He's brilliant. HARDLY evil. To rebut your arguments:
0) Yes, he probably could have dialed Earth. Wouldn't have made much of a TV show, though, would it? And he knew that this would be their only chance to hit the 9 chevrons if Icarus Base was destroyed so this was their only chance to see what was on the other side. Maybe the others didn't all want to go, but it beats the alternative (death), doesn't it?
1) We never heard the conversation between O'Neill and Rush, so we don't know what was said. With Young incapacitated, Rush was the logical choice to lead. That obviously changed when Young revived.
2) Sure, he didn't shed any tears. But it was the only choice available at the time, someone had to make the sacrifice. At least he did offer up that he wouldn't have chosen the senator!
3) He's never had military training, he's got no experience in desert survival. So he's not as valiant as Scott. Scott ain't exactly 'clean' either.
4) As you said, Franklin had the only remote. What other choice did Rush have, if he and the others had any hopes of getting back to the Destiny?
5) He has limits. How is that evil, exactly?
6) Was he supposed to tell that he thought maybe the ship would survive, thereby dooming the entire crew if he was wrong? Could he have been that certain?
7) He wasn't the only one telling Young to abandon Scott. And had there not been another tremor, Young would have had to.
8) Duh. He's already stated that the Destiny is his destiny. Doesn't mean he'll block others from departing though.
He's the best character on SGU, the deepest and the smartest by far. Yes, he has a big ego. He's a scientist and virtually all scientists by definition have big egos (I should know, I'm a scientist). He does care about the others but his work is the preminent thing for him.

But wait--- isn't he playing the role of Dr. Smith from Lost in Space?

I don't think he's devious and I don't think he's selfish. I think that Rush does not and cannot understand how to interact with other people. He understands systems very, very well, and what we see from him is his attempt to interface between the needs of the system of the human crew and the needs of the systems of the Destiny.

There's one other thing that I suspect too: I think that Rush really, really, wants the Destiny's AI to come online. I can't say why. My fear is that Rush is not actually human but some type of Ancient planted-on-Earth artificial intelligence himself whose job it was to find the Destiny. Please, please, PLEASE don't do that! That would be a serious cop-out. Baltar would not have been nearly as interesting if he had been a Cylon. Remember that.

He's so misunderstood and brilliant...

Let me just start out by saying that I LOVE SGU!!!! Its so much more thematic and epic in feel to its predecessors. I've been a huge fan of all stargate incarnations and view each one as unique as the other. Yes this show has similarities to other great scifi shows but at this point in tv's history, its not about the originality. I think everyone who's interested should take this series at face value and appreciate the storylines and characters. Carlyle is still to ambiguous to narrow into a box. I hope that as the show develops you really get to explore his past and find solace in his suffering. Can't remember the episode he broke down and cried, but that was a glimpse into his complex. I will continue to watch this series for as long as they invest in it and hope that i'm not alone!

He's got Asperger's. Tech easy to understand, people make no flipping sense:)

He is easily one of the best characters on this show. Whatever writer(s) created and leads this character has a section of their mind that is very sick and twisted. Trying to decifer if Rush is an ends justify the means, or simply a child with his favorite toy, or in his own mind a good person is one of the best aspects of watching this show. In the SG series the characters have always been good, but Rush is pure gold.

Personal stoking here, I figured out the ship was solar powered as soon as it was revealed the ship was headed towards the star in "Dark." It shouldn't have been that hard for the characters to figure it out either, the ship has been flying FASTER THAN LIGHT (without going into hyperspace) for thousands of years, did no one think that this wasn't the first time the ship needed to recharge?

You don't know if you can trust a character pitched by the show's creators as 'machiavellian'?

Shocking.

I have a child with autism and Rush is not Asperger's. There is something that is propelling Rush to act the way it is and I'm certain it has something to do with his wife's death. He doesn't want to get close to anybody because that would eventually involve sharing, and he doesn't want to share his pain. His pain is what is keeping him alive. He comments to TJ in Water were, "Always consider the greater good."

What is "the greater good" to one person is an "evil" to another. It depends on the individual's agenda. In my agenda to get my son his rightly deserved public school education which our district does not seem to want to provide, I've had to steep pretty low in tactics to match their equally barbaric viewpoints fed to them by their taxpayer-funded attorneys who tell them how to get around the law. To their school districts, I am an evil monster. To parents with kids with autism, I'm a warrior mom who doesn't give up. It's all about perspective.

PS to this. Robert Carlyle's character Rush is incredibly complex and I thank the writers for giving us such a real individual. Robert Carlyle is doing a brilliant job portraying him. I can't wait to see some more of his backstory.

Maybe he is possessed by a Goa'uld?

Evil? I see him as dedicated to the mission, and advancing his science. Analytical not emotional. He is a scientist and this is Life or Death.

"But he also sent dozens of people into an unknown situation that just happened to be the dilapidated Ancient ship, the Destiny. - Yeah, possibly destroy Earth, jump into the unknown or he could have let them die on the planet, what was he thinking?

Tried to seize power - He is the ONLY person who was supposed to be on this mission, and he knows more then anyone else...Funny how we didn't see his trip.

Unmoved by Sacrifice. - He was right! And the senator was probably the most expendable anyway. Injured as he was.

So Not a Hero - He is a scientist, not a soldier. As he stated, "he doesn't play soldier games" - see above he isn't expendable.

Sacrifice others - Since the guy had the remote, it would have been pretty stupid to let him leave. As for Scott and Greer, since they had the lime, he needed them.

Mentally unstable - You're kidding right? The man is trying to save everyone on board, working day and night, day after day, while suffering nicotine and caffeine withdrawal. That is so evil of him..

Messed with their minds - ??? Giving up his lottery spot is evil? Because he figured out they would survive, he is evil?

Sacrifice sequel - Again Rush is trying to save everyone on board, they need Water more than they need Scott.

Rescue - Of course he doesn't want to be rescued. This is his work. Again he was ready to leap into the unknown as he was the ONLY one supposed to be on this mission!

I kind of agree with tricksterpup, maybe Dr. Rush is actually one of Baal's Goa'uld lackies who had infiltrated the SGC and just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time.

I'd say brilliant and misunderstood, though this is clearly of his own doing. He must not have been too popular on Icarus Base as Scott indicates to Eli that many people were happy someone other than Rush solved the puzzle, esp. a MIT dropout. There have been glimpses of him lightening up but since he holds all the intellectual cards why should he? It's surprising that this group of SG scientists are so pathetic. At least SG-1 had Bill Lee and Atlantis had Radek Relenka, who, while not the intellectual equals of their prime counterparts, could at least be counted on to come up with some solution when pressed to. The other SGU scientists seem so inept that it is shocking they achieved such such a posting. Of course, Rush does say he had a hand in picking the base personnel so maybe he chose dolts in order to keep from being challenged. In "Light" I find it hard to believe he knew the ship would survive and allowed the only medic and the other qualified pilot to be sent off. If he had had the shuttle loaded with the IOA rep and 16 other useless individuals or soldiers I'd be more apt to believe he knew.

Dr. Rush is misunderstood. His words to TJ in Water were something like "...for the greater good". These words are similar to Spock's at the end of Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". These men see the big picture and their actions will be to save as many lives as possible. Now the question is "if it came down to it, will Dr. Rush sacrifice his life to save others"?

I agree with Buz, he's the first seaon of Dr. Smith from Lost in Space.

Personally, I think he's self-absorbed and on a suicide run and doesn't care who he takes down with him. He's terribly hurt about someone he lost and I think he's too much of a coward to put a bullet in his own head, so instead, he opened the stargate to an unknown destination hoping to die.

On one hand, he scared to die, which is why he fights so hard to live; but on the other, a part of him hopes that someone on the crew will put him out of his misery.

Is he a bad guy, no. Is he a danger to everyone around him, yes.

you know, I always joked that he was Doctor Smith and I still agree but I think he maybe a Goa'uld with some agenda. What is out there that he is looking for? What is driving him? But when you think about it a Goa'uld would fit all these:
Seize of power
No emotion for Self Sacrifice.
Using others as Pawns
Obviously not trying to be the Hero and letting others to take the Bullet.
And not wanting to get back to Earth.

Ladies and Gentleman we have an alien on board.

Just to clarify if my Asperger's raised anyone's eyebrows, I was joking. As an Aspie myself, i would probably have spent a fair bit of time yelling at people to leave things alone and would have very little patience for some of the crap people on the ship are doing. I can very easily see myself taking the "Cold Equations" route and thinking of the overall survival of the ship opposed to a single individual.
I think he is just focused on solving the many critical problems, has little patience for dealing with people's emotional issues, and as a result is short-tempered and comes across as abrasive. He is in constant crisis mode and does not have the time or patience to coddle people's emotional needs. He sees himself as the only person capable of solving the problems and resents others getting in his way while he is trying to get the ship working. Dealing with NTs is hard enough when one's life doesn't depend on it.

He definitely has a hidden agenda and (prior) knowledge he chose not to share.

Not so far fetched: Genious and misunderstood. Makes cold equations, as jdmimic said above.

I recon not telling everyone increased the chances of whatever it is he wants to achieve. (hidden agenda!)

I hope we will exactly never find out what makes him tick. Speculating is way more fun.

He is a bitchy glory hound. Look at what happened when he used Eli's calculations to first dial Destiny, and when it didn't work, he blamed Eli.

He is evilderstood...LOL!

To answer the original question....yes. Definitely.

(And I did enter the text correctly!!! All 3 times)

Well evil or not, Alien or not, in fact he is a scientist or we can call it "Engine of human kind". Did you ever wonder who was the attacker of that planet at the 1st place. I think thats the key of the whole series. Who knows maybe Anubis found a way to kill Oma Desala XD

WHY? are they not using the stones to bring people back that can help fix the ship???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Excellent points all! THIS is what makes SGU a great show: The fact that people can have a well thought out, civil discussion about a truly multidimensional character on a science fiction show, and even though some of these opinions are at odds with each other, THEY'RE ALL STILL RIGHT! :)

What I mean is, the thing that sets SGU apart from the other Stargate shows is that the characters are people, in the truest sense of the word. They have problems, sometimes they're assholes, sometimes they make the wrong decisions for the wrong reasons, etc. The show isn't as antiseptic and polished as the others, and that, I think, is what scares some fans of SG-1 and Atlantis. And I'm one of those fans, I loved the other Stargate series, but I love this show too because even though it's quite a bit darker to be sure, it has that sense that these people are in real danger, every episode, and it's not really a guarantee that they (well, all of them, anyway) will survive until the next episode. This gives it a gravitas that makes me, for one, want to watch every week.

As to Dr. Rush. . . like I said, I agree with pretty much every single one of the comments above, lol!

SGU should be renamed "Lost in Space: Emo Edition". The amount of whining going on in this series is unbelievable.

I rather watch the movie and the first season of SG1 again. Those guys might have been just as lost in space, but the atmosphere back then was one of wonder and exploration with a dash of action.

So much more better than the whining going on on Destiny.

I just finished watching the latest episode. I admit, the drama is good, but maaaaan this is more drama then ever. BSG had more action than this. Im just waiting when are they going to introduce an alien race, a new space battle, something.
This show is going too tooooo slow. We get the problems everybody has in their own way. And instead of showing progess with anything they keep beating the drama and personal problems to death. Get on with it already.

unfortunately, most of the naysayers here apparently miss the semi-cute repartee of drs. mackay, zelenka, beckett, carter, jackson, etc. rush is a single minded obsessive/compulsive (brilliantly acted by carlyle) who has no time for trivial human concerns such as faIth, hope and consensus LOL!

He does,nt do himself any favours with the crew currently and with his backstory with the death of his wife/girlfriend (I forget which)I will state the obvious. Rush is still dealing with which makes him a liablity to everyone else because being away from earth means in dealing with destinys problems he,s not looking to his own and he may perfer it that way.I like the way the show,s very slowly building up the drama and charecters with thier flaws slowly over the season it,s looking good for the future and is a nice departure from the previous stargate shows
Robert Carlyle is doind a good job with script he,s got so far and Dr Rush is a diffcult charecter to like.I think it would be good for the show if they did make him evil with a different agenda in play

Does it matter? Rush is obnoxious, irritating, grubby, and rather a nasty peice of work. He could be Rondey and Daniel rolled into one in his ability to save the day and I'd still hope someone will throw him out an airlock each week. SGU suffers from a glut of uninteresting, forgettable, and rather irratating characters. The last two episodes were a little bit better, but overall, it's still very, very dull. (Oh, and the gratuitous uncomfortable hetsex? Drop it. The scene with Young was tacky and off-putting.)

He's both.

This is LOST IN SPACE meet STARGATE.

His character is DR SMITH.

Enough said.

Did O'Neill put Rush in charge when Young was out of it?
The obvious answer is for Young to ask ONeill.
Why hasn't he?

To put it succinctly, who cares, the show sucks and is boring and
I am a Star Gate fan...

Pretty simple, really. Rush was desperate to solve the 9th chevron problem? Why? Time travel.

How many times over the years have I yelled at the screen,
"Shoot him! Shoot him!"
Finally someone actually did it. Rush made the right call.

Is Rush evil? I don't think so. Telford is the one we need to look at. I really hate that character.

Personally, I reckon it will turn out that Rush was the one that gave away the location of Icarus Base to the Goa'uld.

My reasoning is that he'd worked out that, because of radioactive decay, the planet's core was no longer capable of generating enough power for a 9th chevron wormhole. And the only way to do it was to bombard the planet to send the core critical, destroying the planet. Since the SG-C would never agree to such an insane plan, he ratted them out for his own personal gain.

Personally, much as Iike both the actor and the character, Rush is an obnoxious blockhead who keeps secrets and seems to wonder why nobody trusts him.

The whole cast should pick up their lives and stop whining about everything. They are stuck, make the most of it, and stop blaiming everyone else, especially Rush, for their problems.

I just wish the pace would pick up. It's a little too slow and needs to be faster. If this is going to degenerate into the "survival story of the week with the planet that saves us that we have to deal with in only 12 hours or we are screwed royally' I'm going to get tired of the whole thing fast.

Like any good scifi show, success rises and falls on whether you can personally invest in the fate of the characters. For me, this really isn't happening on SGU. There are a few characters (Telford, Young, and Rush, fo example), that I'd happily see dead. Most of the people on the ship are annoying, useless and forgettable. And even among the few characters that might generate some following (the medic, the young soldier, Eli, the senator's daughter, Wray), they've already gone out of their way to 'dirty them up' and make them pedestrian and less likable. The writers don't quite get that having both good and bad qualities doesn't make someone comlpex or interesting alone - the comination of the qualities and the situation makes things interesting. Overall, there is/was potential there, but it's rapidly dwindling, and the fault lies squarely on the boring, uninsipred writing. Sure, they have the shadow of the awesome BSG to step out from behind, but it seems like they aren't even trying.

meh... i dont care if it has strong characters are not you dont get to see many shows with these desperate desperate times in space so i will defintely watch this till they cancel it, if it dont suit you go watch glee.

Dr. Rush is clearly the best character on SGU, and the main reason the show is watchable.

It seems obvious that Rush is the only one who wants to be lost in the space with the Destiny. It is after all his obsession, to find it. The rest of the crew just wants to go home to mommy, and they are in his way; and conflict with his goals, which is not finding a way to Earth. He has no social skills, so some of the tension is probably just accidental, but he also will sacrifice the 'lessers' for the good of his mission. Rush is all about ulterior motives, and subterfuge.

A leader cares about the people he commands, and has a greater responsibly to the team. Dr Rush has none of that, and may indeed be a psychopath, ie evil scientists.

Well, so far I have not found anyone really interesting.

Regarding Dr Rush - I see him as incompetent - and the rest of the people as useless cargo.

The show sucks - stop it!

like the show alot last episode was weak tho, doesnt have to have award winning acting imo better than most junk on tv now.

I don't think rush is evil like at leased half the people are saying he is misunderstood. Also I to am hoping that they are finally going to be not fighting for there lives every episode and we could finally have a small amount of the stability and root that SG-1 and SGA had.

He's a G'ould obviously!

so far he seems to be little more than a plot tool that keeps the show going nowhere fast.
I haven't given up yet, but if they don't get on with the adventure soon i'm done.

I so wanted Rush shot during episode two. I personally think he is evil.

So far I have not found one character on this show likable. I want them to either die or go away. So disappointing!

He isn't evil or plotting against them, he's just a man who recognises the reality of their dire situation and makes tough decisions that nobody else seems willing to.

Every single one of the article's points can be perfectly explained through logic. He saved Earth from blowback, he's acknowledges sacrifice is neccessary, he does anything to get rid of actual threats to the ship (such as IOA stooges). Just because he's not a sociable person doesn't mean he's a boogie man out to get them.

Just think of him as Hugh Laurie's Doctor House, only in space. He's mean, cocky, abrasive, can't relate to people in the slightest, usually going through any number of withdrawls, but most importantly - he's usually right.

he is evil. His entire agenda so far has been to find the ship, no matter the cost. Anyone that can challange him on his intellect, he wants to get rid of (remember in the sun recharge episode, he wanted Eli to go on the shuttle).

"UNIVERSE" IS THE BEST ON SYFY. AND THE BEST SCI-FI SHOW ON TV RIGHT NOW. "FRINGE" IS A CLOSE SECOND. I PREDICT "THE PRISONER" WILL BE EXCELLENT ALSO. SCI-FI DRAMAS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN SO-CALLED REALITY SHOWS. I HOPE FOR ANOTHER GOOD SCI-FI ANTHOLOGY SIMILAR TO "OUTER LIMITS."

Think of it this way - if you were evil, would you want everyone hating you? No, you'd be pulling every trick in the book to get them onside, so when you DO have to betray them, you're miles in the clear by the time they figure it out.

If Rush is a badguy, his plan sucks.

Dr. Rush is motivated by his own desire to learn more about the Destiny. Everything else is just in his way at the moment, and that includes saving everyone else. I'm sure he'd like a few scientists around to help him but the rest he could do without. As far as evil.. doubtful. I do think he'd do almost anything to stay on the Destiny, even if it meant he'd be alone.

Do I like the character? Not yet, but he has his moments. I think the writers need to reveal his true self rather than shroud it in mystery for the next season or two. Viewers need to like or hate him, and right now it's hard to do either.

Oh.. and one day or two with Rodney McKay and Rush would probably have full access to the Destiny's systems. C'mon people. Need a miracle, call the miracle worker! Just sayin.

Yeah, I see a lot of Dr. Smith in him.

Truthfully, I don't think he's good or evil. He's amoral.

More than that, I suspect that he is intentionally ambiguous. This is where the source of drama comes from. It's a writers trick.

Evil... nope.

Disconnected... yes.

Driven... very much so.

Rush lives for science and science requires control, discipline and sacrifice, but rewards that with discoveries that can push humanity forward as a whole.

Rush, evil? Nah, he's not bad enough for that. But arrogant and manipulative? You bet (and show me a general besides the fictional O'Neill who isn't). Far from perfect, which gives Rush opportunities to evolve. He's not the Spock substitute, he's the slightly less exasperating Rodney McKay stand-in, which means irritating by design. And like McKay, Rush may well improve somewhat over time as he is tested repeatedly by the journey and events. Yeah, definitely House in space, minus the snappy wit. I could watch Rush a while longer. For now.

Rush, evil? No! He is at this moment the only one who understands a little about the Destiny and don't forget he saved all of the other ones from death to dial the gate at the right time without to no where they would become.
I hope that in the series Eli will make more discovery's of nice usable futures in time like he did with the sledge to pickup the ice from the ice planet.

One way or the other I do mis the pudle jumpers like in SG Atlantis.

Lou Diamond Phillips' character is the real bloody bastard in this show. I like Lou, but he's playing a real tool here. And well, of course. As for Rush, I'm a little tired of people constantly pushing the "he's untrustworthy" angle, when he's already saved their butts half a dozen times in the first few episodes alone. OK, I love Robert Carlyle (I'm a Scot too!) and it's hard for me NOT to like any character he plays...

I've just finished watching episode 10, and then read through all this.

It is truely EPIC! SGU is so messed up, its brilliant! i kinda wished that they would develop the characters a bit to be more heroic, or at least useful (like with Eli... let him solve a few problems - perhaps he can now).

But yea... I have to say, I have high hopes for SGU now - finding non-ancient technology means alien races and space battles!

My verdict - if SGU doesn't change by season three in how it does things (mix it up a bit, save the crewkill the baddies), then it'll get old quick :-(

I couldn't say if Rush is evil. In all honesty, he's a bit of a shady character, which I don't like. He seems to be out to get his own way, and to hell with the consequences. He thinks he's sly, and his ego has been boosted by the fact that Young keeps suspecting things of him (like Rush knowing the ship wouldn't be destroyed when going into the sun - I think that Rush just wanted to take credit that he knew, when he actually didn't).

But yea... what will he do now?

The mid-season cliffhanger was perhaps the best episode they aired thus far. It held my attention all the way thru and actually had some good character development. IF SGU writers can keep up the momentum, I might stay with the series.

Quin, I think this was only the mid-point for the first season. You are being very generous by saying the show needs to improve by season 3. Improvements need to be made by the second half of season 1(2) or there won't be a season 3. The show needs to develop stronger characters to keep everyone's attention. They showed real potential in the cliffhanger.

Don't conclude because the crew found an alien ship, you will see space battles. I think SGU will focus more on the alien technology rather than on any alien race.

This is just my opinion of course. For all I know, in the second half, Dr. Rush may power up the shipwrecked spaceship, make contact with an evil alien lizard race, make a pact with them and then hunt the Destiny down with the intention of using the crew as after dinner snacks for the lizard people.

I think Rush is not evil. He only considers more important his research on Stargate's ninth chevron, and now on the Destiny, than the human beings around him.

If you think about Rush's life I think Rush didn't share enough time with his wife (because of work) and when she died he realized it. Nothing has left for him except his work.

If you add to that the fact that his investigation on the ninth chevron is barely alive (Think about it, the senator get the ride to Icarus base only to see if he continue supporting the proyect), and when the Goa'uld attack the base, Rush is confronted to the fact that all his efforts and the reason because he sacrificed time with his deceased wife could be vanished then he decides to not think in the people at Icarus base and dial the Stargate with the ninth chevron with the help of Eli.

It sounds selfish, but think about it... seriously I would do the same in his situation.

Others, surely, say that Col. Young and Lt. Scott are heroes. What I say is: wtf you are thinking!

About Young: He doesn't have what it's needed to make hard decisions and is more on Earth than in Destiny because Telford is getting around his wife (that I think he lost her a long time ago before he arrived Destiny).

And add to this the fact that he is a coward and a stupid; left stranded Rush in that planet only because Rush framed him (to gain time for the ancient chair, investigation that could let them gain more control of the ship) and don't say the truth about it at the ship. And think about it: Rush is more valuable than most passengers in Destiny.

About Scott (and Eli, his other side): Scott only purpose on the series is to get laid with Chloe because Eli is too fat!!.

When I saw teasers for Stargate Universe I thought that Scott will do a role similar to O'Neill on SG-1.

But it seems that the writers split this role in two parts: Scott and Eli:

Scott has the military part of O'Neill with the mutation that makes him "able" to have hypersexuality disorder.

On the other hand Eli has the humor part, but with the mutation to be not so funny as O'Neill, and the thinking part (that O'Neill tries to hide).

Their relationship with Chloe is like that of O'Neill with Carter except that there's no obtacles to get higher levels (or lower... haha... in this case only for Scott).

At my point of view Scott isn't expendable... only if you want to fill other galaxies not only with Stargates but with humans with Scott's genetic heritage, hahaha.

Conclusion to this: Rush is the most powerful role, the others are more or less week or feeble-spirited humans because they don't have a purpose. Maybe Rush goals aren't passengers goal to get home, but his goals have better options to manage getting home as a colateral effect. And sacrifice, and not setimentalism, are the means if they want get home.

he isnt evil.
he literally has nothing to lose but destiny.
its what he was working on since his wife died.
he is more interested in destiny and its technology than the people on destiny
but as he stated in the pilot episode
destiny might be the greatest dicovery since the stargate itself

Wow, that is probably the biggest question of the series thus far...

I suppose the answer depends on your definition of evil. Certainly Rush would argue that he's not evil, merely unappreciated and misunderstood. But as we've already seen, Rush's judgement is questionable at best. If by Episode 10 ("Justice") he is not *evil* per se ("evil" is after all, a very potent term) he is certainly on a very slippery slope. His "ends justifies the means" philosophy leaves plenty of room to justify just about any evil act. Add to that a self-pitying victim mentality, with a huge dose of bruised ego and extreme self-centeredness, not to mention a propensity to lie, manipulate, and blame others... well, you get a very nasty piece of work to whom the term *evil* may well apply, if not already, than certainly in the near future.

The question, ultimately, may not be whether or not Rush is evil, but whether or not he's even redeemable. I want to think that in spite of his many *serious* character flaws and the inevitability that he is going to get worse over time, I want to believe that something is going to happen to change him, to wake him up to the flaws in his philosophy. Again, the question is whether or not there's any hope for him, and what it's going to take to reform him... because of all the lies he's told, the most difficult to uncover may be the lies he's told himself, and of all the people he's deceived, the one he deceives most is himself.

Is there any Smeagol left in this Gollum? I like to think so, but then... Smeagol/Gollum's fate was a singularly unpleasant one. Here's hoping Rush comes to a better end.