Stargate Universe episode “Subversion”, written by Paul Mullie (and Joseph Mallozzi) and directed by Alex Chapple, premieres tonight (May 21) on Syfy at 9 PM ET.
The Story: The Beginning of a Multi-Episode Arc
From the beginning of the series, we’ve been left in the dark about who attacked Icarus Base and why. Well, tonight, we just might get some answers.
The assumption has been that it was the Lucian Alliance who attacked and lost an entire fleet of ships and all aboard when things went wonky and the Icarus planet exploded. More details about the Alliance were included in a “Dr. Jackson” orientation video (see below) and in a scene from the extended version of “Air” (now available on DVD and Blu-ray):
[Eli and Rush are in the Control Interface Room, discussing the ship and the particulars of their situation.]
ELI
Who is this Lucian Alliance, anyway?
RUSH
Where did that come from?
ELI
I just want to know who to blame for this.
RUSH
They’re a human coalition made up from various Milky Way planets, formed in the power vacuum left behind when the Goa’uld were defeated. They’re criminals mostly…street gang with starships.
ELI
How’d they find out about Icarus? Wasn’t it supposed to be like double secret?
RUSH
I suspect there was a leak somewhere, someone working on the inside. The legend surrounding the ninth chevron has been floating around our galaxy for some time now. We found that it meant various things to different cultures. Some said it was a key to the universe itself, and once unlocked, you would gain untold power. Now if the Lucian Alliance knew that we discovered the address and the means to dial, they’d want it.
ELI
This ship…is a source of untold power?
RUSH
No, no, no, not literally. It’s more to do with what it’s doing…the information it’s capable of gathering.
ELI
If you know how to use it…
RUSH
Yeah.
ELI
That’s what you’re after, isn’t it? Why you risked everything to get here; you think this ship is gonna make you all-powerful or something crazy like that…
RUSH
Eli, if I could find a way to send all these people home safely and then return with a properly-skilled team to pursue this mission as intended, why wouldn’t I want to do that?
ELI
I don’t know.
RUSH
Aha…
A few members of the Lucian Alliance were introduced in Stargate SG-1 in the Season Eight episode “Prometheus Unbound”. They were after Earth’s first space battle cruiser Prometheus and since that time have tried to capture the Odyssey, the Daedalus-class starship that held even more power than its predecessor. During the years of the Ori War, the Alliance had a tenuous relationship with SG-1 until they lost starships and addictive kassa crops (the Alliance were druglords, too) due to SG-1’s interference. Eventually, war was declared. SG-1 then had a hand in creating chaos within the organization itself when they sent the assassin Odai Ventrell to eliminate the Alliance’s leader Netan. His seconds were left to fight among themselves for the territories that would make them more powerful, and a few years later, someone with a large fleet within this new organization attacked Icarus. (You can read more about the Lucian Alliance in our Stargate Wiki.)
The Story Behind the Scenes: Special Guest Stars
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Michael Shanks and Richard Dean Anderson return to Stargate as both their characters are involved in the investigation into how the Lucian Alliance found out about Icarus and why they attacked. Dr. Daniel Jackson, as a member of SG-1, has had an extensive history with the Lucian Alliance, and they even put out a bounty on him, first as “Hans Olo” and then as a member of SG-1. According to what his dream version told Rush in “Human”, the Stargate Program had a contact within the Lucian Alliance who gave them information about the planet that Icarus Base was eventually built upon.
Not pictured above, but another familiar face among SG-1 and SGA fans is that of Mike Dopud, who played the assassin Odai Ventrell himself in “Bounty” (and the runner Kiryk in SGA’s “Tracker”, among other roles). We’re not sure if he’s reprising his role, or if he’s creating a new character among the ranks of the Lucian Alliance (some sources say he’ll be playing Varro). We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
New to Stargate is Rhona Mitra, who comes from Nip/Tuck, Boston Legal, and The Practice, to name but a few. She is portraying Commander Kiva, one of the new leaders within the Lucian Alliance. She’s the contact for “the someone working on the inside” who leaked information to the Alliance about the Icarus Project. Who is this “someone”? We’ll start to get some answers as tonight’s episode begins a major multi-episode story arc that carries through to the season finale and into Season Two, so make sure you tune in!
NOTE: Syfy will be showing movies next Friday, May 28, instead of a new episode of SGU in celebration of the Memorial Day weekend. Universe will return with “Incursion Part 1” on Friday, June 4, and then Syfy will broadcast “Incursion Part 2”, the season finale, on June 11.
Watch and Rate
Once you’ve seen the episode, make sure to return to Solutions to vote in our front page poll and to read the chatter that’s sure to take place on our Stargate Twitter Superfeed.
NOTE: Viewers in Australia will be getting “Subversion” on the Sci Fi Channel on Friday, May 28, at 8:30 PM, and the UK’s Sky One viewers will see it Tuesday, June 1, at 8:00 PM. Additionally, Canada’s Space has delayed airing the episode until next Friday, May 28, at 10 PM ET.
[spoiler intro=”Official Episode Summary”]Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream in which he is back on Earth, divulging sensitive information at a covert meeting of the Lucian Alliance. But, strangely, he does so as Colonel Telford.
He confides this unsettling dream to Colonel Young who wonders if there may have been some residual memory overlap during the doctor’s switch with Telford two days before. Suspecting that Telford may be a spy for the Alliance, Rush convinces Young to let him trade places with the Colonel again. Using the communications stones Rush returns to Earth hoping to find some way to confirm his hunch. Meanwhile, Young has a plan of his own, but will need the assistance of General Jack O’Neil and Dr. Daniel Jackson.
Taken from IGN.[/spoiler]
[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Episode Preview Trailer”]
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[spoiler intro=”Syfy’s Sneak Peek Video Clip”]
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[spoiler intro=”Dr. Daniel Jackson’s Video on the Lucian Alliance”]
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