Well, SG-1's prepping for it's eighth season, MGM and Sci-Fi's building on the show's success with a new series, and we need a topic to discuss it. So here's a brief FAQ to start us off.
When's it start?
This spin-off of Stargate SG-1 premieres with a two-hour episode at 9PM EST on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 16th, one week after SG-1's Season 8 premiere.
What's the story?
So, when they go and discover this new galaxy, do they get stuck there, or do they come and go like the regular Stargate team does?
I take it Jack O'Neill also possesses the special gene?
It sounds intriguing, though it will probably be a while before it airs here (UK).
From what I know, they generally won't be based out of the SGC, but I'm not one hundred percent certain.
I heard that they'll be based entirely off Earth. The other Stargate is in an alternate dimension? Something like that. I'm looking forward to it.
The impression I got from what's already been mentioned in publicity is that they end up stuck in a whole new galaxy and can't get home. That would tie in with the idea that the Stargate isn't normally set up for inter-galactic travel.
I saw a preview for Atlantis while I was watching Mad, Mad House, and it gave the impression that the team going to Atlantis may not be coming back to Earth for a while.
I've been anticipating SG:A for a while now, and I've been keeping up to date on all the latest news. But so far, there has already been one major disappointment. I was hoping that the new alien menace would be a type of CGI alien, like the Re'Tou (sp.?) were in that one SG-1 episode who's name escapes me. But then in the commercial they have this very human looking blue-skinned alien doing some kind of hiss/scream. I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I saw it, but then I got kind of bummed when I realized my hopes of a truly alien looking alien weren't going to be fullfilled.
Oh dear, that's what I feared. One of the things I most like about Stargate is how they come home in between missions and it's more like a job.
I don't think its supposed to be "Stargate Voyager". My impression is that the Atlantis team is just another off-world research team (a la the Alpha and Beta sites), albeit a lot further away.
Plus, it requires additional power sources to travel across galaxies via the 'gate, so its probably more cost-effective to just send a large team there on a long-term basis, than to have them come and go.
So I've seen the sci-fi channel promo where they are all assembled in what looks like SG-1's gateroom. Is that RDA and MS in the command room? I didn't bother taping it, but it sure looks like it could be them.
RDA and MS are in the first episode (which is two hours, I think).
And I don't think Sam or Siler was ever able to back engineer the little Fifth Race gizmo, so I don't think they have a locker full. I must admit, I like the idea of having to go get one out of the supply closet. *g*
Very interested in this - funnily enough, so is my dad, so hopefully we'll both have something to watch now that Enterprise has been made more boring than getting a root canal.
Really? I think ENT has gotten a lot better this season.
Anyway, I'm hoping that this is good. I loved SG-1 almost from the start, but I think it lost its way a bit. Maybe this new series will have some of that same original creative energy.
I was watching SCIFI last night with a big snake vs. big snake movie and saw David Hewlett in it. Of course they plugged his new series and from the previews it didn't seem that great. The blue alien looks interesting but that's about it. The earlier preview where it shows going underwater and finding a stargate was better at catching attention.
I saw that preview, too and I was wondering, WTF? Sadly enough, there is nothing about this show that compells me to watch it so far...not even the Janeway-like commander. I'll watch the first episode. Let's hope the show can keep my attention...
Stargate: Voyager? Oh dear, I watched voyager until I could stand it no more - partway through the first season. I hope I don't have to give up on this as well, it sounds...erm...boring. I think they should have a bit more than just two hours of crossover to get you used to this stargate team. Especially since they changed one of the actresses. How long do things take to get cancelled on sci-fi then?
I wonder why Jessica Steen was replaced? You'd think the show would benefit from having a lead cast member that already has a modest sci fi following (thanks to Earth 2 and Armaggedon) more than gambling on a cast of unknowns.
I don't think anyone knows, even her (allegedly). There's some talk on Gateworld that she was too young looking. I personally liked her, even though I've never seen her in anything else. I get the feeling that other woman is going to irritate me, no idea why just a feeling I get. They really should have had a name to hold this show because it is always going to be compared to Stargate: SG1 and spinoffs/sequals always have problems.
All I have to say is . . . "SeaQuest2032."
As to the "Star Trek" vibes . . . I was talking to a cashier at Wal-Mart and he pointed out that the uniforms for Atlantis looks a little too much like US Air Force meets "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Which is, in itself, scary and wrong.
I'm going to watch the premiere for RDA and Michael Shanks. 'Cause other than the snippets of Daniel and Jack, so far the previews haven't really been doing anything for me.
Hey STV got better AFTER it's first season so I'm not rushing to judgement. This may be unfair of me however, since I didn't give Enterprise much of a chance and got bored with it right from the start. I think I'm just desperate for any genre show to get on as I am still suffering from Xena/Buffy/Angel withdrawal and fear I may never find anything to fill the void.
I'm sure Jessica Steen would thank you for the young comment -- she's 40 next year. I first saw her way back on Homefront over a decade ago and have followed her since then. I'd have liked to see her part of the franchise.
Her official site (http://www.jessicasteen.com) used to take Qs (not sure why that page is still up), but her news page doesn't mention SG:A at all, just the SG-1 episodes. Seems she had a recurring role on JAG this season, too, so maybe that stretched to next season or she just didn't want to be committed to a project that might go five years while she's still being offered fairly regular work elsewhere...
From TVGuide, on line edition, the idiot's riff on the premiere:
The ubiquitous Stargate SG-1 franchise is about to learn if it has Star Trek's ability to launch spin-offs. The two-hour premiere of Sci Fi's Stargate Atlantis (July 16, 9 pm/ET) gets off to a promising, rousing start, introducing a likably sardonic new hero in Maj. John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan). His ability to channel the technology of the Ancients makes him a natural to join a team on a one-way mission to the Ancients' legendary lost city. There they encounter the ravenous Wraith, who see Atlantis as a "feeding ground." I bet the pairing of Atlantis with the original Stargate will satisfy fans' appetites.
Isn't it supposed to start on July 9th??
Tonight on SciFi:
Nope. SG-1 is this Friday (July 9), and Atlantis starts next week (July 16).
This may be really shallow, but I think the new look of the Stargate in Atlantis is really awesome.
I was very impressed with the look of the set and the effects shots, too. I like that they're doing something really different with the CG so that it really does look like a different show. The Lowdown was a hoot.
Am I the only one who noticed that the wraith look like Marilyn Manson? They were even playing Marilyn Manson-type music when they were showing the images of them.
I also like the look of the sets, and the new galaxy design. It's quite beautiful. I am a little disappointed w/ the aliens. The kick ass ones look like every other badass--large with body armor. The ships look more alien than the aliens.
Additionally, I think the main cast looks a little bland. SG: BlAhtlantis.
But seeing how there's jack on...
I gotta say that I'm much more optimistic about it after seeing the Lowdown. But yeah, after the premier all bets are off. My optimism could just be extreme excitement for SG-1 instead.
I loved that that Rainbow guy got hired from an internet audition. Is it still up anywhere?
I'm going to stay optimistic about the show and at least try out the first few episodes. Usually it takes a series time to find its own groove, and not to mention that it is in the shadow of a popular parent show. So I think that it might actually work, and besides, compared to stuff out there like Andromeda, I am more than willing to suffer through a few bland characters. And Andromeda use to be one of my favorite scifi shows.
Thanks for the clarification on the schedule, Aatrek.
And if I remember correctly, SG:A will be on 3 days later on Movie Central, after the US debut.
I just realized that Robert Patrick, my favorite Agent Doggett, is in the commercial for SGA and will be in the two-hour premeire. Now, I will definitely watch it. But why, oh why, couldn't he have been a regular?
After watching the hour-long commercial... er, "lowdown", the Mr. and I have dubbed the new bad guys "Space Goths". It would kind be a hoot if they hung out in old churches turned into nightclubs, and were depressed and overly dramatic all the time. I'm not that looking forward to it, but as someone else said, there's not much else on... We even tried to watch Andromeda, but I gave up at the "universe is alive with death" line. Which was in the first episode I saw. Also, the Mystical Elf Chick totally bugged me.
ETA: sometimes it takes me a while to notice typos.
I am really looking forward to the new SG-1 and the start of SG:A. However, when I saw the lowdown, I wondered if the SG:A producers were hoping to attract the crowd that likes vampire mythology (such as the Jossverse) Yeah, yeah I know they're calling the new bad guys "wraiths" but they do seem sort of vampire-y what with all the feeding off others and their general look.
I never watched the original series, mainly because I didn't get cable until season 3, and I hate coming to shows too late in their run to feel caught up.
But I'll check out Atlantis, because I love Atlantis, and I just might get caught up in what's going on. No promises though. Big Brother's been addicting this season, and it's only the first week. I can watch only so much.
Can anyone help a Canadian viewer out? I've been checking around to see if any Canadian stations (Space, Global etc.) are carrying Atlantis and so far there is no sign of it. Does anyone here know if it will be on in Canada, and if so, where and when? Thanks.
Whoever said Stargate: Voyager. I totally think you're right. Apparently we meet a nice little Kes type right off the bat.
I've got to say that this show worries me a bit. I approve of all the male choices: The smartass scientist, the loose cannon top-gunnish Jack clone, the young wide-eyed security guy - these three appeal. They're just yummy.
But the two woman feel like the wrong choices. Dr. Weir has a permenant bitch-face expression that made me want to slap her. Plus she's waaay too skinny, especially when compared to our healthy gunslinging Samantha. Perhaps Amanda Tapping has a clause in her contract that said no other female lead could be as attractive as her?
I had high hopes for Dr.Weir when she was Jessica Steen, because I remember her as doing a good job on Earth 2. I don't hold the same hope for this version.
Another issue: the alien chick - Her hair just bugs. It's either a wig or a bad weave, but it just bugs. In 20 years we'll look back on her hair style and snicker, the same way we do when we watch old Star Trek episodes with warrior women with pink bouffants. She reminds me of Tracy Bingham from the Surreal life, and that's Not Good.
Awful to say, but I think these two character could sink this show.
I hate thinkin' about the sinkin' before the show actually airs. (Anybody know if SciFi's given them a sure number of episodes or seasons to find themselves?)
I'm with you on the alpha-males. Weir? I'm going to wait and see. She grew on me over the SG-1 2 hour premiere. And ok, she's whateverthinner than Samantha, and she didn't throw quite the 'you...kill me' look at Jack at the end of their scene that AT threw at I-Can-Do-Anything?GeneralJack, but she's got her own JackClone to practice on. (Sorry for any bad crossover etiquette.)
The buggin' hair? For me, the pink bouffants are part of the ST legend - I love the snicker. And the snark.
Thanks, Harmony. That's the last channel I would have thought to check. Now I'm happy I subscribe.
Glad to help.
I'm soooo glad I got digital cable a few months back.
Now only if Movie Central Adrenaline Drive would show the newer episodes of SG1. Space already shows them every weekday!
well i cant wait till the premire of SG:A because SG rocks and i think that SG:A will be good but it dose have to live up to some big standars i mean come on how could you beat Stargate. But i must say that i think that Major John Sheppard has something to offer am i right?
Okay...tonight's the night...it's gonna be alight...'cause I love you...
oops...okay...no channeling Rod Stewart....
Anyway, tonight's the night. This show is gonna either sink or swim. Jack and Daniel are likely to make 30-second appearances, but the show has got to hold it's own, and so far, none of the characters are appealing...
We haven't seen any of them, other than Weir, for long enough to know if they're appealing. I have high hopes for Rainbow Francks if only because I find his father (Walter from La Femme Nikita) so cute.
Ha. Small world. Thanks for that. And he kept the name. Rainbow, that is.
Yeah, okay. So, that was awesome!
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After the first half an hour, I almost forgot that Daniel / Jack were ever on-screen. The cast works well enough without them... I'm still not feelin' Torri Higginson, though.
I like the theme music. I can't wait to see it in the opening credits next week.
I love how huge the Atlantis set is.
The New Gate:
Awesome dialing sequence, awesome wormhole effects, and me likey blue chevrons.
The Rising City:
Possibly the coolest CGI I've seen on television in a long, long time.
Robert Patrick! Nooooooo!!!
Those 'champagne' mugs were so totally empty.
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Will I be back next week? Hell, yes.
Thought I wasn't going to like it. I didn't. I lurved it!
Favorite line? Don't know the characters yet, so 1st guy, and 2nd guy.....
1st guy - "You've got to get out more"
2nd guy - (in best Scottish accent since Scotty)
"We're in a whole other galaxy. How much more out can you get?"
Maj. John Shephard = very Han Solo vibe, in the cockpit of that Puddlejumper. Yum!
Was totally surprised that so many went through the gate. My impression was that only a small team went through, from the previews. So they have lots of folks to play with now. Probably a good thing, with the appetite of the wraiths.
And next week, we get SG1 and SGA back to back.
Well, speaking as someone who didn't watch the first series and has only seen the movie, I liked this a lot. Most of the characters were tolerable, the CGI was good, and the plot didn't have me reaching for the remote. It's timeslot, on the other hand, might prevent me from watching it. If it wasn't for that damn Friday night timeslot, I would so totally be back next week.
ok...someone please tell me I'm not going crazy; was the guy Weir left the video for the same guy who played Narim on SG:1????
Did anybody else notice that the Ancient Hologram Woman was the same person that the Antarctic archaeology team found buried in the ice back in SG-1's sixth season?
Best part of the show so far: At least the Scottish guy had the Scottish flag on his uniform, that was fantastic!
Actually I really like the show, it has potential and the Wraith and suitably weird and nasty. It'll be interesting to see how/if they can show that they're a different show from SG-1 in the upcoming episodes.
"Space Goths" is good, and I'm glad I'm not the only one looking for those catfish whiskers!
I really liked the premiere. I would have loved it except that I still don't like Dr. Weir.
I thought it was the same guy who played Narim too. So funny.
My only two issues so far are that Major Shepard seems woefully ignorant of both tactics and strategy for a senior officer, and I really wish they hadn't named the Scottish guy "Dr. Beckett." I kept looking around for the Quantum Leap accelerator.
The Wraith do look like catfish.
And is it just me, or was Lt. Ford very touchy/feely?
Great effects. Good characterizations. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays.
And as a huge Daniel fan, I was so glad that they showed how much he wanted to go with them.
McKay is beginning to grow on me. Eanja, who watched it with me, referred to Weir as "Sigourney Weaver light" which does sum her up. I hope that we'll see more to her than that.
Tela didn't bother me. It will be interesting to see more of the facility and more of the series, but I'm really looking forward to it. Three hours ago, I wasn't certain that I would be.
That was thoroughly enjoyable. And quite promising.
Shepard's got the don't-care-about-my-hair, devil-may-care hero thing down. We likey him. As someone said, just enough Jackjuice, but clearly not a clone.
The effects were impressive. The writing was crisp - and cute where it had to be.
The bad guys? They're bad. (We'll be waiting for the payoff on 'the wraith can make you see things that aren't there.')
Those secondary and tertiary characters look good.
Sorry, Colonel Doggett, we hardly knew ye.
The champagne. That was a nice touch.
Hey, I like Dr. Weir. And I think Torri Higginson is quite a bit more attractive than Jessica Steen. But then again, I'm a sucker for slim, brainy brunettes.
I wondered if anyone was going to mention solar energy as helping power the city. Shouldn't the Atlantians have a better way of synthesizing solar power into usable energy?
I really liked SGA. I went into it expecting a lot and I wasn't disappointed. The one thing I didn't get that I wanted was to see someone use ring transporters in Atlantis, but I suppose there's plenty of time for them later.
The characters are pretty good. They still have a lot of growing to do, but there aren't any I dislike. Hell, I even stopped hating McKay. The only one I'm not too crazy about is Teyla. Hopefully she'll grow on me over the next few episodes.
One of the biggest little moments for me was seeing the Ancient Girl from 'Frozen' in the very beginning. It was a nice touch of continuity showing her staying behind in the Antarctic outpost while Atlantis lifted off.
The graphics were of course amazing. The new wormhole effect was cool, the Wraith ships were very nice (and sounded awesome as well), and I loved when Atlantis rose out of the water.
All in all I was very impressed. I'll definitely be watching next week.
Weir was okay. Ford was good. Sheperd was good. Scottish dude was good. Teyla was good, and that was a relief, because I was expecting to have problems with her. McKay was a little milder than I was expecting given his previous appearances, but he was still funny, I agree with Munchiewoman, the "Using power. Using power. Using Power." line was great.
Wish the city raising had been better explained/less deus ex machina-y.
But my main issue is: The wraith don't scare me at all. They really failed to work for me as enemies, at least the couple we saw this episode. The ships are neato, but all the hissing and teeth baring and silly wigs...bad. Hopefully they can be tweaked a little.
It was very definitely Garwin Sanford/ex-Narim, I saw his name in the guest credits.
I liked the quick little montage of the main team people saying their goodbyes. Thought the very first scene was goofy. "A million years ago. Some Ancients will stare at each other for a while."
Now that you mention it, alliterator, there was a definite "waiting for Cthulu" -- he's more frustrating than Godot -- vibe to the Wraith.
I'm glad that the Colonel is gone. Not that he died nor the way that he died, but watching him discuss a subordinate with an even lower ranking subordinate in the field just generated hate.
McKay has to be less annoying now than he was on SG-1 or they'd ship him to the Wraith in Christmas wrapping paper.
Beckett is my favorite of the scientists. He definitely had the "way cool" factor when he was examining the arm.
On the whole ring transporters thing, the Goa'uld pretty stole/adapted all their tech didn't they? They don't seem big on originality. Back to Atlantis however, I just remembered a cute similarity to the SG-1 pilot, both had missile launchers shooting down nasty alien ships (lets just hope we don't see that same scene used as stock footage again and again).
There were a couple of scenes in the premier that reminded me of the premier of SG1. That scene with the missles and the whole finding a slightly less advanced society (or group of people in the SG1 premier) that in the end helps them in some way. There were a few others as well. As for the cast, I liked them all, certainly got a Jack vibe from Shepard and there is something about a scottish accent that just makes me smile. Dr Weir doesn't bother me the way she seems to bother others around these parts.
I just got done watching "Rising!"
Oh this show is going to be (or at least has the potential to be) SO COOL!
Kudos to SG's writers, Weir was introduced over four episodes prior to SG-A going solo. Now THAT'S the way to introduce new characters and launch a viable Sci-Fi Spin-Off!
A couple years ago I actually sent a letter to some of the bigger Star Trek people suggesting that to make their next series viable (and rejuvenate the franchise) it should be set in another Galaxy centered around a well-equipped team of explorers, scientists, colonists, and industrialists who had a massive and powerful base of operations to work from -- IE: Who weren't whining about their lack of food and fuel every week! -- and who couldn't easily (or at all) return to Earth.
I'm glad to see that SG-A is following the model.
In the Grand Tradition established by Star Trek: Voyager they have installed a Progressive, Democratic, Scientist-Philosopher-Queen and surrounded her with uppity males that she needs to knock sense into and who (occassionally) wind up knocking sense into her.
Actually, they borrowed quite a bit from Voyager to get this show rolling including The Male Hero With The Unscrupulous Past Who Must Redeem Himself. I could have REALLY done without his having such a "Strong Natural Phylogenetic Connection" to the Atlantean Technology -- It SOOO stinks of "The force is strong with this one!" -- and it suggests that his problematic testosteronic impulsivity is going to be a factor on this show. What would have been far better would have been for everyone involved with the project to have been revealed to have the DNA (suggesting that some sort of primitive knowledge and drive to find the city had been operating all along).
I was less than thrilled with Dr. Weir dumping her boyfriend/partner/husband via a taped message because that made her seem like a pretty cold and unfeeling bitch. It would have been MUCH smarter to just have her just be a still-single and still-childless women with a passion for the Stargate Program and who had nothing to lose by going.
I think Torri will do just fine and will also grow on me, but (so far) I would have preferred Jessica (and without that horrid bleach job because Jessica is one woman who doesn't need to go platinum blonde).
I think the only thing that really bothered me about the story set-up was that (for all they knew) the Atlantean Stargate (with it's EXTREME ass-kicking design and force-field) could have been in some location that (while containing a viable atmosphere) would have been a dead-end in terms of long-term survival. They should have sent some probes through to scour the area and get a better idea before having all of those people risk their lives. This could have easily turned into a suicide mission.
Other than that...
In response to the person who asked earlier, I think the city's computers were set to raise it in the event of impending power loss as a last resort.
And word to the person who bitched about the lack of some back up solar-power systems.
The cool thing is that exploring the city is going to be as cool as exploring New Worlds and New Civilizations Where No One Has Gone Bef... uh... in a Long Time.
Atlantis, the city, ships, and cast are all so purrrdee!
Especially Dr. Scotty and Sheppard (even if he is a victim of testosterone poisoning).
I think I'd like Teyla more, if the actress who plays her didn't come across as such an airhead on the Documentary.
So far I'm pretty meh about SGA. Although the episode really picked up once the Wraiths were introduced(Maybe it's just me but the female wraith, wraithette? reminded me of Marilyn Manson for some reason) I really like Dr Weir but I fell that Maj. Sheppard is just a pseudo jack from SG-1 wannabee. I'll watch again and I'm hoping they'll be able to separate themselves from SG-1
I agree that Shepherd is built on a Jack template. I'd say the biggest difference I noticed in the pilot is, a lot of Jack's humor/leadership style has a component of pretending being kind of dumb/anti-intellectual, dumber than we know he is. Shepherd seems to fine with being actively clever, in his interactions with the late Colonel and McKay.
Good premiere. I liked that they introduced enough Background Guys to spawn some recurring characters. You can figure Dr. Brogue will be in the supporting cast. I wonder who else will get to step up, and in what role? Don't reckon they need a gate operator this time.
Really liked McKay. A touch arrogant, but also with some self-knowledge, I think, and a willingness to bend and to even help others pursue their ownagendas (like when he showed the major the hangar of gateships...er, puddlejumpers).
When did Tiger Woods join the Stargate:Atlantis team? No wonder he hasn't won any majors lately, he's been holding down a second job masquerading as Lt. Aiden Ford.
I don't particulary like Dr. Weir. She seems too weak to me.
I definitely do *not* like Dr. Rodney McKay. What a smacked ass.
Dr. Brogue should have been in charge of monitoring the Atlantis force fields. It would have been cool if he yelled "I can't hold it together, Doctor. They're falling apart!"
Why couldn't Little Miss Wraith regenerate after Jack-lite stabbed her with the doohickey?
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't magnificent either.
Weir should be kept off the screen as much as possible, I'm not a fan of the actor or the lines she speaks. Some diplomat.
It was finally something original worth watching on Sci-Fi since Farscape, but the premiere just didn't grab me like Children of the Gods did way back when.
The CGI was magnificent, and I really was able to suspend disbelief about Major Solo who can magically work everything ancient.
Yeah, Daniel was awesome. One thing I don't get... 8 chevrons should be 8 chevrons, so why wouldn't the deal that they used to go to the Asgard world work for Atlantis.
I did have some trouble seeing this race beating the shit out of the Ancients. They seem to blow up quite nicely when human/ancient tech is used against them. Maybe it's the ouside the box thinking that humans use... like against the Replicators.
Shepard's kind of Jackish, but Old Skool Jack, before the lobotomy.
I wonder how long it will be before they install a mechanical iris? Because I can see that shield thing conking out on them.
Yeah, she recovered so easily from the initial gunfire because she was actively feeding at the time.
I was prepared not to like this show, but surprisingly, it was really good, and the actors didn't bug as much as they did on the Lowdown.
Did the scene with Teyla and Shepard in the ruins remind anyone of the scene in the Stargate movie where Sha'rai takes Dainel to the ancient temple? I notice a lot more similarities to the movie too.
I'm going to have to chime in on the new gate love. The CGI on this show is great.
I'm not in love with the premier episode. Especially the Wraith, who I thought were poorly conceptualized. They're supposed to be a race that defeated the Ancients? And what does it mean to Einstein's theories that Earth's TV signals reached the Pegasus galaxy so quickly: The aliens not only speak standard American English but they've surely been watching episodes of Blossom! Didn't that kid do a Joey Lawrence whoa!? I know it's unavoidable, but when the dialog is that full of headshakers it's just too much.
They may have the Earth coord's. They have a sizeable Ancient library of addresses at their finger tips.
The Wraith are pretty interesting to me. They may look a bit like space vamps. but I think that will be an interesting foe, especially as we grow to understand them, as we did the Goa'uld. And as to how tough or deadly they are. Well, they were just reemerging. They probablly had an inital force ready to awake and jump into fighters to defend against an attack, or just secure the planet after their guardian passes. Now they are fully up and operating we should see their hunting style, probab;y a blitz style, seeing as they rely on those fighter craft that blast through the gate in an assault.
And as I think about the telepathic powers of the Wraiths. How does it work with the gate. Can they open it and mentally scan through it? Or are mental energies not able to be used through a worm hole (or perhaps just not 2 ways)? I wonder how they could use them?
But I am wondering now if they will properlt secure the gate now. I am not worries about the shield. But as with the SGC, will it be isolated at all? Or will the place heavy weapons arounf the gate?
I don't think Dr. Weir dumping her boyfriend the way she did was impressive at all. The goal of feminism was to create women who were both capable of solid careers and solid human relationships -- and who had opportunity and choice to create both -- it was not to create insensitive female psychopaths from the worst ends of the masculine spectrum. The ability to blithely chuck a relationship for a career-op (and not shed a tear) is not exactly the hallmark of emotional maturity or a well-integrated personality.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to figure out how to "Re-Crystalize Dilithium" and then recharge the city's power cells.
The premise of this show is so damn cool; it's like Stargate + Voyager + Lost In Space + Deep Space Nine. It's the Sci-Fi equivalent of an SUV.
They can do Space, Gate, or Planet based episodes (We still need to know more about this planet they are on!) and still have it all work. Making Atlantis a moveable city ship was one of the greatest Sci-Fi ideas EVER!
The possibilities are endless and this show can go on for a looong time. I also like how in the Stargate Universe, the alliances they form and the technology they acquire all eventually show up to help them again and are integrated into the larger fabric of the show. BTW why didn't Shepperd take the Wraith Weapon with them the way SG-1 always steals the weapons of the enemy for Earth's future use? Fool!
They have quite a shopping list of things to do...
1) Explore the city.
2) Recharge the power supply.
3) Continue the Stargate missions.
4) Defeat the scumbag Wraith.
Oh they have so many things that they need to do!
Dr. Brogue & Major Solo?
ROTF-LMAO-PMP!
BRILLIANT!
Ohhh yes... wherever would the world be without TWOP and it's crack team of Pop-Culture Green Beret Snipers?
Put me in the 'liked it' camp. I was way more excited over SGA's premiere than SG-1's. Don't know why other than I think SG-1 is played out. It felt like the kick in the pants SG-1 needed to get interesting again has been used up on SGA, which is fine by me. There was the 'oooh look, exploring new worlds' feel that, imo, has been missing from SG-1 for far too long. I guess what really intruiged me was the idea of a multi-national group and a large group at that. I got a kick out of looking at all the character's arms to see what flag they had pinned on'em.
Aside from the Marilyn Manson reject look, I like the Wraith. Hopefully, SGA won't stretch their welcome long after the expiration date like SG-1 did with the Goa'uld. But, what intruiges me about the Wraith is that they're harvesting people not for power but for food. How do you stop a villain who's methodology is ultimately for survival?
The only nit I have is that after the first meeting with the Wraith, SGA should have lost *way* more people than just Col T-1000, sure it could have been nothing more than a bunch of red shirts, but it dilutes the threat they pose when the body count is nothing more than a glorified guest star. That and my other nit is all the females were scientists and none were soldiers.
As for Dr. Weir, I like her. Then again, I've been a fan of Higginson since way back when she was starring on Tek-Wars. I got a chuckle during the final scene wondering just exactly how many Scully suits Dr. Weir brought for the trip.
Having only seen the first two seasons of Stargate, and only a few episodes of the series here and there, I am pretty new to the overall Stargate experience. I have to say that I am more than impressed with Stargate Atlantis and the cast of characters.
I think that Torri Higginson is okay but I am in the camp that thought that Jessica Steen would have been impressive if she was kept on as well. She is attractive and a great actress at the same time. But I think that TH will grow on the audience as the series goes on.
I really like Sheppard and I think that he is going to surprise a great many people. And the fact that he has the same makeup of the Ancients will really probably make him able to jell with many of the storylines in the future. I think that the obvious overtones that he and Teyla could become an item are a little to premature and I hope that they work more on the friendship than on the whole romance thing for awhile.
The Wraiths were an intresting bunch and I look forward to learning more about them and the command structure. I wonder if it is a matriarchal type of ruling system.
I think that this series will really go for probably as many years as SG-1 and with all of the possible directions it can go in, I think the fans will be pleased for a long time.
By the way, I'm already thinking Teyla Emmagan is da bomb.
Now, almost 24 hours after the premier, I have to admit that it's going to be the "Maj. Solo and Dr. Scotty" show for me. The other characters have faded into insignificance. And I agree, Dr. Weir seems too weak to be leading this group. IMO she hasn't added much except to stand around and look concerned-girlfriend-ish. Hopefully she'll develop into something more interesting.
As for more weapons and technologies, they could spend years searching a city as huge as Atlantis with their small handful of Atlantians(?). That place looked like the size of Manhatten or Vegas. While the gate room has the Puddlejumper hanger above it, there are probably other shuttle-ports for conventional ships elsewhere on the "island", and it wouldn't be surprising if there were interplanetary freighters and maybe even warships sitting in mothballs somewhere.
They would have to have had other means of supply and travel other than just the gate room and the 'jumpers. That set-up works for occasional long-distance travel, but sustained commerce requires a more streamlined egress better freight-handling facilities.
Did I understand the time-sequence correctly?
1. The Ancients moved Atlantis to Pegasus several million years ago.
2. Then the Ancients developed the generation-2 stargates for their new expansion during several million years ago in the Pegasus galaxy. The generation-1 stargates were mostly abandoned in our "local space", and later expropriated by the Goa'ulds for their own uses.
3. They expanded and traded in the Pegasus galaxy over several million years until the Wraiths and their eventual retreat to Atlantis.
4. The final retreat to Earth was only a few thousand years ago? After an absense of many hundreds of thousands of years? That's how the legend of Atlantis reached Plato, and is the connection to the Roman's use of Latin?
That still leaves a lot of plot-holes and continuity glitches to explain....but it could be interesting once the writers really get their feet under theirselves.
The implications are that the Ancients were close-to or were "advanced humans", so the various peoples "now" in Pegasus shoudl be human or close-to human...as the Jaffa and the other Goa'uld transplanted colonies are. So the Atlantians now have peoples to trade with and to recruit from. It was certainly implied that the Athosians(?) traded between worlds dispite their "limited" technologies. The Atlantians certainly have the room for recruits and immigrants.
And with a city that large, they probably need to increase their workforce just to survive. Look at the modern military, there's ten guys for every one soldier actually at the tip of the spear. And that doesn't count the folks back home paying the bills, growing the food and making the supplies and weapons. An aircraft carrier has 5000 crew just to move and support 80 aircraft, plus needing the crews and ships of the escorting task-force.
I have my own theory that the final answer will be the Ancients were humans from our future thrown backwards by some event, that would "explain" no fossil record and their use of an antarctic wilderness...to limit their contamination of their "original homeworld" by relying on off-planet resources as much as possible. They finally departed local space to make room for the development of ancient Man on Earth. The final retreat back to Earth thousands of years ago reintroduced their generic heritage back into the general population, and some of the mythos. A genetic time-loop...and maybe part of the concealed reason why the Goa'uld were driven off-world 3000 years ago? the goa'uld might not even know that part of the story. And the Ancients having a different original time-line, would not have known the Goa'uld would later use the gen-1 gates to exploit Man 5000 years ago, changing the time-line to "our version" of history. (see parallel universes)
I also really liked this.
I watched my tape today so I'm late to the commentary, but a few things weren't 100% clear to me -- why did they need to go there in the first place? Was it a fuel/weaponry issue? That went right over my head. And why did they go through, guns at the ready, if it was understood to be an Ancient address, i.e. friend not foe? And wasn't it a bit presumptuous to show up unannounced with 100+ people who planned to live there?
I don't think I had realized beforehand that the show would be entirely offworld. I was thinking they'd be based out of Anarctica.
Shouldn't Shep have had clearance to be shuttling O'Neill in the first place, i.e. I thought he was fudging it when he told Beckett he did have it, and then I thought that really wouldn't have been possible for him to leave the helicopter if he wasn't cleared, right? I also thought he should have had a cursory visit to the Stargate in Colorado before saying yay or nay vs. just the heli ride.
Bummer on Robert Patrick's appearance being a one-off. The villains are cool but I don't want to see them play with their food every week, ya know?
Effects were very impressive as well. SG-1 had some Emmy nominations this week, and I thought Atlantis topped a lot of what they have done. I was very pleased with the city above water, that it didn't unimpress a la The Abyss.
Really liked Beckett, "I'm in another galaxy. How much more out can I get?"
Really liked Joe Flanigan, and have since he did Sisters eons ago. I think he'll be good as Shep.
Here's one additional plot point that had me wondering:
If Col. Doggett hated Shepard so much, why didn't he have anyone else with the same rank? He was portrayed as a chain of command type of guy: didn't he realize that the guy he hated the most was the second highest ranking guy there? He should have dug up a Lt. Col or at least another major to help keep him in line. After all, if you go to a different galaxies you should plan for the worst.
The object that Jack builds in Fifth Race has no name, but it looks like a ZPM and has been described as one, so I'm calling it a ZPM. Even Alterna-Sam couldn't build a stable one. They found several at the Antarctica site and those were taken with the new team to Atlantis.
What it seems to boil down to is that these things aren't easy to build, may not be rechargeable, and both amplify and drain our existing electrical systems.
We've seen no indication that a DHD won't burn out for an 8 dial, but we haven't seen an indication that it will either. May be there'll be a hand slap to the forehead moment later in the SG-1 season. Or maybe they're afraid that it could tip off the Goa'uld. After all, Ba'al was able to work around the DHD virus, yes?
eta: TGC-64, I love your time-travel theory. It would explain a lot and be a wonderfully sci-fi explanation.
futurewritertb: The redheaded female wraith reminded me of Marilyn Manson as well.
Overall, I liked. My little nit to pick is about the female hologram recounting what happened. How did it know what happened to the ancients after they left Atlantis? How did it know where the last Ancients spent their lives?
I am a new Stargate watcher. I started watching the re-runs on the Sci-Fi network and really liked it. I had to give Atlantis a try. I really enjoyed it. My favorite line of the night. O'Neil and Sheppard are in the helicopter and Sheppard makes a comment about how strange things are and O'Neil says "for you maybe, for me not so much"
All in all, I think that I have finally found something worthwhile to watch on Friday nights. (the joys of being an old married lady)
When Jack looked clueless about the ZedPM, it was explained that that's what he built to get to the Asgard. They certainly have the same look though not so homemade, if you see what I mean. I was pretty sure that in the same exchange they said they'd found a couple at the Antarctica site though I think only one was operational. That may have been the one they used to power the gate for the expedition.
I'm a programmer too. I hate the Avenger 2.0 episode for, oh, so many reasons, but its implausibility ranks really high on the list.*g*
edited for wanton apostrophe abuse.
Well, I finally watched the episode. Pretty good. Hate Weir and the JLo wannabe...
That is probably true, they just had only one working. Hopefully they'll find a way to recharge them, though I don't know how you recharge a singluarity.
I can accept in Avenger 2.0 that Sam and Company could make code that interacts with gate. The part I couldn't is Ba'al coming along like a L33T Haxor and running game with it. That was the worst part of the episode for me.
I finally figured out why Major Solo didn't have clearance.
He was... well stationed in Antartica because of his black sheep status. So he was piloting the General. Didn't need clearance as he was probably going to wait upstairs somewhere. But when the Squid of Doom (man the Ancients suck sometimes) attacked, then Jack probably figured the cat was out of the bag so to speak.
Not a big fan of Weir at all. No real... leadership abilities. Daniel, on the other hand would have made a GREAT leader of Atlantis.
I think MmmKay is still my favorite character so far. The 7of9/Kes/JLo native inhabitant is already on my nerves.
Col. Sumner reminded me of the Kurt Russell version fo Jack O'Neill from the movie. I don't think it was a good idea to kill him off in the pilot episode. This crew has no hardass to keep everyone in line. Hammond served that purpose for the SG-1 crew especially with Jack's knucklehead coefficient rising a couple points with each season. Maybe Weir's Dear John video was supposed to show that she can be a hardass but I ain't buying it.
Perhaps at the end of SG-1's Final Season, they can transfer Daniel and Sam and Teal'c to Atlantis?
I can DEFINITELY live without O'Neil.
I'm so glad they put a woman in charge, the leadership dynamics are always so much more sensible, egalitarian, and democratic than the usual mindless (and endless) male power struggle which always seems to center around Machismo, Fighting, Conquering, Domination, Command, and Seduction.
Let's just hope they don't pull a Janeway with her where basically everyone else is in a relationship by the end of the series and she's the one that's alone and childless. They've got to stop perpetuating the message that the only way a woman can succeed and be in power is by living out the life of Queen Elizabeth I (IE: Quasi-Virginal - Alone - Childless).
The one thing I don't like about Torri (Dr. Weir) is that she does this Slow Therapist Nod whenever she's taking in information and considering her options. It's just so damn irritating!
Still, on the whole, I'm very happy with SG-A, this series totally has the potential to push the envelope of where Sci-Fi series can and will go in the future.
What's so neat about the back-story is that the continuity has been fairly good and that is has been progressively adding up to something much larger than what they all previously thought.
I can see the Nox making a deal about it. But, at this point, the Asgard owe us so many favors it isn't funny.
Ok I've seen the episode and I only like two of the characters - the scottish dr & black lt. The rest? I could live without especially Dr Weir - she is weak and has no leadership skills/qualifications or a military background. She should never have let Major Sheppard go after the Wraith without first securing a defensive sheild around the city. She cannot afford to think about the few, she must think about the majority. Why the heck can't they write a woman who is in charge of everything who is actually smart and qualified to be in charge? Then there is Major Sheppard who seems to be some sort of Jack/Daniel hybrid but only combining their most irritating characteristics.
1-5. Indeed. We could speculate that the President went over her CV before appointing her. Or maybe he's as annoyed with her as many here and wanted her shipped as far off world as possible? But I'm going with the former, for now.
I suppose it would have been easy-as-pie to put some military hardass in charge who could rein in Sheppard and Co. But where's the fun there?
And seriously, this is just in the spirit of seeing where they'll go with Weir. Based on the fact that this crew supplied/developed wonderful, albeit flawed-except Teal'c- characters on this other SG show I like.
ETA (because my timing was off) that tough leaders with a background in handling exploratory teams gets us...O'Neill. In the universe I've seen so far. I'm actually curious to see if Weir 'toughens up' as part of her character arc. And, you know, dealing with them Wraith.
I think (hope) that Weir may turn into an interesting character. Unlike most of the other characters in the two shows her expertise is an an area that is not military or scientific.Sure, she might have great diplomatic skills, but if the goals of the mission are to 1)stay alive and 2) exploit alien tech, she has a lot of people who know more about accomplishing those goals than she does.
I'll be interested in seeing how she deals with that. One of the things that I liked about the character of General Hammond was that he was a very effective manager. That made him a credible leader despite the fact that there were people with better military and scientific skills in his command.
I miss Hammond. and Fraiser. But more Hammond. I also wonder what story the Atlantis team told their families and friends? I mean, Weir got to tell her recycled Simon the truth but I doubt every team member got to do so. That would be far too many people to tell. I get that they probably said they were going on a mission to another country. But, eventually, someone or some people are gonna get curious about why their loved one hasn't come back or even sent a letter. I wonder if the SGC would just tell them that their loved one died on the mission?
Something tells me one of the primary factors in choosing an expedition team member was the lack of a family - i.e. in a tie-break between an orphan and a non-orphan, they picked the orphan.
Also, if this mission has got enough funding, they might even be writing letters on behalf of team members, to be sent semi-regularly, reporting in from wherever they're supposed to be.
It looked like McKay only had his cat to say goodbye to and Sheppard didn't seem to have anyone, but didn't Scotty and the black Lt. have family scenes?
I enjoyed the show, although it doesn't immediately capture like the SG-1 premiere kind of did. I'm missing the added characterisation in the story. SG-1 (used) to be able to do that with it's intriguing plot lines that still made allowances and additions that allowed us to bond with the characters.
One beef which has been mentioned briefly is the implausibility of the team's and McKay's technical prowess. Maybe they found the magic expository computer, but they didn't seem to be there even for a day and they'd already figured out the DHD, accessed Atlantis' computers to get extensis information on the city, gate addresses, and all sorts of expository information. They also figured out the Gate's forcefield and McKay already was able to tie in some of his own computers to interface with the Atlantis computers too. This is completely new technology! I understand they had access to the Earth substation before, but it certainly didn't have anything approaching the level of tech Atlantis had.
I can *sort of* swallow Sheppard's immediately familiarity with the vessel because he's demonstrated an innate talent for it, and he mentioned the PiddleDancer seems to be able to at least partially communciate with him in a mental capacity. And he's cute.
Just chiming in to say that although I've only been an occasional SG-1 viewer (I'm now catching up via the DVDs), I really liked the Atlantis premiere. I thought it set up a premise that has a lot of potential, introduced some interesting characters, had about the right amount of funny along with the drama, and featured great CGI effects. I'll be watching future episodes.
Regarding the characters:
As others have said, Dr. Weir seems to be the weak link. Although I liked her in the SG-1 episodes, in Atlantis the character seemed to be not as well written and I also thought the actress was way more wooden. All in all, Weir came across as wishy-washy. But it's only the first episode and I'm willing to give her time to grow into her role (both the actress and the character). As buttersister said:
All in all, I must cast my vote with the "didn't like it" crowd. Even though I liked Major Solo and definitely liked Dr. Brogue (I am a Scottish historian, after all), I really really REALLY intensly disliked Weir. She reminded me of a female Captain Kirk - complete with Shatnerian delivery. Her character is just so wooden and the actress delivers her lines so poorly that I too can see this having a detrimental effect on the show as a whole. She is their "leader" after all.
And I have to also join the crowd that doesn't like Teyla. Something just doesn't work for me. Can't quite put my finger on it.
I do agree that the male characters are more developed. That said, I wasn't too fond of Lt. Ford (which reminded me of SeaQuestDSV) and Dr. McKay was an asshat when he was on SG-1 and he's still an asshat on SG:A.
The wraith were disappointing. And needed a good cosmetic dentist. But, overall, they were just too annoying. For all intents, they are predators. How many predators take the time to chat up their meal? Even for a torture session, the whole thing was too over the top.
Overall, not impressed. I may give it one or two more episodes, but so far the commercials aren't really grabbing my interest. At. All.
Sheppard is indeed cute. And I dig McKay, though I haven't seen him on SG-1 since I've only seen random episodes from each season so far. Hewlett was the only thing that made Cube tolerable for me, though, so I'm glad to see him in something that doesn't otherwise make me want to hit my TV with a stick.
As for the great Dr. Weir debate, all I really have to add is that the name Dr. Weir reminds me of Sam Neill's character in Event Horizon, and that makes me cry, because that movie traumatized me. Seriously, though, she's not that bad, and I disagree with the idea that her taped message to her significant other makes her a terrible bitch. From the tone of the message, it seemed like her career had always taken precedence over the relationship, and like she'd had to keep a lot of secrets from him, so I doubt the guy was all that shocked by the news. I'm not sure where the reference to "feminism" came from a few pages back-- I don't see what feminism has to do with one female character's individual life decisions. I wonder if the character would be criticized so harshly for prioritizing her career above her relationship and not making an ostentatious show of emotion after a breakup if she were male.
All that aside, I did think her acting was a little wooden, but there seemed to be a seed of an interesting dynamic between her and Sheppard; I couldn't really tell if it was meant to be on a professional level only or if their relationship will be developed on a more personal level. Though speaking of personal dynamics, I was a little annoyed about the sledgehammerific "hints" of Sheppard/Teyla sexual tension. They could at least wait a few episodes and develop the characters a bit more before hitting us over the head with the future canon 'ship.
I, too, like the Indigenous JLo not so much, and found her leading Sheppard through her old playgrounds too Abydonian for words. But I had to laugh at how slow Shep was on the Head-Butt-o'-Friendship uptake.
I like the way technology likes it some Sheppard, but I wish they had brought the way-cool chair through the gate with them, even though it clashed with the other furniture. (But didn't clash with the way-cool new gate.)
Could someone explain to me the floating gate business? Does Indy JLo's world only have a floating gate that I missed the first time around, or does it detach?
Add me to the "liked it" list.
The only thing that irritated me was when they sent the Away Team on a mission. Perhaps the writers didn't want to be bothered with a briefing, but how the hell did they know what coordinates to dial to get them back to Atlantis?
Laughed when I saw Narim get the brushoff from Weir. Only thing that would have made it funnier was to have him pet Schroedinger while he was watching the message.
I find McKay to be slightly OOC here. On SG-1, he struck me as a arrogant know-it-all, whereas here he readily admits there are things he doesn't know. Perhaps it's the fact that pretending to know what to do will get them killed (loved the "USING POWER!" part), but it bugged.
An episode of The Outer Limits that Tori did back in 1999 is circulating in syndication this week. It's called The Haven. Not a bad episode.
I hate to admit it, but I had trouble staying interested. And then they killed off Colonel Doggett! He was the character for whom I could say, "hey, I know him and like him. This show could be cool." I am going to placate myself with four back-to-back epis of regular Stargate tonite, though.
I had to watch this show because Robert Patrick is totally my boyfriend. That said, I'm glad his character died.
Funny how television shows can be well done, well produced, have the greatest special effects, but if they suck, they just suck. I'm not here for the cinematography. I'm here because I want you to tell me stories.
Not even Major McHottie can make me stick around and keep watching.
I wish someone could explain me how the reavers from Firefly and the Wraith from this show aren't the exact same thing.
And a small thing: what amuses me is that they were all "Ooooh, the lights are turning on by themselves! The doors are opening by themselves!!!" Because we don't have anything like that on Earth.
Reavers are human beings who've resorted to rape, torture, self-mutilation and cannibalism. Wraith are a different species of apex predator with, so far as we've seen, no interest in rape or torture for torture's sake.
As far as the lights coming on and doors opening -- they thought they were going to have to interface their naquada generators and adjust the power supply and instead it all just woke up. I'm with them. Way cool.
I'm going to give the show six episodes to make me love it. Right now, it's a nice like. If I'm home on a Friday night, I'll watch it. SG-1 is love. I obsessively tape it and rewatch episodes.
Yes. And also? "Look, it's that tree!"
Don't you hate it when your post gets eaten?
I just don't think she's qualified to be the leader of the mission.
For me, the leader should have (if civilian):
1) Extensive Gate Travel.
2) Multiple contacts with alien societies, preferably in First Contact roles.
3) Knowledge of alien languages. (She only speaks 5 or so and those are all human. Daniel - 20+.)
4) COMBAT EXPERIENCE. Even Daniel is more than proficient with a P90.
5) Ability to empathize/relate to other culture's plights. Dude, she couldn't even handle a breakup right.
I just don't think she's had enough time clocked to be the leader of such an important mission. BTW, where are the Russkies?
And someone mentioned earlier that the other countries would want control of the gate... why should they be allowed? They haven't risked anything, haven't paid anything, haven't done anything to earn it. Let them be on some teams first (like SGA) and then discuss power sharing.
1) Daniel
2) Daniel
3) Daniel
4) Daniel
5) Daniel
Hmmmm, I'm seeing a trend here. It might have been fun to have him in charge, and maybe gotten some new blood in the SG1 team, since Gen. O'Neill is going to be a different kind of position.
Her resume starts and ends with "Negotiated several Earth treaties successfully."
Not as impressive as
1) Killed Ra.
2) Married an off world woman and lived amongst their people for a year as part of them.
3) Made the Star Gate work.
Etc.
Even McKay's experience is more impressive. I'm just not sure what she adds to the team other than diplomacy, and kind of shoddy at that. Does she have any other skills?
If Weir's main qualification was that she secretly wants to be a Systems Lord, then send Daniel to Atlantis. Actually, while Daniel proably is the most-qualified, he is needed to deal with Baal and the real Systems Lords,and Jack knows that.
For Weir to be sucessful, which is not the same as being a sucess, she needs to demonstrate her administrative-political animal side. I don't see her as a Janeway-clone since she's not really in that role. To continue the ST-metaphor, her task is more like Sisco's...without the metaphysics. Atlantis is like DS-9 and the action will come to her and will require more balancing than command. The Athosians have a gate-based trading network that she can exploit if she's careful. And she has the untapped physical and technological resources of the city to develop.
A more telling response will be if she views their "one-way trip" as a raid or as colonization. If she views Atlantis as a new home even after they re-establish contact with the SGC then that will color her decisions. Janeway just wanted to get home. Sisco started to view DS-9 as his home, and the tone of ST-DS9 changed as to what "alien" and what's "comfortable". A prime decision-point will be how she handles the issue of relationships, and having children borne at Atlantis. Especially if those children have the access-gene from either their Terran or Athosian parents. Assuming the Ancients had children, there must be schools and educational facilities on Atlantis. I don't expect them to be Ancients' in a few generations, but with access to the basics it's amazing what a few generations can accomplish starting with the children. Even if they can only get as far as the Asgards, that would be significant...and the Asgards don't have the access-gene...and that could be the key.
If the writers are thinking about a long-run, they need to think about how to handle this. Now that SGA (and eventually the SGC) knows what at the Pegasus-end of the 8-chevron address, the mission has changed beyond "just" technology extraction to deal with Baal and the Goa'uld System Lords. Accepting as a given that they will somewhere or somehow obtain operational ZPM's to power the City defenses and the gate, the impact on the Earth-System Lord will radically shift in Earth's favor...even if it takes 10 years or 50 years....or even 500 years. It's been about that long since the Italian Renaissance and the discovery of the "new world" by the Europeans.
Once there is an uneasy peace with the System Loards, and the Stargate secret becomes public-knowledge the SGC should be moving the stargate to a more accessible location. It would still have to be controlled-access, but not at the bottomn of a mineshaft. Maybe something for the final, final season finale?
Two more hours to go before I see for myself.
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|89462|1|,00.html
Watching Stargate: Atlantis free of commercials is indeed the way to go, thank you TMN. That being said - I was underwhelmed with the premiere. After reading the great praise on this thread I was expecting something more.
I don't mind Weir as much as the rest of ya, she hasn't reached obnoxious proportions just yet. She's not as good as she was in "New Order", but one of my better liked SG:A members. The Scottish Doctor has potential to be a good character but I can see myself getting tired with his personality.
I didn't get the same sense of team togetherness I did after Children of the Gods on SG1, I just don't care about most of these team members like I did after COTG. Perhaps it will just take longer so I won't give up on them yet.
One large problem I had with the premiere was the enemy, those Wraiths seem very formidable, so it really shouldn't be long before the Atlantis crew gets crushed by them. Add to the fact they are totally uninteresting in terms of appearance and we weren't privied to that much backstory and you get a villian that isn't that interesting....yet (I hope).
One very big plus for Atlantis were the visual effects. Those were amazing, some of the best I had seen on TV all year. They went all out for the premiere, and I hope that same kind of visual quality will remain for the entire season, I just hope overall quality can reach that same level.
One great thing about Movie Central showing this is the lack of commercials. :D Bad thing about that is missing out on a few things because my attention was "diverted". What is the name of the fellow, who I presume, will be Shepherd's second in command?
Not too bad, so far. Love the digitial version of the Stargate. I guess it will take a while to build up the back story of the Wraiths.
I've only seen McKay once before (in S5's "48 Hours"). I'd forgotten how annoying "Dr. Deathly Allergic to Lemons" can be.
ETA:
Character name is Lt. Ford. Actor name is Rainbow Sun Francks. If you're a La Femme Nikita fan, his father played Walter.
So that's young Mr. Francks! Thanks, Fabrisse.
And yes, I'm a Nikita fan. Loved Walter and Birkoff (and Michael!).
Yep.
Just realized I've seen McKay twice. The second time being the S6 premiere. Boy, what an ass...I hope he finally realized that Sam is waaaaay smarter!
My bad. I kept looking for Walter's daughter. Very nifty if that is how he landed the role.
This, and The 4400 have also been pimped mercilessly on all the NBC/Universal networks as part of that merger, so that would definitely explain the bump for both shows' premieres. I am surprised, though, that it outdidi S8's premiere by a million viewers.
Aha! It was bugging me no end as to where I had seen Flanigan before... he was on Sisters and Providence. Just two of my all time favourite chick TV.
And Yes, this is filmed in Vancouver/Burnaby. We're a pretty remarkable metro city. Full of talented CGI people and set builders as well as actors. Like the maple leaf shoulder patch. Shout out to the "Zed? - He's Canadian". That's how we and half the world say it people. Usually when making travel arrangements for work after giving our address and postal code (V... 2Z8) saying the Zed word works like a delete key - I have to start over from the top and remember to say Zee.
Rainbow Sun Francks comes from a distinguished Canadian acting family - as well as having been a VJ on Much Music. His sister is Cree Summer Francks. Look them up on tvtome.
So if you think we only have 4 actors and 1 tree... take a look at the mini-series Taken. Every one of those scenes was done in and around the Vancouver area. Think what you want - we know we live in one of the most beautiful places on the Earth.
Most of us know and agree.
I say Zed because when I was learning how to type, if I said Zee I typed "C". *sigh*
I liked the premier well enough that I'm giving it a few weeks to become appointment TV. I think that Sci-fi didn't pimp the SG-1 premier as much as the Atlantis one. If I hadn't been on a few lists, I'd have thought SG-1 started after Atlantis.
SciFi broadcasts Atlantis at 10pm. Does the later time mean there's a chance for some risque content or does it just mean it comes on later?
I'm sure Weir will grow into her job (though I wish they'd given Don S. Davis a pay raise and sent him off to Atlantis) Can you imagine Hammond in charge? That would be so sweet.
I guess that's why I'm having trouble with Weir. She's no George Hammond, nor a Jack O'Neill, or a Daniel Jackson.
Col T-1000 would have been a better choice to keep on as the leader.
Lord knows how those negotiations would have turned out without the formost Goa'uld (other than Teal'c) expert there to hold her wittle hand.
Anyone else thinking Hammond would have been the best choice? He always had a soft spot for his scientist types, and still brokered no bullshit.
My Wraith problem is either esthetic or shallow, or perhaps both. I just don't like the looks of them. Stargate villains have always, from the movie onward, been good-looking. Even, in the case of most Goau'ld, beautiful. Even most SG-1 creatures are, if not, beautiful, at least fascinating, and that includes the Unas and the one the Wraith Keeper slightly resembled -- around the mouth, mostly -- the water-based "What of Omorrocca" creature that kidnaped Daniel. These Wraith, except in their illusion-y form as misty wispies, are just, well, ugly.
kbcubed -- You don't have to sell me (us). I'm completely Vancouver's bitch, as you'll find when you travel around the threads here for shows that shoot there. Welcome. And lucky you that it's your home! ;)
I have no problem with Vancouver...I love the city and visit as often as I can. I hope to visit again this fall, as I can't resist the beautiful fall colors.
Topic? Weir? Get rid of her...quick...JLo, too...
That's why I'm saying someone that is already an established character would have worked better. Especially someone like Hammond. Or at least military.
As much as Major Solo wanted to do the mission, he would have at least given the General a by your leave.
My feeling is, it was reasonably solid for a premiere episode. Some of my favorite genre shows and characters on those shows didn't really come into their own until halfway thrugh the first season, the start of the second season, heck, some shows don't quite gel until their third season (Deep Space Nine). I'd love for Weir to be Sisko, but not the hair-on-head boring Sisko of the DS9 premiere.
There's plenty of time to tweak Weir and Teyla without getting into "dumping" people. Actually I was basically okay with Teyla, aside from hoping they work on the hair. The show's biggest issue is the Wraith themselves, and even that's fixable.
And while I would have been tickled to have Hammond in charge, because Don Davis rocks, I'm extremely glad Col T-1000 didn't stick around. He's exactly the generic humorless butthead military leader that makes Hammond look so good.
IIRC TPTB wanted to move away from a military based series that is one reason why they made a civilian the leader of SG:A (although how they think that really meshes with their need to blow things up now and again, I am not sure).
I would agree that the current writers do seem to have trouble writing women characters as evidence in SG:sg-1 Sam seasons 1-3 Vs SG:sg-1 Sam season 7.
I was glad to hear that StarGate Atlantis was the highest rated program in the scifi channel's history. This is really what the genre needs to boost it back up to a level of popularity with viewers.
In spite of what everyone has said about the Wraith, I think there may still be more to them than meets the eye. And even if there isn't, they can always do what ST:TNG did when the Farengi bombed as main villains and get the Borg, or when the Kazon failed on Voyager and they eventually got the Borg, and that is get new more intimidating villains. I mean with millions if not billions of worlds with StarGates, they can't tell me that there isn't someone out there that will probably be able to kick the sh-t out of the Wraith.
I think that they are going to put all the attention on Sheppard in the first season seeing as he is the sterotypical hero. And I would rather see him with Teyla, if they just have to have a romance, than with Weir. I mean look how this woman all but dumped her boyfriend in a video recorded message. This is not the lady you want to make mad monkey love with at this point in her character's evolution.
Now that's where I disagree. It will make the Weir more interesting, especially if she is torn between saving her lovah and the city. Of course that could get old pretty quick. As you can see I'm depesperately grasping at something that will make Weir seem multi-dimensional.
The cynic in me has a couple of guess why the didn't want to go with a name. 1) The cost of getting a name means less money to blow things up 2) They won't have to worry if the name wants to leave the series or cut back his time like with RDA SG:SG-1 but most of all I think it is reason 3) Ego TPTB want the focus to be on them more than an actor they want their brand name to sell the show not an actor's name.
damn...why do they have to think? I'd rather see them blow shit up...
I think this:
I think it's terrific that a civilian is in charge. I grew up with a father in the military and many of his assignments were joint civilian/military operations. Most of the time the civilians were in the big bosses with the military in charge of its purview.
Atlantis has that part right. It's enough to give me the impetus to keep going with it for a while.
True, but would they put a completely wet behind the ears rookie in charge of the op?
What wet behind the ears rookie? Dr. Weir is eminently qualified for diplomatic work. And if she knows enough not to like the military, the chances are excellent that she's worked with the military. She's been in charge of the Antarctic operation (for however many months that's been going on). Other than Daniel Jackson, there's probably no civilian better qualified. The SGC civilians that we've seen have all had scientific specialties not linguists nor diplomats.
edited to add: Having said all that, I'm not liking Tori Higginson as much as I liked Jessica Steen in the role. I hope that she'll grow on me. And just remember, it could be worse. It could be McKay.
True, though she has ZERO off world experience. And outside of that one table meeting with the Goa'uld, she's had ZERO encounters with alien races (their new friends not withstanding... she had nothing to do with their friendship).
Do we know that the character of Dr. Weir has never led an extended-duration mission, without a real supply chain backup, in a not-totally-safe environment?
Of all the people who have had high-level offworld experience, no one qualifies to lead the Atlantis project (on story-grounds, not on qualification grounds). Jack's in charge of the SGC, and RDA's shooting schedule wouldn't permit constant appearances in a new series. Sam's now in charge of SG-1, which, frankly, she probably prefers to heading up an extended expedition and acting in an almost purely managerial role. Daniel's too valuable to send away (since we need him here, being the single most qualified human on most offworld matters). Teal'c, who probably has more experience running that kind of operation (as First Prime of Apophis), would not be trusted with command of that expedition by the leaders of Earth.
In fact, the most plausible reason I can think of that Weir (and not a US military officer) is running Atlantis is that all twelve nations needed to agree on the choice. After Anubis' attack, no one other than Weir and Daniel Jackson qualify - both have some experience and both are civilian. Weir almost certainly has more managerial experience than Daniel (who, as I recall, didn't ever manage that many people outside of a lab). Weir is more palatable to the leaders of Earth. And there is no one else with superior offworld experience - remember, we've seen all major offworld interaction, and it's always SG-1 doing the interacting. By definition, no one else would be better (except Daniel, who they're not letting go, since RDA's cutting back, and that would leave only two of four regulars to carry SG-1).
Not my question, jyd76. I was asking if the character of Dr. Weir, before we ever met her, could possibly have led a mission of extended duration, with limited if any backup, in a non-safe/hostile environment - something not offworld, but putting her in as close of a situation as possible. I'm pretty sure she had never been offworld yet, given her reaction to stepping through the gate during the Atlantis premiere.
I would concede that it is entirely possible that she could have. Unlikely, but possible. Though I am quite sure it would have been pimped out when we first met her that she would have been, or perhaps it will be revealed in the future. But as we know her, from the dossier read by Kinsey, and from what we've seen, she's a diplomat and negotiator.
I am just pretty sure that (outside of Daniel) anyone that is in command or has the possibility of going through the gate has to go through some kind of training. Such as in Proving Ground. Even civilians.
Maybe what we're meant to see is her having on the job training. Which while nice and shows character development. Sucks for the people she commands.
Not really calling it a civilian vs. military issue, more of a trained vs. non-trained. And I'll even concede that it's probably a combination of writing, and the actresses inability to convey any sort of ability to take on such a role.
See, I just didn't see her as so horribly wishy washy. I saw her as a diplomat by training, i.e., a person who's normal tools are diplomacy, the consideration of options, thinking, planning, adjourning for more thinking and planning, etc.
By the internal logic of the show, the hard nosed military leadership stuff would be handled by Col T-1000, but he was kidnapped and dead, so now there's no military leader besides Shepherd, and Shepherd was in action mode. But I thought the argument they had on the...balcony or terrace or whatever that was was good, I think they respect each other..
*shrugs helplessly*
I think Higgenson as an actor has some issues, hopefully to be smoothed out as the series goes on. But I was fine with Weir as a leader, given the circumstances.
That's probably it. With any other actress, I probably would have bought the balcony scene. With her, it just seemed forced and cheesy.
Being, as I am, Scottish, the accent made me squirm every. Single. Line. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, and I don't really like him being cast as a buffon-type figure (despite the MD), but I think he has sackfuls of potential. I'd love to see him become a gruffer, Wesley-ish character.
And: The set. Wow. Yes, it's basically Deep Space 90, but I'm a sucker for elegant architecture and starry skies. Until the last scene, where everyone was mingling, I thought the potential for the show constricted. Now, it seems wide open. Can't wait.
Buffy/Angel Wesley, right? Because "gruff" isn't a word I associate with Star Trek: TNG Wesley.
I think it's just the actress. She comes off wooden and not very much in tune with her character.
So....those were some interesting production economies: a little Anubis-Vision sharing, some inky shadow FX in regular and grande. Boys, did you know these eps were going to air back-to-back?
I'm lovin' McKay.
I'm enjoying Atlantis, but I still don't like Weir. But as my husband pointed out while we were watching it.."we don't have to like her, she's basically a politician." And then it was all ok.
Does that also mean that we can't expect much from her either? Cuz politicians? Really good at not meeting expectations.
I'm sure they'll find some way to supe her up. Because as I learned in Buffy, nothing makes a boring character come alive like giving them superpowers.
Anybody noticed that this episode totally sucked? No creativity. Cheep effects. Its like watching scifi crime-procedural. How can you enjoy show without spark, emotion and progress?
I felt a little sorry for the black foggy thing. I mean, it was trapped, experimented on, forgotten there for a loooooooooooong time. So it was a little hungry when it got out. It didn't kill anyone. Clearly McKay severely underestimated its intelligence. Teyla might have been on the right track in saying maybe the "darkness" might wanna get out somewhere else. Instead they send it to a wasteland with a naquiter generator (hey, aren't they short on power sources there?) set to explode. They were willing to sacrifice a probe thingie (malp?) too, although McKay's last minute bravery made that unnecessary. But when I first saw the set up to lure the darkness through the gate I thought "they're gonna run outta stuff really fast there".
eta: On a less silly note:
I'm also kinda wondering when the SG-1 folk and the SG:A folk figured out that the ancients were the ascended ones? Because as Weir was leaving star command I thought I heard her say that at best, they'd find some of the surviving ancients and the ancients would be willing to help. Although in the back of my head I began wondering around then if the ascended ones were the ancients, it didn't seem as if that was clear to the Star Gate characters. Even if the Star Command folk figured it out, how would they have communicated the info to the SG:A team? But tonight on SG:A someone (Shephard? I disremember) explained how the ancients learned to leave their bodies behind and take energy form or ascend.
Don't like kids as a sappy plot device. And it does not bode well that we now have a whole captive tribe of them to use as sappy plot devices. Am I the only one that noticed everone standing around with sappy looks on their faces everytime they had to inter"act" with these cute little muppets? Ugh! Tres, tres sapp-ay
Agreeing with
IIRC correctly in Full Curcle (the last episode of season 6) Daniel figure out that the ascended like him were the ancients while he was looking for the eye of Ra.
When did Weir learn to speak Ancient?
Jinto better be hapy my grandmother wasn't on Atlantis when he let the shadow thing out of its cage. She'd have made him get his own switch and would still be whipping his ass.
Sheppard needs to comb his hair.
I hope Stargates SG-1 and Atlantis don't air different versions of the same episode every week. That would suck.
The kid's father reminds me of the preacher from Deadwood - all mangy and such.
The episode started off fairly well when Sheppard could barely contain his glee over shooting McKay, and then it went downhill from there. McKay was definitely getting on my nerves towards the middle of the episode.
I'm still going to give it a few more weeks for them to hit their stride, but if they keep this up, it doesn't look good.
Various members of the Atlantis team have artificially high levels of fluency with Ancient for the same (and equally unexplained) reason the vast majority of aliens in the SG1 universe (who speak at all) speak English. Because otherwise, you waste 5 or 10 minutes every episode with the language barrier, the consequences of the language barrier, surmounting the language barrier, etc. They did this in a bunch of early SG-1 episodes, and then realized that while it was realistic, it was also a redundant time waster.
First they glossed over the translation difficulties with increasing speed, and eventually everyone just spoke English (generally the ubiquitous-across-all-pop-science-fiction "Slightly formal and archaic, no contractions or slang ever" Alien English), and Daniel magically learned how to read pretty much every language ever.
Now they only bother with that stuff when it's particularly and specifically critical to the plot, and for that I'm grateful.
Weir: "I thought you didn't believe it that sort of thing."
McKay: "I didn't, until I found out about these things called 'The Wraith' that can suck the life out of you with their hand. I mean, what the hell is that?"
Hee hee.
Was it just me, or did Lost Kid's father remind anyone else of Liam Neeson? And, hee! Mangy Jesus.
The last part, with the whole "delving into the big black energy creature" was a bit too overdramatic, IMO. Actually, everything involving that stupid lost kid was overdramatic. And bad. I hate children being used as plot devices just so all the adults can make puppy eyes.
I liked the image of the Atlantians having kids under-foot. It gives the show a more "domestic"-feel and lessens the clank-clank military-industrial complex feel of the SGC teams. Weir's comment about clearing away the 10,000-year-old dead plants showed some awareness to the surroundings. If you noticed, the Athosians refer to the Ancients as the Ancestors, but have we seen any Athosian exhibit signs of the ATA-gene? It would be interesting if the Athosian children became adept at Ancient technology. It would be an ironic-mirror to today's children having to show the grown-ups about some aspects of computer. I've always liked the analogy "...to me a PC is an electric typewriter, to my son is a computer, to my grandson it's just the tips of his fingers." I'm not advocating any become an annoying prodigy like Wesley Crusher or Will Robinson, but the wonder of discovery is best reflected in the eyes of a child. I did like that Sheppard is living up to his name and become the Cubmaster of the kid-squad; ghost stories and lost boys included.
The transporter "closet" is an interesting plot device; part Star Fleet turbo-lift and part Goa'uld transport-ring. Atlantis City is getting more than a touch of DS-9's feel as a place. Right now, they're just using several levels of the main central-tower, so they'll need a plot-device to get about the city and to bypass the still abandoned or unexplored and charted sections. The Wraiths' capture-beam might be a variant of the Ancient's transporter technology expropriated.
I also thought it interesting that the SG-1 and SGA episodes were bookends to each other. The Ancients' early research on ascension and Annubis who's ascension failed.
As for reading Ancient, the impression is that it's similar to Latin and they have been going through the records at the outpost form months. And the SGC's been poking around the Gate's control systems for years. Plus there might be a subtle Ancients' technology that's giving them a boast that the writers haven't revealed yet, a part of the Ancients' computer systems' intuative-interface; re Farscape's translator virus or Andromeda's nanobot translators.
Man this show looks like some weak shit already.
The only saving grace was at the beginning with McKay and Major Solo. They have a good buddy thing going. Weir didn't piss me off all that much. But I'd already wasted an hour watching the adventures of a disembodied Ancient the hour before. I didn't need a double dose.
I hope they turn this show around. Because right now it's seeming like a never ending loop of Mongol episodes where Carter gets in a dress.
I enjoyed this episode for Sheppard pure and simple. It was his character that put the energy into the episode and lent some levity to it. I loved the scene with him trying to explain football and a hail mary to Teyla, and the scene where he tells the children a bedtime story was a nice touch. It gave him a little more to do than be rebellious toward authority and carry a wepon.
I can't say that I liked the Weir's part in the episode because to say that she is team leader, she seemed more lost in her scenes than anything. I truly think that they should beef up her part in some way. And as much as it pains me to say it, they did very little with Teyla. I mean I hope that they don't decide to just use the fact that she can sense Wraiths as her only saving grace as a character. Mostly she just stood around looking very pretty.
I figured that the first episode would slow things down, it always seems to happen in every new series.But I still think that they are going to need to utilize the Wraith as the true threat rather than have them pop up every few episodes. From what I saw of next weeks ep they are still not living up to what was expected of the series. I know that it may take a nearly the season for things to work out but they'd better hurry.
Heh!
Mangy Jesus, and
Son of Mangy Jesus!
I love TwoP!
1) Dr. Brogue is sexy.
2) Dr. Brogue is very sexy.
3) Dr. Brogue needs to remove his clothing... STAT!
4) Dr. Weir was boring.
5) This episode ROYALLY sucked!
It really takes some pretty shitty characters/actors to make you properly appreciate the likes of Teal'c (Christopher Judge) who was basically the coolest alien ever the day he walked through the Stargate. I think the only aliens I may have liked as much were Maya on Space: 1999, K'heyler on TNG, and Delenn on B5.
When are the writers of these shows going to figure out that (aside from few brief appearances to prove their parents have children and lives) nobody really gives a shit about the (impossibly saintly) children on sci-fi shows? I think they should have had the Father savagely beat the boy in frustration and then had Weir wax philosophical on respecting culturing differences... Tee Hee!
The problem of Universal Cosmic ESL could be easily rectified by having all species have some telepaths who can upload and download their language and that of others races. They could do this quickly and easily and have it be convincing. Or... they could have the telepaths just be able to understand the alien races they encounter and then the show could subtitle the alien language so we'd know what they are saying. Anything would be better then this Cosmic ESL racket.
I wonder if they plan to have the city stay stationary or will switch this to a Deep Space Show. Also, isn't it about time they decided to explore the planet they are on?
Also, I want to see them ratchet up the dramatic tension between people we care about. I hate Tey-Lo annd her hippy-dip shit already. Major Solo Skywalker (He has The Force running strongly through him, remember?) looks like he will be delicious when we finally get him out of that pesky clothing. We need some good female leads for him to work with though and we ain't got them yet.
Could somebody explain to me why they can't easily use a Stargate under water and why the surface of it when active is supposed to look so watery? Just wondering.
Jonas.... hell yeah. I would have gone for that.
And is Mangy Jesus, wasn't he on Earth 2?
I like the kids. I like the sense of community they help provide, and I like the idea of one or two of them becoming prominent secondary characters. Not in that "I save the day Wesley Crusher" way, but just as people who grow up in a particular situation and begin contributing to their little society.
I hope they do interesting things involving the blending of the earth and Athosian communities/cultures, I hope quite literally we'll see some intermarrying and babies being born eventually. The procedural/mission based/military thing is perfectly fine, but we've seen it on Stargate for years now, I fully support Atlantis going in another direction.
In a sense, both the Stargate personnel and the Athosians are descendents of this great dead (well dead and or/ascended) civilization, they're situated in this great dead city, and I'd be fascinated to them rebuild it, not in the purely physical sense, but in the human, cultural one. I loved the mention of replacing/removing the dead plants, I definitely want to know about the homemaking stuff. I realize I may be in a minority, but every sci fi show does the "focus on the top level team of leaders". Tell me more about their loved ones, and the people working belowdecks. When the shooting starts or the baddies come or everything starts melting or whatever, you can still have the leaders do their thing, but...the kid gets lost, Sheperd helps look for him, there's your hero. I loved the monster movie storytime. How about Dr. Brogue or McKay in a romance with some nice Athosian, how adorable would that be?
Enh, I'm rambling. All I'm saying is, keep the kids, keep the sense of community, make me care about these people, all of them.
Second episode was a solid 'eh' to me. Not a very good plot, but some very good moments - the look on Sheppard's face when he said, "I shot him!" and basically anything McKay does. But seriously, if Weir and Tey-Lo (hee!) are the only female leads, then this show will suck. Get a Sam or at least the Original Weir, whom I thought was a better actress.
Oh, and originally the name Mangy Jesus came from the http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/faq.cgi?show=13&q=1793.
This episode was pure cheese. I started laughing the first time we saw the big evil shadow creature that made weird growly noises. Was I the only one who kept thinking of the shadow demon things from 'Ghost'? Especially when it chased down that guy and we heard him screaming in true monster movie style. Hilarious, even if it wasn't meant to be.
Good things so far:
Top of the list is McKay. Love him. He's awesome, and his constant comments in this episode about how he was a dead man walking kept making me laugh. I hope he gets lots of screen time. Also, the sexy doctor. I can't remember his name, but whenever he's onscreen I just start drooling. Yum.
That's about all I can think of for the 'good points' list. I'm not sure why they decided to make this the first episode after the pilot - it seems like a weird way to begin a series. I thought they'd start out with some getting-to-know-you character stuff, or at least some exploration of the city. Jumping straight into the b-grade horror movie type stories does not bode well.
I was almost ready to give up on Atlantis after watching this episode. But then I remembered the suckfest that was early SG-1 ('Emancipation' and 'The First Commandment', anyone?) and figured there's a chance it may get better.
Mangy Jesus does look like that guy from Earth 2. That was Danziger, played by Clancy Brown. SGA's Danziger lookalike, though, is played, I believe, by Christopher Heyerdahl, who you could have seen today on Sci-Fi in some crummy movie called Matthew Blackheart: Monster Smasher. Evidently he's also in two big summer movies, Catwoman and The Chronicles of Riddick. I fear his acting choices.
As for the most recent SGA episode, it really felt like a bottle show where they're slashing costs to recover from the big budget blowout of the premiere. And also showing off their boss new set. A very poor choice for the follow-up to the pilot.
If they're not careful, this is gonna turn into McKay & the Others. He already shows signs of becoming a stand-in for the Doctor on Voyager. He's got a forceful and idiosyncratic personality and is a counterpoint for non-stop shoot-'em-up action and must be kewl to write for, but a little goes a long way.
I'm not really sure where this episode was supposed to be going. We did learn one or two things but did it honestly need an entire episode to tell us? I watch this on downloads so I'm not sure which one is aired first but I think it is really lazy writing to use the same plot for both episodes. Why do you need two shows? If you can't think up two completely different plots then get some new writeres who can. Or if you have to do that then at least schedule the episodes at least a month apart.
Sheppard was less annoying this episode. Looking at the credits I see who's supposed to be the star. Hee!
The little oiks and that mangly jesus irritated me. Not sure why, but I can see this turning into a deep seated loathing. When Teyla said "Ginko bolo has something he wishes to say to you." I could just hear that line being spoken every single week.
I've started to like McKay, didn't like him before but at least he isn't one dimensional like everyone else.
I didn't like Sheppard as much this week. There's just something weird about someone bringing a football game as their one personal item.
Torri Higginson is growing on me as Weir. I thought Ford had a couple of good moments, too. McKay=meh, but I don't loathe him. And I really wish they'd come up with another name than Dr. Beckett for the scotsman. I keep looking for Al.
But it was Flutie's Hail Mary! It's not like he brought some crappy Fighting Irish game or something . . . (heh)
I thought Flutie was a cartoon character.
http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/dougsr.html
Should have been baseball.
I had no idea he was a real person. Thank you Colonel Philistine. When did he play football? I'm assuming it was while I was living out of the country.
It's Colonial (no big - but points if you recognize the source of my handle).
http://www.chargers.com/team/roster_details.cfm?last_name=Flutie&first_name=Doug But, short summary - graduated from Boston College in 1984 as the Heisman Trophy winner, played in both the NFL and CFL, and now plays as backup QB for the hapless San Diego Chargers.
Flutie played for the BC Lions in the CFL at one time, so maybe it's partly another little Vancouver nod (I seem to recall T'ealc making some comment about the Vancouver Canucks in an old episode). The whole football / Hail Mary thing didn't really work for me, though.
Episode 1.3: Weir opens the Ancient-version-of-Ron Popeil's closet?
On a previous topic, when it comes to TV series love, I’m a character-first person. Now that I got my initial (don't screw up, boys) personal bonding with Sheppard and McKay out of the way, I’m trying to figure the hostility for Weir and Tey-Lo (tm funny person). They haven't been drawn as sympathetically as the guys, they don't bring the funny, and yet - there seems to be an expectation that the show launch all of the characters fully formed. (Which would be nice, but done well, is, let's face it, rare.) Can they be developed over the season?
Tey-Lo for example, is lookin' Tina Turnerish, but in a good way, with the lighter shade wig of Today’s Older Bud(dhist) Wiser With a Younger Dude Tina. She’s been established as a warrior/leader of her people who’s quick and nimble and street (or rather, forest) smart. So she finds herself in a new neighborhood. In charge of squat, officially. Wanting to trust the new guys, making friends fast with the cute Major. Trying to be helpful. And, since she's Wraith-savvy, that shouldn't prove to be hard.
Where’s the hate? Do I need to check tapes? Or is it mostly the hair? And the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome outfit?
Along these lines, there are always a few things that sci-fi shows tend to hand wave off, especially one like this where the characters may be out of touch with earth for a long time. For example:
1. Personal hygeine supplies. Just how much soap and toothpaste do these folks have? That's not something most other SG cultures necessarily have.
2. Laundry supplies. Apparently they have a Ronald Mcdonald thing going with dozens of identical outfits that are somehow magically cleaned.
3. Good barbers, especially for the women.
4. For this show, at least, did they bring zappers? That strikes me as a very useful weapon to have given the large number of humanoids running around. All I remember seeing are guns and other standard weapons.
Oh well, maybe the day they run out of toothpaste is the day they make contact with earth. I can just imagine O'neill refusing to talk to them until after they've brushed their teeth and taken a shower.
Reminds me of "Small Victories":
O'Neill: I'd be happy to debrief you all after I've debriefed myself for a nice hot shower.
Hammond: Permission to shower granted. In fact, I insist on it, Colonel.
O'Neill: Bad?
Jackson: I wasn't going to say anything...
It'd be funny if they brought a nearly all male crew, the few females either already have partners/are gay/or die off.... and they are stuck there for 70+ years or so.
OK, this may be a little stupid, or pulling a loony, but is there some significance to Atlantis being eight letters and Daniel figuring out the eighth symbol? Because I'm trying to understand how he came up with it, and I clueless. I'm left to think he just reached in and grabbed it out of his &*$.
*Sigh* Can't help but think of the pure hotness that having Shepard and Daniel on the same show would generate.
. . .
Like Hadante? *g*
I resaw part of the Atlantis premier tonight. I think they need to bring the energy up a little. It's not that anyone's bad, but they seem blase even when they're excited.
I hope that made sense.
Reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Apu delivers a stack of porn to the sea captain and he says. "Thanks maytee, this will keep the boys from turning to rampant homosexuality.... for about 10 minutes... Yarr."
Kind of reminds me of this show. Tey-lo should keep the men in line... for about 10 episodes.
Okay, I'm starting to warm up to Weir, but I'm still not fully pleased with the actress. But I know it'll be the non Stargate people that are going to bug the heck out of me. Between the kids, creepy father and Tey-lo, I'm going to be hoping for the Wraith to come and eat the lot.
I hope the kids and the Father aren't around for much longer. They were a big negative in "Hide and Seek" and I could also do without Tey-Lo. If they focused on the actual Stargate team I could see myself enjoying the show a lot more.
I was happy to see that, if the previews are any indication, the third episode will focus on the main team - in actual jeopardy ("just how screwed we are.").
<Fingers crossed that I'm not being faked out and there's some assy subplot about home schooling.>
Woo! I finally finished reading all...18+ pages! I'm so proud of me.
I also finally got to see the premiere and the first ep thanks to this week's reairing. For which I am enormously grateful. So far, I kind of like it. Sheppard's cute. McKay doesn't fully make me want to stab him in the face, which is a nice change. Dr. Brogue (oooh clever person. "") is adorable. I want to hug him like a giant teddy bear. Tey'lo (hee! another clever person) gets on my nerves. Her hair is bad, yes, but she's such a cliche. She's really kind of treading the path where so many have gone before, with the spiritualist, one with the earth, look at me, I am so slick as I run through the forest vibes she's putting out.
There are a couple of big things bothering me.If Tey'la and her people know that the wraiths eat them, and they know that they know how to use the Stargate, and they can make fancy floaty fire things, here are some questions.
A) Why the tents and huts, y'all?
B) There have to be planets with better defenses, yet they are staying in huts and tents?
C) At one time, at least, they were technologically advanced (assuming their ancestors were the Ancients, which I have my doubts about). How did they wind up as a superstitious, hut and tent living people? I know the Ancients sort of came undone as a humanistic society, but I just have a hard time buying it.
Why didn't these people ascend? Perhaps only those with the gene can ascend? Is that why none of these supposed descendents seems to have the innate ability to use the tech the way Sheppard does?
D) Why did Tey'la's people have to stay in Atlantis? Surely, with all their tradecontacts, there must be somewhere they could have relocated to other than what is going to be a military base, essentially.
E) And finally, if we are encountering humans that are descended from the Ancients rather than having been relocated by the Goa'uld, what does this do to the current Stargate mythos?
gryphonmage, I have been wondering some of the same things that you have. I can only say that Tey'la's people may have stayed on Atlantis because maybe,either Weir and Sheppard or perhaps Tey'la herself, thought that it would be safer,just in case the Wraith made another attack than if they moved to a neighboring village, which would eventually suffer the same fate. Not to mention having them in the city means that they can always go to them for any possible information that the villagers may have against the Wraith and some possible knowledge of the Ancients. Whatever the reason its nice to know that it kinds of adds a normalacy to the otherwise military atmosphere that it would be otherwise. But something tells me that the refugees will play some bigger role in the future.
I hope that this season will concentrate more on the team learning to work together and really find their niche. I also hope that this show will use the Stargate a great deal more than StarGate SG-1 has over the past couple of seasons. And here is hoping that more of Atlantis will be explored in upcoming episodes because it would be pretty lame if the city became nothing more than another "base of operations" and faded into the background. And I hope that while this is suppose to be a completely diffrent galaxy, that they will find some way to allow the denzians of the Pegasus Galaxy to have some connection to the Gao'uld, Asgardians and the other galaxy of StarGate. I realize that they want this show to stand on its own, but somehow I just think that eventually they will have to confront this situation in the future.
I love this show, and I think that the whole "floating city" concept is very cool, but I do have a few questions.
1. Are they just floating with the current, or is the city still anchored to the bottom somehow?
2. Are they exploring this new world, or just focusing on the Stargate?
That's all for now, but rest assured; I'll be watching...
Okay, I'm going out on a limb here, but here goes...
What say we give Tey-lo and all the other "mehs" a chance beyond the two episodes we've seen so far. The character hasn't been developed all that much, beyond stereotypical native warrior woman with an airhead twist, and hell, if I had to base my judgement of Carter on a few episodes of Stargate, well...
Anyone remember "...and just because my reproductive organs are on the inside intstead of the outside..." and, with Emancipation, where to begin? Arguably, those horror shows weren't the actress' fault, simply poor writing and character development. But that's my point. Not that I'm comparing Tey-lo with Carter (for all the Carter lovers), but if the show doesn't get cancelled first, I'm willing to see what the writers do with her and the others, (cringe) even creepy father. Who knows, the writing cabal might figure out how to write a decent female character (no SuperCarters, cast-iron bitches, or airhead ciphers), and creepy father might evolve to simply strange.
The last good female character they wrote was sorta whats her face pre-Osiris.
Well, being a UK-er I haven't actually seen Atlantis, but having seen screencaps and the reviews here, here are my thoughts.
- My opinion as soon as I saw the very first picture of Torri Higginson has been totally confirmed. It didn't help that I really loved Jessica Steen in the role in the Lost City - and that was even without the goodwill that some here seem to have towards the actress based on her other projects, as it was the first time I'd seen her. Looks-wise I thought she was great. Very very pretty, but in an intelligent mature way. She just gave off a vibe that was both highly likeable and competent, and that was in (at the time) the rather thankless role of replacing Hammond and having to be brought up to speed when the clock was ticking for Jack. My one complaint about her was that she looked to much like Sam to be the 'other' female in the same show, but that wouldn't have been a problem in the spin-off, plus she could go darker in the hair department and look even better. So it made no sense that they'd cast Jessica in SG1 and replace her for the show where her one previous problem wouldn't have been a problem. And I don't like recasting generally, particularly in the case of the LINK character for the spin-off as it negates all the the Jessica Steen verion had with Jack & Co. I was even more displeased when I saw the picture of the harsh-looking, bitch-face brunette ho just LOOKS like she has issues, and the type that in order to be a good leader she'll be portrayed as a hard, lonely case, whereas I can well imagine Jessica Steen having some nice romantic interests in the series. As is, looks like that'll be filled by solely Shep. So casting dropped the ball there big-time. And I really hope that JS quit for her own reasons, rather than got fired cos tha would frustrate me knowing this Poor Man's recast was totally within the control of SG-TPTB.
- I'm one that really enjoyed and liked Mackay in his SG1 guest spots, he didn't bring the hate for me at all, so if he's now converted his former detractors, I imagine I'll like him even more now.
- I think chemistry is based in large part how two people will look together, and I can't imagine that Tey-lo and Shep (great last name, but damn, couldn't they have gone with a different first name. Jack/John is a boring enough name the first damn time round, but especially in the case of the counterpart character on the spin-off FFS) will have me shipping them.
Swannlore - Is it a different galaxy? I thought it was meant to be part of this galaxy, but in a different quadrant or something. Whoops.
I am also hoping that they don't simply write off everything that SG-1 has built up. I don't want to simply have it be a carbon copy, but I think it would be nice if they at least made an effort to keep the two connected in more than just name. On the other hand, introducing the Asgard is very deus ex machina as far as how can they get home. But as for the Goa'uld, wouldn't it be interesting if they did something really different with them? In a different part of space, cut off from the other Goa'uld, perhaps they have developed independently and completely differently from either the Tok'ra or the bad guy Goa'uld as we know them.
Frank James - I think they are planning to explore this world as well. As a home base for the Ancients, and their mission being to seek out Ancient tech, it would onlymake sense. At least, I hope they don't drop that entirely. It would kind of suck. Although that leads me to a kind of huge plot hole...if their mission is to seek out technology, as has been the mission since Stargat began...how were they planning to share this information with the folks back home that they are presumably seeking it out for?
And F? Is for the Furling (sp?) that other race in the Gang of Four. Since we've never met them, SG:A might be the opportunity to bring that thread into play. Perhaps they are the ancestors of Tey-Lo and Associates? The Asgard and the Nox are still around, I guess we just haven't gotten to either the F's galaxy or their quadrant of the Pegasus galaxy. Yet. Hope they bring food, new toys and some Wraith-fighting ability with them. Hope none of them actually say the words, "we'd like to help, but you are too young."
It's funny how TPTB are playing around with evolution and world religion. I know it's sci-fi, but geez. The Ancients creating us in their image? I guess that knocks God out of the picture. Exactly how did the Ancients create all these other humans in the Pegasus, and Earth as someone said? How....forget it, maybe I should just go back to work.
Will someone tell me how Dr. Brogue got from whereever he was looking hot at to the jumper bay and into full quarintine gear in something like three seconds?
Other than that, pretty good episode. Except for the moments I spent being freaked out by that...thing.
Also, are there two gates? I thought the gate was in the main room, but the jumper bay seems to not be...I...am confused.
::sniff:
I love this show and the crew. Stargate:Deep Space Ni--uh, I mean Stargate:Atlantis has definitely become regular viewing for me.
And I've been proven wrong. Ford is not Mayweather redux. He is actually allowed to matter in episodes.
That was a great episode of Apollo 13. Really.
But I did like the way Weir told both MangyJesus and EgoGeek to piss off.
And does Sheppard have a crush on Weir? Hmmm.
The Jumper bay is right above the gate room. The Puddle Jumper hovers down through a hatch door above the gate room.
Thank you, Readster!I thought I had missed soomething, and I couldn't believe that I'd missed something as huge as a second gate.
I was really pleased with Weir's govenor of a colony speech to EgoGeek. Somebody many pages back mentioned that the best way for her character to grow is if they accept that this is a new outpost and don't Janeway her up with attempts to get home. Good call. I am fully on board with this show now.
I nearly pissed my pants laughing over this silly episode!
The Dramatic Introduction of Major Solo-Skywalker's Manly Chest (It was NOT as manly as I had hoped... I fear that Riker's chest is still the best!) could not have been better presented (nor any more accidentally comical than it was). I wonder how the hell the cast got through this T & A Man-Shot without cracking-up over it's sheer exploitive value?
At the rate we're going we'll probably see him lying naked in a field by the end of Season 1!
Obviously, there were lots, and lots, and lots of rip-offs from both the movie Alien (The Bug & The Airlock) and also from The Abyss ("I drown and you tow me back to the rig!" The Flatline! The Zapper! The Resurrection!)
After all those fluid experiments, to get The Disgusting Alien Life-Form DuJour off of him, I was half-expecting Tey-Lo to brightly suggest the use of her own organically enhanced primitive people's urine, strip and squat over the Major, invoke an incantation to the Goddess of her people, and then start peeing away on the thing! They've REALLY got to drop this Clan of the Cave Bear Shit with Tey-Lo and next week episode looks like it will be A Very Special Episode where they learn that they need to trust Tey-Lo and her Primitive-Woman-Who-Runs-With-The-Wolves ways for she shall never lead them astray!
I wonder if Mangy Jesus is the sell-out? Won't it be cool when they run he and his delusional followers out of the gate and never let them back? Or better yet, invite them back and then make Gate Pancakes by raising the shield over the Event Horizon! And Voila... Fundi-cakes!
Ugly Sexist Swine and Mangy Jesus have both got to go RIGHT NOW and they both seem like guys who should be on the Registered Sex-Offender's List somehow.
I want Weir to get rid of both of them IMMEDIATELY.
Such insolence! He was totally slimy and trying to get all seductive with her. Yeccch!
She should have said: "Listen Dickhead, I flunked guys like you even before I got Tenure! Get out of my site, at once, you Fucktard!"
But what was Major Solo-Skywalker going to say to her?
"I respect you!"
"I kinda like you."
"I wish I'd nailed you?"
'Cause, you all KNOW it was waaay too early for him to go all Jerry Maguire on us with the "you complete me" stickiness!
If they only get one personal item why do they have so many off duty clothes? Are clothes not personal?
On the other hand, I just watched it again, and I liked it a bit better this time around. Dr. Brogue is winning my heart. The thing about the bug moving again kind of disappointed me. It looked like it ws going to be a big thing and then it just got sucked out. What ws the point? (or did it get sucked out? dun dun duuuuuun)
And yes, I too found the chest shot disappointing. He seemed so pale. Not that I can talk, but hello, fake tan please. heh.
I'm not normally on Ho-Yay patrol, but help me out here: Dr. Brogue, working on Shep? He's got a stethoscope, a defibrillator and some other technowhatever equipment and yet...when he gets a pulse? He puts his ear on, er, to Shep's chest.
WTF?
Much better. They still aren't really exploring the boundaries of the new show's geography, but they continue to introduce appealing tertiary characters (I liked Czech guy), they continue to give us some nice bits of characterization, and even Weir got some nice moments tonight.
Sadly, I like Chris Heyerdahl, and at this point I assume some kind of betrayal/schism led by him is inevitable, with Teyla choosing to side/stay with the Earthers.
I was waiting for Dr. Brogue to state that the Oxygen Pump wasn't working and MANFULLY lock his lips to Sheppard's and force the life back into him! Didn't it seem a little bogus that the Major's heart had such trouble re-starting after only one zap? A Defribulator probably wouldn't have even stopped his heart either and even though it allegedly did the alien parasite continued to hold on.
Sigh, We need to see Dr. Brogue naked in order to catalogue his full market value.
I am also really liking Rainbow Sun Franck's because he's sort of harmless, youthful, testosteronic fun without being a dickhead or irresponsible. It's a nice touch.
Now, that was an improvement.
I like that in a crisis, people aren't just snapping together into formation and carrying on calmly in military precision and with unerring mastery of all technology. They're quarreling and babbling and freaking out and floundering.
I also like the geekery of the science crew when they get caught up in the moment and can't be bothered with social niceties, like Professor Czech telling Weir to shove off and let him work.
Weir also got to kick ass nicely and assert her authority.
You could tell EgoGeek was gonna be an asshat (although he got his mandatory redemptive moment at the end) because he was tryin' to rock both the ponytail and the glasses. On men, that's always a combination that indicates Pure Teutonic-Flavored Evil.
One thing that confused me was that Professor Czech said he found the circuit pathways, but then McKay was still mapping his way through 30 or 40 combinations. Did I miss something, or did PC only find the general node and the specifics had to be worked out within the trapped puddlejumper?
I suspect you're going to have to live with McKay being the magical polygenius. He won't be the best at medical stuff with Dr. Brogue around, but other than that....I mean, this was a character originally designed to stand up intellectually (more or less) to Sam Carter, and as much as I love Sam, she's a gigantic Mary Sue character most of the time.
I appreciate that they at least nod towards the other experts on the expedition.
"Such insolence! He was totally slimy and trying to get all seductive with her. Yeccch!"
---Weir could give him to the Manson back-up singers as a peace offering. No, on second thought, they'd attack Atlantis on that score alone.
"Sigh, We need to see Dr. Brogue naked in order to catalogue his full market value"
---Don't hold your breath on that one. I think Flannigan is the only actor with a gratuitous chest allowance in his contract. Pity.
"I respect you!"
"I kinda like you."
"I wish I'd nailed you?"
'Cause, you all KNOW it was waaay too early for him to go all Jerry Maguire on us with the "you complete me" stickiness!"
---I don't see it. He was checking out that nurse at the end more than anyone. To the infamous Lady Weave who helped save him..."Get me food, I say!"
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