Stargate Atlantis & Stargate Universe

Released by: Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment
Availability: Out 29th August 2011
Price: £159.99 (SGA Seasons 1-5 blu-ray) £49.99 (SGU Season 2)

You wait years for a series to bow out in style and then two come along at once... Stargate: Atlantis was the first real spin-off of the original Stargate TV series (in turn a spin-off from the film) and there was a worry it would simply be a clone of the SG1 stories. But though there was certainly a similar feeling of tone and pace, neatly fitting into the established formula, Atlantis felt like a good parallel adventure series and quickly gained its own passionate following.

The theme was that a link is finally established to an age-old city on the far side of the galaxy, once ruled by the ‘Ancients’, the race that built the original stargates and seeded them through the galaxy. The team selected by Staragte Command initially find themselves stranded there, accidentally awakening the succubus-like Wraith and then having to clean up the cosmic mess they were at least partially responsible for causing in the first place. As the series progressed, a permanent link back home is established, but the base becomes an important outpost in its own right.

Season Five of the series, the final run for the spin-off, saw yet another change in commander with the ever-busy Amanda Tapping (Carter) stepping away to concentrate on Earth duties (including Tapping’s successful Sanctuary series) and a familiar face, by-the-book Richard Woolsey (Trek’s Robert Picardo) stepping in.

There’s a lot of tying up of threads and plot-lines from previous seasons and joining of conceptual dots. It was known before the series was completed that this would be the final run and so at least some of these resolutions were planned well in advance, some working better than others. There is a sense of peril as the Wraith find the location of Earth and the Atlantis team play an all-or-nothing gambit to prevent an attack. Though the outcome may never be in true doubt, it’s always something of a pleasure when a series gets to end on its own terms and Atlantis’s conclusion (while stretching logic and believability a tad far - San Francisco Bay, really?) at least sends it off with a nod, a wink and sense of closure.

The blu-ray release of the final season means that this is the first time all 100 episodes of the show will have been available in HD in the UK. The picture quality is, indeed, quite stunning, even on a big screen so that in itself may be a good enough reason for purchase… even without some interesting commentaries and a featurette on setting up a big fight sequence with guest-star Marc Dacascos.

Some time later... the starship Destiny, stuck on the other side of the universe, carries a scientific crew from Earth, stranded there by sabotage and an uber-stargate’s malfunction (for a franchise that spawned so many branches, the method of travel was highly unreliable!). They could be - literally - centuries from their loved ones, but as they point their new home in the direction of their old one, they have to be vigilant of the threats that come from without and within. The ‘Destiny’, like some of its new ‘crew’ has secrets of its own…

People weren’t sure of what to make of Stargate: Universe before it started. On paper it looked precariously close to Star Trek: Voyager and yet, on its arrival, it was clearly aiming for more of a Battlestar Galactica vibe. Gone were the often lighter, almost jokey romps of the previous Stargate outings and a much more serious tone was ever present. While maybe not ‘gritty’, Universe was clearly wanting to be more cerebral and questioning.

It’s a real shame that ratings meant that the series was not ultimately renewed for a third season as the second run of the series was really finding its feet and was absolutely carving a niche that wasn’t being filled elsewhere in the schedules. Thankfully, the second season/series finale ‘Gauntlet’, was full of tension but also a character-driven piece which while not book-ending the concept, felt like it was ending a certain chapter. There’s action, but more a sense of tension and contemplation - trying to solve bigger problems than those on the end of the gun. Perhaps knowing that there was a real question-mark hanging over the show, the final scenes feel appropriate, leaving much room for consequences to be addressed in any future Stargate projects (and, really, by now, who’d bet against one?)

The DVD set, featuring all episodes of the second run, shows a series that might have been slower than a network effort and had its own peaks and troughs, but felt more involving than a lot of sci-fi shows out there. In addition to all the episodes, there are some interesting looks behind the scenes, various episode commentaries and a special featurette going behind the scenes on what was to be their last episode (though it was not fully known at the time). All in all, it’s a good send-off and the set is highly recommended to existing fans of the show and potential new converts.

Stargate Atlantis 7/10
Stargate Universe 9/10

John Mosby - Editor

Born at a early age, creative writing and artwork seemed to be in John’s blood from the start Even before leaving school he was a runner up in the classic Jackanory Writing Competition and began...

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