Even Noobs Can Watch STARGATE UNIVERSE

So for my first official non-intro type entry, I'm going to gush about Stargate Universe.



I'm a Stargate fan. I watched SG-1. I watched Stargate: Atlantis. I have the movie on DVD. Well, my dad still hasn't returned it, but that's neither here nor there. I may not have watched them every week, but I'm still a big fan. They had great stories. They had Ben Browder and Claudia Black from Farscape on SG-1 and Jewel Staite from Firefly on Atlantis. Dude, they had fucking MacGuyver himself, Richard Dean Anderson. How can you not love that?

So I started watching SGU. And I'm loving it. It's a geek's dream! You're unemployed and playing a video game, when strangers show up at your door. They tell you that you're so damn good at it, you just have to accompany them to their space ship and help them out. (Alright, it also sounds like a really creepy beginning to an Law & Order: SVU episode, but you know what I mean.)



But here's what I like best. It's a sci-fi show that doesn't treat you like an outcast if you're not familiar with years and years of lore. We as geeks are not the most inclusive group of people you'll ever meet. We rip each other to shreds when we don't agree (ahem, SCI FI Wire flamers). We make our fellow geeks feel like idiots for not knowing every Chinese insult from Firefly. We make fun of those who have always had a soft spot for the Tribble episode. (I'm sorry. I'm a geek, but I'm still a girl and those things were cute.) I'm sure the temptation was there to make this a "hardcore fans only" show. And I'm sure there are hardcore fans out there who would have loved this to be the case. But SGU actually manages to be interesting and engaging to longtime fans and noobs alike. (I was watching with one, in case you're wondering.)



I interviewed David Blue (who plays Eli) for SCI FI Wire a while back, and he explained, "I think it's great, because the truth is, a lot of my friends and family do not watch a lot of sci-fi, or specifically Stargate," he said. "They keep asking me, 'Should I watch it all?' And I say, 'Feel free to.' It's almost like Easter eggs. But the truth is, you don't need to. That's one of the things I really love about Eli, my character. I'm there to be the audience. I'm there to be the heart and the eyes and the ears of the audience who are thrust into this situation they weren't expecting to be in and have to go, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are the Ancients?' And have it explained to them."

The cast is excellent. The show is well written. The premise is enough to make any geek clap their hands with glee. So even if you have no idea what a chevron is, and "naqahdah" sounds like the noise you make when you sneeze, watch this show. And I promise, if any government types show up at my door to take me to the mothership, I'll give them your address.

Check out a sneak peek clip from this Friday's episode, "Darkness".