Short Attention Span Review: "Stargate Universe" 10/9

All right, I think a quick and merciful death is in order for this show. This episode MADE NO EFFING SENSE.

You're running out of air aboard the ancient ship. The ship takes you to a planet with a breathable atmosphere. And you only send a *handful* of people off ship to hunt for limestone to go into the filtration system? You leave behind everybody else so they can look miserable and jeopardized, rather than allowing everyone to get a breath of fresh air? Maybe have extra legs and eyes and arms to hunt for what you're after? Because, seriously, two of the people you sent were pudgy and out of shape to begin with - and you didn't even include a real doctor on the walkabout?

All of it was just a really lame excuse to give us Scott's Hoth-esque exposition moments as he staggered around following a dust devil.

And color me totally confused and grumpy about the communication modules. Those scenes would have made much more sense to me if the "puppet" people had done the talking. However, I understand that Lou Diamond Phillips - who should have been one of the puppets - isn't as available as they'd hoped. Anyway, it just seemed pointless and awkward and hard to follow.

Bad start, folks.

Short Attention Span Review: "Stargate Universe" Premiere - 10/2

Here's a new show that wants to fill the big boots of not one but TWO major SyFy franchises: Stargate SG-1 and Battlestar Galactica.

Take a mix of military and civvy people, throw in a scientist with a shaky moral compass who could be a hero or a villain (depending upon his mood at the time), and dump them all on a starship a bazillion light years from home.

Hi, welcome to SGU!

I didn't hate it. Maybe I gave it more of a chance because the "us" character is a pudgy gamer geek who solves a puzzle on an MMORPG and wins a ticket to the Stargate program. But the characters - particularly Nash, played by Robert Carlyle - are interesting enough to keep me watching for a little while.