Stargate Universe "Space" Detailed Analysis & Review

We have our first true encounter with aliens in the Stargate Universe episode Space. And they're pretty cool. True aliens. But why is Colonel Young suddenly connecting to them with the stones rather than Earth? And will we ever see Doctor Rush again?

Things are really starting to heat up on the show now. Let's dig in and talk about Space.

----more----

Welcome to Nerd Heaven.

I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars

And I am a nerd

This is episode 60 of the podcast.

Today, we’re talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Space”.

I’d like to give a little shout out to Melanie who tweeted me recently to tell me how much she’s enjoying the podcast. Thanks Melanie. Your message was very encouraging and meant a lot to me.

And thanks also to Briz_bree who left a review on iTunes. Thanks so much. Reviews are so valuable because they help other people find the podcast.

I’m recording this on my 43rd birthday, which means, I am now officially older than life, the universe, and everything. And my birthday happens to fall on Easter Sunday this year, so it has even more special meaning to me.

The description for week’s episode on Gateworld reads

A mishap with the communication stones sends Colonel Young's consciousness to an alien vessel, provoking the crew's first extraterrestrial encounter.

This episode was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie

It was directed by Andy Mikita

And it first aired on the second of april 2010.

I believe there was a break between the last episode and this. Kinda of a mid-season pause, which they seem to do in America. Last week left off with what must have felt like a big cliffhanger, with Rush stranded on an alien planet and Destiny leaving the system behind.

The little voiceover bit they do at the beginning of each episode is different now. They seem to change it every half season, so this is the voiceover we’ll have for the rest of season 1.

TJ is encouraging Young to talk about his feelings regarding the recent losses of people under his command. He feels like he let Spencer down. So does she. She understands that one. And she points out there’s been a lot going on between him and Rush, but she doesn’t know the half of it. He doesn’t want to talk about it because he needs to keep it secret that he deliberately left Rush behind.

And I understand him needing to keep his secret, but he really should talk about Spencer. No doubt he’s got a lot of guilt regarding Spencer’s death. He needs to address that, and he needs to make sure it doesn’t happen again to anyone else on the ship.

Camille is already on to him. She doesn’t have any proof, but she suspects there is more to the situation than what he is telling her. Young thinks she’s just trying to get control of the ship back.

Greer thinks they’re all better off without Rush. Which is pretty harsh really. As Doctor Caine points out “well what’s the criteria? If you don’t measure up you get left behind?”

Young has to make his report.

But this is new. Young doesn’t wake up on earth. He seems to be on a spaceship, but not Destiny. He’s wearing some kind of suit, and then he spots an alien. A real honest to God honest. Blue skin, elongated head, the works.

This is our first alien species on Stargate Universe. Apart from the swarm thing, of course.

But if Young is in the body of a mysterious alien, then....that means there’s an alien in his body, on Destiny.

And that can’t be good.

It immediately starts attacking the crew. Lucky Scott and Greer are there. They can handle themselves. Caine thinks quickly and removes the stone, severing the connection.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen Caine before. It took me a while to figure out why he was doing here. I thought he was using the stones to go to Earth, just as Young was. He says he’s an IT technician. That might sound like a useful person to have on the ship, but as he says, he fixes earth computers. Imagine how different computers built by another species millions of years ago would be. What kind of operating system would it have? What would its machine code be like? Would it even have machine code? Would it operate even remotely like what we know today?

It’s at this point where I finally figure out Caine’s role. He’s operating the stone communication device. Riley usually does it but he’s still injured from the ancient chair.

That makes a bit more sense.

Now here’s one of the things I like about Stargate Universe over the previous two shows in the franchise. It really does aliens. Sure we saw aliens in the previous shows, but most planets they visited were populated by humans. Even in the Pegasus Galaxy. When we did see aliens, they were the typical 90s Star Trek alien. Humans with a bit of rubber on their faces.

I love 90s Star Trek, b...