Air, Part 1

"Air, Part 1" is the first episode of the first season of Stargate Universe, and is the first of the series premiere's opening three-parter.

Synopsis
A team of scientists and soldiers from the Icarus Base uncover the mysteries of the ninth chevron of the Stargate. As they are forced to evacuate when the base is under attack from an alien race, they end up on the Destiny, an Ancient ship, stranded several billion light years from Earth.

Plot
A relatively long and flat spaceship emerges out of a hyperspace-like window. As it glides through normal and empty space, the ship's Stargate engages. The first to emerge is a young Lieutenant, Matthew Scott, who stumbles through and quickly draws his rifle in a state of alertness. His arrival is followed by several more personnel, mostly carrying equipment. They stumble through also. Soon enough several people stumble through the Stargate in quick succession. After Scott gets everyone to move out of the way for more personnel, he radios the other side of the wormhole and tells them to slow down the evacuation. However, he receives no reply. Several people still stumble through, several of them are injured, some from the flying equipment, others from people landing on each other.

Unlike most of the arrivals, who are trying to help the other arrivals, a man in a green top, Nicholas Rush immediately investigates the room's consoles, and later gets up to a balcony to look over the area. Despite all the panic from the rest, Rush smiles. Once the arrivals are through, the Stargate starts to overload, causing the people more concern. A moment later, Colonel Everett Young goes through last, but unlike the rest, he is shot out and is thrown to the back of the room. Shortly after, the Stargate shuts down. The sudden darkness sets the arrivals into another yell of panic, as does the steam gushing out of the vents beside the Stargate. Scott goes to see Young. He tells Scott that he is in charge, just before going into unconsciousness. After noticing the blood dripping from the back of his head, he calls for field medic Tamara Johansen who tends to him.

The entire crew do not know where they are. Scott approaches Eli Wallace, a student-age young man for an answer on their location, but he has no answers. He yells out for Rush, but he is nowhere to be seen. Just then, they experience the effects of sudden acceleration on the ship; the ship has returned to FTL. Before leaving the room, Scott orders one of the marines, Sergeant Ronald Greer to stay and find out who they have. He then asks Eli to help search for Rush.

In a flashback, Eli is playing the online game Prometheus with a friend, where he claims that he was able to beat the, seemingly impossible, Dakara Weapons puzzle. However, he is disappointed to find that, after solving it, the game simply restarts. The following day, a knock is heard at his door. When he answers it, he is introduced to General Jack O'Neill and Dr. Rush who proceed to tell him that the Dakara Weapons puzzle was actually created by them as a way to solve an Ancient mathematical proof, which has thus far eluded them. They offer him a prize for his accomplishment, a non-disclosure agreement, and tell him that if he refuses to sign, he'll be beamed out of his house to their spaceship. Believing this to be a joke, Wallace re-enters his home and is suddenly beamed away in a flash of light while walking up the stairs.

Eli is now aboard the George Hammond, a Tau'ri Daedalus-class battlecruiser in Earth orbit, when he is met again by Dr. Nicholas Rush, who explains the situation and that they need his help. Eli is informed that, for his help, his mother's medical expenses will be taken care of. Wallace then quickly accepts the offer. The Hammond then leaves Earth orbit and enters hyperspace, en-route to a planet 21 light years away where a Tau'ri military outpost, Icarus Base, resides. On this several hour-long voyage, Eli is shown an educational video, hosted and narrated by Daniel Jackson, which explains the history of the Stargate Program and the workings of the Stargate itself. After a short time, Eli calls his mother, who is back on Earth, and tells her that everything is fine and that she will be taken care of by the Air Force. Wallace then proceeds to the ship's commissary, where he has a brief conversation with Chloe Armstrong, the Daughter of the California senator.

Back to the present aboard the Destiny, Eli and Scott arrive at a large observation deck and find Rush, the man they were looking for, is already there. Rush explains that Destiny (name still unknown to them) is an Ancient ship, launched hundreds of thousands of years ago, and that they are traveling at speeds faster than light yet not through hyperspace. Scott then informs Rush that many people back in the gate room are wounded and that they need to get home. Among problems is the failing life support system, which becomes apparent when several air vents shut off and air becomes thinner. The trio then exits the observation deck as Rush seeks to fix the life support system.

Colonel Young is speaking in his house with his wife about a new military assignment he recently received - his post at Icarus Base. However, Emily does not take the news well, and admits that she can't wait for him any longer. As he continues, he suddenly struggles to stand up. Everything becomes a blur, until he sees Emily's face being replaced by TJ on the ship; it is revealed to be a dream. As he regains consciousness, he starts suffering a seizure. With no proper medical supplies, TJ says there's nothing to do but to let the seizure run its course.

Back to the flashback, the George Hammond exits hyperspace over the planet that Icarus Base resides on. In the Base, Scott and fellow officer Vanessa James are having sex in a secluded location when Col. Young radios. He informs Scott that the Hammond has arrived a few minutes early and he has to report to duty. Scott quickly dresses as he proceeds to run down the halls of Icarus Base to the meeting location. He just barely arrives when Eli Wallace, Chloe Armstrong, Alan Armstrong, and Nicholas Rush are beamed down to an external location of the Base, high atop a mountain that the base is constructed into. During the greeting, Col. Young introduces himself and Eli remarks about the impressive armaments the base has, including several large railguns. The group then proceeds into the base.

Upon entering the base, the group is led into the gate room where they are greeted by Icarus Base's senior staff. Meanwhile, Scott explains to Wallace about the planet's unique radioactive core, which provides large amounts of power for Stargate activation. However, this core is very unstable and so the gate has been modified to only allow outgoing wormholes to prevent the core from going critical. After the senior staff are dismissed, including Colonel David Telford, the Stargate's ninth chevron address - which was procured from Atlantis' database - is dialed using the information from the proof Eli solved after a month of playing Prometheus. However, the dialing sequence is averted when power levels in the core reach critical levels shortly after the eighth chevron engages.

Back to the present, people are still confused about where they are and what is happening when the power in Destiny's gateroom is activated. Following this is the arrival of Matthew Scott, who explains that they are aboard and Ancient spaceship, have no idea where they are in relation to Earth, and that they are doing everything they can to resolve the situation. Senator Alan Armstrong is infuriated with the lack of information he has received and soon becomes unable to breath. TJ, rushes to his aid as Alan reaches for pills he has just for that occasion. Lieutenant Scott then tells everyone to remain calm and stay in the gateroom while he, Adam Broody, and Lisa Park leave to help Dr. Rush repair the life support system.

Back to the flashback, Eli and Rush review Eli's equations in Icarus Base's gateroom. Rush is having trouble understanding why he wasn't able to dial the ninth chevron address and blames Eli's solution to the proof as the reason. However, Eli strongly protests this. Just as the two are about to argue, Colonel Everett Young arrives and tells Eli that he is invited to a meal in the base's mess. Eli is quick to accept this offer while Rush insists that Wallace stay and help solve their problem. Wallace then leaves, but Rush is determined to figure out what went wrong.

In the mess hall a large group of people, including David Telford, Chloe Armstrong, Alan Armstrong, and several others, are all eating around a large table, discussing such matters as the Stargate's ninth chevron. The overall atmosphere is light and joyful. Dr. Rush, who has become quite frustrated in his attempts to "fix" Eli's proof, briefly steps in, but quickly exits without notice from those enjoying the meal. Alan Armstrong then proposes a toast, during which he addresses the Icarus project, the billions of dollars he spent on it, and his daughter Chloe, who he is quite proud of. However, Chloe, angered and annoyed by the toast, begins drinking several glasses of white wine. While this is happening, a frustrated Dr. Rush briefly retreats to his quarters, where he plays classical music and takes out a picture of him with his wife. There, he starts to cry.Back in the mess hall, Alan is still giving his toast when Chloe interrupts and continues it for him, so to speak. However, while she is speaking, several loud booming noises are heard in concert with several tremors. Icarus Base is under attack. Colonel Young orders all non-essential personnel to their designated areas and all military personnel to their battle stations.

Back aboard the Destiny, Eli and Rush get into an argument over Destiny's life support system. After Matthew Scott and Ronald Greer arrive Eli explains that Rush's solution, pressing a button to restart the system, might actually cause the ship to explode. During this time, Greer raises his weapon, despite orders to lower it, at Rush.

Back in the flashback, several people are running through the halls of Icarus Base including Everett Young, who proceeds to, and releases Greer from, the detention center. Young also states that all charges against him are dropped and hands him a weapon. In space, three Ha'tak motherships have opened fire on the planet and are launching several squadrons of Gliders. A large portion of this fire and several of these smaller craft are being intercepted by the George Hammond, commanded by Samantha Carter, which is also in orbit.Young radios Carter, who proceeds to inform him that the ships (suspected to be of the Lucian Alliance) began firing the moment they emerged from hyperspace, and that several squadrons of gliders and a troop transport are headed his way, towards the heavily fortified Icarus Base. Young then radios Colonel David Telford, who has manned an F-302 and is ready to lead a defensive against the incoming enemy ships. Back at Icarus Base, military personnel are assuming defensive positions.

On the Destiny, Wallace and Rush still argue about pressing a button that will, supposedly, either blow up the ship or fix the life support system. However, after Matthew Scott is able to convince Greer to lower his weapon, which is trained on Rush, Rush finally presses the button. He then walks out as Eli explains that it apparently did nothing. TJ is then contacted by Scott, who is in the gate room tending to the injured Colonel Young, and is told to "hang on" for just a little while longer as the life support issue is still unresolved. Johansen then remembers back to a conversation she had with IOA representative Camile Wray, in part about her receiving a scholarship and choosing to leave Icarus Base. However, Wray suspects that it is actually about a relationship she has and that she's hiding something to protect someone. When this sequence ends, both Wray and Johansen exchange glances.

Back to the flashback, several squadrons of gliders and a troop transport approach Icarus Base and descend through a moon-lit night sky. When within range, SG personnel open fire on the approaching ships using machine guns, railguns, and missile launchers, and manage to destroy several crafts in their opening salvo. Meanwhile inside the base's gateroom, in which several civilians, including Eli Wallace, are located, Rush discovers that power levels in the core are becoming unstable. Because of this, Rush asks for Eli's help in determining how to dial the Stargate's ninth chevron as, due to the orbital bombardment, the planet's core might go critical, causing it to explode. If that were to occur, it could end their chances of achieving a ninth chevron lock forever. Eli suggests that, if his math does indeed work, the problem could with the address' point of origin and not be a power-related issue.

Meanwhile outside the base, the battle rages on as colonel David Telford continues to lead a squadron of F-302s against the attacking gliders. However, Telford and him men are far outnumbered and so the order to fall back is given as Colonel Young orders Sargent Hunter Riley to dial the Stargate for Earth. Young, and the injured SG member his is caring back into the base, just barely avoid a damaged fighter that slams into the platform they were defending just moments prior, causing it to go up in a massive explosion. Meanwhile in the base, Riley has commenced the dialing sequence for Earth while Eil suggests to Dr. Rush that, as all symbols on the Stargate are constellations as seen from Earth, Earth may indeed be the point of origin and that it may act like a code to enable the ninth chevron to lock. Rush then pushes Riley out of the way, halts the dialing sequence, and begins to dial the ninth chevron address.

As the evacuation of Icarus Base continues, people are running frantically through the halls of the base and to the gate room. However, after a collapse of a section of the hall about a dozen people are left cut off from the gateroom, including Alan Armstrong. Elsewhere in the base, TJ is trying desperately to save Dr. Simms, who has received a fatal neck wound and is blending profusely. She continues to do so until Colonel Young arrives and informers her that there's nothing more she can do for him. Back in the gateroom, Rush continues to dial the ninth chevron address when he is finally able to establish a connection. However, power levels are meanwhile reaching critical levels in the planet's core. This buildup is also detected by Kevin Marks aboard the George Hammond, who informs Col. Carter. Carter then orders that all fighters be recalled before the heavily damaged ship retreats into hyperspace. Back in Icarus Base, Colonel Young enters the gateroom to find that the evacuation through the Stargate hasn't commenced. Rush then explains that it was too dangerous to dial Earth as any explosion could transmit through an open wormhole. Young is infuriated with this and orders the Stargate be shut down. However, the gate will not disengage.

Back aboard the Destiny, Nicholas Rush, in the company of Matthew Scott, Ronald Greer, Eli Wallace, and several others, activates a holographic log of the ship's journey. This map shows Destiny's original departure from Earth millions of years ago and its passage through numerous galaxies, placing them currently several billions of light years from home.

Back to the flashback, Colonel young arrives at the location where several people are trapped behind a collapse of part of the hallway. While there, he instructs Scott to lead the evacuation through the Stargate and to have everyone take as much of the expedition supplies as possible. When he arrives in the gateroom, Scott steps through the gate and is followed by Icarus Base's personnel, who enter the gate in three-second intervals. Back in the hallway, Colonel Young blasts a passage through the collapsed section of wall using C-4 explosive. No one is seriously injured, including Alan Armstrong. While the group heads back toward the gateroom, the evacuation is in full swing as the base literally is falling apart around them. While everyone is carrying cases of the expedition supplies with them through the Stargate, as instructed, there is still a large portion remaining in the gateroom. After several minutes everyone has made it through the gate, except for Colonel Young, who is gathering some last-minute supplies. After doing so, Young starts in an all-out sprint towards the gate as a massive explosion closely follows behind him, eventually lifting him up and quickly propelling him through the gate. Just moments after he makes it though the entire planet goes up in a massive explosion, completely destroying the attacking enemy force in orbit.

In Washington D.C., Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill is at The Pentagon when he is contacted by Colonel Samantha Carter aboard the George Hammond. Carter reports that they were barely able to escape before the planet's core went critical and that all enemies are assumed to have been destroyed in the explosion. She also informs him about the number of casualties and the eighty-plus people still unaccounted for who evacuated through the Stargate, which was detected to be active for six minutes. However, the personnel of Icarus Base didn't return to Earth, leaving Carter to ponder, "Then where did they go?"

Notable Quotes
Eli Wallace: Whatever you guys think that I did, I swear you've got the wrong guy.

Jack O'Neill: Do I look like someone who'd be standing here if I didn't already know everything there is to know about you?

Eli Wallace: No, not really.

Senator Armstrong: I would like to propose a toast.

Eli Wallace: (Presuming it is about him, as was lots of other things) Oh, that's really not necessary.

Senator Armstrong: Not to you.

Eli Wallace: Oh.

Eli Wallace: So... what if we're not on the planet you're supposed to be dialing from?

Nicholas Rush: This is where we are!

Eli Wallace: OK, what if we are not supposed to be here?

Everett Young: I need to get these people out of here.

Nicholas Rush: We have a way out.

Everett Young: We don't know what's on the other side. Dammit, Rush! Eli Wallace: It can't be worse than here, can it?

Matthew Scott: Rush. Where the hell are we?

Nicholas Rush: Several billion light years from home.

Samantha Carter: How many people made it through the Gate to Earth?

Jack O'Neill: None.

Samantha Carter: None? Our sensors indicated that the Stargate was active for a full six minutes before the core went critical.

Jack O'Neill: Well, they didn't come through here.

Samantha Carter: Then where did they go?

Background notes

 * The antagonists during the Battle of Icarus Base have several Goa'uld ships in their possession. Due to that fact that in a later episode a Lucian Alliance officer is aboard the Destiny, it is only reasonable to assume that the Icarus Base attackers are the Lucian Alliance.
 * Of the principle cast, only Dr. Nicholas Rush was definitely assigned to the expedition to explore the ninth chevron destination. Young, Scott, and Greer were assigned to Icarus Base, T.J. was quitting the program, Eli, Chloe and her father were civilians, and Camile Wray was an IOA official. As such, Rush is the only member of the principal cast who is 'supposed' to be aboard Destiny.
 * The level of Lou Diamond Phillips' participation in the series was a topic of speculation since press information and cast photos made it appear that he was to be a full cast member. Phillips' character does not travel to Destiny and his role in the series was confirmed to be as a recurring character.
 * The Icarus base gate is shown to bear the AT symbol. Based on established continuity the AT symbol belongs on the Alpha Gate only, therefore such symbol should not be on the Icarus base gate. This same inconsistency has often occurred in several SG-1 episodes, most notably in Stargate SG-1 seasons 4 and 5 (namely episodes "Small Victories" through "Redemption, Part 2"), during which the Beta Gate at SGC bore the AT symbol (see Beta Gate article's Behind the Scenes notes), but "Air, Part 1" is the first episode where this production issue is functional to the story, since the usage of the AT symbol as a point of origin from Icarus base is the foundation of the whole Stargate Universe series.
 * This is the first episode in the franchise's history to include a sex scene.
 * Since Part 1 and Part 2 aired as one part in the original airing, the moment where Part 1 ends and 2 begins is debatable. However, after its UK release, Part 1 ended at the scene between Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill, when Carter uttered the question "then where did they go?"  This point of split is also maintained in the iTunes download version of the two episodes.
 * The cell phone Eli was seen carrying trying to call his mother from orbit, and taking a picture of the rail gun, was an iPhone.
 * The music Rush played while reminiscing his late wife was from the  opera,.
 * The sequence where Icarus Base was destroyed was featured on a commercial.

International airdates

 * Canada: October 2, 2009 (Space)
 * United Kingdom: October 6, 2009 (Sky1)
 * Australia: October 9, 2009 (Sci Fi Australia)

Production

 * According to Robert Carlyle, three characters will be killed in those first three episodes.
 * Richard Dean Anderson, Gary Jones, Amanda Tapping and Michael Shanks are confirmed to have guest appearances as Jack O'Neill, Walter Harriman, Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson, respectively.
 * Julia Benson (who plays Vanessa James), previously appeared as Willa in the Stargate Atlantis episode "Irresistible".
 * Glynis Davies (who plays Maryann Wallace), previously appeared as a younger Catherine Langford and Andari Ambassador Noor in Stargate SG-1 episodes "1969" and "Homecoming" respectively.

Ratings

 * United States: 2.346 million viewers, equals a 1.5/3 Household rating/share (0.9/3 18-49 rating/share).
 * Canada: 565,000 viewers.
 * United Kingdom: 1.165 million viewers, the most viewed programme for Sky1 the week it aired.
 * Australia: 149,000 viewers