What Stargate Universe Season 3 Could Have Been

On him blogMallozzi wrote extensively about the various directions the Season 2 finale was taking before the version of events we know was finalized, and Rush was originally supposed to be awake on the ship and psychologically affected by the experience. However, this was changed because the consequences of a happily solitary, self-sufficient person like Rush being negatively affected by prolonged isolation were not as compelling as someone who actively craved a sense of community. With Eli bearing the brunt of that sacrifice, Mallozzi suggested six scenarios that could resolve the tension created by the Season 2 finale:

#1. POD-FIXATION AND STASIS

The simplest solution to the problem is that Eli manages to fix his damaged potty and ends up standing, but this event takes place after a time jump of several years. Mallozzi talks about waking up the rest of the crew “after three to a thousand years”, which could completely recontextualize the time frame of the series.

#2. ENERGY ROUTE AND ISOLATION

Alternatively, Eli could have taken advantage of the ship's unique structure by channeling the ship's power into a solitary shuttle that would have kept him awake for three years. While it is a very challenging survival situation similar to the one in the movie “The Martian” it would have been an interesting opener for next season.

#3. ELI'S CONSCIOUSNESS LIVES ON

The ship has a powerful mega-computer through which Eli could stay alive by uploading his consciousness. This route would undoubtedly have been controversial, as it completely changes the perception of the character, but raises important questions about existence and the persistence of humanity.

#4 and #5. OUTSIDE Rescue operations

What better deus-ex-machina than an intervention from Earth that could send a rescue team through the Stargate? With the ship off the radar for years, the good people on Earth might have helped solve the crisis, and experts like Samantha Carter or Rodney McKay would have taken the initiative. Conversely, an alien race could stumble upon a dormant ship and either a) take over the ship and threaten to eliminate the crew, or b) offer help with a power charge, allowing Eli to go into stasis without worrying about himself or the crew.

Aside from these Eli-centric routes, Mallozzi also talked about some twists that could be cool, such as the Novans — human descendants who are duplicates of the crew sent back in time — coming to help on the ship. “They save us, but it turns out their motives aren't as honorable as it turns out they have Destiny designs,” Mallozzi writes, while noting that the scenario was one of his personal favorites. While these ideas are just dreams at this point, it's fun to speculate about a future that wasn't allowed to bloom and is frozen forever.