Stargate Universe #5:Light/Season 1/2009

[Truth Seeker]

Light

The crew are in close proximity to one of the three planets. Col. Young tells everyone that only seventeen people can go in the shuttle and a lottery will determine their fate.

[Wycen]

Started pretty boring but got better. Somebody in the previous thread called it about the sun.

I thought the people in the shuttle, (which compared to most ancient/alien tech looks just plain ugly) would land on the planet and dial thru a stargate to get back on board.

[Dire Bare]

Just saw it on Hulu, enjoyed the hell out of it! This is the best Stargate yet (IMO) and seems like it's going to be a great scifi show all around!

The conclusion lifts the dark mood a bit with everybody alive and the ship powered up, I think this may be a turning point in the story. Not that there won't be plenty of other survival disasters cropping up, but the crew's chances don't seem as hopeless anymore.

Interesting how Rush was so nice when everybody thought they were goners, but at the end of the show not only shook off any praise, but deliberately (I think) put the idea in Young's head that he knew all along the star would refuel Destiny and let the 15 lottery winners take off anyway.

I don't think Rush knew this was going to happen, at all. Unless Rush, the character, is a pretty good actor! So why would he give Young the impression that he did? Hmmm . . . .

[Fast Learner]

That pat on the head, that's what turned Rush. You can't "good boy" someone who thinks they should be in charge. He gains a lot of power -- at the cost of animosity -- if people suspect he knows way more than anyone else and is playing it very, very close to the vest.

That head-pat was incredibly condescending.

[LightPhoenix]

First off, Chloe continues to be completely worthless. I sense this will be a running theme. Also, Eli needs to grow a pair.

My favorite bit of the episode was Riley and some of the others giving Eli the pat goodbye during the selection. It's a very subtle thing, but it was a nice touch. Also in that scene, some of the soldiers are harassing Eli for information in the beginning... another small touch that I enjoyed. Also, Eli figuring out what Rush was suggesting with the slingshot, and immediately working on the calculations before Young caught on. They do a lot of subtle stuff with Eli that way.

It was obvious that Johansen was going to be one of the two chosen ones from the beginning. A medic is the absolute essential need. Once Scott laid out how he was the only qualified pilot, most of the suspense there was gone.

I too fully expected them to use the Stargate, especially since they made sure to get the countdown clock in several of the background shots. The shuttle looked to be about the same size as a puddle jumper (plus the Ancients made both) so I figured they'd fly it through. Ah well.

A bit of continuity problem - if the shields were blocking the radiation on heat, why were their faces red? Oops.

I don't think Rush knew the shields would hold. However, I also think he suspected the ship targeted the sun for a reason. For Rush, I think it was a matter of faith, and most of his scenes in this episode reflect that. He threw the book because his faith in the Destiny, and even in science if you want to extend the metaphor, waned.

Of course, the final scene demands some kind of analysis. First off, the scene was deliberate callback to the pilot, when Rush wasn't even invited to the table, and Eli was.

I think that while there is some resentment about the leadership, I don't think that's the big thing between Young and Rush. I think that the two fundamentally don't understand each other, and that's the cause of the tension.

First, as Fast Learner said, Young was being fairly condescending towards Rush, from Rush's point of view. However, if you take it from the point of view of Young, that's how he, and many of the military people we've seen here and on other Stargates, show appreciation. The soldiers are physical people; they'll celebrate by high-fiving and head-patting and all sorts of touching. That's just how they are. Even outside of celebration, it's the soldier that puts his arm around Wray to comfort her. Contrast that with the scientists, who are generally distanced from physical contact - they're in the realm of the mind, and you celebrate in the same way. It's Chloe that takes Eli's hand for comfort, not the other way around. Sure, Eli will sit at the table with the soldiers... but he wasn't nearly so animated as the others.

Second, I think Young completely misread why Rush took himself out of the lottery. Rush may have kept to his faith that the ship was going into the star for a reason, but I don't think that was the only reason. Faced with the idea that it was his obsession that would kill everyone, I think there was a large amount of guilt involved as well. It's all well and good if he gets himself killed in pursuit of his beliefs, but not everyone else.

Finally, the double rations thing was simply a way of Young saying he was sorry, and trying to be conciliatory. This again goes to the dichotomy between soliders/physical and scientists/mental. That is, Young wanted to give something material to Rush to make amends. Rush wanted something ephemeral - he wanted respect and trust, and didn't care about extra rations. Bringing it around, Rush shows Eli respect and appreciation not by giving him anything, but trusting that Eli was right.

So it's not really a Rush thing, or a Young thing - it's a differences thing. That's what moves it beyond being tension, and actually moves it towards the realm of tragedy.

[EDIT]One other thing that bothers me. It's been a while since I've seen SG:A, and I don't have much desire to watch it again. Didn't Atlantis have databases with the knowledge of the Ancients in it? I would presume that would include some way to power the ninth chevron. For that matter, I would assume Destiny would have a way of powering it so the Ancients could travel back from the ship. Maybe this is something that will come up, or would have been part of SG:A had it gone on.

[Wycen]

Now we just need somebody to compare the ship from this ep, to the short bit at the end of the premiere. Are they the same type or different?

[Hand of Evil]

Well, that was expected - guess the next will be food and water and having the crew break into groups of those that want to stay on planet but that could be another week away. With power, they should get a bitter inventory and status of the ship.

[Fast Learner]

Originally Posted by Wycen

Now we just need somebody to compare the ship from this ep, to the short bit at the end of the premiere. Are they the same type or different?

Different. The one in the pilot was much rounder, more pod-like, and not nearly as shuttle-like.

[Merkuri]

Personally, I don't think Rush knew without a doubt that the ship would refuel. He may have suspected, but if he was absolutely certain that it would refuel I think he would have let somebody know. Having everybody go through all that mental torment at the idea of their pending deaths, the lottery, and launching the shuttle that might not get back when you know it's not necessary is just cruel. Rush may not have much consideration for his fellow man, but I see NO benefit to making everybody think they were all dying when you knew it wasn't going to happen. Rush is only cruel if it serves a purpose, and what purpose is there to make people think they're dying?

However, I think Rush knew more about the ninth chevron address than he let on. I think he knew they were going to a ship. He may have even known its name and purpose. So the accusation that he knew the ship was going to refuel hit close to home, which was why he didn't defend himself.

And I agree that taking himself out of the lottery was a bit of guilt. He got everyone into this. The least he could do is die with his baby, the ship.

[Mark]

I had suspected we would come to find that the ship collected power through some similar means as it did. Alternately, I was wondering if it would use the 'short jump' technique previously utilized on SG as a way to get through a planet with some twist on how ancients could manage it with stars.

[Dire Bare]

Originally Posted by Merkuri

And I agree that taking himself out of the lottery was a bit of guilt. He got everyone into this. The least he could do is die with his baby, the ship.

I don't think Rush pulled his name from the lottery due to any sense of guilt. I think he was being perfectly honest with Rush, that he had no desire to scrabble for survival on some strange planet with 14 people he didn't really know and that disliked him. He feels that coming to the Destiny is the culmination of his life's work and he is reluctant to leave the ship permanently for any reason, even to save his own life.

[Hammerhead]

Originally Posted by LightPhoenix

First off, Chloe continues to be completely worthless. I sense this will be a running theme.

Yeah, who would have thought that a senator's daughter would be of little use on an alien spaceship? Totally unforeseeable.

[Hand of Evil]

Originally Posted by Hammerhead

Yeah, who would have thought that a senator's daughter would be of little use on an alien spaceship? Totally unforeseeable.

• Shower scenes? Already have had one but figure we will have more such scenes.
• Breaking Eli's heart in a love triangle? Figure Eli will start teaching her stuff, we know she is sharp and smart but she ends up with the football player, our young pilot.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by LightPhoenix

A bit of continuity problem - if the shields were blocking the radiation on heat, why were their faces red? Oops.

That's good continuity regarding just the people who were down on the desert planet.

[wolff96]

Originally Posted by Mark

That's good continuity regarding just the people who were down on the desert planet.

Yeah, I was really impressed on the continued -- but slightly faded -- sunburn on those from the planet.

If you want to see a nice contrast, look at the Senator's daughter and Eli when they realize they're going to live -- she's as pale as ever, while you can see the burn on his face from the time on the desert-planet.

-------------------------

It only makes sense that the ship had to have *some* way to re-fuel. The Ancients had amazing technology, but I don't recall anything of theirs that was still powered and ready to go after millions of years.

It sure gives a whole new reason for all the blackening and char on the outside of the ship, though -- *any* solar material slipping through the shield would do a number on their paint job...

[TanisFrey]

I happy to see that the ship needed no help from the humans to refuel, just like I said it would be set up.

As far as Rush knowing. I think that he suspected this was the case and was willing to put his life on the line to support that belief. Rush appears to have a lot of faith in either Destiny or the Ancients. I will need to see more of his back-story to be sure.

[Dire Bare]

Originally Posted by LightPhoenix

First off, Chloe continues to be completely worthless. I sense this will be a running theme. Also, Eli needs to grow a pair.

I think you're missing a major point of this new series. It has been repeatedly said, both by characters on the show and in promo material, that the characters aboard the Destiny are the "wrong people". Some of them are soldiers and scientists who were going to go through the gate to explore the Ninth Chevron anyway . . . but many of them were never supposed to step through that gate. Eli and Chloe are only two of the folks who shouldn't be there and are the "wrong people".

It's actually a major aspect of Chloe's character that she is "useless". She isn't a scientist or military person, she has no "job" to do on the ship, and she doesn't know what to do with herself. She feels in the way. And to top it all off, of course, her father died just a few days ago (in story) and she feels very alone and purposeless. In fact, as she was her father's assistant, he WAS her purpose and now he's gone. I expect we'll be exploring this quite a bit more as the series progresses.

And please, Eli needs to "grow a pair"? And so do a good portion of the audience watching this show! Eli is a geek with serious self-esteem issues. He's freaking brilliant, but so what? He's a college dropout who very well may never have seen a woman naked before!!! Sadly, while not as bad off as that, I identify pretty strongly with Eli's character. I'm not that brilliant and I've had somewhat better luck with the ladies . . . . but it isn't an easy thing at all for somebody with self-esteem issues to simply "grow a pair" and try to start a relationship.

Besides, Eli mooning over Chloe while she gets involved with Scott gives us some dramatic tension. I like Scott's character and it makes me happy to see him connecting with Chloe, but at the same time I identify with Eli and I feel bad that he's mooning over Chloe and feels, perhaps rightly, that he has no chance with her. He is becoming friends with Scott, but is also very jealous of him as well.

In my opinion, that makes for some good TV!!!

This is not a show where four heroes step through the stargate every week and kick some ass!

[LightPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Mark

That's good continuity regarding just the people who were down on the desert planet.

Originally Posted by wolff96

Yeah, I was really impressed on the continued -- but slightly faded -- sunburn on those from the planet.

Doh! I didn't notice it was only them. It was most noticeable on Eli and Rush, and I guess I decided everyone had it. The orange lighting didn't help.

Originally Posted by Dire Bare

It's actually a major aspect of Chloe's character that she is "useless". She isn't a scientist or military person, she has no "job" to do on the ship, and she doesn't know what to do with herself. She feels in the way. And to top it all off, of course, her father died just a few days ago (in story) and she feels very alone and purposeless.

Great, then they need to show it. Otherwise it's all smoke and mirrors. If there were scenes where any of that actually was written, or even emoted, that'd be wonderful. It hasn't happened yet, and until it does she's a completely useless character. If the character isn't contributing something to the story, and let me be clear that I mean this in the literary sense as opposed to the plot, then she's pointless.

And please, Eli needs to "grow a pair"? And so do a good portion of the audience watching this show! Eli is a geek with serious self-esteem issues. He's freaking brilliant, but so what? He's a college dropout who very well may never have seen a woman naked before!!!

Besides, Eli mooning over Chloe while she gets involved with Scott gives us some dramatic tension. I like Scott's character and it makes me happy to see him connecting with Chloe, but at the same time I identify with Eli and I feel bad that he's mooning over Chloe and feels, perhaps rightly, that he has no chance with her. He is becoming friends with Scott, but is also very jealous of him as well.

This is something that gets to me personally, in the same way you identify with Eli and his self-esteem issues. I've seen way to many of my friends (and myself as well) mooning over girls (and girls over guys) and following them around hoping they'll "see the light" or whatever. It doesn't happen, and not only is it a waste of emotion, but my feeling is that it's emotionally stunting as well. There's nothing positive that comes about it.

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Liked this one quite a bit. Spoilers ahead. Things I liked:

1) Chloe is gravitating to the handsome, protective guy in her time of vulnerability, which is totally believable. Everybody is focused on Eli, but don't forget the "intimate" scene from the pilot, the ramifications of which have not been fully explored.

2) Diving INTO the star to refuel is very, very cool. I have no idea how practical it is, but it wins by Rule of Cool.

3) Liked Ming Na's attempt to bluff her way onto the ship, then her complete breakdown when she sees it isn't working, and then another breakdown when she's picked. She's playing somebody who is used to being in control of her life, but isn't anymore, very well.

4) That head tousle of Rush was the most understated revelation of the dymanics of a relationship that I have ever seen on television. It was absolutely brilliant.

Very, very impressed with how nuanced the writing is for this show, especially compared to Atlantis.

[Dire Bare]

Originally Posted by LightPhoenix

Great, then they need to show it. Otherwise it's all smoke and mirrors. If there were scenes where any of that actually was written, or even emoted, that'd be wonderful. It hasn't happened yet, and until it does she's a completely useless character. If the character isn't contributing something to the story, and let me be clear that I mean this in the literary sense as opposed to the plot, then she's pointless.

Well, I picked up on it. I don't think Chloe and Eli's characters are hard to figure at all.

This is something that gets to me personally, in the same way you identify with Eli and his self-esteem issues. I've seen way to many of my friends (and myself as well) mooning over girls (and girls over guys) and following them around hoping they'll "see the light" or whatever. It doesn't happen, and not only is it a waste of emotion, but my feeling is that it's emotionally stunting as well. There's nothing positive that comes about it.

Who says Eli is being positive? As you have observed, people do this in real life all the time. Eli is a flawed character, like every other character on the show. He's not Daniel or McKay the heroic scientist.