SGU 1.12 "Divided" Episode Guide

Précis

Dr. Nicholas Rush and Chloe suffer nightmares following their ordeal on the alien vessel, and Rush suspects that a tracking device may have been placed on the ship's hull. Later, a splinter group on Destiny executes a coup with life-threatening consequences.

Guide | Transcript

MGM/Syfy.com Official Summary

Troubled by nightmares of her abduction, Chloe turns to Rush for understanding. The two discuss the matter and agree that the ship will never be safe.

In a tense discussion between Young and Rush, Young accuses the doctor of causing the connection to the aliens by stealing a communication stone. Rush tells Young that he has learned that the aliens have been tracking Destiny since long before this crew arrived onboard. On Rush's suggestion that there may be a tracking device somewhere on the hull, Young orders Eli to search the outside of the ship with a kino, and an alien shuttle is found. Scott and Young take one of their own shuttles to blast the enemy craft off the ship.

Tensions between the civilians and the military are mounting, however, and Wray and Rush continue their plan to wrest power from Young. As Scott and Young are in the shuttle, Rush begins a process to transfer control of all systems to a satellite control room just before the ship jumps into FTL. This plan has an unforeseen side effect: Young's shuttle won't lock into its dock, and if the two military men are caught outside during the jump, they and the shuttle will be vaporized.

Chloe has also been part of planning the coup, and she and Wray convince Rush to stop the power transfer and save Scott and Young. He does so, but in the process loses his objective: He has only gained control of the food and water systems. He seals the bulk of the military personnel on one side of the ship—with Eli in the main control room—and delivers his demands that Young yield all weapons and submit to a civilian government. Young is aware of the stalemate, but shrewdly accepts a deal of a limited amount of food and water in exchange for Eli. Letting the insurgents think they have the upper hand, he and Greer prepare to attack via the hole the aliens cut in the ship when they abducted Chloe. The two don space suits, but as they're making their way across the ship's hull, two alien shuttles appear.

In a panic, Eli demands to know how they found Destiny. Rush reluctantly tells Eli that the aliens implanted a tracking device near his own heart. Not wasting any time, he orders Eli to help him harness all the ship's power and direct it into the defense shields. Young and Greer make it back inside the ship and the shields go up just as the enemy opens fire. Safe on the other side, Greer reunites the military forces, and things get violent, fast.

Wray finds out about Rush's chip just as Young arrives on the scene. They convince Rush to have it surgically removed—Chloe will switch consciousnesses with a doctor on Earth to perform the surgery. Just as she's about to remove the tracking device, however, the shields begin to weaken and the connection is broken, leaving TJ to complete the surgery on her own. She succeeds, and the shields hold out long enough for the ship to make its next jump, but things will never be the same between the military and civilians onboard.

Cast

Opening Credits:

• Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush
• Louis Ferreira as Col. Everett Young
• Brian J. Smith as 1st Lt. Matthew Scott
• Elyse Levesque as Chloe Armstrong
• David Blue as Eli Wallace
• Alaina Huffman as 1st Lt. Tamara Johansen
• Jamil Walker Smith as MSgt. Ronald Greer
• and Ming-Na as Camile Wray

Guest Starring:

• Peter Kelamis as Adam Brody
• Alisen Down as Dr. Brightman
• Jennifer Spence as Dr. Lisa Park
• Anna Galvin as Mrs. Armstrong

Closing Credits:

• Julia Benson as Lt. Vanessa James
• Patrick Gilmore as Dr. Dale Volker
• Darcy Laurie as Airman Dunning

Production

• Written by Paul Mullie
• Directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala

Related Articles

Keywords

• Ancient Communication Stones
• Destiny

Other

• Stargate Universe: Season One
• Previous: SGU 1.11 "Space" Episode Guide
• Next: SGU 1.13 "Faith" Episode Guide

Related Links

Official

• MGM Official Website: Search Results for "Divided"
• Syfy: 1.12 "Divided" Guide

Fan

• Solutions News and Spoiler Blog
• Solutions at LJ: Universe Tagged Entries
• Solutions Universe Forum

Production Notes

• "We ended the day with a general discussion of SGU: some future storylines, a couple of surprises, yes there will be a mid-season two-parter, and the types of individuals who will make up the Destiny’s extended crew." — Joseph Mallozzi (November 13, 2008).
• "Today was our final day of spinning on Stargate: Universe and we finished in impressive fashion, breaking not one but TWO stories. The first, episode #10 is mine (Carl is especially excited about this one) while #11 falls to Paul. Ticking clocks, twists and turns, alliances, betrayals, and a surprise guest! And, just like that, we have our first 10 stories in play." — Joseph Mallozzi (November 20, 2008)
• "Paul ... is only two pages into the outline of his episode." — Joseph Mallozzi (January 7, 2009)
• "As for Paul ... He’s patiently awaiting notes on his outline for the second part of the mid-season two-parter. Hopefully, they’ll be coming his way next week." — Joseph Mallozzi (January 30, 2009)
• "Episode #11 is still in its initial outline stage..." — Joseph Mallozzi (February 12, 2009)
• "My writing partner Paul continues work on Divided. According to him, there’s a lot of story and he fears the script may go long. Which would be par for the course." — Joseph Mallozzi (April 23, 2009)
• "Rob will be doing the pass on my script, Space (episode 11), this weekend and informed me of a few character additions he wants to make off the top (which tie in directly to Justice), in addition to a dialogue tweak to the final exchange that had me raising an eyebrow in stunned silence. I love both of these characters, and this little revelation raises the stakes, offering a beautiful segue into the next episode, Divided. Nothing is quite as it seems? Try – No one is quite as they seem. Furtive moves, shifting alliances, and hidden agendas guarantee a dysfunctional and disquieting galaxy-hopping community." — Joseph Mallozzi (April 29, 2009)
• "Paul is really looking forward to it I think, more than anything, for the change of pace after finally completing work on his Stargate Universe, Divided." — Joseph Mallozzi (May 6, 2009)
• "...I did manage to squeeze in some Stargate-related work. Read Paul’s first draft of Divided (loved the Eli-Rush head-to-head)..." — Joseph Mallozzi (May 11, 2009)
• "I was, of course, hyper-vigilant throughout the notes session on ... Paul’s first draft of Divided..." — Joseph Mallozzi (May 13, 2009)
• "Today, we set aside an hour to talk stories – specifically, the back half of SGU’s first season. Okay, okay. I think that, this time, I’ve got it right. Space shoots next in the #11 slot, followed by Divided in the #12 slot, and then Faith in the #13 slot (Carl promises to have his pass out before week’s end)." — Joseph Mallozzi (June 3, 2009)
• "Just read "Divided" great episode!" — Alaina Huffman, Twitter (June 5, 2009)
• "When I left him (Martin [Gero] not Topango), he was in his office ... sprawled out on his couch, catching up on his script-reading (Space, Divided, and Lucid)." — Joseph Mallozzi (June 18, 2009)
• major davis writes: "So how is divided going. I found out a little about divided and who was directing it. I don't know, it looks pretty cool. How is it like working with MR. Felix." Answer: "I was there Friday night for sure....until about 1030 pm.....the directors name is Felix Alcala....he is a great man with a ton of directing experience. I am honoured to be working with him." — James "BamBam" Bamford, Ask BamBam thread on Gateworld Forum (June 23, 2009)
• "And we’re in extreme circumstances. And there have been moments where there’s a bit of a divide. And there’s an episode called “Divided.” There is a big divide and there’s a reconciliation where we’re like, wait a minute, we’re in this together. It’s a relationship, it’s a family." — Alaina Huffman, Blast Magazine interview (July 25, 2009)
• "Yesterday, we watched the director’s cut of Divided (Episode #12). It’s tight! First-time Stargate Director Felix Alcala hits a home run, directing a riveting and incredibly compelling episode scripted by my fellow producer and writing partner Paul Mullie. Tense, thrilling, occasionally surprising, with some wonderful moments for all of our cast members." — Joseph Mallozzi (July 28, 2009)
• "Yes, producer edits of Space, episode #11, which I wrote, and Divided, episode #12, that Paul wrote. Both are going to be great and while Space will no doubt get the most online buzz in the lead-up to its airdate (for reasons that will become readily apparent as more hints about this episode are released), I think Divided is the one that really sings. It is taut, suspenseful, filled with intrigue, and offers up some terrific dramatic performances by many of our cast." — Joseph Mallozzi (August 7, 2009)
• "It's the military versus the civilians. The thing is, the military has been in charge by virtue of the fact they're military. However, the civilians on board didn't sign up for this and are now asking themselves, 'Why am I taking orders from these people? They're making life and death decisions and some of us are not surviving their decisions. Why don't we get a say? This should be a democracy.' Then, of course, there's the other side of the argument, the quasi-military way of looking at things, which says, 'You need a strong leader and you need someone who can make fast decisions without having to consult with everyone, each and every time.'" — Paul Mullie, Official Stargate Magazine Sampler, available October 2009.
• "Those two philosophies are clashing and become the dividing line—literally. The civilians seal off one section of the ship to protect themselves from the military, because they have the guns. Once you've been away from Earth, or even the Stargate network—which has roots in Earth with its military and political organizations—for enough time, you're just a bunch of people, right? You look at the guy next to you and rank and position start to mean less and less. When you see he has a gun on his hip, you’re asking yourself, ‘Why do I have to do what he says, just because he’s armed?’ So there’s going to be a straight-out fight between people on the ship, and that’s the idea behind this episode."

Further Reading

• Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
• Alaina Huffman's Twitter
• Gateworld Forum: Ask "BamBam" thread, post of June 23, 2009.
• Blast Magazine: Interview with Alaina Huffman and Elyse Levesque, July 25, 2009.
• Stargate Magazine Sampler, October 2009.
• Solutions: SGU This Week: "Divided", April 9, 2010.

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--DeeKayP 16:49, 8 April 2009 (UTC)