It may be, Martin, that there's not any *more* music here than in SG-1 or Atlantis, but the *type* of music used differs, which caught my attention. SG-1 had a lighter score, even in serious moments. Atlantis' overall music was a little bolder than SG-1. But with SGU, it's much more sombre scoring. And, you mention the endpiece and the use of the song. those are definitely firsts, as I can't remember that being done for the other shows, certainly not a vocal arrangement.
As for the BSG look and feel, I'm going with it for four reasons: One, it's well done (especially the direction) and I'm still fascinated by the quantum leap in production over its predecessors...two, I missed the last two seasons of BSG, so I'm not as close to burnout on the style as others...three, i really like grittier scifi/fantasy/comics, and SGU is a welcome complement to lighter shows like "Eureka" and "Warehouse 13"...and four, it feeds my continual hunger for good scifi, especially on Friday nights. If nothing else, it's nice to see a show that has a different feel from yet another Stargate, a show where i really can't anticipate what's happening next. Now all we need is for SyFy to get its schedule together so all its series--Eureka, Warehouse 13, SGU, Sanctuary--are airing new eps at the same time, and that'll make for a decent week. SyFy still isn't back to its glory days, but this helps.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker...@hotmail.com> To: "SciFiNoir2" <scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2009 7:27:23 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] My (Second) Take - "Stargate Universe" I think you hit it spot on, Keith. I'm still not picking up on the incidental music, save for the endpiece, when the life-support system aboard the Destiny kicked on, and the song about breathing slipped in as neat counterpoint. I'll live with the BG tone of the series to date, though I don't find myself much enamored of it. (Seen it once, would rather see something different.) One point I did notice in the new ep, when Eli stuck his arm into the event horizon to delay the Gate from shutting down until Scott and Greer could make it through, and the ship began shuddering, trying to fight off the override and go FTL. I think that, the next time that stunt is tried, someone's gonna lose an arm. "If all the world's a stage and all the people merely players, who in bloody hell hired the director?" -- Charles L Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: keithbjohn...@comcast.net Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:55:50 +0000 Subject: [scifinoir2] My (Second) Take - "Stargate Universe" Two eps in, including three viewings of the premiere, and I'm still watching. The second show---really a continuation of the pilot--keeps the tone of the first. And that tone is frankly not like any of the previous Stargates. The show continues to be much darker , as the reluctant crew of the Destiny fight for survival. What strikes me is the lack of lighthearted humour that pervaded the first two series. Outside of teen Eli, everyone here is deadly serious. No O'Neal cracking wise. Even in his guest spots, Richard Dean Anderson is very serious. Since character backgrounds are only slowly being explored, it'll be a while before we really get to know the cast, which lends an air of mystery that is also new. Still not feeling the borderline psycho Brother though, who in tonight's show literally gave someone the boot. Is he nuts, or supposedly just such a loyal soldier that he's...nuts? As I watched tonight's ep, I noticed three key things about the series, aside from the tone. One, there's a lot more use of heavy musical scores to set the mode, both orchestral and vocal. I can't remember much of that from SG-1 or Atlantis. Two, notice how the command personnel dress--all in black. the uniforms are a definite change from the standard colors of the other shows. Remind you of anything? First thing I thought of was the officers of BSG, who also wore black and were oh-so-somber. And third, the camera work. SGU uses the style so much in vogue nowadays: the camera panning across scenes, moving back and forth, shaking sometimes, as if a documentary were being filmed. In short, it looks much like...BSG again. And that's what really hit me: this show is a lot like BSG. At one point I was noticing how there's a clear division between military and civilian personnel. There are ongoing conflicts as the civilians bump hit with the military on who's in charge, on making critical decisions. Again, sound like anything familiar, say, like the conflicts between the civilian and military leaders on BSG? It's clear the showrunners must have sat down and watched Ronald Moore's work intently. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Universe is a much more mature-feeling show than its predecessors, especially SG-1. The direction is (excuse the pun) lightyears beyond, and it simply doesn't even really feel like a Stargate series. Now, i'm not sure if this will last. Maybe the current director only did the first few eps. Maybe, as they settle in and start meeting other races, it will devolve into the standard alien-of-the-week format. But for right now, the more somber feeling is entertaining, for all that it owes that feeling to BSG. What do you think? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Johnson" <keithbjohn...@comcast.net> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, October 3, 2009 12:26:30 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: My Take - "Stargate Universe" I admit it was an entertaining show. Like "Voyager", it struck with with high production values, and a very competent cast. Everyone fit into his or her role pretty seamlessly, the FX were good, story moved along. And like "Voyager", we got glimpses into the backgrounds of the cast, but the details will be fleshed out later. The show moved along at a good clip: It starts out with the people fleeing some as yet undefined danger, literally being tossed through a Gate like sacks of potatoes. In quick order they discover their plight of being on an Ancient ship billoiins of light years from Earth. I actually like the concept of sending the ships out ahead of time, then Gating to them perhaps centuries later. Aside from "Voyager", I detected a decided BSG feeling to the show. The look and feel of it, the camera work, the mix of characters all reminded me of BSG. It has potential. But the question is, will it be more like "Voyager"--or much of the SG-1 years for that matter--and simply devolve into an adequate story about lost people having an adventure of the week. Or, will it manage to build upon the promising opening and be a grittier show like BSG--or DS9. I like the cast for the most part. The military leader is an actor we've seen a lot and he fits. His second is a young guy who's green but able. They work--and so nice not ot have a O'Neal clone cracking wise all the time! Even the young Wesley Crusher knockoff is pretty good for now. Although his inclusion in the team stretches all credibility (from how he was discovered to how he's taken) he's okay. The resident genius--Dr. Rush--is more mysterious and infuriating, someone you want to club. Again, a refreshing change from Daniel Jackson's sometimes nerdy professor thing, or Rodney McKay's whining arrogance.The actor playing him is often given really serious roles, and here he seems equal parts arrogant, troubled, and cold. Good stuff. Lou Diamond Phillips seems to be more of a guest star, which is unfortunate 'cause he could bring some good stuff to the show. Again, though, like with "Voyager' the cast clicks and is pretty good. Two things I hated. The only Brother in the cast is some psycho who is literally one step away from cracking p and shooting anyone who pisses him off. He was in the brig (stockade?) for something, we don't know what yet. Broken record here, but is there some reason the SG series can't give us Black men who are cool, stable, and in charge. The Brother in Atlantis turned into a psycho Wraith hunter and was written out. And yeah, SG-1 gave us T'ealc, but that monsyllabic Noble Savage thing is played out (applies to Tela in Atlantis as well). There was an unnecessary sex scene which reminded me of the more juvenille attempts at titillation in Enterprise and BSG. No prude, I, but it seem shoehorned in. I saw a commercial where one of the actresses said "we differ from the other Stargate series in that there's a lot more sex on the show". No necessary, guys, to be too explicit just to look cool. The ending was a cliffhanger for next week. I have to say, though I'm really not looking the one Black man's character, and I'm not a fan of lost-in-space shows, I enjoyed it. I have doubts about whether it can stay a good, gritty, exciting show week-to-week, but I'll definitely be checking it out. Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.
