For a long time, I saw the debates, nerd-rages and petitions circulating about ‘Stargate Universe’ being cancelled before the series should have. Personally, I’m still working through the first few ‘Stargate’ series (I prefer to watch everything in order) so I haven’t seen it, but I feel the pain of losing a show too soon. Shows such as ‘Firefly’, ‘Happy Town’ (did anyone outside of myself ever watch it?) ‘Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles’ and ‘Pushing Daisies’ are still shows I’m sad to see go. But there was one actor from that show that actually won in the cancelling of ‘SGU’, and that actor is Robert Carlyle. Since ‘SGU’, Carlyle is now seen on ABC’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ as Rumplestiltskin in Story Time, or Mr. Gold in Real Time.

I think Robert Carlyle won because Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold is probably the most interesting character on ‘Once Upon a Time’. Rumplestiltskin was obviously taken out of his original story, although with smart nods to it (such as the episode titled “That Still Small Voice” he is weaving thread of gold) but he’s a likeable bad guy. I give a lot to the writing, and a lot to Carlyle himself. It is hard to cheer on the “bad guy” but when it comes to Rumplestiltskin, I find myself wanting more and more of his character. What is more amazing to me is how creepy Rumplestiltskin could really be, and really is, and Carlyle has made him a character that still leaves you wanting more.

Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold thinks, acts and reacts in a way different to most people. He wants a favor instead of money. He remembers the Storybook life, before Storybrooke. He knows everything that is going on, past, present and future, and is cunning enough to use it to his advantage without letting others on that he is using them to his advantage. While his outer appearance is shocking at first, his smile almost makes you trust him. He even gets the Evil Queen to fall for his tricks, and she’s one of the most manipulating people in the story!

So why is it that I think Robert Carlyle won? People will know who he is. No one can be such a likeable bad guy on a network television show and no one notice. Between his charm, his plotting and his manipulation, he is the person that everyone will want more of. ’28 Weeks Later’ is one of the few sequels that I enjoyed, and on his IMDB.com page it was one of the few things that I had recognized. I want to see more of Carlyle, because I want to see what other characters he can bring to life. I want to see more of Rumplestiltskin, because I want to see what mischief he can cause in Story Time. I want to see a lot more of Mr. Gold, because I don’t think he’s even gotten started in Real Time.

Were you a fan of ‘Stargate Universe’? What did you think of the transition Robert Carlyle made? Do you enjoy the Rumplestiltskin character? What character or actor do you want to see more of? Did you have a favorite show get cancelled, and want to see more of the actors in other shows?