To paraphrase an advertising slogan used for the reboot of another venerable science fiction franchise earlier this year, SGU: Stargate Universe is not your father’s Stargate. Unlike J.J. Abrams Star Trek, of course, Stargate Universe is more of a rerouting than a reboot. Nonetheless, it is distinctly different from the two series that preceded it in the Stargate franchise, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. SGU is a darker, more adult space opera.

For the benefit of those not in the know, the Stargate saga began with a 1994 theatrical film of that name featuring Kurt Russell and James Spader.  The movie was subsequently adapted into a series, Stargate SG-1, with Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks taking on the Russell and Spader roles (Colonel Jack O'Neil and Daniel Jackson, respectively). SG-1 was the name of a four-person team of soldiers and scientists that also included Amanda Tapping's Samantha Carter and Christopher Judge as an alien named Teal’c.

Stargate SG-1 lasted 10 seasons (with some changes in personnel) and its success led to a spin-off, Stargate Atlantis. Atlantis was centered on a city that could submerge itself in the sea or fly off into space. It quickly established a dedicated group of fans and in 2008 It won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi Show. After five seasons, however, it was canceled.

Given that SG-1 was based on Earth and Atlantis was effectively set on a space station, it was perhaps inevitable that the third series in the Stargate franchise would be set on a ship. That ship is no U.S.S. Enterprise carrying a dedicated group of explorers, however. Stargate Universe focuses on a group of military personnel and civilians who become trapped on a huge, decrepit alien vessel billions of light years from Earth. The ship, named Destiny, was built by a race called the Ancients, which are an integral part of established Stargate-lore. The Ancients sent the ship into space with the intention of boarding it later. They never made it, though, and the ship was left to travel on its predetermined course for thousands of years without a crew.

Stargate Universe's premiere episode, 'Air', charts the arrival of the humans on Destiny. Their journey is precipitated by an attack on the secret base they are using to investigate the problem of how to dial a special gate address. Fortunately that problem is solved in the nick of time by a science team comprised of the obsessive Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) and video game geek Eli Wallace (David Blue). When the base's stargate is identified as the only viable means of escape, Rush decides to dial the mysterious address rather than another stargate on Earth. The survivors from the base race through without knowing where they will emerge. On the other side they find that they have avoided death at the hands of their alien attackers only to face the probability of asphyxiation (hence, the episode title) due to Destiny’s failing life support systems.

The preceding paragraph basically sums up the first hour of 'Air'. This part of the story is not told in the conventional linear fashion, however. Instead, the writers begin at the end.  The episode starts with panning shots of Destiny’s dark corridors that are reminiscent of the opening scenes of Alien. These end in the gate room moments before the stargate is activated and the first human comes tumbling through. What follows are scenes of the Destiny’s new inhabitants realizing the  threats they are under from the decayed ship alternated with flashbacks to the events that led up to them being there. The end of the premiere’s two-hour running time is also different from the usual premiere format. Rather than relishing in their first victory and looking forward to adventures to come, the humans face another hour of searching for air. The episode ends on a semi-cliffhanger and won't conclude until the series' second week.

If 'Air' sounds a bit downbeat, that is because it is. The episode is dark (literally as well as figuratively, since there seem to be few lights on Destiny) and less humorous than Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. The plot also gives our heroes few major victories to cheer about. There are no spectacular battles against the Wraith, the Goa'uld or the Ori and no place for brawny aliens with staff weapons or dreadlocks who dispatch bad guys the old fashioned way. Encounters with extraterrestrials will happen in future episodes, but SGU creators Brad Wright (interviewed here) and Robert Cooper have insisted that these won’t be alien life as we know it from previous Stargate incarnations.

This new approach to Stargate might remind some people of the revamped Battlestar Galactica. Undeniably, the two shows do have things in common. Destiny’s dingy corridors, the tension between the military and civilian personnel, the use of phrases such as 'FTL' (faster-than-light), the dark military uniforms and the handheld camerawork all conspire to make 'Air' feel, at times, like a friendlier version of BSG. Yet, to suggest that SGU is a nothing more than a rip-off of Ron Moore's Galactica would be as unfair as saying that Stargate Atlantis is Deep Space Nine on water. Certainly Atlantis had echoes of Star Trek, but it earned its popularity through its own qualities. SGU should be given the opportunity to do the same.

One other area where Stargate Universe resembles BSG is in its portrayal of sex. Intimate encounters were largely kept behind closed doors in SG-1 and Atlantis, but the writers are not so coy in SGU. There is a scene in 'Air' in which we intrude on two characters explicitly going at it against a wall. It is relatively tame and doesn’t include nudity (never mind the full frontal seen in the original pilot of SG-1). It may convince sensitive parents, however, that this Stargate adventure is too mature for their children.

On the technical side, Stargate Universe impresses in almost every department. The interior design of Destiny is different from that of ships in other space operas and, in my view, way cooler than the sterile inside of J.J. Abrams Enterprise. Elements of Gothic and Victorian styling give it an air of mystery that is sometimes unnerving.  The outside of the ship is more conventional and less impressive, with CGI sometimes being obvious. Nonetheless, the FX successfully suggest a ship of great size and the effect of faster-than-light travel is well realized. Interestingly, there are few other FX-heavy scenes in 'Air', which is in keeping with the greater sense of reality the writers are aiming for. This is the least epic of all the series-opening episodes of the Stargate franchise.

The performances in 'Air' are also generally good. Carlyle earns particular praise for portraying Rush as neither hero nor villain. His is one of the busiest characters in the episode, together with Blue's Eli Wallace and Brian J. Smith’s character, First Lt. Matthew Scott. Wallace – the super smart video game geek who solves a puzzle that the best scientists cannot solve – is a cliché. He is an appealingly played one, though. Eli provides most of the comic relief with his geeky comments and witty quips. Smith, meanwhile, does a good job as an inexperienced military officer who finds himself out of his depth when he is forced to take command of Destiny's stranded group.

How the other characters (see box on the right) will work out is hard to predict based on their contribution to 'Air'. Some do appear to have more potential to capture audience empathy than others. Wright and Cooper have rarely erred in their casting of regular roles in Stargate, though, so there is good chance that the majority of SGU’s characters will strike a chord with viewers.

In addition to introducing a new cast, 'Air' also features cameos by three of SG-1's leads:  Anderson, Shanks and Tapping. Unfortunately their appearances are largely unnecessary (Shanks' being perhaps the most appropriate) and are presumably intended to please fans of the first Stargate series. It would have been nice to have also seen some acknowledgement of Atlantis (Doctor MacKay communicating with Rush on the secret base, perhaps). Sadly, though, none of that series’ characters appear.

Overall 'Air' is an effective introduction to Stargate Universe. It has action, mystery, pathos and some humor and sets a different tone from that normally associated with the Stargate franchise. Hopefully the episodes that follow will include more of the wit that has been one of Stargate's greatest qualities over the years while maintaining the edgy drama and sense of reality that are intended to characterize SGU. If that happens, Stargate Universe might yet be one of the best space operas made for television.

SGU: Stargate Universe premieres on Syfy in the United States and Space in Canada on Friday October 2 at 9/8c. Keep visiting CinemaSpy.com for our continuing series of exclusive interviews from the Vancouver sets of the show.

Images in this review are courtesy of and copyright MGM.