Ever since it was announced last year that "Stargate" Atlantis" was ending after its fifth season and that Syfy would launch a new spinoff series, "Stargate: Universe," the fans have been outraged and ready to denounce the new series sight unseen.

However, based on the clips shown Friday at a San Diego Comic-Con panel featuring "Universe" before a packed room of 4,500 fans, some say this new version is set to break records in the sci-fi realm.

As creators Brad Wright and Richard Cooper explained, out of loyalty to the fans and in order to satiate the building anticipation of viewers, it was important to keep the latest incarnation contemporary and yet more dynamic. Thus, they incorporated a new style of hand-held cinematography, similar to what was used in "Battlestar Galactica," to heighten the drama by putting the viewer more on the front lines and set about reintroducing what the Stargate is and how it can be used -- while handicapping its abilities at the same time.

But it's not like Cooper and Wright took a page out of the "Battlestar" playbook, they said. Instead, they looked to two different shows: "Firefly" and "The Shield." The two said they wanted to create new layers of tension and drama, and integrate it into the regular Stargate formula and universe that has already been established over the last 11 years or so. That meant moving away from standard standalone stories and embracing an arcing, serialized style of storytelling.

The two also said they wanted the show to be character-driven and not just about encounters and alien races. In fact, they said that any aliens encountered will not be the humanoid creatures we're used to seeing.

And so it is in this new universe that they have cast the most diverse group of individuals they could to bring this multi-faceted show to life.

"Universe" follows a diverse group of people thrust into trusting and relying on each other to survive when they are attacked and forced to flee through a Stargate, which takes them to the other side of the universe. The show focuses on this conflicted and desperate group of survivors (both military and civilian) who are searching for a way to get back to Earth.

Leading the group is Robert Carlyle portraying Dr. Nicholas Rush, who is an enigma. He is the one everyone turns to as he has promised to take them back to Earth. Yet, as he explained, because there is nothing for his character to go back for, he is drawn to the wonder and thrill of discovering what is out there. This duality of purpose may cause many to question whether Dr. Rush is the villain or hero of the show.

But for Carlyle, this is exactly what drew him to "Universe." As an actor best known for his cutting-edge film roles like on "The Full Monty," "28 Weeks Later" and even "24: Redemption," he was looking for something different -- a bigger challenge, something fresh, and it came completely out of left field.

When he first got the script for "Universe," Carlyle said he asked Wright and Cooper, "Why the hell do you want me?" Their reason was simple: They wanted someone who could make dislikable things more likable. In other words they wanted an actor who was able to portray a man who was deeply conflicted that could make harsh decisions for the greater good and still be appealing to the audience.

Following the idea of conflicted and troubled characters, also appearing on the series are Ming-Na and Alaina Huffman. Both were looking for characters that were strong, intelligent women that were also deeply flawed. So when they had a chance to portray Camille and T.J., respectively, they leapt at it.

Huffman liked knowing that her character had an affair with her superior and now had to live with those consequences. In their fish-bowl existence, it is the constant white elephant in the room and it forces her to be vulnerable and to deal with the repercussions of her actions. Thus, she finds it a challenge and joy to be able to sculpt her character.

Ming-Na said she loved the fact that while her character is initially perceived as a troublemaker, she has a good heart and truly cares for others and believes she is acting in their best interests. She also understands that people want to justify what they do, and that no matter what they do or how it is perceived, if they feel it is right, they are going to do it anyway. After all, she said, "no one decides to be evil."

Also, recurring on the show is Jamil Walker Smith. He initially had a throwaway role without a proper name, but as the series developed, became much more integral and allowed to grow. On a personal note, he shared that when his mom found out that he was going to be on the show, she said, "you're going to be the next LeVar Burton."

Probably one of the more unique characters on the show, harkening back to the old "Last Starfighter" days, is one played by David Blue, an unabashed uber fan of "Stargate SG-1" and "Atlantis," and thus who's awed that he is now working on "Universe." Blue, of "Ugly Betty" fame, admitted that he has seen every single episode, and is a source of vast information to the rest of the cast on what is what in the Stargate universe.

Blue also said that he wanted to give respect to the fans and the orignal shows, and feels an immense responsibility to get it right.

Blue plays Eli Wallace, a civilian literally kidnapped off his front porch, recruited to help out the Stargate program.

A big plus for fans of the past series in the Stargate universe are cameos by Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping. Ming-Na said she worked with Anderson and that he was a "hoot" as he was peeling an orange was acting very blase about the whole thing. All the while, she said she felt the weight of his legacy to create something new and deserving of the Stargate universe.

"Stargate: Universe" premieres Oct. 2 on Syfy.

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