Everett Young
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Everett Young is a fictional character
in the Canadian-American Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer-Syfy
television series Stargate Universe
, a military science fiction
serial drama about the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the Ancient spaceship Destiny, which is travelling in a distant corner of the universe. He is portrayed by Portuguese-Canadian
actor Louis Ferreira.
Young is 40 years of age and is married to Emily Young. He is a seasoned member of the Stargate Program and was in command of the Icarus Base before the Icarus personnel went through the Stargate. Colonel Young made his first appearance in the pilot episode, "Air
", first broadcast in the United States
and Canada
in 2009.
, ultimately becoming stranded on the Destiny. Young is seriously injured during their first arrival and it falls to Lieutenant Matthew Scott
to lead the Icarus personnel until he is able to recover. He then becomes team leader aboard the Destiny.
However, Young has a difficult time, as he must try and lead a ship with divided loyalties. While the military personnel do not question his authority, the civilians and scientists have a harder time accepting his leadership. Even some of his superiors back on Earth are not confident in his ability to lead the crew although General Jack O'Neill says that Young was his first choice to head up the Expedition but Young turned him down. However, despite numerous power struggles and attempts to usurp him, Young has managed to stay in command. Due to the ship's divided loyalties, Scott, Greer, Johansen, and Eli are the only crew members he absolutely trusts. He even has Eli secretly use the Kinos to spy on the rest of the crew. Young has rocky relations with the civilian crew, and is personal enemies with Rush. After discovering a plot by Rush to frame him for murder, Young assaults Rush and leaves him to die on an uninhabited world in a fit of rage. When he finds out Rush is still alive on an alien ship, Young attempts to have the ship destroyed, but fails to prevent Rush from returning to the ship. However, as he freed Rush from his imprisonment aboard the ship himself and because Chloe Armstrong was still on-board, it is possible he merely did this to protect Destiny. Both men then make an uneasy truce not to disclose the true events of their confrontation. Rush's distrust of Young's potential actions when he finds out he has a tracking device in his chest leads Rush to instigate a mutiny with Camile Wray, but it fails. Afterwards Young makes an effort to get along with Rush.
Meanwhile, Young leaves behind a strained personal life back on Earth. His wife, Emily, is divorcing him due to his continual habit of putting his military career before their marriage and an affair he had with his subordinate Lt. Johansen. To make matters worse, Colonel Telford tries to begin a relationship with Emily, and attempts to manipulate Emily into thinking that Young is still sleeping with Lt. Johansen. It is later revealed that Telford was brainwashed into helping the Lucian Alliance in their attempts to board Destiny - whether or not Telford's dislike of Young is a result of this brainwashing remains unclear. Young breaks the brainwashing on Telford by venting the atmosphere in the room he's in, killing him, then revives him. Afterwards, Telford is a lot nicer and tells Young he's truly horrified by everything he has done and is grateful for what Young did to free him. Also, Young has a friendlier and more comradely attitude towards Telford.
Young's affair with Lt. T.J. Johansen is not revealed until weeks after they're stranded on the Destiny, although it becomes clear via flasbacks that T.J. had resigned and planned on leaving the mission for unknown reasons. T.J.'s worried about Young's condition after he's severely injured upon arrival, which leads to Camille Wray becoming suspicious of the true nature of their friendship. Young's estranged wife later reveals he cheated on her, and via a dream Young has, it become clear his affair was with T.J. Although they are no longer sleeping together, they still care about each other and, according to Lt. Scott, exchange longing looks throughout their stay on the Destiny. After 22 weeks, T.J. tells Young she's pregnant with their child, and Young promises to take care of her and raise their child together. When the ship is taken over by the Lucian Alliance in the season 1 finale, T.J., along with others, is taken hostage. Young goes to extreme lengths to get T.J. back and it's shown he's even willing to trade his men for her. However, when a plan backfires, Young and his men are taken hostage as well and while they are about to be killed for their betrayal, T.J. is shot in the abdomen. Rush, Eli, Chloe and Brody manage to retake the ship, but T.J. loses the baby although she survives herself.
After the loss of his daughter, Sgt. Riley (who Young euthanizes at Riley's own request) and Telford, Young drifts into depression and drinks heavily and doesn't command his crew well. He seems to have an anger management problem, repeatedly using excessive force against opponents. In addition to his assault and abandonment of Rush, he also lies to use the communication stones to go back to earth and assault Telford, and assaults Rush on several other occasions. He ends up losing his wife completely and she asks for a divorce and that just worsens things for him. When Destiny tests his fitness to command, Young almost gives up completely until Lieutenant Scott, who is asked to take command by Rush and Wray, snaps him out of it. This, and Destiny's apparent bonding with him as leader (in reality, Rush, who secretly has gained control over the ship, has manipulated the ship to act in ways that reflect Young's emotions) cause him to return more to his old self. When he learns that Rush long ago broke the ship's code and gained control over it, Young is furious and nearly kills Rush. Rush calms him down by explaining his motivation, including Destiny's true mission, and asks Young his support in completing it. Young accedes to the point that when the crew has a chance to go home and Rush intends to stay behind with volunteers to complete the mission, Young chooses to stay as well to lead those who stay, and in an alternate timeline, makes a speech that helps convince people to stay.
After doing an audition
for the role of Young for Stargate Universe
, Louis Ferreira was not sure if it was a role he wanted to take on. He wanted a sign
, which eventually happened when someone dumped their boat on Ferreira's front yard. Ferreira had always wanted to own a boat in the Vancouver area. He became more interested in the role when he found out that Robert Carlyle
already had a part in the series, due to Ferreira being a big "fan" of Carlyle's acting. Ferreira was also supportive of the idea to move the Stargate franchise
in a new direction.
Described in the initial character breakdown as a "handsome, capable, former SG team leader" in his 40s who holds the rank of Colonel. He is "like the Jack O'Neill
of ten years ago" yet has sharper edges. Young is Rush's nemesis on the ship.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Everett Young is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Canadian-American Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer-Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
television series Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
, a military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
serial drama about the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team unable to return to Earth after an evacuation to the Ancient spaceship Destiny, which is travelling in a distant corner of the universe. He is portrayed by Portuguese-Canadian
Portuguese Canadians
Portuguese Canadians are both Canadians born with Portuguese descent or citizenship or Portuguese born with Canadian descent or citizenship . According to StatCan, in 2006, there were 410,850 persons of Portuguese descent living in Canada, or 1.3% of the nation's total population...
actor Louis Ferreira.
Young is 40 years of age and is married to Emily Young. He is a seasoned member of the Stargate Program and was in command of the Icarus Base before the Icarus personnel went through the Stargate. Colonel Young made his first appearance in the pilot episode, "Air
Air (Stargate Universe)
"Air" is the three-part opening episode of the military science fiction television series Stargate Universe. The first two parts aired on Syfy in the United States on October 2, 2009, while the third part aired on October 9. In Canada, SPACE aired the first two in tandem with Syfy...
", first broadcast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 2009.
Character arc
Young is 40 years old and has been married to Emily Young since 2005. His crew was forced through the StargateStargate (device)
A Stargate is a portal device within the Stargate fictional universe that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The devices first appear in the 1994 Roland Emmerich film Stargate, and thereafter in the television series Stargate SG-1 and its spin-offs...
, ultimately becoming stranded on the Destiny. Young is seriously injured during their first arrival and it falls to Lieutenant Matthew Scott
Matthew Scott (Stargate)
First Lieutenant Matthew Scott is a fictional character from the science fiction television series, Stargate Universe, the third live-action series in the Stargate franchise, which centers on a group of soldiers and civilians trapped on the Ancient vessel Destiny. He is portrayed by Brian J. Smith...
to lead the Icarus personnel until he is able to recover. He then becomes team leader aboard the Destiny.
However, Young has a difficult time, as he must try and lead a ship with divided loyalties. While the military personnel do not question his authority, the civilians and scientists have a harder time accepting his leadership. Even some of his superiors back on Earth are not confident in his ability to lead the crew although General Jack O'Neill says that Young was his first choice to head up the Expedition but Young turned him down. However, despite numerous power struggles and attempts to usurp him, Young has managed to stay in command. Due to the ship's divided loyalties, Scott, Greer, Johansen, and Eli are the only crew members he absolutely trusts. He even has Eli secretly use the Kinos to spy on the rest of the crew. Young has rocky relations with the civilian crew, and is personal enemies with Rush. After discovering a plot by Rush to frame him for murder, Young assaults Rush and leaves him to die on an uninhabited world in a fit of rage. When he finds out Rush is still alive on an alien ship, Young attempts to have the ship destroyed, but fails to prevent Rush from returning to the ship. However, as he freed Rush from his imprisonment aboard the ship himself and because Chloe Armstrong was still on-board, it is possible he merely did this to protect Destiny. Both men then make an uneasy truce not to disclose the true events of their confrontation. Rush's distrust of Young's potential actions when he finds out he has a tracking device in his chest leads Rush to instigate a mutiny with Camile Wray, but it fails. Afterwards Young makes an effort to get along with Rush.
Meanwhile, Young leaves behind a strained personal life back on Earth. His wife, Emily, is divorcing him due to his continual habit of putting his military career before their marriage and an affair he had with his subordinate Lt. Johansen. To make matters worse, Colonel Telford tries to begin a relationship with Emily, and attempts to manipulate Emily into thinking that Young is still sleeping with Lt. Johansen. It is later revealed that Telford was brainwashed into helping the Lucian Alliance in their attempts to board Destiny - whether or not Telford's dislike of Young is a result of this brainwashing remains unclear. Young breaks the brainwashing on Telford by venting the atmosphere in the room he's in, killing him, then revives him. Afterwards, Telford is a lot nicer and tells Young he's truly horrified by everything he has done and is grateful for what Young did to free him. Also, Young has a friendlier and more comradely attitude towards Telford.
Young's affair with Lt. T.J. Johansen is not revealed until weeks after they're stranded on the Destiny, although it becomes clear via flasbacks that T.J. had resigned and planned on leaving the mission for unknown reasons. T.J.'s worried about Young's condition after he's severely injured upon arrival, which leads to Camille Wray becoming suspicious of the true nature of their friendship. Young's estranged wife later reveals he cheated on her, and via a dream Young has, it become clear his affair was with T.J. Although they are no longer sleeping together, they still care about each other and, according to Lt. Scott, exchange longing looks throughout their stay on the Destiny. After 22 weeks, T.J. tells Young she's pregnant with their child, and Young promises to take care of her and raise their child together. When the ship is taken over by the Lucian Alliance in the season 1 finale, T.J., along with others, is taken hostage. Young goes to extreme lengths to get T.J. back and it's shown he's even willing to trade his men for her. However, when a plan backfires, Young and his men are taken hostage as well and while they are about to be killed for their betrayal, T.J. is shot in the abdomen. Rush, Eli, Chloe and Brody manage to retake the ship, but T.J. loses the baby although she survives herself.
After the loss of his daughter, Sgt. Riley (who Young euthanizes at Riley's own request) and Telford, Young drifts into depression and drinks heavily and doesn't command his crew well. He seems to have an anger management problem, repeatedly using excessive force against opponents. In addition to his assault and abandonment of Rush, he also lies to use the communication stones to go back to earth and assault Telford, and assaults Rush on several other occasions. He ends up losing his wife completely and she asks for a divorce and that just worsens things for him. When Destiny tests his fitness to command, Young almost gives up completely until Lieutenant Scott, who is asked to take command by Rush and Wray, snaps him out of it. This, and Destiny's apparent bonding with him as leader (in reality, Rush, who secretly has gained control over the ship, has manipulated the ship to act in ways that reflect Young's emotions) cause him to return more to his old self. When he learns that Rush long ago broke the ship's code and gained control over it, Young is furious and nearly kills Rush. Rush calms him down by explaining his motivation, including Destiny's true mission, and asks Young his support in completing it. Young accedes to the point that when the crew has a chance to go home and Rush intends to stay behind with volunteers to complete the mission, Young chooses to stay as well to lead those who stay, and in an alternate timeline, makes a speech that helps convince people to stay.
Conceptual history
| "I was like ‘Sci-Fi: I don't know enough about it,' and I operate in a very strange way in that I sometimes ask the universe for signs. Like, ‘am I supposed to do this?' It's a strange thing that I ask." |
| — Louis Ferreira talking about why he chose the role. |
After doing an audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
for the role of Young for Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe is a Canadian-American military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient spaceship Destiny many billions of light years distant from the Milky Way...
, Louis Ferreira was not sure if it was a role he wanted to take on. He wanted a sign
Sign
A sign is something that implies a connection between itself and its object. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of storm. A conventional sign signifies by agreement, as a full stop signifies the end of a sentence...
, which eventually happened when someone dumped their boat on Ferreira's front yard. Ferreira had always wanted to own a boat in the Vancouver area. He became more interested in the role when he found out that Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
already had a part in the series, due to Ferreira being a big "fan" of Carlyle's acting. Ferreira was also supportive of the idea to move the Stargate franchise
Stargate
Stargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
in a new direction.
Described in the initial character breakdown as a "handsome, capable, former SG team leader" in his 40s who holds the rank of Colonel. He is "like the Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
of ten years ago" yet has sharper edges. Young is Rush's nemesis on the ship.