Episode 134 Fragile Balance

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Jun 022012
 

  Jack O’Neil returns to the SGC after spending some time at home but things are a little different, he is a little shorter for a start and more squeaky voiced. Overnight the Colonel has reverted to a 15 year old boy complete with the knowledge and experienced of his older self and the tests prove he is who he claims to be. Daniel and Tealc investigate the reports of alien abduction after Jack recalls seeing an Asgard face and the exploits of the greys revert to cultural stereotype, there is a reason mankind fears the arrival of the greys and being probed.

You might feel a slight pinch..

Fragile Balance is a good standalone episode well standalone in so far as there is a sort of pay off many seasons hence when events can be coupled with a story from Stargate Atlantis. This episode was shot with RDA off set for most of the time but with the resources given to Michael Welch he crafted his portrayal of Jack to perfection but with some nervousness but still backbone. There was some very nice location work and amazingly not everyone spoke English:)

Yes it’s Minnie Me

Next week we are covering the episode Orpheus a Jaffa centric story with the usual suspects so good times. As always thanks for the feedback and a special mention to Colin for three for three so far this season and the promo this week is from the Nutty Bites podcast. Join us next week, visit our Facebook and G+ pages and join in the conversations.

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Episode 133 HomeComing

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May 262012
 

  Jack and Sam return to the SGC after the success against the Death err I mean Anubis and his super starship but Daniel and Jonas are still onboard one a captive and one running loose around the corridors. Meanwhile Tealc is the captive of Yu who seems to be having mental issues but perhaps his First Prime holds the key to the defeat of Anubis, he seems more reasonable and flexible than others of his kind.
Anubis after using his mind probe on Jonas seeks out his homeworld and the battle for Langara and it’s three nations states one of which we came to know well begins, the Naquadria once again holding the key to vast amounts of power for weapons and defence.

Would you trust them?

Homecoming is a farewell to Jonas Quinn played by Corin Nemec and while he will turn up again the character was written to replace Daniel and now the original is back there is no practical place within the SGC let alone SG1 for him. The double episode opening of season seven does serve to give him a big send off as he fights for his world something which has been a major part of his character all along. Anubis again plays the role of the evil one with panache although his first prime Herak is a bit of a scene stealer but boy him and Jack have great chemistry.

Duck and Cover

Overall HomeComing is a very good episode although Martin Wood the director said the final farewell scene lacked dome depth, after a year alongside SG1 there should have been more to the goodbye but the limitations of tv runtime and story telling won out.

We had feedback this week from our friend Colin from Trek News & Views as well as a good thread ported over from our Facebook page and Daniel commented on the website. Thanks everyone for keeping in touch despite some technical issues this week and next week we return with the Fragile Balance and two Jacks for the price of one with added aliens:)

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Episode 132 Fallen

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May 192012
 

  A revelation by Jonas leads SG1 to a long abandoned Ancient world which is now inhabited by a non-technological society who have one surprising resident, a visitor to their world who arrived sky clad and void of memory. Upon returning to the SGC the situation in regards to Anubis and his super starship weapons system is addressed with the F302 and it’s hyperdrive system circumventing the shielding and a death run towards a thermal exhaust port which leads to the cooling systems of the power core. Meanwhile the two boys go skipping and laughing throughout the ship dodging guards and working in tandem with the F302 but disaster strikes and Anubis once again pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

Recognise the Shoulder?

Welcome to Fallen the premiere episode of season 7 in which we see the full time return of Michael Shanks playing Daniel Jackson and the continuation of the battle between Anubis and the combined efforts of the SGC and the Systems Lords. Fallen is a quite a mix in terms of out and out action which is pretty impressive and a lot of talking heads first to convince Daniel he belongs at the SGC and then Jonas and Daniel together working things out, both make enjoyable scenes but it’s the uber CGI fest which is the shape of things to come for this season.

Big Bang Baby

We have feedback from Colin and comments from our Facebook group, thanks guys. The promo this week is from Flash Pulp and join us next week for Homecoming and if you have anything to say about that episode or our show please get in touch.

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Season 6 Wrap Up Show

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May 122012
 

  Welcome to the The Gatecast Stargate SG1 season 6 wrap up show in which Alan and Mike and special guest Colin (Trek News & Views host) talk about the sixth season, the good the bad and the cheesy. The results of our season 6 poll will be included as Stargate fans grade the episodes and lets not forget the Indeed count.


Huge thanks for all the feedback over this last season of The Gatecast, Facebook has been a excellent resource but perhaps Twitter has provided the biggest exposure boost even though it’s not ideal for anything other than immediate feedback. We included three promos in this weeks show and a big thanks to all those involved in Tuning Into Scifi Tv, The Scifi Diner and Trek News & View and of course everyone else who released promos for their podcasts and big thanks to those podcasts that have played ours:)

Next week we start on the seventh season of Stargate SG1 with Fallen and the return of a familiar character.

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Episode 131 Full Circle

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May 052012
 

 Daniel Jackson the ascended one once again makes a surprise visit to Jack and brings a warning about Anubis and his interest in Abydos. Anubis plans to attack the planet which was once under the control of Ra and search for a mystical piece of technology called the Eye of Ra which he believes is hidden on that world. Jack admits to General Hammond and the rest of SG1 he has now met and talked to the ascended Daniel on two occasions which kinda makes Tealc feel better and not so crazy and surprisingly the General doesn’t bat an eye and once more the mission is a go.
On arriving on Abydos the team splits with two goals in mind and while Tealc leads the defence of the Great Pyramid with some of Abydonians the rest of SG1 along with Skaara search the many rooms deep within the structure in the hopes of finding the Eye and ultimately denying it to Anubis.

Energy saving bulbs my *%”*

Full Circle was intended to be final tv episode of the series with the story continuing in movie form but that was not meant to be (at for the time being) and the seventh season was ordered allowing the consequences of Anubis and Daniel’s actions to play out over 22 episodes. The events which lead to their confrontation and the fallout are built slowly in the episode and even when you know that is the endgame it’s still takes a surprising turn.

Fish in a barrel

As always the desert world Abydos is wonderfully created using the famed sand pit location and matt paintings including the daddy which is the great pyramid, the show really has got this world down to perfection and we even have two uber special effects sequences that will knock your socks off. The first is a pure CGI feast for the eyes as Anubis and the System Lords do battle and the second is a traditional practical effect with some icing as a $100,000 model pyramid is blown up. The visuals aside the key elements of the story revolve around the revelation of Anubis and the who the Ascended beings are which along with a tablet found in the pyramid lay the ground work which eventually leads to a treasure trove of technology and possibilites.

The world biggest candle.

This weeks promo is from The Scaper Chronicles and next week we will be presenting our Season 6 wrap up show. Season 7 of Stargate SG1 is nearly upon us so get the feedback ready, it’s going to be a wild and fun ride especially if you lean towards the spaceship side of scifi.

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Episode 130 Prophecy

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Apr 282012
 

 Jonas begins to experience the effects of the DNA manipulation forced on him by Nirrti while on a misson to a world that used to be under the control of Baal but is now overseen by another Goauld. Mott claims to still serve the system lord but is in effect exploiting the people for his own ends to acquire Naquadah and the power that brings. The leader of the slave community tells SG1 of a prophecy about a group of powerful weaponed travellers who will free his people from enslavement by the false gods cue SG1. Jonas falls ill after having visions of what turn out to be potential future events both on the planet and in the SGC and is diagnosed with a brain tumor but with SG1 in trouble can he put off the surgery long enough to foresee a future where they survive?

I would have built huts at least.

Prophecy is an out an out Jonas episode written before the confirmation of a seventh season and produced as the last episode of the sixth season. It’s wonderfully shot with a good mixture of matt paitings, location work and indoor sets which convey a much bigger world then you might expect and we see once again even within enslaved communities there are those humans that support the status quo, fear or power being the driving force. The usual questions over destiny and fate come to the fore as Sam points out under one methodology predicting the future is possible but acting on the very events prophecised will change the expected results but another argues what happens always happended. An example of the latter is when Jonas sees Sam being injured on a mission so she stays behind and gets the same injury via an accident on the base.

She’s Dead Jim, oh wrong show…

Jonas is convinced he can influence the future events to save Teal’c and Jack along with SG15 who are walking into a trap laid by Mott with the intent to gain access to the SGC and it’s lowered Iris. The irony is that Mott who himself has betrayed Ba’al actually believes that by serving up the SGC he can gain favour with Anubis, I’m not sure the uber System Lord has anytime for traitors no matter what gifts they bring.

Prophecy is not a real standout episode, in many ways it’s a filler especially given the events in the seventh season and the Ba’al/Mott/Anubis story line doesn’t go anywhere but at least there is more to come from Anubis and Ba’al.

Outstayed their welcome

Thanks for the feedback this week (mainly from out FB portal) and the tweets while we recorded are always fun. Next weeks episode is the season 6 finale “Full Circle” so love to hear any comments and the promo for this week is from Scott and Miles of The Scifi Diner Podcast.

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Episode 129 Memento

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Apr 212012
 

  SG1 are on board Prometheus for it’s shakedown cruise when a flaw in it’s energy buffer causes the hyperdrive to disengage but Jonas and the navigator save the day when he locates a world within a short jump which has a stargate. On arrival the drive fails and causes the ejection of the core which explodes and provokes a missile attack from the planet they are now orbiting but with smooth & pleading diplomacy Jack convinces the world they are not a threat just a nuisance.

Peddle faster!

Memento once again makes full use of the Prometheus set and now fully operational it really does look different especially with the various lighting levels. The ship also has a active ring transporter complete with nicked control panels and interfaced with English symbols/writing.
We don’t see her weapons but the Asgard shielding certainly works but it’s hard to imagine such a vessel being atmosphere capable, that I guess is for generations to come to figure out:)
The people of Tagrea are a mixed bunch even with the small sample but it serves the story with the visionary leader, a conservative military guy and the dreamer who means well but doesn’t quite have all the facts.
Robert Foxworth a seasoned TV actor and capable genre performer is excellent in his role and would have made a very satisfying recurring character if the series has explores Tagrea in later episodes.

B5, DS9, Enterprise oh SG1

The final product is a solid episode with some humour and drama but may be remembered for the homage to the movie in which we see a Stargate being uncovered in the desert and the with pulleys and winches erected whilst the
sun shines down. This scene was beautifully shot scene and one of Rob C Coopers indulgences.

An electric winch is cheating.

Next week we’ll be covering the episode “Prophecy” and this weeks promo came from the Treks in Scifi podcast. As always we welcome any feedback in any form so stay in touch and join us next week.

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Episode 128 The Changling

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Apr 142012
 

  Tealc the fire fighter, Tealc the Jaffa, Tealc the man but which one is the real Tealc and that question is the focal point as he struggles to come to terms with his existence even though he is unaware that factors outside his perception are at play.
The Changling was written by Christopher Judge and as you would expect it is Teal’c centric and why not
no one knows the character better then he does and the twist is the multiple realities he exists in and for the most part unaware that his life as a fire fighter isn’t real.

The episode is awash with guest stars playing the characters from his life so Bra’tac, Apophis and Shauna makes important contributions with Jacob and Daniel adding elements to the overall mix.
The overall production of the episode is good, the location work involving a real fire unit is a highlight of the episode since you can not beat fire trucks in any show and the pyrotechnics are just a bonus. The hospital location again adds so much to the episode, the much larger location working well especially the gardens but it’s the merging of the realities through mainly simply practical shots that jolt the senses in a good way.

I know that guy!

What is surprising and shouldn’t be is that the big battle that causes the whole situation is never shown, the story actually doesn’t need the excitement or action as the writing and “real world” set pieces work just fine.

Next week we will be covering “Memento” so feedback for that show would be appreciated and a big thank you to all those who contributed to the community this week. Thanks to Colin over on Trek News & Views for the promo we played and barring unforeseen events Colin will be joining us to record the season 6 wrap up show so remember to vote in the season 6 poll:)

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Episode 127 Forsaken

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Apr 072012
 

 A pretty standard recon and science mission to a new world leads to the discovery of a crashed spaceship. While exploring the ship SG1 are approached by three human looking people armed and prepared to fight but then reveal themselves to be the crew of the ship. All seems well until the group come under energy weapon attack from humanoid/reptilian like aliens who are claimed to be stalking the survivors of the crash but despite SG1 fighting to defend themselves something is wrong and Jack is not quite sure exactly what.

Windage & Elevation

Forsaken is an average episode with some nice matt and location work and a very good set design for the space ship canted as it is at 30 desgrees, the prosthetics are top notch and while the alien weapons looks cheesy the CGI fire is stunning and helps to create one of the better fire fights in the series.
I found that the writers telegraphed the shady nature of the survivors of the “Sebrus” a little easily although with only 42 minutes you can not be too subtle and well Tanis certainly wasn’t  that when flirting with Jonas. An interesting titbit during the commentary is the fact that a sort of sequel to the episode was being worked out at the time of recording the audio commentary, we’ll see the ship again.

That Tickled

Thanks again for the feedback via Facebook and Twitter and a big thanks to Colin for the email. Next week we will be watching Changling an episode written by Christopher Judge and don’t forget to vote in the season 6 poll.

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Episode 126 Disclosure

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Mar 312012
 

  The US government and the SGC decide to reveal the existence of the Stargate program to a hand picked group of nations (Nuclear Powers/Security Council) mainly in reaction to the weakening of the numerous cover stories used to explain orbital explosions and crashed space ships. The British, French and Chinese representatives each have their own issues with the revelation of the Gate, the X-302 and certainly the X-303 and having Senator Kinsey with his own agenda in play doesn’t help.

Disclosure is a bottle show in respect to a single set being used to reduce costs and shooting schedules and the clip show format just reinforces that perception. I’m not a fan of clip shows but I have to admit this one was done very well by far the best of the series so far and we’ve had a few already. It certainly helps that the clips were all showcasing the uber CGI effects the graphic houses have produced within the bounds of the Showtime/Syfy and MGM budgets so offset the more talkie aspects of the rest of the episode. That said the writing and performances of the recurring/regular side characters and guest characters were top notch and you really didn’t miss any “live” appearances from SG1.

Thor, Buddy!

Thor voiced by Michael Shanks stole the show.

Next week we are covering the episode “Forsaken” so any comments on that episode are most welcome. A big thank you to Colin for the email and everyone else who used our various groups/pages, always appreciated.

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Episode 125 Metamorphosis

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Mar 242012
 

 SG4 the Russian team return to the SGC with a native of the world they were investigating who claims that Nirrti is using his people in genetic experiments and his entire settlement is now empty and those still under her control are being victimised. Given that Jack and the SGC were behind the deal which allowed Nirrti to go free their own guilt triggers the next stage of the mission as SG1 and SG4 return with the task to remove Nirrti once and for all and if possible save the people of this planet.

Caution, explosives.

The existence of SG1 and it’s Russian personnel along with the own weaponry is a nice expansion to the SGC and the show in general, I’m not sure in the real world if it’s a great idea given the mindsets of the two nations but in this context it’s adds to the flavour to the show. The return of Nirrti via a story written by James Tichenor (VFX Supervisor) and Jacqueline Samuda (Nirrti) had to be done since she was a loose end and not part of the System Lord kabal under Anubis making her a wild card and as we move away from the traditional Goa’uld as the bad guys her fate had to be known.

Caution, very dangerous.

Metamorphosis has some good location work and Nirrti’s palace while limited to two sets looks pretty funky although the matt painting has it as an uber palace on top of a mountain. The prosthetic work for the natives is excellent, they really do look like they have been through the ringer and credit to Alex and Dion for performing under all the latex. To continue the costume theme the wardrobe department hit the nail on the head with Nirrti, lots of uplifted cleavage and leg worked to the extreme by Jacqueline and loved the Mrs Robinson homage.
Given what we know the episode once again proves that Jonas and of course Corin are well suited to the show, they have matured into the story and being different to Daniel/Michael that I believe makes them work.

Too late, we warned you.

This weeks promo is from Tuning Into Scifi Tv and next week we’ll be watching and talking about the episode Disclosure, a bottle/clip episode that is a lot better than you think. Thanks to Colin for the voicemail and Kavin for the itunes review as well as our new listeners and FB Gatecast members. If you have anything to say about our show or the episodes we cover then please get in touch with us via email, twitter, contact form, facebook or G+ etc.

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Episode 124 Paradise Lost

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Mar 172012
 

 Harry Maybourne pays Jack a visit at his home made more surprising because he is currently a wanted man with a charge of treason hanging over his head. Harry offers the gate address to the world Simmons stole the Prometheus to visit which he claims houses a cache of advanced weaponry and in return he wants a full pardon. It’s not that much of a shock the outgoing president agrees and Harry gets what he wants including a trip off world but it’s never that simple with Maybourne as we come to find out.

Trust me

Paradise Lost is a well produced and very nice looking episode but it’s not exactly action packed or overly dramatic. It does however make it up for this with an excellent score which is used to add the needed depth to long periods when there is little or no conversation between Jack and Harry.
It’s got to be said the Tom and RDA have excellent chemistry when they are together and this was the driving force behind the creation of Paradise Lost and while it is a standalone episode you can take more out of it if you’ve seen Harry’s history with Jack. If you haven’t then you may be in trouble because the only other significant guest star in the episode is Bill Dow as Dr Lee, it really is a Jack/Harry study in an unusual friendship.

Friends Forever

“You know, Harry, it’s not that I can’t believe you lied to me again. It’s that you lied to me again!”

This weeks promo is from The Scifi Diner and next week we’ll be covering Metamorposis. As always thanks for the feedback and if you have anything to say about our show or the episodes we cover then get in touch via email, twitter, contact form, facebook of G+.
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Episode 123 Smoke and Mirrors

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Mar 102012
 

 Senator Kinsey is the target for assassination and the shooter is identified as Jack O’Neill a trained sniper and who bares a well known grudge against the politician, there is also the small fact of video footage of the Colonel in the vicinity. Jack is put under arrest and it’s upto the rest of SG1 with input from the NID to investigate and discover how and why the Senator was targeted and it’s not as obvious a reason as we may have expected.

ICU

Smoke and Mirrors is an interesting episode which brings to head a number of plot elements and sheds light on some of the manoeuvring which has been going on behind the scenes which have been the root of the spate of NID rogue actions. The actual reasoning behind these events does come as a surprise given how we’ve had to deal with the political aspect of the SGC and elected officials but it does make a lot of sense, that’s important to sell the show as something beyond simple scifi.

One thing this episode does have is quite a bit of humour as once again Jonas and Teal’c buddy up and go investigating, the two characters work well together and while you wouldn’t think it would work it does. The combination of Sam with Agent Barrett also comes across well leading to the character being used again as the main NID middle man and the mechanism to make this story work is a call back to Foothold, that method of story telling is a favourite of ours.

Friends Forever

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Episode 122 Sight Unseen

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Mar 032012
 

 On returning from a standard recon of an alien world SG1 have a piece of Ancient technology which at this point they have no idea what it actually does, probably one of the more stupid decisions made by the team. Immediately on return Jonas sees some sort of flying creture in the gate room but no one else can see it and the concern is that he has succumbed to the effects of long term Naquadria exposure. Of course with no sign of a foothold the SGC goes on as normal and Jack leaves to go fishing but then he too sees something that shouldn’t be there and the effect begins to spread within the mountain and beyond.

We come baring gifts.

Sight Unseen is not a good story, it’s a little too simplistic lacking the drive and potential threat of so many other alien encounter episodes from the series. Ultimately while the effect of seeing these creatures will drastically change the way everyone lives their lives there is no direct threat and thus you are left with a feeling of so what. That said the production design and location work is right up there with any episode produced before or since and the guest stars Jody Racicot and Betty Linde are a hell of a lot of fun on screen.

Wipers just won’t cut it

This weeks promo is from Flash Pulp a themed story cast which has been responsible for one new listener thanks to playing our promo and there is also a spot for Following the Nerd who were invloved with the recent Con that Alan attended.

Next weeks episode is Smoke & Mirrors which features the return of one of the classic human villians.

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Episode 121 Unnatural Selection

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Feb 252012
 

 SG1 onboard the now recaptured Prometheus agree to help Thor and his people to investigate the failure of the device they created to contain and control the Replicators. Upon arrival on the now lifeless former Asgard world they land and discover an intact structure which is now the residence of 5 individuals who turn out to be something entirely new to the galaxy. Faced with being totally at the mercy of this new life an olive branch appears thanks to what is considered to be flaws in the “programming” of Reese the creator of the replicators.

Just a little favour…

Unnatural Selection is the conclusion to the two parter and as the Prometheus story is wrapped we move onto the mission the Asgard present to SG1 in the hopes of finally winning their war against the Replicators in their galaxy. Of course nothing is ever straight forward and despite getting the ship into orbit and landing on the planet it was patently obvious they were allowed to find the structure and be used by the new variant of replicator that was housed there. The small plot holes aside the casting for “first” (Ian Buchanan) was inspired as a long term Soap actor he had the skills and the well smarm and slickness to play an over the top villian with style. A young Tahmoh Penikett also makes an appearance as “third” a year before making the BSG mini-series.

Pretty ain’t it?

The episode while delivering a successful mission for SG1 on behalf of the Asgard does so without a bit of a sour taste left in the mouth in terms of Jack betraying what was a genuine ally (in that place at that time). That said experience showed a single replicator of any style was always going to be a problem especially if under similar programming as the deceased Reese. It would have been interesting if Daniel had been in the episode rather than Jonas whose character still doesn’t have the depth to argue moralirt and ethics with Jack when it comes to making the hard decisions. As the belief goes if the beginning is corrupted then eventually the journey and destination will eventually fail and this seed which has been sown will come back to bite them.

Starship Eye Candy

The promo this week is Nutty Bites from our friend Nuchtchas and next weeks episode is “Sight Unseen” and as usual any feedback in any form is most welcome so thanks to John and Colin for the email and voicemail:)

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