Tag: Stargate

Stargate: Universe

The first episode of the new Stargate series aired this past weekend. As a fan of SG1 and Atlantis, I was particularly interested to see how this new series would go. Of course, I knew from promotional material that it would ultimately be set on a very old Ancient ship which was tooling through space depositing stargates and that a band of refugee types would end up aboard it trying to survive. The premise itself is hardly original; the lost in space theme is very common.

The introductory episode is, unsurprisingly, somewhat heavy with exposition as it sets up just how the refugees ended up on the Ancient ship and as they deal with their initial crisis. Based on the first episode, I have to admit that the series has potential. However, it could very easily go wrong, turning into a clone of Star Trek: Voyager or something similar. It seems unlikely that this will be the case, though.

In this series, we see Ancient technology that looks ill used and old. The ship’s systems are failing. The ship has been damaged, possibly in a battle. There is no simple solution to survival like Atlantis surfacing; the refugees will need to repair damaged systems and maintain the ship just to survive. And, unlike in other series, it seems unlikely they will ever be able to return to Earth; after all, it took the power output of a planet’s core to open a wormhole to the ship. It is also unlikely they will hear anything from Earth since said planet was destroyed in the attack the refugees were escaping from.

To make the situation more interesting, the cast does not consist of a hand-picked, trained team of experts. Many of the refugees are people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This provides potential for situations that would have made little sense on the other Stargate series.

All in all, if the producers are able to follow up on the setup with compelling stories, the series will at least meet the standards set by previous series. It may even be able to draw an audience different to the original Stargate series simply due to the differing premise. Here’s hoping the rest of the episodes live up to the potential of the first.

Stargate Atlantis has ended

The 100th and final episode of Stargate Atlantis has aired. These are my thoughts on it (including spoilers).

I watched the final episode of Stargate Atlantis (SGA) today. As finalés go, it is fantastic. I discuss high and low points below so if you are concerned about spoilers, do not read further.

The interactions between Sheppard and Todd are excellent. These scenes serve as a break from the otherwise frantic pace of the story but also serve to remind viewers of some events that have gone before. For instance, Todd having several zero point modules, while seeming to be a deus ex machina, does make sense given the fact that he had stolen a number from the replicator planet before it was destroyed. It also makes sense he would have held them in reserve, both by his character and for tactical reasons.

Ronon’s death scene is brilliantly played. It serves to show the danger of combat and that main characters are not exempt from death. His subsequent resurrection by the wraith, while seeming somewhat contrived, also has a sound tactical reason, and although one does wonder why the wraith do not have some sort of life-signs detection, it is not a technology that has been prevalent on wraith ships so its lack is not a glaring omission.

The means of destroying the wraith ship makes a great deal of sense, even if it has been done to death. They do receive points for having a plan that would have worked without the arrival of Atlantis as the last possible microsecond, even if all the main characters would have died. Thus, the fact that several plot contrivances bring the team together and later allow their lives to be saved can be swallowed since these contrivances themselves were not required to save Earth.

Wormhole drive, on the other hand, is one technology of the week too many. Zelenka saying that McKay has been working on it for years does not excuse its introduction, either, although the statement about its dangers does explain why it has not been used previously. I should point out that it is not the existence of such a technology that bothers me since it does fit within the Stargate universe nicely. It is merely the convenient timing of its revelation and the reason its revelation is required that make it an iffy contribution. All that aside, it does not cause any particular strain on the narrative and does, in fact, serve to heighten tension.

The mention of Hammond’s death was a nice touch as there is no doubt that had Don S. Davis would have happily reprised his role for this episode had he not died last summer. That Hammond died in the same manner as Davis and had a ship named after him was a very nice touch and no doubt Davis would be touched by the gesture.

Finally, the scene with all the primary cast members standing at the rail on Atlantis with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge was a great end. In fact, I think that scene ranks among the absolute best finalé moments ever.

No doubt there are people who didn’t like the fact that the episode felt cluttered just like any other episode. Some won’t like the fact that the wraith are still out there. Some won’t like the tech babble. Some won’t like the clichéd moments. But, you know, when it comes right down to it, the episode felt like a Stargate story. And had absolutely all the loose ends been tied up, those same people complaining about that would be complaining that things were tied up in too nice a package. Also, were this reality, just because a group of people decided to stop observing another group of people, it does not mean that other group of people is no longer there. Their trials and tribulations continue.

There is a SGA movie scheduled for release some time in 2009 which will, no doubt, be exciting. And, there is a new Stargate series scheduled to air this summer which should be interesting as well. No doubt both of these will eventually be able to pick up loose ends from SGA (and SG1 before it) to make an even bigger overall mess.

So now I leave you with one question. Just what, exactly, is this super top secret mission the Odyssey is on?