STARGATE UNIVERSE # 16:Sabotage/Season 1/2010

[LightPhoenix]

I thought it was a pretty good episode overall.

At first I was a bit miffed that Eli/Chloe/Scott walked through the gate after two days, no problems. As the episode unfolded and the Blue Alien Trap (tm) became apparent, I thought it was a nice counterpoint to explain why they wouldn't be able to dial back. It also implies that the Blue Aliens are at least tracking Destiny, and may have been for a while.

I thought the Rush and Wray stories were handled fairly well. I know there was some controversy about this episode back when casting sides went out, but hopefully that was something cleaned up as script revisions went along. I liked the actress that played the scientist.

I still don't understand why they even risk using the stones at all anymore. I guess it was technically an emergency to bring the scientist in to fix the ship. On the other hand, it wouldn't have happened if they hadn't used the stones. If you know the enemy can subvert technology, you don't keep letting them use it against you. I knew as soon as James started talking about the blackouts that was what happened.

It's a nice thought thinking Franklin ascended, but I'm not convinced that's what happened. For one thing, Destiny was launched before Ascension was developed, so it wouldn't be in the system. I suppose it's possible Franklin killed himself and was ascended by an Ancient watching the ship. I really wish I had CC on; I couldn't tell if he said "the chair" or "Lucien." The latter is an intriguing line of though.

I don't know why, but my favorite part was the robot basically kicking the damaged FTL engine away from the ship. I mean, it's what would happen, but it amused me nonetheless.

Can someone explain what happened with the stone/engine/zombie guy? I'd appreciate if your story left out references to the Lucian Alliance if you don't mind

It seems as if he Ascended like the Ancients did.

 

[Wycen]

It seems as if he Ascended like the Ancients did.

It seemed to me he was going to be frozen in carbonite. More likely his body functions were slowed down so that his consciousness could be transfered into Destiny, or he was "Tron-ed".

However, what I was referring to was the order of events on "oh I can't sleep" from Ms. Nipples, to "we were sabotaged" and the brain damaged guy suddenly is important.

All of that made me forget I was pissed off that the party was reunited so quickly.

 

[Fast Learner]

Since Destiny is pre-ascension tech, if could just be an earlier version of no-body-needed science that isn't really full-blown ascension.

And it sure sounded like "the chair" to me. I don't get where all this Lucian-alliance talk is coming from. I mean, it was sort-of hinted at a couple of times (especially in the premiere), but as far as I can tell they're doing an excellent job of keeping this show almost entirely separate from the others. I sincerely hope they keep it that way, I see no reason at all to tie the other shows' plot lines into it.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Well, the reason we'r talking about the Lucian Alliance is because we're quickly coming up on an episode where a member of the Alliance introduced to the cast. There was a casting call for the Lucian Alliance "captain" a while back. Though, it occurs to me the whole thing could be a red herring and might all happen in flash back.

 

[LightPhoenix]

It seemed to me he was going to be frozen in carbonite. More likely his body functions were slowed down so that his consciousness could be transfered into Destiny, or he was "Tron-ed".

That would be cool (no pun intended).

However, what I was referring to was the order of events on "oh I can't sleep" from Ms. Nipples, to "we were sabotaged" and the brain damaged guy suddenly is important.

She touched the stone to transfer her consciousness, but they never turned it off when she knocked it over. The Blue Alien hijacked her body using that, and sabotaged the ship (probably in the time between when she and Wray used it). Afterwards, James was complaining about not sleeping well to Chloe, who realized James was describing the same thing she felt when she trapped was on the alien ship. It's not a far leap in logic to figure the explosion was deliberate, especially coupled with the Stargate being blocked on the other side to prevent escape.

Dr. Franklin was only important in that he had interfaced with the chair before. The implication is that had Young done it, he would have turned out brain damaged as well. Franklin had already been exposed once, and seemed able to do it again, so they plugged him in rather than lose Young.

I don't get where all this Lucian-alliance talk is coming from. I mean, it was sort-of hinted at a couple of times (especially in the premiere), but as far as I can tell they're doing an excellent job of keeping this show almost entirely separate from the others. I sincerely hope they keep it that way, I see no reason at all to tie the other shows' plot lines into it.

While I agree with the sentiment, I'm not sure limiting the enemies to one significant threat is really the way to go. That's begging for the show to grow stale very rapidly. I think it's better to plant the seeds of the possibility of other antagonists now, so it's not an even bigger WTF when they suddenly show up later.

 

[Fast Learner]

While I agree with the sentiment, I'm not sure limiting the enemies to one significant threat is really the way to go. That's begging for the show to grow stale very rapidly. I think it's better to plant the seeds of the possibility of other antagonists now, so it's not an even bigger WTF when they suddenly show up later.

I suspect the writers can add additional enemies without having to bring in those from prior shows. Off the top of my head, there's a huge chunk of ship they haven't explored... there could well be enemies living on the ship with them at this very moment. Drop a few hints here and there -- and hey, they talk about how much of the ship is theoretically powered-down and unavailable on a regular basis -- and before you know it, poof, another enemy right there. Add to that things like a galaxy-wide civ in the new galaxy they're going to, etc., and there should be plenty of options.

 

[Mark]

So, Chloe is the Lucian Alliance member? Makes sense.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I don't know, the whole Lucian Alliance stuff might be more of a red herring, or a flashback. Anyway, it wasn't related to what happened on this screen.

That Wray was a lesbian we did know before. The "new" scientist obviously was not. Not sure where that rumor came from?

Rumors aside, I enjoyed this episode. Interesting interactions, compelling story. We already knew that the aliens were following the ship for a while (in "their" galaxy- assuming it is really theirs and they don't follow Destiny even longer). More interesting to me is that they seem to be having someone constantly checking their communication stone - because otherwise it was unlikely they could have taken over the Sergeant (?) so easily. I wonder if the first time was a freak accident, too, or if that had been planned for a while. I tend to guess it was a freak accident, possibly similar like the first SG1 use of the stone, but just like Stargate Command, the aliens figured out the cause quickly enough.

The lost team getting back so easily was a surprise, and one I don't mind. It keeps me guessing what could happen next.

 

[Mark]

Seems obvious the sabotage took place to ensure that the three missing members could then get a gate address and return. Destiny was still in range when it broke down and thus a new gate address appeared on Eli's handheld dialing device and he made quick work of dialing in. Someone wanted one of those three to return enough to risk the ship but it apparently wasn't Rush or Young, either of whom could have spoke openly about halting the ship somehow if they thought it was safe (both had apparently written off the three lost members).

Upon returning, Eli seemed to think it was done on purpose and said something to that effect, so (as smart as he is) I chalk him up to not having anything to do with it. Plus, Eli is really the audience, he was our first introduction to the whole show and we've been given real information about his background that would make it a very cheap trick to have himn retroactively have also been recruited by the Lucian Alliance in the short time that anyone would have been aware of him.

Could be Scott, I suppose, but his continued support of Young would seem to indicate that he is not. If the Lucian Alliance was fine with doing everything Young's way and keeping the status quo there wouldn't be much point to them being a plot point.

Chloe keeps doing strange things. By staying tight with Eli, Chloe gets close to all of the technical information of the ship. She's sleeping with Scott which probably gets her some inside information on what Young thinks and does. She switched sides against the military and stepped up as a pseudo-leader during that time, and also betrayed both Scott and Eli in the process. She works her way back into Scott's bed after outright betraying him. She becomes fast friends with Eli again after outright betraying him. She walked purposefully toward being taken by the aliens when they cut a hole in the ship. Her story of how, in the tunnels, she reads alien (ancient?) hieroglyphics seems in one moment to be passed off as having studied Daniel Jackson's work (why does she claim to have done this? Why is it Eli who reveals this?) and in the next moment to have something to do with her abduction and captivity (though we know that their information extraction devices are one-way mediums and she wasn't prisoner long enough for any significant two-way interrogation like Rush experienced). She got in tight with James after the sabotage, helped massage her story, and convinced her to take that massaged story to Young (and she stayed right by her side to seemingly ensure the story James gives is one that is believed, as well as to perhaps see the reaction of Young). Looking to her backstory, her Senator father basically forced his way into overseeing what was going on with the program and, of course, cleared his trusted protege. Would someone really bring his daughter into such a dangerous off-world situation with as few skills as Chloe professes to have? If we write her femme fatale act off as a ruse, the rest of what she actually does adds up to some significantly suspicious activity with potentially deeper implications.

 

[Blastin]

Wow Mark.....that's quite the conspiracy theory ya got there for Chloe. Wouldn't it just be easier to say you don't like her?