Gatecast 190 SGA The Siege Part 1

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Aug 032013
 

avatar2 As the fleet of Wraith Hive ships and cruisers close on the Atlantis star system Rodney and two others take a jumper out to the Ancient satellite with the intent to repair the weapon and then spring a surprise on the Wraith when they enter the system. Rodney draws the short straw and has to don the space suit and re-route some energy conduits but the attempt is a success  and the satellite drawing power from a generator is armed and ready. Meanwhile back on Atlantis after failing to locate a suitable new Alpha site Bates is found seriously beaten, with their previous animosity Teyla is the prime suspect but after scanning the DNA remnants on the wounds Carson identifies that presence of a Wraith in the city and so the hunt begins. Bob the Wraith is captured and John interrogates him rather aggressively with no practical results as to why he sneaked into the city or his plans once the fleet arrives and arrive they do. Grodin is alone on the satellite and is successful in taking out the first hive ship but the fix fails and the weapon loses power leaving the other two hives to rip the satellite to pieces as Rodney and  Miller watch on from the cloaked jumper.

The Siege is a trilogy of episodes bridging the first and second seasons of Stargate Atlantis.

This is a big story and you can understand why a couple of the previous episodes were bottle shows, the amount of money spent on the sets and CGI would have been significant and while Part 1 isn’t all action there is enough flash and bangs to make you happy with a good bit of drama with Teyla and Bates and then Grodin.

TheSiege1 (48)

Knife through butter

In all honesty when you watch part 1 you always have to ask yourself why is everyone so confident, it’s not as if full coverage of the star system with multiple weapon satellites prevented the fall of the city ten thousands year previously and while I suppose you could say it’s pure hope and maybe desperation but you do see much in the way of believable worry or trauma. Ok we get a little shock when the satellite is taken out and they lost Peter but Weir as a commander should takes it in her stride and it was good to see Rodney willing to go into the line of fire to attempt a rescue of his colleague. It’s also worth mentioning the use of sort of red shirts and the introduction of a new character who you would assume would be the sacrificial goat of the story, a nice twist.

Ok, who hit Bates?

Ok, who hit Bates?

We got a nice discussion going over on the Facebook group for last weeks episode, plenty of back and forth on twitter and even a +1 and share over on G+ so that’s always rewarding but there can never be too much feedback and listener interaction so in that respect feel free to get in touch about our show or Stargate. We’ve put up the episode list for the next 10 months or so just to make it easier for anyone to find an episode they fancy joining us for and then it can be reserved and closer to the date a time can be arranged along with the bits and bobs required to make the recording possible:)

This weeks promo is from The Book Cave a resource dedicated to the more pulp side of literature, lots of author interviews, news and discussion so if like me you like that sorta thing pay them a visit.
Many thanks to Jeff for joining us for this episode and he’ll be back for part 2 next week. The following two weeks after that will be the domain of the two wrap up shows which include the results of the listener polls.

 

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Gatecast 189 SG1 Moebius Part 2

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Jul 272013
 

avatar2 The members of SG1 are stuck 5000 years in the past but in this alternate timeline dorky Daniel and Sam after helping to discover the location of the second gate are put onto the expedition thanks to Jack returning to the military which in turn is thanks to Major Kawalsky his long time friend and compatriot. The use the jumper to travel to Chulak in search of Tealc who they believe will be open to helping them but on arrival they are captured by the Jaffa of Apophis and Daniel is take for interrogation and then when they escape he reveals that his no longer the Daniel we knew for such a short space of time. In a clever tactic they take the jumper 5000 years into the past of Chulak and use the gate to travel to Earth and they appear shortly after the original SG1 arrived but find that well they did not fare very well. Only Daniel survived which means once again we have a full compliment of SG1 to rally the natives to rebel and over throw Ra but this time to use the Jumper and it’s cloak to secure the gate and make sure it will be discovered under the cover stones 5 millennia later. A blink of an eye later here is a SG1 watching the video of themselves recovered from a dig site and well everything seems to have worked out so lets all go fishing and they do including Sam but there shouldn’t be any fish in this pond…

Close enough?

Moebius Part 2 is a fantastic season finale and watch together the two parter is brilliant time travel science fiction. It was great to see “evil” Teal’c once again as the First Prime to a snazzy looking Apophis played by Peter Williams who refused to cut his hair hence the use of the fancy hat. We lost Daniel and gained Daniel and lost Teal’c, Sam and Jack but hey we are back to a full compliment of SG1, come on don’t you love time travel tales:)

Who is Missing?

Who is Missing?

The episode has for the most part stunning levels of location shots, composite scenes and set pieces although one or two shots were a little sub-standard as Peter commented on in the episode commentary, budget and practical limits played a part but next season a full size location jumper will solve many of these mainly for Atlantis.

As a season finale the episode was awesome and a lot of the credit goes to the final fishing scene and slow pull back across the pond and we’ve seen that shot before but it doesn’t matter it works so well. If this had been the series finale it would have worked just as well, the story and conclusion providing a fitting end to SG1 and passing the torch full time to Atlantis.

As it should be

As it should be

Once again we have to thank Scott and Miles for joining us in the recording of this show, they were excellent and with fewer audio issues the final result was more to my liking. We may have to try to convince them to make another appearance some time in the future:)

Next week we take a leap at the Stargate Atlantis season 1 finale “The Siege Part 1” with Jeff from the states joining us for that recording, hope you can join us and maybe leave a comment, review or any sort of feedback I can’t tell you how much it means to us. Thanks to Brad for posting his mini-feature on Gatecast 106 “Menace” over on the Facebook Group and thanks to everyone that we interact with us on twitter and Stephen for the email:)

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Gatecast 188 SG1 Moebius Part 1

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Jul 202013
 

avatar The death of Catherine Langford provides Daniel with a treasure trove of Egyptian artefacts to examine, in one book he spots a representation of what could be nothing but a ZPM in the treasure room of Ra. Sam and Daniel offer up a plan to use the Ancient time machine to go back 5000 years to the time when Ra ruled over Egypt and steal the ZPM without affecting the timeline, Jack isn’t convinced but he is the best bet to fly the time jumper.
They successfully steal the ZPM but they remain 5000 years in the past when the Jumper is discovered, they decide to leave a video recording in a sealed jar in a known dig site with the knowledge it will be discovered by their future selves and then all will be right with the world.
Alas they have changed events and when the jar is discovered the video referencing the Stargate, SG1 and some of the major events are no longer relevant but General Hammond (1 Star stationed at NORAD) seeks out Sam and Daniel to shed some light on the video and some of the artefacts they do discover.

Moebius1 (5)

Moebius was initially intended to be a series finale and even with seasons nine and ten to come the double episode really can be seen to book end what to many became the traditional Stargate SG1. That aside we are seeing a truly convoluted and magnificent time travel story which is one of the staples of scifi but is often forced to work or plot issues ignored. In this story we see the consequences when things go wrong and how far you may have to go to try to fix things and even then it might not be perfect. If modern theory about alternate timelines and branching realities are true then the odds of perfectly replicating the events to produce a desired result with 100% accuracy would be pretty long almost at infinity. It may the case that like the Moebius as a whole and the Simpsons episode referred to in the commentary for part 2 that close enough is the best you can hope for.

Michael and Amanda must have been having a blast playing the alter-egos being more timid and restrained versions of the characters we came to know and love. We can see Daniel has that desire and stubbornness still buried within him but Sam despite being a very intelligent woman seems to have had her confidence and edge ripped away, who knows how her family life in this reality affected her.
Jack we can see as being an extension of his existing character, he’s happy to have walked away and just do enough to get by and be happy on his boat but for some reason seems to have picked up a Canadian accent for some reason. It was also great to see General Hammond who was pretty much the same just a lower rank and of course we got to see Major Davis and Major Samuels who seemed to be very similar but then in the prime reality they like the General were military men to the core. McKay of course reverted to his early SG1 arrogant self maybe even with added jerkiness:)

Wandering Hand Syndrome

Wandering Hand Syndrome

Moebius Part 1 is an excellent episode and the first half of one of the best two parters that Stargate have produced made more so thanks to wrapping up so many threads in a very natural way, some of the best series finales leave you smiling and believing the characters will go on and in part 1 all the hallmarks of this style of story have been laid down and we have the promise of more of the same in part 2.

We had some issues with the audio (again) this week, I lost quite a few comments which simply were washed out so the show really doesn’t do justice to our two guests this week. Miles and Scott from the SciFi Diner podcast joined us from the states and they’ll also be on part 2 of this episode so if you really want to experience the quality they consistently produced check out their podcast which carries some excellent genre interviews gathered from dozen of conventions. Thanks to everyone that has posted on the various social media platforms and gold star to Brad for continuing his episode comments over on our Facebook group, all the feedback is valued and appreciated.
Next week we’ll be staying with Stargate SG1 with the second part of Moebius and then the following two weeks will be devoted to the final two episodes of the first season of Stargate Atlantis.

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Gatecast 187 SGA The Gift

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Jul 132013
 

avatar Teyla is having some troubling nightmares involving the Wraith, it may be a little anxiety due to the approaching hive ships or something a lot deeper. She shows an obvious lack of focus when sparring with John and he makes sure she has her first contact with the expeditions psychologist Dr Heightmeyer and after being told to rest and not gate to the Alpha site she eventually has a face to face with the psychologist and reveals that some of her people used to hear voices and so a visit to Carson is on the cards. He flies Teyla to the mainland where she meets Charin an elder who lets Teyla into her own secrets that she is a descendant of one the people returned to their world by the Wraith and it was these returnees who had the “gift” to hear the Wraith’s voices.
Upon returning to Atlantis and armed with this knowledge they attempt through hypnosis to engage her gift and she is successful in accessing Wraith onboard the approaching hive ships but in a twist a Wraith gets access to her but one thought remains, they want the Earth. The Alpha site is then compromised and Bates who is sure it was Teyla sees his paranoia about her people raise a notch. The rewards of knowing what the Wraith are upto swings Weir into deciding to attempt the contact again and Teyla gets possesed and pretty much kicks ass until Bates stuns her with a Wraith rifle but what now, can Teyla with her Wraith DNA ever be trusted?

Victim... I mean patient secure

Victim… I mean patient secure

The Gift is an episode which allows Rachel to exercise her skills as well as giving the prosthetics a good work out, we also get some valuable information on her people and background but make no mistake this also paves the way for the bigger budgets required for the season finale.
The episode doesn’t get any rave reviews but I personally think it’s required to add depth to Teyla and her people but also allows for an extra bit of impetus and potential conflict for The Siege and well it gives Bates something to do. We’ve seen in Stargate SG1 that the Gou’ald have at times experimented on humans to achieve some payoff so it’s no surprise the writers of Atlantis chose to use that plot element once more, I’m not sure it really paid off in the grand scheme of things but it’s perfectly fine for this episode. Teyla has some good character pieces with Dr Heightmeyer played by Claire Rankin and yes we have a psychologist/therapist on a scifi show that actually does her job.

I'm a doctor not a.....

I’m a doctor not a…..

We had a bumper crop of feedback for Threads on our facebook group and a few other things so that was obviously a popular episode, I wonder how it’s doing in the poll, when not check it out. The promo this week is Pulp Audio Weekly which is just geeky fun so why not click on the link and have a listen, you may just enjoy their show.
Many thanks to Brad for joining us this week and next week we discuss part 1 of the Stargate SG1 Season 8 finale “Moebius”.

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Gatecast 186 SG1 Threads

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Jul 062013
 

avatar In the aftermath of the battle for Dakara the now free Jaffa forces celebrate and honour Tealc and Bratac who together have forged the rebellion, the remaining system lords are on the run and Anubis seems to have fled with his Kull warriors. Daniel who was a captive of the replicators has not been seen since they were wiped from the face of the galaxy and only Jack holds out any hope for his survival, as he says how many times have they thought the Space Monkey to be dead for him to magically appear.
Daniel is alive in a sense, he exists in a sort of way station created by the Ascended Ancients where he meets Oma Desala his long term companion in all things ascension, as before Daniel has to make a decision to exist as an ascended being or return minus all the knowledge which would aid in the battle between good and evil in the universe. Daniel strikes up a conversation with “Jim” the only other being who is willing to talk with him and via a “newspaper” he is kept up to speed with the events in the Milky Way. As it turns out Anubis has made his counter move retaking Dakara as the Jaffa attack the homeworld of the Kull warriors and find it abandoned, with the power of the Ancient weapon and access to the Stargate deployment system he has the ability to wipe out all life in the galaxy and create a domain with only beings who will worship and serve him.
Sam is going through a crisis, Peter has finally met Jacob which didn’t go too badly but she now has to make a decision and Jacob in his wisdom makes it clear Sam doesn’t have to take any offer just because it’s there, he knows she still loves Jack who is now involved with a CIA officer and that really makes her assess her own feelings.
If it wasn’t a bad enough couple of days Jacob falls ill and reveals that Selmak is near death and had been holding on to allow them to finish their work on Dakara and now it’s too late to release the host safely and thus we say goodbye to Jacob, Sam once again finds more comfort with Jack than Peter and her decision is made.
Daniel gets a nasty surprise when he discovers who Joe really is and he is helpless to do anything until Oma steps up and maybe for the first time fully accepts the consequences of her actions, she abandons any hope for herself and engages Anubis in an eternal struggle which neither of them will prevail.

No Escape, No Surrender!

No Escape, No Surrender!

As the SGC gate begins to dial indicating Anubis has activated the weapon Jack orders the self destruct but at the last seconds the timer slows and stops and the gate sequence ceases and then nothing, lots of nothing. Reports comes in of the Kull warriors in disarray and are quickly defeated, Anubis has vanished and Dakara is empty, something important has happened but what and then a voice in Jack’s office and a naked Daniel, happy days:)

Threads is a fantastic piece of science fiction television, multiple themes all revolving around each other and each important in it’s own right. We have both Jack and Sam realising or being told they are both making mistakes and their futures should be with each other, Jacob and Peter leave the series for different reasons but each inflict pain onto Sam. Teal’c and Bra’tac realise freedom can still bite back as they lose many of the free Jaffa in the battle with Anubis but his defeat firmly secures the belief that freedom for all is only a step away and Dakara will be the spiritual centre of a new nation.

Where's my medal?

Where’s my medal?

Finally we have Daniel and Oma and the only portrayal of the Ascended plain we get to see even though it’s only a small part of that realm, it was a clever idea using a diner which allowed people to come and go and for fans of Dead Like Me a call back to that wonderful show and of course the waffles. Oma bids her farewell to the show and we get to see Daniel return to the SGC sans clothing and all is well with the world so much so that the gang go to Jack’s cabin for some fishing and remember Teal’c not a fan and Sam has always ducked the offer.
Things have certainly changed in the dynamic of the show as the camera slows pans away from SG1 enjoying the sunshine and friendship for each other.

Booth please.

Booth please.

A big thank you to Jeff for joining us for Threads and this was a longer show since we watched and commented on the extended version of the episode. Next week we go to Atlantis for The Gift and learn a few things about Teyla and the Wraith. This weeks promo is from Flash Pulp a source of some wonderful short form stories, well produced audio and fun to boot. We had some feedback on the Facebook page and twitter was lively as usual so thanks to everyone within the Stargate family for keeping the three live action series alive and for making the Gatecast feel that little better about not just talking to ourselves:)

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Gatecast 185 SG1 Reckoning Part 2

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Jun 292013
 

avatar2 Sam and Jacob study the Ancient superweapon on Dakara and discover that it is capable of rearranging elements on a galactic scale and by using the Stargate network the modified energy pulse could be used to target only the Replicators in the Milky Way galaxy. Baal who has been sent by Anubis to retake the planet is roped into programming the weapon to meet the specifics of the Replicators and to enable the gate Network into dialing every gate at the same time, it’s an all or nothing play.
Daniel meanwhile is aboard Replicarters ship and is still being interrogated while the replicators assault the Gou’ald fleet in orbit around Dakara and they hit the SGC at the same time, as their total victory approaches Daniel is able to gain control of the machines and give Sam, Jacob and Ba’al just enough time to trigger the superweapon and in a matter of seconds the galaxy is purged of replicators.

They don't do anything small.

They don’t do anything small.

Bra’tac boards Ba’als flagship and attempts to capture the System Lord but he flees and that action as well as the taking and keeping of Dakara proves to enough Jaffa that freedom is within reach and the age of the Goa’ald is almost at an end.

Reckoning Part 2 continues with the action and suspense provided by the first part of the double header, Jack does his thing in the SGC as the Replicators run wild and we have the usual action and humour SG1 was known for. The epic space battle (more implied than seen) is wonderful with more than a nod to Star Wars which via the episode commentary seems to have been a Robert C Cooper sort of thing. We also get the politics and self interest which turns Ba’al away from Anubis which could seal his doom but as we find out in episodes and seasons to come Ba’al is a little harder to kill than the average Gou’ald.

I laughed at your rebellion!

I laughed at your rebellion!

Reckoning is simply one of the best episodes of Stargate SG1, more so because it’s a double episode and both parts are strong enough to stand alone let alone in tandem. The production value is off the charts with live action on large sets, matt and composite backdrops, great CGI and top notch acting and writing. It’ll be interesting to see how it fares in the season 8 poll but the votes may be split leaving some other strong episode to win the day.
Many thanks to Brad for joining us this week and for his voicemail regarding Letters From Pegasus and we got some Facebook feedback and a little twitter action during the recording of the show. I also checked the US itunes store and we got a couple of five star reviews so a big thank you to qapla_be’Hom and Lost In The Gate. We would love to hear from anyone about anything Stargate not just our own view of the franchise and you can contact us via this website or via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Email. This weeks promo is from Trek News & Views an excellent Star Trek podcast and next week we are covering the unofficial third part of this trilogy with Threads,  Jeff  joins us for that show.

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Gatecast 184 SGA Letters From Pegasus

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Jun 222013
 

avatar2 After the discovery of three Wraith Hive ships heading towards Atlantis the expedition sends
out a jumper to intercept the fleet and to gather reconnaissance data in the hopes of finding
a weak spot. Of course the original Atlantians were unable to fight off the Wraith so there
is little hope for the survival for the city and it’s single ZPM but we humans are a stubborn
bunch and that may just save the day.
John and Teyla observe the Wraith fleet and are shocked to see the three huge hive ships
along with smaller cruisers and hundreds of darts engulf the planet and with the gate engaged
they are unable to escape and have to cloak and watch the planets people be culled.
Meanwhile back on Atlantis McKay has created a compression algorithm to allow the bulk
of the discovered Atlantian database to be sent back through a 1.3 second duration
wormhole and just as importantly personal messages to friends and family. We see a number
of personnel record messages, some formal, some casual, some full of themselves but they
all open up the respective characters.
When John and Teyla return to Atlantis with a handful of survivors the final task is for John
to record the message about the death of Colonel Sumner and then the message is sent,
maybe the first and final call from Pegasus to the Milky Way.

Party Time, Wraith Style

Party Time, Wraith Style

Letters from Pegasus combines the action and drama with the very dangerous covert mission
to observe the Wraith fleet with the talking heads fun and games back on Atlantis, for me there
is really no separating them in terms of quality and entertainment, both are excellent for very
different reasons. It was interesting to see the military aspect of John’s training come out when
it came to choosing between saving Orin and his family and reporting back but Teyla wasn’t
made at him too long. It was also fun watching everyone record their messages especially
Kavannagh who still has not forgotten being dressed down by Weir and maybe McKay after
all he posturing offer up a simple message to his sister about the value of family.

So Close...

So Close…

We got a little Facebook feedback and some twitter interaction during recording of which we
are thankful for, the same for Jeff who joined us for this episode. The audio quality is a bit
hit and miss as volume levels were variable and it picked up a little echo on occasion. This weeks
promo is from The Saturday B Movie Reel and next week we are back with part two of the
Stargate SG1 episode Reckoning.

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Gatecast 183 SG1 Reckoning Part 1

 Episodes  3 Responses »
Jun 152013
 

avatar2 The last remaining independent System Lords are offered a deal, in exchange for their surrender they will be allowed to continue to govern their regions of space in the name of Anubis however when Sam is dragged into their meeting accusations start to be thrown. The resulting massacre at the hands of the now very very aggressive replicators throws the balance of power of the galaxy into a spiral as they go on the rampage taking over ship after ship and opening up an opportunity for the free Jaffa.

Reckoning is the first episode in a named two parter but could be considered the opening of a trilogy of episodes, make no mistake this is part of a big budget story with numerous high quality guest stars and some wonderful CGI and set design. The story is geared towards bringing together the major players of not only the recent seasons but right from the start when the Jaffa rebellion was first born, it does this with incredible style and flare. A free Jaffa ship with Carter, Daniel, Teal’c, Aron and Bra’tac onboard gets ambushed which leads to the abduction of Daniel as the knowledge of the ascended Ancients is of interest to replicarter. This single act pretty much sets in motion the convergence of Anubis via his proxy Ba’al, the replicators, the jaffa and the humans of Earth. In this first episode we see Daniel dealing with replicarter pretending to be Oma Desala and learning of the weapon on the planet Dakara and in a stunning coincidence it’s Darkara that’s the ceremonial birth place of the Jaffa nation and taking that world back would prove the “gods” were indeed false.

All hail Selkhet

All hail Selkhet

The twist in the tale is Ba’al himself wants the SGC to destroy the weapon as Anubis could use it to wipe out all life in the galaxy and then create everything to his own design, Ba’al is if nothing else a realist and totally self serving to boot which makes him an ideal ally at least for now.

Our lord and saviour (in his own mind)

Our lord and saviour (in his own mind)

Reckoning Part 1 is a standout episode in an excellent season of scifi story telling, the second part is in it’s own right every bit as good but together they are something special. The guest stars many of whom rarely worked together on the show add real weight to the story and the production side is exceptionally good, some stunning effects work and matt paintings. That said the weakest part of the whole is the very poor looking Asgard ship, not quite sure what went wrong there but that’s a minor bug bear of mine:)
We had some feedback on the facebook page and twitter was pretty active this week but I don’t think last weeks show/episode is any ones favourite. This week could very well be different and to that effect we have a new promo from our friend Nuchtchas and her podcast Nutty Bites, have a listen and let her and us know what you think.
Next week we return to Atlantis for the excellent Letters From Pegasus and Jeff will be joining us for that discussion, cya then.

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Gatecast 182 SGA The Brotherhood

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Jun 082013
 

avatar2 The team visit the planet Dagan whose address was given to the expedition by past or was it future Elizabeth, time travelling does complicate things.
The world is the home to a people who now worship the long lost Alterans and consider the ZPM a religious object but are prepared to help the team believing they are the original inhabitants of Atlantis, of course Rodney talks too much which leads to the final not so beneficial results.
Koyla is back on Genii and thanks to their extensive network of spies hears of the Atlanteans visiting the world and launches an unauthorised mission against them both to gain the prize but also to extract some vengeance against John.
Rodney impresses one of the local women but totally fails to spot an opportunity and well once gone it’s gone forever so it’s back to puzzle solving, lots of digging in the dirt and fighting for your lives. Meanwhile a Wraith dart on a one way long range recon scans Atlantis before destroying itself and with the new long range scanners the city detects three hive ships on their way, the clock is ticking.

Mood Lighting Bad Guy 101

Mood Lighting Bad Guy 101

The Brotherhood is a mighty fine episode, we have the Dagan story which as intended has the Indiana Jones vibe with puzzles, exploring, double crossing and the ever present threat from the bad guy but also a little tension and action with the Wraith threat to the city. Koyla played by Robert Davi once again steals every scene but ultimately fails thanks to his lack of flexibility in some areas but he gets away so we may see him again. It was fun to see Rodney being rather appealing to an intelligent and resourceful woman, too bad for him that small window went unnoticed because she has her own agenda once she learns the truth thanks to Rodneys inability to keep his mouth shut or understand why they were helping the Atlantians in the first place.

She actually likes our Rodney

She actually likes our Rodney

We got a voicemail from Brad who is making up for not being on a show recently and a little discussion over on Facebook so life is good but the more discussions and feedback the better so please feel free to get in touch in what ever way appeals. This weeks promo is from The Holodeck and next weeks episode is The Reckoning Part 1 which is technically the first part of a trilogy even though the third episode has a different title.
Anyway, enjoy the podcast and enjoy Stargate.

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Gatecast 181 SG1 Citizen Joe

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Jun 012013
 

avatar2 A mild mannered barber picks up an intricately carved stone from a yard sale and begins to have visions of the epic adventures of a group of humans who travel between worlds via a wormhole and defend the Earth from invading aliens. Unbeknown to Joe he is telepathically linked to Jack O’Neill and is seeing his experiences as he writes the official reports for the various missions he went on beginning with Abydos right through to the current time where Jack reads reports rather than writes them.
Joe begins to narrate these visions to his barber shop customers and family as scifi tales and everyone is enthralled but after a while they become repetitive and plot points are exposed and his obsession soon puts a strain on his business and relationship with his wife and son.

Citizen Joe is in essence another very clever slip show and once again the Stargate producers and writers prove they’ve got this style of episode down to a tee combining the clips into an interesting story with good characters.
Dan Castellaneta plays Joe wonderfully well, likeable and friendly and his descent into depression is well played and while it’s obviously done quickly to fit into a single episode it all seems organic. The scene where he is flopped on the chair with his tv dinner spilled across his lap as he stares at the static filled television seeing the attack on Anubis by a X-302 piloted by Jack is both disturbing yet compelling.

And Then Depression Set In

And Then Depression Set In

A similar scene takes place in the park while Joe talks to his wife and “sees” the attack on the Prometheus and the Ancient weapons platform in the Antarctic, it is enough to drive anyone to rash actions which includes breaking into Jacks home and holding him a gunpoint.

The episode is well worth it’s place in a very strong eighth season of Stargate SG1, a good combination of humour and drama with a great guest cast and top notch performances all around even though the main cast have little to do but when they each meet Joe it’s a bit of a riot.

Yes I'm looking at you...

Yes I’m looking at you…

Many thanks to Jeff for joining us this week and we got some feedback this week from Brad, he emailed an mp3 which anyone can do (hint hint) but the post show discussion for Before I Sleep was rather more restrained than I expected, perhaps the writers were right and Weir wasn’t that strong a character or perhaps we simply didn’t do a good job with the episode:)
This weeks promo is Hexed Sisterhood of the Supernatural and next week we’ll be covering the SGA episode The Brotherhood as the team visit one of the worlds taken from the list they got from the alternate Weir in the previous episode.

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Gatecast 180 SGA Before I Sleep

 Episodes  No Responses »
May 252013
 

avatar2 It’s Elizabeths birthday something she kept quiet about but John has his methods and presents her with a hand made piece of pottery. Meanwhile the search for premium quarters in the city goes on with Rodney really looking for a balcony but they do find a lab with a stasis chamber intact but with an occupant. The woman looks very old and upon investigation it seems she has been asleep for around ten thousand years, infact since Atlantis was first abandoned and sunk beneath the waves.

They revive her and she is both aware and comprehending of the situation in fact she seems to know a lot more than she should including the personnel of the base and specifically Dr Weir herself but that is reasonable when they discover she is Elizabeth transported back in time and from another timeline and then set in motion the events as they transpired when this expedition arrived on the city.

Did you make it John?

Did you make it John?

Before I Sleep is an excellent episode of Atlantis and rivals some of the best of the whole
franchise, it has depth and emotion combined with a solid scifi story element and some top
notch make up and body double work. The use of footage from the pilot to add weight to
the story was well done and it was interesting to see those that would become the Ancients
during their darkest hour as the Wraith were coming close to victory. The introduction of the
time ship in this series also pays off with the similar ship seen in SG1 which is pivotal in it’s
season finale.

Where Am I ?

Where Am I ?

We got plenty of feedback for last weeks episode on Facebook and Brad sent us a nice long
voicemail for this weeks so the episode was a little long, I dropped the news and birthdays to
keep the show under an hour so enjoy and please let us know what you think. We’d love any
feedback especially audio and itunes reviews/ratings but no pressure:)

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Gatecast 179 SG1 Full Alert

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May 182013
 

avatar2 Jack returns from buying beer to find Kinsey has broken into his home and is drinking his booze and as you would expect Jack has his gun drawn and while he doesn’t shoot him he his happy to call the cops. Kinsey then lays down the reasoning he has approached Jack and when the fate of the planet is at stake Jack never fails to meet the challenge. It seems that Trust are once again making a move and they need Kinsey for some sort of secret mission so a sting is arranged with the SGC monitoring the meeting which of course blows up in their faces, big time.

Full Alert is the final episode for Robert Kinsey played wonderfully by Ronny Cox over the span of eleven episodes and while he has a decent role in this episode it is a little bit of a let down as a farewell to his character. That aside the story adds to the political and conspiracy aspect of Stargate which takes more of a central stage in the final two seasons, some people appreciated that added depth others not so much.

Who wouldn't trust this face?

Who wouldn’t trust this face?

Daniel has a bit of fun when he returns to Russia in an attempt to contact a senior General and it’s quite good to see him all dressed up and it seems mildly flirtatious with Captain Voronkova. It’s rather an ingenious plot as the Gou’ald avoid a direct attack and work from within the Trust to influence high level military and political figures in the US and Russia with the goal to provoke a nuclear exchange. It may sound rather dry and yes there is a lot of talking heads but we also get some decent action in orbit as the Prometheus seeks out the cloaked Al’kesh which mounts an attack in the hopes of killing the captured Kinsey who does make his escape.
The Prometheus really does need to up it’s game in terms of security.

Daniel's having second thoughts about the mission.

Daniel’s having second thoughts about the mission.

Full Alert is a solid episode within a series rewatch but not so much for a one off viewing, at least for me but it has it’s good moments and has a strong guest cast which bumps up the overall viewing experience. We had some audio feedback from Dan this week, it came out of the blue so that was a nice surprise even though it seems the Ronon figure has done a runner, which is rather fitting. This weeks promo is from Tuning Into Scifi TV and next week we are back on Atlantis with the excellent episode Before I Sleep.

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Gatecast 178 SGA Sanctuary

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May 112013
 

avatar2 During a routine recon of a world with a space gate the jumper comes under attack by Darts which are subsequently destroyed by a powerful energy based weapon seemingly from the planet below. The team land to investigate but find only a primitive agricultural based culture with no obvious technology but in their midst is a being who is believed to be the intermediary between them and their supreme being.
Is there an advanced being protecting this world either technology or spiritually based is the question and upon returning to Atlantis the answer will be revealed.

Timeshare Opportunity

Timeshare Opportunity

Sanctuary is an entertaining story but not that original, we’ve met Ancients who while not freely operating in the galaxy do have influence in the physical world, Oma Desala and Orlin have appeared in SG1 and in this case Chaya Sar is the first Ancient the expedition have direct contact with. As with the other instances it’s a case of Chaya Sar breaking the rules of her people and being punished with banishment and the eternal care of the people she broke the rules to protect. It’s a clever idea and punishment and also explains why she took the risk to appear to John and the rest of the expedition, for all her many charges Chaya is lonely and the chance to return to the City was too much to resist.

Well hello there

Well hello there

Sanctuary throws up some good shippy moments as John does his best Kirk impression and Rodney points it out so once again the franchise grounds itself in our world by referencing scifi pop culture rather than ignore some obvious comparisons as others show have done. While we can place the episode in the overall framework of the Ancients storyline it is standalone which is a pity, I liked Chaya and Leonor who portayed her but perhaps it was the right decision, any action she took in aid of Atlantis would have brought disaster to her planet.

We got some feedback via our facebook this week and an audio message from Brad, thank you everyone keep it coming it’s great to read or listen to peoples views on our show and more importantly Stargate. The promo this week is from Trek News and Views a friend of Gatecast and next week we return to Earth for the SG1 episode Full Alert and the return of Kinsey.

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Gatecast 177 SG1 Its Good To Be King

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May 042013
 

avatar As rogue system lords retreat into previously exploited regions of the galaxy the Tokra inform the SGC that one world is soon to be retaken and that is where they left Harry Maybourne to live out his days, obviously he has an in depth knowledge of the Earth and the SGC so SG1 pay him a visit. It isn’t that much of a shock to find Harry has become the King to this small community thanks to his ability to translate Ancient writings which foretell future events, by saving the population from a flood he earned their thanks and the belief he is a seer and thus worthy of their almost worship like devotion.

It’s Good to be King is the final tale in the Harry Maybourne journey from being a highly suspicious military and intelligence officer with links to the NID and other devious goings on through a time as a rogue operative almost mercenary until eventually aiding Jack and the SGC albeit with a few bumps in the road. Despite the objectionable state of affairs on the planet it seems that Harry has overall been a very positive influence on the community and maybe he’s finally found his place in the galaxy.

So do you fancy being the Queen?

So do you fancy being the Queen?

The added bonus of this story is that once again we get Jack putting on his glasses and strapping on the P90 and going off world and like it or not Jack and Harry have great chemistry and the humour comes through with flare and style. The discovery of the Ancient puddle jumper and the time device lays the groundwork for the season finale as well as tieing into the Atlantis storyline in “Before I Sleep” which works wonderfully. Sam, Teal’c and Daniel all contribute well to the episode despite not being the focus of attention and the two main guest actors perform well in their roles.

Hi, I'm Jack.

Hi, I’m Jack.

A huge thank you to Adrianna and Thomas who joined us for this weeks show, they will return and thanks to Brad who sent into some audio feedback. For the second month running we’ve seen a small bump in downloads so a big thank you to everyone who has been listening both old and new. This weeks promo is from The Holodeck a Star Trek podcast from the Trek Mate family and next week we return to Atlantis for Sanctuary. We would love to hear from you about “It’s Good to be King” or “Sanctuary” and Stargate in general, feel free to use any of the various portals/sites or this websites options for feedback and if you fancy it an itunes review would be most welcome:)

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Gatecast 176 SGA Hot Zone

 Episodes  2 Responses »
Apr 272013
 

avatar2 While exploring Atlantis and accessing some of the recent water damage areas of the city members of one of the teams vanish and their screams echo over the radio, rushing to their aid they find the two experiencing hallucinations and both violently convulse and die. Weir orders a lockdown and McKay reads the riot act to some of the scientist as to the limitations and restrictions when dealing with an as yet unknown contagion but John of all people seems to ignore Weir and her big picture thinking to chase down one of the scientists and that in turns starts another ball rolling. Atlantis itself engages containment protocols and with a time frame put onto the “infection” drastic measures are the only solution and even then Weir is unconvinced they are the right steps to take.

Hot Zone is a story set on Atlantis and draws from existing lore and opens up a new potential long term thread in regards to who was responsible for creating the “virus” especially given that it shows a bias towards the standard human genome. It’s interesting that we get a very definite clash between John and Elisabeth in the story, there have been occasions before which offered this potential but none have been exploited to this extent. Given the events in the finale and with plenty of hindsight you wonder if they were preparing the way for a change in John’s long term status or other more fundamental change, either way the clash of military and civilian was carried through pretty well.

Foreplay?

Foreplay?

McKay once again has his moments and his character continues to evolve in the episode building upon the events in The Defiant One, he’s not quite upto the heroic Rodney he will become but he is getting there and we do find out about his sister, more of her to come in later seasons.

Floating in a Tin Can...

Floating in a Tin Can…

Overall an average episode, some good bits but falling short of some of the better episodes from the first season. Next week we are back to SG1 with the Harry Maybourne episode “It’s Good to Be King” we hope you can join us for that. We have some feedback from Facebook and G+ which was most welcome and again we always appreciate any comments etc on past, current and future episodes of Stargate and Gatecast.

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