Update for December 5, 2010

Howdy all, time for the update.

Stargate Universe

Last Tuesday was syfy.com's (haha, spelled it right) mid-season finale of SGU.  I liked it, and for the first time in a while the show seemed to zip by as I watched it.  This, as I'm sure you've noticed, is a refreshing change from most of this season. 

The last two episodes were really the only two I enjoyed since Season 2 opened.  I'm normally quite annoyed with syfy's tendency to do this half-season B.S. but I'm feeling so wary of what may come next that I actually don't mind this time.  I think that can be taken to be a statement of the way the overall half-season has gone.

Most of the writing issues I had with Season 1, things being resolved too easily, etc., weren't so much repeated as they were put aside for new, worse problems.  I was B-O-R-E-D most of this season, which is amazing considering how much I love the series despite the issues.  The irrelevant filler episodes (the worst being the Halloween one) really got on my nerves.  T.J. being pregnant was a great sub-plot drama that suddenly got brushed under the rug, and we still don't know what happened to Franklyn.  Worse, the crew doesn't seem to care enough to even discuss it.   I was about to write this series off as a loss until the episode "Malice" aired.

Malice got my interest going again.  I liked the way it ran and the way it resolved.  Finally the writers seems to have remembered that character drama and tension are what get people into the plot.  There was some great character development for both Elli and Rush in this episode as well.  As upset as I was about Ginn, I really enjoyed where they took this.  The episodes following were a bit mediocre, but the season finale was just what the doctor ordered to keep me wanting more.  I don't have high hopes for next season, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that they explore this new, better plot-line.

In related news, I recently found a pretty good Stargate blog called "GateWorld".  It's got episode information for SGU, SGA, and SG-1 as well as TV ratings information so you can see how well SGU is doing.  It's definitely worth a swing-by for fans.

NASA

A few days ago NASA made an announcement that they were holding a press conference having to do with exobiology (Exobiology is the study of life outside of Earth/the possible forms it may take, etc.  It's also called Xenobiology).  I got really excited about this, thinking that perhaps they found evidence of life on other planets outside the solar system, etc.  Alas, I was somewhat disappointed.

What they did find was a bacteria in California's Mono Lake, where you might say levels of Arsenic are "through the roof".  The bacteria, called GFAJ-1, was able to subsist and thrive on a diet very rich in Arsenic.  Researchers found that GFAJ-1 could use the Arsenic as a basic component in building its cells.  So what?  Well, this means that once again we are being forced to re-write what  we think constitutes a living organism, and where said organisms can live.

Mono Lake, courtesy NASA

This redefinition, based on observation, means that scientists will start looking for life in places we never could have imagined it to thrive before.  Many planets in this galaxy are thought to be toxic to life found on Earth, but now we can say that they still might contain life in some form.  For me, this points to life being a lot more common in the galaxy, and perhaps the universe, than we thought.

You can find the actual article here.

That's all for now!  Enjoy your week everyone!