Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe

[TrailerCues]

I can't wait to see that 200th episode of SG1.

General Jack is back

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I only watched SG1, was ok but nothing amazing. I really am starting to think that Mitchell is bringing SG1 down for me now, I just really dont like him, dont like Landry too much either. It would never have happened under Hammonds watch!

Much as I hate to admit it, I'm inclined to agree. Browder's playing him way too wooden. That bit with SG-12 bringing in two Baals before SG-1 got back could've been funny, but the joke just fell flat because Mitchell was completely monotone and stiff about it. As annoying as he could get with the fanboyism last season, I actually prefer the more animated approach Browder was taking to the character back then. At least it was interesting.

But enough of the bad. Both SG-1 and Atlantis were overall great this week. Baal is always a fun villain, and the more Baals the merrier. I liked Mitchell's little speech about not having any control, too--that seemed like it was pointed at longtime fans who were all annoyed last season that Mitchell got "command" of SG-1 over Carter. It's been clear since the first few episodes that no one really commands SG-1 at this point. They're a cohesive group where each person knows his or her forte (except Mitchell, who still doesn't really have one) and contributes as he or she can without any coaxing from a designated leader necessary. Anyway, I'd say that as of this episode, SG-1 is officially getting too complex--it's now the SGC vs. the Ori vs. the Lucian Alliance vs. Baal vs. the International Committee vs. the occasional rogue element within the free Jaffa vs. the NID vs. other returning villains and probably some new villains we still haven't even seen yet--but it's all come together to form such a nice, cohesive universe that at this point I don't even care how much more they throw at us. Everything'll find its place. SG-1 just keeps chugging along, sometimes even in spite of itself.

Atlantis, however, definitely had the superior episode of the night. Ronon was desperately in need of some humanization, having been literally nothing but the dude who stands in the back and scowls all the time for over a year now. It was nice to see snippets of his past life, and although she was kind of minor in the episode as a whole, I found myself really liking his wife. I liked how both Ronon and his wife had their noble causes that they just couldn't pull themselves away from, leading to tragedy. Momoa's got some good crazy eyes, as demonstrated in his standoff with the villagers in order to get Sheppard and Teyla free. The rest of the episode I had some doubts about. Beyond the flashback stuff, which was great (and shot in an entirely new style for Stargate in general, which worked well), I thought the action bits were trying a little too hard to be badass and coming off cheesy instead. Until Ronon flipped that shotgun up and blasted the Wraith on the ceiling beam. That, I had to admit, was f***ing awesome. So, despite the fact that I had flashes of Die Hard interspersed with Jack's comment about Teal'c's "Jaffa revenge thing" in SG-1 playing in my head throughout all of the action scenes, I still enjoyed them a lot. The episode stopped feeling like an episode about halfway through and started feeling more like an action movie. It all came together into a great package.

My one disappointment in the Atlantis episode was Lorne's absence. When the gate closed behind McKay before the credits, I literally hopped up and yelled something like, "WHOO, bring in Lorne and the secondary team!" But alas, all we got was some new, fuzzy-headed guy.

 

[LadyVader]

I don't think that Sg1 is getting too complicated. NID and the Lucian alliance haven't showed up in a long time, the Goa'uld will always be important to the show and the Ori don't really have the staying power that the Goa'Uld have. I doubt there will be an elventh season anyway.

What I don't really like is that Sg1 is always looking for the great weapon. Just as they looked for the Harsesis, and the Lost city, and other stuff from other seasons I don't yet remember.

 

[wiegeabo]

Where are the Furlings!?!

That's what I'd like to see before the show ends. Did they ascend? Are they still around? Can they help with the fight against the Ori? Can the Nox help? If this does turn out to be the last season, I hope they plan on bringing back everyone they've been leaving out. Tie up all the loose ends they can.

 

[LadyVader]

They did say Furlings would show up in this season. Hope they don't look like this:

 

[Superfreak]

SGA: it just confirms what LV has been saying for the past year. A Ronin spinoff would be so awesome. That was a great SGA. Infact, IMO, it's been one of the better SGA epis of the entire series, maybe the best since the premier epi.

SG1: Good epi, but I'm sick of these 'delay' episodes. We're only on the fourth episode of the season, and had 3 delay episodes. the season premier set the scene, the yawn episode, the atlantis episode, and this baal episode were all sideplots that do nothing but extend the series.

I will say though, that any episode with Baal isa winner. I just wish that the writers at SG1 would get on with it. Send us to those 2 planets, and give us another obsticle, stop delaying the exploration and arrival at castiana and the other place.

 

[Superfreak]

oh yeah, just one last comment on SGA: leather jacket? I mean come on, let's keep it real here. Very Stargate: Extreme. I think they should stick with the fatigues

 

[Roma]

I kinda liked the SG1 episode. Nice to see Vala as part of the team, Sam no longer being the only female there.

I do hope though that the next episodes get on with the whole Ori story.

 

[Happenstance]

Just finished watching the SGA episode, nothing too special but not a bad episode. I do like Ronan sometimes but not when they write him even more hard ass than usual and the plan at the end seemed stupid to me, why would a military commander put his whole team in danger just to settle a vendetta?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Which military commander are you talking about? Sheppard? Sheppard was in a constant stream of damned if you do/damned if you don't scenarios. The hive ship knew Ronon, at least, was there, and they wouldn't just let Ronon get off the planet. The team probably would've had to fight through at least part of that large contingent of Wraith hunters in order to get off the planet anyway, and Ronon wouldn't leave without having his chance at revenge. Sheppard obviously wouldn't leave Ronon, but Ronon wouldn't go willingly. Do they knock him out? Well, that's tough to do for starters, and if they finally manage to knock him out without getting picked off by the Wraith while they're fighting among themselves, Sheppard and Teyla would still have to carry Ronon's giant ass through the Wraith hunters to get to the jumper. So Sheppard did the best he could: he, Ronon, and Teyla took down the Wraith hunters together, then he waited while Ronon had his shot at revenge to kill the big Wraith if necessary. It's tough to save a guy who doesn't want to be saved.

 

[Happenstance]

I do get what your saying, I think its mostly because im not a big fan of SGA and only watch it when im bored and have nowt else to do.

But knocking out Ronon would have been easy as Sheppard had his gun, the puddle jumper was parked on the roof of the building so they wouldnt have to fight any Wraith unless they caught up with them. Anyway saying that maybe it was just the fact that Sheppard agreed so easily to Ronon wanting to take out the Wraith.

 

[Superfreak]

seeing the wraith chieftan get smoked by a drone was worth the entire episode. Which was suprisingly decent for SGA

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I thought you generally rated SGA's episodes better than SG-1's.

 

[Superfreak]

I thought you generally rated SGA's episodes better than SG-1's.

me? no, SG1 over SGa for sure. SGA is too happy and golucky. I'm suprised they haven't come across a willy wonka candy fantasy yet. SG1 is far better, my only issue, is that they have to give Mitchell some reason to exist, other than being given a job b/c his show was cancelled in favor of SG1. Once they do that the show will be mint again.

 

[LadyVader]

me? no, SG1 over SGa for sure. SGA is too happy and golucky.

I love ya Superfreak, but Atlantis is anything but happy go lucky. They do have their trippy Wormhole X-treme moments, but being separated from Earth means they have had to make some very difficult decisions and occasionally have stepped over to the dark side... like in Misbegotten for example. Sg1 has had its share of tough moments, but I dont remember them ever contemplating cold blooded mass murder.

 

[Superfreak]

I love ya Superfreak, but Atlantis is anything but happy go lucky. They do have their trippy Wormhole X-treme moments, but being separated from Earth means they have had to make some very difficult decisions and occasionally have stepped over to the dark side... like in Misbegotten for example. Sg1 has had its share of tough moments, but I dont remember them ever contemplating cold blooded mass murder.

I'm not comparing only narrative and what has happened on the show, but also the way things happen, and the ease at which they seem to get out of trouble. Moreover, SGA has major inconsistencies (such as wraith being wimps, weir not being a negotiator, etc). I just dislike SGA when compared to SG1. There are so many better places they could take the story.

whats in bold:That's nonsense. SG1 has had many momments like that, I'm not gonna list 10 years worth of examples.

 

[Happenstance]

I just dont like the Wraith at all, I think the show would have benefitted a lot more from a more interesting badguy

 

[GyLocke]

My problem with SGA, that Sheppard, Tala and Wier have no characters what so ever. (Just like Mitchell on SG-1. Thank god for Vala.)

McCay on the other hand, has too much sometimes - and for that a lot of other characters are defined by how they respond to him. He's still the best thing about the show. "THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN!"

Character interaction is becoming very lame on both shows though Chemistry is missing.

 

[Happenstance]

I actually think that McKay gets a bit annoying to watch. Before SGA was created a director on one of the SG1 commentaries mentioned that McKay was a great character but only in small doses and I really agree with that. Listening to him ever episode mention that somethings impossible so they go to him just makes me dislike the character now.

 

[GyLocke]

Yeah, his character should defenatley grow. He even seemed to do that in Season1. It would be fine, but since the other characters are so bland, they insist on keeping him annoying.

He should really do something unexpected, out of the blue badass thing, like not breaking under torture, while "the caveman" does, or something to that effect.

 

[Happenstance]

The writing is defiantely good enough. Just look at Daniel throughout SG1, he wasnt annoying at the beginning but I think they did a good job of evolving the character without just making jumps in personality change which didnt make sense.

 

[Superfreak]

things that would make the SGA characters more interesting to me:

Sheppard: play up a character subplot that shows that Sheppard was called to atlantis. Don't do the 'he was destined to go to atlantis', but rather that the gene he possesses drives him to seek out the ancients, he doesn't have to do this consciously, it could be a drive inbred into his genetic gifts with ancient technology, and his connection with that technology. This would shed some light onto why he was in antartica in the first place at the onset of the story.

McKay: he's good, but what they have to start doing with him, is grow him a pair of nards, that will grow larger and stronger as the series progresses. That went well in season 1, and the season 2 premier, but dissappeared over season 2.

Ronin: Nothing needs to be done here. He just needed a character centric episode, which he just got, and it was excellent. Can't wait to see more from the world of Ronin.

Taela: So far, over most of season 2, and so far in season 3, teala has been nothing but the gun toting cleavage, and really nothing more.

What is missing from Teala's character is simple, and it's a failure of the show in general IMO. As a result of the New Lantians (the expedition) on Atlantis, the Wraith have awoken, and will cull the entire galaxy, as it is short on food, and there are too many wraith. What should have begun to happen at the beginning of the series, is that the city should have become a haven for refugees. It is a city, and it should be more populated, and not only by terrans, but also by survivors of the cull. Think this, As Startrek TNG is to DS9, SG-1 should be as to SGA. Teala should be the leader of these people. She should be the mayor of atlantis. The community leader. They tried this earlier in the series with Teala's people (who seemed to have dissappeared over the course of the second season, what a waste).

Taela2: They really have to begin to play up fact that she is part wraith, especially between her and ronin. There is a lot of different directions that they can take that subplot, and there have been a lot of wasted opportunities with that subplot.

Dr. Elizabeth Weir: Somehow they seemed the frak up her character the most. When introduced 4 years ago on SG1, she was billed as the super negotiator. A character who could bargain peace, regardless of what the situation was. Weir on SGA has been almost the exact opposite of that. She has been a reactionary leader, who relies on the might of the military forces at her disposal rather than a peacemaker. The simple answer to weir, would be to let her character befriend the Genai, and invite them to populate the city... see Teala's entry.

 

[GyLocke]

Also they should play up some character interactions.

How does Ronin really feel about McCay?
Aren't there any serius, lasting conflicts between Wier and Sheppard about how to run things.
There aren't any trust or fish-out-water issues with Roning and Taela?

That's actually a thing that's been bodering me for some time. On SG-1 they did some great things with Teal'c being an stranger in a strange land. Even in season 9 - the fact that the only "divine conception" he heard about is Darth Vader - is a great reminder, that he's not actually one of us, but it showed the effects of his teammates on him.

In Atlantis, Ronin and Taela are just... standing there with the others. If we missed a few eps, we would have no idea they're not from earth.

 

[GhostPoet]

oh yeah, just one last comment on SGA: leather jacket? I mean come on, let's keep it real here. Very Stargate: Extreme. I think they should stick with the fatigues

dude, I loved the jacket

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It was just Sheppard in the leather jacket. He's a fighter pilot so he likes wearing bomber jackets, and he's the ranking military officer on Atlantis so no one can tell him to change into the standard uniform. Makes sense to me.