Stargate Universe star Robert Carlyle was present at the Sci Fi Channel’s Upfronts, and stopped to talk with io9’s Meredith Woerner about his character, the cast, and the premise behind the newest installment in the Stargate franchise.
“I guess what makes this Stargate different from the previous shows in the franchise is it’s a lot darker than the other ones,” the lead actor stated. “This has less to do with interaction with an alien race and more about survival on the ship itself.”
Possible spoilers ahead.
Woerner explains, “The team that is there is ill-equipped to be there. So the first six or seven episodes are actually all called ‘Air,’ ‘Fire,’ ‘Water’ and ‘Earth’ because it’s about surviving amongst that, it’s more drama-based and more character-driven.”
Carlyle explains in more detail about why he considers this particular installment darker, “In the first three hours there are three deaths. It’s very heavy. There’s a suicide by episode six, as well. Because these people are in the far reaches of the universe, never to come home. That’s the thing Rush explains, that it’s impossible to go back. And they don’t know where else to turn.”
Dr. Nicholas Rush, Carlyle’s character, was described as “a bit out of his senses,” but the actor clarifies, “Well not really, from his point of view, but the others think that he’s maybe losing it. But he does things for a reason.”
But not to go too dark, SGU will have some of Stargate‘s trademark humor. “David Blue [who plays Eli Wallace], particularly … he’s naturally funny anyway, he plays a kind of a comic relief, I guess, on the show.”
Visit io9: Carlyle Reveals Why This Is the Darkest Stargate for the complete interview.
Stargate Universe is currently filming in Vancouver and is slated to premiere this fall on the SyFy Channel.
