Monday, September 7, 2015

Brad Wright And Robert C. Cooper: On Stargate Universe Season One Part One

"I love the first ten, but I think fans who feel there were elements missing from what they consider to be a Stargate, will find them very much present in the second half of season one. ... because we devoted so much of the first half to basic survival and forging the characters and their relationships. I think all of that was necessary...."
 
-Brad Wright, SciFiNow #40, p.33-

It's been so perfect for ten episodes you can only hope the approach to Stargate Universe is not that different. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis have been done. Stargate Universe is a fascinating, new animal.


 
"They (Rush and Young) have to deal with the obvious ripple effect and the repercussions of the action they took, and lack of trust they have in each other, and where all of that is going. In many ways, the first half of the season was all leading up to that moment. On this show there are no classic heroes or villains. Everybody is flawed and it's about human beings trapped in this pressure-cooker situation, and having the essence of their characters come out."
 
-Robert C. Cooper, SciFiNow #40, p. 37-



I spoke previously about Stargate Universe, Season One, Episode 10, Justice really shining a light on the actual character of these characters. Cooper really highlights that point here.

Following the rather difficult and traumatizing events of Justice, people aboard the Destiny continue to be put to the test in deep space. Colonel Everett Young was tested, perhaps more than any other. But everyone is feeling the heat as sides were taken and actions have been called into question.

There were indeed plenty of moments over the course of these first ten episodes where characters have managed to keep it together under significant duress, but as events unfolded in Justice the survivors aboard Destiny are being pushed beyond their limits. Cracks within this fragile microcosm of civilization are beginning to show. Where that takes these men and women will be fascinating especially for Young and Rush "which is part of the ongoing nature of what I think this show is," says Cooper. Human nature is at the heart of this brilliant iteration of the Stargate franchise. It's not always bad, but when it is, it can be ugly as Justice proved.

As a whole Stargate Universe Season 1.0 (episodes 1-10) is nothing short of perfection. Each entry is flawless in performance, execution and story. While each story can be taken entirely on its own terms, there is indeed plenty of connecting sci-fi tissue here weaving a much more epic tale in scope. Thematically the viewer benefits most by absorbing this connected journey as a whole. It's a bit like listening to a proper epic pop album along the lines of The Seeds Of Love (1989) by Tears For Fears or Street Fighting Years (1989) by Simple Minds. The songs that comprise these collections are certainly grand and beautiful on their own, but together the productions make for an experimental, thematically tied effort that is much more profound in scope on the whole and in some respects, like SGU, represent creators at their artistic heights.


No comments:

Post a Comment