Depending upon the life experience you bring to this, you might be tempted to call it the most exquisitely-rendered human character drama in the history of science fiction. And you might be right. From the moment you realize that you're watching the show's breakthrough episode, your eyes may widen in your determination to not miss a single breath. You may laugh. Your chest may tighten. Destiny is brought out of FTL by a star and planet that shouldn't be there. In the month that it will take them to leave its gravity well, they send a crew to the surface. The discovery of an obelisk leads to the conclusion that this solar system was created by aliens. Eleven people decide that staying on the planet is preferable to returning to Destiny. Back on the ship, Young and Rush know that losing so many might cripple their chances to survive. The debate they share with Ming-Na is powerful, and stunningly unforced. All the human conflicts in this episode are breathtakingly rendered, and feel real in ways that few products of any genre do. The element of faith is brought in, as pertains to both god and a higher meaning in life; this too is perhaps the first time these issues have felt so rawly, unpatronizingly real in the sci fi universe. Choices will surprise you, and your ability to project how it will end is negated. At the heart of the episode is Alaina Huffman, as the ship's medical officer. She is pregnant, and the thought of raising a child on a sterile, possibly-doomed starship is unacceptable. Young's solution is unexpected, and as perfect as every other thread in this tapestry.
Review of Faith
