The first cast shot of the Stargate Universe cast popped up on AICN recently. It’s a group pic of them in ‘civvies’, not full SG uniforms, but it does give you a chance to put faces to some of the names that have been mentioned in the casting.
Here’s a rundown of the characters:
Camile Wray (Ming-Na) – A human resources executive with the international oversight committee that governs the Stargate program. Now the highest ranking member of that division left stranded on the ship, she carries herself with a misguided sense of superiority over the other military and civilian survivors.
Colonel Everett Young (Justin Louis) – An experienced Stargate team leader. Married, with years of tough decisions under his belt, life has taught him never to take anything for granted. He stays on top of his team so they stay alive.
MSGT. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) – A Marine with a temper you don’t want to mess with. His past is mysterious but it’s clear something dark formed the hard shell around him.
Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) – A junior member of the Stargate team. Green and rough around the edges, he is thrust into the role of leader well before he’s ready for the responsibility and must learn to command, earn respect through action, and manage the diverse personalities aboard the ship.
Colonel Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) – A proud lifelong military man, who puts his faith in the chain of command. Stubbornly confident, he’s highly regarded by his superiors. He is the chosen leader of the ill-fated expedition.
Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) – One of the most brilliant scientific minds, whose motives are not what they appear to be.
Eli Wallace (David Blue) – A total slacker, who just happens to be an utter genius with anything he puts his mind to – mathematics, computers, video games. A lack of confidence has left him with an acerbic sense of humor.
Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) – The daughter and aid of a U.S. Senator. Politically savvy, but with a wild side, she is considering following in her father’s footsteps, until she finds herself trapped on the ship. As tensions rise, her character will be tested and her place among the group revealed.
So, we have a whole bunch of military guys, a few scientists, the obligatory geek, and a politicians daughter… There seems to be a lot of people in that group who are listed as ‘leaders’, or ‘command’, which rather makes me think not all of them are going to make it past the 2hr pilot episode (anyone else think Mr. Diamond Phillips might end up doing a Robert Patrick?). ;)
It’s certainly looking a lot darker/gritter than previous Stargate series judging by the teaser trailer (below). I’m rather hoping they’re not attempting to copy the truly excellent Battlestar Galactica but in a Stargate universe, because i really can’t see that working. Much as i loved BSG, Stargate has always been lighter than that, and i’d hate to see it lose it’s way by them trying to force a Stargate shaped peg into a BSG shaped hole… However, darker sequels to original shows have worked in the past. Here’s hoping SGU turns out to be Angel to SG1/Atlantis’s Buffy.