Feb 222014
 

avatar As Gerak serves the will of the Ori it is left to the remaining Jaffa who see the threat to their hard won freedom to rally against their leaders. In a desperate all or nothing move they offer Gerak and the council a simple choice, reject Origin or slaughter thousands even millions of free Jaffa who are offering no direct resistance. As trouble is approaching over Chu’lak the SGC have deployed their anti-prior device and captured a servant of the Ori and taken a blood sample with the hope it will lead to a cure for the plague sweeping across the globe. However Orlin who is rapidly losing his mental capability fails in his task but when asked by Gen Landry for one last effort he travels to the Sodan world and faces down the Prior who reveals the intentions of the Ori in the Milky Way, convert the peoples and then strike directly at their former brothers and sisters now known as the  Ancients.

Together they are Strong

Together they are Strong

The Fourth Horseman Part 2 is an excellent conclusion to this two parter, both of the main stories are wrapped up well with suspense and a significant emotional aspect which is one area where Stargate always does well. The sacrifice of Gerak after his face to face with Teal’c was an exception scene for both actors and huge praise to the simple yet oh so effective locations and props which helped to set the scene. Orlin played by Cameron again worked well within the story, his grand gesture in return to human form ultimately paid off but not in the way he intended, it was perhaps a little cop out to have the boy surviving and shades of the episode Learning Curve but The Fourth Horseman is at the end of the day about the hope that can now be drawn for a minor victory in this grade endeavour.

He used to smoke 4 packs a day!

He used to smoke 4 packs a day!

We’ve included some feedback for last weeks show and of course a few of the more notable Stargate related birthdays for the upcoming week and also a book review of the novel Houdini & Lovecraft, The Ghost Writer written by Ron Wilkerson. This weeks promo is from our friend Nuchtchas with her show Nutty Bites and next week we are looking at the Atlantis episode The Hive which is it’s conclusion to their mid-season two parter. We’d love to hear from you about anything Stargate and/or Gatecast related including the opportunity to join us for an upcoming episode, let us know if you are interested and we’ll see what can be arranged:)

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Feb 082014
 

avatar2 A recon unit return from an undercover mission on a planet which is being visited by a Prior of the Ori, the men soon become ill and reveal one of them was touched by the Prior during a religious service and in hindsight it was easy to see the Ori knew who they were and used them to carry a plague back to Earth to decimate the heart of the potential resistance in the Milky Way.  As Sam investigates the possibility of developing an anti-prior weapon based on the knowledge they gained from the scans of Khalek back on Dakara a Prior is working his magic on Gerak who is embracing the concept of enlightenment which is worrying Bra’tac and Teal’c. Orlin returns to the corporeal world as a young boy, his explanation being the younger brain would be more adept at retaining the knowledge required to cure the plague but it’s a one way trip, for Sam and her world he is willing to sacrifice everything. Gerak is showing some resistance to the demands of the Prior but is then taken to Celestis and when he returns it seems the Ori now have a key player for the invasion of the galaxy.

TFH1 (44)

That can’t be good.

The Fourth Horseman Part 1 is an excellent episode in it’s own right let alone the first half of a two parter, with a restricted tv budget and resources the producers manage to convey the potential disaster of a global pandemic and the galaxy wide ramifications as the Jaffa nation could become a de facto army for the Ori.  It’s almost brutal watching Gerak a man driven by the desire for power see the Ori as both a means to an end but also maybe some sort of personal fulfillment in the spiritual sense, you do believe that he believes in their message despite knowing what the Ori are willing to do to anyone that does not bow down to them. There is hope of course, Sam and Dr Lee have come up with a way to disrupt the energy being channeled to and by a Prior but it has to be tested so a visit to the Sodan is called for and they may not be an easy challenge in itself.

The Brains Trust

The Brains Trust

The return of Orlin was a bit of a surprise and his new look took some getting use too, there was some logic behind it but as we learned in the commentary the idea was to have Sean Patrick Flanery return as the character but he was unavailable and the writers earned their money with young Orlin and making it work with the acting talents of Cameron playing  a big part.  Oh and lets not forget the return of the late Don S. Davis as General Hammond who filled in at the last minute when General Jumper was unable to film his cameo, it was great to see Don who appears again in part 2.

Thank you everyone for the feedback on last weeks show and continued support via Facebook, Google+ and especially Twitter. There’s a little news and birthdays included in this weeks show and next week we return to Atlantis for the first part of their two parter “The Lost Boys” which sees the return of a season 1 regular. This weeks promo is for the excellent Tuning Into Scifi TV and as always feel free to get in touch with us for any reason, we’re all family within the shadow of the gate.

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Nov 232013
 

avatar2 A Jaffa is found dead in the middle of some woodland and when Gerak is questioned he is evasive and not to put too fine a point on it lies which along with the investigation into a missing CEO of a military contractor causes alarm bells to ring in the SGC. Since they know some members of the Trust were taken by a system lord and returned to Earth to provoke a world war they reason that elements are still active and have plans for Earth. This is confirmed when one particular system lord makes an appearance on television as the new head of the said company out lining his plans for the future and it becomes clear the Jaffa have been operating on Earth searching for Ba’al and have taken the missing CEO. Ba’al contacts the SGC and simply asks to be left alone but kinda ruins the mood by telling them of a bomb he has planted somewhere in America, leave him alone and he won’t destroy a city. As both the SGC and Gerak’s people converge on the location of Ba’al using Jaffa and the symbiote poison the Prometheus has located the device in Seattle and Sam is on site but with no possible way to defuse it the Asgard beaming technology is employed leaving not only a big hole in the ground but some major PR spin to be done. Teal’c returns to Dakara but Gerak turns the tables by offering up a captured Ba’al and then executing him in front of the council, his position is secure as the new leader and Teal’c returns to the SGC and then they reveal that Ba’al has been working on cloning technology and there could be more than one of him.

Smooth Operator

Smooth Operator

Ok I know cloning could be considered a little too obvious a solution for killing off a major character of recent seasons and still having him around but in the episodes to come it proves to be a damn good idea and works very well. Ex Deus Machina itself is a lot of fun, fast paced and entertaining with all the main characters used well and good use made of the recurring characters. We had some issues with the use of the beaming technology to remove an office block but while it may be possible on that scale it seemed to defy the logic of the show which had been set out.

Behind You...

Behind You…

Due to Alans ongoing education we had some scheduling issues so as Brad was ready and willing I recorded this show with him since with the christmas break in recording coming up I needed a couple more shows in the can. Last years use of bonus shows to keep a weekly release ongoing proved to be a good idea so we’ll do the same this year, not quite sure when these bonus shows will be released but I think you’ll enjoy them. Many thanks to Brad for once again earning yet another gold star and thanks to everyone that left feedback on Facebook, G+ and the main website, thanks as always to all the support on Twitter as well which is a treasure trove of Stargate passion. This weeks promo is for the excellent geeky podcast Nutty Bites and next week we’ll be back with Atlantis for the episode Instinct which marks the first appearance in the franchise for Jewel Staite.

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Sep 282013
 

avatar2 Daniel and Vala are still in the bodies of Sallis and Harrid and are faced with the heart of Origin in the city of Celestis. Daniel is able to divine some of the underlying teachings of the culture and uses the information to gain an audience with the leader in physical world called the Doci. He verbally duels with the Doci and eventually the Ori themselves inhabit their vessel and talk directly to Daniel, they now know that their old enemy who fled to the Milky Way are hiding trillions of souls ready to be exposed to Origin. Back in the Milky Way a Prior emerges from a Stargate and begins to preach Origin to the local population, Cameron invites the Prior to the SGC where along with the new Jaffa leader Gerak the Prior offers the inhabitants of the galaxy guidance and a path to enlightenment. Daniel and Vala now returned to the village are visited by Fannis who reveals the Ancient communication stone control device and Daniel is able to warn the SGC about the threat just before a Prior descends upon them and once again the fire pit is a flame but no escape for Sallis and Harried or Frannis, the first victims in the war between the Milky Way and the Ori.

The Doci and a Prior

The Doci and a Prior

Origin as with the first two parts of the trilogy was written by Rob C Cooper and seals the foundations of the main story that will drive the final two seasons of Stargate SG1. A stellar cast of guest stars taking key positions adds so much depth to the story which certainly helps to smooth over the miss steps as SG1 is reshaped. Julian Sands gives a very dry performance as the Doci but is perfect for the role and Louis Gossett Jr steals every scene he is in which is no mean accomplishment alongside Beau Bridges. It was certainly a little dark to lose the three natives of the Ori galaxy but underlines how black and white the view of the Ori is, worship or die but you do have the choice.

Some choice

Some choice

A busy time on Facebook, lots of feedback for last weeks show which was very pleasing and twitter as always was awash with chatter, the Stargate community over there is really great to read and interact with. Brad was stellar in this show, once again making time to fill in the gap with Alan settling into his new life in Finland and since we’re coming up to our 200th show there is a little competition information in the show, every listener invited to enter including any guest and co-hosts:)

This weeks promo is from Hexed The Sisterhood of the Supernatural and next week we are back in Pegasus with the episode Runner and the introduction of one Ronon Dex, the ladies go wild:)

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