Gatecast 303 SGA Inquisition

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Mar 052016
 

Inquisition

Inquisition and lets be honest no one ever expects the inquisition is sprung on the members of the main gate team after an invitation to a meeting with representatives of some alien worlds. These worlds are joining together to make decisions in terms of the Wraith and future of the Pegasus galaxy or so they claim. As it turned out this was a trap designed to capture Atlantis personnel and then to have them stand in front of a tribunal or inquisition to answer for their crimes. The three members of the bench proceeded to question every significant event that has taken place since Atlantis was reborn and while they had many good points the information they had was provided with an inbuilt bias. These along with other personal concerns pretty much guarantee a guilty verdict and so it is up to Woolsey to save the day since he recognized the power play and manipulation going on, after all he excelled in the politics of bureaucracy.

Inquisition (11)

Inquisition pretty much takes place in three locations, the briefing room, the jail cell and the court room and no doubt even with solid guest actors this episode was designed to be a money saver. That said Stargate has always done the clip show format with some style by making sure the story that provides the reasoning for the clips to stand by itself and once again Inquisition benefits from the level of attention. A very good episode for Woolsey it has to be said as well as the guest stars who had to carry the story with the regular cast pretty much going through the motions. Overall not a great episode but certainly worth watching because most of the charges against Atlantis have been brought up by fans during the shows run and long after, I know we’ve talked about the culpability of the Atlanteans in the events over the last few years.

Thanks to Jeff for joining us on this recording, the podcast certainly benefited from a third voice for this episode. This weeks promo is for Generations Geek a father/daughter look at geek things including movies, books and television. Next week we are back with a look the Stargate Atlantis episode Prodigal with our guest Brad and as always we’d love to hear from you especially since we saw a significant bump in our monthly download figure for February:)

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Gatecast 302 SGA Outsiders

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Feb 272016
 

Outsiders

In the fifth season episode Outsider Dr Carson Beckett is running a small medical clinic amongst a community on another world, the team visit to bring medical supplies and then the Wraith turn up looking for refugees from Balar a world recently destroyed since it’s population were infected by the Hoffan drug and would kill any Wraith that fed upon them. The Wraith commander gives the village an ultimatum, identify the refugees and live or deny them and bring about the wrath of the Wraith. John attempts to get the council to take the high road but he is unable to evacuate or fight the Wraith and then local elements start to herd the refugees and hand them over. One of the refugees offers information to the Wraith commander in return for freedom, he points out Carson as being an expert on the Hoffan plague and the Wraith capture Carson and Rodney and then kill the informant, there is no survival option for those infected at least from the point of view of the Wraith. John and the team continue to rally support in the village and eventually use guile and deceit to get what they want, the Wraith are killed and they fight their way to the gate only to be met by Rodney and Carson who have themselves used their intelligence to escape from the Wraith ship. The survivors of the world along with the refugees are taken to Atlantis and then relocated on another world hopefully well away from Wraith interest but once again the fallout from the biological defence/offence against the Wraith continues to have serious consequences.

Outsiders (4)

Outsiders is not my favorite episode of the fifth season, it is however very well produced and the set/props departments excelled at making the standing village set look very different from what we’ve seen before. There were very good performances from Joel Polis and Sean Tyson which helped to raise the episode but it lacks any real impact on the major events of this final season of Atlantis. This weeks podcast promo is for The Saturday B Movie Reel and next week we are going to take a look at the episode Inquisition and let us know what you think, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the episodes of Stargate and of our own coverage.

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Gatecast 301 SGA The Lost Tribe

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Feb 202016
 

The Lost Tribe

The Lost Tribe is the second part of the mid-season two parter and the episode continues with Daniel and Rodney captives of this mysterious alien race whose reveal is rather surprising, yes we’ve met these guys before and in a twist the only thing that is missing is the goatee. The Vanir are an off shoot from the Asgard who fled to Pegasus to allow them to pursue lines of research which were banned by their brothers and sisters more ethical guidelines, it’s hard to deny that the Vanir had a point, they are under no immediate threat of total degeneration thanks to the experiments on other species. Meanwhile the Stargate in Atlantis when it blew left an awful lot of damage but the use of the cities shield mitigated probably 99.99% of the blast meaning no critical damage, a new gate is quickly sourced and the rebuilding process commences. However other gates have also exploded one in particular on one of the few Traveller world’s killing thousands, Katana Labrea a Traveller commander approaches Atlantis and Sheppard in particular and offers her ship since the Daedalus is currently running amok with Todd in command although Keller and Ronon and flies in the ointment. John gives Todd the location of the Ancient outpost where Daniel and Rodney are being detained and the chase is on to get to that world and destroy the device responsible for destroying stargates and denying the Wraith ships access to hyperspace.

TheLostTribe (24)

Ronon did a number on the Daedalus weapons system so before leaving the ship the Wraith pre-programme the computer with commands to turn the ship into a ballistic missile and while John and Katana battle the Vanir they have to find a solution to save the Daedalus and it’s crew as the ship slams into the atmosphere on course to vaporise the ancient complex. Unbeknown to everyone else at the time Rodney and Daniel have donned the alien armoured suits (very Ironman) and entered into the chamber to cripple the system, Daniel is hurt badly before Rodney can pull the plug. It’s a not a surprise that we get resolution which allows all the main characters to return the following week but to be fair the idea to use one ships hyperspace window to draw in a second was clever and obviously occurred to John after he had gone head to head with the Vanir. We also got a good closing scene with the two boys trading barbs and pudding and a rather awkward moment as Ronon learns that Jennifer’s interest in romance are focused on someone else.

The Lost Tribe was another excellent fifth season of Atlantis, we got more of the Daniel and Rodney dynamic, the return of the Travellers, Todd being well Todd and oodles of action and wonderful visual effects. Far fewer technical issues with this second recorded episode (not using bluetooth) but no denying we were all happy to wrap that night up so as always many thanks to Thomas for joining on the show. Thanks to Brad for the comment over on Facebook and this week podcast promo is for Flash Pulp an audio show which offers short stories and special movie features, I can heartly recommend their shows for pure creativity, production value and entertainment. Next week we will return with the Atlantis episode Outsiders, hope you join us and let us know what you think, we’d love to hear from you.

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Gatecast 300 SGA First Contact

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Feb 132016
 

First Contact

In First Contact the mid-season finale of the final season of Stargate Atlantis the city is visited by Daniel Jackson. He is convinced that the ancient named Janus had a secret lab within the city, together he and Rodney discover it and it’s treasure trove of technology. One device begins to emit a signal which is picked up by a piece of ancient technology overseen by an unidentified alien species who then raid Atlantis stealing technology and kidnapping Daniel and Rodney. Meanwhile a diplomatic party onboard the Daedalus have met with a Todd and a small fleet of Wraith and discussions are ongoing to the use of the new retrovirus. The aliens holding the boys threaten their lives if they do not activate the ancient technology which Rodney has been able to identify as a means to negate hyperspace drives based on their specific energy signatures. Turning the systems on would mean the Wraith ships would be limited to sublight but a previous test over ten thousand years ago indicated a serious side effect which was probably responsible for the system not being deployed during the war. Rodney turns the machine on and two Wraith cruisers vaporise as they enter hyperspace, Todd recognises the technology being used and incapacitates the crew of the Deadalus and takes over the ship. It’s only later that Rodney discovers the side effect of the device, while it prevents the use of hyperspace it also causes a power build up in any Stargate attempting to access wormholes and Atlantis unaware of the threat begins to dial out. Radek sees the energy build up but can not prevent it so he wraps the gate in the cities shield but it can not dissipate the energy from the destroyed Stargate and a minimal amount breaches causing serious damage to the gate room and the tower.

Vanir

First Contact is geared up to provide a cliffhanger for the break over the holidays and more importantly introduce a highly advanced species from within Pegasus, the existence of such has been referred to by a number of space faring races and like the Asurans before them remained in the shadows. Of course at this point the Atlanteans are unaware of who they are dealing with and the technology presented offers no clue apart from being able to sidestep much of Ancient technology from ten thousand years ago. Interesting to note the Wraith who have continued to develop their sciences have found solutions to many of the threats offered by the Ancients which indicates this new race have not kept pace, the question is why.

First Contact even judged as a single episode is excellent, we have Daniel making it back to Atlantis again and of course things go wrong, Rodney is all upset as he sees Daniel as a rival more so than many others and we get award winning CGI/VFX in the episode, the sequence in the gateroom as the stargate is destroyed was truly gorgeous. I think it’s safe to say we were all on tenterhooks awaiting the second half of this story and in 2016 that means recording our take on it the same night as this episode and releasing the finished podcast a week later. This weeks podcast promo is for the Scifi Movie Podcast and next week we are going to be discussing The Lost Tribe and Thomas will be with us once again.

Thanks to Mack and Levi for the feedback and feel free to let us know what you think of Stargate and our coverage of the episodes:)

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Gatecast 299 SGA Tracker

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Feb 062016
 

Tracker

In the ninth episode of the season “Tracker” we meet a new runner named Kiryk played by Mike Dopud. Dr Keller is going to visit a world where the local village is in need of some basic treatment, Rodney decides to tag along and to his annoyance so does Ronon. As Jennifer examines a native woman the boys go to the local tavern and when they return Jennifer is missing and Ronon attempts to track her movements. He discovers she was taken by a single individual and the pursue but are foiled by some clever traps being set. Keeler learns that she has been taken to provide treatment for a young girl who the Runner is protecting but the Wraith turn up and now it’s a question who will get to their quarry first.

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There isn’t a lot to say about Tracker since the story is fairly basic but it is an episode that focuses on character and we get that in spades with the performance of Mike and Jewel, the dynamic is well written and performed especially when we compare the portrayal of Keller in the earlier episode Missing, lots of character growth for the doctor. It’s not to say there isn’t plenty going on, the added impetus provided by the arrival of the Wraith sets up some good set piece action sequences and it’s interesting to see another Runner and his particular skill set aided by the alien transportation device. It also goes without saying that the woodland used to film the episode looked spectacular with some great shots captured and the commentary track for the episode goes into detail the issues which they had to overcome on this location shoot.

Tracker overall is an above average episode, not quite in the top tier but well worth a rewatch and of course we get to see Mike return the Stargate franchise in the second season of Universe.

This weeks podcast promo is for Nutty Bites the ever entertaining chat themed roundtable which discusses all things geek. Next week we are joined by Thomas for “First Contact” the first episode in a two parter where a new to the Pegasus alien species is introduced and who seriously shake things up, well whenever Daniel visits things happen 🙂

Thanks to Levi, Mack and Steve for the feedback, always appreciated and we’d love to get more so don’t be shy if you have something to say, you can email us or use this sites contact forms and we are also on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter so plenty of options.

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Gatecast 298 SGA The Queen

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Jan 302016
 

The Queen

The Queen is the focal point of a Wraith Hive, the grand alliance is still struggling to deal with the emergence of Atlantis but unlike before there are Wraith who deal directly with the humans who now control the great city. In this episode the team approach a hive on a diplomatic mission, they board and are greeted by Todd and around a table filled with food (Todd at the farmer earlier). They discuss the use of the latest version of the retrovirus which could eliminate the need for Wraith to feed on humans and take sustenance from ordinary food. Todd is sceptical but agrees that it could give his hive an advantage but without the consent of the Queen who dominates the alliance nothing can be done. The only way to approach the ruling Queen with the idea of the retrovirus would be through another Queen and as Teyla has Wraith DNA it is decided that she will undergo drastic procedures to turn her into a Wraith at least in the short term.

TheQueen

After much deliberation Teyla undergoes the surgery and is transformed into a Wraith Queen. Todd teaches her some of the basics she needs to know as well as making her understand that attitude and confidence is everything when dealing with Wraith let alone another Queen. They board the Queen’s hive which then jumps into hyperspace and after some uneasy introductions Teyla is invited to discuss her purpose for the visit but Todd seizes his chance and drives a knife into her throat and as the alarms sound he jams the knife into Teyla’s hand. As the Wraith and Drones rush in Teyla plays her part shouting down descent and proclaiming that any Queen who could die so easy was not worthy of leading the alliance and now she is the Queen of this ship. The Wraith commander is not happy but accepts the new dynamic but then messages arrives telling of an incursion of one of their feeding grounds by another hive, Teyla reluctantly agrees to leave their position (knowing John and Co will have more trouble finding them) but a Queen would not ignore this incursion. Upon arrival she immediately orders an attack against the trespasser and Todd is unable to stop the wholesale slaughter of Wraith pilots and crews but even as things turn bad she is saved when the puddle jumper arrives via the Stargate and puts six drones into the opposing hive. Alas they are then captured and Teyla tells them to bide their time but is overheard by the commander who attempts to kill her, she defends herself and Todd finishes him off. She now has total control of the hive which she leaves in the capable hands of Todd with the promise to the crew that she is still their Queen and will protect them, she takes her leave with a warning to Todd that if he does anything stupid she can return and take command once again.

I think you may glean that I quite liked The Queen, it’s an excellent story giving the Wraith a lot more depth and opens up their society a little more. It also makes good use of the long term narrative of some Athosians being “tainted” by Wraith DNA and even offers the possibility that the Wraith and the humans are not as different as was indicated from the pilot of Atlantis and subsequent Wraith specific episodes. The makeup and prosthetics were stellar, the transformation of Teyla was spectacular and Rachel’s performance as she wrapped the cloak of her Wraith Queen persona around her was a sight to behold. Christopher was as ever wonderful as the uber intelligent and manipulative Todd and lets not forget Kenny either 🙂

Many thanks to Ian for joining us on the sunday afternoon to record this episode, he will return later in the season and thanks for the feedback over on google+ as well as continued support on Twitter and Facebook. This weeks promo is for the SciFi Diner podcast and next week we are taking a look at Tracker.

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Gatecast 297 SGA Whispers

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Jan 232016
 

Whispers begins with events in a small village a year before a team from Atlantis arrives, we see two locals walking in the dark mist shrouded night and come across someone sitting on the ground, they approach and a creature is revealed which lunges at them killing one almost immediately. The other man escapes buts runs into a man wearing a gas mask who proceeds to attack him. We jump to the current time frame to find John and Carson walking through the woods and meet up with a SG team commanded by Major Teldy, introduction are made and we learn that one of Michael’s labs has been discovered in the nearby caverns. They soon realise this was the site of some early genetic experiments which may have back fired and left the nearby village devoid of life, most of this is confirmed by a local man named Mirellus who speaks of Demons in the mist. They decide to spend the night in the village but Sheppard, Teldy and Captain Vega head out to the nearby settlement for some supplies where they encounter something in the mist which reaches out and grabs Vega, they find her body soon after and then double time it back and discover all the stasis pods in the lab are now open. Carson, Dr Porter and Sgt. Mehra are a little on edge after hearing the commotion and Mehra goes out to investigate, after some time Carson then leaves and when they return Dr Porter is missing.

Events continue to spiral out of control but with each encounter some knowledge of these “demons” is discovered and they decide to set a trap at the village’s well using a laptop emitting a signal which will bring the demons into a killzone. John however is attacked while setting the C4 and in the commotion it blows and the team open up with their P90’s leaving all the demons dead. They all return to the lab and discover a well disguised door, they open it and find another room full of empty pods and they begin to be stalked by the remainder of Michael’s experiments but in the confined space the automatic weapons make light work of culling the demons. The episode wraps with a bookend of Carson, John and Rodney with Rodney mildly upset he knows nothing about a certain Dr Porter but at least Carson is staying in Pegasus so yay:)

Whispers is one of my favourite episodes of Stargate Atlantis, it’s incredibly atmospheric and wonderfully produced thanks to the clever idea of using a tent inside the studio which allowed them to film in simulated heavy fog/mist. That’s not all though, we finally see a bunch of female SGC members who just happen to be on the same team and each of them do credit to their rank and the SGC, granted the US military at the time was not overly keen on front line female soldiers but the need for intelligent and resourceful members of the SGC should have meant a great percentage of women serving than we were presented with over the years. Considering we only got the single episode/adventure of the team comprising of Major Teldy, Captain Vega (RIP), Sgt. Mehra and Dr Porter they left a very definite mark on the fanbase and who knows a sixth season or tv movie could have made good use of these characters.

Many thanks to Andrew for joining us again for this episode, he will return for at least two more before we movie onto Universe. Thanks to Brad for the feedback and to everyone that has kept in touch or supported the podcast on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr and Facebook. This weeks promo is for The Rusted Robot and next week we are going to be watching another excellent episode “The Queen”.

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Gatecast 296 SGA The Shrine

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Jan 162016
 

In The Shrine Rodney McKay develops a degenerative brain condition and within days his mental faculties decline with startling abruptness. Initially they believe a mission to a failed research camp which had been destroyed by a flood coupled with spending hours soaking wet and cold on top of the Stargate was the root cause but only Rodney was affected. However Jennifer with help from the Pegasus natives identifies the condition as “Second Childhood” a known condition in the Pegasus galaxy which is caused by a parasite that embeds itself in the brain and creates similar symptoms as Alzheimer’s. Jeannie is brought to Atlantis to say her goodbyes to Rodney and Ronon approaches her with his own experience of the condition which had affected his grandfather.  It seems there is a shrine that has the capability to nullify the symptoms for one day allowing the sufferer to spend quality time with their family and friends. Jeannie decides to take Rodney to this Shrine despite Jennifer’s scientific doubts but they have to get past the Wraith outpost, fortunate the Wraith are a little dumb or complacent.
The Shrine

When they enter the Shrine it’s effect is felt quickly and Rodney regains his sensors, he is alarmed at the news but Jennifer identifies the radiation source being emitted from the Ancient device in the cave. She correctly speculates that this causes the parasite to shrink (for a time) but maybe with it in a tightly controlled area of the brain the option to surgically remove it although with limited tools it will require a lot of skill and some luck.

The Shrine is considered one of the best episodes of Stargate Atlantis and a firm fan favourite, it also gains a lot of praise for David who gave us a Rodney McKay so very different than what we were accustomed too, it was also interesting to see the dynamic between Pegasus folklore and Earth scientific method clash although that was more for effect than a plot element that was going to be explored in depth. It was also great to see Kate return to the show for her final appearance as Jeannie Miller and it was heart breaking to and inspiring to see Rodney confess his feelings to Jennifer even if he needed the security blanket of a video recording to express himself.

Many thanks to Andrew who joined my early one sunday (Alan was at a convention) and he will be returning next week for the episode Whispers. This weeks podcast promo is for Tuning Into Scifi TV so click the link and pay them a visit. Thanks to everyone who took the time to listen to the bonus shows over the holidays and once again thanks to all those that voted in the poll, the Stargate box of goodies is on it’s way to Jodi in New York 🙂

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Gatecast Bonus Episode 22 – Stargate SG1

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Jan 092016
 

Stargate SG1

Well here we are in 2016 with the final bonus episode of this holiday season and it’s a look back at the ten years of Stargate SG1 and incorporates the listener poll which reveals their ten favourite episodes of the series. Along with the poll results we also had the prize draw for the box of Stargate goodies and a few consolation prizes.

We want to extend our thanks to everyone that voted and especially to Thomas, Brad, Scott and Jeff who added their thoughts on SG1 to the show.

Poll Results…

132 Votes

1) Window Of Opportunity

2) 1969

3) The Fifth Race

4) Urgo, Heroes & Solitude

7) 200 & Lost City

9) Divide And Conquer

10) Unending

Poll Results – Episode Votes

Poll Results – Locations

The Stargate SG1 prize draw results are in the podcast, when I have notified the winners the results will be posted on the website:)

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Gatecast Bonus Episode 21 – Blue On Blue

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Jan 022016
 

For the latest bonus episode for the 2015/2016 holidays we are taking a good look at the Canadian crime drama Flashpoint and in particular Blue On Blue an episode which stars Michael Shanks which has been mentioned on twitter over the years. It also features Rachel Skarsten who is more familiar to use from the rather excellent Lost Girl. In this episode of Flashpoint Michael is playing David Fleming who wait for it is a bad guy, a very bad guy and has the SRU running around in circles during a heist at the Police storage facility.

Blue On Blue

Blue On Blue is a pretty entertaining episode, some good suspense and tension as the chess game between David and the Police unfolds but I have to admit I started watching this series but never finished the first season, it’s a little bland and the market if full of crime dramas these days and even Enrico Colantoni couldn’t tip the balance:)

Next week we are going to be releasing our Stargate SG1 retrospective along with the poll results and prize draw so stay tuned then the week after we’re back into the weekly Stargate Atlantis episode.

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Gatecast Bonus Episode 20 – Decision

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Dec 262015
 

Well here we are covering an episode of series we always said we wouldn’t do but it is a Stargate property even if it’s not canon so for our 20th bonus show sit back and enjoy the Stargate Infinity premiere episode “Decision”.

Decision

The Stargate Infinity series is set well into the future of the SGC and in “Decision” the base has been infiltrated by a spy working for an alien species, when an Ancient is discovered they attack the base to claim the prize but a group of SG personnel fight back and escape through the gate with the Ancient and the remainder of the series deals with their adventures as they try to find a way home.

Hand on heart I would like to have said more about this series but it does no credit to the television franchise and is best forgotten however you will recognise some of the voice talent used in the series but what a missed opportunity. Thanks to Brad for once again going above and beyond and next week we are going to be taking a look at an episode of Flashpoint starring Michael Shanks, enjoy the rest of the holidays and stay safe over the new year:)

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Gatecast Bonus Episode 19 – Stand by Me

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Dec 192015
 

Welcome to the latest bonus episode for the 2015 holiday season, this week Alan is joined by Kriss and together they take a look at “Stand by Me” a third season episode of the Canadian medical drama Saving Hope. In this episode which was directed by Michael Shanks the staff of Hope Zion deal with the departure of one of their own and the complexities of medical care for patients not technically allowed access to said care due to their illegal presence in the country. We also get an accidental dosing of LSD which spices things up and Charlie puts his heart on the table and it gets stomped on.

This is Saving Hope S3E4 Stand By Me

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Stand By Me featured Lexa Doig as Dr. Selena Quintos and it’s never a bad thing to see her guest starring in a show and her character’s interaction with Joel (Daniel Gillies) was good drama and as you may know led to further complications. The departure of Gavin was nicely handled and the one on one with Maggie was at times heart breaking but it was done well and nice use of some visual effects to enhance the emotion. Overall a good and entertaining episode of Saving Hope which was chosen by Kriss.

Next week we are back for another bonus show and I think I know which it will be, something of a surprise given what we’ve said in the past, stay tuned and feel free to let us know what you think of these bonus shows and the podcast overall:)

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Gatecast Bonus Episode 18 – Auto Eurodicka

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Dec 122015
 

It’s that time of the year again and we are taking a break from our regular coverage of Stargate and for a few weeks taking a look at shows/episodes which feature the cast and crew of Stargate. This week we are watching Auto Eurodicka which is a third season episode of the US sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun which features a series regular, recurring and guest actors who have graced Stargate on the big and small screen.
AutoErodicka (6)
In Auto Eurodicka we find Dick Solomon going to watch a movie recommended by Mary Albright, he meets Anita and he quickly enters into a casual sexual relationship with her, being Dick he can’t keep his mouth shut about it and has no shame in sharing the details until in the middle of class he reveals her name and finds that she is the mother to one of his students. Even then Dick needs some education on boundaries with both Mary and Nina giving his a slappin’ but of course Anita’s family played all by the DeLuise’s with Dom as her ex-husband confront Dick and somehow he doesn’t end up in hospital. The “B” plot of the episode deals with Sally and her infatuation with a Dodge Viper and her attempts to acquire the car, of course it’s well out of their price range but as always this “alien” family learn more lessons from their failures and they end the day sitting on the roof beneath the stars with Dick holding a steak to his eye.

Third Rock from the Sun was an excellent American sitcom, I own the DVD boxset and you can dip into the show anywhere you want for a few laughs. As you’ve seen there is plenty of Stargate links in this episode and the series as a whole (thanks to French Stewart) but we also got William Shatner making a very memorable appearance from the fourth season onwards.

Next week we are going to be taking a look at an episode of Saving Hope, this will be discussed by Kriss and Alan so have a listen and let us know what you think. Over the next few weeks we will also be covering Flashpoint, Stargate Infinity and a special episode looking back at SG1.

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Gatecast 295 SGA Ghost In The Machine

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Dec 052015
 

avatar The team are travelling towards a space gate in orbit around a world that has potential for a new alpha site despite the flying monkeys which seemed to have given the visit a bit of excitement. As they approach the jumper starts to malfunction with energy surges and all control is lost, the jumper collides with the gate and without power is entering a decaying orbit. It’s their lucky day though, power returns and they limp back to Atlantis but they can not find anything wrong. The city itself then begins to experience power surges and all power dies except for Rodney’s laptop which begins to communicate via text and reveals that an entity calling itself Elizabeth Weir is asking for help, you know a Ghost In The Machine.

GhostInTheMachine (24)

It turns out that after the fall of the Asurans the last few remaining replicators were from the faction that were attempting to ascend, they found a technological solution which converted themselves into energy but unfortunately it only allowed them to remain in subspace devoid of real experience. Weir went in search of help and came across the puddle jumper and hitched a ride back to Atlantis. The Ancient technology used to create Fran is taken over by Weir and her consciousness is put into the Fran template and all seems well until the remaining Asurans arrive. Atlantis is forced to allow them to manifest and build bodies for themselves with some conditions. Of course the Asurans have their own agenda or at least one of them does and Weir is forced to choose sides and in a final farewell she leads the Asurans through the Stargate to a new world knowing it would be the end of her and her people.

Ghost in the Machine was used primarily to tie up some loose ends and it’s a pity Torri Higginson wasn’t able to return. Michelle once again did a mighty fine job probably more so than her first appearance on the show as Fran. We did get some good character stuff from Rodney and it has to be said most of the characters that had known Elizabeth were allowed some good interaction with this version and Woolsey gets another lesson into what command is all about and how honor and integrity can lead to sacrifice. Ghost In The Machine is yet another solid episode in the final season, drawing on the shows mythology and maybe be design putting a bow on those pesky loose threads and while Ghost In The Machine is certainly not an original plot it has it’s moments and overall works very well.

Many thanks to Miles, Mack, Dan and Levi for the feedback and emails, appreciated as was the five star itunes review from Melissa (host of the Upper Pylon 2 Podcast). Once again thanks to Brad for getting up early to join us for the recording of the show and as would have it a Ghost in the Machine caused the first recording session to be cancelled, we got this on the second try. This weeks promo is for the Dune Saga podcast, next week will be the first of this seasons bonus shows and I’ve not decided which so it’ll be a surprise, tune in and find out:)

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Gatecast 294 SGA The Daedalus Variations

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Nov 282015
 

avatar A starship appears in orbit above Atlantis, the early warning systems failed to detect its approach and to confuse matters they are getting the automated friend or for response indicating that the ship is the Daedalus, however they confirm that ship is days away from Earth on it’s return journey from Pegasus. The team take a jumper and they discover a carbon copy of the Daedalus however it shows signs of extensive battle damage and no one is onboard, well there are four bodies and they do look rather familiar.

TDV (7)
A strange energy signature is detected and McKay discovers that the ship has an additional drive system, he realises it is intended to jump the ship between alternate realities and that this Daedalus is not from their universe. Alas the drive is in a loop and when it’s energy capacitors are fully charged it automatically jumps, who knows how long they “other” team were onboard or how far away from their home they were before conditions killed them. Each reality poses it’s own problems for the ship and the team including a sun eating it’s system, aliens hell bent on destroying another Atlantis and one where there is no live at all on the planet and not Atlantis either. McKay finally figures out that while he can not stop the ship from jumping he can reverse its course and if they survive the sun going nova and the aliens once again they can leave the ship when they reach their reality and let the ship do it’s thing, of course complications arise when the landing bay and jumpers are destroyed by those pesky aliens but not to worry they have a plan.

The Daedalus Variations is a well crafted episode which makes good use of story elements introduced on Atlantis earlier and certainly in the scifi genre as a whole. There is some excellent space combat sequences, really old school dog fighting in and around the Daedalus and again all the CGI done in house both for budgetary reasons as well as showing the talents of the Stargate artists. There is not a huge amount of pressure put on the actors in terms of what the story needs from the characters but we get some good humorous moments and some cheesy ones it has to be said but overall The Daedalus Variations is a solid episode early in the final season of the show.

Thank you very much to Thomas for joining us this week for The Daedalus Variations an episode he chose and he’ll be returning in 2016, this weeks promo is for Treks In Sci-Fi and next week we are back with Ghost In The Machine and the return of a character but in another guise. As always we’d love to hear what you think and don’t forget the Stargate SG1 top ten episodes poll is still open:)

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