So I've been binging Stargate lately while working on other stuff, and a common trope they'll fall back on is being trapped on a derelict starship designed by a dead ancient race where the two goals of survival and preservation of the starship's status quo need to strike an appropriate balance. This is because so much of that starship the characters don't have a great grasp on. There's so much lurking in it that they both currently depend on for survival and don't realize, and it contains knowledge and insights that'll help us improve the status quo in the future if we don't destroy it. Yes, survival is always goal one, but massive compromises need to be made for preservation and balancing them is key.
I think the metaphor works pretty well for Starship Earth too.
Interesting comparison, thanks for pointing this out.
You are probably thinking of Stargate Universe, BTW, for which the plot is pretty much that: how much should we try to control that which we don't fully understand yet?
Stargate Atlantis has the same tropes to an extent, and some episodes of the earlier SG-1 reflect this as well.
I think the metaphor works pretty well for Starship Earth too.