This series is definitely not like Atlantis or SG-1. Those shows were set in outer space, but they were about war, and how humans cope with war. That's not the essence of sci-fi. The essence of sci-fi has always been about a small group of people trying to cope with the unimaginable. It has always been more about what it is that makes us human, and how we can hold on to that in the middle of situations that are beyond our comprehension.
This is what this show goes back to. The problems the crew runs across are not novel, they've been done a gazillion times, and you know from the start of the episode exactly how they'll solve them. The show is not about how they solve their problems, it's about how they cope with those problems, as people. It's a show where people have nervous breakdowns, where they sometimes just give up in despair. It's a show where you get a sense of the loneliness that the crew feels at being so far out there, and where the characters are not all super soldiers with wills of iron and hearts of gold. And luckily, it is portrayed by a group of actors who manage (mostly) to carry off their characters.
This is not a technology show. If you want geekspeak, go watch Atlantis reruns. But if you want stories, woven together by a set of unique characters who act like real humans would, then do watch this show.
This is not to say the show is perfect. It has flaws, just like its characters. But it has a lot more potential as a true sci-fi show than any of the previous stargates ever did.
This is what this show goes back to. The problems the crew runs across are not novel, they've been done a gazillion times, and you know from the start of the episode exactly how they'll solve them. The show is not about how they solve their problems, it's about how they cope with those problems, as people. It's a show where people have nervous breakdowns, where they sometimes just give up in despair. It's a show where you get a sense of the loneliness that the crew feels at being so far out there, and where the characters are not all super soldiers with wills of iron and hearts of gold. And luckily, it is portrayed by a group of actors who manage (mostly) to carry off their characters.
This is not a technology show. If you want geekspeak, go watch Atlantis reruns. But if you want stories, woven together by a set of unique characters who act like real humans would, then do watch this show.
This is not to say the show is perfect. It has flaws, just like its characters. But it has a lot more potential as a true sci-fi show than any of the previous stargates ever did.