Stargate Universe 1.5 Blu-ray
Stargate Universe finally comes out with the second half of the season on Blu-ray with its 11 episodes in this darker Stargate series that is just starting to come into its own.
Film making 22/25
Video 25/25
Audio 25/25
Bonus Features 20/25
Total 92/100
Stargate Universe 1.5 on Blu-ray is the second half of this seasons newest Stargate series that takes a darker but more realistic look at a new part of the shows story line. In Stargate Universe 1.0 the show started with a group of scientists and soldiers having no recourse but to jump through a Stargate that no one had tried out before.
The group lands in a ship that is traveling amongst the stars following the first ships that the Ancient race built to seed the universe with Stargates. Their ship is following the path of those previous ships but millions of years later and is now starting to really break down.
The group tries to survive through the first half of season one when they find no supplies except what they brought with them and have little control over the ship. In the second half of the season the group continues to struggle with surviving as well as trying to gain control of the ship they are on called Destiny.
Dr. Rush is a genius scientist who was working on the Stargate program trying to gate to a different galaxy while Colonel Young is the highest ranking officer of the soldiers. The two are constantly struggling and fighting against each other as they both try to take charge of the group and lead them but in very different styles.
Aside from aliens who are trying their best to take over the ship and a new threat for the survivors on the Destiny but old fiends from Stargate the show uses the survivors as the main cast. They use a couple of different plot devices to be able to introduce a few new characters from time to time in the alien communication stones to bring in new people as well as communicate with earth.
The shows second season continues the good story and also the more realistic and dramatic effects but leaves the talking to recorders that was in a few episodes of the first half of the season. The show adds even more adventure with visiting worlds along their route where they can find supplies as well as new threats and more.
They come across a race of aliens that would love to get their blue fingers on the Destiny so several episodes deal with them. Another theme in the last few episodes, and a great season ending cliffhanger, deal with the threat of the Lucian Alliance from Stargate Atlantis.
The Lucian Alliance is a group of smugglers and others from several worlds of the Stargate system that are only looking out for themselves. They wind up finding a way to get on board the Destiny and fight with the survivors after just being missed by other Stargate stars who were trying to stop them in their own galaxy.
The show has taken a much more realistic turn than previous Stargate shows and the series is just starting to really blossom during the second half of the season. Stargate Universe is definitely making a break as a potentially better and more vibrant show than the previous Stargate series.
I really like the direction Stargate Universe is heading and hope they continue the show for another few seasons, they have really started a great series and it is just now taking shape for the better. The show is well worth watching whether you're a fan of previous Stargate series or just want something different.
Video for Stargate Universe is really well done along with audio and the show really has taken steps to create a unique series. The show to start with is filmed in well done high definition but it goes beyond this with sequences in the show shot to add dramatic effect to scenes.
Shooting from right behind some structure to show the bar in front very out of focus and the person standing several feet away in perfect focus makes a dramatic effect. Other shots like one sequence to show the boredom of a long period of time is unique as well.
A man drips gruel from his spoon, soldiers jog along a gangway and similar shots really make a great directorial choice in filming. These shots give you the idea and perception of the boredom, struggle to survive with limited resources and how alone they are on the huge vessel.
The video as well as direction and other factors during the series makes for a great looking show and the video is well done and very good looking. Color is well done with good skin tone along with very well done darks and shadow as you would expect for a show that has so much of the ship without lights.
Audio is also well done with clear and understandable voice and very well done effects with good use of surround, audio is in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The audio has some very well done and clear voice with not only good positional use of the sides but also really good use of LFE or bass.
Stargate has been in production for a very long time, the series started in 1997 and has seen plenty of profit as well as experience. Stargate is now a well established franchise and this series is a definite breath of fresh air as well as new type of sci-fi drama.
The bonus content on the Blu-ray edition of Stargate Universe 1.5 includes ten tracks of audio commentary and an hour of editorial features, set views and other chats with cast in a Destiny log entry control scheme. There is also a set of those cheesy Kino diary videos from the characters that infiltrated the first season but are mercifully left to bonus content here in the second half.
The game included with this Blu-ray edition is another slightly cheesy movie bonus content that should have just been left off but it does add at least a little amusement. The bonus content is pretty good and about what I expected for the first Blu-ray release from the series that does a great job of giving more than enough in each DVD and Blu-ray release.
Stargate Universe has really shown it can stand on its own as a series and the show has really done a great job with the new story and taking the series in a different enough direction. The series is really well worth purchasing now that the whole thing is available and for fans of Battlestar Galactica or Stargate type science fiction this is a definite must have show.
Stargate Universe 1.5 is the second half of the series first season and well worth a purchase with its better video quality, even better than the first half of the season. The set of both Blu-ray offerings of Stargate Universe Season 1 is well worth a purchase and the second half of the season is really getting the series off to a good start.