EPISODE REVIEW: Stargate Universe: “Water” (Season 1, Episode 6)

It’s interesting that a lot of the diehards I know are complaining that this isn’t a Stargate show, not really, and they never use the stargate, and they’re never visiting planets, and they’re always on that damn ship, and they never go anywhere and wah wah wah I wanna’ see people walking through the woods in Cascadia and pretend it’s an alien planet, dammit! It always cracks me up when people do that. They claim they want something new, they claim that they didn’t like SGA because it was too much like SG1, but then they say that SGU is too different, and they can’t handle it.

It’s a weird and sad aspect of human nature - or at least human geek nature, which may not be the same thing, I’m not sure - that we continually claim to want new stuff, but in actual fact we want exactly what we already had, only gussied up with new drapes and gay looking uniforms, which is, of course, how the Star Trek franchise was able to get so much mileage out of three shows which were basically one show, but with a different cast and a new interior decorator. It’s weird, isn’t it?

The irony here is that this episode is more like a ‘standard’ stargate episode than any other they’ve ever done, and that’s almost its undoing: They do the new stuff great on this show, but they’re having a little bit of trouble getting the new dog to do the old trick, if that makes any sense.

PLAY BY PLAY

Destiny is again running low on water. No one knows why, however the ship has dropped out of FTL and opened a gate to a nearby planet. The Kino shows an ice world on the other side, so Colonel Young and Lt. Scott go through in “Million year old space suits” they found on the ship to find ice and haul it back to supplement their failing supply. Eli gives them a hover-gurney he’s invented as a result of “My latest attempt to fly.” (Marvel geek, I guess) The colonel leaves TJ the medic in charge.

On the planet, Scott and Young wander around looking for ice that isn’t poisonous. Most of it is amonia, methane, stuff like that. Meanwhile, on the ship, TJ has Greer and the others look for the missing water, figuring it must be going somewhere. TJ then has a run-in with a dust devil, from the episode “Air (Part 3)” http://www.republibot.com/content/episode-review-stargate-universe-%E2%8... She orders everyone not on duty to their cabins until she can figure a way to deal with this, meanwhile Greer has discovered that Baldo has been hoarding food and water. A kerfluffle ensues, and he’s put in stir to await Young’s return.

The Dust Devil spooks a red shirt, who shoots at ‘em, and they mess him up real bad. The crew discuss what to do with the alien infestation while Young and Scott complete their first ice run, and head back for more. Scott falls through the ice, and Young can’t get him out, despite repeated attempts, and eventually his suit ruptures - he’s slowly leaking air.

Meanwhile, Eli mentions that the aliens are obviously the ones drinking the water, and Greer heards the dust devils in to an unused room and seals it