Goodbye, Farewell, and Darn it....
Monday night at 9pm EDT Stargate Universe will end it's two year run on the SciFi Network. As the third Stargate series in the franchise, a fair number of fans also considered it the weakest of the Stargate shows. But they really missed out on a good show with some great stories in the making. Alas, the very reason I love the show, is likely the biggest reason it got canned: it is a darker show than most. Which is why I really did enjoy it.
I love SciFi as a genre. It allows for such a wide canvas of story telling, but the shows and stories which really call to me are the darker ones. You can keep the Love Boat in space, we are all one big happy family in space stories. Some of those can be alright at times, but the real payoff in Science Fiction (indeed most genres) for me, is in the struggle to stay true to yourself, despite all the temptations and reasons to cross that line.
Deep Space Nine remains my all-time favorite Trek show, and I loathed it in the first season and a half. Many Trek fans dislike the DS9 series since it wasn't the ideal space story where most of the universe's problems had been solved. In time, I loved it. It had real, layered characters. People who frequently blurred the lines between right and wrong.
Battlestar Galactica's reboot came along in 2004. Finally, a group of writers and actors who can carry the torch in the darkness. Then I found Lost. Now, I got spoiled. Then they both ended. Each timed it perfectly. No complaints (except of course, I was left with no show to fill the void of people being forced to "live in the gray" and from time to time, staring into the black).
SGU as it has come to be called, offered at least a glimpse of the same kind of stories when it came along. A small group of humans stranded billions of light years from home, with barely a communication lifeline to home, no supply lines, and no rescue in sight. Some military, some civilian; no doctors but a combat nurse; two genius scientists, only one has a problem with morality; and a ton of human conflict as the stress of being isolated from everything except themselves mounts and they are forced to fight for their survival.
No, it wasn't up to the BSG and Lost level of story telling, but it was the best show going for putting characters in untenable situations and showing the struggle to balance one's conscience and morality when the lines are not so clear.
Fringe is an interesting show in it's own right, it does have some flashes of the same, but they just haven't found the right balance yet. They keep using SciFi "parlor tricks" to solve problems and not really staying in the dark.
Rumor is a new Battlestar is coming. I hope the same group of writers are involved. Much like the writers of Lost, indeed even DS9, they understood the best stories don't need flashy space battles, cool visuals and hot babes to draw viewers (okay they don't hurt), but you need rich, layered and complex characters to tell some great stories.
Please let the rumors be true. I long to turn on my TV and watch a group of characters clinging desperately to their moral compasses, trying to do the right thing and struggling, sometimes doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing for the right reasons. Or as I see it, doing what people do every day.
I hope SGU goes out with a great story, for sure, I will be watching.
I love SciFi as a genre. It allows for such a wide canvas of story telling, but the shows and stories which really call to me are the darker ones. You can keep the Love Boat in space, we are all one big happy family in space stories. Some of those can be alright at times, but the real payoff in Science Fiction (indeed most genres) for me, is in the struggle to stay true to yourself, despite all the temptations and reasons to cross that line.
Deep Space Nine remains my all-time favorite Trek show, and I loathed it in the first season and a half. Many Trek fans dislike the DS9 series since it wasn't the ideal space story where most of the universe's problems had been solved. In time, I loved it. It had real, layered characters. People who frequently blurred the lines between right and wrong.
Battlestar Galactica's reboot came along in 2004. Finally, a group of writers and actors who can carry the torch in the darkness. Then I found Lost. Now, I got spoiled. Then they both ended. Each timed it perfectly. No complaints (except of course, I was left with no show to fill the void of people being forced to "live in the gray" and from time to time, staring into the black).
SGU as it has come to be called, offered at least a glimpse of the same kind of stories when it came along. A small group of humans stranded billions of light years from home, with barely a communication lifeline to home, no supply lines, and no rescue in sight. Some military, some civilian; no doctors but a combat nurse; two genius scientists, only one has a problem with morality; and a ton of human conflict as the stress of being isolated from everything except themselves mounts and they are forced to fight for their survival.
No, it wasn't up to the BSG and Lost level of story telling, but it was the best show going for putting characters in untenable situations and showing the struggle to balance one's conscience and morality when the lines are not so clear.
Fringe is an interesting show in it's own right, it does have some flashes of the same, but they just haven't found the right balance yet. They keep using SciFi "parlor tricks" to solve problems and not really staying in the dark.
Rumor is a new Battlestar is coming. I hope the same group of writers are involved. Much like the writers of Lost, indeed even DS9, they understood the best stories don't need flashy space battles, cool visuals and hot babes to draw viewers (okay they don't hurt), but you need rich, layered and complex characters to tell some great stories.
Please let the rumors be true. I long to turn on my TV and watch a group of characters clinging desperately to their moral compasses, trying to do the right thing and struggling, sometimes doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing for the right reasons. Or as I see it, doing what people do every day.
I hope SGU goes out with a great story, for sure, I will be watching.
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