Mar 222014
 

avatar2 SG1 return to the SGC unexpectedly but during their debriefing some of their knowledge of events is out of sync with what we know and then the gate is activated and another SG1 returns. Confusion is the order of the day until it dawns on the General that the first SG1 are not really “his” unit but the same people from another reality, this is made clear when more SG1 units begin to turn up a few with team members who have long since died in this reality.
Multiple Samantha Carters come up with a potential solution and our SG1 along with the first unit head out on the Prometheus towards the black hole they believe is at the root of the problems. Then the fun begins…

Face Off !

Face Off !

Ripple Effect was intended to be a bottle show making use of all the existing standing sets with limited expense on outside talent, as it turned out having Teryl and JR reprise their roles couldn’t have been cheap and there is no getting around the complexities of body doubles, split screen and the rapidly progressing motion control camera techniques for having multiple versions of the same character on screen at the same time. As it’s been said the story may have been sacrificed to the altar of technical achievement but if you believe that is the case then maybe the guest stars and yes the production quality more than makes up for it, this time. I’ll admit seeing Janet and Martouf again put a great big smile on my face and having the variants of SG1 using a lot of the older costumes and props were well worth the admission price. I’m not sold on Cameron in his undies but the dressed in black “bad” SG1 were fun and at the end of the day they were
doing pretty much exactly what any SG1 would do if their Earth was in danger.

Thank you to everyone that tweeted and posted on Facebook and Google+ over the last week, Epiphany didn’t set the groups on fire but no question that MALP on a Stick was well received. Kudos to Brad for once again recording a voicemail while on the road, always appreciated as is any feedback in any form especially ratings and reviews over on itunes and Stitcher. This weeks promo is for The Sci-Fi Movie podcast and next week we return to Atlantis for the episode Critical Mass.

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Nov 092013
 

avatar2 Nerus who is reputed to be the intelligence behind the technical achievements of Baal offers his services to the SGC to aid in the repulsion of the Ori who have taken a Jaffa world and are using it’s Stargate for as yet purposes unknown. Nerus convinces the SGC that the gate is going to be a beachhead into the Milky Way for a full scale invasion rather than the odd Prior here and there so the Prometheus is sent armed with a Mark 9 Naquadria enhanced nuclear weapon aka Gate Buster. What amounts to SG1 beam down to the planet and address the Prior hoping for a peaceful solution but then Gerak and the Jaffa fleet arrive and open up on the planet from Orbit and faced with no peaceful solution the bomb is armed and they beam out. Upon detonation the energy shield surrounding the gate expands to cover the entire planet and then the light bulb flickers into light and Sam realises that the Ori needed the extra energy and Nerus had been in cahoots with the Ori. Things really take a turn for the worse when the planet starts to shrink and once again Sam figures out that this super stargate being built will be powered by mini black holes one at either end. In the panic that follows only Vala comes up with a solution and risks her life to prevent the completion of the gate and when it’s destroyed no trace of her can be found.

Beachhead is an excellent episode of SG1, it not only offers up a very good story but backs it up with some good stunt set pieces and outstanding CGI work both on the planet and in space, the studio work doesn’t let the episode down either and all parties bring their “A” game. It was a nice twist to find out that Ba’al isn’t the mastermind he implies to be, it does make sense that there are Gou’ald who like human scientists do all the hard work  but are not in command. It also makes sense that he would come to Earth looking for sanctuary, the SGC have proven to be a major player in the galaxy but the twist also proves perfectly reasonable. Nerus like all Gou’ald is arrogant and power mad, believing he could use the Ori is as a conduit to his own rise in status does explain his actions and of course the character is played wonderfully by Maury Chaykin (1949–2010).

You can trust me

You can trust me

We finally see Sam back at the SGC full time and we even get a unheard phone conversation with Jack which was funny and well any reference is a good reference. This episode also spells the end of Vala’s arc during this part of the story and she went out saving the Prometheus the ship she stole not so long back and in doing so pretty much left everyone feeling maybe just a little guilty. It is a little disappointing because the basketball scene we get early on really does show how well the team have meshed with laughter and casual ribbing of each other.

Looks familiar

Looks familiar

Beachhead is an excellent standalone episode as well as a starting and ending point for a number of story arcs, it really does shine as being a standard bearer for what Stargate is all about both in story telling and production, design and values. This weeks podcast promo is for Tuning Into Scifi TV and next week we pay a visit to Pegasus for the Atlantis episode Trinity in which Rodney lets his ego lead him around like a little puppy with disastrous consequences. We would love to hear from you about anything Stargate and we’re always on the look out for a guest to join us for an episode of SG1 or Atlantis, itunes and stitcher ratings/reviews are most welcome and if nothing else enjoy the show and tell a friend:)

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