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Tag: Intelligence

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: Visitation Review

Welcome back Stargate Universe (SGU) fans!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now we will know what happens to Carmen, TJ’s (Alaina Huffman) and Young’s baby. In my post on “Intervention”, however, having had a similar experience to what was scripted, I said this: “So here I was sitting, watching a mirror experience of my life being performed on Stargate Universe. On the Destiny, I am certain Carmen’s body remains, yet she exists in this other state. Are the people on the Faith planet dead now, just remaining alive in this alternate plane of existence?

I think so, but time will tell.” My heart knew the fall she was about to take, but I also need for certainty. Caine (Tygh Runyan), Val (Camille Sullivan), Peter (Tobias Slezak), and Dr. Chan (Bill Y. W. Butt, aka B.A.G.) were all there. But no baby. Also of note, the character was supposed to be called Vince Kwan instead of Dr. Chan (or Dr. Chen? hard to tell with Mr. Carlyle’s accent), but I guess that was changed as well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAVORITE LINES

I had quite a lot of them in this episode.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you for taking the time to read.

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

PBMom (Hilda)

November 29, 2010
Stargate Universe: Malice 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
Stargate Universe: The Greater Good

Welcome back SGU fans!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAVORITE LINES AND/OR SCENES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hilda Bowen (aka PBMom)

November 15, 2010
Press Release: New Webseries Alert! Spotlight on “The Dream Detective” with Ryan Robbins!

Hello everybody!

Are you guys ready to learn to get some knowledge? About what, you may ask… Why, The Dream Detective webseries of course produced by “Are You Awake TV” ! And lucky for you, that’s what I’m here to talk about today.

While I was at Comic-Con International this year, I was invited to attend The Dream Detective’s event. I was able to meet the creators, producers and actors on this series and talk to them a bit about their new show.

From what I’ve heard and read about it, it seems like it’s going to be following in the webseries footsteps of Sanctuary and Riese. And by that I mean: This is going to be huge. First, a little about the show, straight from the press kit. It’s been edited just the slightest bit because we’ve got young readers. You should know though, this is going to be a much more adult series than Sanctuary or Riese.

“The Dream Detective is a modern noir detective story, combining the suspense and anticipation of classical mystery with a sexy and stylish edge. A thread of the supernatural is woven throughout, tying the story together and lending an air of surrealism and fantasy.”

The plot picks up with the life of Aaron Street (played by Ryan Robbins – Sanctuary, Stargate: Atlantis, Caprica, Battlestar Galactica) a three-time loser in prison for petty crimes, when he’s given one last shot at redemption in the form of an unusual condition: sudden bouts of narcolepsy give him the ability to see murders as they happen and track down the killers. Using his extraordinary ability, some negotiating and more than a little luck, Aaron soon finds himself released from prison, in the driver’s seat of an amazing car and hooked up with a gorgeous new partner, Charlotte Amalie (played by Alana Husband – Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Intelligence, The L Word).

However, Aaron’s dream quickly becomes a nightmare when he encounters a sadistic killer who begins to invade his dreams. Soon, events are spiraling out of control as a host of characters, from the sultry Brianna Limon to the ruthless Rodger the Dodger, scheme, steal and kill towards their own ends.

“Aaron must overcome his own deficiencies and stop the spree of murders before he himself becomes the victim… But the line between dreams and reality is thinner than it appears.”

I know, right?! It sounds amazing! And, hey, who amongst the ladies doesn’t like watching RyRo on our screens…? Am I right? Thought so.

The Dream Detective isn’t just a webseries though. This series is not only going to have a graphic novel illustrated by DC Comics and Marvel Comics legend Richard Pace, but it is also going to have original music, its own fashion line and for all you gamers out there, an alternate reality game that will take you deeper into The Dream Detective and make you a part of that world.

Here’s a short vignette to give you a preview of what you can expect from your future favorite web series show!

Yes, I know. I can’t wait either. Show your support for the show by getting the “Dream or Scream” Facebook application. And, if you are lucky enough to attend the New York Comic-Con this year, there will actually be a live action event taking place that you can be a part of! I wish I was going. Especially because I’m pretty sure I know what the prize at the end is and Holy Hannah, do I want it. Bad! Speaking of wanting things, the fashion line that they are developing sounds incredible. There is going to be a replica of a “sexy yet classy flight attendant uniform” jacket in leather as well as a one of a kind men’s leather jacket. The line is going to include everything from cosmetics to designer bags to lingerie. These guys at Are You Awake TV are really pulling out all the stops aren’t they? There’s a little something for everyone with The Dream Detective. Whether you’re a gamer, comic reader, music buff, or just fashion forward, you will want to keep your eyes on this exciting new series. I know I'm going to. As always, thanks for reading! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a message down below or you can follow me on Twitter by clicking on my picture to the right. ~ MeaganSue

August 26, 2010

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