stargate Universe storyline. Recent word from Jospeh Mallaozzi is that he and Paul Mullie are heading to the Los Angeles area on a mission. Lets all wish them them the best of luck!

The first one is a reminder about the “Share The SGU Love” and “Spread the SGU Love” campaign, to send the powers-that-be both stateside at the MGM Studios offices and the Bridge Studios offices located in Burnaby, British Columbia a Valentines Day card! I will admit, I have my cards made and will be sending them off Friday.

Hey, I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind getting a Valentines’ card or two (or more) after Valentines’ Day, I always consider it lovely that someone was thinking of me in a kind and loving manner. Remember to mention that you love the series, why you love it, any stories you might be able to tell in your cards, and where you are located. Perhaps include your age as well in case you want to help MGM see the demographics. Click here to see all the great cards.

And speaking of Valentines’ Day, there is a campaign that will be taking place ON Valentines’ Day itself. As iTunes is still selling episodes of Stargate Universe in their on-line store, the plan is for as many SGU fans to buy the episode “Trial and Error”, the episode where Eli and Ginn share their first kiss (insert group “awwwww” here). Please feel free to buy other episodes as well!

A group action that has been taking place is the creation of a graphic collage celebrating Stargate Universe, with the man behind that being Gcm4n (Mario on Twitter). He is accepting graphics (as in digital pictures) fans want to include in the final huge image. Contact him on Twitter for more details.

The biggest news, however, has been a unification of the majority of the campaigns. Look for more details at SGUnite once the site is fully up and running. As is, the webmaster has created a Facebook feed on the front page of the website where news about Stargate Universe current state is being listed, such as the fact when SGU season two returns to SyFy on March 07, 2011 on Monday nights.

There is also a place on the page where people can insert their e-mail address so once the website is up and running, as the webmaster of the site has been otherwise occupied with schooling and also, flooding in his area of Australia. Much love to you as things get cleaned up down there!

In other Stargate Universe related news, some of the stars of the series have been keeping themselves quite busy with non-SGU projects (all things planned before the announcement was made regarding the non-renewal).

First off, congrats to Jamil Walker Smith, whose directing and writing debut with the film Make a Movie Like Spike premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, with three, yes, count ’em, THREE sold-out showings! The next stop for the Little Plow Films movie is to take it to Los Angeles for screenings, with details (I am guessing) being listed on Jamil’s twitter (or on the one for the film itself, @makeamovielike), on the official websites Make a Movie Like Spike or Little Plow Films, or else on their facebook fan page. Check it out, and if you have the chance to get to a screening, please do!

Congrats as well to Brian J Smith, who has been keeping himself busy globetrotting with the filming of the SyFy made-for-TV movie Red Faction: Origins, based on the computer game by the same name. His tweets about the experience make many of us aspiring actors green with envy and also, makes us realize the extremes some projects will take a person, as he has described in his tweets about the very cold weather in some locations, and contrastingly hot weather in others.

I can barely wait for that one to come out, but to be honest, am hoping that more Stargate Universe comes out beyond the second season as I love the series and want to see more of it, and certainly more of Brian and company in action as our favorite refugee crew in a ginourmous spaceship hopping through galaxies!

Another project which would be remiss of me to mention is the web-series Riese. Filmed in Vancouver, its cast includes Patrick Gilmore (Dale Volker of SGU) as well as featuring Amanda Tapping as a narrator.

It is a futuristic steam-punk series, and the best news of all is, the entire web-series will be aired as one episode on the Space Channel in Canada, April 09, 2011 at 9 pm right after the Merlin season finale! This just goes to show the power of the internet, and also, the power of on-line love and determination.

Although not directly related to Stargate Universe, I did promise a friend and classmate of mine to mention a web-series that is being created here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pieces is a sci-fi/fantasy mystery thriller with a lot of promise, and who knows, it might follow in the footsteps of other pioneering Canadian web-series (such as Riese and Jpod).

In the future this series could potentially have the following of other science fiction series that have been filmed in Canada, such as X-Files, Fringe, the whole Stargate franchise…well, you get my drift. I promised I’d mention it in my blog, and give the good word to the ‘Peg City, so there you go!

So in summary: Please send out your Valentines’ Day cards to the Bridge and to MGM Studios, buy “Trial and Error” on iTunes this Valentines’ Day, donate some images for the collage, add your name to the mailing list at sgunite.com, check out Make a Movie Like Spike (and perhaps request it at your local indy theatre), and just keep being aweseome!

But I should really get back to my homework, I need to learn how to lift an invisible frying pan by using my own as a model, so until later, keep on Spreading and Sharing the SGU Love, and have a great weekend!

As always we appreciate your reading this article and for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a “Share The SGU Love” or “Spread The SGU Love” comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible.

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 or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or I will See You on The Other Side at my FaceBook“!

Thank you.

Marjorie Roden

February 9, 2011
Stargate Universe: As The Wormhole Turns – Go To The Mirror and “Share The SGU Love” Status Report!

Hello again Stargate fans!

Well, it’s been one week since my first blog was posted regarding my idea for the “Spread the SGU Love” (or “Share the SGU Love”) fan campaign to help garner positive feedback regarding Stargate Universe to The Powers-That-Be (TPTB) at MGM Studios.

So far, what I’ve been hearing from fans is many went out and actually bought cards, while others made their own as I have been doing the last couple of nights as illustrated below! Others including educators and teaches have had their school classes make them to send off to MGM.

Oh, and please click the MGM Studios Lion image above to the right to follow MGM on Twitter to demonstrate your support. Thank you!

Yes, some of us who love Stargate Universe are teachers. Using this as an art project is something I think is quite ingenious! Other fans have created some digital artwork for people to print off and use at their end for the “Spread The SGU Love” "Share The SGU Love" campaign. There are links for accessing the full resolution graphics below this paragraph. Simply click the images below to load the full sized versions. Many thanks to StargateZone (Sarah) and GCM4N (Mario) for graciously donating their digital artwork to our cause! The campaign news article I authored last week is not the only effort going on out there in our Stargate World. In fact there have been a number of them, and in this week's blog, I will highlight the ones that I've heard about on the internet, mainly through Twitter. Some that have been very effective at getting MGM Studios's attention. I was inspired seeing CherLuvYa making a vote on Twitter for the Shorty awards for MGM in television, MeriJewel, another Stargate Universe fan, caught onto this idea in a big way. The Shorty Awards, going into their third year, are defined as “Honoring the Best Producers of Short Real-Time Content.” also known for sites that perform micro-blogging like Twitter. The method of voting is through Twitter, and many Stargate and SGU fans have been voting for MGM_Studios on Twitter for the #television category because of the Stargate franchise. However, there have been other great TV shows to come out of the MGM studios, so vote as often as you can while mentioning #ShareTheSGULove and #Stargate hash tags in this on-line competition. One can also vote for actors and actresses who have Twitter accounts like Alaina Huffman, David Blue, Brian J. Smith, Patrick Gilmore, MingNa, Jennifer Spence, Julia Benson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jamil Walker Smith, Peter Kelamis Julie McNiven, Kathleen Munroe and Mike Dopud. Several are all fairly high on the list. We also encourage you to vote as well for crew members and Stargate Univese creators such as Mandy Alexander McLean, Mark Savela, Sonia Gilmore, James Bamford John G. Lenic, Carl P. Binder, John Scalzi, Ivon Bartok, Martin Gero, and Joseph Mallozzi ... via his dogs Twitter account anyway! For more information, please click the text link or image banner below to read MeriJewel's article The website SGU Awareness is another outstanding site on the Internet which includes links to other campaigns in its blog. The atmosphere on this page is very positive, and their generosity with giving those links is outstanding! A new website has been in development called SaveOurStargate that launched just this weekend. SaveOurStargate is run by a group of Stargate Universe fans with a dedication to ensure that the MGM Stargate Franchise continues well into the future. Last but not least if the SG: Unite fan campaign has a lot of contact info, including mailing and e-mail addresses, something that would prove to be very useful to get their attention in their e-mail in-boxes. As you scroll down the page you will find many useful Internet addresses and other contacts that might prove to be very useful to "Share The SGU Love".For now Other very positive news came out of Joe Mallozzi's blog this week, it sounds like the creators and producers of Stargate Universe are far from throwing in the towel yet, which is why showing our support in as many different ways as we can – be it from taking part in any of the campaigns happening worldwide right now, to watching SGU on Hulu where the views, I've been told, also count towards total viewings statistics tallied by MGM Studios are important. I would also suggest even to purchasing Stargate Universe by going to the video store and buying a box set of DVD or Blue Ray discs. All of these will help demonstrate to MGM Studios that Stargate Universe is a series fans are willing to invest their hard-earned dollars in. During a recession like the one we're in now, showing this to MGM Studios is huge! Finally, although I started this a few weeks ago, it did kind of get lost in the shuffle of the avalanche of on-line petitions which came out right after the non-renewal announcement. If you're on Twitter, and happen to have the time, please sign it! As always we appreciate your reading this article and for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a "Share The SGU Love" or "Spread The SGU Love" comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible. 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 or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or I will See You on The Other Side at my FaceBook"! Thank you. Marjorie Roden

January 15, 2011
Stargate Universe: As The Wormhole Turns – Share and Spread The SGU Love!

Hello Stargate fans!

It is an unfortunate fact some individuals out there have been cruel with their hate campaigns regarding Stargate Universe. However, we are putting that behind ourselves and only focusing on positive things.

With the “Share the SGU Love” fan campaign, the purpose is to help the Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios, the production company MGM for short, see the viability of keeping Stargate Universe on the air, we’ll remain positive, conducting ourselves in a very positive and giving way. We shall use one of the most concrete methods of getting attention: the postal system, or as some people call it these days, “Snail Mail” and use Twitter and Facebook to spread the word. We also use the hash tags “Spread the SGU Love” as well as “Share the SGU Love” on Twitter.

On the business side of things, where can Stargate Universe be broadcast? MGM does have their own network, MGM-HD, which is available in the US. In Canada, the Space channel, which is owned by CTV, has been getting an average of 1.4 million viewers per night. Sky1 in the United Kingdom has also been airing Stargate Universe with 1.3 million viewers per night, and in Australia, the numbers have been very high for the viewership, coming in with 800,000 per night.

The idea behind this mail-in campaign is to provide positive feedback & bring attention to and also give the head decision-makers at MGM Studios an idea of the numbers of the fans – as well as their geographical locations, and any other pertinent demographics such as gender and age – who want to see Stargate Universe stay on the air.

You can write me by e-mail here Marjorie Roden

This might lead to a co-production with another network or broadcaster, or even inspire the decision-makers at MGM to go forth on their own accord to keep this 15+ year old franchise, which has been on the television since 1997, with the initial “Stargate” movie first coming out in theatres in 1994. The Stargate franchise has been earning MGM a great deal of money not only in the television rights, but also in sales of the DVD’s and most recently, the on-line iTunes sales.

First and foremost, in keeping with the theme of “Share the SGU Love”, we’ll start by sending Valentines’ Day cards to the main decision-makers at both the main MGM Studios in California, and also to the offices at The Bridge Studios in Burnaby, BC, Canada, where Stargate Universe is produced and all of the elaborate sets have been built.

In these cards, we will express how much we love this series and the stories told, and also make a point of stating where we are located, because a large part of what they, as studio executives need to know, is where the audience is located.

As the majority of the fan base where the show has been getting higher ratings is in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, letting the decision-makers know this information, and to see who’s taken the time to do this, will make the people in these decision-making roles take notice.

Secondary to this, which I hope many of the fans take part in, is to send Valentines’ Day cards to the producers, creative department heads of the series (in care of The Bridge Studios), as well as any writers, actors, etc, just to drive the point home to the decision makers how much we as fans appreciate the series, as well as the people who work day to day on the series, and how much we hope to see the series continue on in the future.

I was asked why I felt including The Bridge Studios in this campaign was important. My method to this madness is quite simple: the series is shot in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, for the most part, at these studios. The people who work day to day on the episodes live in this area, and the non-renewal of Stargate Universe has most adversely affected the crew members, as well as their families. The team built at the Bridge Studios in Burnaby, starting with the original “Stargate SG-1” series created in the 1990’s, has been huge in creating the magic of the franchise. The idea of people making sure the love is “shared” is paramount, because there have been too many knocks the other way, and NOW would be the time to give everyone who has a creative investment in the series a much-needed lift.

Getting the attention of people in the decision-making roles is paramount, so sending the cards and/or letters to them in personally marked envelopes, with the individual’s name on then, would be a good plan. Subsequently, if people decide to send cards to multiple cast & crew members, mailing them in one large envelope – with each card in individual envelopes with the people’s names on them – to save on postage would be understandable. Bottom line, if you can afford to mail cards individually, to really make the mailboxes at MGM Studios and The Bridge Studios in Burnaby stuffed full of Valentines’ Cards, go wild!

Be as creative as you like with the cards. Some have suggested sending “We love Stargate Universe” cards for the campaign, others have considered sending regular Valentines. The idea is to do this en masse, and to drive home the point that the number of fans out there who love this series is a big enough fan base to warrant giving Stargate Universe a third season (and possibly beyond). Be positive with your cards, and if you do have an individual story to tell (ie: if a certain episode really spoke to you in a trying time), include that in your card. These are the kinds of things the shows producers and creators love to hear. Also, I know of some fans who have offered to design a pre-made postcard, available on-line for printing. Links for this shall be provided once the card is designed.

It is my hope that this campaign will get the attention of mainstream media outlets as well, because one of our other goals is to help MGM find some other networks to work with in the future. By bringing attention to both Stargate Universe and MGM Studios via the mainstream media would work for all parties involved.

If sending Valentines Day cards to the folks at MGM Studios and Bridge Studios is not your cup of tea, sending in positive letters to the bigwigs would be great, too. The main point is to get the attention of the MGM Executives, and let them see how large the fan base for Stargate Universe really is, so that the series is not outright canceled. We all love the storyline that has been so beautifully created by this creative team, and if any of the tweets from some of the actors are any indication, we are in store for a cliffhanger that will leave all of us howling and screaming for more.

Now for the contact information, the mailing addresses are:

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios
10250 Constellation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA

MGM Worldwide Television Distribution
2500 Broadway Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404-3065 USA
MGM Studios

Corporation Purchasing
240 Broadway Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401 USA

The Bridge Studios
2400 Boundary Road,
Burnaby, BC V5M 3Z3 CANADA
The people we want to reach are:

MGM Presidents, Vice Presidents, and CEO’s:

Gary Barber, Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of MGM
Roger Birnbaum, Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of MGM
Charles Cohen, MGM’s Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Gerald Ament, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Television and Legal Affairs (found on MGM’s website)
Jim Packer, Co-President, Worldwide Television (found on MGM’s website)
Gary Marenzi, Co-President, Worldwide Television (found on MGM’s website)
Erik Lomis, President, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution, Home Entertainment & Acquisition (found on MGM’s website)
Ann Mather, Head of the Board of Directors, MGM
Steve Hendry, Senior Executive Vice President, Finance (found on MGM’s website)
Michael Vollman, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Marketing MGM; President, Marketing, United Artists (found on MGM’s website)
Board Members at MGM:
Fred Reynolds, former CBS Chief Financial Officer, current MGM Board Member
Jason Hirschhorn, former MySpace President, current MGM Board Member
Christopher Pucillo, founder of Solus Alternative Asset Management, current MGM Board Member
Patrick H. Daugherty, a partner at Highland Capital Management LP, current MGM Board Member
Kevin Ulrich, CEO of Anchorage Capital Group LLC, current MGM Board Member

Stargate Universe Production Team:
(Most of these people are based in BC, so please send in care of The Bridge Studios)

Series Produced by

Brad Wright …. executive producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
Carl Binder …. executive producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
Robert C. Cooper …. executive producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
N. John Smith …. executive producer (20 episodes, 2009-2010)
John G. Lenic …. producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
Joseph Mallozzi …. consulting producer / executive producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
Paul Mullie …. consulting producer / executive producer (40 episodes, 2009-2011)
Martin Gero …. consulting producer (8 episodes, 2009)
Alan McCullough …. consulting producer (8 episodes, 2009)
Jennifer Johnson …. associate producer (25 episodes, 2009-2010)
George Horie …. line producer (20 episodes, 2009-2010)
Andy Mikita …. co-producer (20 episodes, 2009-2010)
Linda McGibney …. supervising producer (19 episodes, 2010-2011)
Mark Savela – department head, Visual Effects
Sonia Gilmore — visual effects coordinator
James Bamford — stunt coordinator

If there are any other parts of Stargate Universe‘s production that you are particularly inspired by or drawn towards (ie: writing, make-up, set design), you can find the names of the department heads at IMDB.

Some of the actors have their official websites and or fan club addresses which they can be reached at. However, if there are some whose addresses you cannot find, it can’t hurt to send any Valentine “Share The SGU Love” cards and or fan letters to them at any of the addresses listed above. It can’t hurt for the people at MGM Studios to know how much we appreciate their acting, can it?

Have fun with whatever you send out, and remember, remain positive while you SHARE THE SGU LOVE!!! All images courtesy to WormholeRiders News Agency courtesy of MGM Studios. Video of WR_Systems (Kenn) included below is the entire Comic-Con 2010 Stargate Universe panel so you can see just how wonderful the actors and creators are! Enjoy.

As always we appreciate your reading this article and for visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a "Share the SGU Love" comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible. 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 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 at my FaceBook"! Thank you. Marjorie Roden

January 6, 2011
Stargate Universe Canceled: A Sad Development As The Wormhole Turns – Is An Era Ending?

Hello Stargate Community and Stargate Universe fans,

I would say good morning, but it really is not a good morning is it? We did have other news to post yesterday at 12 PM Pacific time, but frankly I did not have the heart to complete a story that was ready for publication. I realized that the news I had heard at the end of the day Wednesday December 15, 2010, likely to become reality, had in fact occurred.

For the first time in 17 years the MGM Studios “Stargate” franchise that has been spinning and taking us all on adventures to far away lands, planets, galaxies across the universe, the series franchise filled with action, romance, mystery and mythology may sadly be coming to an end.

I can still remember my excitement in 1993 when MGM Studios announced production of Stargate (the movie). I was living in Austin Texas and could not wait to see the film. I and all my friends were even more excited when the movie became the Stargate franchise. Now after 17 episodic seasons it seems to be coming to an end, a potential end of an era of epic movies and series. I only hope that is not the case, but we are sad here today.

We here at WHR are saddened that the announcement was made one year almost to the day that Stargate Universe was renewed for a second season. I believe I can say with 100% certainty everyone here at WHR are saddened. We have had nine reporters over the past two years write reviews about Stargate Universe and visit the celebrities and creators at Stargate Conventions. We are quite sad for the loss of employment for the most talented actors and actresses. In the world of entertainment these are some of the finest human beings you will ever know.

We are sad that wonderful people we have had the privilege to meet and work with at MGM Studios and The Bridge are liable to lose their jobs.

We are sad that the crews, publicists, agents, and perhaps the entire Stargate family of creators who may also lose their jobs, face unemployment. We are sad for fans who have supported the Stargate franchise for 17 episodic years and three Stargate movies. We are sad because there may be only 10 episodes left in what was planned to be a 5 year 100 episode series run. We are sad because the Stargate may stop spinning in 2012 after the last 10 episodes of Stargate Universe in 2011.

Preparing for a long trip driving to Southern California to work, I did not have time to tweet very much. Texting and driving is not something any of us should be doing. I did however have wireless Internet access on my netbook and and looked at the tweet stream as much as possible via Tweet Deck. I also read a couple of articles when stopping for gasoline and food on the road.

I also became very sad for another reason; a group of people running a web site called “SGU Sucks Dot Com” threw a virtual party proclaiming that their 15 month campaign had “paid off”. And no I am NOT going to hyper link that foul place!

Many of these malcontents also tweeted about it and posted on several web sites. Over recent history, this despicable group of people has attacked the actors, the creators, the families and even the news sites which supported and reported on Stargate Universe (including WHR). Each time with foul mouthed glee since their misbegotten effort began in 2009. They also attacked the Stargate fans grabbing tweets and posting them for their hate filled campaign not realizing that they could be part of the end of the franchise for the foreseeable future as we have reported previously. I was sickened by what I read yesterday from these misguided and often hate filled individuals.

I was however on the phone while driving. I was talking with members of the team (both ours and Stargate’s) about the greatest fear of virtually everyone on our team, including mine. Then it was confirmed by a second source: SyFy elected to not renew Stargate Universe for a third season in 2011-2012. I knew I had to drive to Los Angeles and put out a few tweets, one of which in specific seems to have angered some. That tweet was that I knew that Stargate Universe would be canceled. In fact I was not told directly. While I had made calls to certain sources at MGM and SyFy, I was only told “news would be coming soon”. It was the tone of the e-mails and phone calls that lead me to believe 36 hours ago that Stargate Universe was not going to be renewed.

So when I said “I knew”, I erred and I apologize for that tweet. I did not mean to offend anyone. Nor will I delete it, but leave it there as an indication that I chose the wrong words while on the road to Los Angeles for a reporting assignment.

WHR was not told directly “Stargate Universe” is canceled until the SyFy public statement was released. What I “knew” was that the news of a business decision was “coming soon”. I shared my thoughts privately with few people. Sadly, the cancellation of Stargate Universe indeed seemed to be coming. This was at the end of the day Wednesday December 15, 2010.

Despite the information which seemed to confirm the pending news, it is not the policy nor the job of WormholeRiders News Agency to post rumors. Nor is it our job to initially announce whether a series is renewed or not. We post facts subsequent to reading official press releases and then confirming same from at least two sources. This confirmation came at approximately 11:45 AM Pacific time, some 45 minutes after SyFy made a public statement which they later tweeted as well:

“Syfy will end its original action-adventure series Stargate Universe when the show returns with the final 10 episodes of its second season in the Spring of 2011. The Stargate franchise — consisting of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe — has aired on Syfy since 2002.

Syfy has a slate of new sci-fi/fantasy scripted projects lined up for 2011 including the series premiere of Being Human on January 17, the recently green lit one-hour drama series Alphas and the much anticipated Battlestar Galactica prequel pilot movie, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome. Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven will also return with new seasons next year.”

I was reading the public statement (which was sent to everyone at the same time) when Michael Ausiello tweeted the news and then (literally) all hell broke loose. At first I thought that Michael had blind-sided everyone including SyFy, then I checked the time of the announcement. In fact SyFy had informed the actors and crews in advance with their public statement.

The problem is that Twitter in specific exploded before people even had a chance to read the press release. In a way, it would have been nice for each actor and crew person to be told individually. However that is not possible. Why? While I do know that a few did find out officially, most saw it on Twitter first. But even if a round of calls or e-mails were made, the complaint would then become why did “they” inform “that” person or persons first?

Is Stargate Universe season three announced as a series canceled by SyFy? Yes. Does this mean that the Stargate franchise is finished for the foreseeable future? Maybe. A lot depends on you the fans of Stargate. What can you, the fans, possibly do in a positive way to perhaps save the show?

I would suggest that we all take a lesson from Chuck fans. Buy the Stargate Universe DVD’s and Blu-ray disks from MGM and give them as Christmas or other gifts. Download the episodes from legal sources such as iTunes. Perhaps most critically, when Stargate Universe returns in April get everyone you know to watch the ten (10) un-aired episodes of the series LIVE (NOT DVR).

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, do not send threats or foul language tweets or e-mails to SyFy. That will do no good. Instead demonstrate that you support the Stargate franchise and maybe, just maybe, the series will be picked up. A bonus for all of the Stargate fans in being professional? You may just succeed and we could possibly get those two Stargate movies that all would like to see!

As previously tweeted, we will complete our reviews of every episode of Stargate Universe and finish adding all of them to the updated menu structure as soon as possible.

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question here. We will respond to your comment or question as soon as is possible.

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 Team or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story.

After a number of tweets thanking the creators, the actors, the crews and MGM Studios, I will see you all soon at the Hollywood Auction 43 and on “The Other Side“! Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn

December 17, 2010
Stargate Universe: Resurgence

Welcome back Stargate Universe (SGU) fans.

Watching Tuesday’s episode, Resurgence, was so bittersweet knowing that we would have to wait until April 2011 before a new episode aired, and the greenlight for Stargate Universe season 3 had not yet been announced.

If you have not seen this episode, please know that my review below will contain complete spoilers.

In every episode written by Joe Mallozzi, you are going to find a fair amount of snarkiness. The snark-o-meter rang high during Resurgence (as you will be able to see down below in my favorite lines). You will also be guaranteed a large amount of action. Will Waring was back once again to help direct this mid-season finale.

We open with Rush (Robert Carlyle) on the bridge, trying to be patient with the perceived incompetence in the others working their stations. Dr. Brody (Peter Kelamis) discovers a signal; Destiny goes to investigate.

Before dropping out of FTL, Rush tries to radio Eli (David Blue) but getting no response, he pays him a personal visit. Rush knows only too well the grief Eli is experiencing.

Destiny comes across the remnants of a space battle, a graveyard as Camile (Ming-Na) called it.

Rush suggests Brody should be the one to explore this site; Brody looks quite pleased with that.

Things continue to get awkward with Scott (Brian Jacob Smith) and Chloe (Elyse Levesque). Chloe’s metamorphosis is accelerating. She calls Scott out for the lack of intimacy between them as evidence that he knows where the road is leading (or as the writers will have us believe). I am still rooting for a metamorphosis of Chloe to part alien to give her superhero powers, but they discover that she is an ally and not an enemy.

Having made a personal connection with Eli when his mom’s health took a turn for the worse on Earth, Camile tries to get him to open up.

Scott, Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and Brody leave to investigate one of the ships in the debris field. Another ship powers up; it looks like a beetle.

After finding their target sites, Greer makes the initial jump (as the locks are not perfectly sealed).

A thought crossed my mind seeing Greer with a gun on the alien ship. What use are the guns in a zero-gravity environment? Has NASA ever fired a gun in space? Surely it would be propelled some distance, but to have a deadly impact. Apparently a gun can fire in space. “Gunfire is a controlled contained fire which expands and propels a projectile out of its confinement. There must be oxygen, fuel and heat present to have fire.

At first glance one would think since there is no oxygen in space that a gun could not fire, but that is not true. There is oxidizer present within gunpowder sufficient to fire the gun. Guns can fire underwater too, but when the gun barrel is filled with water there may be enough resistance within the barrel to cause it to burst. In space however, not only can the gun fire, but likely better than on Earth, since as stated earlier the water in the barrel offers dangerous resistance, air in the barrel offers a minute amount of drag as well, in space, a gunshot would have no air resistance and thus more muzzle velocity than on Earth.”

I also discovered that “a gun will fire in the vacuum of space. And with approximately 14 psi more force due to the lack of atmospheric pressure. The powder contains the oxidizer needed for the explosion. In free fall or gravity-less situation the recoil or ‘kick’ could move the shooter.”

Meanwhile, on Destiny, TJ (Alaina Huffman) visits Varro (Mike Dopud). He says, “I haven’t seen you in awhile.” Does this suggest that TJ has been seeing Varro on a regular basis? He inquires about the Eden dwellers and her baby, and tries to show comfort after she shares that her baby was not among them, that Destiny was trying to protect her. He grabs her hand, suggesting that he would protect her as well. I am looking forward to the future episodes that Joe Mallozzi spoke of on his blog where a love triangle erupts between Varro, TJ, and Young.

TJ spots movement outside Varro’s window. Shortly thereafter, she has to leave; Varro wants to help. The writers are not quite ready for that (but soon).

The Destiny shows the crew the battle simulation. Eli realizes that some ships are just shut down and tells them they have to leave. NOW! Young (Louis Ferreira) radios Scott, Greer and Brody to return.

An visually stunning space battle ensues courtesy of the amazing talents of Mark Savela and his team. I can only imagine the number of days, or weeks, they spent on those sequences.

After trying to communicate and waiting an appropriate amount of time for a response, given the hostiles are not firing upon Destiny, Young orders them to return fire. Once again we see the talents of the visual effects team as the shuttle returns to Destiny and blows up a bad guy in the process.

I wonder if Dr. Park liked firing the big guns?

The FTL engines are offline and things do not look good. Another ship drops out of FTL. Guess who’s coming to dinner? Yahoo! Colonel Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) is back!

They are headed for cover and power-up in the local star, a place their enemies cannot follow. This is Varro’s first time flying in a star. The visual effects shots of a star power-up never gets old, but this time, we are treated to two ships.

Telford comes aboard and recounts his story of his time on the alien ship, what he learned about the Ursini and who their enemies are. The Ursini want Destiny’s help.

Eli pays a visit to Chloe to keep her abreast of the latest. She does not believe the Ursini can be trusted.

The Ursini want Destiny to attack the command carrier. Rush wants to buy Destiny some time to make repairs and double-cross the Ursini until the repairs can be made. The Ursini are going to give Destiny a lift in FTL. Rush does not see the problem with this until Young says that they hold the key to dialing Earth, which tells Rush that Young is still not 100% committed to Destiny’s mission.

Rush returns to the bridge and spots an error Eli is making. Eli has his mind on other things. Rush is blunt about Eli’s loss and about Eli’s ability to be able to control that even with all of his abilities. It sounded like Rush was paraphrasing from the talk Scott had with him on the Malice planet.

The Ursini accept the deal and jumps Destiny together with the seed ship.

They drop out of FTL too soon. The Ursini have tricked them and placed them right before the command carrier.

The Destiny engages in battle with the ships from the command carrier.

Chloe wants to help and grabs Eli a little bit too hard but once out of her room, she knocks the guard out (Cpl. Baras, played by Jacob Blair) and leaves (great stunt sequence from James Bamford and company). Even doors can no longer contain Chloe, but Young sends Scott out to find her. Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) also helps.

The infirmary is packed with patients and TJ sends for Varro to come and help.

Scott finds Chloe at a console but says, “It’s too late.” The seed ship is not responding. There is nowhere to fall back. Destiny is getting a beating and the shields are almost gone. And this is where we are CRUELY left until April 2011.

FAVORITE LINES

I had so many favorite lines in this episode.

1. The opening sequence, but especially:
Rush to Brody: Mr. Brody, please don’t make me come over there.
Brody: “Why don’t you by my guest?”

2. Young to Rush: “What do you mean distant? We’re on a spaceship in the middle of nowhere. From where I’m sitting, EVERYTHING is distant.”

3. When Dr. Park (Jennifer Spence) suggests the signal may be that of intelligent life, Rush says, “Best-case scenario” in his opinion.
Volker (Patrick Gilmore): For real??? Do I have to remind everyone of what happened the last time we encountered an alien life form, or the time before that, OR the time before that.
Park: But you can’t judge a neighborhood by a bunch of bad neighbors.
Volker: Are you kidding? That’s EXACTLY how you judge a neighborhood.

4. Eli to Camile: “…and screw The Last Starfighter because all these hours playing HALO didn’t prepare me for this.”

5. Eli to Camile: “You guys are worried because I’m a little distracted?”
Camile: We’re worried because given recent events you should be a hell of a lot more than just a little distracted.

6. Eli to Camile about Riley (Haig Sutherland): “You know what’s weird? Sometimes I’ll forget that he’s gone. I’ll actually walk into the gate room and turn my head and for a splint second, I wonder where the hell he is, and then I remember.
Camile: He was a very important part of your life here.
Eli: When your whole world collapses down to less than 100 people in a confined space, it all becomes important to you, Camile. Riley was part of the ship and losing him…it wasn’t just sad, it was wrong.
Camile: What about losing Ginn?” (Julie McNiven)

Eli gives her a look like “don’t go there” and backs out. Ming-Na and David Blue had some stellar acting in a beautifully written scene.

7. Greer to Brody: So when did you finish fixing the third suit?

Brody: Yesterday. It’s perfectly safe.
Greer: Alright. Wait, wait, wait. How come I’m wearing it and you’re not?
Brody: Easier to fix if something goes wrong…which it won’t…in all likelihood.

Peter Kelamis has such great comedic timing. I am glad the writers are giving our guest-stars some opportunities to shine.

8. Greer to Brody: “Just shut up and let me work.” The “shut up” phrase is getting as much air play as “a lot of work.”

9. When an alert pings on the bridge, Young says, “What the hell was that?”
Eli: It’s Destiny letting us know it finished assembling the simulation….either that or pie’s done.

Yum! Could that be a nice blueberry alien pie?

10. When Young asks Eli to communicate with the alien hostiles: “I want you to broadcast a message.”
Eli: In Ancient?
Young: Ancient, English, bat signal, whatever else you’ve got. Tell them we are not a threat.

11. Wray to Young: “As simple as that.”
Young: I doubt it will be simple. I’m hoping for a step up from impossible.

12. On the bridge, when Rush points out that Eli’s error was causing problems, Eli says, “Shit.” I have listened to this 20 times now. Closed captioning says he says, “shoot”, and with closed captioning on, I could possibly be persuaded to hear “shoot.” But with my eyes closed with no closed captioning on, it’s “shit.” File this under: I love when “shit” gets past the censors!

13. Rush to Eli that he hasn’t screwed up…yet: “I’m sure with your present attitude it’s only a matter of time.”

It was difficult for me to write this review. Subconsciously I think by not writing it, I could imagine that next week there was going to be another new episode. It now will be 4 months before I get to write another SGU review. I will continue to hope through the month of December that we get our Christmas present: SGU has been renewed for season 3. Until then, keep letting both Syfy and MGM hear your voice.

Thank you again for reading this post. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me via Facebook or Twitter. You are welcome to use WormholeRiders News Agency new “share” feature as well. Have a lovely day.

Hilda Bowen (aka PBMom)

December 12, 2010
Stargate Universe: Malice Post Review

Some called it a game-changer; others called it epic. I call it Stargate at its finest moments.

Written and directed by Robert C. Cooper, it had the air about it of the Stargate Atlantis: Vegas episode and I loved it. As with all my post review stories, this will contain full spoilers, so please come back later if you have not yet seen the episode.

Although full of action and drama compelling the story to move forward, there were brief pauses, long enough for us to catch our breath to be present during some emotional fallout for our heroes, only for the story to be propelled forward once again. All the main and supporting characters were put in jeopardy. I could not count the number of heart-beat pauses I had, hoping that the “Ginn (Julie McNiven) is dead” was a red herring thrown out to us by Syfy, that no one else would die in this episode.

The question of what happens if one was using the communication stones and died was answered. It was speculated in season 1 but this now confirms it: Both parties die in both body and consciousness. It gave me shivers to see Ginn’s body (Dr. Perry’s [Kathleen Munroe] consciousness) look like her neck was broken. The irony is that Dr. Perry on Earth ( with Ginn’s consciousness) had quadriplegia, which is paralysis from the neck down and D r. Perry was on a ventilator to live.

We begin the epis ode, however, when Dr. Park (Jennifer Spence), Dr. Volker (Patrick Gilmore), Dr. Brody (Peter Kelamis) and Eli (David Blue) expressing their feelings of distrust of Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) while Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) plays the diplomat to restore a better working relationship. Although they called Dr. Rush up for a question (the reason why he left Dr. Perry/Ginn’s body) just a few moments ago, and he would never outwardly admit it, I think he was glad for the break. He walks over to see Dr. Perry (Ginn’s body). When she does not answer, he opens the door to find Ginn’s body (that contained Dr. Perry consciousness) on the ground dead.

Things move quickly from here. Eli goes into shock mode. They discover Dr. Perry on earth (Ginn’s consciousness) is also dead. Simeon (Robert Knepper) killed his guard and is on the loose. He arms himself and then shoots Dunning (Darcy Laurie) and another crew member to get into the armory before he leaves for the gateroom.

However, minor possible flick flub: I only counted 2 mines (6 in the box, 4 were left) that he took, yet 3 mines were used on the planet (on Dr. Park, on Dr. Rush, and as a trap for 2nd Lt. James’ team).

He takes Dr. Park hostag e. Dr. Volker is concerned but petrified. I believe Dr. Park is waiting for him to take charge and save her life (to be aggressive, not assertive), but he says, “Take me.” That is a big statement for Dr. Volker. Volker has been reminding of a lot like the cowardly lion on the Wizard of Oz. He is working on it though and this was a huge step. For Dr. Park it was not forceful or passionate enough. Once Simeon and Dr. Park are through the gate, he does not charge to her rescue either. Certainly he loves her.

Then in barges Dr. Rush, enraged after knowing a second woman he loved was now dead, who just runs unabashed through the gate. Volker’s expression is priceless.

Young leads a team to enter the gateroom, while Scott (Brian Jacob Smith) and his team flank him. Guess who is in the scene, spotting a pretty nice new hairdo? None other than fan favorite extra: Herb Sommerfeld (whom I have dubbed on Twitter as the fantabulous SGU extra). We thank Herb for sharing what his life as an extra is like in the many forums (Twitter, chatrooms, Facebook, etc.)

Once through the gate, Rush’s mind is only on getting Simeon, but he could not leave Dr. Park with a mine strapped on her back. In his crosshairs, Simeon was about to shoot but the wormhole activated and he left. Jennifer Spence was given a wonderful chance to stretch her acting legs from just the scientist/minx on the ship to showing a lovely range of emotions of fears, anxiety, resignation of death, trying to make peace with it and forgiveness to all who could not help her. Rush gets the device off and we are given our first special effects explosion of the evening, from the talented Wray Douglas and C. Scott Stofer.

Scott and Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) go through the gate first. Scott goes off after Rush; Greer comforts his woman (Dr. Park). Lt. James and other unidentified crew also join her. It must be the era of when I grew up, but I kept hearing the song, “Manhunt” in my head from the 1980’s (the song from Flashdance: “I’m goin’ on a manhunt…”

The wounded are taken to medbay where TJ (Alaina Huffman) does her best to save as many as she can. We lose more crew members. The infirmary scene was interesting. Here the group is on a ship whose technology is far superior to that of our own, yet medicine-wise, they are reverted to almost 19th century before the invention of antibiotics, when a simple wound could kill you. It gave what was happening on the Destiny a nice “western” feel to match what was occurring on the planet.

Scott’s leadership skills continue to blossom as does his personal growth, learning that the world is not black and white, but shades of gray. He lends his gift of listening to Rush who had a breakdown after losing yet the second woman he loved (Dr. Perry). They talk more about Scott understanding why Rush did the things that he did.

Varro (Mike Dopud) is summoned and wants to help, but Young refuses to let him. Heavy sigh. I was hoping for more lines for Varro, but I will be happy with what I got.

Trying to understand why Simeon let him live, Brody gives him a few explanations: He’s a soldier, to him this is war, you were unarmed…” Volker: “You think he was being honorable.” Brody: “That, or he knew how much it would torture you.” After hearing what Simeon says to Rush at the end, it is obviously the latter of the two. When Park comes back on board, Volker apologizes and Park says she knew he did everything he could, but her eyes glance downward and give her true feelings away–she did not think he did everything he could: She needs a man like Greer (or any soldier I guess) to protect her. I felt so badly for Dr. Volker.

Park joins Volker, Brody and Eli who are tasked at prolonging or stopping the clock to give the people on the planet more time. However, Eli continues down the path of the grieving process, biting the heads off anyone in his path until Young snaps him back into reality with a reminder that he is not the only person on board who has lost someone for whom they cared.

Pinned down in a ravine, Scott calls in James for reinforcement, but when she approaches, Rush realizes it is a trap. Another wondrous special effects moment is captured.

My heart stops. Have they decided to kill off Lt. James, too? I cursed the commercial break despite its brilliant placement.

Obviously battered, James and her team survive with just injuries.

When Young, Greer and Rush catch up to Simeon, there is a nice call-back to Air III when Rush ordered Greer to shoot Dr. Franklin (Mark Burgess) to prevent him going through the gate. Rush tells Greer to shoot, and Greer maims.

In an unexpected twist, as Rush is arguing when Greer did not kill versus just injuring him, Greer is shot. My heart stopped again. At this point, I’m thinking perhaps I need to buy a personal defibrillator for my home if SGU continues to roll out episodes like this. While Scott tends to Greer, Rush leaves and then ignores Scott’s pleas to turn back.

The Destiny crew receives some unexpected help from Chloe (Elyse Levesque) to give the people on the planet more time. Her mind is evolving to the point where the complex math equations are making sense to her.

Simeon hates the Tauri because people he loved were killed. He understands Rush wanting revenge. He tells Rush he did not kill him before because he wanted the pain to eat Rush alive like it did for him, which is a fate worse than death. Simeon tells him to bring it on; this time he will kill Rush. Rush spots Simeon and a group of new visual effects creatures who I am now calling the buffalosaursus rex (or buffosaur with some great brainstorming with Kenn–thank you) because they look like a cross between buffalo with their humps and hooves, part dinosaur, and part T-rex with their upper arms close to their torsos). He formulates the perfect plan that includes the use of C4.

A nice western shoot-out occurs–

–with a twist: A stampede!

Have I said how much I love the visual effects department lately? It always feel like Christmas, actually better than Christmas (they do all the hard work and I get all the rewards that I can enjoy again and again).

Not quite dead, Rush walks over and inflicts the final killing blow.

It’s a long walk back to the gate for Rush as we listen to the beautiful sounds by Joel Goldsmith. Most of the episode has this weird “Twang” western-like sound to it, but along this walk was the wind howling accompanied by traditional Stargate music with Navajo/Hopi Indian inspirations. It was as haunting as Rush’s walk. He arrives at the gate only to find once again he is abandoned on the planet….or is he? I think he was secretly pleased to see Scott, then James and then others emerge from their hiding positions. Trust in each other will take one act of faith at a time.

Favorite lines:
1. When they are listening to the background noise the Ancients heard that led them on this mission, Young says: “Sounds like static to me.” Eli: “You were expecting Stairway to Heaven?”

2. When Rush is trying to defuse the bomb on Park’s back and Volker is talking: “Please shut up.”

3. On seeing there is an animal lifeform on the planet, Greer says, “Is it something we can barbeque?”
Greer does like his flamethrowers in any form, doesn’t he?

4. Scott: Eli says there may be unforeseeable consequences as a result. Rush: “Well there always are, aren’t there.”

This indeed was one of the best Stargate Universe episodes yet. It had drama, moments of humor, team unity, use of the Stargate, a sense of uncertainty if some of our main characters would live or die, and aliens. I would like to thank Julie McNiven, Kathleen Munroe and Robert Knepper for bringing such power to their characters that fans identified with them immediately and longed for them to stay part of the Stargate universe.

The one thing, though, that fans know is that no one ever TRULY dies in science fiction, so we will just hope that some clever plot device will allow us to see your characters in some fashion in the future. We look forward to following your careers as you journey to new adventures. You are part of the Stargate family now. Once on Stargate, always part of Stargate.

Thank you again for reading this post. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me via Facebook or Twitter. You are welcome to use WormholeRiders News Agecy new “share” feature as well. Have a lovely day. Hilda Bowen (aka PBMom)

November 21, 2010
Stargate Universe: “Malice” Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for stopping by.

Hilda Bowen (PBMom).

November 16, 2010

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