Stargates

[Bry_Sinclair]

Back when there was a separate "Stargate Page" I posted after catching the original movie by chance, asking if SG-1 was something to invest in. After heeding the advice of others, I went for it and bought the 10 season boxset of SG-1, followed by Atlantis, and I have literally just finished Universe.

After all of that, I have to say that all the series have their highs and lows, but overall the series I enjoyed the most and would put at the top of my SG ranking would be Universe. The others suffer from being very formulaic, but the whole concept of SGU was vastly different and we got to see 'ordinary' people dealing with an impossible situation where we got to see the best and worst of them.

Anyone else out there share the love of SGU above the others?

 

[1001001]

I liked SG1 the best, but I did enjoy SGU. The relationships on SG1 were great, IMHO.

There were a lot of people who did not agree, however. I remember SGU being (derisively) referred to as Stargate: Voyager.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

There were a lot of people who did not agree, however. I remember SGU being (derisively) referred to as Stargate: Voyager.

I've got that covered on the Voyager board

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I like SGU a lot. I think it comes down to what you're looking for. If you look at SGU as part of the SG-1 franchise it's not very successful. People who like SG-1 and its light adventures and likable characters were bound to be disappointed.

On its own terms, I loved SGU and its more mysterious world where things were more alien, unknown and dangerous. The idea of some big unknown purpose guiding them on was intriguing.

In fact, if anything, it was probably held back by being part of the franchise. I would've dumped those stupid stones and all that. It probably would've been better served as just a standalone series.

ETA: SGU is nothing like Voyager, the closest parallel for me would be Space:1999.

 

[1001001]

I would've dumped those stupid stones and all that.

I agree, the stones seemed like a cheat. Although they did lead to some funny situations.

ETA: SGU is nothing like Voyager, the closest parallel for me would be Space:1999.

I don't remember Space:1999, but I agree generally. The tone of SGU was much different than Voyager. Still, those who didn't like it compared the two unfavorably (at least that's how I remember it).

 

[Agent Richard07]

I loved SGU and considered it appointment television. I was drifting away from the franchise when Atlantis was on, then came back because of this show. I think it had two problems. 1) It was too much of a shift in tone for Stargate fans as Mr. Adventure said, and 2) This one I've come to agree with... The writers did have trouble finding their footing early on with a lot of forced melodrama and doing a slow burn just for the sake of doing a slow burn. Fortunately, the show found it's voice in the second half of season 2 with a good balance between humor & camaraderie and the serious tone they were going for. Unfortunately, it was too late.

And I wouldn't have wanted the stones gone. They were an excellent plot device and concept that really added to the show. Maybe the real problem was that they weren't used to people's satisfaction early on.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

The tone of SGU was much different than Voyager. Still, those who didn't like it compared the two unfavorably (at least that's how I remember it).

I could see that as a dismissive comment but I do find it really unfair. Not just as a fan but because it really doesn't fit at all.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I agree, the stones seemed like a cheat.

I think they're only a cheat if you hold onto the mindset that this is a conventional "cut off from home" type show.

One thing I've noticed is that viewers railed against the show whenever it defied a convention that people have been used to for years or decades. People thought that the crew were supposed to be cut off from home, so the stones shouldn't have been there. Another example is when Robert Knepper showed up. People thought he was wasted because his character wasn't dropped into the drama right away when we first saw him. The show runners wanted to give us glimpses of him as a background character, then gradually bring him to the forefront but a lot of viewers didn't take well to that, presumably because it's not how it's usually done.

Although they did lead to some funny situations.

Yes. This show had one of the most memorable sex scenes ever because of it.

 

[1001001]

I can't speak for anyone else, I can just say I enjoyed the show, and wasn't bothered by the change in tone. I watched it religiously and was bummed when it got cancelled. Whatever objections (minor) I had about the show were not based on "straying from the formula".

I was a huge fan of SG1, but I never watched SGA, not one episode. I don't even really know why. So I don't know where that puts me on the fandom scale...

 

[Agent Richard07]

SGU actually made me want to go back and watch the last three seasons of Atlantis.

 

[RoJoHen]

I love all the Stargate series, but I do really enjoy SGU. I don't know which series I'd rank the best...probably depends on my mood at the time.

 

[JarodRussell]

It's funny, I like SGA a lot more than SG1, for similar reasons why I like DS9 a lot more than TNG. And I really love the crossover episodes, and the crossover storyarcs. They never did any of that in Trek. There is no episode where for example Picard, Riker and Data, and Sisko, Dax and Kira work together in a major story. You only have cameos of the subcast for the B plot. But there is plenty of that in the SG1/SGA crossovers.

The more I think about it, there more I like the Stargate franchise.

 

[theenglish]

SGU definitely got cut before its time. SGA started quite strong but I thought it suffered from the various casting changes in the later seasons.

 

[Skywalker]

I loved SGU. I'll admit that I tried out the first couple of episodes when it first aired back in 2009 and found it underwhelming, but in 2012 I went back and gave it another chance and wound up really enjoying it. I do think they tried to be a little too much like BSG in the first half of Season One, and that's probably what doomed the show, but eventually they pulled it back a bit and just did their own thing, and it was great.

My favorite character was probably Greer. Which is kind of amusing to me, because when I first heard about him I thought I'd hate him.

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

I really hated most of SGU. It was just starting to get decent with the Asgard and such when it was cancelled.

 

[Kirby]

I liked SGU, and the last half of season 2 had some of my favorite Stargate episodes of all time. I didn't like the constant bitching between the civilians and the military, and I didn't care for how they handled the communication stones at times.
SG1 is still my favorite series in the franchise though.

 

[Mr Light]

I loved SG1... Atlantis was a very mixed bag I only semi-watched in the later years... but I just could not get past the first couple episodes of Universe. It was so boring.

 

[Guy Gardener]

There was an awful cartoon as well, don't forget.

26 episodes.

 

[MacLeod]

I enjoyed all of the Stargate shows, they each had their pros and cons.

Though I think Robert Carlyle stole the show when it came to SG:U

 

[MacLeod]

There was an awful cartoon as well, don't forget.

26 episodes.

I had more or less forgotton about that, thanks.