Stargate Universe (comments on spoiler review from Futon Critic)

[wraithfodder]

Hmm.... I dare say I do believe my LJ will always be focused on Stargate Atlantis, since the characters just caught my imagination and heart. THe writing wasn't always the best, but Flanigan and Hewlett and the rest made me tune in no matter what.

Anyway, Futon Critic just did a review of Stargate Universe, and it voiced a lot of my...c oncerns? fears? For spoilerphobes, don't click on the cut, otherwise proceed...

Futon Critic review: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20090910_sgu


You can read the review at the link above for plot details, but here's the stuff I"m going to discuss:

What doesn't: ...the show inevitably decides to sidestep following through on them in the name of having an easy out. In other words, nobody dies because of the decisions of others - the deus ex machina of the plot actually frees them from doing so. Both cases expose the inherent flaw of the show: it's more than willing to walk up to the precipice of truly shaking things up, it's just not willing to make the leap. Said aspect bleeds into other aspects of the show as well. The Destiny crew for instance isn't actually on their own: several just-so-happened-to-make-the-trip alien devices will allow them to trade consciousness with folks back on Earth, meaning everybody they've ever known is still a phone call away.

More troubling however is that the characters don't really seem to solve their problems, they just luck their way into solutions - week two in particular ends in a "whaaa???" fashion that's more than frustrating (for reasons which I won't spoil here). All of the above certainly blunts the overall excitement of the show - for all the refreshing aspects it's just unfortunate to see the franchise fall back on old habits so quickly. That's not to say there's not a lot to like, or look forward to, in this incarnation, it's just it could have been a home run...

.Okay, for lack of a better word, this is what i've bitched about. They're falling back on stuff they already used on both Stargate shows, and worse, they're doing to SGU what they did to Atlantis: that damned 'we're lost in space but look, we can dial home and chat with family/friends.' 

I think what I find dismaying about the review is that this is not a fan reviewing the show, but a critic  (and I've already heard from another critic who has yet to post their review that the show isn't up to snuff.

If SGA hadn't bitten the dust 24 hours before SGu was announced, it probably wouldn't be so bad. I would have preferred just one more year of SGA, let them explore the city, etc. than the quick end and pollyana finale they tacked on. Yeah, it's beating a dead horse, but it's my horse and I can beat it ;) Feel free to add comments below but please don't stick in any really bad language - I'll delete. I know lots of fans are still ticked off, to be polite, at the cancellation.

However, all said, I'll watch the pilot, because I want to see just what the heck is going on, then I'll write my review ;) 

Comments

[obsessed1o1.livejournal.com]

If they had been smart they would have continued SGA for a year while running this new show at the same time. They might not have angered the fanbase for one, meaning that more people would be willing to give it a try, but because they didn't and they effectively pushed SGA out of the way to make this that hasn't happned.

I would rather have had one more year of Atlantis and like you say, they blow up Atlantis and kill (Dare i say it) Sheppard off and at least leave us with a season that maybe tied together loose ends, built on our characters and give them the farewell they deserved - rather than the lame "We're home!" looking out at San Francisco - which totally wasn't how i wanted it to end.

Typing this out seriously makes me angry and i don't feel bad in saying i hope SGU pans so badly they think cancelling SGA wasn't such a good idea. They bought SG1 back for another long run, don't see why they couldn't so the same with SGA. They'd at least have a fanbase to rely on.

[domjohn.livejournal.com]

Hey, why do you kill off Sheppard?

[obsessed1o1.livejournal.com]

I was just using it as an extreme example to say i would have prefered good story telling with an end i might not have liked to the end we got in SGA. Of course i wouldn't really want Sheppard killed off! HA!