I tell ya the guy still looks good even under all the aging makeup, maybe he’s not going to sweep the likes of Sam Carter off her feet but Garwin Sanford as the King in the Once Upon A Time In Wonderland episode “Heart of Stone” struck a very regal pose:) We know Garwin better from his time on both Stargate SG1 and Atlantis as a bit of a love interest for both Amanda’s and Torri’s characters.
He also recently starred in the “b” movie Independence Daysaster which was wonderfully bad in the good way:)
So we got to see Ben Cotton in a couple of roles this weekend in Once Upon A Time In Wonderland and The Tomorrow People (well they were broadcast earlier but only just got around to watching these two shows). In the fifth episode “Heart of Stone” Ben is playing Tweedle #2 one of the lackies to the Queen, behind all the makeup he is most certainly a greasy diabolical henchman:) In the seventh episode of The Tomorrow People “Limbo” Ben plays a character we know little about and has few redeeming features, queue the need to dig into the dark side of the character and play it bleak but with the slight edge of humour we’ve seen from Ben before.
Two very different roles but both having merit and it’s great to see Ben turning up on so many shows during this year:)
I settled down to catch up with some of this weeks television from the states and behold two familiar faces appeared on the telly, well lots of familiar faces did but these two have guest starred on various live action Stargate:)
Neil starred as Abraham Van Brunt in the Sleepy Hollow episode Necromancer which aired in the US on the 18th of November. Neil guest starred in the Stargate SG1 episode Prototype and the Atlantis episode Vegas as well as a lead actor in Blade The TV series and more recently Make It or Break It and Lightfields.
Michael played a young Jack O’Neill in the Stargate SG1 episode Fragile Balance before going on to a supporting role in Joan of Arcadia and spots on the CSI shows plus the Twilight movie series. He guest starred as Jake Barnes in the recent episode of Grimm entitled One Night Stand which aired on the 15th of November.
Michael Kopsa appeared in two of the major genre series this past week, first off he was “The Prisoner” in the Arrow episode Keep Your Enemies Closer and then he played the Sheriff in the Supernatural episode Heaven Can’t Wait.
Michael played General Kerrigan and a news anchor on three episodes of Stargate SG1 and more recently was the Observer Captain Widmark in Fringe.
Michael’s IMDBOfficial SiteTwitter
A jumper orbits the planet Doranda and they find a huge amount of wreckage in orbit around the planet most of which seems to come from a number of Wraith ships including at least one hive ship. As the jumper descends into the atmosphere to track down an energy source they find a devastated world with no signs of life but one lone structure which looks very much like it was designed by the Lanteans. They discover a research lab which seems to have been working on technology very similar to the ZPM which gets McKay very excited even allows him to wave away the dead bodies that little the complex. Upon returning to the city McKay puts his case forward to return and continue the experiments, he believes the mistakes made in the rush to find a weapon to fight the Wraith can be overcome and he is the man to do it and Weir with the support of John gives him the green light. A full science team returns to the plant and powers up the complex, further investigation gets them to the point of a test run but tragedy strikes as the power output spikes and Dr Collins is bombarded by exotic hard radiation and dies. Once again questions are asked about the safety of trying to eclipse the Lanteans, they failed but McKay still thinks he can succeed so along with John they return for a lower power test run but again the technology and physics are beyond anything they can handle but this time there is no powering down the system and they have to flee the system before it’s destroyed.
Meanwhile Teyla and Ronon go on a trading mission, Teyla finds out the there are other survivors of Sateda (Ronon’s Homeworld) and Ronon is overjoyed but then learns his former military commander/master also lives and he asks Teyla to arrange a meeting. Ronon that takes pretty drastic action and Teyla makes it clear what she thinks of his behaviour and what Weir and company would also think, putting it behind them they return to the city walking in a rip-roaring dressing down of Rodney by Elizabeth.
Shields would help here.
Trinity is very much an episode of two parts and even with the two story lines beginning together and ending together there is a very definite line drawn between them. The discovery of the debris field around the planet really looks spectacular and for a brief time holds out hope for a way to fight the Wraith but as the story unfolds it’s more about the failure of the Lanteans despite incredible efforts and insights combined with the arrogance of McKay and well the humans in general. It was a good choice to have John support Rodney after all he has proved himself both in his science abilities and maybe more importantly to John in the field taking up arms to fight and defend the expedition and their friends. It’s no surprise the Caldwell was all for the experiments even after the death of Dr. Collins but it all made logical sense, what didn’t was letting Mckay return before the full analysis of the data was complete. Radak tried his best to convince Rodney to abandon the test but he was too far going in his own hubris and then it was too late cue a rapid egress from the planet as the weapon tracked them firing energy bolts that would wipe the jumper out if any connected.
That was too close.
So what have Teyla and Ronon been doing, well not much a simple trading mission and it does seem Ronon is a little smitten by Teyla and well wouldn’t be. Beautiful, intelligent and every bit of a bad ass as Ronon himself so the two together should work well but it doesn’t at least not on this mission. It was good to see Teyla wearing the leaders mantle even if most of her discussions were left on the cutting room floor and it was a joy to see Ronon learn of other survivors but when you watch him closely you see the cold calculation going on after he learnt about Kell his former mentor/master being alive. As for his actions, well that was impressive and same again for Teyla’s response and reasoning, they really did cement a lot of their characters and relationship in these few minutes.
The final scene of Ronon and Teyla exiting the gate on Atlantis and hearing and see Rodney getting dressed down by Weir is priceless, the addition of the faint voices in the background just adds a layer of icing that actually despite the losses and set backs in the characters relationships has you grinning and then fades to black.
We got a little feedback from a previous show via the facebook group and twitter continues to be a great discussion place for all things Stargate, we’ve also seen some uptake on our G+ page which is gratifying. A big thank you to everyone that listens and extra credit for those that interact with us on the various portals and another round of applause for Brad who joined us via his truck and skype, we would love to get more people on the show for SGA or SG1 next year so if you fancy giving it a go or returning for another go then let us know:)
This weeks promo is from the Sci-Fi Movie Podcast and next weeks show will be the Stargate SG1 episode “Ex Deus Machina”.
Mike Dopud (SG1, SGU & SGA) is guest starring in a couple of episodes (so far) of Covert Affairs which is currently airing on the USA Network in the states. Mike’s IMDBTwitter
David Blue guest starred in the recent episode of Castle “A Murder is Forever” playing Kyle, personally I think he is in disguise as a mild mannered assistant with a sort of Clark Kent persona, what do you think?
It’s been a while since David graced a Stargate set and we certainly miss Eli Wallace one of the success stories of Stargate Universe and for sure a good guest star spot on a hit show is icing but we want cake so lets hope he gets himself a lead role in the near future. Until then roll on the guest spots and podcasting:) ABC Castle Site David Blue Official SiteOut of the BlueDavid’s Twitter & IMDB
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
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
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:)
I’m finally watching Primeval New World as I mentioned earlier in the week and just finished episode ten “The Great Escape” and along with some of the more regular actors who turn up we get three former Stargate names appearing in this specific episode.
Adrian Holmes
Dan Payne
Eric Breker
Fantastic to see Dan Payne sans all the armour he usually wore on Stargate playing Major Douglas and Adrian Holmes reprises his role as Detective Harlow and finally Eric Breker plays Sergeant Macready.
This was a very good episode, lots of action and as we see some good guest stars. Official Site
Yes I know we are always a few days behind but that’s the global television market, timezones and well truth be told only so much time in the day to watch telly be it series, movies or documentaries.
Anyhow I watched this weeks Castle last night knowing that Alexis Cruz was going to guest star
and he got a meaty role playing Lyle Gomez in the 7th episode of the sixth season entitled “Like Father, Like Daughter”.
The second installment of the mobile/tablet game Unleashed based on the Stargate SG1 series was released today, currently just for iOS and offered via itunes it retails for £2.99/$4.99
Catching up with the latest episode of Arrow this afternoon and while I knew David Nykl would be appearing in this season I did not know it was in the episode “Crucible” which aired in the US last week so once again a whoop of delight to see him on screen, not easily recognisable and of course the accent is different to his normal voice and that of Zelenka but always a pleasure to see him work. IMDBTwitterOfficial Site
It’s also good to know David will be appearing again and in a named character rather than just “the Russian” and despite a few misgivings the second season is holding up well although without the in your face impact of the first season when Arrow was really a major breath of fresh air into the TV superhero genre. Arrow Official Site
While exploring a new world the jumper lands at a small encampment where quite quickly the team are fired upon by primitive weapons, an aircraft arrives and gives aid and the team follow the aircraft to it’s base and a meet a fairly advanced society. Upon returning to the gate the jumper is fired upon once again and sustains damage and the team even with Ronon along are taken captive by the prisoners who inhabit the small island that contains the Stargate. Rodney is then encouraged to fix the jumper or one of his friends will be executed but that’s beyond even his talents however he is with some prodding able to enable the dialing computer.
Meanwhile Weir and her escort arrive on the world and open negotiations but the lack of results in recovering John and his team and the suspicious behavior of the Magistrate and the revelation that the prisoners some guilty of very minor crimes are going to be fed to the Wraith breaks down the talks and Weir and her team leave the city. Everything comes to a head when Wraith cruisers arrive above the island and the crippled jumper launches a drone which causes extensive damage and while a second fires on the island Weirs cloaked jumper dials the gate and allows John, Ronon, McKay and Teyla to escape.
We may have a problem
Condemned is an interesting episode and explores a solution to the Wraith problem which is unique at least in terms of a society making this decision and keeping it working for generations. Of course the supply of hardened criminals will dry up if the deterrent is that strong so as minor criminals are sentenced to the island the society itself becomes driven by compliance and obedience to dogma rather than a free thinking and living world. The island itself is now very much a dog eat dog entity, those sent there that are truly violent easily become dominant but it’s hard to see how they really got so well armed with limited resources but if they failed to bring down a jumper then that would be the story over very quickly.
The episode was wonderfully shot though, the island location looked very nice and different to a lot of what we’ve seen before and the stunt work for the fighting was exception again seeing Ronon let loose really dispels a myth that a big man can not be lightning fast and versatile in his fighting technique. It was also a show piece for Teyla as Rachel has perfected her action performance and it was only really John who was the comic relief but done so well with the stick and his knee. Again we see evidence that Rodney despite a huge streak of self interest does consider his companions more than worthy of his commitment and maybe even sacrifice, as Torrell says the way to motivate him is to threaten his friends.
Look who is is coming for dinner
Alas the end result is just an average episode despite the performances and production, that says more of the strength of the show and it’s second season rather than the story by Sean Carley and script by Carl Binder or the direction from Peter DeLuise. This weeks promo is from Trek News & Views a Star Trek podcast from our friend Colin and part of the Trek.fm network of shows, next week we will be back at Stargate Command and dealing with the Ori as they make their first major move in the episode Beachhead, hope you join us for that. If you want to get in touch with us or leave us a rating/review on itunes or stitcher we would be very grateful, till next week and watch that final step.
It always comes as a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face appear on the television, I try to avoid casting news which is pretty much impossible these days so a huge grin appeared when Teryl Rothery appeared in the recent episode of Arrow “Broken Dolls” as “Jean” the hired gun attorney for the Queen family.
Great to see Rick continuing with his character “Rudy Hopkins” into the fifth season of The Vampire Diaries. Rick only made a brief appearance on Stargate SG1 as K’tano in the episode “The Warrior” but had much longer recurring roles on Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Enterprise and Murder One. He’s also had guest spots on Castle, NCIS, Eli Stone, Voyager, DS9 and Boomtown.
