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Stargate Universe: Season 2 Episode 12 “Twin Destinies” Analysis with Full Episode Video

Welcome back Stargate Universe fans!!!

Wow, this has been a while since I have written a review for Stargate Universe. Did you miss me?

I know that last review I wrote was way back when with the season one tenth episode “Space”. That was a great experience for me as I have never ever accomplished something of sharing my perspectives like that before.

Although I wrote my “Space” review as a play-by-play of what occurred, this one is more of my impressions of what I thought about and of “Twin Destinies”. Several sections of “Twin Destinies” (directed by Stargate legend Peter DeLuise) are pointed out either as to what caught my eye the most or what I found especially entertaining. So be prepared that I may jump all over the episode with this review. Let us get on with the reason why you are here, my analysis.

We start off with a meeting of all essential bodies discussing their options of fixing the Destiny. Unfortunately with no parts or any clue as to how to fix the ship, the only apparently viable option is what Eli Wallace (David Blue) suggests. That option is to dial the ninth chevron and go home to Earth while recharging Destiny in a sun!

Of course Dr Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) rejects that reasoning. Even if they did manage to dial the gate and go home, it could very well blow up the ship according to Rush. With no one really caring *mainly cause they would be on their way home*, Rush speaks up and suggests that some people may want to stay behind with him and continue on the mission and journey aboard Destiny.

Rush is one of these people that is hard to figure out. He started off as a very conniving individual who is hell bend on doing what has to be done as long as “his” mission is completed. Then later on you see that he does genuinely care for people until something or someone threatens his plans. Then as we have observed he goes right back to his old ways.

I had really thought that when he started “seeing” his wife Gloria Rush (Louise Lombard) and Dr. Jeremy Franklin (Mark Burgess) in the actual bridge, that he would lighten up a bit. And for a while he did. What was a surprise actually was Col. Everett Young (Louis Ferreira) siding with Rush in his decision to stay aboard Destiny. This actually shocked me more than surprized me. However that was a short lived change of heart in Rush as we soon discover. I wondered if we will see a real change of heart in “Twin Destinies”? Let’s find out!

Why on earth would anyone what to stay aboard the Destiny when you have a way home is beyond me. Maybe Rush has got something to prove to someone, or to himself. Which I think is most likely. It is like he can never ever be wrong. And when someone does point out something that he might have overlooked, he gets agitated and lashes out to whoever is in close proximity.

Of course every chance Col. David Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) could get to undermine Col Young or especially Rush, he was going to do it. When they were all gathered in the gate room (the first time), Telford took the opportunity to have his say. Not sure if it would have worked or not, Young seems to have the backing of everyone on board. Well, almost everyone.

Eli I have found has grown a lot since the beginning, and especially since the death of Ginn (Julie McNiven). He’s gotten more outspoken, especially when up against Rush in certain matters. We seen that when he stood up to Young after Rush was left on the planet, “well you should have thought of that before you got rid of Rush!”.

Two of the best recent scenes occurred in “Twin Destinies” and both were hilarious. The first was the return of Dr. Bill Lee (Bill Dow) in an exchange of conscience mind with Eli via the Ancient Communications Stones when they talked about computer gaming. Leave it to the two great geeks of Stargate, Eli and Dr. Lee to discuss gaming during a crisis!

The second was a chat between Lt. Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) and Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) about Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett). The ladies including Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) were comparing Eli to the other genius’ of the Stargate program and were having a very hard time thinking past Dr. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks). Then they suddenly and a bit reluctantly recalled that McKay had leered at each of them in the past before the mission. (David Hewlett returns to reprise his role in the Stargate Universe episode “Seizure” to be aired in April 2011)

These next set of pictures are taken from various places in the episode. I think that the special effects are nothing but brilliant. For someone like me that does not have a clue how it is done, Mr. Mark Savela and his team really out-do themselves in every episode. I mean, I understand the concept of the green screen when the actors are in the gate room and such, but this with the computer generated special effects are beyond me. I will just sit back and enjoy. I am completely amazed with the brilliance of his teams VFX work.

OK, I do not know if you feel the same as I do or not, but does it creep you out that we have TWO Dr. Rush’s? When I watched “Twin Destinies” The geeky-ness factor (yes it is my new word for today) just went up a few levels! We have seen in the other two Stargate series (Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis) the usages of parallel universes and what happens when you have the same person in the one reality. Only goes to show how they make it different in each situation.

After the failed attempt to get the crew safely home and with two Rush’s on-board after the discovery of the second alternate reality Destiny, the only course of action was a salvage mission to obtain the spare parts required.

With two Rush’s that means double the deception! Rush ‘A’ is bad enough, but having Rush ‘B’ as well, that is a recipe for disaster. Although with Telford being his usual charming self *snicker*, he and Rush ‘B’ got into a little dispute. I do not think that Telford had much respect for Rush anyway, though it makes one wonder if there were any differences at all from Rush ‘B’s reality compared to Rush ‘A’s. I used the concept of Rush ‘A’ and ‘B’ from Teddy and Ajay when they were discussing the episode on InnerSPACE on SPACE channel.

Though we all know that you can’t push Rush too much, he will only push right back. And unfortunately for Telford, we see just that. But if you think about it, if we have two Rush’s, which Telford is this one? And for that matter, why didn’t Rush ‘B’ experience tropic cascade failure like Dr. Samantha Carter did in the episode “Point of View” from Stargate SG-1?

She was in the same time dimension as Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) in no time when she started having problems. You can’t have two of the same person in the same universe. Or can you?? I guess we are left to ponder that one. Or maybe they can answer that at the next convention they attend. If someone could ask that, can you please let me know the answer? 😉

After Rush ‘B’ shoved Telford, the mere look on Rush’s face made me think that maybe he felt guilty of killing Telford. At one point, it looked like Rush was going to grab for Telford and save him (if that was even possible) when he was reaching out for him. Then of course when Rush ‘B’ realizes he can not help Telford, he leaves and heads off.

Of course it does not help matters when Rush ‘A’ and Lt. Scott finds the dead Col Telford and hurries off leaving the young Lt behind. Again, same old Rush. It’s scary that even though they are from a different time, space and experience, they are still the same in all other aspects.

Now I can never end off this analysis without adding my thoughts about Varro (Mike Dopud). Albeit he has a small appearance Mr. Dopud is still lovely to see as I am sure all the ladies agree!

But no review of mine is not complete without having a nice butt shot of Varro from behind, LOL. I HAD to add in that picture for a certain someone who loves to look, LOL *wink*.

Now as soon as I observed this, I couldn’t help myself but tweet something a little typical of me. I will tone it down here, because I never know who is actually reading this. But can you say “Varro a tad bit roasted.”? LOL

At the end of the episode while the spare parts have been procured, the fate of the remainder of the crew is unknown. The twin Rush’s do the right thing with alternate Rush sacrificing his life to maintain control of alternate Destiny allowing Rush and Lt. Scott to barely escape.

As alternate reality Destiny is destroyed in the star and since only Telford actually made it to Earth, this leaves one to believe that the others were either killed or transported to another destination as a result of the unstable wormhole.

The crew compliment of Destiny is now at a bare bones level!

Support your local Stargate and make tune in live to find out what has happened and help boost the ratings. We thank you for your support. Stargate Universe returns with “Alliances” on March 21 in the United States and March 22, 2011 in Canada on the SPACE Channel. In the meantime we include the full episode courtesy of Syfy for your pleasure. Enjoy!

And again, thank you for popping by the WormholeRiders News Agency. Hope you come again. And I shall try to have the next one out sooner. You can leave a comment on here or you can message me, karenford1, on twitter by clicking on my avatar.

Thank you.

XO

March 19, 2011
Stargate Universe: Deliverance – The Fate of the Stargate Franchise!

Hello once again Stargate fans,

With all our thanks to Syfy for airing the last ten episodes of Stargate Universe, the series returned for its apparently last blast of Destiny. Episode 11 of the second season of Stargate Universe “Deliverance” aired Monday March 07, 2011 with epic special effect sequences by the talented team of creators at Bridge Studios and MGM Studios.

Under the genius of Mark Savela and his VFX team including Sonia Gilmore, the sequences and special effects are exquisite and deserve an award .

Having been of a mind to not cloud the issue and despite valiant efforts from many areas of the Stargate fandom, the return of Stargate Universe garnered ratings of just over 1.036 million views with a ratings share of 0.45 in the critical 18-48 age group and 0.6HH, we waited to post this analysis of Deliverance.

Here at WHR we did our part and set a new worlds record watching Deliverance over 28 times on COMCAST ON-DEMAND. 25 viewings occurred within 24 hours after the episode became available and 3 times the evening of the broadcast on March 7. You the fans of Stargate in the United States can also help by watching Stargate Universe ON-DEMAND as well to boost the viewing numbers. Thank you.

The saga of the Destiny story picked up from with the impending battle well underway between the attack drones whom were awakened in “Resurgence” upon the discovery of a space wasteland, actually the site of a horrendous defeat for an alien race of beings known the Ursini whom face extinction at the hands of the heartless drones.

To our glee the entire main cast of Stargate Universe returns with the exception of Varro (Mike Dopud) whom we will see tonight in “Twin Destinies”, next week in “Alliances” and in the near future in an episode called “The Hunt”.

With her engines down, the Destiny was a sitting duck until the unexpected arrival of Blue Aliens who entered the fray to somewhat deflect the attack. The Blue Aliens are of course being self seeking wanting to obtain access to Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) for intelligence on the Destiny, their relentless obsession. Chloe was last observed on the bridge of Destiny with her new acquired knowledge. Chloe condition is well advanced as she is converting to becoming a hybrid of the Blue Aliens themselves.

The Ursini is fighting to avoid extinction after they had attempted to drain power from the Destiny when they suddenly realize that only the Destiny may be able to help them. They transmitted a message to Col. David Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) to attack the Drone Command Ship as their only means of survival under the circumstances.

Despite knowing the strategy from the hint given by the Ursini, the Attack Drones have protected their Achilles Heel, the Command Ship making it well out of firing range of the Destiny’s power main weapons battery at the moment. Eli Wallace (David Blue) in a state of stark realization says “There are hundreds of them” (attack drones). The attack proceeds while Eli works on a solution.

On the bridge of Destiny, Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) is accompanied by Sgt. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) where they discovered that Chloe had sent a message to the Blue Aliens revealing the location of the Destiny in what appears to be an act of betrayal under the alien influence. In a moment right out of his character Sgt. Greer is completely ready weapon in hand to eliminate Chloe with “She sold us out” quip.

Naturally Lt. Scott intervenes telling Greer to “just hold on” and seeks guidance discussing the matter with Col. Everett Young (Louis Ferreira). As we find out, Sliver Surfer Chloe sent in a call in the Blue Aliens knowing that they would present another target for the vicious attack drones. The strategy succeeds as half the drones veer off to attack the new incoming targets and re-deploy to protect their Drone Command Ship.

Here is where the mastery of 15 years of Stargate creativity comes into play. The battle scenes, the veering off of the little drone monsters are so effective and realistic that one can only bow in humble account to what Mark Savela’s VFX team have accomplished. Being a long time admirer of the visual effects used in all the Stargate series and movies, they are a delight to behold. With the drones re-deployed an opportunity to launch a counter strike against the Drone Command Ship. Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) comments that by doing so the Destiny will take heavy damage in the process.

Eli Wallace (David Blue) analyzes the situation that by emitting a jamming signal will disrupt the sub-space communications and likely stop the attack. Col. Young realize this is their only chance ordering them to proceed with the implementation. This will provide the much needed few seconds for destroying the Drone Command Ship.

In the meantime suspected traitor Chloe is locked up for her sending of a message to the Blue Aliens by her lover Lt. Scott. Little do Lt. Scott and Greer realize that she has told them the truth and is in fact helping to save Destiny from destruction.

Now some may see this as a predictable plot in the story arc, I do not. Entertainment of the caliber of Stargate Universe is to be enjoyed from my perspective. Much like seeing a classic stage play that has been performed countless times, a key to entertainment viewing is to activate ones “Willing Suspension of Disbelief” and just enjoy it. Many people however also enjoy dissecting a story to look for what is about to happen.

Those in the entertainment business, especially actors, screen writers, producers and directors, find such to be a joyless activity knowing that a fair review (even of a timeless classic like The Sound of Music) is best enjoyed by simply allowing yourself to become immersed in the arc of the tale unfolding. Believe me folks and try it sometime and you may find the experience most enjoyable.

At this point we are treated to the brief flashes of Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) and Dr. Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) and Col. Telford under the command of Col. Young as they maneuver Destiny into firing position after Eli and Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) send out the jamming signal in the nick of time. Rush in one of his usual and enjoyable moments tells Eli :See what you can do when you apply yourself!” Naturally the expression on Eli’s face says it all!

The blasting of the soulless Drone Command Ship is a superb series of visual effects at its very best. After viewing the sequence 28 times I never tire of watching the enemy getting blown to smithereens! We also learn that two of the three Blue Alien ships were destroyed in the battle, which the third one so heavily damaged that it poses no threat to Destiny for the moment. It was nice vindication for Chloe that she did the “right thing”.

Based on Chloe’s facial expressions when confined, I believed she also took a sense of satisfaction in what she accomplished; getting revenge for the terror of being experimented on that she endured when taken captive by the relentless Blue Aliens.

Next we get to see another favorite character Lt. Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) tending to the wounded and talking with Lt. Scott. This wonderful actress is always so natural she is simply a pleasure to behold. TJ is more than understandably concerned about Chloe after she had broke both arms of another crewman as she made her way to the bridge in Resurgence. Huffman is a favorite of all Stargate fans and always will be!

As the episode continues we learn that the shield system is heavily damaged meaning that even though the FTL engines are now repaired, Destiny may be unable to escape. We observe Brody and Volker at a control panel of fried components shaking their heads in despair. Peter Kelamis and Patrick Gilmore, great friends in real life are very natural when acting together being a joy to behold.

As the repair process continues we learn that Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Col. Young have settled into a more than cordial respect for each other. These two characters have grown immeasurably being two of four of the only real leaders outside of Col. Telford and Camile Wray (MingNa) that have learned the only way to survive is to work together as a team. Much like the real world, learning to work in a team environment, despite difference of opinions is a crucial key to success in life. If only more people on planet Earth could learn this principle what a better world we would all live in.

Speaking of Camile Wray, one of my favorite scenes is with the four leaders Wray, Col. Telford, Dr. Rush and Col. Young. They arrive at the logical conclusion that their “fight” is now the same as the Ursini’s. Once again we observe that people with vastly different points of view can come together in a team spirit to save the Destiny and its crew from certain destruction.

And what of the Ursini? Having also escaped destruction, the nearly extinct cute little aliens send a message to their home world apparently seeking re-enforcements and to check on the fate of their race. This proves to be a major mistake since the heartless drones have overrun their home planet. The message they got back was in “Machine Language”. The message only serves to notify the drones that some of the Ursini have escaped and giving away their position to the little horrors of unknown cybernetic origins in the galaxy billions of light years from Earth.

In what may become a truly fateful quote, Camile Wray (MingNa) states to the others “So they really are the last of their kind”. Why fateful? Because dear Stargate fans if the radical elements of the Stargate fandoms, really factions that refuse to support Stargate Universe do not wake up soon and watch the show, the remaining nine episodes may be “The Last of their Stargate Kind”. The sad expression on Camile’s and all their faces is telling.

We here at WormholeRiders News Agency have been monitoring fan activity. To our dismay we continue to observe a group of fans whom are steadfast in their belief that a Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis movie will follow the end of Stargate Universe. Their latest strategy is to watch “Seizure” with David Hewlett and Robert Picardo to send a message themselves. What message? That SGA is better than SGU and they want Stargate Extinction.

This is not very likely at all people. Sadly, more layoffs have occurred at Bridge Studios including Mark Savela himself. Joseph Mallozzi and team have moved to Toronto and we have confirmed that more layoffs are just around the corner.

However to be optimistic, one of my philosophies is: “There are no problems, just opportunities and solutions waiting to be found and acted upon”. The opportunity for the Stargate fans boycotting Stargate Universe is to open their minds and hearts and watch the program faithfully for the next nine weeks. If ratings improve considerably the positive “message” the fans can send is “we understand the Stargate franchise is a whole being, not just one series, but all”. We suggest everyone be part of the solution. Thank you..

The fate of the Stargate movies depends on solid ratings to prove they will be a success. We here therefore trust that the word will get out to the fans and that ratings improve enough to justify the huge investment in them.

As we return to the crew and their plight another telling scene with a larger portion of the crew reminds us of what I have just shared with you. To encapsulate the single effect of this sequence it boils down to this: The crew is discussing “negotiating with the drones”. Dr. Rush and Col. Telford know that this is impossible with observations like “the race that built the drones died out long ago” and “their only mission is to destroy alien technology.

To the fans who claim to love Stargate (or really is it only a portion of it?), many have gone out of their way to express hatred by attacking Stargate Universe, the actors, their families as well as the creators. It is no coincidence that the writers deliberately wrote these lines into Deliverance. Their “message” is an analog to the fans whom have considered Stargate Universe to be “alien technology” bent on destroying the series without realizing they were also destroying the franchise in the process.

We segue to more favorite special effects scenes with the capture of a drone for examination for counter action. A decision is made send Chloe to the surviving Blue Alien ship in exchange for passage back to the Destiny. We observe Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) in a Destiny EVA suit capturing the drone. Once again the special effects sequences are exquisite.

In a “deal with the Blue Alien devils” the decision is made (inherent with the risk) that Chloe will reveal what she knows to the aliens. However the Blue Aliens may turn out to be not the villains many have suspected. They may in the opinion of this reviewer have a not so hostile intent and may be seeking the same “answers” as Dr. Rush. How do we know this?

In the season two promotional trailer we observed the Blue Aliens coming through the Destiny gate. Destiny had been in their region of space for countless eons. It is my opinion Destiny was considered by the Blue Aliens to be a prelude to an invasion of their territory. Is it not the same here on Earth with colonization by the western powers? Did not the indigent populations always perceive the same things? The story of the American Indians comes to mind as well as countless stories dating back thousands of years in human history.

If you watched the season two promotional trailer close the question comes to mind; Why did they (will they) come through the Destiny gate? Keep watching people the answer to that question is only a few episodes away. One of the best team sequences with a hint of the future is when Camile Wray and Dr. Rush are observed walking down a corridor on board Destiny. Watching these two veteran actors is simply wonderful. The sarcasm between them is wonderful! I especially enjoyed MingNa’s smile after their “chat”!

Near the end of the continuing “Deliverance” saga, a fantastic special effects scene unfolds when Lt. Scott enters the Blue Aliens ship though a space docking bay. The sequence is eye candy of the first order.

We also observe that the Blue Aliens actually save Chloe removing the infection that is taking over her body. Just prior, the well acted scenes between Elyse Levesque and Brian J. Smith are very touching as they express their love for each other.

While we are not treated to exactly a Borg like probe actually drilling into her head, we do see a probe of sorts near her skull. The question becomes is that really required. The Blue Aliens use a form of telepathic communication and they may have extracted what they wanted from the probe without the need for Borg like impact techniques. Chloe is saved when the Blue Aliens leave her for Lt. Scott to bring back to Destiny.

Tragically at the end of the episode, we learn that the Ursini take responsibility for bringing their crew of the Destiny into their war while seeking their own survival. In an act of selflessness, they move their ship into suicide attack position while Eli and his helpers Volker and Brody are able to re-program the attack drones from the first Drone Command Ship to recognize Destiny as a friend and the incoming second Drone Command Ship to be a foe. The diversion works thanks to the genius of Eli!

We end “Deliverance” with the Destiny making their escape with a few seconds of Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) smiling in her wonderful way taking command of the ship with Col. Young and Col Telford to save Desting. After the Ursini sacrifice themselves, Destiny will live to fight another day and continue the mission to discover the secrets of the universe.

We see Dr. Rush speaking to Chloe being grateful for her return. Chloe says “Because I am useful” to which Dr. Rush retorts that everyone on Destiny is there because they are useful!

The question that we pose for you the fans of Stargate is this: will you learn to set aside your difference and behave like a team by watching the last nine episodes of Stargate Universe on Syfy? If you can do so, you may just get those movies you all desire.

Stargate Universe continues this evening March 14, 2011 with “Twin Destinies” an excellent episode I have had the honor of already viewing when Varro (Mike Dopud) returns and we a cameo with Dr. Lee (Bill Dow) too! Give yourself a treat and please tune in when you will see Dr. Rush and Col. Young standing side by side to determine the ultimate fate of Destiny. Thank you for making your time available to watch the next nine weeks.

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 14, 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: 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
Stargate Universe: Get Ready for “Malice”

Greetings, SciFi Fans!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As always, thank you for reading and visiting Wormhole Riders News Agency. Please feel free to leave a comment or question here or click one of the social media icons below to share this article.

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

See you on the other side on Twitter,

OffWorldTravelr

November 15, 2010
Stargate Universe: The Greater Good

Welcome back SGU fans!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAVORITE LINES AND/OR SCENES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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