Stargate: Universe
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Stargate: Universe |
| Abbreviation(s): | SGU |
| Creator: | Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper |
| Date(s): | 2009- 2011 |
| Medium: | television series |
| Country of Origin: | US |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Stargate Universe was the third television series in the Gateverse, following SG-1 and SGA. It aired on SyFy in the United States.
In the pilot episode, the characters start out in the Milky Way, but by the end of the episode they are on an Ancient ship in a distant galaxy, cut off from Earth. Several characters from SG-1 appeared in the early episodes tying the show more firmly into the canon of SG-1 than SGA.
Fandom
SGU has a very small fandom on Livejournal. The main fiction community on LJ has a mixture of gen, het and slash fic, with the slash pairing of Rush/Young proving the most popular.[1]
The forums on Gateworld are also home to many fans who actively discuss the show canon.[2]
Communities and Archives
- SGU Newsletter
- Stargate Universe Fanfiction Community--Livejournal community for discussion and posting of fanworks.
- SGU at the Archive of Our Own
- SGU at fanfiction.net
Reaction From Gateverse Fans
SGU was announced in August of 2008 [3] one day after the cancellation of SGA was confirmed.[4] Many fans believed that the show was intended to replace the aging cast of SGA with a newer, younger version. When well publicized films meant to continue the SGA story failed to materialize, fans of that show became even more vocal in their displeasure with SGU.
Even though the show has many of the same ingredients that made its predecessors popular, it has darker themes and is more serious than SG-1 or SGA, and most Gateverse fans were not impressed.[5] See Stargate Schadenfreude on Dreamwidth for more fan reactions.
GateFail
See GateFail 2009.
Cancellation
SGU was canceled following its second season, with Syfy citing low ratings for their decision. While SGU wasn't as popular as its predecessors, many fans pointed out that the growing trend to stream shows made it difficult to determine the size of a show's fanbase. Many fans were also more favorable towards SGUs second season, and were unhappy that the series had ended on a cliffhanger.
Fans began to organize on sites like Facebook and Twitter, actively campaigning for renewal. A website SGUnite.com soon appeared, with a companion facebook page. Fans organized a letter writing campaign, and petitions. There was also the Save Stargate Universe facebook and twitter accounts, which used the tagline "SyFy needs more Stargate and less men in tights." This was in reference to the fact Syfy had replaced SGU with wrestling on Friday nights, further alienating their traditional fanbase.
Despite the fan campaign, SGU was not saved from cancellation. In 2017, a comic book series Back to Destiny was announced as a continutation of the SGU storyline.
Further Reading:
- The Plan: Save Stagate Universe
- Save Stargate Universe Facebook Campaign Recruits Over 22,000 Fans…Will Syfy Listen? by Neal Alan Spurlock. (2011)
References
- ^ Tags page on sg_univese_fic, accessed March 24, 2010.
- ^ Gateworld.net Forums, accessed March 24, 2010.
- ^ SCI FI green-lights Stargate Universe, accessed March 24, 2010.
- ^ Stargate Atlantis will end this season, accessed March 24, 2010.
- ^ 5.11.2010: cry moar sgu by cesare is a reaction to accusations that angry SGA fans were responsible for SGU's ratings and mentions several reasons why SGU didn't appeal to many fans of SGA.