Every week I groan a little louder that Stargate Universe has been canceled. “THOSE MORONS!” (Oh, sorry). And every week the show gets a better.
This week’s show “Alliances” was no exception. The storyline: From last week’s failed attempt to dial Earth (and subsequent wrinkle in time), Homeworld Command Senator Michaels and Dr. Andrew Covel, a former colleague of Dr. Rush’s, to check on things aboard Destiny. Using the stones, they swap with Camille and Greer. Greer is the only crew member who has not been to Earth (using the stones) and is reluctant to do so.
While the Dr. and Senator get a tour of the ship and formulate the feasibility of another Icarus station, Greer and Camille are given a harsh greeting, requiring security codes, because Homeworld Security is on high alert from a Lucian Alliance attack – which comes fairly quickly as a ship crashes in to the headquarters. While many get out (including Col. Tellford – now back on Earth), Greer and Camille are trapped inside and Greer has a broken leg.
Tellford informs the two that it was a cargo ship and wasn’t your typical ship used for this kind of 9/11 style attack. They believe there is an unexploded bomb on board. Facing no way out and increasing radiation from what they believe is the bomb, they go towards the source of danger, with another survivor to try and disarm the bomb.
Greer tries to put on a brave face and Camille tries to use her expertise to break through and find out why he is always “go go go” while Greer criticizes that she spends too much time thinking. The two are at odds, but realize what needs to be done. On their way, the connection is interrupted and they only have a few seconds to relay the situation back to Destiny. While on Earth, Dr. Covel realizes the recently found Geiger counter is registering high levels of radiation on “his” body before his is ripped back to Destiny via the stones when the connection is re-established. It’s about this time that the third survivor pulls a knife on Camille and ends up getting shot by Greer (I won’t tell you why.)
Varro, one of the Lucian soldiers on board Destiny, informs Col. Young that he knows how to defuse that type of bomb. The crew has no choice but to believe him but faces a problem because the radiation is interfering with the ability to break the stone’s connection at will. They figure out a risky way to do it, but (of course) it could cause more damage to the ship. Interestingly enough, Dr. Covel criticizes Young for not playing nice with Destiny and bringing it to the brink of destruction. The Senator and Covel also rip on them for not retrieving any logs from the other Destiny to find out what really happened.
Camille and Greer reach the bomb, get partial instructions to disarm it when the connection is broken, but don’t want to risk anything without complete information so they decide to wait it out while having a touching moment about their differences.
Meanwhile back on board Destiny, Rush discovers that Covel sabotaged the stones so they couldn’t go back because he didn’t want to face dying of lethal radiation poisoning. They resolve that, send Covel and Michaels back after giving them full instructions to disarm the bomb and we’re left with Greer and Camille on the observation deck as Greer confides in Camille that he never got to tell his Mom (who didn’t want him to join the military in the first place) everything that he wanted as we finally see him break down and cry. Camille said “She’s your mother, she knows.”
I absolutely LOVE where the writers are taking the characters. They (Rush and Young, Camille and Greer, etc) seem to be recognizing the situation they are in and bridging those differences. I suspect we’ll still see some hidden agendas and manipulations toward the end of the show. I half expected to lose a regular character or two on this episode since it’s been canceled anyway – why not cross the line?
Rating: 10/10
