Let the hate begin
Stargate SGU 1.0 has been accused by fans of the Stargate series of being somewhat ‘pointless’. In hindsight there isn’t any action, there’s really no aliens (outside of the very beginning when Icarus, a planet the crew is on, blows up) and both of these these things combined equal out to be very un-Stargate.
I completely understand this and agree that it’s very un-Stargate.
With that said, this is another direction that Stargate has taken and it’s a really good one in the eyes of this reviewer. Bear with me while I try to dig myself out of this hole.
Stargate SGU 1.0‘s story surrounds the activating of the ninth chevron. Nearly impossible to activate, in an act of desperation, mainly out of survival, the chevron is activated and the stargate is opened to an unknown origin. The troops, scientists and civilians of a planet called Icarus are in the middle of a devastating attack when they must decide between living (going through the gate) or dying (blowing up with the planet). Most decide to live and find themselves transported to an ancient ship called the Destiny. While you might assume that the previous residents of the ship are still there, the new residents soon discover that it is abandoned and, worse, the ship is badly damaged. The new owners must find ways to repair the ship before their very lives become endangered.
That’s the point of the show; complete survival. Now, I understand that this might be the opposite of ‘norm’ for Stargate fans out there, but in my opinion it makes the show less hokey and more interesting. Think about it, you’re bringing a realistic viewpoint to a sci-fi show. How many times do you get this type of situation and how many times do you wonder, “How can they eat, drink and breathe?” Well, this show puts it all out there and maintains a very heavy mystery of the ship and where it came from. There’s also a wonderful set of very well developed characters that bring more to the story than what it is revealing. There’s enough here to make it all worth your time, but as Stargate fans you’re just going to have to take the show in a different direction than the normal Stargate shows.
In my opinion, this show has some real substance.
Each show in the blu-ray set is divided into elements (Water, earth, air, etc.) and the subject matter directly reflects the title of the show. For example, the show labeled ‘Time’ is all about the warping of time/space. It’s a horrifying tale of being trapped and it’s a very confusing show in regards to time shifting. It’s very interesting and even caught my wife’s attention, who normally doesn’t watch sci-fi related material (I know, what’s up with her?).
Give the show a chance. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly very different and interesting (if you can give it more than two hours).
As for the blu-ray portion of Stargate SGU 1.0, it’s absolutely brilliant. Some of the finest visuals I’ve seen from a television show on blu-ray and some sweet 1080p action. Even the graphics are in 1080p and they don’t look like crap. The sound/music of the show is nothing short of beautiful. Everything visually and audibly will make you happy that you purchase it on blu-ray. By the way, the MSRP might say $69.99, but you can get it on Amazon for half that.
As for the features, here’s what you’re getting:
– Extended version of pilot
– Chatting with cast
– Stargate 101: Presented by Dr. Daniel Jackson
– Kino Video Diaries
– Commentary from cast and producers (all episodes)
– Creating a New Universe
The content is pretty damn strong and detailed in the special features portion of this disc set. You’ll get to know the cast really well and their characters (especially in the Kino portion).
