2.13 Alliances The first person to make his decision was Sgt Greer, who immediately chose to stay, and that decision shows us just how committed to being a soldier he is. Even without that knowledge, Camile Wray has noticed, and takes him with her on a communication stones visit to Earth. The reason is to give the new head of off-world spending committee, Senator Michaels, and a scientist Rush used to work with, Dr Covel, a chance to visit Destiny and review recent events aboard the ship. Sgt Greer isn’t happy about being immediately taken off duty on arrival, especially since Homeworld command is expecting an attack from the Lucian Alliance. With only the two of them and a scared rookie left trapped inside the crumbling building, they have to find what caused the explosion, because it could go off again. It’s up to them to save, not only themselves, but also everybody else. Back on Destiny, Michaels and Covel walk about the ship and pick holes in everything that Dr Rush and Col Young have had a hand in. They have to assess the viability of the continuing of Destiny’s mission, and whether they focus on getting home or finding the source of the signal. Kathleen Quinlan and French Stewart play the visiting Michaels and Covel, respectively, and you may remember Stewart from the very first outing through the Stargate in the 1994 film. Both are good in their roles, and Stewart, especially, has a good few scenes discussing how lucky Dr Rush is to be on Destiny permanently. I’ve always thought Stewart could do more than his previous roles have allowed, and here we get to see a little of why. There is a great scene, for instance, where Dr Covel meets ‘the boy wonder’ Eli, and the other guys Dale Volker and Adam Brody, in which all involved shine brilliantly. However, the big story takes over from these characters, and it’s the attack on Homeworld command that is at the heart of why. Camile and Greer’s relationship has been rocky in the past. It was always going to be interesting to put the two together in a life or death situation, and this was the perfect catalyst for their opposing views. The reality of why Stargate Universe may not have worked for ‘viewers’ (don’t get me started on the Nielsen system) is highlighted here, when Chloe is asked by Senator Michaels why she hasn’t gone crazy being cooped up aboard Destiny. Her reply is simple, but ultimately wrong. “It’s not like we never get outside. We gate to planets all the time.” It’s simply untrue, and a line that doesn’t make much sense, as in season two’s thirteen episode run, so far the crew have visited three planets on screen. And one of those wasn’t even their choice. I would like it if it were the other way around, but as it happens, some of Stargate Universe‘s best episodes are the episodes where they stay onboard Destiny. Read our review of episode 12, Twin Destinies, here.
