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Review of Stargate Universe (part 2)
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Cast of Stargate Universe. Credit: SyFy/MGM
In part two of this review of the new SyFy/MGM television series Stargate Universe, we'll examine the cool new technology in the pilot episode and meet some of the cast.
Welcome to the real world
As the Denver Space Industry Examiner, I should ponder some tie-ins to our real-world space industry in this review. The Stargate franchise has always excelled in its representation of feasible future-science… after an alien technological jumpstart, of course. We don’t know to build a stable wormhole for transporting people and materials instantaneously around the galaxy; yet we can feasibly imagine an extremely advanced alien race doing the heavy lifting for us. Once the SG-1 team opened the gate, the series became an episodic extrapolation of classical science fiction possibilities and technologies, all grounded with a healthy dose of real-world engineering.
The refugees will probably find plenty of tech toys scattered around the Destiny or on distant worlds, so the new series should continue the long tradition of shamelessly borrowing advanced alien technology. Eli’s “Keno balls(?)” are my favorite so far. These hovering, bocce ball sized sensor platforms become an operator’s remote eyes and ears, replacing the clunky Air Force reconnaissance robots in SG-1 and Atlantis. Give it another Christmas or two and I predict you’ll find these devices in a toy store near you. As for the hovering part, well, let’s just assume a brilliant Denver space industry engineer will invent anti-gravity soon (believe it or not, I actually know a local engineer or two who are working on solutions for that tiny little problem).
Seriously, similar remote sensing robots exist today. As military reconnaissance robots shrink and evolve, they become lighter, more efficient, and more capable. Some even hover like Eli’s Keno balls, with rotors and battery power keeping them aloft. Minus the anti-gravity part, this technology passes the sniff test.
The Starship Destiny apparently traverses star systems and galaxies with an FTL (Faster Than Light) drive. Each prior Stargate series utilized hyperspace for fast transport, so the FTL drive is something new (or the writers blundered). Many science fiction authors dream of FTL engines, but unfortunately, FTL drives and hyperspace travel both seem borderline impossible given our current understanding of physics.
It’s a good thing those advanced aliens figured out how to build a working FTL drive. Otherwise, our brave group of refugees would really be hosed.
Money grows on alien trees
Another space industry reference in the pilot episode seems worthy of mention, given recent NASA budget shortfalls. One refugee, a senator from California, brags about allocating $1.6 billion in US taxpayer funds to research the advanced super-gate. This nails one of my pet peeves: The movie and television industries love to carelessly fling huge price tags for anything related to space exploration, ultimately damaging the credibility and public perception of real engineers working in the space industry. In this case and similar ones, I find myself asking, “Why?”
The alien base and stargate already existed. Over two years, the Air Force transported 80 researchers and their supplies to a nearby base on an existing starship (in a galactic sense, 21 light years from Earth is practically on Earth), set up some seriously cool rail guns for defense, developed a computer game, and perhaps hired a few-dozen personnel for logistical support back on Earth. I’d give this project a budget of $100 million per year, max.
So where did the other $1.4 billion go? Hmmm. Maybe our hero congressman had sticky fingers? Or was a czar of alien technology transfer involved? Maybe the writers got it right after all…
Fresh characters
The best thing I like about the new series: the characters are fresh and interesting. As a science fiction writer, I know the value in creating strong characters and letting them evolve on their own. This new crew seems loaded with potential, and we can expect some fireworks as we watch them grow.
For example, I’m dying to know more about Master Sergeant Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith). Why did he begin the episode in the brig? He seems to have some serious anger management issues to overcome, and that’s good – it makes him a strong character that we can root for. He could end up stealing the show, if the writers turn him loose in a constructive way.
Likewise, the field medic (Alaina Huffman as Tamara Johansen) may become a pivotal character. There seems a lot more to her than meets the eye. Atlantis also had a “reluctant doctor,” but this new character should evolve along a different path. Perhaps she will lose a few patients due to her real lack of medical knowledge. That would really spice things up, eh?
We should also expect some fascinating interactions with regular characters back on Earth. The refugees brought five alien body-swapper communication stones with them, and the stones apparently work just fine despite the extreme distance between the crew and Earth.
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