Stargate Franchise Launches into Dark Universe
Latest Syfy Channel series premiered Oct. 2, runs Friday nights
Oct 9, 2009
The uninitiated may not realize that Stargate didn't end with the 1994 motion picture starring Kurt Russell and James Spader. With 214 episodes over 10 seasons, the TV adaptation Stargate SG1 became the longest running science fiction series in American history.
The story, adapted to television and starring Richard Dean Anderson, followed a group of soldiers and scientists exploring the galaxy through a series of gateways that allowed instantaneous travel between distant planets. The gates were seeded throughout the universe in the distant past by a race called the Ancients, who had long ago ascended to a spiritual realm of existence, leaving their technology to be discovered and used by those who evolved after them.
Gates led from Atlantis to Infinity and Beyond
It was an exciting premise, ripe with seemingly endless story possibilities, but after a decade - and a spinoff series (Stargate Atlantis) and a cartoon (Stargate Inifinity) and two direct-to-DVD movies, the adventures started to feel repetitive.
However, the new Stargate Universe breaks the mold by stranding a group of civilians alongside a new group of soldiers and scientists aboard a deserted, city-sized Ancient starship equipped with a stargate. The humans have no way of controlling the ship's course, and craft is so old that it has begun to break down. There's no way home, life support systems are failing, and no one knows who is supposed to be in charge. The tension is palpable, and the suspense is real, as in just the first few hours of the show we see major characters sacrifice themselves for their fellow castaways.
At its heart, Stargate has always been about humanity's sense of wonder and heroism in the face of implacable foes. Universe deftly preserves the adventure, but adds a 21st-century sense of humor, a younger, sexier cast and and new style of shooting. (Watch the first ten minutes and see if you don't catch echoes of Syfy's last powerhouse series, Battlestar Galactica, in the style and adult subject matter.)
Imagine Greater Adventures Aimed at a Younger Demographic
Stargate Universe premiered as a two-hour special on the recently rebranded Syfy Channel on Friday, Oct. 2, at 9-11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. (The premiere repeats Oct. 9 in front of the third hour of the series and as a lead-in to the sophomore season premiere of Sanctuary.) Syfy, now daring viewers to "Imagine Greater," has ordered 20 hours of the series, which will settle into a regular 9 p.m. Friday slot.
SGU, as it is called in ads and on fan boards, was co-created and executive produced by the longtime franchise shepherds Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper. In a statement to the press, the men said, “We plan to keep those elements that have made the franchise a success, such as adventure and humor, while breaking new ground in the relationships between mostly young and desperate explorers, thrust together and far from home. Above all, we believe the Stargate itself remains an enduring icon with infinite potential as a jumping off point for telling stories.”
The series boasts impressive special effects, and the permanent sets of the Ancient ship are more extensive than those of earlier entries in the series. Above all else, however, is a strong core of actors led by the acclaimed Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty) as Dr. Nicholas Rush. Carlyle brings a darkness to Rush that is uncommon on these shows; the man has suffered a great personal loss, and his drive to understand Ancient technology and explore the unknown seems to have eclipsed his humanity.
Destiny Awaits the Star-lost Refugees
Lou Diamond Phillips and Ming Na each have smaller supporting roles in the initial set of episodes, as the younger cast takes the lead storylines. Notable are Brian J. Smith as Lt. Matthew Scott and Elyse Levesque as Chloe Armstrong, daughter of a U.S. Senator.
Faced with meeting their most basic needs - food, air, water - this group of misfits must unlock the secrets of the ship, explore strange new worlds, and earn each other's trust while their travails expose the heroes and villains among them.
Maybe it's no accident the Ancients named their starship Destiny.
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