Hello people, and welcome to the latest ultra-secret Military/Scientific base that everyone in the street seems to know about offhand (seriously, the Stargate foundation and Torchwood are both so useless at being covert they may as well advertise in the Yellow Pages) and that is investigating yet another ancient and mystical portal to another location far across the cosmos. Yes, I know that Stargates are popping up everywhere- it’s getting to the point where given the choice between hailing a cab and leaping into a Stargate, you have to stop and think about it. As I said, we’ve found another spin-off serie…er, Stargate portal, so everyone grab a spare pair of underwear (preferably your own), get really close and unnecessarily touchy with your best same sex friend and take a deep breath of oxygen and hold it…. hold it…. hold it… as we boldly go where a lot of other scientists and army types have gone before and explore the third spinoff program in the STARGATE saga, STARGATE UNIVERSE (Fri Oct 9, Sci-Fi Channel-8.30pm)
UNIVERSE promises a much darker jump through the gate than usual, the Stargate crossing in the pilot is forced before the team is ready, leading to a critical shortage of essentials such as food, water, breathable air, lip gloss, toilet paper and mobile phones that don’t have that Crazy Frog ringtone on them.. A large part of the pilot revolves around the linking site the crew ends up in being particularly sterile and airless and so (for a while) the alien monstrosities take a back-seat to finding enough of our good friend Mr. Oxygen.
Rest assured that asphyxiation isn’t the only bogeyman in the wings – there’s a nasty new villain a-lurking (and yes, it too finds that humans are The Other White Meat – someone should really dial up a Stargate to a corner of the cosmos that has discovered vegetarianism) and the grittier mood is also served well by three major character deaths and a suicide (and that was just in the writer’s lounge!).
UNIVERSE features a lead turn from Scottish actor Robert Carlyle (PRIEST, TRAINSPOTTING, 28 WEEKS LATER) as Dr. Nicholas Rush, a man who is more interested in playing with test tubes that leading a squad of scientists and soldiers across the universe. At least he gets to play a good guy for a change- although I’m sure he has to resist the urge to shoot up/shoot someone down/become undead on a weekly basis.
Also adding to the heavenly bodies quotient of the show are Lou Diamond-Phillips (YOUNG GUNS) as Colonel Zack Telford; Elise Lavesque as Chloe Armstrong (who as a believable scientist makes a great former swimsuit model); Brain J Smith as the hot-headed (in all senses of the term- he’s grumpy and his cheekbones could cut glass) First Lieutenant Matthew Scott; and Jamil-Walker Smith as the tough, militaristic Greer. STARGATE SG-1’s Richard Dean Anderson cashes a cheq…er, makes a pivotal guest appearance not at all meant to mollify hardcore fans and that is totally called for in the machinations of the plot early on as well.
Best of all, UNIVERSE also features the first openly queer character in the Stargate franchise- beautiful Ming Na as Dr Camille Wray, whose girlfriend features occasionally in a recurring part. Even better, the writers have actually done enough research to actually present a lesbian character who likes girls. No word as yet whether Dr. Wray will actually be allowed to *touch* her girlfriend onscreen, although given that STARGATE ATLANTIS featured Rodney McKay in the saga’s first gay kiss, with a very surprised but quickly compliant hot Scottish Doctor (no, not David Tennant!) I shouldn’t think they’ll be sanitizing the same sex loving in this Stargate’s co-ordinates either.
Lesbian characters, hot guys, vicious aliens, and oxygen-deprivation! It’s fun for the whole dimension!!
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