Destiny

"The ship itself is a character, and there are a great many hidden elements to it that we reveal bit by bit over time."

-Production designer James Robbins, Stargate The Official Magazine p.79-



From the very opening of Stargate Universe (2009-2011) where the following words are repeated by actor Robert Carlyle it is underscored that the Ancients' vessel dubbed Destiny is a key player in the Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper steered series.

"Destiny is powered by the stars themselves."



As a fan of the series, one of the real highlights each and every forty-two minute episode these wonderful characters populate the inside of this wonderful ship design. This spacecraft embraces and houses all of these occupants and each and every installment we are treated to these gorgeous interior and exterior shots through space of this long, thin to gradual fanning out of a massive spaceship. Maybe more important is how much the interior shots reveal this important player in the third iteration of the Stargate franchise. More than just stargating from a base on earth to a new planet each week, the series places a significant emphasis on Destiny, a character that essentially cares for and protects its lost occupiers, through the dark void of space while housing a gate of its own as a launching pad to discovery.



Each new story reveals contents and compartments, rooms and corridors (like a long corridor creators dubbed The Chunnel) not yet revealed making for an exciting space exploration. The ship too is intricately lit thanks to raised floors and forward thinking by its designers giving the ship a dimensionality often missing in other craft designs from series' past. In much the same way Atlantis created a series of exciting revelations within its lost city over five seasons of Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009), Destiny, too, delivers detailed and fun science fiction moments through its two year run simply by virtue of the fact the residents aboard her do not know her intimately.



In full disclosure this writer found the ship designs on Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) underwhelming. The Prometheus or The Hammond were thick, hulking vessels, but lacked imagination. The Destiny remedies this issue within the franchise. It makes the aforementioned ships seem cartoonish by comparison.

However the Puddle Jumper's simplicity was a real joy. That ship was indeed a favorite that echoed the kind of enjoyment I experienced watching the characters of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) explore space within The Galileo. This writer could imagine many a kid landing and launching from a Puddle Jumper in their very backyards. Do kids still do that? I think so.



But with SGU Destiny quickly became one of my all-time favorite ship designs. Considering it was once considered to be a circular, saucer-shaped design, production designer James Robbins, Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper genuinely nailed the perfect combination. Destiny, for me, became the perfect ship taking its place among a long line of classics like the U.S.S. Enterprise and The Eagle from Space:1999 (1975-1977) to name a few. It's a shame a diecast ship was never created for the Destiny. It very much deserves one, but sometimes these things don't happen right away and maybe, perhaps one day, an authentic, detailed mold will be created for long-standing fans. We can hope.



Aesthetically Destiny seems to borrow a little inspiration from H.R. Geiger in its intricacy, perhaps a touch of Ancients era steam punk too or as Wright once alluded to in his initial hopes for the ship to channel a bit of "Jules Verne." Much of this seems in evidence.

So the Destiny is one of the Ancients' earliest achievements in technology. The Destiny was built to traverse the universe as a seed ship to dispatch stargates to unsuspecting planets. This form of communication was about to make the universe a much smaller place.



The stargate itself built within Destiny also has a kind of steam punk aesthetic and looks immense. Robbins revealed the gate aboard her was smaller than the 20 foot gate built for Stargate SG-1. Thus, Ancients' tech could be "proto-type" and specifications were set to account for housing within the Destiny herself.

Ultimately what was achieved through painstaking detail and thoughtful, protracted design work was an "iconic" spaceship which was the hope of its creators.



As a fan, despite the series lack of staying power and success in the short term, the men behind its design did the Destiny justice and did indeed create an iconic vessel for the ages and one that will hopefully be recognized as such in the long term. How ironic two of my personal favorites are from series that lasted just two seasons.

For me this gorgeous hunk of flying art work is indeed a favorite. The atrium. The observation deck. Kino balls. Shuttles. Various Ancients rooms. FTL (Faster than Light) speeds. It has it all. So what exactly is your Destiny?

Coming soon The Sci-Fi Fanatic's BIG 10 Spaceships.