Episode 149 Heroes Part 2

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Sep 152012
 

 Stargate Command is still in shock over the events that occured on P3X-666 and even though SG team members, scientists and other personnel have been lost before both by accident and in combat this time one so close to the heart of the SGC has rocked the foundations. The cost in life is also being used by the NID through Woolsey to make their move against Hammonds Command. Emmett is still digging and looking for the truth behind the events offworld and he learns there was a death and one witness indicates O’Neill was brought back unmoving on a litter with Carter visible shaken. Daniel he learns has a recording of the events and through both reasoned argument and impassioned pleas gains access to the footage but is then as shocked as most viewers would be with the events as they play out. Ultimately the documentary is produced and presented to Hammond who complements Emmett on a job well done, it may never see the light of day but chronicles a time when the SGC suffered but pulled together through bonds of family, duty and loyalty.

A solemn as the unmarked grave

The second episode in the Heroes two parter is far slower paced relying just as much on speeches and one on one dialogue to tell it’s story as the first part revolved around some good location set pieces. What really adds the icing to the wonderful dialogue is one the best battle sequences filmed for the show shown after the events which transpired in the first episode. All the cast excel but Saul easily stakes his claim as the most impressive guest performance on the show and is the key element to this story working, everyone else works around his characters actions and motivations. It was certainly a ballsy move by Rob C Cooper to write this epsiode and also from other producers and the studio to allow the two parter to be made, the result is some of the finest Stargate ever made.

Sit back and be amazed.

I really don’t think much more needs to be said, the events in the story have been experienced for the first time by every fan of Stargate SG1 each of which have had their own reactions to the story. Heroes Parts 1 & 2 are a truly magnificent piece of science fiction entertainment and were nominated for a Hugo award but it had some serious competion that year with the Lost pilot, Angel’s “Smile Time” and the winner being BSG’s “33”.

Many thanks to Dan for his voicemail and don’t forget to vote in the season 7 poll.

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Episode 148 Heroes Part 1

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Sep 082012
 

 Through an executive order from the oval office the Airforce have been forced to open up the doors of the SGC to a film crew who will document the day to day operations and provide a third party overview of the project for use as and when the Stargate programme becomes public knowledge. The General knowing this is just as much about the current President trying to tag his name to and ultimately share the limelight when the secret is revealed is playing along but only to the written wording of his orders. The result is that some of the SGC personnel are willing to talk candidly while others stonewall the film make Emmett Bregman and his airforce assigned film crew but events conspire to give him a glimpse of the true reality of day to say operations at the edge of the known and unknown universe.

Trust me I am a journalist..

Heroes was originally intended to be a single bottle show episode but the addition of some high value location scenes and a monumental battle sequence gave us this two parter considered by many to be a flagship production both infront and behind the camera. Saul Rubinek really gets a work out bringing his character to life playing against existing characters we know and love with at Amanda, Janet and Michael getting the most out of the interaction which when you think about it are the three characters most open while Don gets to play the General to the max dancing around his orders. RDA and Christopher are it seems both having fun taking their roles up a notch as Teal’c is stoic as ever and Jack showing his displeasure and irritation with the film crew and those that tag along like Senator Kinsey.

Obsessive Finger Pointing Disorder

We have a guest host this week, Helen a friend of Alan’s who has only recently joined the Stargate family thanks to her fella. We also had some audio feedback from Dan which is fantastic and I’ve included a small review of the Big Finish SG1 audio drama “Gift of the Gods”. The promo this week is from the Scaper Chronicles and it’s no surprise that next week we’ll be covering Heroes Part 2 the conclusion to this story so be prepared with the tissues:)
The Gatecast website and RSS feed are stable and again submission to itunes is being held unto Alan is back from his holiday in the states, the season 7 poll is still active and ticking along nicely but if you haven’t voted then please do us, results are for the wrap up show.

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Episode 147 Death Knell

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Sep 012012
 

 Jacob and Samantha are at the Beta site finishing off the research on a Kull Warrior weapon based on the Ancient device recovered from the ruins of the former System Lord Telchaks palace. The SGC lose contact with the base and SG1 find the whole region devastated perhaps by the bases self destruct device, the few survivors inform then that they were attacked by a full compliment of Jaffa and Super Soldiers who knew exactly where to go leading to the suspicion that the location and secret project had been leaked to Anubis by a rebel Jaffa or Tok’ra.

The search for survivors and more importantly to SG1 both Sam and Jacob finally pays off when Jacob is recovered and has the new weapon but it’s only loaded with a partially effective power source, Sam who is now on the run from a tracking Super Soldier has the new power pack but she is seriously injured and still carrying the after effects of her wound recieved while onboard the Prometheus. Meanwhile back in the SGC the investigation into the leaking of the location of the base continues with both Tok’ra and Jaffa having been in a position to have inadvertently released the information when under control by Anubis. It soon becomes apparant that the breaking point has been reached, the Tok’ra can no longer operate in the open with dwindling numbers while the Jaffa now free resent being under the thumb of the Earth.

I’m a lumberjack and I’m ok…

Death Knell is a Sam centric episode even though she only appears in about half of the scenes, this was down to Amanda’s hectic shooting schedule which had her working on three episodes at the same time. That aside this is a big episode, the recently felled forest and gravel pits make a fantastic high production value location for a decimated complex, this fact was one reason behind the creation of the episode as well as providing the pivotal story to fracture the alliance leaving the Earth open to any assaut from Anubis which is long over due. Amanda acts her socks off especially given all the location work with Peter DeLuise demanding more dirt on her body and face as well as a truly bloody and gory wound. We even had a Willy E Coyote moment as she builds a trap for the Super Soldier which is really impractical yet works and then follow that up with a touching moment between Jack and Sam which speaks volumes for their underlying relationship.

That’s how you get wounded in the ass, go ask McKay.

This weeks promo is from our friend Nuchtchas and her Nutty Bites podcast and next week we’ll be discussing S7E17 “Heroes Part I” with a guest host.
The Season 7 Favourite episode poll is now open so when you have a second or two please pay it a visit and place your vote, there are a few standout episodes this year including a few that we’ll be talking about in the next few weeks. The poll will remain open until we are ready to record the Season 7 wrap up show and the results can then be announced.

We’ve also included a short review of a piece of SG1 fan fiction from Helen ( @madders_ahatter ) who wrote a 20,000 word novella “The Long Haul” whose events are set during the second season of the show.
As always many thanks for the feed back this week, lots on Facebook but it’s mostly covering the issues with itunes, the website and the RSS feed and if you are reading this then I think you have it all sorted:)

Itunes Store listing is delayed until Alan returns from his US vacation, he is currently having a great time at Dragon Con.

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Nathan’s Vanity Plate…

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Episode 146 Chimera

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Aug 252012
 

 Daniel begins having very vivid dreams of his early days with Sarah Gardner when he was primarily a  researcher and in these dreams he is studying the tablet which tells of the Lost City of the Ancients. The dreams also allow him to re-experience their budding relationship and maybe not to make the same mistakes but it seems this Sarah is much more understanding, Daniels attempts to translate the table being more important than missing a dinner date. Meanwhile Sam is dating Pete Shanahan a detective she met via her brother and things are progressing well, Sam too to heart the events she lived through on board the Prometheus.

Chimera is very good episode which ties in long standing characters and arc while introducing a significant other in the form of a serious love interest for Sam, one that not only survives their first encounters but also she believes is capable of accepting and supporting her career. The return of Sarah Gardner aka Osiris is well done which again makes use of the stolen Asgard technology to make it possible, we seriously begin to wonder how much more powerful Anubis can be and if he has already integrated all of the Asgard tech stolen from the mind of Thor and the information gleamed from Jonas.

She watches while you sleep..

Chimera gave us some important road marks on the path to the stage of Stargate SG1 and the overall franchise, the final appearance of Sarah Gardner and the demise of another former System Lord. Sam finally growing beyond her own enforced belief that she is defined by her work and also noting Jacks total acceptance of the fact. Teal’s likes his donuts and Daniel sees the discovery of the Lost City worth risking his life for.

Rocking the girly look.

This weeks promo is from The Scifi Diner and next week we are discussing the episode “Death Knell” another strong Sam episode along with again significant movement in the overall arcs. Join us and let us know what you think of the show and of the Stargate series/episodes we cover.

News…

  • It seems the initial impetus for the changes which was the removal from the itunes store was down to our host godaddy changes the service we had been paying for for over 3 years, these changes broke the needs of itunes and thus all the domain changes and cosmetic work still meant no itunes support. We are now in the process of changing hosting companies and when the button is pushed the site and feeds will be down hopefully for  a very brief period.
  • Our Facebook, Google + and Twitter presence will be unaffected so keep on checking in.
  • Don’t forget you can still add our RSS feed manually to any podcatcher using the address…    gatecast.co.uk/feed/podcast/

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Episode 145 Fallout

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Aug 182012
 

Jonas Quinn returns to the SGC asking for help as his world is under threat from a chain reaction of the Naquadria buried in it’s core, faced with the ongoing eruptions and tremors a hail mary plan is devised to evacuate as many people from the three nations as possible. Sam discovers the cause of the minerals instability and it explains why this material is so rare and what eventually led to the Goa’uld originally leaving this world in ruins. Jack, Daniel and the General do the diplomacy thing with the three representatives of Langara and if anything have more problems and head/table thumping than Sam, Teal’c and Jonas have in their Core or even Thunderbirds inspired mining machine.

The return of Jonas (Corin Nemec) to the series was always planned and he came up with the story which was then handled by the writing duo of Paul and Joseph and it fits right into the overall arc of Jonas and his people. It has to be said that not escaping from Anubis really did cause unaccounted problems for everyone opposed to his plans for galactic domination, the fact his planet and his people are still there speaks volumes for the capabilities of his friends from the SGC.

First against the wall…

Putting aside the obvious shades of The Core it was an entertaining episode with some nice twists, Jack going ballistic with the heads of state was priceless as were both Daniels and the Generals reactions. The manipulation and subterfuge by the Goa’uld again added a lot of depth even if that story line was left kinda hanging but it’s not as if you can’t put two and two together and maybe get five.

The Brains Trust and Teal’c at the back

Fallout has a lot to recommend, some nice retro technology combined with advanced tech, some mystery and surprises and Jonas certainly deserved more of his story being told and maybe just maybe the three nations will finally get along but I doubt it.

As you know we’ve had website and feed issues most of which were of our own making so this episode is a little truncated but a big thank you to Colin of Trek News & Views for the excellent audio feedback from last weeks episode “Grace” and our friends over at Tuning Into Scifi TV for the promo. Next week it’s “Chimera” and Daniel gets a surprise visit and Sams gets jiggy with it but not with Jack!

News…

Finally some good news, the website is up and running and if you are reading this then you are here but more importantly the RSS feed is now live and picking up the last 25 episodes, we’ll be doing a proper archive page on the site to make it easier to access older episodes.

For now just enter gatecast.co.uk/feed/podcast into your podcatcher or click on the RSS button in the right hand sidebar and you should be in business, the old feed is no longer active.

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Episode 144 Grace

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Aug 112012
 

 A canabalised cargo ship supplies the Prometheus with a hyper drive engine but excessive strain causes the ship to travel in roughly 50 light year jumps and then allow the engine to cool down. Upon entering normal space around 250 light years from home an alien vessel intercepts and engages the ship and with only sub-light propulsion Sam sends the ship into a nebula betting on limited sensors offering some protection (yes she must be a Star Trek II fan). During the escape Sam is injured and wakes to find herself alone on the Prometheus and with a significant head injury causing what may be hillucinations she tries to fic the ship, rescue her crew and figure out her own psyche.

Grace is a Sam Carter episode and could very well be labelled a bottle show in terms of using existing sets and limited guest spots, the episode was produced over 3 months using the sets as and when they were free, one of the issues with the seventh season is the constant shooting of two or even three episodes simultaneously. In this instance Amanda has recorded all the voice over months before shooting the scenes the dialogue was used for and her infirmary scene recorded with RDA was done on the same day as a similar scene for a later episode.

Windows to the Soul

What we do take away from this episode is Sam’s own inner dialogue, who she is and what she believes she is entitled to or perhaps deserves, each character she meets is a manifestation of a particular trait or thought process and they are very revealling. Jack turning up looking actually rather younger and neater than he does normally (through her eyes perhaps) puts it plainly, Sam could be attracted to him because she can’t actually act on those feelings and he would never hurt her or leave her, in his words or hers he is the safe bet.

It’s all about the lighting.

The CGI is top notch in this episode but Stargate has always excelled with the aspect of it’s show be it inhouse or outsourced but it’s a shame we never saw this alien ship again or discoverd more about the species who controlled it. Pure speculation but they acted reasonably, a tresspasser in their space was fired upon but when push came to shove they dealt fairly when Sam helped them to escape the nebula, speaks well for any sentient species that can reverse their opinion when given new facts or situation.

Watch the side mirrors dude!

A big thank you to Shayne who joined us this week, he stayed up nice and late to make this recording work over Skype, it turned out pretty good. This weeks promo is from Trek News & Views and we have a little feedback from Michael and Lee via the twitter feed as well as a little news. The domain change and itunes re-submition have been delayed a week more info as and when the process begins. Next week we are covering “Fallout” and the return of Jonas Quin (Corin Nemec) to the show so stayed tuned and feedback as always is most welcome via Twitter, Facebook, G+, Email and the website.

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Episode 143 Evolution Part 2

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Aug 042012
 

 The SGC launch a raid on the homeworld of the Super Soldiers and try to dodge the minions of Anubis, they discover the secret of the Kull Warriors creation and perhaps their ultimate weakness. Meanwhile Jack is sanctioned to enter Honduras on a covert mission to rescue Daniel and Bill who are being held for ransom by rebels, complications arise when the artefact is turned on and starts to influence the people around it leading to a possible zombie apocalypse.

Evolution Part 2 continues with the two story threads which were laid out in the first episode of this mid-season two parter. Sam, Teal’c and Bra’tac lead an covert assault on Tartarus thanks to the infilration of the base by Jacob in the armour of the dead Kull soldier. They discover that Anubis either controls a Gou’ald queen or is allied with one and she is producing thousands of symbiotes without the genetic memory. Each one will provide a Kull with strength and healing but without the drive for power and with total obedience to Anubis so the Queen becomes the priority target despite the revelation that Anubis already has a few thousand mature warriors ready to go.

Star Wars, eat your heart out.

In South America Jack has teamed up with Burke a former special forces commrade who now works for the CIA as an agent covering Honduras and Nicaragua, there is bad blood between them but both put aside the past to complete the mission which turns out to be something of a full on fire fight and zombie blood fest. It seems the alien device which was the basis of the fountain of youth not only causes mild megalomania in humans but also like a sarcophagus brings life back to the dead.

Pretty but very dangerous

Jack and Burke have very good chemistry although Burke is played very light weight and cheerful almost a little crazy which balances out the distrust and anger he has towards Jack, the situations the two find themselves in provides plenty of scope for both humour and all out action. As with a few earlier episodes the short supply of P90 brass casings limits the onscreen firing of the weapon by Jack but there are still plenty of AK-47 and Shotgun rounds on the market. Daniel and Bill as before work well together although a lot less screen time in the second episode and a strange choice to leave Bill totally out of the final scene making us question if they forgot him and he is still walking around the jungle. Jacob rocks it in the Super Soldier (Kull Warrior) armour despite Dan Payne doing the acutal full armour peformance (height and build etc). Bra’tac is as always wise and competent and keeps putting the youngsters in their place and they certainly needed his skills as they fight their way out of the facility and make their escape in a cargo ship.

Sitting Ducks

Evolution Part 2 is certainly not the end to the Super Soldier story in fact it’s just the beginning as Anubis extends his grasp on the galaxy and looks to exploit the power he now has thanks to the pillaging of the Asgard technology via Thor and Jonas, the action and aminious threats soon mount up.

This weeks promo is from British Invaders a show which talks about classic and contempary British genre television, well worth a listen. As always thanks for the feedback via and next week we will be watching and discussing the episode “Grace” a Sam Carter centric tale set aboard the Prometheus.

During the next week we should be moving to the new home of The Gatecast so keep your eyes peeled.

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Episode 142 Evolution Part 1

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Jul 282012
 

 A decimated Jaffa contingent is discovered and the carnage indicates an enemy new to the SGC, Tealc and Bratac are then surprised by a “super soldier” clad in energy damning armour and equipped with heavy weaponry, lucky for them it’s already been pushed during the initial battle and can not maintain it’s own life force under another round of combat. Investigation into the creature indicates a next generation approach to the technology which underpins the Sarcopheagus which in turn indicates Anubis is taking steps to free himself of the reliance on Jaffa to be his army and their increasing rebellious nature.

Clean up on aisle 3…

Evolution Part 1 is the first of a mid-season two parter in which Anubis and the super soldier play a major part occuping Sam, Jack and Teal’c while Daniel and Dr Lee have adventure south of the border dealing with the consequences of tracking down the remnants of a former Goa’uld who ruled over the long gone Mayan culture and who may have been the genesis of the foutain of youth myth. Two very good stories the first with some excellent action sequences and the second far more dramtic and tense, a good combination if done correctly and while giving nothing away it’s kept up in the next episode. It’s great to see Dr Lee getting out and about again as he provides both humour and competnence in one package, not unusual in Stargate scientists but it is reserved more for regular cast members.

Shades of Grey?

The conlusion to the episode mixes the cliffhanger styles giving us two for the price of one and again that pays off, if the assault on the homeworld of the super soldiers doesn’t get you going then Jack reverting to his earlier career and going to the rescue of Daniel should do the trick. We had some feedback this week from Colin and Michael, much appreciated as always and lots of chat on the Facebook page and some action over on G+ and Twitter. The promo this week is from the Flash Pulp Podcast and next week no surprise we will be covering Evolution II.

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Episode 141 Birthright

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Jul 212012
 

 SG1 visit an alien world for a meeting with a Jaffa resistance leader but they come under attack from the loyal followers of the local system lord Moloc, help from a surprising source rescues SG1 and a new ally is revealed and it’s not one they expected.
An all female Jaffa community made up of the priestesses and rescued women of the system lord Moloc stage hit and run attacks to aquire symbiotes to give life to the female children as they enter puberty. Faced with such a revelation SG1 offer the drug tritonin to the women and four volunteer to test the drug in the hopes of freeing themselves from dependency on the symbiotes. Teal’c meanwhile develops an emotional bond with Ishta the leader of this community as both have lost their mates and through this bond he convinces Ishta after the death of one of the test subjects to continue with the Tritonin.

Tough Crowd

Birthright was written by Christopher Judge as as you would imagine is very Teal’c centric and of course the part of Ishta was penned for Jolene Blalock, let that be a lesson to everyone if you want something then maybe doing it yourself is the way to go:)
The episode itself looks great with a lot of location work in and around the village of the Jaffa women and this one episode has perhaps the most graphic demonstration of how well staff weapons can be used. The use of Tritonin is a logical next step to replace the symbiote but the concerns made within the episode in regards to being dependent upon the Earth and/or Tokra for the drug are valid, the Jaffa need to produce the drug themselves and even then something so basic would be ripe for exploitation.

Even tougher crowd!

It’s good to see Teal’c getting back into the game and with someone very close to his skills in terms of combat as well as shouldering the responsibilites of command something which he has to deal with when leading the “free” Jaffa.

This weeks promo is from Pulp Audio Weekly and next week we cover the first episode of the two parter “Evolution” as Anubis makes a fresh move in the war between him and well everyone. Many thanks for the feedback this week and once again still working on itunes and a few other changes, details as and when.
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Episode 140 Avenger 2.0

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Jul 142012
 

 Dr Jay Fleger returns to the fold with an energy weapon derived from alien technology, the test does not go well and to save his job he comes up with an abandoned idea for a virus to manipulate the DHD software and to remotely negate a Stargate thus denying it to an enemy. Once the not unexpected side effects mount up we are left with numerous SG teams stuck on alien worlds including Jack/Tealc and Daniel. Jack and Tealc are under fire while Daniel is in danger of being drowned as storm floods sweep through his location, great scenes from Shanks as he stands under a shower.
It’s now upto Sam to reign in the warped genius which proves a lot more difficult than she may have suspected even when armed with her own weapon as the P90 is now just for Jack due to real world cartridge supply issues.

A little bit of this a little bit of that.

Avenger 2.0 can be treated as a standalone but does bring back one of the two mad scientists from “The Other Guys” who is still living the high after his exploits alongside SG1 so much so that he his blind to the woman he works with who obviously adores him and well puts up with him.
It’s amusing to see a failed test of a weapon developed from alien tech especially in front of Jack and while the manipulation of the DHD system seems a logical approach to creating a tactical advantage you wonder why no one has done it before.

Chloe, patience of a saint.

Felger once again is a hoot and played to perfection by Patrick McKenna as he plays giddy when showing off his latest toy and then hiding his SG1 action figures when Sam visits his home. Once again when push comes to shove he gets a gun and goes onto the front line, you can say a lot about Felger but he sure ain’t no coward.

The episode is good for a few laughs and there is plenty of action near the end of the episode so it sits well above average in any rating system but you are always looking for his other half Coombs who actually does get a mention in a funny scene.

We have some feedback from Colin and Michael via email and twitter and a couple of lively conversations on our Facebook group, thank you one and all. This weeks promo is from Rico’s Treks In Scifi and next week we are covering Birthright which has Jolene Blalock as a special guest star.
We are still having issues with itunes and I don’t think we will be getting relisted as we were, we are going to resubmit but have plans to change a few things, mainly cosmetic.

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Episode 139 Space Race

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Jul 072012
 

 Samantha is invited by Warrick Finn to take part in a starship race hosted by a global corporation on the planet Hebridian, Warrick offers access to the ion engine systems of his ship the Sebrus in exchange for using a Naquadah reactor to boost it’s performance. Sam sees this as both an opportunity for techinical exchange but also a busmans holiday so while Jack and Daniel do a little diplomacy she enters the race with Tealc as her pit crew so to speak.
Space Race is a sequel to the earlier episode Forsaken (S6E18) in which the Sebrus acting as a prison ship crashed and it’s crew killed or replaced by the escaped prisioners and Stargate has always made use of existing characters to add depth and continuity to it’s shows.

Now that’s a manual!

Credit must go as always to the actors who wear the heavy prosthectics and this time esepcially to Alex Zahara who takes over the role as Warrick from Dion Johnstone who was acting on the stage when the show came a calling. Patrick Currie who had previously played the replicator Fifth returns to the show as Eamon Finn a character who played well opposite Teal’c who once again took on his “Murray” persona.

It’s Murray

Space Race isn’t my favourite episode of the season but it’s fun and fast paced with a lot of money onscreen, it did turn out to be one of the most expensive episodes of the season thanks to it’s extensive CGI requirement and as always the graphics houses did the show proud with some excellent effects.

Giant Ice Cube Fly By

The promo this week is from The Scifi Diner and next weeks episode is Avenger 2.0 and many many thanks to Jeff who joined us this week over Skype from America to record Space Race.
We have both news and feedback segments this week as well as the upcoming birthdays, keep the feedback coming it’s cheers up no end and more news on itunes as we get it.

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Episode 138 Enemy Mine

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Jun 302012
 

 SG11 are prospecting on an abandoned Goauld world for Naquadah deposits and after a month of trouble free endeavours one of the airmen is taken by an alien/creature and strung up dead. SG1 are sent to investigate and provide military support for the expedition and Daniel sees artefacts that indicate that Unas were once used as slaves on this world and indeed the survivors of the mining camps have prospred since the Goauld left the planet.

Enemy Mine is a vehicle for the of the Unas and by extension Chaka the being that Daniel befriended and shared a few adventures. Faced with the desperate need for the Naquadah the US military are prepared to kill and relocate the “animals” but Daniel convinces them to try negotiation and with Jacks support they return to the planet with a new sense of purpose.

Boo!

The episode makes excellent use of the oft used gravel pit and forest locations around Vancouver, they really do add a sense of scale to the episode and makes it believable that dozens of Unas clans could be in the region but unseen. Michael Rooker who plays Colonel Edwards doesn’t have a lot to work with but he is a true professional and balances the negative aspects and positive outcome of his meeting with the Unas and SG1.
As always the prosthetics for the Unas are excellent and while we have Chaka played by Patrick Currie rather than Dion Johnstone he carries on with this remarkable creation capably aided by Alex Zahara as Iron Shirt.

Brothers In Arms

Enemy Mine is a rather slow moving episode despite an out and out fire fight between SG11 and a clan of Unas which was wonderfully done, vicious and violent without the gore. It also aided the observation into the motivations of the Unas which was eventually revealed by Daniel who had some excellent scenes but communications without a common language is very tricky in scifi hence universal translaters, translator microbes, Babel fish etc etc.
I consider the episode a fairly average viewing experience but one that is very high in terms of production, no one fell short in delivering in their field.

No Round Table?

Thanks for the feedback this week and comments about other aspects of the show on twitter, facebook and google+. The promo this week is from Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural a tv centric show hosted by Suzie & Shannon.
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Episode 137 Lifeboat

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Jun 232012
 

 On a desolate world the MALP discovers a crashed spaceship and SG1 is sent to investigate. The ship is remarkably intact and contains hundreds of sleeper pods each with a human like being in suspended animation but someone or something is roaming the corridors with SG1 as their target and specifically Daniel. Upon returning to the SGC the humans of SG1 are medically checked out and Janet deals with a mentally damaged Daniel who seems to be manifesting a number of personalities. The fate of the crash surviviors and those souls trapped in the minds of Daniel and one other rests on the ability of Carter to jerry rig a system to power the ship and eventually revive the people with a promise to relocate them and maybe even find their destined planet which may at this time be the home of their people.

Spooky

Lifeboat is an episode originally intended to be in season 6 but was also meant for Michael Shanks thus it was moved to season seven and allows Michael to do some serious acting both voice and mannerisms. Some of his work is based on emulating Ryan the young boy who played Keenin while his creations were the basis for the other actors when doing their roles. Whichever way the characters evolved Michael did a bang up job helped in part with the minimilist set design which focusues the viewier on the actors and their performances.

I’m not a number…

There are a few hurdles you need to jump to accept the episode, these people have advanced tech in some areas (Cryogenics and Computers) and have construction abilites to build deep space vessels but lack the FTL drives which we think would have gone hand in hand. Not to worry though the story is more about the people not the technology as shown by Teryl who gets a very meaty role in this episode and really lets rip at one point:)
Lifeboat isn’t a bad episode but it’s not a standout one either but for season 7 and it’s time restraints and budgets it’s far from the worse from the series.

You forgot the lube doc!

Thanks for the feedback on last weeks episode it’s always a pleasure to hear what our listeners and fans of the franchise think about our shows and Stargate specifically so keep it coming.
This weeks promo is from Flash Pulp and next week we are covering the episode “Enemy Mine”.
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Episode 136 Revisions

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Jun 162012
 

 The discovery of an artifical dome close to the stargate on a poisioned world leads SG1 to investigate using their state of the art containment suits which are obviously not air tight. Small issues like that are not important as a small community is found living a tranquil existence but reliant on an uber computer system networked into their very minds. All seems well until Sam discovers issues with the power systems and people start vanishing yet those left behind do not question and even forget these people even existed.
Faced with the ultimate destruction of the remnants of this civilisation SG1 have to decide if they have the right to intervene or step aside and let things play out.

Still looks better than Bluetooth

Revisions is a nice standalone episode which features for the most part all of the main cast members, that said Daniel and Sam have more screentime but it is a scientific leaning mission leaving Jack and Teal’c to get into mishief.
The technology in play is highly advanced and you wonder like with our world how such brilliance would be unable to bring forth solutions to this worlds power generation and consumption/waste issues. Ultimately the final solution to save as many people as
practical was a fine idea but it stagnated the culture leaving no opportunity for a long term global solution. Then again maybe the networking of the computer into the minds of the people is the underlying lesson to be learned rather than the folly of a culture
bringing about it’s own destruction.

Now that’s smog!

One huge bonus of Revisions is the guest role for Christopher Heyerdahl who does make quite a few guest spots and two significant recurring roles in the franchise, he also made his mark in Sanctuary (two roles again) and the recent AMC series Hell On Wheels.

The promo for this week is from Tuning Into SciFi TV and next week we will be covering the fifth episode in this season “Lifeboat”.

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Episode 135 Orpheus

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Jun 092012
 

 While making a strategic withdrawl aka running away SG1 gate back to Earth but Tealc is hit while dawdling in the line of fire on the ramp, silly boy. With severe damage to his pouch and without a symbiote to heal him he goes through an extensive convalescence but suffers mental issues as he adapts to being weaker and in his culture less than a man. Daniel starts to have aural memories of his time as an ascended being which eventually reveal the location of Bratac and Ryac and thus a rescue mission is set in motion and Tealc is pretty much ordered to go. On the planet of Erebus captured Jaffa are worked to death mining and refining Naquada for the construction of Goauld ships, the SGC units arrive in time to aid a rebellion.

Fish in a barrel

Orpheus is a continuation of two main storylines the fist being the consequences of Daniels ascended status being withdrawn after he chose to act on his ethics and sense of right and wrong and the second is Teal’c and Bra’tac losing their symbiotes and relying on Tretonin. It’s quite difficult before watching the episode to see how these two story lines can merge but using the occasionally visited Jaffa resistance as the glue it works out pretty well. It’s not my favourite episode of the season but the location work is good even if it’s just the old gravel pit and as always there is some nice CGI, the show really never gets that wrong even on a TV budget.

UPS salesman do well at the shipyards

The only real grip and maybe it isn’t even a gripe is that we see Teal’c from a different side, he has rarely been the depressed oh woe is me type and feeling sorry for himself so it’s difficult to see the character in this light. Of course we then get the resolution and payoff as Teal’c fights for himself and his family ultimately achieving the desired results but taking a beating in the process.
Once he realises that what Bra’tac is saying in that the symbiote doesn’t make the man it’s his own strength of character and will that defines him Teal’c is once again the symbol for the rebellion.

Many thanks for the feedback this week and we had the new promo from Colin’s Star Trek podcast. Next week we are covering the fifth episode of the season “Revisions”, join us and why not send in a comment or post something here or on Facebook or Twitter.

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