SG-U – Air part 3 (1x03) - (Discuss – Grade | SPOILERS)

[NKemp3]

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Obviously I'm out of sync with contemporary fashion, but I think it's very sad to see Stargate sink to this level. Stargate was never my favorite franchise, but it was good Space Opera and consistently well done; to see it become a juvenile nuBSG clone is painful. The mother with the booze dribbling from her chin made me cringe and the junior high school dramatics between the Army loser and the alleged scientist was incredibly embarrasing. Nothing here but adults behaving like disturbed adolescents for the sake of forced conflict; the Ron Moore view of life.

At least the camerawork wasn't as distractingly sloppy as it was last week. Maybe they're just using that as a gimmick to suck people in and will segue to a more professional look. Hopefully they'll do that with the writing as well.

And it just makes me shake my head that this incredible vessel from an incomprehensibly advanced civilization that can cross the distances between galaxies looks like something from Star Wars on the outside and an abandoned 1940s warehouse in Fall River on the inside. What do people have against imagination these days?

This.

You'd think being stranded billions of lightyears away on a broken down spaceship with no food would be enough conflict for any show, but I underestimated the nu-BSG era. That's nowhere near enough conflict for a good show. Every character needs to have a deep, dark backstory and be constantly threatening to kill each other. Cause that's how the real world works.

The only thing keeping me watching the show right now is Eli. I can almost see him as the fifth member of SG-1 and I like that.

Good Lord. Heaven forbid TPTB at least attempt to flesh out characters with backstories. I mean why go that route? Why not rely on the premise of previous sci fi shows in which the only conflict is the situation the characters are in rather than the struggle the characters have within themselves and with each other?

Seriously some of you love your sci fi to be simple like the other Stargate series, TOS, TNG, the original BSG....Buck Rogers! Hey, those shows were successful and I enjoyed a few of the quite a bit myself. But just as the hour long dramas/cop shows have evolved from the days of "Dragnet" isn't it a good thing that sci fi shows are evolving too? I guess not for those of you who want your characters totally honest, pure, likable, funny, etc. If a character has a flaw you want it to be a superficial flaw that really doesn't amount to anything. You want your sci fi to be so escapist to the point it has nothing to do with how we as people operate in the real world. You can't imagine yourselves devoting time to sit and watch a show with people you don't find endearing or amusingly quirky who spit out witty comebacks at rates that would shame the Gilmore Girls.

Okay. We get it. Hopefully more shows like that, those easily accessible-comfort food shows, will be coming your way in the near future since that's your preference. Heck, if another type of those series comes around that is as well done as TNG or the first five years of SG1 comes around I may watch too. But in the meantime count me as one of those who like the evolution of science fiction shows. From DS9 to B5 to Farscape to Lost to the "nu BSG", I see it as wonderful that these other shows aren't afraid to be darker, aren't afraid to rely more strongly on continuity, aren't afraid to have true character development and change, aren't afraid of TRUE conflict and aren't afraid to present us characters with serious warts. I can't speak for others but as I have grown older my tastes have changed and I tend to like shows that are more sophisticated. I gave SG:Atlantis a try for a little over a year but I found that I could not take that forced cuteness of that show and its naked lack of ambition any longer. Some folks actually think those characters were great. Okay. I don't see it. Those characters didn't grow, didn't have interesting back stories, didn't bring anything fresh to sci fi television. They were nothing more than amiable friends to tune into once a week. And if that's how people like their characters of their shows to be then so be it. Others though, like myself, want something different. And after seeing the type of growth I got with characters on B5 and DS9 I can never go back to investing my time in characters who are as paper thin as the cops on CSI:Miami.

Granted I had lots of problems with the new BSG. Lots. It is not one of my all time faves (in fact I would still take TNG over it). Nonetheless I can appreciate how different it was and how fresh it was. Basically I give Moore and Co props for trying to do something new in this science fiction TV genre even if they weren't always successful at what they attempted.

Stargate Universe has its share of problems so far too which I hope will get straightened out or corrected. But I'm willing to give it a chance. Do I have a bit of a problem with Greer being a stereotypical Angry Black Man? Yes, and my problem with it will only grow if TPTB don't flesh out his backstory and make us understand him better. That being said at least I find the character interesting as a result of all the issues he seems to have. That's an improvement at least over Lt Ford who was nothing more than a token sidekick in SG:Atlantis. As I asked in a previous post which stereotype/caricature is worst? Is Ford acceptable to some folks because he smiled a lot? He wasn't to me. I was frustrated with him because TPTB had no interesting developments for his character until he was transformed.

Also why the nitpicking of some of the solutions and inconsistencies of SG:U as if the other Stargate shows did not resort to some of the same bs resolutions and scenarios? That's just being hypocritical.

 

[cylkoth]

Also why the nitpicking of some of the solutions and inconsistencies of SG:U as if the other Stargate shows did not resort to some of the same bs resolutions and scenarios? That's just being hypocritical.

The nitpicking, while irritating to you, is understandable..these producer/writers have 15 seasons worth of experience with the franchise. We were told conflicting information, it's that simple. Having a character say 'hundreds of thousands of years ago' to describe Destiny's flight is an unnecessary head scratcher for long time viewers... Plus all SGC personal should know the basic history of the Ancients, as we have their capital city, database, and repository of one of their most powerful allies (Asgard), in our possession. So it shouldn't be a case of a Machiavellian Rush trying to mislead the crew. They would know better.

 

[RJDiogenes]

At least the camerawork wasn't as distractingly sloppy as it was last week.

No matter what one might think about the camera work of the pilot, "sloppy" is not a word I'd use. Time and time again has the camera work in Stargate been little more then "oh, dump the camera somewhere in the room and press the 'on'-button".

All you need really is basic storytelling skills that don't, y'know, distract from the actual story. Sloppy is definitely a word I'd use for not being able to keep the camera on target, randomly zooming in and out for no apparent reason, and losing the focus every few seconds. I know it's done purposely to give it a faux documentary look, like Cops or the like, but to me it just looks amateurish-- and I hate all that "gritty" Fox-style crap anyway.

And it just makes me shake my head that this incredible vessel from an incomprehensibly advanced civilization that can cross the distances between galaxies looks like something from Star Wars on the outside and an abandoned 1940s warehouse in Fall River on the inside. What do people have against imagination these days?

Please tell me where was this imagination you craved in SG:Atlantis?

Sounds like you simply have issues with BSG and decided to take it out on this show with your rant.

nuBSG was horrible, of course, but my real problem is the trend that nuBSG represents. I was tired of the adolescent D&G fad by 1986, so it's way past its shelf life now-- and not only has it degenerated way past the point of self parody, but it just keeps spreading.

Okay. We get it.

Obviously not.

 

[Islander]

I have to give it only a 7 because I'm a bit disapointed. We were told we would get 3 deaths in the premiere. We got the senator and in this one 2 other unknown crew members go to another planet and are abandoned. They didn't die, we just don't know what happened to them! For all we know they are on a rich world where they are kind or discovered a mean to get back to earth. Apart from that, excelent episode.

 

[Corran Horn]

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Obviously I'm out of sync with contemporary fashion, but I think it's very sad to see Stargate sink to this level. Stargate was never my favorite franchise, but it was good Space Opera and consistently well done; to see it become a juvenile nuBSG clone is painful. The mother with the booze dribbling from her chin made me cringe and the junior high school dramatics between the Army loser and the alleged scientist was incredibly embarrasing. Nothing here but adults behaving like disturbed adolescents for the sake of forced conflict; the Ron Moore view of life.

At least the camerawork wasn't as distractingly sloppy as it was last week. Maybe they're just using that as a gimmick to suck people in and will segue to a more professional look. Hopefully they'll do that with the writing as well.

And it just makes me shake my head that this incredible vessel from an incomprehensibly advanced civilization that can cross the distances between galaxies looks like something from Star Wars on the outside and an abandoned 1940s warehouse in Fall River on the inside. What do people have against imagination these days?

This.

You'd think being stranded billions of lightyears away on a broken down spaceship with no food would be enough conflict for any show, but I underestimated the nu-BSG era. That's nowhere near enough conflict for a good show. Every character needs to have a deep, dark backstory and be constantly threatening to kill each other. Cause that's how the real world works.

The only thing keeping me watching the show right now is Eli. I can almost see him as the fifth member of SG-1 and I like that.

Good Lord. Heaven forbid TPTB at least attempt to flesh out characters with backstories. I mean why go that route? Why not rely on the premise of previous sci fi shows in which the only conflict is the situation the characters are in rather than the struggle the characters have within themselves and with each other?

I think the creators of LOST said it best. (I believe it was either Damon or Carlton)

Sure, we could make a show where everybody had great childhoods, likes everybody, loves their job, and is very well adjusted. And it'd be called "The Most Boring Fucking Show You've Ever Seen".

 

[archeryguy1701]

I'm gonna give this another 8. I really like how things are shaping up so far. I'm really liking Rush, Young, Scott, and Grier. Eli is a tad obnoxious, but he's not bad. I'm definately hoping that they continue to get the characters fleshed out through the series. I really enjoyed the end of the episode, specifically the sequence that was switching between Scott trying to make it to the gate, Grier trying to find him, and the people back on the ship. The music was great. It was nice to see O'Neill and have him back to being the O'Neill that didn't deliver a crack every single line. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

[Kelthaz]

I think the creators of LOST said it best. (I believe it was either Damon or Carlton)

Sure, we could make a show where everybody had great childhoods, likes everybody, loves their job, and is very well adjusted. And it'd be called "The Most Boring Fucking Show You've Ever Seen".

Oh, come on. That's completely unfair. Star Trek: TNG was an awesome show.

 

[Jenee]

Why does everyone want main characters to die?

Traditionally, in storytelling, you tell the story about the people who survived.

If you tell a story about someone who dies ... well ... that would be the end of the story, wouldn't it?

 

[Borgminister]

You've got to be patient with the show, but sometimes the album you don't like at first turns out to be a favorite.

Same with this show. I really hope they don't go further down the nuBSG route in terms of style and mood choices, but create their own.

Don't know how many "fix the ship" episodes will hold my interest though; I expect they will introduce some new villain eventually to expand the plot beyond that.

 

[1001001]

I gave it a 7. I'll definitely stick with it.

I was confused by those stones for a minute. I have a vague notion of seeing them before, but they were like control rocks on a pad or something. It's all fuzzy. Getting old sucks....



It also may be that while I watched all of Stargate: SG1, I didn't watch any of Atlantis (weird, huh?), so maybe there's things from there I don't know.

In any event, I think it has potential to be fun and interesting. I agree I hope they don't go all grim, slow-motion, opera music, drunken fighting and crying every week, though...

 

[stryderjzw]

SGU once again fails to fully utilize the kinos. Why go wandering around a barren alien planet when you have a bunch of kinos to go on a scouting mission?

Not sure if this was answered, but the Kinos couldn't really be used to explore the planet. They had to test the sand by hand and the Kinos don't have hands.

 

[God Magnus]

So how exactly did those 2 people "die". Did they even die? How will we ever know?

I'm suspecting they will come back as super mutants!

It reminds me of the whole "Ford" thing from "Atlantis". I think they'll be back and either be a threat themselves or bring a threat with them.

 

[Snaploud]

SGU once again fails to fully utilize the kinos. Why go wandering around a barren alien planet when you have a bunch of kinos to go on a scouting mission?

Not sure if this was answered, but the Kinos couldn't really be used to explore the planet. They had to test the sand by hand and the Kinos don't have hands.

I believe Kinos do have some form of advanced sensory equipment (as they get atmospheric information from them). However, assuming an inability of kinos to do testing, they could have at least had a throw-away line indicating that the kinos explored and found only sand within a given radius of the gate.

 

[Yoda]

SGU once again fails to fully utilize the kinos. Why go wandering around a barren alien planet when you have a bunch of kinos to go on a scouting mission?

Not sure if this was answered, but the Kinos couldn't really be used to explore the planet. They had to test the sand by hand and the Kinos don't have hands.

I believe Kinos do have some form of advanced sensory equipment (as they get atmospheric information from them). However, assuming an inability of kinos to do testing, they could have at least had a throw-away line indicating that the kinos explored and found only sand within a given radius of the gate.

Seriously, you'd think those little bastards could fly up a ways and look for ya know... different looking sand or something. A handful of guys wandering in one (and later split into two) random direction does not a great search make.

 

[RJDiogenes]

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This.

You'd think being stranded billions of lightyears away on a broken down spaceship with no food would be enough conflict for any show, but I underestimated the nu-BSG era. That's nowhere near enough conflict for a good show. Every character needs to have a deep, dark backstory and be constantly threatening to kill each other. Cause that's how the real world works.

The only thing keeping me watching the show right now is Eli. I can almost see him as the fifth member of SG-1 and I like that.

Good Lord. Heaven forbid TPTB at least attempt to flesh out characters with backstories. I mean why go that route? Why not rely on the premise of previous sci fi shows in which the only conflict is the situation the characters are in rather than the struggle the characters have within themselves and with each other?

I think the creators of LOST said it best. (I believe it was either Damon or Carlton)

Sure, we could make a show where everybody had great childhoods, likes everybody, loves their job, and is very well adjusted. And it'd be called "The Most Boring Fucking Show You've Ever Seen".

There have been countless writers throughout History who have managed to tell great stories about adults. Making every character a deranged adolescent is a joke.

Why does everyone want main characters to die?

Traditionally, in storytelling, you tell the story about the people who survived.

If you tell a story about someone who dies ... well ... that would be the end of the story, wouldn't it?

Because it's kewl and kickass and hardcore and dark and edgy. We need to have the shocking death of a major character every week to shock us so we'll be shocked.

 

[Spider]

Utterly forgettable. I doubt I’ll be watching any more of this.

 

[Samurai8472]

At the end of Air Pt 3 some sort of object ejected from the ship. I wonder if those are meant to be giant KINO's to search out for habitable planets.

 

[broberfett]

At the end of Air Pt 3 some sort of object ejected from the ship. I wonder if those are meant to be giant KINO's to search out for habitable planets.

Maybe they are aliens that repeatedly anal probe the crew. They won't affect the plot or anything. They just have a thing for anal probing.

 

[MPH]

At the end of Air Pt 3 some sort of object ejected from the ship. I wonder if those are meant to be giant KINO's to search out for habitable planets.

It was an alien ship that was attached to the hull. It was clearly a different design than the Destiny.

 

[Kpnuts]

I was expecting this to be boring, filled with people arguing, bad acting, and nothing actually happening.

Better than I thought, quite interesting and well put together, even though it is a complete rip off of BGS/Lost in terms of style and editing.

Pretty good, and the last 5 or so minutes were well done, and fairly exciting.