Is the Stargate Universe (no pun intended) Dead?

[Brent]

Stargate started off so well, with so much potential starting with the very first movie. I know it was planned as a trilogy, and never came to fruition (and who knows how different the series would have been if it was still made after that.) But the series based off of the first movie actually started off pretty well, (we'll just ignore Emancipation.) Children of the Gods did a great job expanding upon the movie in new and interesting ways. The entire cast dynamic of SG-1 was AWESOME. SG-1 only got better each season. But as good as it was for so long, it did decline, and puttered out of existence. Some think it should have ended after S8 (i'm one of em), some before then even, some think it should have gotten another season, but the fact is it was on its dying breath toward the end, that much most agree on.

Stargate Atlantis had potential, it had a lot of it, here was a chance to really do something new and unique and present another great cast dynamic. Unfortunately it kinda started out ok, but instead of getting better each season like SG-1 it kinda got worse, or at least stayed the same spitting out the same status quo. It has had 5 years of screen time now, and feels no where on the level of SG-1, it just never lived up to SG-1's goodness.

And now here is a brand new series on the table, yet again being penned by the same writers, with this time almost a parody version of a cast. It already looks and sounds like a let down to fans from what has been heard. If Atlantis never got off the ground (pun intended hehe) is there really hope for this new series to get off the ground? Atlantis was definitely cut prematurely, it might have gotten better, but now we will never know and they had NO time to form a proper ending for the series either, it just got cut, hanging there. Will this happen to Universe 5 years from now?

My point is, has the entire Stargate Universe just kinda puttered out? Are we at the brink of people just losing interest in the gate universe? Should they just let it end? Should they give it a while and then do a reboot like Trek? Or can it endure just as it is?

 

[bigdaddy]

It's not dead, but it's like the Voyager and Enterprise years of Star Trek, not dead, just really sucks.

 

[Silversmok3]

To modify a saying,only nixon could go to China-once.


Stargate took off because it was original (for a sci fi series)with a solid group of actors.

Now SG isn't original,with a not-so-solid character set.

Predictably its gonna suck.

 

[Hermiod]

I'm not doing this again. Somebody just dig up the posts from the last five years or so of Star Trek's run on TV and just insert the word "Stargate" instead.

 

[DontFeedPhil]

You can say that SGa's stale boring writing killed it...

 

[Jax]

SG-A 4th non standalone stores and large parts of 5th season clearly shows theres life left in the franchise, hell the SG-1 episodes that actually dealt with The Ori were great stories. Franchises suffer more as time goes in part to writing with the same team for too long but also because fans get bored and look for stuff to bash about that they would of ignored earlier on.

SG-1 should of ended after 8 with SG-Command being a 4 year show IMO and SG-A has warranted a 6th. Sadly MGM want to turn the SG franchise into B-5 and make money off DVD movies.

SG-U will last for 100 episodes as long as it avoids Awful ratings...

It makes le laugh that people complain about shows being crap and they should end but continue to watch it keeping the ratings at a level where the network is willing to continue the show in some format, so really only those fans have themselves to blame for keeping a show they don't like on the air.

 

[Brent]

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a huge fan of the SG universe, and of course I'll continue to watch, I'm gonna be right here through all of SGU. However, I am not blind to the decline in quality on the show and the fact that Atlantis has never really hit its mark. I am not blind to the fact that fans like myself are very worried about SGU.

 

[sidious618]

Stargate through season six was great. Season seven and eight were good. They should've ended it after that. Atlantis had a fantastic first season but then went downhill real fast. Is it a coincidence that SG1 and SGA went down at the same time? I doubt it. Writing killed the show.

 

[Kirby]

SG1 was great from the beginning. Yeah there were some sub-par episodes in there, but most long running shows had plenty of bad episodes at some point: Cheers, TNG, MASH, and Frasier, all come to mind.

SG:A had great potential, but it seemed like the show suffered from a lack of planning much like Voyager did. That said, I still enjoyed Atlantis for what it was, and I'd still take Atlantis over Voyager any day.

SG:U will be fine as long as they take the lessons learned from Atlantis' shortcomings and give some thought to what they want to do and change things. Unless Richard Kind is cast as Col. Young, I plan on giving it at least a season.

 

[bigdaddy]

SG:U will be fine as long as they take the lessons learned from Atlantis' shortcomings and give some thought to what they want to do and change things .

$100 saying they won't.

 

[Hermiod]

SG:U will be fine as long as they take the lessons learned from Atlantis' shortcomings and give some thought to what they want to do and change things .

$100 saying they won't.

Don't watch it then.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm not doing this again. Somebody just dig up the posts from the last five years or so of Star Trek's run on TV and just insert the word "Stargate" instead.

The difference is that even at its worst, Star Trek has substance behind it, so that it can always be resurrected and buffed up to a nice shine. Stargate has never really had much beyond Richard Dean Anderson's personal charisma. It could have, but they didn't develop it.

And I bet SG:U can pull decent enough ratings to stay on the air, even if it's unmitigated crap. I don't give a frak, I'll be watching Caprica (and hopefully also Revolution) instead.

It makes le laugh that people complain about shows being crap and they should end but continue to watch it keeping the ratings at a level where the network is willing to continue the show in some format, so really only those fans have themselves to blame for keeping a show they don't like on the air.

Most Nielsens viewers are blissfully unaware this place, or any similar places, exist. So that fully explains the disconnect between TrekBBS bitching and TV show survival. We represent nothing but ourselves. And have every right to bitch about those other stupid people who watch crap shows (and aren't listening to us anyway).

Anyway I still watch Heroes. I ain't a pot to call no kettle black!

 

[firehawk12]

Well, 5 years after Universe ends, JJ Abrams will do a movie relaunch. I call Milo from Heroes as the younger Daniel Jackson!

 

[Broccoli]

SG:U will be fine as long as they take the lessons learned from Atlantis' shortcomings and give some thought to what they want to do and change things .

$100 saying they won't.

Don't watch it then.

But how else will he lose that $100?

 

[Hermiod]

The difference is that even at its worst, Star Trek has substance behind it, so that it can always be resurrected and buffed up to a nice shine. Stargate has never really had much beyond Richard Dean Anderson's personal charisma. It could have, but they didn't develop it.

Yet, I still see a post or two from you every week in the grading thread for each episode. Seems to me like you're still watching it.

Anyway I still watch Heroes. I ain't a pot to call no kettle black!

Well, that's my point made for me.

Heroes has earned enough favour with me to be worthy of a chance to sort a certain problem you and I have disagreed enough times on.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The difference is that even at its worst, Star Trek has substance behind it, so that it can always be resurrected and buffed up to a nice shine. Stargate has never really had much beyond Richard Dean Anderson's personal charisma. It could have, but they didn't develop it.

Yet, I still see a post or two from you every week in the grading thread for each episode. Seems to me like you're still watching it.

Anyway I still watch Heroes. I ain't a pot to call no kettle black!

Well, that's my point made for me.

Heroes has earned enough favour with me to be worthy of a chance to sort a certain problem you and I have disagreed enough times on.

That's a whole lotta words there to say that I already said what you said here.

I call Milo from Heroes as the younger Daniel Jackson!

Nah, not really the right type. Strangely enough, I'd say Zachary Quinto is closer to the Daniel Jackson type. However, I do believe he'll be busy for a while yet...

How about Sundhil Ramamthury? Who says Danny has to be a white boy?

 

[SG-17]

Yes I do admit that some of the episodes of SGA were just stale re-hashes of plots from SG-1. However I do believe that the series still has a lot of potential and if it were not for dicky networks it would have a season 6. The same goes for SG-1 (which I do believe should have became Stargate Command after season 8).
Why else would MGM keep buying direct to DVD movies?
Considering that another SG-1 movie is planned, along with an SGA movie.
Both Atlantis and SG-1 have made it into syndication, something rare for Sci-Fi series that are on Sci-Fi Channel *cough*BSG*cough*.
So I hope that Sci-Fi will not pull SGU before its prime like they did with SGA.

In conclusion, Stargate is akin to Star Trek. They are like brothers, both loved by their parents (TPTB) and by their friends (the fans), but are constantly bullied by the school-yard punk (the networks).
Stargate will most likely follow the same path as Star Trek, and I can see a successful reboot of the franchise in 40 odd years.
Heck O'Neill = Kirk and Teal'c = Spock