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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

S is for Stargate Universe (and Suits, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Stark Raving Mad)

Stargate Universe (SGU) is one of my favorite shows of all time, and was canceled way before its time. This one will be a bit longer than normal, because I can't help myself. I have to explain how awesome this show is. It is based on the original movie, Stargate, which spawned two other shows before SGU. The first show was Stargate SG-1 (SG1), then came Stargate Atlantis (SGA). Some people were bigger fans of the first two shows for their campiness. I like some amount of camp, but I'm somewhat picky when it comes to humor and camp. All in all, the original movie and SGU were my favorites.

First of all, the basic premise shared by all versions of Stargate is one of the most amazing ever created in any sci-fi universe. It is based on a round gate that allows instant travel over very long distances. The gate was created by aliens and used in ancient times to transport humans to be used as slaves on distant planets. As such, all the advanced technology is labeled as "ancient," even though humans barely have a grasp of it.

Click to see theme
The U.S. military discovers a gate, and begins using it. They come up to speed on much of the technology used by the aliens, but there is still much to learn. The thing that is so awesome about Stargate Universe is that it involves regular, present-day folk like you and me. A few of them have never even dealt with the "ancient" technology before. All of  sudden, they are thrust to a spaceship on the other side of the universe, and the planet where they were studying the technology is completely destroyed.

None of them, not even the specialists who have worked with the technology, have any idea how the spaceship works, other than small clues based on what they had learned from other "ancient" technology. They initially don't even know the purpose of the ship, and why it seems to be set on a predetermined course, even though it had been completely uninhabited before they got there.

The series had a few "soapy" moments, especially at the beginning, but it is easy to look past that to see all of the awesomeness. Another amazing thing about the show is that, similar to Lost, many of the characters are totally unlikeable in the beginning. As time goes on, you get to know them, until one day you think to yourself, "I love that guy (or woman)!" Then you realize that something amazing has happened.
This is the explosion that pushed the last living person on the planet through the gate.
I've also made this gif available on this Tumblr post.
"S" is a big day for other reasons as well. I also used to write about the show #Suits for Yahoo! TV each week.
I'm also a huge fan of all the #StarTrek shows and movies.
Of course, I'm also a fan of the first batch of #StarWars movies. In fact, Star Wars was the first movie my mother ever took me to see in the theater when I was a little kid. It's the whole reason I'm a sci-fi fanatic in the first place.
I also have to mention one of my favorite sitcoms of all time, 1999's #StarkRavingMad, starring Tony Shalhoub and Neil Patrick Harris, both amazing actors. It only lasted for less than a season, but it was amazingly hilarious.
I'm also a fan of #silver jewelry, because it looks better on me than gold.
My "S" for last year was "#Special #Sunday #Stuff":
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2 comments:

  1. cleemckenzieApril 23, 2014 at 10:50 AM

    I'm a Stargate fan or was. I loved the premise and I did grow to love those characters. Lots of super S things here today. I really yummed over the Seabream sashimi sampler

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  2. AnonymousApril 24, 2014 at 1:15 AM

    Love Stargate. Not sure how many Stargate Universe episodes I've seen. Your AtoZ has reminded me that I love sci-fi and might need to get into some of the shows currently out there. Loved Starwars when it first came out. Have got a bit tired of it now.

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