With the premiere of Stargate Universe (SGU) headed our way, some are expecting the same-ol’, while others are hoping for something new. Despite the public statements about having a younger cast, they’ve still injected some seasoned veterans in the mix in the form of Robert Carlyle and Lou Diamond Phillips. That makes for a nice mix to draw various viewing hopefuls into the fray of watching the show.
It seems that it just might be possible that the creative forces behind SGU are concerned with the show looking like all the other shows. To try and keep it a fresh experience, they’ve decided to mix up a few things, including the use of different camera techniques to film the series.
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Different Things About SGU
The Ancient ship (called “Destiny”) will have technology on board that will allow the crew to relate back to Earth, keeping the planet in the show.
The aliens they encounter at first will be very alien. Non-humanoid that is.
The Gate dialing equipment is said to be very cool and different from what we’ve become accustomed to on Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1.
The biggest change we’re going to be experiencing is the end result of what we see regarding how they film the show.
What SGU’s creator Robert C. Cooper has indicated is that they’re going for the appearance of a documentary-like ambiance while blending a sense of reality that’s being brought together. And with it, possibly a fresh new way to experience the Stargate franchise.
The inspiration for this idea for Cooper came from how Joss Whedon’s Firefly was shot. He said that they used a lot of hand-held angles and cameras mounted in non-traditional locations.
We Can Hope It’s Good
As far as new, I hope they “bring it” and bring it good, because they have a lot to live up to besides just continuing the franchise overall or an existing chapter like Altantis or SG-1. They need to make it very compelling for us to keep watching, or even to start watching for that matter. So far, I’ve only seen a few previews and all they’ve all been of the scene where the staff find themselves under great duress.
This new camera technique they’re talking about worries me and has me pondering…
I’m worried that what we saw In the Stargate Universe preview video we brought to you back in early April might be what we’re going to get throughout the whole series. If so, I am not looking forward to tossing my cookies every Friday on schedule. It’s probably not going to be that bad, but I’ve seen “live, feel like you are there” filming techniques that make me want to spin my cookies.
My big question is about whether this is something that is being thought of to be unique and fresh or if there are budgetary restrictions that might be making this happen?
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When Supernatural got their budget cut for the present season, it forced them to cut back on special effects and focus more on simple character settings. That has worked very well for them as it’s forced them to create character driven episodes and they’ve got the writing talent creating compelling stories from that restriction. I can only hope this new rendition of our favorite franchise, Stargate Universe, can aspire to be as good or better than its Stargate predecessors.
Source: Gate World
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13 Comments
SG-1 had Jack O’neill. SG Atlantis had Rodney McKay. I hope SGU will have at least one character that’s as intriguing as the two i mentioned.
huggybear yes… and not overdone. McKay grew into that role through the years and was a nice character development.
I’m sadden to say that as of 2 years ago I had never watched a single episode of SG-1. My friend lent me the 1st season on DVD and Netflix did the rest. 6 weeks later I had watched every episode available and began Atlantis. The show just draws you in and holds you there. I personally think Atlantis was a much weaker offering, but I think that of any show where they writers put a woman in command, Jane Way is the exception. I’m glad they ended SG-1 when they did though because the show started going down a “more-holier-than-though” path that was beginning to wear on me. In the beginning, each show was fresh and full of fun and new ideas, but as they reached the 10 year mark, every show was of a more serious nature and had lost some of the fun that I had grown to enjoy. I do however, enjoy the 2 additional movies they have made and I believe there is one more to follow.
Anyone heard about the additional 2 movie Emmerich is talking about making? Supposedly Stargate was always set as a trilogy and the 2 sequels would not follow the show at all.
I know this is kinda off topic, but I hope there’ll be the character development throughtout the series like Willow/Spike/Faith on Buffy and Cordy/Wesley on Angel.
These were examples of how you know the writing is top notch on a show – and the actors bursting with talent!
Steve:
You hit it on the head. To me the best television puts interesting characters in compelling situations. Then the characters grow so the show becomes more about the characters development than the situations.
That’s the best kind of TV.
Walwus:
Keep your eyes peeled… I just might be saying something about Stargate movies soon.
Again, I agree.
“To me the best television puts interesting characters in compelling situations”
Like Supernatural/Dexter? Lol, great shows.
Ah Dexter…he made serial killing cool again.
Totally agree. If you make me care about the characters then I’ll stay tuned.
Let’s face it, you were pretty certain the heroes from SG or SGA would see the end of the episode, but you kept watching to be sure.
Also because you just liked being around them.
While O’Neil was the best, there was good O’Neil-Jackson stuff going on, and Shepherd and MacKay were the same. So I’m hoping for at least a few characters to be worth the watch.
I’m also a bit put off by the new camera style, but we’ll see.
That camera angle thing kinda sounds like they are trying to be like Battlestar Galactica. I hope not that show was boring.
I liked the more lighthearted feel to the first two series, hope this one will have some of that too.
Actually, I don’t really care, because I have already made up my mind not to watch. I’m still too upset over how they cancelled Atlantis.
That’s not the right attitude, Sylvia. At least give it a go, just to be justified. It may surprise you.
Plus Atlantis had a 5 year run, which is more than most series get. Just look at Firefly, Journeyman (and most probably Terminator:SCC, Dollhouse, Reaper etc).
Firefly will forever go down as one of the best Sci-Fi series in my book.
So far from watching the pilot of SG: Universe, I’m not impressed at all. I saw one episode of FireFly and it made me turn off my television set. The show had a western ambiance followed by a mix of science fiction that didn’t collaborate right. Just from looking at SGU, it appears that there’s still repetition of the same ideas. At least with Stargate Atlantis there was some majestic glare and suspense to it. If I were the writers, I would use the Stargate: Horizon scripts, but that reminds me of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but it’s promising. The Stargate: Horizon is not bad at all. Make the scripts a little bit brief and you got something.
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