‘Stargate’ actor in no rush for answers

NEW YORK - Whether in Yankee Stadium or the Land of Oz, getting home is an all-consuming mission.

But not on “Stargate Universe.’’ Not for Dr. Nicholas Rush. It seems he would rather probe the far reaches of science while stranded in a rattletrap spaceship billions of light-years from home.

As played by Robert Carlyle, Rush is at the core of “SGU,’’ a thriller that premiered recently on the Syfy network and was watched by more than 2 million viewers. Airing Fridays at 9 p.m., it builds on the mythology of the 1994 film “Stargate’’ and follow-up series “Stargate SG-1’’ and “Stargate Atlantis.’’

The titular Stargates represent a perilous but potentially lifesaving transport system for the voyagers. Rush, the brilliant scientist, just wants to figure it all out. Home definitely isn’t where his heart is, which puts him in regular conflict with his fellow journeyers.

“He’s very isolated, very much on his own,’’ Carlyle says. “He only goes to people if he needs them.’’

Rush leaves viewers delightfully confused: Is this the one guy on board who, despite the others’ pushback, has a handle on their crisis? Or is he a narcissistic suicidal scoundrel?

When he was sought for the role, Carlyle says he was told, “We’re looking for someone who can make dislikable things seem quick likable.’ I said, well, I’m potentially your man.’’

No wonder. In person, the Scottish-born actor is warm and passionate about his work. A compact man with large soulful eyes and a soothing brogue, he sports the scruffy, shaggy look of his character.

Before “Stargate,’’ the 48-year-old Carlyle was already acclaimed for his off-center characterizations. In Danny Boyle’s 1996 film “Trainspotting,’’ he played a raving psychotic. A year later in “The Full Monty,’’ he was one of the down-on-their-luck steelworkers who dropped their drawers to strike it rich.

Shooting his 1991 breakthrough film role, “Riff-Riff,’’ he was never privy to a full script, just each day’s pages from director Ken Loach.

“That’s the way I started - which I love,’’ Carlyle says. “When the actor reads a script, they instantly go to the end: ‘What happens to ME?’ . . . I don’t want to know what happens to me! I don’t want to know whether I live or die.

“I’ve tried to use that technique through my career, and on this show, strangely enough, I’ve actually been able to,’’ he adds. “I said to the guys, don’t tell me where Rush is going! Tell me a bit of back story - that’s important, because I’ve lived it. But don’t tell me what’s going to happen.’’