Stargate Universe season 2.5 begins with The Greater Good where Rush and Colonel Young have boarded an abandoned ship in hopes of salvaging some technology only to find themselves drifting from Destiny forcing Rush to lay all of his cards on the table to rescue them both. A move that calls for a pact to be made between both men and the people who follow them. Following The Greater Good is Malice. Lucian Alliance member Simeon (Robert Knepper) escapes taking a hostage through the Stargate to a remote planet where he finds himself hunted by the soldiers aboard Destiny who have followed. Colonol Young wants him back alive because Simeon has information on a planned attack on Earth but Rush has other plans for him.

My time spent with SGU I have never really been able to grasp a loyalty to it that I had with the original Stargate. At first I thought it was because Stargate was based on the film, which I highly enjoyed, and SGU was more an idea rather then a further trip into the original world of Stargate. While SGU has its moments its here, in these two episodes, that I have finally put my finger on the problem. For starters, take these two episodes, their not really sci-fi enough. Sure the crew is floating lost through outer space, jumping sporadically in a ship left by a highly advanced race of aliens, but each episode I see its more about drama and action and the human struggle against the backdrop of survival. There are no characters that stand out here. Not to be truly loved for their witty humor or valiant actions. SGU is just a conglomeration of characters thrown into the same predicament week after week. The trust issues between Young and Rush, the seedy backhanded involvement of Camile Wright, the puppy dog love story of Eli Wallace. The more I watch the show the less I seem to find something to cling to that will help me better relate to the characters. That’s it in a nutshell.

The Greater Good, for all intents and purposes, is a slow moving half season opener. Take away most of the story and the bare bones of it is that finally Rush has to reveal his hand and that Young must find a way to trust him. The sunnier side of the episode is a big revelation which is marred by a huge loss for two characters that takes over in the next episode. All together though the episode could have been beefed up a bit more. Hopefully this will end the monotony of distrust between Young and Rush, for awhile at least. Malice is the show putting on a human face, once again, removing the sci-fi feel that should be present in a show like this, but is not. Again, bare bones, the revelations are small. The characters elude to consequences further down the line for their actions, foreshadowing anyone, but all together the episode seems small in comparison. After one and a half seasons SGU still hasn’t won me over. As always all I can do is hope the show steps up its act. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.