“Stargate: Universe,” the third TV series in the SyFy Channel’s franchise that concerned the discovery of ancient, alien stargates that allow faster than light travel, was one of those shows that is considered as having been canceled too soon (like 'Star Trek' and 'Firefly') after two seasons. The show ended with an unresolved cliffhanger that aggravated fans of the show. Now, according to I09, “Stargate Universe” is getting a “third season” of sorts in the form of a comic book.
What was ‘Stargate: Universe?’
“Stargate Universe” was set on an ancient, alien starship that was traveling billions of light years away from Earth on a predetermined course.
A motley group of scientists and military officers find themselves trapped on the ship, which they dub “Destiny.” The show depicted their efforts to survive, get control of the ship, and somehow make it home. The story line was enriched with some complex characters, a threat by a group of renegade humans called the “Lucian Alliance,” and a mystery surrounding the big bang and the origin of intelligent life in the universe.
Ratings for the show suffered due to a shift in airing time from Friday nights to Tuesday nights and then to Monday nights. The show was also caught at a time when SyFy was shifting from episodic dramas to reality television. The series was abruptly canceled at the end of the second season just as a cliffhanger was set up concerning most of the crew going into stasis pods, with the exception of Eli, the math nerd character, who volunteered to remain awake during a three-year faster than light jump.
‘Return to Destiny’
‘Return to Destiny’ is a comic book that will depict Eli’s effort to fix his stasis pod before the food and other consumables run out. A new danger will also arise for the character to deal with that will threaten the ship, the crew, and its mission.
Could the show ever be brought back?
Six years later, many of the actors have moved on to other projects.
Robert Carlyle, who played a Machiavellian scientist named Dr. Rush, now plays a character on “Once Upon a Time.” Ming-Na Wen, who played the openly lesbian Camile Wray, is on “Marvel: Agents of Shield.” So bringing them back together for a revived series is problematic at best.
Of course, a feature-length motion picture is always a possibility and has a number of examples even within the “Stargate” franchise. Syfy Channel management rejected the option at the time of the show’s cancellation. However, episodic series have enjoyed a revival since 2011, with shows like “The Expanse.” So anything is possible.
