When I first heard about the premise of SGU, I wasn't thrilled.  The idea of taking Stargate and making it edgier and more accessible didn't really sit right with me.  Stargate fans had what they wanted with SG-1 and Atlantis already and with the promise of more movies, they pretty much were satisfied.  I was actually under the impression for a while that I wasn't even going to give the show a chance.  People were saying it was a rip off of Voyager with a 90210 twist.  Then I saw the first preview for the show.  Needless to say that the two minute and forty-five second trailer completely turned my opinion around.  I still had my doubts, but for the most part, I was just happy that Stargate was coming back on the air.  Now that I've seen the first three episodes of the show, I can tell you that Stargate Universe will be an instant hit.

The first and most important fact about SGU is that it is truly accessible to anyone.  If you've never seen an episode of Stargate before, that's ok!  Believe it or not, there is actually a crash course guide to the Stargate aboard the U.S.S General Hammond which is narrated by someone all Stargate fans love and know.  Stargate Universe gives television viewers a fresh start to, no pun intended, the universe that is Stargate, without having to know about a single character from either series.  Having said that, if you are a Stargate fan, you will instantly be sucked into this new creation by Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright.  Along with all of the new faces, fans will quickly see some old faces like Jack O'Neill, Col. Carter and the beloved Daniel Jackson...oh and let's not forget about Walter.

What grabbed me the most while watching the premiere was how the show, being able to take aspects of both SG-1 and Atlantis, brought this brand new approach and put some english on it.  Without giving much away, the show starts with the Icarus Base members being thrown through the stargate onto the floor of the Destiny gate room and then, not five minutes later, we're back in time in an Icarus Base closet with Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith) having sex with another officer.  Sexual content wasn't something that was really featured in previous Stargate shows, which I think is something that adds a little bit more spice and humanity to the table.  SGU has also brought a change to the way in which the series is filmed, having a more BSG feel to it, giving it the shaky camera effect at times which again, makes the show a touch more realistic.  Joel Goldsmith has also taken a complete departure from previous Stargate shows with the way in which SGU is scored, offering fresh new music that is actually reminiscent of Toto's score of David Lynch's Dune.

While everything talked about above is very promising for the continuing Stargate franchise, the cast of this new edition is what will make SGU go on.  I was very surprised with how well this cast came together in the first three hours of the show and made it believable.  Anyone can write about a group of people who are stuck on a ship without any chance of returning home, but it takes a great troop of actors to make it believable and that's exactly what they did.  Robert Carlyle as Dr. Rush is fantastic.  He does a very good job playing someone who is very sly and most definitely not trustworthy.  David Blue as Eli Wallace is hilarious and is what you would expect out of a young Rodney McKay except in this case, scared out of his mind.  I could also talk about the older more seasoned actors like Louis Ferreira or Lou Diamond Phillips, but it's the younger actors who really stood out in the three hours I got to see.  Brian J. Smith as Lt. Scott taking charge in the midst of the Destiny's life support systems failing or Alaina Huffman as Lt. Tamara Johansen trying to be a doctor with only medic training.  Elyse Levesque as Chloe Armstrong dealing with something very difficult while already being terrified of the very real possibility that she will never be abel to return home.  All of these details were played out extremely well by what is a very young cast.

There is no doubt in my mind that SGU will be a hit.  With a more serialized season forthcoming, viewers will truly get a chance to get to know these characters while also going through the pains and hardships of life aboard the Destiny, Billions of light years away from home.  If this show gets a chance to really grow, there is no telling how many more amazing stories this fabulous writers will come up with.  Stargate Universe has a chance to be really big and I'm hoping it gets that chance.  After watching "Air" part III, I was definitely left wanting more.  All I know is that for the time being, Stargate is back, and it's bigger and better than ever, 4/5!