7 Reasons Why I Love Stargate: Universe:
1. I am in love with Eli.
Eli, the under-achieving, chubby math wunderkind who acts as the the emotional anchor of the show is a boy who I would have pined after in high school. Actually, he's a whole lot like the boy I actually did pine after in high school, the one that sleeps next to me in bed at night now, so I can only hope that Eli finds a girl who will love him for who he is. And want to borrow his adorable hoodies.
2. Endless Possibilities
The thing about narrative set-ups like this one (the ship is on an uncharted course to god-knows-where, stopping at surprise planets along the way) is that it offers an infinite amount of storyline ideas. So, if the crew ended up on a planet of quickly multiplying adorable creatures whose ultimate purpose is to root out a potentially deadly nutrient source--shit, has that already been done?--it could totally work. I mean, anything is possible.
3. Rooted on Earth
The idea that a group of people accidentally end up on a ship in space, fighting for their very existence could be fuel for a continuity fire. But having alien technology that allows those on the ship to inhabit the body of a person on Earth makes those loose ends most shows would forget to tie up totally tieable. It also brings me to my next point...
4. Puppet Ethics
If you had only 24 hours to spend with those you loved, what would you do? Would you kiss your girlfriend one last time? Would you finally tell your parents that you loved them? Would you get totally shitfaced and make out with your best friend? Now, what if you could only do these things in someone else's body? The logistical unbelievability of this happening at all might bar one from letting people know it was you at all (as in the case of Eli). Or, you might decide to bang your wife in the form of a superior officer with whom you've been butting heads (way to go Col. Young). Regardless, the ethical and emotional issues presented are pretty interesting.
5. Star Wars References
Eli loves Star Wars. He makes references all the time and they're pretty funny, but no one else gets them which makes me sad. At least you have the audience, Eli. At least you have the audience.
6. Power Struggle
So, the Stargate project was originally a military mission, but when you're lightyears away from Earth who is in power. And when the course direction and decision making power is largely in the hands of the science folk (mainly sketchy Dr. Rush), are the strings really being pulled by a mad man who I'm starting to believe knew exactly where they were going when he jumped through that Stargate. Add to that an infrastructure back on Earth that wants their 2 cents to count for a whole lot more and you've got some in-fighting drama.
7. Emotional Punch
Stargate: Universe is about aliens. And lazer guns and space ships and survival of the fittest and all of that geeky man-boy bullshit. And I love that bullshit, but geeks have hearts too. And with Universe they also have a pretty solid writing staff that seems just as interested in developing human relationships and motive as they do thinking up cool planets and sweet technology.
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