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 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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  • Ships of Stargate

 

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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 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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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 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 104 Fail Safe

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Oct 082011
 

  The Earth is doomed yet again as a rogue asteroid hurtles towards the planet and we have days left to live, not even Bruce could swing this one unless Dean Devlin decided to use this plot for a theatrical remake. The Tokra are in no position to help us having been more or less wiped out last week and surprisingly the Asgard refuse due to the protected planets treaty and no proof this is not a natural disaster. As luck would have it the crashed Teltak on Revanna is flyable with a little work from the tech guys from Area 51 and the SGC and armed with a Naquadah enhanced nuke SG1 make their way back to Earth to destroy the asteroid before it’s too late. Then the fun begins as the ship is crippled leaving SG1 stranded on the asteroid along with the nuke and a 2 hour countdown then the discovery of the composition of the rock proves the Goauld are responsible and the explosion will take out the solar system. They’re doomed:)

Fail Safe is a stand alone episode but ties in at least in terms of consequence from the events in Last Stand as Anubis promised the System Lords he could remove the Earth from the galactic equation. The lack of help also reflects the demise of the Tok’ra as a power and casts a question over the Asgard who are bound by the treaty but again without Thor may not be as enamoured with us.

Things to do today, Die!

Fail Safe comes along with some very tasty CGI and matt/green screen work, yes the scenes with Jack and Teal’c in suits (very good suits) walking in slow mo on the asteroid are difficult to make realistic on a TV budget but the rest looks fantastic. I assume the lack of significant guest stars and no location shooting meant more of the budget could be put towards the CGI work required to make this episode work despite splurging cash on the last episode especially. While it is a standalone episode there are certainly threads worth following in terms of the Asgard, Tok’ra and Anubis which shows the writers are on their game so close to the season finale.

I can see my house.

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Episode 60 A Hundred Days

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Oct 302010
 

A visit to the world of Edora for trade negotiations reveals a world that is in peril from a meteor shower which returns every 150 years, when faced with disaster the SGC takes many of the people through the gate for protection but many are left behind after the gate suffers a direct hit. Jack is one of these people and when he believes there is no return to Earth he slowly embraces this new society developing feelings for Laira but the rest of SG1 do not know what giving up means.

A Hundred Days is one of my favourite episodes, the effects of the meter shower while not having the impact of a modern production still looked fantastic and we see a side of Jack which has only be hinted at through flashbacks and other devices. His relationship with Laira (Michelle Green) always flirtatious grew into something more serious leaving us with questions when the episode concluded with the rescue of Jack. I know where I stand on the pregnancy but it’s one of those contested issues of the franchise and alas it was never resolved.

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