Lost

 DVD, Stargate Universe S1 (Lost)

Lessons to learn from this episode:

- Never leave a man behind.
- When lost stay in one place.
- Don't try to dial someone when they're engaged.

That's it, you can go home now, nothing to see here. Well actually, there's quite a lot to see as we go planet-hopping. They haven't managed to fit in that many planetary locations in the series, being mainly concerned with space and the dark corridors of Destiny, so this episode is a sort of antidote to those Stargaters who were feeling a bit shortchanged. It's not proper 'gate travel when you just pop in for a few seconds, and they did appear to mostly be generic 'Star Wars' planets (the snowy planet, the sandy planet, the foggy planet, the crystal planet, and so on - there's even a Rancor at one point!), but there was a good sense of travel, that they were exploring the 'gate network if not the worlds themselves. I loved the idea that even at this late stage of travelling so far they could still go back to some distant place they'd left behind and retrieve Rush's glasses, go aboard that alien ship (even if I would have assumed those aliens would have salvaged it if it contained working parts), and use their brains to find a way out.

Except there was no way out. If only they hadn't given up on Greer so easily they'd have been safely aboard Destiny as it flew out of that galaxy for the last time. You can't get more left behind than that. Though Greer could tell them a thing or two about the concept of being lost. The story becomes a little soapy what with Johansen tentatively trying to tell Colonel Young she's pregnant, eventually just blurting it out, and he's reassuringly stable in response. Then there are the flashbacks Greer has about his abusive Father, a drunk whom, it appears was damaged by his time in the army, or that's what I read into it, and why his wife was so vehement on caring for him despite such violent temper and the terrible things he did to their son. It shows why Greer is the man he is today, and though he had tenacity from that young age, returning home in the middle of the night after his Father had driven him off to the nastiest part of the city and dropped him off to fend for himself with no money or help, he's been damaged by the experience himself. His Father clearly wasn't all there and it puts Greer's slightly unbalanced character in perspective, but also shows there's hope, as though he does have a temper and can be cold and hard, the fact that he does have things or people to care about shows he got through those horrible times, even going so far as to rescue his Father from the fire - I don't know why we didn't see that bit as we see him rescue his Mother, but if he hadn't then I don't see the guy getting out.

I did feel they should have kept trying Greer's radio when they went outside, they must have considered it possible he was merely unconscious, not necessarily dead, but they assume the worst and abandon him. It was the right thing to do - they all, including Greer, recognised it, like triage those that can survive need to take priority, but it took a toll on every one of them. I quite liked the fact that he was the one to be rescued out of the four, not that he had any choice in the matter because there was no way to activate the 'gate. That's something I don't understand: why don't they have the DHDs (Dial Home Device), which Stargates always used to have, I don't recall that ever being explained, though if they were only required to be activated by Ancient ships then perhaps the tech wasn't necessary. Still, you'd think safeguards would always be essential. It's a great moment when James comes through and Greer is saved, and it did surprise me that Destiny warps off while Scott, Eli and Chloe remain trapped in this galaxy. I don't remember how they get back to the ship - I wonder if those aliens hadn't come along and abducted Rush back when he was on the planet with the crashed ship, if he'd have still been there for the others to find when they returned themselves? Mind you, they wouldn't have known there was something that could give them a map if Rush hadn't told them, so it wouldn't work, but that would have been a very dramatic way to bring him back after a few episodes missing!

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