Visit the GateWorld Podcast page for more about the show!
This week on the GateWorld Podcast Darren and David welcome back our very own science expert, Diane Turnshek! We talked with Diane during the first season of Stargate Universe about the real-world science behind elements of the show — like F.T.L. travel and alien life forms. (Check out Episode #98.) This time around we’ll discuss topics particular to the first half of SGU‘s new, second season: Destiny‘s mental projections, the ship as an A.I., “Visitation” and the reanimation of life, Chloe’s transformation, and of course, Destiny‘s mission.
We also have another extra-big mailmag segment this week, in anticipation of another voicemail-driven show in two weeks.
Now’s the time to join in! The next episode of the GateWorld Podcast is Open Line Night, and we want to hear from you! As us a question, give us a topic … the mic is open and we want to hear what’s on your mind. Just call the Podcast Hotline (below) before this Saturday.
SHOW NOTES
Discussion – The Science of SGU (Part 2)
- Related Episodes:
“Intervention” (Universe Season Two)
“Trial and Error” (Universe Season Two)
“Sabotage” (Universe Season One)
“Visitation” (Universe Season Two)
“Faith” (Universe Season One)
“Lost” (Universe Season One)
“Malice” (Universe Season Two)
“Space” (Universe Season One)
“Resurgence” (Universe Season Two)
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Related Links:
John Scalzi (SGU consultant) Destiny T.J. Johansen Everett Young Carmen Johansen Gloria Rush Franklin Nicholas Rush Destiny chair interface Ancients Atlantis control chair |
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Next Episode: Open Line Night! Call in now with your questions and topic ideas.
What science fiction? It’s a soap opera….
@oliver Agreed!
a soap opera in space…with aliens, stargates, and spaceships = sci-fi
@olive & jonah1956: You’ve obviously never seen a soap opera in your life & have no idea what you’re talking about. Anti-fan rhetoric yet again.
There is no significant science in Stargate Universe! What would a soap opera need with pesky science? Those communications stones are more likely to be explained by Professor Dumbledore than they are by science. And magical shields which can withstand the corona and magnetosphere of a star, but are trashed by alien weapons fire? I am a science fiction fan and a 15-year fan of Stargate. SGU was never science fiction. Its drama wearing a spacesuit. A soap opera in space.
@Gaeth: Come on! Take SGU, take of the space, depression and leave the plotlines. What do you get? Soap Opera.
“Anti-fan”? No, anti-other-side-of-the-fanbase-split.
I mean “take out”
@ the overmine one, you just lestened to a whole podcast with a scientist, who uses SGU and other sci-fi shows in her lectures. ohh and those “magical shields” are no diffrent from the one i n star trek that can deflect asteriods and other objects with mass. Also there is a diffrence between weapons fire and the sun cornona, destinys shields was designed to whitstand the sun corona, but weapons fire, we dont know what it is, it can be a particle beam, or any number of things. Its also obvious that that the aliens have been followed destiny… Read more »
Sorry i know sgu os mostly a drama, but the point im makeing its significant science in SGU and thats why its interesting, and thats why SGU wont work with out its strong sci-fi elements.
ohh i forgot, i wanted to say it was an awsome podcast and i thank Diane Turnshek for particpiating, it was very interseting to hear, yours and hers speculation about what going on with destiny.
PS you should get a edit button for the comment section, unless i have missed it.
you people wouldn’t now a quality sci fi show if it slapped you in the face, grow up… SGU is a piece of art on your TVs!
This podcast should be about the lack of science in SGU. SGU is a drama and soap opera first with some science fiction sprinkled on top to make it look like a sci fi. There’s very little substance or explanation to the technology. Nevermind the fact that the technology in SGU was retconned to look and act like BSG technology (FTL, anyone?). The communication stones were introduced in SG-1 and they were used with a large terminal and had a limited range (only one galaxy apart). The stones on the Destiny would not be able to reach the stones on… Read more »
Science? Try renting a steady-cam rig.
@ badtaste
If you can download and install the Google toolbar on your web browser it has a very handy spell checker that works in the comment window.
Seems folks distracted by the human elements miss the fact that there’s just as much science/astronomy and sci-fi in SGU as in any other SG show.
The premise of surviving the harshness of space Extra solar planets Extra terrestrial life/speculation Faster than light travel Faster than light communication Tidally locked planets Using planetary bodies’ gravity to get around a solar system Anti-gravitiy tech Energy shields Exo-biology based medicine Space ships Worm holes Time loops Artificial intelligence Computer/Neural interface A big robot A space ship fueled by solar plasma Genetic Manipulation Binary Pulsar Space walks (and the physics involved) The Cosmic Microwave Background! If as JohnSN7 says “science and science fiction take a back seat to dram in SGU” then it would be also true that science… Read more »
People know that science fiction has sub-genres right? SGU clearly falls into the Space Opera category (which by the way is a sub genre of science fiction). If you need all the technology explained to you for it to be science fiction then I guess Star Wars isn’t sci-fi either… The settings for science fiction are often contrary to known reality, but the majority of science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief, which is facilitated in the reader’s mind by potential scientific explanations or solutions to various fictional elements. These may include: # A setting in… Read more »
SGU concentrates heavily on showing the melodrama between a bunch of unlikeable and boring characters. Science fiction elements were only used as a backdrop.
Whoever wrote sgu must have used the junior encyclopedia of science as a reference point. Either that or they have been watching the clangers too much.
For a show to be science fiction there needs to at least be some content within the show that relates plot elements to actual known science and hence respects the fact that the audience is likely to have an appreciation of scientific principles. E.g. a scientist knows that moving beyond the speed of light in real space is impossible. So in Star Trek we are told that warp drive works by causing spacetime to warp in the reference frame of the traveller, thus reducing the apparent distance between two points. In SG1 we are told that hyperdrive works by moving… Read more »
@Skiznot: It’s not about humans surviving away from home and creating culture. Season 1 was mostly about their backgrounds on Earth. Yes, they had science elements, but did they explore them? No. Where most of the characters annoying? Yes. How long did it take for the show to actually focus on the characters instead of their backgrounds? 1 entire season. That’s half the show. This show just suffered from poor execution and alienated the fans. It could have been a worthy follow-up, but it wasn’t.
Star Wars is not science fiction. It stood on it’s own for what it was. Such a thing isn’t inherently bad, it just so happens that SGU was bad. Which is why Star Wars made billions and SGU got cancelled. As for the ‘science’ in SGU, it’s a messy subject. Yes, there was ‘science’ mentioned in SGU but the ‘science’ was almost never explained. This is what causes it to fail to qualify for sci-fi. But it wasn’t bad because it wasn’t sci-fi, it was bad because it was bad. For each episode, if the concept was good, the plot… Read more »
@mythos – First, it seems like i forgot to answer one of your post from the other thread.Jim is the one who said that the fans financed the farscape mini series, but, like you, i checked & i think that you are right.
What the fans did was raised over $300,000 to promote and build awareness of the Farscape universe.And, in the end, it worked.
But considering that SG as a lot more fans, who knows what this kind of project would lead to…
@Skiznot – Seems i forgot to answer one of your post too…
When i said that SGU needed some modifications, i wasn’t trying to either tied the SGU writers hands behind there back or push my own agenda.
All of my suggestions weren’t set in stone.
They were just suggestions.
– The very ambitious experiment that was SGU needed to make everyone happy(the SG-1 fans, the SGA fans, casual viewers, MGM, SYFY & the SG PTB.And it failed.
Every participants involved should have made sure that the experiment called SGU would make everyone happy
SGU was a experiment.
The thing is, SG fans, MGM & the SG PTB, is that, with a experiment,first, you have to test the waters..
Like, for example, show the SGU pilot to a focus group made of SG-1 & SGA fans, then, one made out of casual viewers before it airs.
Also, in a experiment you can’t be too far ahead…because then you can’t make changes based on the feedback of the fans,critics & the channel that airs your show.
SGU didn’t do any of these things & it’s a big reason that contributed to it’s cancellation.
Also, SG fans, MGM & the SG PTB, you don’t give up completely on a experiment,you learn from it, what works & what doesn’t – Launching a experimental SG show without testing the waters first doesn’t work – Lesson learned – Having a SG show were the main focus is drama doesn’t work – Lesson learned – Having a SG show that doesn’t have what makes SG SG(action, adventure & humor) doesn’t work – Lesson learned – Having characters that are too flawed, hard to like & relate to doesn’t work – Lesson learned – Having a SG show with… Read more »
(or should i say, when the SG Franchise move foward).Let’s hope that they will take the lessons learned from this experiment.I also hope that SYFY & MGM doesn’t see SGU as the true reflection of the abilities & talents of the SG PTB.
I agree with mythos,that SGU wasn’t bad,or good enough as a concept.Because it was space opera,because it wasn’t sci-fi enough.The problem was that it was a bad space opera,it wasn’t bad for what it was trying to do,it was bad cause it didn’t succeed in it properly. Drama is neccessary,because it’s a live action tv show,not a documentary and character driven isn’t bad in itself,as a concept.It gets bad when your characters fail to capture the interest of a viewer. Star Wars is a modern myth,that is a known fact that George Lucas admits. And I agree with whomever said… Read more »
@mythos,lol!! If that’s the case,at least they are original in that one thing.
@Jim – Hmm…I think I said something apparently funny that seems to have been deleted. Now I can’t remember what I said but at least someone laughed. :P
@mythos You said something like..they were moving inversly proportional to the speed of plot,which resulted in them going ftl,while show ultimately going nowhere!
@Jim – Now I remember! Not sure why that one got the axe.
I think you all forget that any science fiction, is not primarily about technology. It’s about those who are, and how using them, about people. It’s about making decisions, often difficult decisions. It is about people faced with impossible choices. And if so, the SGU has fulfilled its task.
Nobody here forgot anything about what science fiction is,or should be about..but that’s just the point SGU didn’t fulfill the task,it failed at it.The people/characters were not simpathetic to most viewers and they were making nonsensical choices,or weren’t making any choices at all most of the time!
And I am the fan of character driven sci-fi,as well as of intricate,long arcs,involving not just space battles and kick ass action,but the strategy of war,diplomacy,intrigue and the drama behind it.I love shows like BSG,Farscape,Firefly,Babylon 5..hell,even Caprica!And my favourite Star Trek was DS-9!
And even I recognize and admit the failure of SGU!
I just wanted to say that I got to use the famous P-90 gun,from the Stargate and it is unbeliavably awesome;light,short,precise,incredibly simple to use,with a crazy load of ammo and the firing solutions..it really is a future weapon,although I still preffere my MP-5!!
The fact that SGU focused more on the compelling characters does not change that it was full of suspense and action. Surviving the harshness of space finding a way to breath, eat, avoid radiation and any number of exo-planetary hazards is good action in my book.
SGU may have been a commercial failure but it surpassed the other shows in the franchise in every respect writing/acting/design. The only it failed at was copying an over used and creatively limiting formula.
@Jim. I am too used the P-90. But I prefer the AK-47. And I understand your point of view. Now try to understand my point of view. Show in SyFy TV series, absolutely mentally stable people today, shall we say, not very believable.
Creators of the show, tried to show ordinary people, with all their shortcomings, in a situation where even for trained people will be not easy to survive. Now I would like to ask you. Do you think that show failed because of idea, or because of execution?
“Why beat a genius? At least in order to quickly mourn the loss.” Do not judge strictly. This is translation of the old saying. I am mourn already.
what happened to next podcast? seems to be delayed a couple of weeks now. and on that note where have TameZone gone?
Sick of the whining haters. Ya didn’t like it, fine. Your need to continue spewing is only serving to convey a deep-rooted emotional instability. That, or you just like to spew. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) human interactions, real-life (not the comic-book superhero waving an assault rifle, i.e. SG1 or SGA – which I liked as well, for different reasons) issues. If you don’t think that real-life is one huge, ridiculous soap opera itself, then you must have your eyes closed, or you’re just not paying attention. SGU, for many of us at any rate, is a GREAT show. Sci-Fi for… Read more »
@flickshtein To answer your question,definitely execution,the idea is great. And SGU definitely is sci-fi,I don’t understand the mindset of the people who claim otherwise. Even space opera is sci-fi,in fact two of my favorite sci-fi shows and one of the best tv shows in general;Farscape and BSG,have essentially been space operas. I look at it this way and I already said it once before;serialized doesn’t have to mean “Passions”.I have always considered soap operas as being defined by poor dialogue,cliche characters and stories and bad acting. If space opera would be the same as soap opera just because it is… Read more »
@Jim. I see your point. No more questions. @aprilia1k is right, it is matter of taste.