Robert-Carlyle_TCSky1 sat down with series lead Robert Carlyle, who plays the duplicitous Dr Nicholas Rush, at San Diego Comic-Con.  We find out about the series, Rush’s true intentions, and why Stargate Universe will appease fans of SG-1 and Atlantis while offering the perfect jumping-on point for new viewers to the franchise.

Sky1: What can you tell us about the basic set-up for Stargate Universe?
 
Robert Carlyle: We’re taken to what’s called the Icarus base on a non-descript planet. The reason why where there is that there’s enough power in this core to transform and to push them through a wormhole in the ninth Chevron, which is the Holy Grail of the Stargate world. And Dr. Rush, the character I play, believes that he has discovered the means to do that. The base comes under attack by whoever—I’m not quite sure who (laughs)—and there’s a choice: do they dial Earth or do they go through this wormhole to who knows where? They think they’re dialing Earth but Rush decides that’s not what they should do because this is originally where they were going. We think it’s a place but it turns out to be The Destiny, this spaceship that has been launched by the Ancients hundreds of thousands of years ago.
 
When they get there, Rush has already split the group. Half are grateful because he saved their lives, he got them out of there and the other half are angry because he didn’t take them to Earth. His point is that this planet was under attack. Had they been hit, a blast could have gone through the open wormhole to Earth and destroyed the planet.


Sky1: Is it necessary then to have watched the previous instalments in the franchise to enjoy SGU?
 
Carlyle: It would be possible to watch Stargate Universe having no knowledge of the franchise at all. Though, having said that, SG-1 and Atlantis are the reason why we’re here. The two kind of do go hand in hand; Richard Dean Anderson does appear in about four or five episodes as General Jack O’Neill but he’s not in the forefront of the action, more as a sort of supporter [player]. But that’s just a wee bit of set-up but Universe differs from the previous two in the franchise in the respect that it’s a lot darker, The alien forces that they encounter are very cerebral this time around. But for anyone who hasn’t seen the show before, I think it’s fascinating.


Sky1: One of the main themes is that of survival, what other themes emerge in the first season of Universe?
 
Carlyle: I think survival is the probably the main running theme throughout the twenty [episodes], I would say. Because even the titles of the first four or five are called “Air,” “Water,” “Fire.” These are the things that we don’t have. And unlike in most scripts for sci-fi series, it’s not a very glossy spaceship, The Destiny.  Because Rush makes this decision for them, they haven’t packed anything. None of them are trained for the job of being on this ship, which is ancient but there’s nothing on there at all. And I love that notion. Suddenly, the air system starts to go so they have to solve this problem. The next one is water, there’s no water so they have to get some from a planet and bring it back. I remember the Apollo moon landings and the guys coming back and they all had beards because their hair had grown. Nobody shaves in space. I made up this line: they always say in space no one can hear you scream, but in space you can always get a haircut. (Laughs)


Sky1: Is Dr. Nicholas Rush the problem-solver of the group then? What can you tell us about your character?
 
Carlyle: Rush is, I think, one of the more complex characters I’ve ever played. You’re never sure of the motives of this man. Sometimes, he seems to be helping them and then suddenly, he takes that help away. He’s a crafty character in that respect. He only goes to people when he needs them, I think. If he could man the ship himself, he’d shove them all out an airlock. But he needs them, that’s the thing.  He’s the only guy that has any knowledge about what they need to know. And that’s Rush’s speciality: Ancient technology and Ancient history and Ancient culture. He knows all about that. So he’s the man who’s maybe going to get them home. Maybe. (Laughs.)


Sky1: One of the producers said that as Rush you have the ability to “make the un-likeable, likeable.” What does that mean exactly?
 
Carlyle: Hmmm. Well, I suppose what we’re talking about is that we have a character whose actions are questionable and, perhaps in reality, quite shocking. But you can play it a certain way that people like it and actually find it quite interesting and quite attractive. And that’s what I am trying to do. I’m trying to walk a very fine line in the middle but it’s a heck of a danger that I could alienate everyone if I go too far that side or the other. So I have to walk in the middle.


Sky1: You seem throughout your career to be attracted to character that exist in a morally grey zone.
 
Carlyle: Absolutely. The most important thing about Rush’s back story is his marriage. His wife his dead, she died from a very slow illness and he wasn’t there for her and he didn’t take care of her. And that’s the thing that he’s carrying with him and that’s the thing that weighing him down. So when he gets up there on that ship, there’s nothing greater for Rush than the exploration of the universe. There’s no greater gift to mankind than being able to tell people what’s on the other side of that [figurative] mountain.  He could be there forever and not come back.


Sky1: You’re using your natural Glaswegian accent for the role of Dr. Rush. Was that your idea or the producers’?
 
Carlyle: In my career, I’ve only ever played a Scot maybe six or seven times. It’s not unusual. We tried a few bits in rehearsal, which was a luxury and I tried a few different accents and they said, just pick the one you like but we like the way you sound normally. I was very pleased to hear that and very pleased to be a Scot in space…


Sky1: How does Rush compare to some of the other characters you’ve played in the past?
 
Carlyle: Whoa. I think the character by the end of it, no matter how long this journey is going to be, I think that this character will be up there with some of the most memorable that I’ve played because he’s so enigmatic. I find it difficult to even explain Rush. You have to see it to understand. In one of the episodes, he engineers it so that some people go up into this ship’s lock and he appears to have saved their lives—which is why he’s done this—but then the last line, it suggests that he was actually trying to get rid of them. And when he’s challenged about it by the commander, all he says is, “Cheers,” and walks away. In order words, you can think that if you like, I’m not going to tell you. So I love that.


Sky1: What worked lured you to series television and specifically Stargate Universe?
 
Carlyle: Well, I had had a couple of successes and dabbled in American TV.  It’s all about the part and the people for me. I had played Hitler for CBS and a couple of years after that I did a piece called Human Trafficking, which I was lucky enough to get an Emmy nomination for that.  I had enjoyed my time in TV so it was always on the cards.  
 
About eighteen months ago, I put out that I was interested in something new because back home the British film industry—it’s laughable to call it an industry, we should call it the British film club, perhaps—was getting smaller and smaller and films would start going and fall apart in early pre-production. I also made two films called Summer and I Know You Know, which is some of the best work I think I’ve ever given, and these films have been seen by about twenty people to date. And I kind of had it. I’m 48 [years old] now, I’ve done it, I’ve been down that road, done the British independent and I need a break from it.

I went to Los Angeles to meet with people from many different television entities but when this came up, I was like Stargate what? My agent said, do you want to speak to them and I said, I’ll speak to anyone. So I spoke to Robert Cooper and Brad Wright.  It was a beautiful conversation and I thought, you’re going to trust me to head this thing? You guys have put fifteen years experience into doing this. Then the script came through and I thought let me read what you’ve got as they had my attention by then. When the script came through, particularly these first three hours, my god, this is different. We haven’t seen anything like this before in the science fiction world. It didn’t matter, actually, that it was science fiction, this could be in a football field because it’s about the people and the drama is being created by the characters, all of it. All drama is concept and that’s what I grew up with in the theatre. I thought why not?!


Sky1: Given your own lack of knowledge about the franchise, is Stargate Universe intentionally designed to be a perfect jumping on point for new viewers then?
 
Carlyle: I think so. I was talking someone from Gateworld and he was quite candid about the whole thing and said that he was quite relieved that the franchise had taken this new direction. In his words, not mine, he said that in a post-9/11 world, we perhaps want something a little more intelligent. But it’s also still Stargate, it’s still part of the franchise at its core. It’s a perfect hopping-on point for people who have never seen it before and I think they’ll be surprised by this.


Sky1: What’s one thing that Sky1 viewers should look for in Stargate Universe?
 
Carlyle: In the pilot, the third hour of the pilot is on an alien planet and we shot in New Mexico, on the white sands. I’ve never seen anything like that. The sand is as white as this tablecloth and the sun beats down all day. You have to wear sunblock up your nose and in your ears because it’s 117 degrees we’re shooting. That was stunning and it looks like Lawrence of Arabia. I think if you want to see any Stargate Universe at all, tune in to that bit there and you’ll be hooked.
 
Stargate Universe: Tuesdays at 8pm on Sky1HD and Sky1.