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This article is about the television series. For other uses, see SGU.

"Where will Destiny take you?"
―Tagline

Stargate Universe is the title of the third live-action science fiction television series in the Stargate franchise. Produced by MGM, the show entered production in early 2009, and premiered on October 2, 2009 on Syfy and Space, and on October 6, 2009 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Stargate Universe was filmed and produced in Vancouver, Canada, as were the preceding series. The cancellation of the show was announced on December 16, 2010, and the final episode aired May 9, 2011.

Premise and Plot Development[]

After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a team of explorers from Earth's Icarus base become stranded on an unmanned spaceship called Destiny - launched by the Ancients millions of years ago as part of a grand experiment to explore the universe, set in motion but never completed. The crew of the ship thus travels through the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, in the hope of finding a way home.

Stargate Universe, while still having occasional comedic moments, has a darker undertone compared to the other Stargate series. SGU is much more character driven and puts more emphasis on internal conflicts rather than external (the series largely lacked a persistent external antagonist). The most prominent antagonists in Stargate Universe included the Lucian Alliance, Nakai, and Berzerker drones. However, unlike as in Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, these races did not drive the overall series, and instead served as minor plot arcs. SGU, opposed to being driven by such an antagonist, is instead more focused on the journey home, exploration, and sheer survival.

The overall theme of struggling for survival in Stargate Universe is further perpetuated through the condition of Destiny itself. Over the course of its long journey, Destiny has sustained significant damage. Some of this is simply the result of neglect due to the ship being left unmanned for far longer than originally intended. However, battle damage is also evident, as shown by numerous hull breaches. This has caused great strain on the crew as many systems aren't functioning at their full capacity or are simply inoperable. Additionally, Destiny can only reach approximately 40% of its originally designed power capacity. Such power issues have limited the ship's defensive capabilities as well as hindered the crew's ability to dial the nine-chevron address back to Earth. As a result, several episodes have focused solely on replenishing the ship's power reserves, acquiring basic supplies, and on struggling to repair damaged systems (such as life support) before time runs out, further adding to the drama of the series.

Additionally, at the beginning of season two, a new plot element was introduced. After unlocking full control of Destiny in the episode "Aftermath," the crew discovered the underlying reason for Destiny's construction. In addition to exploring the universe, the ship was also intended to collect information and piece together fragments of a complex message that the Ancients had found embedded in the fabric of the universe itself. Recognizing that the pattern could not have been natural in origin, the Ancients concluded that its presence suggested an order to the universe never thought possible. The result of this insight by the crew was the fact that Destiny actually has a mission so important that it overshadows the desire for them to get home, and that by pursuing onwards toward the ship's ultimate destination, it may, in fact, allow them to get home.

SGU is a much more stand-alone series than previous Stargate spinoffs. Whereas Stargate Atlantis contained several episodes that were directly intertwined with Stargate SG-1 (and vice versa), on only a few occasions have the affairs of the Milky Way and Earth been directly involved in the plot of an episode. This serves to further echo the aspect that Destiny's crew is on the far side of the universe where they have to fend for themselves.

The Cast[]

Main Cast

Stargate Universe cast

The main cast of Stargate Universe.

Recurring Cast

Special Guest Stars

Episodes[]

Stargate Universe
Season 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Season 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20


Webisodes[]

Main article: Kino webisodes

Airing in tandem with the first season of Stargate Universe were a series of 34 brief interdependent Kino-related webisodes. These brief segments were usually continuations of an episode that aired just prior to the webisodes release. However, some contain content relatively unrelated to recent episodes.

Production companies[]

Gallery[]

Links and navigation[]

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