STARGATE UNIVERSE # 13:Faith/Season 1/2010

[Truth Seeker]

Faith

Destiny stops near a planet with an abundance of food and water but its countdown clock isn't running.
​

 

[Hand of Evil]

Suprised they did not put Eli on the Robot.

Good filler and way to reduce the stress, also to get the crew on track to act like one.

 

[Jack7]

To me that was one of the best episodes yet.
I even liked the music a lot.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I thought it was thoroughly tepid. I think there were some good nuggets to make an episode in there, but they were wasted.

First off, I liked that there were no real answers. It would have cheapened the questions involved.

The obvious question the episode asks is one of faith - will staying on the planet give a better chance of surviving to make it home than staying on Destiny? While the idea was good, I don't think it ever really got deep enough to be satisfactory to me. There didn't really seem to be all that much actual consideration, just a bunch of Meaningful Glances and a bunch of people deciding to stay.

A more interesting question hinted at by the episode and never really explored was one of belief - do the Destiny crew deserve to be given paradise, or do they have to earn it? They only scratched the surface of it with the idea of whether the aliens wanted them there or not, and with the beacon.

Another question only barely hinted at was one of purpose - we've seen Destiny be proactive in choosing planets for the crew's needs. Was this a similar thing made by Destiny? I couldn't help think of how the ascended Ancients could make illusions of planets (see SG-1, Abydos after being destroyed). I fully expected Rush, of all people, to posit that question. It never really materialized though.

The last question, and perhaps most important, was the recurring question of choice (Wray) versus command (Young). I would have liked to have seen that explored more, especially with TJ, who gets hit triple by her obligation to duty (military), medicine, and impending motherhood (ie, the future).

Overall, I think the episode could have been tightened by focusing on TJ's struggle with her decision to stay. The background people on the planet could have provided context and color to some of the spiritual questions while TJ mulled it over. In fact, I think the entire Destiny sub-plot could have been put off to focus on it.

As it stands though, I'd have to say this was perhaps the weakest episode of the series so far.

I loved Greer's solution to the latrine problem, and his smirk at Scott afterwards. Perhaps my favorite beat of the episode. Also, I liked Chloe at least attempting to be helpful, even if it was just to be with Scott. Eli and Wray's bonding was nice too.

 

[Wycen]

Forgot I was in the previous thread, so here they are again.

Now, doesn't anyone on Destiny know the SG Atlantis team found planets with towers on them?

Also, I had thought Young was going to give the Battlestar Galactica wanna bees the alien pod for power and shelter, but after watching that scene again, I guess he gave them an Ancient shuttle. I almost want to analyze all the problems with this...

 

[Mark]

Left behind the damaged shuttle for short hops around the planet with who to pilot it? He knew that if he was to leave the shuttle, Scott would not be left, too. Although it would still be useful for shelter and power, why say it could be used for short hops if he knows he is taking away the only other pilot besides himself? Maybe some other line about one of the civilians being a pilot got cut from the episode.

 

[Fast Learner]

Perhaps short hops on the planet in this particular kind of shuttle just require basic videogame piloting skills. Set down in flat places, no banging against rocks, that kind of thing.

 

[Mark]

Perhaps short hops on the planet in this particular kind of shuttle just require basic videogame piloting skills. Set down in flat places, no banging against rocks, that kind of thing.

Maybe. Unfortunately, they set up the need to explain that by hammering us on Scott and Young being the only pilots.

 

[SKyOdin]

I really liked this episode.

On of the most striking things about the episode is the existence of that planet and star. First off, it points to the existence of a completely new alien race in the Stargate mythos that might surpass the Ancients in terms of raw power. Second, the fact that the planet was perfectly suited for human life is unlikely enough on its own, but the sheer statistical impossibility of the Destiny just randomly running into a star it didn't know about in the vast expanse of space points towards someone intentionally leaving the planet for the Destiny. If someone didn't put it in Destiny's path, they couldn't have found it.

This episode also had some major shake-ups in the character dynamics on-board the ship that have shaken up the simple military versus civilian dynamic. One of the most interesting moments in the episode was when Scott was telling Col. Young who wanted to stay on the planet. When Scott mentioned Dr. Cain and Chloe, Young was still calm; he was expecting the people staying behind to be the usual list of civilian troublemakers. Then when TJ was mentioned, he completely freaked out, only to be left dumbstruck and angry by Scott's decision to stay. Young never imagined that those two would go against him like that. On a different note, it was kinda odd to see Eli and Wray of all people hanging out. Goes to show that Eli gets along with everybody.

I think this episode also makes it clear that Young, Wray, and Rush seem to be trying to settle into a triumvirate of sorts. Eli and Scott seem to be hanging around to help make decisions as well. I suppose this is a pretty big step forward for the crew.

And then there is the big surprise about TJ. I don't even know what to say about that.

All told, I think that this is a very solid and important episode.

 

[Orius]

Interesting episode.

I see Greer decided to hold the idiot ball this episode. Great idea, eating strange plants you found on an alien planet you know nothing about. Could be poisonous, acidic, actually a pod for alien creatures that'll eat their way out of your chest....