Overall Rating: 8.8
A gigantic step better than a number of recent SGU episodes and a very encouraging few steps in the right direction when it comes to uniting the crew of Destiny in a way that makes any sense.
Details/spoilers below the cut
Plot Synopsis:
The mood aboard Destiny is at an all time low - for one thing, TJ appears to be getting sick and is having a lot of trouble performing her duties - for another, Rush and Young continue to snipe at each other and everyone, from the B*&%! to Lt. Scott to the scientists in the civilian population is having a tremendous deal of trouble cooperating. The once close union of Chloe and Matthew appears to be in ruins despite his stated optimistic outlook that it's just going to take some time to forgive and forget. Everything changes when Destiny drops out of FTL unexpectedly in a region of space that, according to the ancient database, is devoid of stars or planets, but according to the world famous "Mark One Eyeball" has a nice crispy yellow dwarf star not unlike our own, and a single Earth-like planet miraculously orbiting it. Rush quickly realizes that the star is brand spankin' new...too new for any planet to have coalesced and become habitable. His theory - some advanced alien race literally built a star and a planet between Destiny's scout ships' passage and Destiny's arrival.
With about a month of time to orbit the star (it's interfering with FTL drive and will continue to do so until Destiny gets far enough away on the backside of a parabolic slingshot maneuver), Rush pushes for Young to send a team of scientists and soldiers to the planet's surface and scout for medicinal plants, food sources, clean water (which is in abundance here), and signs of alien technology. Young reluctantly agrees and a team of 17 uses the shuttle to make camp on the planet. Greer and Scott lead the military personnel in an effort to cooperate with the civilians while TJ - still battling some unknown illness - leads a scouting party to find medicines and edible food. After some early squabbling, which Greer masterfully puts down, the team gets along astoundingly well and finds all kinds of goodies to take back to Destiny and improve the miserable quality of life aboard ship. In fact, TJ can be seen waxing poetic about how this place reminds her of home in Washington State and getting highly emotional.
There's just one problem - with an alien obelisk suddenly emitting a beam of light into space (possibly a beacon to draw the return of the planet's creators?), most of the away team has decided that Destiny sucks too much to be worth going home to...11 of the 17 announce their desire to stay. Including TJ - who confesses to Chloe and eventually to Scott that she's not sick, she's pregnant! - Chloe, Volker (one of Destiny's best botanists), Scott and several others. Young's gut reaction is to tell them "NO!" Understandably, he is thinking of the safety and well-being of the crew stranded on Destiny, but Camile (earning back her name temporarily since she's actually being stunning un-bitchy at this moment) argues that the people below have the right to choose their own futures and Eli agrees. Rush, on the other hand, is being a complete bastard as usual and suggests that Young take a military unit down there and bring everyone back by force (how deliciously hypocritical, my dear Dr. Rush).
After much consideration, Young travels down to the planet himself (along with a few airmen) to make what has to be considered a remarkably level-headed and brilliant offer. He's going to allow the civilians to stay on the planet and he's even going to sacrifice the damaged shuttle to give them a fighting chance to survive the planet's harsh winters, but the military personnel have to come back to Destiny. The civilians aboard Destiny don't have a choice in the matter and they need the best protection he can provide. Quite rightly, he makes TJ - who wants to remain on the planet because she believes the life she can offer her child here is far superior to the life he/she would have on Destiny - realize that she has responsibilities that have to come first, and with that, she, Chloe, Scott and the rest of the military return to Destiny while a handful of civilians stay behind - hopeful that the aliens who built this planet intended it to be a life line...or perhaps would even help them get home to Earth some day.
Not to be overlooked - throughout this episode, both on the planet and on Destiny, we see unexpected and sometimes very inspired gestures of good will and camaraderie. The job of working together to repair the second (damaged) shuttle and the long, quiet month to make repairs to Destiny, take back some real estate lost during previous space battles, and explore the ship's resources and supplies (plus Rush's surgical wounds) leave Rush in a far better mood to deal honestly with Colonel Young. Young, in fact, notices Rush carving chess pieces out of rock samples and points out that he likes chess too. Camile and Eli - previously at odds over many things (not the least of which being her attempt to grab power on Destiny) - seem to spend the time getting better acquainted and learning to get along with each other. On the planet, the hard work of surviving and researching this idyllic landscape (and the better food and water) leads to spontaneous development of faith in a higher power, pick-up games of soccer and a spirit of friendship and compromise that has never existed between airmen and civvies in the past.
Writing: 7.5
Thematically, this episode was VERY strong even by Stargate SG-1 or Atlantis standards, and certainly surpasses anything we've seen to date in Universe. I would have pushed for this to be considered a featured episode if it hadn't been for the fact that I found the script a bit lacking from a dialog standpoint. I didn't feel that there were enough high impact moments that would linger on in my mind to consider this a feature-worthy edition. There were several very nice exchanges that deserve to be highlighted (and are included below), and the plot was engaging and philosophically challenging (a plus for the usually tepid Gates). I was also very glad to see TJ at the forefront in a way that would bring some color to her character - I've felt like they were squandering her potential in previous episodes.
Acting: 9.5
Everyone was WAY on top of their game this time around. I was impressed by Louis Ferreira's conveyance of Young's bitter-tasting, but probably necessary, efforts to "make it work" with Rush. For the first time in the show's history, I was impressed with Ming Na on a professional level. I enjoyed Jamil Walker Smith as usual (I've always liked his performances and this was another fine showing for him as the voice of common sense), and most importantly, I was blown away by the subtle and deeply meaningful reactions of Alaina Huffman. As potent as the moment was when she turned and headed for the shuttle the first time (after a beautiful speech about her childhood hiking memories), it was (and this is one of the few times I've been able to say this for SGU) absolutely DEVASTATING to watch her fight back tears and bitterly agree to return to Destiny knowing how much she'd wanted to do better for her new child. Her performance was masterful from start to finish. I hope to see more of her at center stage in future episodes.
Message: 9.5
After listening to Rush hog the microphone when it comes to matters of spirituality for the first half of the first season - hearing such pontifications on the meaninglessness of existence, the permanence of death, and the ultimate goal of physical ascension, it was a breath of fresh air to see faith treated with respect and to see a military leader make a decision to honor the faith of many of his civilian charges while still holding his military personnel to their sacred duties to defend the defenseless.
Camile's decision would have been to allow anyone to stay woh wanted to. Who knows how many lives would have been ruined by the absence of a qualified field medic and ship's counselor (TJ), not to mention one of our best pilots (Scott). Camile, as a civilian, cannot possibly comprehend that sometimes, soldiers are asked to make sacrifices that seem unfair because they have a duty to look outside of themselves and protect the rights of those in need.
Rush's decision would have been to marshal everyone back to Destiny at gunpoint. To him, there is no higher calling than the ship and its purpose - the pursuit of knowledge. Who knows what kind of civil unrest he would have fomented with his brutal and needlessly authoritarian impulses. He is what happens when someone is incapable of making their lives about something greater than themselves.
Young's decision was the only one that made any sense. And morally, this show is almost above reproach as a result.
Highlights:
SCOTT: Lieutenant, you alright?
TJ: This place reminds me of home - growing up on the Olympic peninsula. My father and I would head out and hike for days at a time. We'd find the most beautiful vistas - walking through canyons and ridges...seeing the clear rivers and waterfalls...
SCOTT: It's time to head home, TJ. (She reluctantly turns and walks back toward the shuttle)
WRAY: You're going on this mission too?
TJ: I don't really have much choice. Loads of medicinal plants to study and collect? Can't pass that up.
WRAY: But what if Dr. Rush's calculations are off? Can we trust him?
TJ: (coldly stares back in disbelief) You tell me. (Bitch! LOL)
GREER: Hey, hey, hey! What's goin' on here?
VOLKER: I'm not digging the latrine. No way.
AIRMAN: He flipped out when I started handing out job assignments, sir.
GREER: You're not digging the latrine? Really...
AIRMAN: Sir, everyone else already has a job.
GREER: He's right, Volker...start digging.
VOLKER (in unison): No!
AIRMAN (in unison): Thank you.
GREER: That's right...you too, airman!
AIRMAN: But sir, I have to...
GREER: Those are my orders! You're both gonna dig. And you're gonna enjoy every last shovel full!
SCOTT: What's the problem, Greer?
GREER: (turning to Scott) Spirit of cooperation, right? No problem at all. We're all friends now...right boys? (LOL! awesome)
RUSH: You can't let those people stay down there, Colonel. We've already lost four men to attrition on this ship - we're going to need every able bodied person we've got just to have a chance at survival!
YOUNG: What would you have me do, Dr. Rush? Round them up and force them to come home?
RUSH: If it comes to that...yes!
YOUNG: Well that's just great coming from you. Last month, you wanted the military out, now you want us to start ordering around the civilians at gunpoint!
ELI: Uhh...you can't just force these people to give up their freedom...
WRAY: These people have a right to decide their own future, Colonel.
YOUNG: Here's what's going to happen. I am leaving you the damaged shuttle. It's not much, but it'll fly. You can use it for shelter in the winter, for power, and it'll make short hops to other parts of this planet. You won't be able to leave the atmosphere, so don't even try. But what it will do...is give you a fighting chance to survive.
VOLKER: Thank you, sir...I know this isn't easy, but...
YOUNG: I'm not finished. The shuttle stays...on one condition. All of the military personnel must return with me to Destiny. This is not negotiable.
SCOTT: Sir...you can't do that...some of these people feel safer here...
YOUNG: If you turn down my offer, I'll order a team of airmen down here in the second shuttle and we'll take you all back by force. Destiny is our best hope of getting those civilians home, Lieutenant. Everything we do out here carries risk - staying or otherwise.
VOLKER: With all due respect, sir, I disagree. Whoever built this place - they must have technology far beyond anything else we'll encounter out here. I think this place was built for us to find...and whoever put it here will provide for us - hell, maybe even help us get home one day.
YOUNG: Matthew...you want to stay here out of some sense of obligation to take care of these people. I can respect that. But those people on Destiny don't have a choice. You have an obligation to them too.
SCOTT: Sir...
YOUNG: What's it going to be? Decide now - we don't have a lot of time. (Greer and most of the other military officers step toward the functional shuttle in capitulation, Scott reluctantly follows them after staring at Young for a long moment. Young nods and turns his attention to TJ) What about you, TJ? (TJ looks on the verge of tears - she stands frozen for a moment and Young approaches so that his face is inches from hers, the next line is uttered very softly) They need you, TJ. (she wells up and walks to the shuttle)
YOUNG: Under the circumstances, you're probably not hungry, but I thought you might like to know they're having a little feast in the mess hall. I'd really like you to make an appearance.
SCOTT: Sir, I can't help but wonder if we made the right choice.
YOUNG: I understand how you feel, Lieutenant, but we couldn't afford to lose any of our people if we're going to survive up here.
SCOTT: That's not what I mean, sir. What if we were all supposed to stay down there. What if that place was put there for us to find by some higher power - whether you call Him God or an advanced alien race. What if it was a life line and we just...let it go?
YOUNG: I can't pretend to answer that, Matthew. None of us can.
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