So far, I'm up through "Space" midway through Season 1. I have to say, it's taken me a while to warm up to SGU and even then it's been slow going. I was quite enchanted by the swashbuckling space adventure & brisk comedy of Stargate SG-1 & Stargate Atlantis. Of course, SGU is a different breed altogether.
The common comparison is to draw a parallel to the style of Battlestar Galactica. I think there's a key difference though. Galactica, for all its darkness, still populated the show with bad guys & frequent space battle. SGU is more like basing a weekly sci-fi TV series on a man vs. nature conflict. Most of the episodes are about a basic, primal struggle for survival, not against any outward antagonist but against simple elements like air & water. It's some of the most basic space survival scenarios imaginable. In that sense, I do respect the show for its freshness.
I don't think outer space has felt this hostile or frightening or unforgiving since the really early days of Doctor Who back in 1963-64. The Destiny is an intelligent ship that tries to fulfill the needs of its crew in an inscrutable way while being completely uncontrolable. And if you make a false step, you'll never see home again, presuming you have any chance of making it home at all anyway. It's kinda like if you set the TARDIS on autopilot and then didn't have the Doctor around to occasionally explain what's going on.
Unfortunately, I can't say I really like any of the characters yet. I haven't grown to hate them all as contemptible little shits (like I did on Galactica). Instead, I'm merely indifferent & uninterested (like on Dollhouse). The only character thing I've really become attached to at all is the potential for an Eli/Chloe relationship. I know it will probably never happen but it would be really sweet if these two kids could get together. His deathbed speech to her in "Time" brought a tear to my eye.
The common comparison is to draw a parallel to the style of Battlestar Galactica. I think there's a key difference though. Galactica, for all its darkness, still populated the show with bad guys & frequent space battle. SGU is more like basing a weekly sci-fi TV series on a man vs. nature conflict. Most of the episodes are about a basic, primal struggle for survival, not against any outward antagonist but against simple elements like air & water. It's some of the most basic space survival scenarios imaginable. In that sense, I do respect the show for its freshness.
I don't think outer space has felt this hostile or frightening or unforgiving since the really early days of Doctor Who back in 1963-64. The Destiny is an intelligent ship that tries to fulfill the needs of its crew in an inscrutable way while being completely uncontrolable. And if you make a false step, you'll never see home again, presuming you have any chance of making it home at all anyway. It's kinda like if you set the TARDIS on autopilot and then didn't have the Doctor around to occasionally explain what's going on.
Unfortunately, I can't say I really like any of the characters yet. I haven't grown to hate them all as contemptible little shits (like I did on Galactica). Instead, I'm merely indifferent & uninterested (like on Dollhouse). The only character thing I've really become attached to at all is the potential for an Eli/Chloe relationship. I know it will probably never happen but it would be really sweet if these two kids could get together. His deathbed speech to her in "Time" brought a tear to my eye.
They'll never get to see the geek fantasy of
