“Water” hopefully gave Stargate fans what they wanted this week: SGU‘s first stand-alone episode. While “Water” did have a tie-in to “Air, Part 3,” there was no cliffhanger after last week’s episode leading into the show’s sixth hour. This allowed for some more character depth to be built up, and for the guys over at Special Effects to show off what they’ve got in store for later episodes.
Excluding Lt. Scott’s encounter with the alien entity on the desert planet, this was also the first time the crew of the Destiny had to deal with an alien life form.
While it was interesting to see the sand alien again, the minute that it is introduced it is pretty clear that the alien is responsible for Destiny‘s current water issues. Sure, Spencer was also hoarding some food and water. But the alien was clearly drawn to it in “Air, Part 3,” making it pretty obvious that it was responsible. It was also frustrating that the Destiny crew was not given a way to interact with the creature instead of the “shoot first, ask questions” later mentality.
When the rest of the crew finally found out about the entity, it almost felt as if these people should have been more fearful of what was happening. A lot of the crew are just scientists and some had never even gone through the Stargate before, leaving the situation not very believable. There could have easily been some fear or chaos written into some of these characters, but instead it seemed like they care more about the supposed reign the military has over them than the threat of an alien life form on the ship.
Although some parts of this episode were lacking, it was made up for by character depth for T.J. and Greer. They are both people who are tough and not to be messed with in a tight situation. T.J. is put into a command situation and, while she doesn’t necessarily know what she’s doing, she learns to adapt. It was also nice to see that while Greer might be a loose cannon, he can follow orders … when he wants to.
The A-story of “Water” ended up being the best part of the episode, with Colonel Young and Lt. Scott on the ice planet together. You really get the feeling that while Scott has some flaws (which are evident when he turns his radio off to make out with Chloe), Young has a lot of faith and respect for the young officer under his command. When Scott gets stuck in the crevasse, it shows just how loyal Young really is, as he has yet to leave a man behind. Even when he is back aboard the ship and has to deal with Spencer, he could have easily left him locked up. But you get the sense that he wants to have faith that his men will learn from their mistakes.
During the water mission, Eli gets a true taste of how Rush and the military truly work sometimes — and that it’s not always honest. That was an interesting piece of writing, as this really seemed to get under Eli’s skin. It seemed he was the only character this week who got nervous about the entity, or got angry with the way Rush and the military were dealing with the situation by lying to Colonel Young.
It will be interesting to see how Eli reacts now that he’s seen Rush’s true colors. It really seems like he is getting the most character development as Eli gets better and better each week. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like him right now.
Overall, “Water” was one of those 50/50 episodes with a good A-story and a sub-par B-story. While not as predictable as “Light,” some parts of this episode were just painstakingly obvious, like Spencer stealing the water or the “sand alien” being responsible for the massive water shortage. In the end, “Water” ended up being more of a character driven episode more than anything else, as we got to know a lot more about the key members of Destiny‘s crew.
Episode reviews represent the opinion of the author, and not that of GateWorld or its owner.
And tonight on Sex and the Stargate… Warning major spoilers…. Another week and another pointless drivel filled episode of Universe. I gave this episode a 2 because we actually saw an alien and they went through the Stargate. Now onto the episode itself. The major plot twist of this story, if you could call it that, is that Scott and Col. Young go to an ice planet to find water and …wait for it…wait for it…that’s right folks Scott falls through the ice and gets stuck. Whew I really didnt see that coming. And the Col. takes 10-15 min. meandering… Read more »
@krdstargate: Sooo…. you liked it then?
I’d have to say I agree a lot with what krdstargate says above… SGU’s episodes move at the speed of molasses. And having invested in 15 previous seasons of SG1 and SGA, I just can’t help but wonder what the producers were thinking choosing to go down this road with the new series. Was their special FX budget trimmed down to nothing? There is one set — the ship — where the characters spend 90% of their time whining about being stuck in space — and they must really be alone in this part of space, since no one in… Read more »
GateWhirled- “@krdstargate: Sooo…. you liked it then?”
you betchaa!!!!:)
Character development, character development, character development… Chant it like a mantra!
Atlantis was phenominal. It was just plain stupid to cancell it. Why not incorporate Atlantis into Universe somehow if you wont bring back ATLANTIS.
ATLANTIS rocks ! Universe is a nowhere near as good.
ticked off. Kim May in Ontario
Seriously people, I just don’t get your wacky obsession with hating SGU. Where was the drama in SGA? Excepting when an actor wanted to leave the show it was obvious that no one ever in any risk of dying, the characters in the show were perfect except for carefully defined “flaws” that were there for comedic effect. You had 15 seasons of that, and you still want more? SGU isn’t about action, killing stuff, blowing up huge honking ships, shooting thousands of aliens,etc, it’s about putting people where they shouldn’t be and then watching what happens. Stuff like that shouldn’t… Read more »
@krdstargate Yeah SGA was a good show. when the writers can’t write stories for a character they create, they just kill the off or get rid of them. They did it to Ford, Weir, etc. So many times the writers pull **** out of nowhere to get the plot moving. At least, in SGU they don’t makeup words like “Wormhole Drive” to cut corners. This cast has great chemistry in it’s first episodes than SGA had in it’s 5 seasons.
The more I watch this show, the more I dislike it. The slow pace, the whiny scientists, the 90210’esqe “character development”. I honestly find myself rooting for Rush now, as he’s the only one who seems to get what’s going on and how to prioritize things. Eli’s “character development” consists of him basically needing a kick to head and being told to grow up. And the whiny scientists, complaining about the searches: “We have rights.” Seriously? These people had been living on a military base for months before getting to the ship, and they are surprised at how things are… Read more »
@altairantares well said.
I thought WATER was an absolutely excellent episode; the best so far.
I don’t understand what Atlantis has to do with SGU. It’s hardly SGU’s fault that Atlantis was cancelled, why blame this series.
At any rate, my opinion: Water was a great episode.
@the review writer: Don’t take this the wrong way but, at least pay attention while you watch an episode before you critic it. They never told the rest of the crew about the aliens. The only people who knew about them were Rush, Eli, TJ and some of the military personal (maybe all of the military personal) and all of them were under orders not to say anything to anybody about them. And the military personal have probably encountered alien life form before so they acted pretty convincing. Most were professional and one of them acted out of fear (the… Read more »
Interesting review, although I disagree with the reviewer on some parts.
Personally, I believe ‘Light’ had some great character moments and I didn’t find it as predictable. I knew the ship would fly near the star to replenish it’s reserves, but no way thought it would dive into it!
‘Water’ had some nice moments, but it didn’t keep me on my seat like ‘Light’ did. Still a decent episode though.
I love all things Stargate so I was very excited to hear that there was going to be a new Stargate show. So far I am less than impressed. I’m all for new and improved and such, but its time to get back to the basics. Stargate has always been about meeting new races and epic adventures through the Stargate. It has never been about drama or sex or being whiny little girls. This stargate is a little too dark and a little too gritty. If gritty is what stargate fans wanted we would watch Battlestar Galactica or Lost. Stargate… Read more »
So.. Nikst, Orion Coran.. Having second thoughts/ Doubts about how brilliant SGU is? just asking, as I am interested in an objective opinion. Even Tanith has toned down her vocal ra-ra-sis-boom-bah flag waving, standing in front of the SGU flag with her hand over her heart :) LOL!! (yeah I’m just kidding..)
“As for “Sex and the Stargate” Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding. This is the real world. I’m probably more religious than 90% of the people here, and I can deal with it, why is there this childish “Iwww!!!! Look what she’s doing!!!!!”? I certainly don’t agree morally that the characters are doing it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s realistic.” You took what I said too literally, I dont mind sex in tv shows, although if I am going to watch a show for sex, then the nipple needs to make its appearance:) I really dont care… Read more »
This show has soo much potential! It is really lacking right now… but I think SGA started out how should I say not slow, just that it really took me a while to get into it and like it. I hope this works out that way too. And what is up with the sex, WE DON’T NEED SEX ON STARGATE!!!!!!!! PERIOD, please stop… I know most of this season is already made but if the other episodes are anything like what water was, it was just thrown in there. It’s not too late to edit that useless sex scene out.… Read more »
@Mrja84 At least, in SGU they don’t makeup words like “Wormhole Drive” to cut corners. This cast has great chemistry in it’s first episodes than SGA had in it’s 5 seasons. This is sci fi. The reason why I watch sci fi is to here words like Wormhole drive. If you dont like hearing words like that, there is always gossip girl or grey’s anatomy. As for your second statement, that is simply laughable. The reason why SG-1 and SGA were so enjoyable is because the chemistry was so great. I really have not seen any chemistry on this show… Read more »
@US06154: Well if your asking if I think less of the show now then when it started, then NO. I actually think its getting better and better. The comment I made about Eli is not a critisism toward the writers, its toward Eli the character. Is the show perfect? No its not. Was SG1 and SGA perfect? Hell no, far from it. But a tv show doesnt need to be perfect for me to like it. I loved SG1 and SGA. SGU is getting there, but we have only had 6 episodes so far so Im holding on the final… Read more »
It seems that there are too many characters running around not doing anything. They have made Chloe into a whiny bimbo, who, again, doesn’t do anything….well except for whine. Rush is a little bit too much of jerk. I’m all for conflict but you at least have to make the character likeable, at least a teeny little bit. I mean McKay was jerk but you still liked the guy….sometimes…..
@krdstargate I think they (he/she) meant that Wormhole drive was never mentioned before that episode. something that big you’d think that Mckay would have had a computer screen with it on, or a passing mention of him working on something that will make him the genius of the world or something. I really thought this was the weakest of all the episodes so far. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it… It’s just it wasn’t as gripping as the last few. Curiously, would anyone else consider the crystalline entity episode (forgot the name of it) in Season 1 of SG1… Read more »
@ nkilbourn “And what is up with the sex, WE DON’T NEED SEX ON STARGATE!!!!!!!! PERIOD, please stop… I know most of this season is already made but if the other episodes are anything like what water was, it was just thrown in there. It’s not too late to edit that useless sex scene out. You can show character affection w/out showing sex.”
What episode were you watching? There wasn’t any sex in this episode. None that I saw anyway. I saw Scott and Chloe making out but that was it. Making out and sex are two COMPLETELY different actions.
Haven’t seen a “sex scene” since the first episode myself, sex was implied but not really seen in light and it was just kissing in Water. Also just to note that there hasn’t been any nudity. Like others have already said this shows realism.
I agree though that some are saying that the sex scenes makes SGU not a show for the kids but how was getting shot at, tortured, life sucked out of them etc suitable for kids?
While “Light” was a more solid episode, I LOVE this show!
LONG LIVE SGU!
I don’t know why, but I enjoyed Water more than previous episodes. That’s not to say that I would rate it as being good, but it was at least a 5 or 6 until the end, then the score nosedived to about a 3. Personally I think that if they had killed off Scott and let the sliced-up redshirt live, it would have conveyed a sense that no main character was safe, but alas that crevasse ex machina just had to release him and firmly establish the main character shields of the cast. Oh well. I’ll keep watching to the… Read more »
I agree that this show has a lot of potential. Destiny can hide so many secrets. How much of the ship have they actually explored? Like Atlantis, the ship must have an infirmary or a food processor or something to make the crew’s lives a little easier! Give them a better chance for survival. How about use the communication stones to contact Dr. McKay so he can get some the ship’s systems working again? Teach Rush and Eli how to fix the ship. Can Destiny become sentient? Interact with the crew like an ancient? I would like to see an… Read more »
To all the naysayers out there. Dont watch the show if you dont like it. I for one think SGU is great. Sure its not SG-1 or SGA but its still an awesome show. These characters were not meant to be where they are and as such are out of their depth. This makes for great drama. As for those that complain about the age of some of the characters have a good hard look at what you really know about the military. Most LT’s such as SCOTT are somewhere between the ages of 20-25. He’s a relatively new and… Read more »
People here still believe this show is the same as the previous ones. Ive seen them both and got bored of the formula (so did audiences) so try to enjoy something different! I for one am enjoying this show 10 times more than atlantis or the last season of sg1
While not the best episode yet, still thoroughly enjoyable though. The pace is obviousley different to the shows that have come before, but i really think that benefits SGU, i dont want to watch character development for the sake of it (this isnt Greys Anatomy after all), but it all feels justified here. Plus, since the cast are great, i WANT to know about these characters and their motivations. Towards the end (and especially in the finale) of Atlantis, i frequently felt like too much gratuitus action was being inserted at the expense of story telling, that is not happening… Read more »
@Nikst.. LOL!!, actually I can’t bash something I don’t watch anymore.. Hold On, just before “someone” ignorantly asks me “then what are you doing here”, Well, Gateworld is not only about SGU.. there’s other shows as well. I am always curious as to how true my predictions were, So I “observe” (I do hate using the word lurk), as to what’s happening to the show. it’s interesting to read all the comments. My Friday Night show is Bones and Dollhouse now. Stargate Fridays are gone for good. :)
As someone who is less than thrilled with SGU I want to address all the SGU lovers. I completely understand why many people love SGU and I am not here to try to convince you otherwise. The show has many good things in it and if you were bored with the previous formula for Stargate shows then this show has a step in a good direction. But for many of us who have followed Stargate for 15 years this show is not the direction we want to see Stargate go. And the fact Atlantis was canceled to make room for… Read more »
I thought Light was a stronger episode, but I enjoyed Water. The effects work on the planet was pretty good.
Can’t believe noone’s mentioned the ancient space suit designs … they kicked ass (and were a little Halo-ish, too).
I understand that there are those who don’t like it, can see the differences between SGU and its predecessors and some may not be into the new direction its taken. Need to keep in mind though that the majority of those who like SGU and are posting on these articles were also people who have been fans of the franchise for 15 years. This isn’t exclusive to those who don’t like it. The people on the Destiny are not meant to be the best of the best. There the wrong people (Which Col Young has mentioned a few times) and… Read more »
p.s naysayers read this
Jonah Hill is Eli Wallace. It’s so blatantly apparent how they came up with this lame character. So annoying! This show is crap so far. If you don’t want to hear how crappy this show is then ignore my post. How about that!?!
@Scott Watson Read the blog and the commentary. Sad to hear that ignorance on the part of commentators is getting so out of hand. Especially that the actors are being targeted when they are actually really awesome at what they are doing! However I’m equally disturbed that the showrunners instinct is to only listen to the positive and to dispute the negative comments – ignoring the vicious comments I support wholly. Joe Mallozzi is an artist and since art is a creation I can understand being defensive, but rejecting the notion that fans might actually know what they want/don’t want… Read more »
@jjs you hit it out of the park!!! I agree with you completely. I would also like to add, that people who criticized my posts seem to think that I am some puritanical radical who cannot stand to see nudity, sex or physical intimacy of any kind on screen or in sci fi. That is not true. I can appreciate intimacy if it is done right. A good example of this is Firely, which is regarded as one of the best sci fi shows ever, despite its short run. Anyone who has watched Firefly knows that there is quite a… Read more »
Acturally bothered to register on here to make a comment for once…I’m an avid sci-fi fan like most seem to be here. I can understand the show’s producers/writers wanting to do something different with Stargate, but the way their doing SGU diviates so much from what Stargate has been that it’s not very entertaining to watch anymore. This last episode Water is/was so boring…I mean yea we get that these ppl aren’t supposed to be there and they’re the wrong ppl in the wrong place… Basically it seems to be that the writers and using the Stargate franchise to write… Read more »
If they have these space suits why don’t they try to access other parts of the ship with them.
@tkme the majority of us who like SGU were fans of the Stargate franchise for a very long time aswell (Like I said before that isn’t exclusive to those who don’t like it).
Regarding the spacesuits they only just got 2 ready, there is no crucial need to access other parts of the ship right away. They may in the future when they don’t have more important things to think about: such as water. And when they get more suits in working condition.
@jjs -O’Neill and Sheppard both were known for doing things against orders, their careers were full of things that I’m sure were things like Scott does. Now, granted they also have/had a history of success too, but remember, Jack was chosen originally less about his merits and more about his willingness to die. -Rodney always yelled at the military personnel with little to no repercussions. Why should you expect Rush to be treated differently? The only real difference I see is the CO isn’t stepping in and pushing his authority, but he has a lot more to deal with than… Read more »
I wish that people would get away from the idea that the producers of Stargate decided to create Universe instead of Atlantis. When SGA came up for renewal, it was made clear that Sy Fy didn’t want a fluffy, glossy “alien of the week speaks english” series. You need to look around you and smell the coffee. They wanted a grittier, more realistic show with multiple story arcs and deeper character development because that’s what is selling right now. The glossy, camp, rubber alien of the week show is a formula that’s been going on since the sixties and it’s… Read more »
why is everyone that likes this show is as slow as the show? Why does everyone think that since we like SG1 and SGA and didn’t like the idea that this show is based more on Drama, and charcter devlepment and not no story acr that we don’t get what the show is about? News flash we know what the show is about, we just didn’t like the new direction, and after watching we don’t like what is going on, not becase just becase of the constant whining bad acting and wrting not becase it is more of drama based,… Read more »
@shaq33 that seriously would of sounded more compelling if you had ran it through a spellchecker.
Like others have said: If you don’t like it, don’t watch its that simple.
I was wondering about the water situation. I had got the impression that they had lost a very significant amount of water, that one or two trips for blocks of ice would not be enough. Perhaps this will be addressed in the next episode or so. Anyway, this show is a propaganda machine. It is a conspiracy. Infidels have taken over the network. The name change says it all. SciFi-SyFy. AHh, Dr. Rush said the ship was sent out hundreds of thousands of years ago, even though the Ancients left Earth millions of years ago. The Ancients never created the… Read more »
@jjs – EXACTLY! Well said.
So far SGU is turning out to be everything SGA failed to be. While I loved SGA, the biggest mistake they made in the series was when they reestablished a physical link back to earth. I thought things were much more exciting when they were cut off and on their own. When it became a “we’re just waiting for a ship to bring us more supplies” thing, I feel they lost a key element of the show. SGU, other than the alien body switching device, has the team completely cut off from Earth and on their own. Yea! I loved… Read more »
@Scott Watson is that really all you have to say, I spell badly, just like this like the show leaves out the important details, and concentrait on the boring ones, I can’t spell whoptydo you just figured out the atom bomb, guess what I know am a bad spelling and a typer, very origan great I really haven’t heard that before, just like the show very origanl, all SGU fans the first thing they comment on is my splling they are just as orginal and consitstan consistantly bad as the show they love so much. Robots anyone just becase it… Read more »
@ictus75 and all SGU fans. it really is amazing to me how delusinal SGU fans really are (stop it shaq33 bad speller shame on you really really shame, guess what I don’t care :-) that am a bad speller if I did I would even try to fix it) they talk about things that were bad on Atlantis but they excuse it on SGU. 1. They are sick of middeavel village locations, and on SG1 forests location guess we didn’t like them so much eather, but guess what how many locations have we had so far on SGU or how… Read more »
@caelestes loooooooooooooooooool, that first person i heard that likes this show with any sence of realy humar.