Stargate Universe, the next evolution of the Stargate Franchise, will hit the airwaves on October 2nd on the Syfy Channel! This new series will take the Stargate story in a new direction as humanity's search for answers about the nature of existence takes them to the far reaches of the Universe by using the newly activated 9th Chevron on the Stargate. Thanks to our friends at Syfy, ComicsOnline got a special preview of Stargate Universe's entire 3 hour pilot episode titled "Air".

Please note this review will contain some spoilers. Click read more to continue.

Story-
With the show being promoted as being darker, edgier, and younger than the previous series, many fans were concerned that this show would not be the same Stargate that we have grown to know and love. This is not Stargate: The New Class or Stargate: 90210. Stargate Universe does well to quickly establish itself while still maintaining the integrity and history that SG-1 and Atlantis had worked to create. It is very obvious that this is not the expedition team that was chosen to go and now this group is stranded far from home, with limited supplies and resources. Instead of starting off with the recruitment of the characters and then the eventual embarkation through the Stargate to the far reaches of the Universe, this series starts off in a non-linear fashion. We are shown the new cast being thrust into danger within the first 30 seconds of the show and through a series of flashbacks, we do get to see how this group of people got stuck in their new situation.

General O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and Dr. Rush recruit Eli Wallace to join the Stargate program when he solves an Ancient mathematical equation that was embedded in an online video game. They embark to the newly established Icarus base via the U.S.S. George Hammond (as Commanded by Amanda Tapping's Col. Carter), the latest in the Daedalus class ships. Wallace is given a crash course on the Stargate with some help from video recording by Michael Shank's Dr. Daniel Jackson! The ship arrives several light years from Earth at a planet with unique elemental properties needed to activate the gate (dismissing the theory that Icarus base was on the moon, sorry folks) and Wallace and Dr. Rush prepare to initiate the 9th Chevron. The base comes under attack from unknown forces (it is implied that the attackers are the Lucian Alliance, villains established late in the SG-1 series). The gate is activated and the base was to be evacuated back to Earth, but at the last moment Rush and Wallace figure out how to use the 9th Chevron (through some trial and error) and the evacuation happens just in the nick of time! The survivors find themselves onboard the Ancient Ship known as the Destiny, which was charged with traveling to the far reaches of the Universe. The ship was following another ship that traveled ahead to create and seed Stargates to new worlds for exploration. Using the Ancient Communication stones (established in SG-1) Dr. Rush is able to communicate back to Earth to let them know of the current situation. The more pressing problem is that the Destiny is falling apart and is in need of repair. Supplies are low and there is no way to change the ship's course. Now Rush and the crew are along for the ride into worlds unknown. In order to fix the air purification system, a team is dispatched through the gate to search for limestone. But time is short as the ship will jump back into Faster Than Light Travel after a certain amount of time. Can they find what they need in time?

Characters Highlights-
Col. Everett Young (Louis Ferreira) was the commanding officer of the Icarus base when the attack began. He was the last one through the gate closed and severly injured and quickly places Lt. Scott in charge.

Robert Carlyle's Dr. Nicholas Rush is one of the foremost experts on the Stargate and is incharge of the 9th Chevron project. Carlyle takes this interesting character in many directions and we can easily see that there is a lot more to Rush than meets the eye.

Brian J. Smith's character (Lt. Matthew Scott) is quickly forced into a command situation and we see that although he still has a lot to learn, he really is good at what he does.

Eli Wallace (played by David Blue) is easily the best of the new characters. He is the everyman who is stuck in the fantastic situation (like Hurley on Lost). Thanks to him, we get tons of popular culture references and some great comedic moments.

TJ Johnson (played by Alaina Huffman) is a field medic who ends up being the ranking medical officer onboard the Destiny and soon realizes that her knowledge is limited when she can't save several of the crew.

The only character that I really had an issue with was Jamil Walker Smith's Ron Greer. He is supposed to be the miltary officer with the rash temper and mysterious past. For some reason I had an issue with him and that I felt his inclusion was a bit forced.

Ming-Na plays IOA representative Camile Wray. In the long tradition of the IOA causing problems, Wray quickly questions the authority of Dr. Rush and pushes her luck with some of the military staff. Wray plays a small part in the pilot, but it has been established that her character will play an important role in the upcoming episodes.

Lou Diamond Phillips plays Col. Telford, who was supposed to be the one leading the expedition through the gate once the 9th Chevron was opened. When the Icarus base was attacked, Telford didn't make it through the gate and has been stranded on Earth, far from his crew.

Elyse Levesque plays Chloe Armstrong, daughter of Sen. Armstrong, who was responsible for the approval of the 9th Chevron program. She, more than anyone, is a fish out of water in this new situation since she was accompanying her father on this trip to see the program in action.

Something a bit different-
In order to make this show have a different feel entirely, the creative team traveled to different locations to create new visuals and backdrops for their stories. Within the first three hours of the show, the team travels through the gate to a desert world (aka New Mexico) where there are absolutely no trees. I say this because 9 out of 10 times any other team has gone through the gate it has been to the forests of Vancouver. It is a great change of pace and I look forward to seeing more locations used for strange new worlds.

In addition to new locations, the set designs have a very steampunk feel to them. The ship and the technology on it (including the Stargate itself) is described as being older than most of the Ancient Technology that we have encountered in the previous shows. Think of it as Ancient Tech Version 1.0. This makes things more interesting since the technology is not as reliable and infalliable as we have seen in the past.

Overall-
I must say that I was throughly entertained for the entire pilot…and considering that it was three hours long, that is saying something. Those of you worry that this will not be the same Stargate that we love, rest your fears. Stargate Universe is extremely impressive. This is a character driven show that isnt relying on having a big bad guy in order to further the plot. After watching through these episodes it is clear that having a major villain is not needed. This show is about survival and is focused on people who are stuck in an extrodinary situation. Yes it is darker, and there are younger cast members but if anything, it makes this story that much more dynamic. These characters are thrust into the unknown and aren't as seasoned as the miltary that we have seen before. They must learn and grow as they try to resolve their current situation. The writing, as always, is at its best and Brad Wright and Robert Cooper have outdone themselves with this new story. The only problem with reviewing the pilot early is that now I have to wait a month to see more. I've gotta admit, Stargate Universe is addicting.

ComicsOnline gives the Stargate Universe Pilot Episode- "Air" 5 out of 5 chances to explore the unknown.

Thanks again to Syfy for the early look at the pilot!

Just incase you missed our interviews with the cast and crew of SGU at San Diego Comic-Con 2009, we have linked the videos below. Enjoy!