Stargate Universe 1x5 - Light
Something that has always bothered me about this episode is the last 2-3 minutes.
Destiny has just replinished its energy from the star and everyone is having a meal together. Rush comes in, back to his normal, acerbic personality, to the point of being pessimistic. After showering praise on Rush and having him brush it off instead of indulge in his contributions, Colonel Young then decided that Rush knew all along what Destiny was doing when it was heading for the star. Rush doesn’t defend himself and so Young takes that as an admission of guilt and so do the rest of the crew.
Now, technically we as the audience also dont know either way. But we can infer pretty heavily from Rush’s actions.
What does Rush gain by having this knowledge and sending 17 people off ship, one the only medic and another the cook, not to mention a couple valuable members of the science team? Nothing. Rush is all about the greater good and letting those particular people go with their knowledge and skill sets, without a word that they are really all going to survive doesn’t make sense for his character.
He has nothing to gain and a lot to lose here. A lot for Destiny to lose.
I will agree that maybe there was a slight possibility that they could all possibly survive but he had absolutely no way of knowing that, no way to be certain. What he knew were the facts. They were out of power. They were heading directly into a star. This will kill them. 17 people were given their best chance. Even if he thought maybe they would be okay, I can guarantee you that Young still would have sent the ship because he never believes Rush and because he is pragmatic and very about the facts.
So, what’s Rush’s motive from removing himself from the lottery? Exactly what he said. Destiny was his life’s work. He sacrificed everything to dedicate himself to the Icarus project, including a dying wife. He gave up the life he knew, the world he knew. Spent years trying to crack the 9th Chevron. He had no friends, no family supporting him. This was literally his life now. Why put his name in the lottery, to maybe go to a planet that could possibly be habitable, with people who hate or at the very least blame him for being in the situation in the first place, and struggle and fight to survive? He wouldn’t and he didn’t. Simple as that.
All you need to do is to look at his face when he realized what was happening. Rush is someone who keeps his emotions close to the vest, this is the first real outward display of joy that he has ever produced, in front of Eli and Chloe at that. When he knew for sure what was happening the next priority was to get the shuttle back and again, Rush saved them and got them back aboard.
When Young starts questioning him though you can literally see the moment that he begins to shut down. The thought that even after the good that he had done that Young still couldn’t trust him. Young takes that silence as an admittance of guilt but I see it more as protecting himself.
I honestly think that it kind of hurt him.
Rush couldn’t celebrate, didn’t want to celebrate because he had already moved on to anticipating and preparing for the next catastrophe. He doesn’t have the luxury to take break and relax. They still need food. They still need water. They still need to figure out how Destiny works. And he is one of the very limited people that can do what needs to be done. Work is his life. But no one else understands that. They’d rather think the worst of him because it’s easier.
