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| "Gauntlet (Stargate Universe)" |
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"Gauntlet" is the twentieth episode of the second season and series finale of the military science fiction television series Stargate Universe. The episode originally aired on May 9, 2011 on Syfy in the United States. The episode was directed by long time director and producer of the Stargate franchise Andy Mikita. It was written by executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie.
In this episode, the drones are now monitoring every Stargate from Destiny's position to the edge of the galaxy; instead of just the stars. With their main supply line blocked, the crew manage to destroy a Command Ship to resupply only to take considerable damage in the process. Realizing they cannot continue fighting, Eli (David Blue) comes up with an idea to put Destiny in one continuous FTL jump until they reach the next galaxy. This journey will take up to three years and the crew are to use the stasis chambers aboard to keep themselves alive.
This episode represents the final foray into the Stargate franchise for the foreseeable future.
Plot
T.J. (Alaina Huffman) examines Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) to see if she has recovered her eyesight. However there is no improvement on her situation. Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) is called into a meeting with Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle), Eli and Camile (Ming-Na). Dr. Rush and Eli inform them that they have found a way to track the Command Ships. But despite this tactical advantages, the data shows that there is a Command Ship in the vicinity of every Stargate from where Destiny is, until the edge of the galaxy.
Colonel Young reports the situation to Colonel Telford and asks for a supply line. However he in turn informs him that the Langarans are still refusing the use of their Stargate and that they will have to rectify the situation by themselves. With no choice left but to fight, Dr. Rush modifies Destiny's shields to block only the energy based weapons of the drones, hence making them more efficient when they go into battle. At first this seems to work but the drones quickly adjust and begin kamikaze runs at Destiny. Despite destroying the Command Ship, Destiny has taken a lot of damage and the supply run has not yielded a great amount.
With battling the drones no longer an option Eli comes up with an idea. He informs Colonel Young of a plan to do one continuous FTL jump to skip the rest of the galaxy (two thirds of it), across the void and to the first Stargate in the next galaxy. This journey would take at least three years and with only a month worth of food and water, the crew will need to use the stasis chambers for the duration of the journey. Dr Rush disagrees and does not think this is a good idea, as even a slight problem with power would cause Destiny to drop out of FTL early and drift the rest of the way; potentially making the journey a thousand years. It takes Eli a day to prep the chambers and Dr. Rush is given that time to come up with a new plan. Chloe (Elyse Levesque) tells Dr. Rush that despite the very low margin for error, it is the best course of action; as even if they were to die in the chambers, Destiny would continue without them, but if they stay and fight they and the ship will be destroyed.
As each member is allowed one last visit back to Earth, they are subsequently put into stasis. However a problem arises, after a section of the chambers is found to be non-functional after taking damage in the battle with the drones. This problem leaves them 8 short of the total and would require whoever was left out to commit suicide. To fix the chambers they need a material called platinum hydride, which is available on a planet the Destiny is near. However because there is a Stargate on the planet the drones are in close proximity and a battle would severely deplete the power rendering the whole plan obsolete. Lisa comes up with a plan to remote pilot a shuttle and broadcast a signal to mimic a Stargate activation, luring the Command Ship to its position. The shuttle's shields are modified to give it a better chance of surviving and the engines are rigged to go critical to destroy the Command Ship as it rams into it. The plan succeeds and the majority of the crew are put into stasis. Eli, Colonel Young, Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith), T.J., Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith), Chloe, Camile and Dr. Rush share a final meal before being put into stasis.
Colonel Young makes his final report to Colonel Telford, whilst Eli and Dr. Rush make final preparations and put the rest of the crew into stasis. However upon Colonel Young's return, Eli informs him of a problem with one of the final three chambers. It is more damaged than first thought and will not stay online. Power reserves are such that one person can stay outside for two weeks, maintaining minimal life support to fix the problem before it will affect power for the FTL jump. Dr. Rush volunteers to do so, but Colonel Young confides in Eli, telling him he cannot trust Dr. Rush to do what is right if he fails to fix the chamber; and therefore he will sacrifice himself to ensure the plan succeeds. Eli does not accept this, and volunteers to be left out, declaring himself to be smarter than Dr. Rush and having the best chance of surviving.
Dr. Rush and Colonel Young say their goodbyes to Eli and they take their place in the chambers. Eli is left to power down Destiny before taking his place on the observation deck. He looks out over the stars as the series comes to an end.
Development
Prior to the script being written, the original pitch called for Colonel Young and Dr. Rush to be the last two people remaining with only one working stasis pod. The decision about who would be left out was decided by a coin flip, but the result would remain unknown to the audience; essentially setting up the season three premiere. The pitch for the season three premiere had Dr. Rush maintaining Destiny's systems in his solitude, until Earth eventually found a way to dial the ship. This would then only prove to be a dream that Dr. Rush has whilst he is in stasis, as Colonel Young is revealed to be the one left out. However because of the lack of action, the "it was all a dream" scenario, and Dr. Rush's character development it was deemed unusable and therefore the original season two finale pitch would not work either.
Joseph Mallozzi had the task of writing the first draft for "Gauntlet." At the time Mallozzi was under the impression that the show would continue into a third season; as such wrote the episode as if it were to be a season finale. The supper scene was originally planned to be only a montage of the crew having their last meal. However SyFy’s Erika Kennair requested a change, in which after Mallozzi wrote Colonel Young's speech, it was tweaked by Paul Mullie to include a reference of "three years"; which alluded to the time it took for Destiny to reach its destination and the show's expected run.
Reception
"Gauntlet" was viewed by 1.134 million live viewers, resulting in a 0.8 Household rating, a 0.2 among adults 18–49.
Meredith Woerner from io9 called the finale "more like a bittersweet goodbye than an action-packed cliffhanger, even though it ended with a much more frightening conclusion than the first season." She was reminded of the failures of the first season saying that "Perhaps Eli said it best in this episode: What's the point of having tremendous potential if you're not going to step up when you're really needed? Stargate Universe started off with mounds of potential...Sadly, it was just too little too late." However once again she praised the dynamics between Eli and Dr. Rush remarking that "Even when Rush finally admits to Eli that he's full of potential and gives him the pat on the head he's been shirking the whole series...This wasn't about Eli seeking acceptance, it was about Rush humbling himself for the first time in a long time. The mentor steps down, and Eli takes up the mantle of hero." Mike Moody from TVSquad declared "Gauntlet" "a strong, densely plotted, emotional hour." He enjoyed the overall theme of the episode, speaking volumes about the characters working as a family, rather than trying to focus on "the search for the God signal that was said to be Destiny's true purpose." Like Woerner, Moody praised the dynamics between Eli and Dr. Rush adding that "These two shared a satisfying scene where the elder scientist finally admitted to the slacker genius that he had tremendous potential." Moody had particular praise for Eli's character development saying that "Leaving the fates of the ship and its crew in Eli's hands felt appropriate...Eli, like many of us at some point in our lives, was faced with the difficult task of believing in himself. He still looked like the videogame-obsessed slacker we met in the pilot, but the heart of a true hero." Ramsey Isler from IGN remarked that "All things considered, this was as good of a finale as we could expect." Isler had particular praise for the writing expressing that "We should never take for granted how hard it is to come up with plausible scenarios for sci-fi shows...This story works as well as it does because these are all smart ideas, and the creative team deserves credit for all it." Like Moody, Isler also praised Eli saying that "The greatest achievement of SGU is that it told a grand and poignant tale of a wide-eyed, lonely, insecure boy growing into a brilliant man, and leading a life of adventure that few could ever imagine." Isler was also reminded of the many failures that led the show's demise but claimed that "this particular episode showed few flaws, and gave us reasons to recall just how much potential this series had." Overall, Isler said "As sweet as the final moments of this series are, there is a certain bitter aftertaste too."
References
- Colvin, Chad (April 17, 2011). "SGU continuation, other movies dead — for now". Gateworld. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- Mallozzi, Joseph (May 12, 2011). "May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been!". WordPress. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- Mallozzi, Joseph (May 11, 2011). "May 11, 2011: Gauntlet!". WordPress. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- Gorman, Bill (May 10, 2011). "Monday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs Lead + 'Pawn Stars,' 'WWE RAW,' 'Bethenny,' 'American Chopper' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- Woerner, Meredith (May 10, 2011). "Stargate Universe comes of age with a bittersweet finale". io9.com. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- Moody, Mike (May 10, 2011). "'Stargate Universe' Season 2, Episode 20 (Series Finale) Recap". TVSquad. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- Isler, Ramsey (May 09, 2011). "'Stargate Universe: "Gauntlet" Review". IGN. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
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