Twin Destinies

 DVD, Stargate Universe S2 (Twin Destinies)

Just about everything you could want from this series, and while it could be faulted for ending so pat and conveniently, getting there was a rollercoaster! Before anything, and this isn't usually that much of a priority for me, especially when compared with story and character, but in this case both of those are fully covered so I will remark on the technical qualities: you really know you're watching a good one when you notice the effects work despite how good the story is. This just complimented the quality all round with some beautiful shots of Destiny (the other one), framed by the seething flames of a star as the ship hangs there in the balance like a butterfly caught in a lightning strike, the flash seeming longer than the split second it would take to annihilate such an insignificant, fragile little creature. But it doesn't take place in a split second in reality, there's time for a desperate salvage mission, or more precisely, a strip mine it and run (literally), as members of the crew pour onto this doomed and empty hulk (shades of 'Empok Nor' from 'DS9' - once again demonstrating you can reuse existing sets and still create compelling drama), which contains all that is necessary for the original Destiny to carry on. It's fraught, exciting, superbly lit with an apocalyptic red burning that fills the halls with the hellish light of impending death. You see how poetic this episode made me! I was inspired by it, moved, excited, and not merely from the ultimate dash and grab mission.

Right from the opening where we have all the main characters in a room together discussing their situation, all systems at critical status after the previous episode's encounter with the enemies that had all but crippled them. They need spare parts, they can't build them, they can't fix them, there seems no other option than to try a plan Eli and Gin had come up with to create a stable wormhole in a star and get back to Earth through the Stargate (remember it's called 'Stargate'?). It's a huge wrench, but not one most people are going to mind, they just want to get home, waiting in anticipation in the main room, quietly expectant, hungry for home, a major personal moment in all their lives as much as when they first came aboard. All except Rush who's intent on carrying out Destiny's mission to the extent he's willing to stay behind if twelve just men (or girlies), will stay behind with him. I'm not sure what he was going to do for spare parts, it sounded like everyone who agreed to remain would be likely signing their own death warrant since the ship is just about holding together! But that's beside the point - before anything can happen another Rush contacts them. From the future...

Back to the technical achievement of this episode: it's not just the visuals, nor the well choreographed moments where people career down hallways in one last desperate effort to escape (or in puppyish exuberance in Brody's case - he runs excitedly to the Bridge before someone points out he could have simply used a radio!), it's the ability to have two of Rush on screen at the same time, and sometimes in moving shots, the camera swaying as they seem to like it to, but knowing that had to be motion-captured, or at least I assume it did, maybe they didn't even have to do that by the point this was made (almost fifteen years ago, gulp! Where did the time go?), but however it was done, it's flawless, there's no question how far effects had advanced, and for once 'Stargate' does something better than Trek had been able to do (and they did a lot of doubles over the years!). Even Rush doesn't entirely trust Rush (loved that when he storms off after his wish to continue Destiny's mission is refused and you just know he's going to lock them out or make it impossible for them to try Eli's plan some other way, but Young has Greer and his men stationed to prevent that - good thinking!), as someone pointed out during the episode, I think it was Telford. Speaking of whom, I forgot there was another version of him from the original timeline a little in the future who'd made it back to Earth. If that was the case why didn't he contact Destiny? Or he did, but it was a Destiny in the future of our Destiny, wasn't it? It does fry the brain a bit.

I will say the image of him as the man Rush switched with through the use of the communication stones, in Rush's clothes, looking bewildered and horrified as he charges to the 'gate room amid that apocalyptic colour palette, was fantastic. But how can he be on Earth of our Destiny's time, again I ask? Best not to think of it. More to the point, why would other Rush jump in the Ancient chair? Did he think because he'd accidentally killed Telford, who was really getting in his face and was as much to blame for his demise as he was, he couldn't go back? So he went all in and tried to get the knowledge of the Ancients before the ship blew up? That's why it was so pat, we got rid of the two duplicates and it would have been much more dramatic to keep them (as they did on 'Farscape' which I've been watching recently). But the other Destiny was a perfect store of necessary supplies. There is rather a lot of dashing around madly, when cool heads should have prevailed, but it was much more about coordinated pillaging than madcap panic-grabbing, in fairness. Even when they first see this alternate ship coming into view there was a haunting quality to it, knowing how a version of every one of those witnessing it had died, and making it some kind of crypt to their memory, or perhaps a tombstone hanging over the surviving crew. Again, such a strong sense of the poetic in this one!

It had it all, too. There was the action and split second escapes, there was the horror of death, but there was also the trademark wry humour that hasn't been as evident in this iteration of 'Stargate,' and a comfortable knowing of the characters so well: Brody with his embarrassment over calling Eli the cleverest man he'd ever known, or being so excited as to run to the Bridge, or Greer reacting to Telford's aggressive threat that he might have to force everyone to leave the ship, by retorting 'good luck with that,' and Telford clearly seeing his bluff's been called - even that bit where Brody talks them through what they need to salvage and calls the items 'things to make it go,' which I do hope was a deliberate, if obscure reference to a Trek race, the Pakleds, who said something very similar in 'TNG.' It was even quite affecting as we see flashbacks to how the plan first played out and most of the main characters backed Rush up, if sometimes reluctantly, and showed that if they had a choice they would choose to continue the mission. It really cemented their friendships in my eyes, that even with a chance of going home we now know many of them would choose the unknown with each other.

I would just say it was surprising to see the remaining Lucian Alliance people allowed to take part in the salvage because if there were any other secret dissenters they could have gained weapons and all sorts. Of course with Simeon gone we know there isn't a threat, but it gave me pause for thought. I was also surprised with how collaborative Young was, taking suggestions from people, going along with what they wished, even surprising Rush by showing he was willing to stay aboard if they found ten other people - I'm not sure if Rush was so happy about that, I'm sure he'd have liked to have been the main man, or whether it was merely relief and surprise that he was getting what he wanted, but it showed a dedication between characters that was heartening to see. I also liked the idea that some of them would want to meet up regularly if they had gone back to Earth, and they even threw in references to Dr. Jackson, Colonel Carter and McKay, just more nice little spices to a simmering, bubbling pot of highly nutritious story stew! And I almost forgot a very brief, but fun cameo for Dr. Lee in Eli's outfit - funny. If they keep this level up for the remainder of the season not only am I going to miss this series, I'm really going to miss it!

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