Gnats in Space

Written by Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
Teleplay by Carl Binder
Directed by William Waring

Where did all the water go? Someone must be stealing it, because the water supply on the Destiny is dropping faster than normal usage can account for, and inspection teams can find no leaks. Fortunately the ship, which appears to be able to almost read minds, drops out of FTL next to a planet. Good news: it has ice (is this another Star Wars reference? Hoth?). Bad news: the atmosphere is toxic. Worse news: There are only two working space suits on the ship. Colonel Young, in the best tradition of fictional commanders, appoints himself as half of the ice retrieval team (despite the fact that he's still recovering from injuries so severe he walks with a cane), and takes along his second in command--the only other qualified pilot. Overconfidence or sheer stupidity? You be the judge. Of course the away team gets into trouble. Of course it takes an hour to figure out how to get them out of it. Apparently it never occurred to Young that the hover sled, which is an anti-gravity device, might also function as a load lifter. In the end, they don't even rescue themselves; the same planetary tremors that trap Lt. Scott in ice free him after forty minutes of revealing dialogue, self-sacrificing speeches, and yelling. They bring back a couple of sleds full of ice, which looks like it would meet the minimal needs of a group of forty people for, oh, twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, the remaining crew discover that the water thief is a cloud of gnats. Glowing, swirling, homicidal gnats. They swarm in and out of various decks, attacking people (although it's hard to see exactly how a bunch of barely visible creatures are attacking a 150 lb human being). Lt. Johansen, temporarily in charge, figures out a way to entice the water seeking gnats into a barrel, which is tossed through the Stargate just as Col. Young and Lt. Scott come back through. Engage engines, we're done.

Okay, this plot translates pretty easily into a Western: Dad and Big Brother go to the river for water, and Mom stays home to fend off a locust invasion. Where, exactly, are the science fictional elements? A hostile planet? A horde of murderous gnats? Not enough. Talk about lowering the stakes. This wasn't a terrible episode, but neither did it reach the heights that "Light" reached last week. Last week I got a palpable sense of imminent danger as Destiny plunged into the corona of a star--a feat no homesteader in the Old West could match. This week, I felt like I was watching a slightly updated version of Big Valley or Little House on the Prairie. Don't get me wrong--I love a Western--but if we're going to re-make Gunsmoke can we at least get some horses?

I won't complain too much (did I mention I like Westerns?), since we got less of the tedious romance subplot and more of the Nerds Save the World trope so beloved of science fiction. I could do without the attempt at paranoia, however; Young's continued suspicion of Rush's motives is not convincing, and not necessary. We don't really need Dr. Smith from Lost in Space back. It's enough that Rush has a big ego; he doesn't have to be a Mad Scientist as well. Can we get past that stereotype, please? Can we, for once, have the good guy be the smartest, not the toughest, guy in the room? If anyone can do it, it's Robert Carlyle. His Dr. Rush is the guy everyone hates, but needs, and hates to need. Fascinating and complex--give me more! A character who was an intellectual, demonstrating self-control in the face of panic-inducing situations, who was not also a jerk, would be a refreshing new idea in science fiction TV.

Maybe we need fewer ensemble pieces and more episodes focused on one person at a time? This episode was a step in that direction. At least in this one, the crew did more than the ship did to fix their situation. I still want to see more planets. Since the show is shot in Vancouver, is there any chance of a visit to the Planet of Alien Woods?

Oh, and can I just say how happy I was to see Rush chew out Eli for his emo whining? Yes, my son, there are times when it is better, in fact ethical, to lie, so you can leave your Cub Scout lessons at home, thank you. Did I mention how much I'd like to see some character development? As in deepening a character? As when Lt. Johansen dealt with Rush's snarky behavior like an adult: she ignored him.

Interestingly, ratings won't matter so much for awhile. Stargate Universe has already wrapped production for this season, so feedback from viewers (and critics) is a moot point now. Sometimes being a small cable operation can work to a show's benefit; it's not like SyFy has a lot of scripted shows waiting in the wings for a slot. For the time being, then, the adventures of the SS Minnow Destiny and her crew look like they'll continue at least until 2010.

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