Stargate Atlantis - General Discussion

[BizBuzz]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

 

BTW - I am your lead mod for this forum, unfortunately I never saw an episode, so I am counting on you to help me here.  I need a snappy title after "All Episodes Talk"...help anyone?

[Julia]

maybe I never see this coming?

[BizBuzz]

Thanks Julia, I got the mods to help me, does that fit?

[TVSpectator]

So, is this the place to disscuss all of the episodes or is this going to be broken down by seasons?

[FormerMod-a1]

It's pretty fluid around here.  You can create topics/threads yourself.  You don't need to wait for a mod.  So if you want some season threads, you can create them.  Same with character threads, or anything else.  So, have fun with it!

[Locutus]

I had a big nitpick with the episode in which they destroyed the Replicators. In previous episodes we have seen ONE Ancient warship take out a hive ship with one salvo of drones. Yet, a fleet of Ancient warships can't seem to handle a smaller group of attacking ships?

[TVSpectator]

On July 8, Sfdebris  (the guy started out doing only Star Trek reviews) will be doing a two part review on SGA's pilot episode and you can watch at:

 

http://sfdebris.com/

 

In my humble opinion, his reviews are very good and are in depth. 

Edited July 5, 2014 by TVSpectator

[technorebel]

I had a big nitpick with the episode in which they destroyed the Replicators. In previous episodes we have seen ONE Ancient warship take out a hive ship with one salvo of drones. Yet, a fleet of Ancient warships can't seem to handle a smaller group of attacking ships?

I loved those Replicators. They looked like Lego creations, and when you'd shoot one, it would fall apart into little Legos.

[Julia]

The SGA replicators were humaniform. Their leader was Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH.

 

Happy fifteen (ten, see below) year anniversary of the Rising, today.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Julia

[TVSpectator]

The SGA replicators were humaniform. Their leader was Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH.

 

Happy fifteen year anniversary of the Rising, today.

 

It's actually the 10th anniversary (Rising aired on July 16, 2004). You just made me feel older than what I should be. 

Edited July 17, 2014 by TVSpectator

[technorebel]

The SGA replicators were humaniform. Their leader was Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH.

 

Happy fifteen (ten, see below) year anniversary of the Rising, today.

 

Aah, you're right.  I'm getting my Stargate shows mixed up.  I've got them all on DVD.  Guess it's time to go back and rewatch.  It's been so long, it'll all be new again.

 

I wonder if there'll ever be a new Stargate series.

[DittyDotDot]

So, I was inspired to re-watch some SG-1 recently and in seeing Atlantis right next to SG-1 on Hulu made me watch a couple episodes from the first season again. I had totally forgotten how much I loved Ford. His enthusiasm is totally endearing to me. I'm kinda enjoying my little trip down memory lane with Stargate! ;)

[ottoDbusdriver]

12 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

I had totally forgotten how much I loved Ford. 

Ford was a really enjoyable character -- and I hated what they did to him after he became addicted to Wraith enzyme.

[TVSpectator]

1 minute ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Ford was a really enjoyable character -- and I hated what they did to him after he became addicted to Wraith enzyme.

Yeah, but I think the issue was the writers trying to figure out the character but couldn't come up with anything. 

[DittyDotDot]

11 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Ford was a really enjoyable character -- and I hated what they did to him after he became addicted to Wraith enzyme.

Actually, I kinda liked the the Wraith enzyme idea, I just wish they hadn't used it to get rid of Ford altogether. It's an interesting juxtaposition of character that could've been nice to explore more. Personally, I never quite understood why they felt like they needed to get rid of Ford in order add another Teyla to the team. I mean, I liked Ronin and all, it's just that Ford provided that innocent quality I felt was missing afterward. It might've been interesting to have Ronin AND Ford on the team. Who said they have to follow the SG-1 rule of teams of four anyway? ;)

Which, is actually my biggest criticism of Atlantis, I just didn't see the need for the show since it was basically SG-1 set in another galaxy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, and am really enjoying re-watching it, but Sheppard was basically O'Neil, Teyla was basically Teal'c and McKay was a sort of mash up of Jackson and Carter and the Wraith were basically the G'ould. More or less, anyway. 

Edited October 4, 2016 by DittyDotDot

[jah1986]

15 hours ago, TVSpectator said:

Yeah, but I think the issue was the writers trying to figure out the character but couldn't come up with anything. 

I thought at the time the issue was that the McKay character changed from who he was originally on SG-1 and the relationship Ford and Sheppard were supposed to have became the relationship between McKay and Sheppard. Ronin wasn't brought in to replace Ford, McKay did that and they just wrote out the actor.  Also, it was mentioned that the actor was becoming difficult and unreliable so the desire to write the character out.

[DittyDotDot]

17 minutes ago, jah1986 said:

I thought at the time the issue was that the McKay character changed from who he was originally on SG-1 and the relationship Ford and Sheppard were supposed to have became the relationship between McKay and Sheppard. Ronin wasn't brought in to replace Ford, McKay did that and they just wrote out the actor.  Also, it was mentioned that the actor was becoming difficult and unreliable so the desire to write the character out.

Oh, that's interesting because I distinctly remember seeing an interview with Brad and Rob stating that the reason they got rid of Ford was because they were looking to recreate that relationship Teal'c and O'Neil had and Ford was too young and a subborinate to make that work properly. Basically, Ford could not hold his own and stand up to Sheppard like Teal'c did.

IMO, McKay's relationship with Sheppard was not all like Ford's relationship with Sheppard, not in the slightest, so that kinda doesn't jive for me. But, there's a lot of things TPTB say, that doesn't actually jive with me, so, it very well could be true.

Also, that's very disappointing to hear Rainbow difficult. It's been a very long time, but I remember listening to the commentaries back in the day and I always had the impression everyone was thrilled with him and loved working with him. But, like I said, it's been a very long time, so my memory of them is weak.

Edited October 4, 2016 by DittyDotDot

[BooksRule]

I recently got all five seasons of the show on DVD fairly cheaply due to a combination of coupons, a gift card and a sale at Barnes & Noble.  I've just started watching them from the beginning.  It's been so long since I've seen any episodes, they are almost like new to me.  As a matter of fact, I think I stopped watching regularly after the beginning of season four, so most of that season and probably all of season five will be totally new.  I'm only up to 'The Storm', but I remembered how much I liked 'Poisoning the Well' (poor Beckett) and am looking forward to another of my favorites, 'Before I sleep'.  I'm also watching the extras on the discs, and so far my favorite is one about the Wraiths.  It was amusing to see them act like 'regular' people (getting excited when the lunch buzzer rang, for example) and to be introduced to some of them (Bob, Steve, Gordon, Daryl and the other Daryl were the ones I remember).  

Edited October 5, 2016 by BooksRule

[TVSpectator]

On 10/4/2016 at 2:55 PM, jah1986 said:

I thought at the time the issue was that the McKay character changed from who he was originally on SG-1 and the relationship Ford and Sheppard were supposed to have became the relationship between McKay and Sheppard. Ronin wasn't brought in to replace Ford, McKay did that and they just wrote out the actor.  Also, it was mentioned that the actor was becoming difficult and unreliable so the desire to write the character out.

 

I do remembering hearing that Rainbow Sun Francks was becoming difficult (and I think it was an ego issue since I also remember that his family's acting history, since he was the son of a  Canadian actor that has/had named recognition, was brought up in the discussion) and that the writers just couldn't figure out what to do with the character, so they basically wrote a story where he runs off and we barely see him. 

Now the question I want to ask is this: what happen between the actress Torri Higginson and why did they replaced Weir (and also why did they recast the role from Higginson to Michelle Morgan in that one episode and not just ask Higginson to come back and play do a small part)?

[kassygreene]

As to the BTS on Torri, I am pretty sure no one ever said anything on the record, and I was never current on the gossip.  However, she herself said she got told she was dropping to occasional guest status only pretty much immediately after she wrapped season 2 (which is kind of insulting - the implication being she wouldn't be professional enough to do her scenes well).  And while she came back twice (once for a twist of a cameo, wearing something yummy in leather and joking that she kept the jacket), and once in an episode where she had quite a lot to do.  The third time we saw Weir they didn't get TH (word was she refused), so they came up with the MacGuffin and hired an actress they had previously had play Fran, the Atlantis-built replicator whose programming was to destroy the rest of her kind and herself.  

[TVSpectator]

Thanks kassygreene for telling that. From what I have heard I always thought that the writers/showrunners threw her out because she was butting heads with them too much. From what I have been hearing it seems that her departure wasn't on the best terms but Higginson never fully said why she left the show and kind of left things hanging. Although, as a viewer IMO, her character departure was kind of a shitty way to go and so was RSF's Ford character as well. At least RSF came back and did a small cameo for a dream sequence in Season 5 but the fact that Higginson never came back felt like she never actually left the show on very good terms.  

Edited October 6, 2016 by TVSpectator
Better choice of words

[John Potts]

I imagine that Tori was following the example of Michael Shanks: even if/when you're getting shafted by the Producers, keep it to yourself if you want to work again (and of course, Michael DID return after a year). Acting is a gig where no job is really secure and until you're so rich/powerful you don't need to work any more, you'd be an idiot to burn any bridges.

I always felt they made a mistake in abandoning the initial premise of the show: they're cut off from Earth. But at the end of Season 1 we get a ship turning up (The Odyssey?) and after that, it seems taking a trip from Earth to Atlantis is like crossing the Atlantic - non trivial, but mundane. If I'd been showrunner (shockingly, nobody asked!) I'd have had Season 1 end with them finding a way to keep in radio contact with Earth and have them send a message that allows the Atlantis crew to McGuyver a solution to the Wraith assault (so you still get the assist from Earth, but it's essentially the Atlantis crew saving themselves). Season 2 could feature them building the McKay-Carter bridge, so now people (but not ships, at least not bigger than a fighter craft) can travel "easily" between Earth and Atlantis (which would also allow for new cast members to show up - and non-fatally remove troublesome actors!). By Season 3, you could start having Inter-Galactic ships showing up, because you've now established Atlantis as their own entity.

[DittyDotDot]

So, I'm almost finished with S1 here and I gotta say I'd forgotten how silly I thought the stunt Wraiths were. I mean the guys with the masks covering their faces who obviously were the muscle and never had any lines. It's been so long since I watched this show, did they ever explain what their function was within Wraith society and why they were so physically different than the talky Wraiths?

Anyway, Before I Sleep was a big surprise to me. I didn't remember it was in the first season and, for some reason, I didn't remember there was a young Weir even in it. I had it in my mind that it was after Weir was gone and they found this old Weir laying dormant in the city as a way to fill one of Tori Higginson's episodes in S3. I love surprises!! ;)

The episode I've, so far, found the most surprising, though, was Childhood's End. For some reason I remember it as one of their "goofy" first season episodes. By goofy I mean, tonally off, sometimes preachy and just not quite all the way there as many first season episodes can be. But, it kinda struck a different chord with me this time and found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. Weird how that can happen. 

It's interesting re-watching S1 of this show while re-watching S1 of SG-1. They both had their growing pains, but SG-1 had a lot more of the goofy episodes I just had to snicker my way through. Times, they sure did a lot of changin'. ;)

On 10/5/2016 at 6:41 PM, BooksRule said:

I'm only up to 'The Storm', but I remembered how much I liked 'Poisoning the Well' (poor Beckett) and am looking forward to another of my favorites, 'Before I sleep'.  

I really enjoyed Poisoning the Well again, too. They managed to find that line between being preachy and yet still talking about a big-picture topic quite nicely. In general, Beckett has really jumped out to me more than I remember him doing so when I watched the show originally. He and Ford both are making me kinda sad knowing what happens to both of them later. 

On 10/5/2016 at 6:54 PM, TVSpectator said:

Now the question I want to ask is this: what happen between the actress Torri Higginson and why did they replaced Weir (and also why did they recast the role from Higginson to Michelle Morgan in that one episode and not just ask Higginson to come back and play do a small part)?

I was actually wondering why they changed the actress from Jessica Steen who played Weir on SG-1? I always assumed the actress wasn't available for Atlantis, but now you got me wondering if there were some behind-the-scenes shenanigans on that too?

2 hours ago, John Potts said:

I always felt they made a mistake in abandoning the initial premise of the show: they're cut off from Earth. But at the end of Season 1 we get a ship turning up (The Odyssey?) and after that, it seems taking a trip from Earth to Atlantis is like crossing the Atlantic - non trivial, but mundane. If I'd been showrunner (shockingly, nobody asked!) I'd have had Season 1 end with them finding a way to keep in radio contact with Earth and have them send a message that allows the Atlantis crew to McGuyver a solution to the Wraith assault (so you still get the assist from Earth, but it's essentially the Atlantis crew saving themselves). Season 2 could feature them building the McKay-Carter bridge, so now people (but not ships, at least not bigger than a fighter craft) can travel "easily" between Earth and Atlantis (which would also allow for new cast members to show up - and non-fatally remove troublesome actors!). By Season 3, you could start having Inter-Galactic ships showing up, because you've now established Atlantis as their own entity.

I totally am feeling this as I approach the finale. It really was a big ole dues ex machina in the end, wasn't it?

[FormerMod-a1]

I am not rewatching this right now, but I do remember thinking they made getting back and forth to Earth too easy too soon.  It didn't keep me from watching, but I shook my head at it.

[DittyDotDot]

I've made it to mid-S2 on both SG-1 and Atlantis. I had totally forgotten about Major Lorne. I love him! He was so funny with McKay on that planet where McKay was wearing the radiation suit while they were looking for Ford. And, I had a hearty chuckle at his line to Weir about how she worries...er, um...how "we" worry. Very cute!

Oh, and even though I'm not super fond of the role the Daedalus plays in all this, Hermes cracks me the hell up. I had totally forgotten about him, too.

Stand-out episodes this go-around: 

• Trinity-Another one I remembered being much later in the series for some reason. It snuck up on me and surprised me in a very good way. I really appreciated how they grounded the episode with McKay but still learned something valuable about the universe and the Ancients. The trust Sheppard placed in McKay here was really fascinating to watch. 
• Aurora was one I have one I have very clear memories of and it didn't disappoint this time around either. McKay really seemed to be trying to win back some of that trust from Sheppard he lost in Trinity. Nice to know the Wraith have a vulnerability. BTW, did we ever learn what that vulnerability actually is?
• Also enjoyed Bad Boys and The Hive quite a bit. Even though I think it was pretty damn good time-management skills on Ford's part to be able to bring these guys together, and have done all the stuff they were supposed have done in just a couple months...whatever, he's super Ford, he can do it, right? Anyway, back to the episodes themselves. Really fascinating how Ford can watch all the changes in these people, but not see there's a problem with them either. I loved Ford and Sheppard's "You didn't believe the blah, blah, blah, speech." They obviously did believe the speeches, but posturing is necessary sometimes. McKay is the one who really cracked me up, though. "What is this, some Abbott and Costello routine?" HA! Well played, Mr. Hewitt. Well played. And, the whole knife exchange, "One for them to find, one to keep" was super-funny too. I think these are the episodes that proved to me Ford could've stayed on the show but only saw him once or twice a year. It might've been interesting to watch his progression. Ah well, it was not to be.

[DittyDotDot]

So, I caught a few more episodes and it really struck me that my memory is really spotty with this show. I had totally forgotten about Caldwell being a Goua'ld for a hot minute and, for some reason, I was under the impression the Micheal stuff was much later in the series. I know it goes on, but I thought we met met Todd long before we met Michael. Which reminds me, Sheppard's knack for naming Wraiths simple little names is rather funny to me.

Anyway, I remember really liking Micheal the first time around, but this time all I could see was all the things wrong with it. Like, they brought a Wraith back to Atlantis to experiment on instead of taking him somewhere out of the way? Seriously felt like they shoulda seen their cover getting blown coming a mile away. And then, all the lying, as though that wasn't going to come back and bite them in the ass? I will say, I did think they presented the discussion of whether they had the right to even do this well, even if the plot had to be unnecessarily convoluted to have that discussion. 

Backing up an episode, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Coup D'etat. Colm Meaney is just fantastic--I laughed ever so hard at his, "Oh dear, how will I ever live with myself?" And I'd forgotten Ryan Robbins had a recurring role on the show. Love that! ;)

Edited October 21, 2016 by DittyDotDot

[HunterHunted]

I've been re-watching this show, which I have almost no memory of from the first time around. It's astounding how much McKay is a stand-in for the show runners. I can't figure out how he was the character who had the multi episode romantic plots. He's just so obnoxious. I also hate his overnight romantic pairing with Dr. Keller. Two shared almost no scenes with each, but are suddenly in love. It was some weak sauce storytelling.

They did connect Atlantis far too soon to Earth.

I missed Weir in later seasons especially because she was the one character who seemed most in touch with the ancients and ascension. We got lip service from Teyla, random pegasus galaxy humans, and replicators. But it always felt like Weir incorporated that spiritual part into the mission of the Atlantis expedition.

[John Potts]

On ‎21‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 6:26 PM, DittyDotDot said:

Backing up an episode, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Coup D'etat. Colm Meaney is just fantastic--I laughed ever so hard at his, "Oh dear, how will I ever live with myself?" And I'd forgotten Ryan Robbins had a recurring role on the show. Love that! ;)

I just saw the first meeting with the Genii - I think they were one of the better villain races. They actually had a good reason to be pissed with the Atlantis crew, as they actually had a plan to dal with the Wraith (it probably wouldn't have worked, admittedly) and our heroes messed it up. I always like villains that you can understand where they're coming from and whose tech level was within shouting distance of our heroes, making them a decent challenge.

[DittyDotDot]

12 minutes ago, John Potts said:

I just saw the first meeting with the Genii - I think they were one of the better villain races. They actually had a good reason to be pissed with the Atlantis crew, as they actually had a plan to dal with the Wraith (it probably wouldn't have worked, admittedly) and our heroes messed it up. I always like villains that you can understand where they're coming from and whose tech level was within shouting distance of our heroes, making them a decent challenge.

Oh yeah, from the Genii perspective the Atlantis group messed everything up and they were good foils for the team. Even though I know the Genii plan wouldn't have worked--taking out one or two Wraith ships wasn't an effective strategy, since we know there were gobs more where those came from--I could totally understand why they wouldn't have seen it that way. 

[Bunty]

On 10/14/2016 at 5:45 PM, DittyDotDot said:

I've made it to mid-S2 on both SG-1 and Atlantis. I had totally forgotten about Major Lorne. I love him! He was so funny with McKay on that planet where McKay was wearing the radiation suit while they were looking for Ford. And, I had a hearty chuckle at his line to Weir about how she worries...er, um...how "we" worry. Very cute!

If you are a Lorne fan, I think you would love this fanfiction.  It is well-written, everyone is in character and the story is unique and compelling. I've reread it a couple of times already.

Whipping Boy

skinscript (Infie)

Summary:

While on an easy mission to an ally, the Atlantis gate teams disappear without a trace. Eight months later, Lorne returns to Atlantis with two injured team members, a counterfeit McKay, and no explanations.

This is a story of friendship, hardship, faith, and determination in the face of incredible odds.

Hard sci-fi with violence. No woobifications, no sexual situations.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/850048

[TVSpectator]

On 3/3/2017 at 6:19 PM, DittyDotDot said:

Oh yeah, from the Genii perspective the Atlantis group messed everything up and they were good foils for the team. Even though I know the Genii plan wouldn't have worked--taking out one or two Wraith ships wasn't an effective strategy, since we know there were gobs more where those came from--I could totally understand why they wouldn't have seen it that way. 

 

 

 

 

On 3/3/2017 at 6:01 PM, John Potts said:

I just saw the first meeting with the Genii - I think they were one of the better villain races. They actually had a good reason to be pissed with the Atlantis crew, as they actually had a plan to dal with the Wraith (it probably wouldn't have worked, admittedly) and our heroes messed it up. I always like villains that you can understand where they're coming from and whose tech level was within shouting distance of our heroes, making them a decent challenge.

 

 

 

Yeah, I really do agree that the Genii were a good villain for this show. Sure, they had the Wraith as their main villains but it was nice that they added another villain, and also one where you can understand why they would be so pissed at the Atlantis crew (because they totally messed up their plans and also caused so major death).  

 

Plus, you can also understand that the Genii vs. The Atlantis Crew were also in a power struggle between the other human factions within the Pegasus Galaxy. Which is kind of relatable because that seems to happen in real life with nations will struggle amongst each other for power and influence, etc...

Edited March 12, 2017 by TVSpectator

[John Potts]

Just got through The Siege and I've gotta ask - did the military (big supporters of Stargate - they've had the real Head of the USAF on screen!) really want to portray the new military leader as such an idiot? OK, establishing his authority was one thing, but he was ridiculously overconfident and ended up coming a cropper as a result. Cutting everyone (except Shepherd) out of the loop had to be the most boneheaded thing he could do - don't they say that the two things you can never have enough of are information and time? - and he just pissed away the first of those. Didn't he notice that the (far more advanced) Ancients had failed to withstand a siege from the same enemy? I get that our heroes are going to be the ones to save the day because... they are our heroes, but they didn't need to make the new guy such a complete idiot. Still, nice to see Dr Weir showing political savvy in dealing with the IOA (and I do like Woolsey as a bureaucrat who is an antagonist, but a well intentioned one), since she does have experience in that field.

It also struck me that as this is the last of Rainbow Sun Franks (I think I've got his name right) as a regular, if they couldn't have given him the "Michael" storyline. Obviously it would play out slightly differently (he's not a Wraith that became part human, but a human that became part Wraith) but it would have meant he at least kept a recurring role on the show instead of the single (I think) episode he got.

[DittyDotDot]

19 minutes ago, John Potts said:

It also struck me that as this is the last of Rainbow Sun Franks (I think I've got his name right) as a regular, if they couldn't have given him the "Michael" storyline. Obviously it would play out slightly differently (he's not a Wraith that became part human, but a human that became part Wraith) but it would have meant he at least kept a recurring role on the show instead of the single (I think) episode he got.

Ford returns, I think, four or five times. Off the top of my head, he's in: 

Spoiler

• The Seige Part III--the S2 premiere when he goes runs off
• Runner when they find Ronin
• The two-part episodes, The Lost Boys and The Hive where ensyme hopped-up Ford kidnaps the team and forces them to help him try and capture a hive ship
• And then there's the episode late in the series where Shepard and Ronin get trapped after and explosion and Shepard hallucinates Ford.

I loved Ford, but it sounds like Rainbow was a problematic actor. Which is always disappointing.

Edited March 23, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[kassygreene]

That commander, Everett, was a Marine, not Air Force.  He is the military variation of that new boss who comes in to improve the living hell out of an organization which is already working or at least doing the best it can possibly do, and tramples over everything to put his theories and toys in play.  Everett brought rail guns and orbital nuclear mines {which were defeated by the Wraith throwing rocks) and what was probably the general attitude back on Earth about Sheppard fragging his CO.  Ellis brought the Big Nukes to destroy the Replicator homeworld in one strike (short term seemed to work, long term succeeded in pissing the Replis off); and back-tracking to SG1, Bauer replaced Hammond and deployed a planet-killer through the Stargate, left the gate open, and after it detonated the gate wouldn't close (fortunately it timed out) - he was fabulously arrogant until that happened, and then kept muttering "they said it would work".

New brooms suck. 

Two different Air Force Chiefs of Staff have appeared, as themselves: Michael E. Ryan and his successor John P. Jumper.

[John Potts]

Just caught The Return (pt 1) - I have to say, I really liked the portrayal of Elizabeth's depression, as it seemed so true to life - the cutting herself off from others, staying in, not tidying up (though I wish people on TV wouldn't go "This place is a tip - I've left my sweater on the sofa!" - show me piles of clothes left lying around). And good to see Dr Beckett recognising the symptoms and actually getting her out. And realistically, it makes sense - she used to be one of the most important people in the Galaxy, now she's a nobody who has nobody (and can't even tell anybody what she did), so a depressive spiral is completely understandable.

[John Potts]

Making my way through Season 2 and I'm definitely noticing two of the ongoing plot threads that I really like: the development of the Iratus Bug/Wraith Origins/Retro-virus and the characterisation of Colonel Caldwell (Mitch Pileggi - best known as Deputy Director Skinner from The X-Files). With the retro virus, while we see Dr Beckett discovering a cure unbelievably quickly (from first discovering the Iratus bug to a complete de-Wraith-ifying treatment takes about a year - if only diseases could be cured like that IRL!), at least we do see that it involves a full team and considerable trial and error (and except in the case of Col Shepherd, it's a failure as a cure - in fact, it helps create their greatest enemy - and its "best" use is as a bioweapon in inter-wraith conflicts).

Col Caldwell I liked because (unlike the Marine Colonel from The Siege) he was a military figure who, while sometimes antagonistic to Dr Weir, you always had the feeling that his objections were reasonable disagreement and not about dick waving. It did seem believable that it was she and NOT Shepherd that had most trouble with any superior officer threatening to alter the military forces on Atlantis - as career military, Shepherd would be used to deferring to superiors, but Dr Weir is more a bureaucrat so less comfortable with change (particularly when they think they know better how to run Atlantis).

[John Potts]

Continuing my rewatch into Season 4 - I'd forgotten how big players the Replicators (Asurans) were in Atlantis, even if their final (I think?) episode Be All My Sins Remembered felt rather rushed (our heroes gather an armada, McKay builds his own "good" Replicator, they go to attack the Replicators, have a space battle and there's even a secret attack on the planet itself - which oddly seems to have no Replicators on it - and it all happens in one episode!). But of course, we had to have the idiotic military plan - "Let's launch an ineffectual attack on the Replicator home world even though we know they'll recover from it, because that can't possibly cause any long term problems!"

OTOH, I did appreciate the way the Wraith developed personalities of their own: not just the named ones like Michael and Todd, but the unnamed ones like the one that Wraith who abducted Rodney & Ronin with the intent of getting to Earth. Nice to see evolving tactics too - did love the way the machine intelligence of the Replicators hit on the "obvious" solution of defeating the Wraith by wiping out their "food source" (a dropped plotline from SG-1 with the Ri'too).

Also liked Dr Weir dealing with the IOA, where we're reminded that she is meant to be a skilful political player. I have to admit, her "back me or sack me" speech was more effective I've seen: "Either the Wraith show up and start killing everyone or my people will succeed in stopping them - in which case I expect to keep my job!" Sad when she died (well... mostly), even though I did like seeing Sam Carter again.

[ae2]

Just caught a first season episode for the first time in probably 10 years. I couldn't for the life of me remember who Ford was, and I kept wondering what Ronin was doing this episode. Completely forgot that he didn't show up until season 2.

For some reason I never warmed to most of the cast like I did SG1. I like Sheppard a lot, Ronin is fun, the rest are just okay. Maybe it's time for a rewatch to see if any of them resonate more with me 10 years older. 

[John Potts]

You know, Michael has to be the most inspirational leader/mind control expert of all time, given how he manages to mobilise whole armies of Wraith to attack Atlantis (and at least in The Last Man timeline, the rest of the Galaxy, too). And although I'm not a fan of the "Pregnant woman must give birth at the most inconvenient time (with the most hopeless man as midwife)" Trope, it was about as well handled as it ever is (loved Ronin carrying her around, because I don't care how Badass she was - she'd just pushed a human out of her Hoo-ha and was probably not up for running around).

I've always liked Robert Wolsey - even when he was an antagonist to SG-1, you never felt he was anything but sincere - so he was a good choice to succeed Sam as Commander (even if the IOA seems to consider political pliability as more important than effectiveness in those running Atlantis - though that's one of the more realistic intrusions of politics on TV!). And on the subject of The Last Man, I'm trying to remember how long Lorne had been around (OK, Google as ever has the answer: he first shows up at the start of S2 - he's also there to boost the number of Canadian actors - born in Edmonton, Alberta), so it was nice that they chose him to run the SGC while everyone else died heroically.

[John Potts]

So Teyla's Wraith DNA enables her to become a Wraith Queen, without harming her baby? That's quite some genetic tinkering. And somehow this enhances her psychic abilities? That sounds implausible, even in a universe with insect/human hybrids, faster than light travel and secret US government projects that involve them in Galactic policies!

Glad it was Teyla who got to finish off Michael. She did have the greatest personal reason to want him dead and while she didn't do it unaided, she was the one that ultimately put him down. Slightly surprised we don't get to see Michael's body impaled on a spike, just so we know he was really dead - or possibly, a pan to the spot where Michael fell with no body, so we knew he might return.

So there are evil Asgard other than Loki? I guess that figures. The snark off between Daniel and Rodney was priceless, as was Rodney's cringing at the empty suits. And I liked that they remembered that Todd, despite helping the SGA, is still a Wraith and doesn't have a problem with betraying them (though I don't think he killed any of them, so leaving his options open). Still, it took just about every ally the SGA had to fix the problem.

I guess they didn't have much notice of cancellation, as the last episode seems terribly rushed (rather like the defeat of the Replicators). Nice continuity with the way the Wraith, while they did help out with the attack on the Replicators, did take the opportunity to power themselves up. And we got to see Todd again, which is always good. I did find it slightly annoying that, even when you're about to be cancelled, Status Quo is still God and Ronin can't actually die. Also, good continuity with Shepherd being prepared to sacrifice himself (even if he ultimately didn't have to) by manually detonating the nuke. And I guess they were still trying to act like the whole Stargate project is still a secret despite another space battle taking place in the Earth's atmosphere AND a city sized space ship landing off the coast of America. Just how oblivious are ordinary humans meant to be?

[TVSpectator]

On 7/18/2017 at 4:18 PM, John Potts said:

So Teyla's Wraith DNA enables her to become a Wraith Queen, without harming her baby? That's quite some genetic tinkering. And somehow this enhances her psychic abilities? That sounds implausible, even in a universe with insect/human hybrids, faster than light travel and secret US government projects that involve them in Galactic policies!

 

Well, isn't her Wraith DNA a result of one of her ancestors being a human guinea pig to the Wraith or something? So, it's like thousands of years (at the latest) and surely her ancestors would have to be able to have kids to just get to Teyla?

[John Potts]

1 hour ago, TVSpectator said:

Well, isn't her Wraith DNA a result of one of her ancestors being a human guinea pig to the Wraith or something?

I wasn't so much that, it was the fact that the story had her DNA radically rewritten, yet her human (well, 99% human) baby was just fine. You'd think radically rewriting a mother's DNA would cause it to reject the baby. I guess Michael's tinkering caused it to be able to cope?

[CooperTV]

On 21.07.2017 at 8:59 AM, John Potts said:

I wasn't so much that, it was the fact that the story had her DNA radically rewritten, yet her human (well, 99% human) baby was just fine. You'd think radically rewriting a mother's DNA would cause it to reject the baby.

I think maybe there's timeline confusion? Teyla is a descendant of the people who were experimented on by the Wraith thousands years ago (that's why she can sense them and control their ships with her Wraith-gene). She was turned into the Wraith Queen because she always had the Wraith DNA. But she already had had her baby before that procedure.

[John Potts]

1 hour ago, CooperTV said:

She was turned into the Wraith Queen because she always had the Wraith DNA. But she already had had her baby before that procedure.

My mistake: I was thinking of Spoils of War, where Teyla manages to defeat a Wraith Queen in psychic combat thanks to her pregnancy, but you're right, it wasn't until The Queen that she was "Wraithed up", which is after she'd given birth.

[Linderhill]

I had to go in search of this thread because I had to comment on this series.  When I saw SG: Atlantis listed on Prime I decided to give it another try.  I remember watching it a few times back when it started on SciFi and deciding that I could not stand the character of Rodney.  This rewatch has definitely reinforced my opinion of the character.  The man is such an egotistical, self centered prat I've found myself yelling at the screen telling him to shut up.  I don't find him endearing or appealing in the least.  I don't understand the character's popularity.  Back when the series was still being produced, the few times I caught and episode, I remember feeling the same way.

[Enero]

I could never get into the show due to the team’s mentality of Western Imperalist during colonization. Huge turn off for me, and as a result I couldn’t root for any of the characters or their cause. I recall watching the first few episodes of season one, before happily moving on. 

[Idiotboy]

I'm off to Gateway, the 20th anniversary Stargate con in Chicago. Alas, I can only attend on the *de facto* Atlantis day -- Torri Higginson, Joe Flanigan, Rainbow Sun Francks, etc. -- but will report any newsworthy revelations, especially as the speakers will include two actors (Higginson and Francks) given unceremonious exits from the show. Brad Wright spent five years tweaking the formula for that show when he should have left well enough alone, IMO ... but then we'd never have had Major Lorne (who M&M almost killed off, before sanity prevailed. The fan backlash would have been volcanic).

[Idiotboy]

No great revelations at Gateway, which strove to be upbeat. Joe Flanigan seemed rather sheepish about his General Hospital gig and Paul McGillion was a total sweetheart. He auctioned off various personal Atlantis souvenirs in character as Carson Beckett. Of the fierce bidding for a "Sunday" script, he said, "You guys really want to see Beckett dead ... morbid buggers."

[FormerMod-a1]

I've been catching some eps on the El Ray network and my crush on Joe Flanigan has resurfaced full force.  ❤️ 

[Idiotboy]

And a well-chosen crush it is, Aquarian1. I've just started my own Great Rewatch and have noticed that in Rising and Hide and Seek, Dr. Weir treats the Athenians with more than a whiff of imperial condescension. I wonder if that was Brad Wright's concept or Terri Higginson's personal spin (she's quite liberal IRL). It makes quite a contrast to Shep's warm acceptance of Teyla, Athosian Jesus and the gang.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Idiotboy