'SGU: Stargate Universe - Complete Final Season'
(Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, et al / 5-Disc DVD / NR / 2011 / MGM)
Overview: 'STARGATE: UNIVERSE - Complete Season 2' (aka 'Complete Final Season') continues the saga of an unlikely group of cosmic explorers aboard the spaceship Destiny as it soars to the furthest corners of the galaxy. Struggling to control the ship’s systems, the crew suffers from a lack of supplies and no knowledge of its final destination.
DVD Verdict: OK, let's get the bitch fest out the way first ... YES, once again, lacking patience and with only an eye on the bottom line, Syfy (or SciFi, or NBC Universal, or whatever) has cancelled a series that required development and did not provide immediate gratification/fulfillment!
In a clean sweep tha saw many other decent shows get the yank too, sure SGU was not everyone's favorite to tune into, but regardless, it was VERY good TV. Imaginative, thought-provoking, different. And in current SyFy tradition, now cancelled!
So, what we have is Season 2 here on DVD, otherwise now labelled as the 'Final Season'! Reminiscent of Voyager, which immediately gives it a special place for me (you know, the whole stranded in the other side of the galaxy, trying to get home thing), SGU is made more fascinating.
Basically, where Voyager had Janeway as an obvious and able leader, Universe has no one who is quite fit to lead. This leads to constant battles for control of the ship, especially when Stargate Command back at home, along with the IOA, attempts to give them control. I'm surprised by the fact that there has been less rebellion against the folks back home.
I mean, even in Voyager Janeway strayed away from proper protocol and she was super concerned with the Federation's rules. Only once did Young say "I'm not taking commands from people on the other side of the universe" and he still ended up doing what they wanted.
It makes a big issue of justice and authority, which is fascinating given their circumstances. And while I am not entirely clear on when they figured out how to work the communication stones, I love the way they utilize them to bring the characters back home every so often. I'm not sure that the impending threat of a Lucian Alliance attack works the way they want it to, but otherwise, I love hearing orders come from Earth. Always daring for the moment when someone says, "Let's be honest, I'm never going to be back home again, I don't care what you say!"
Also,I wonder why they never propose a multi-leader situation, where Young is in charge of security, Rush (or maybe someone else) is in charge of technology, and Camille (or a voted on representative) represents the rest, so that they can discuss things that are more general lifestyle issues? It's also funny that Young gets angry when Scott says he should have been informed that the only way to break David's mind control was to kill him and bring him back! He's all, "So you will only obey me if I explain myself?" and they're all "Soldiers aren't supposed to let their commanding officers murder people just because they feel like it!"
We get our SG-1 favorites every so often, which is always nice, though I dislike how O'Niell is represented in this second, and as noted above FINAL season, forgoing all the rule-breaking for right that we have gotten to know him for. But, as said, it doesn't frickin' matter a toss now anyway, does it! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.77:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes loaded with more than two hours of all-new bonus features, including: “SG-U Welcomes You to New Mexico’s Bisti Badlands,” an in-depth piece about the filming in New Mexico for the episode “Malice,” and “Pitches: A Journey of Friendship and Discovery,” a piece that showcases the development of an episode from ideation to screenplay. And, in keeping with the tradition of the franchise, audio commentaries are included on all 20 episodes.
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