Parents' Guide to

Stargate Universe

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Compelling Stargate spin-off has a bit more edge.

TV Syfy Science Fiction 2009
Stargate Universe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Parhelion
Parhelion Adult
January 14, 2011
age 13+

Dark, brooding, sexual, and sexist

Those who were avid followers of the first two Stargate series may be shocked when checking out Stargate: Universe. Where SG1 and Atlantis are marked by heavy, almost slapstick humor and light innuendo, Universe opens up with a racy sex scene 10 minutes into the pilot with all the sweating and grunting one can imagine. A few episodes within the first season open up with similar scenes, and the placement of the sex is (in my opinion) gratuitous -- it plays no part what-so-ever in most of the story arcs and does not contribute to character development. The characters are dark but cliched in that they tend to be remarkable for only one or two personality features. Well into the second season, there are no strong female roles -- merely drama-spewing side-characters who appear to have originally been added in for sex appeal only. The drama has a Battlestar Galactica feel to it.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
cooljax25
cooljax25 Adult
November 2, 2009
age 16+

not so good

This show should be canceled not for kids

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Soon after solving an especially tough problem in a computer game, slacker/geek Eli Wallace (David Blue) is stunned to receive a visit from a mysterious military officer and an even more enigmatic scientist, Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle). The strangers are from the Stargate Program, a top-secret unit that's secretly been exploring the universe using ancient alien teleportation devices -- Stargates -- that can instantly zap people across the cosmos. Dr. Rush and his team recruit Wallace to join them (turns out his game solution was something they desperately needed); once at their base, he helps them program the Stargate to send them … somewhere. But when the base is attacked, their only option is to escape through the Stargate. As the gate closes, the group finds themselves stranded on an abandoned alien spaceship, billions of light-years from Earth. They must learn to work together to survive while exploring the mysteries of the far side of the universe.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (2 ):

STARGATE UNIVERSE is the second spin-off of long-running sci-fi series Stargate SG-1, which itself built on a universe originally envisioned in the 1994 feature film Stargate. The previous entries in the franchise have mapped out a complex and entertaining storyline, with several alien races, plenty of interplanetary conflict, and a complicated backstory about the mysterious Ancients who created the network of Stargates. By shifting the action to the farthest reaches of space, Stargate Universe (aka SGU) gets to keep the backstory while creating an entirely different setting.

The result is a thrilling space drama that will appeal to both existing fans and new viewers. The excitement comes from three sources. First, of course, are the unknown mysteries of this previously unexplored galaxy. Then there's the challenge of learning to control the decrepit spaceship. And finally, there's plenty of intrigue on board as the military team members butt heads with the civilians butt heads, and Dr. Rush seems to be pursuing his own agenda. It's not the first series to use this lost-in-space theme (see Star Trek: Voyager), but it's certainly one of the better ones.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the show's action and violence. How does it compare to other sci-fi shows you've seen? In general, does this kind of violence have more or less impact on you than what you see in more realistic crime dramas?

  • How does this series fit into the overall storyline that's been created in other Stargate series? How does transporting the action to the far side of the universe make this show different? What parts of the series are similar to other Stargate shows?

  • Despite their advanced technology, the characters here are truly lost in space. How does this compare to shows about people who've been shipwrecked on Earth?

TV Details

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