There seems to have been two schools of thought regarding Stargate Universe. Some people—I’m guessing the majority of them long-time fans of the franchise—did not like it at all. Others, like me, enjoyed the show very much.

Okay, so they didn’t even try to hide the fact that they “borrowed” a lot directly from other well known science fiction programs. The overall look and feel was very Battlestar Galactica. Taking enemies onboard and integrating them (or trying to) into the crew was very much like the Voyager taking on the Maquis in Star Trek: Voyager. Rush and some others having hallucinations of loved ones was very much like Baltar and Caprica Six having visions of each others’ angelic counterparts in Battlestar Galactica. I could go on.

Nevertheless, I liked what they did. Action and adventure are great and are absolutely necessary in most science-fiction, but character-driven stories are, in my opinion, the best stories. Without good characters all the action and adventure in the world is pretty much pointless. In my opinion, Stargate Universe had some very interesting characters, and as the show went on they started developing them more and more, as any good drama should.

And yet the show is said to have been a ratings failure, so SyFy (ick!) has pulled the plug. But is it really over? The way the series ended, while not very satisfying if it is truly the end, did one thing very well. It left itself open to future possibilities. If it is gone for good, then I thank the producers, cast, and crew for a job well done. But again I say that it doesn’t have to be. FINALE SPOILER BELOW. Read more