Gatecast 304 SGA The Prodigal

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Mar 122016
 

The Prodigal

In The Prodigal we have John and Rodney having fun with their remote control cars only to be surprised by Teyla who is having a stroll around the city and trying to get her son to settle down. As they chat the power goes throughout the city yet there seems to be lights in the main control room. What John and company don’t know at that time is that a jumper has returned via the codes of one of the teams off world and then proceeded to stun everyone and then Michael and his hybrids emerge from the jumper. Teyla has returned to her quarters only to be captured and taken to Michael who as ever is intent on developing even more useful hybrids and is desperate to get Torren’s DNA and if Teyla comes along that all is peachy. Michael’s plan seemed sound but since the stun field left most of the cities personnel intact they soon begin to test the boundaries of the shield in an effort to counter attack. It becomes apparent that with the jumper supplying energy direct to the shield there will be no easy way to by pass it but Rodney is tasked to fix one of the jumpers in the underground bay and an unorthodox method of attack is devised.

Theprodigal (19)The Prodigal is an episode that had to be told, there was no way Michael was going to meet his demise when his cruiser was destroyed. In the classic style it would have to be an epic conclusion to his story and in terms of completing the circle it was Teyla herself that delivered the final blow albeit in a very cold and brutal way. The episode itself once again proves how adept the Stargate production team are at offering up crystal clear images of action that takes place in the dark and an emotive score adds to the atmosphere. It was also gratifying to see Sharon Taylor get to put her kick boxing skills to use and in turn raising the bar for Amelia, certainly opening up a position for another kick ass character and potential love interest for Ronon who has been mooning over Jennifer for too long:)

Thanks to Brad for joining us for this weeks episode and he’ll be back before we move onto Stargate Universe, speaking of which the episodes are being assigned so check the schedule and get your name down for a guest spot, we’d love to have you. If guesting on the podcast is not your thing than by all means we’d love to hear from you about Stargate and our discussions of the episode so don’t be shy. This weeks promo is for The Batcave Podcast and next week we are taking a look at Remnants with Ian.

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Gatecast 291 SGA Search And Rescue

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Nov 072015
 

avatar2In the aftermath of the explosion which brought down Michael’s complex rescue units in three jumpers arrive from Atlantis and begin to look for survivors, a number of people are trapped in the debris including Ronon, John, Evan and Rodney. John is seriously hurt with a piece of rebar through his side and Evan has a broken leg, Ronon and Rodney are bashed and bruised but are actively seeking a way out. Michael light years away gets an automated message from his complex and jumps to hyperspace intent on intercepting those that oppose him and Rodney still with some of the tech he salvaged realises a mayday had been sent and when he and Evan are rescued he informs Carter who begins the preparations to leave. The cruiser arrives in orbit and a dart does a fly by of the complex, Captain Vega shoots it down and the jumpers cloak and flee into orbit leaving John and Ronon behind, for now. Michael sends a team down in the hopes of capturing some prisoners but the Daedalus brings the fight to Michael and the two ships do battle and both are badly damaged. A stalemate exists as they don’t want to kill Teyla who is on the cruiser so they draw the darts away with a 302 attack and a cloaked jumper enters the hangar bay of the wraith ship. The team find Teyla, Rodney stays behind and delivers the baby while John and Ronon blow up the power generator for the hyperdrive and they all escape using a wraith dart, the cruiser is then destroyed and they return to Atlantis where Sam is ordered to return to Earth where she is relieved of her command.

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Search And Rescue has a lot of work to do since the season four cliffhanger left pretty much everyone in peril of death, infact more people should have died after all the complex was destroyed and the amount of rubble falling on the teams should not have left any survivors but it did and alas it was no real surprise. That said the practical set for the debris field was excellent, Captain Vega was seriously kick ass and the CGI used to bring Michael into play was absolutely beautiful. All ready there is enough good stuff in the first part of the episode to forgive them the obvious flaws in the story and thankfully the trend continues as the Daedalus and the Cruiser go head to head and finally the can shoot straight and a tried and trusted method of sneaking on a Wraith ship is employed. Having Rodney deliver the baby was a stroke of genius and again made up for the destruction of the hyperdrive power generators which should really have taken the ship with it but there were some comedic and dramatic moments leading up to their escape. The humour continues with John in the infirmary and finally the sting in the tail as Sam and the audience get the ice water thrown over them as she is replaced by Mr Woolsey!

Search And Rescue is an excellent opener for the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis with everything we love about the show there is spades and yet setting ever higher standards in CGI and Set design as well as cinematography and storytelling. We can only look forward to more of the same as the season goes on.

This weeks promo is for Tuning Into Scifi TV and next week we are going to be taking a look at the second episode of the season “The Seed” and Brad will be joining us for that. Thank you to Miles for the feedback from the other week and we also have our Stargate SG1 Top Ten Favourite episode poll ongoing, we hope you take part because there could be a prize at the end of it and not forgetting we all want to know what the fans of SG1 consider the best episodes. If you want to get in touch with us then there many ways, comments on the website or email work great or you can leave comments over on Facebook, Twitter or Google +, we hope you do:)

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Gatecast 290 SGA The Last Man

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Oct 242015
 

avatar2 John returns to Atlantis but not quite the one he intended, the sky is blood red casting ominous shadows across the city and as he walks to a balcony he sees the infinite desert shimmering under a sun very different to the one he left behind earlier that day. John calls across the cities communications channels and someone that sounds very much like Rodney replies that it worked he gets directions to the hologram room and is met be a much older Rodney who drops the bombshell that John has travelled 48,000 years into the future and may be the last human in this galaxy and maybe the universe. Rodney goes onto explain the events which occurred after John went missing including the loss of Teyla, the widespread use of the Hoffan drug and the galaxy spanning assault on the Wraith by Michael’s hybrids. Atlantis was eventually abandoned but not before Ronon died in battle and Sam with the command of her own Starship losing her command and life when taking out three hives. Jennifer passed thanks to the constant exposure to the Hoffan drug which spurred McKay to really explore the possibility of reaching across time to aid John in the hopes that information could be provided which would alter the events and save millions of lives.

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The Last Man is an epic season finale which deals with the manipulation of a timeline to change events which lead to what amounted to incredibly negative consequences. Rodney for all his posturing made it pretty clear the need to give Jennifer a chance of life was his driving force although you can’t really blame him for not devoting his life to a very far fetched attempt to rescue John. The episode contained some very beautiful visual effects and yet didn’t scrimp on character pieces, this is an episode that strikes a perfect balance in a series nay franchise that always set a standard.

A big thank you to Thomas for joining us for this fourth season finale and the podcast promo for a show on my ipod playlist is The Babylon Project, they are on a hiatus at the moment but will return. Next week it’s the season wrap up show along with the results for the poll, we hope you join us for that:)

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Gatecast 289 SGA The Kindred Part 2

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Oct 172015
 

avatar2 A simple case of poor timing means Atlantis continues the search for Teyla who was kidnapped by Michael so he can get access to her unborn and use its genetic material to enhance his hybrid creations, an unexpected bonus leaves Atlantis with an extra doctor who turns out to be a clone, it was a busy day. So Dr Carson Beckett is back on Atlantis unaware that he is a clone and that the original has died and also that Elizabeth was dead and worse of all his dear old mother also thinks he is dead, not much of a homecoming for the good Doctor. Dr Keller is able to prove to Carson that he is indeed cloned from the original albeit it with a fundamental flaw, science to the rescue and he is able to provide the coordinates to a potential facility used by Michael, the team investigates and they capture one of Michael’s soldiers and in return for safety in the Milky Way he provides the location of where Teyla will be heading. Meanwhile Teyla is indeed being held at that facility, Kanaan the father of her child is there but he has been altered by Michael to be little more than a slave but the remaining survivors of New Athos are also there and Teyla is reunited with Halling and other friends. The combat teams from Atlantis raid the complex, a huge firefight breaks out and in the chaos Carson and Teyla flee but are cornered by Michael who has created his “army” with inhibitors so they can never turn on him, Carson is unable to shoot Michael and Teyla is once again take by Michael as he escapes the planet in his cruiser. Carson now knowing there is no immediate cure for the degeneration of his cloned tissues enters into an Ancient stasis chamber, a final goodbye and he is gone again and maybe return when a cure is found.

The Kindred Part 2 (16)The Kindred Part 2 is a strong second episode of this two parter, plenty of pyrotechnics and stunt work when adds to the action quota for the episode but an awful lot of well written character pieces, it’s rather brutal how hard it was for Rodney to explain to clone Carson exactly what he was and what had been happening in the meantime and having Sam have serious reservations also worked well, she didn’t know Carson so there was no prior emotional ties to hamper her immediate concerns. Michael as per usual was well played by Connor and he no doubt appreciated the story moving the character away from the traditional look of the Wraith, less time in makeup and an easier time of it when filming scenes in 45 degree temperatures. A solid episode as the fourth season comes close to it’s end and interesting to hear that this story was bumped forward in the shooting schedule to allow Rachel to have her child, credit to Rachel who was obvious very close to term when filming many of the scenes which could not have been very comfortable.

Many thanks to Brad for joining me on this episode, once again Real Life is proving a little more complex for Alan at this time when it comes to record but things are settling down now he is in work and looking for his own place. We’ve recorded all the shows now for season 4 and will be looking at some bonus shows for the upcoming holidays and starting the fifth season, the two Stargate SG1 movies may be pushed to early 2016 and of course soon after we’ll be starting Universe.

This weeks promo is for The Batcave Podcast and excellent show for fans of the 1966 classic tv series and next week we are back with the season four finale “The Last Man”, we’d love to know what you think about the episode and our show so any feedback would be most welcome.

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Gatecast 288 SGA The Kindred Part 1

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Oct 102015
 

avatar Teyla is having dreams of the father of her child bidding her to come and rescue him and the rest of the Athosians who went missing months before, in the dream he gives her a necklace which he bought for her on an off world market, it’s a clue to their location. Teyla along with the team visit the world and discover a stall selling jewellry and trinkets and he reveals that a trader has been bringing him good quality goods for a few weeks and he is due back soon. Meanwhile Dr Keller is investigating a disease which is spreading quickly across a number of worlds, it seems a mystery but eventually they discover it’s a variant of the Hoffan drug and they take a trip to that world in search of some clues but there was nothing to be found after the Wraith wiped the population out yet it seems someone has been there since. Teyla along with Major Lorne and his team return to the trading world and capture the rogue trader, he agrees to take them to the burial site where he has been acquiring these “goods” but on arrival a Wraith dart arrives and scoops up Teyla, it seems it was a trap to capture her all along. Once again Todd uses the Wraith tracker to arrange a meeting with John and after some friendly accusations a mutually beneficial agreement is made, Todd needs to understand the Hoffan drug and develop a cure for his hive and the team need his resources to find Teyla. It pays off when Todd informs that they chatter between Wraith worshippers indicates a member of Atlantis is being held prisoner, the location is given and the team along with the Daedalus pay it a visit. In the complex a big fire fight takes place and in orbit a Wraith cruiser jumps in, it’s Michael’s ship and a captured bad guys indicates Michael is returning with his latest prize, John tells the Daedalus to capture the cruiser but it escapes but if Teyla was onboard why did the guards fight so hard to defend this prison? The break into the final cell and well a surprise is waiting for them, it was no lie that Michael was indeed holding a member of Atlantis prisoner just not the one they expected…

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The Kindred is a two part story filmed a little earlier in the production cycle to allow Rachel to be fully involved before taking time off from the show to have her child, she is very pregnant and a lot of credit has to be given for the commitment she showed in what was an intensive episode for her character. The story itself makes full use of all the little things we know about the Wraith and Michael in particular so nothing feels out of place except perhaps for how resilient Michael is, the guy is a born survivor and no matter how hard you squish him he always springs back. I liked how Carter was very reluctant to believe Teyla and her dreams not having direct experience of the events that shaped Teyla into who she is now but surprised how on the fence her other friends were but she got what she wanted alas so did Michael. As for the surprise ending of the episode well the fact that kept that underwraps really paid off, it was a serious WTF moment and in the second part of the story it’s all going to get explained in a way that is most satisfying.

The Kindred Part 1 sets the scene as well as being a very good piece of Stargate storytelling and it’s good to seeing Rachel really getting to be center stage, more of the same next week in the second part so a lot to look forward too. This weeks promo is for the Saturday B Movie Reel and next week are going to watch The Kindred Part 2 and Brad will be joining me for that, we hope you can join us as well and let us know what you think of the episode and our show.

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Gatecast 277 SGA Missing

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Jul 252015
 

avatar2 Teyla takes Dr. Keller along with her for both a social and professional visit to the Athosian settlement but when they arrive there are no people around and signs of carnage and struggle but no bodies. Teyla spots members of the Bola Kai in woods and evades them, it seems this nomadic war like tribe are feared throughout the low tech settlements but their is a question mark over their involvement in the missing people since they are not carrying the Earth provided weapons the Athosians were using for defence. They find an injured man (Nabel Golan) who claims to be a Genii intelligence agent gathering intel on the Athosians but Teyla is unconvinced however Keller is adamant in treating the man until of course they get captured and not surprisingly he gets away. The Bola Kai chief Omal (Danny Trejo) questions the two women and concentrates on the much weaker and inexperienced Keller who cleverly gives a false gate address and she is returned to her cage and when the tribe run off to interception some people (John and friends) coming through the gate Nabel arrives, kills the guards and releases the women. The tables are now turned though and since he is armed he takes Teyla down and demands the gate address to Atlantis but after being jumped by Teyla it’s left to Keeler now armed to put him down, well she shoots him in the leg and now a prisoner he confesses all but still a question over the Athosians. A running battle breaks out between the expedition members and the Bola Kai but with superior weapons they drive the tribe off and then return to Atlantis where Teyla is given the news or maybe confirming
what she suspected that she was pregnant and the father along with the rest of her people is missing.

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Missing is an episode that was required to set Teyla on a new course which will play out throughout the rest of this fourth season and it also allowed the writers to give us some more depth to Dr Jennifer Keller who wasn’t really prepared for the demands of field work in another galaxy but came through with pretty much flying colours. We know that location shooting is getting ever more difficult so it was godsend to get access to a protected national park although as the commentary said there were restrictions but nothing quite works as well as having a real rope bridge built to film on, no green screen required just good solid stunt work from the two women who doubled for Rachel and Jewel. Overall a very atmospheric and action orientated episode which lays a lot of groundwork and of course the strange tentacled like creature that burrows around:)

Once again our downloads are holding up much better than they normally do when the summer months come around so thankyou to everyone that is listening and still some episodes that could do with a guest host, don’t be sky. This weeks promo is for The Sci-Fi Movie Podcast and next week we are going to be watching Seer which has yet to be recorded, fun times.

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Gatecast 227 SGA Michael

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Jun 072014
 

avatar Lt. Michael Kenmore awakes not knowing who he is or how he came to be but is constantly reassured by Teyla and other Atlantis personnel that he was a member of  a unit attacked by the Wraith and was taken prisoner, upon rescue he was treated but is now suffering from amnesia. As he recovers in body and mind everyone treats him well with the exception of Ronon who is openly aggressive but Michael is unaware of anything he has to done to cause such behaviour and his curiosity is peaked. After suffering from a couple of nightmares Michael goes to the infirmary and as Carson sleeps he discovers the “kenmore” calendar and DVD records with his name on, on playback they show nearly two weeks of surveillance and Michael himself strapped to a bed ultimately screaming defiance as it’s revealed as the days go back to be a Wraith! Despite this revelation and learning of the retro virus he remains reasonably calm but eventually snaps after being confronted once again by Ronon and a minor war breaks out and a guard is killed, Michael is captured and taken to an off world base but uses his mind powers on Teyla and together they escape through the Stargate to a Wraith world but they are now being tracked by fellow Wraith with John and Ronon not far behind.

Quiet Contemplation

Quiet Contemplation

Michael is the opening episode to a long running if not overly used arc (for now) dealing with the consequences of using the retro-virus, yes the one that caused so many problems last time and you have to ask yourself if this is sort of some “ethically” acceptable method of genocide because when you get down to it the Wraith as they developed are going to be wiped from the face of the Pegasus galaxy. If you want to put it more simply then the very basis of this plan is awash with deceit and deception and from that would anything really good come to fruition? Now for the plus points, fantastic to see Conner Trinneer fresh from his four years on Enterprise returning to the scifi genre and handling a well written role and as we know a lot more to come but the challenge of more prosthetics is ahead, Rachel also got to push her character as well with some well written scenes between Teyla and Michael again a dynamic which they will exploit over the rest of the show. We had a couple of guests this week, given Conner was joining Atlantis we got Adam and Paul from the Star Trek Enterprise podcast Previously in The Alpha Quadrant to join us for the episode and we think a good time was had by all, let us know what you think and pay a visit to PITAQ and it’s host network Trekmate.

This weeks promo is for the Star Trek podcast Two to beam Up which is looking at the original series and next week we are going to be watching the Stargate SG1 episode Crusade and we will be joined by Thomas.

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Gatecast 187 SGA The Gift

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Jul 132013
 

avatar Teyla is having some troubling nightmares involving the Wraith, it may be a little anxiety due to the approaching hive ships or something a lot deeper. She shows an obvious lack of focus when sparring with John and he makes sure she has her first contact with the expeditions psychologist Dr Heightmeyer and after being told to rest and not gate to the Alpha site she eventually has a face to face with the psychologist and reveals that some of her people used to hear voices and so a visit to Carson is on the cards. He flies Teyla to the mainland where she meets Charin an elder who lets Teyla into her own secrets that she is a descendant of one the people returned to their world by the Wraith and it was these returnees who had the “gift” to hear the Wraith’s voices.
Upon returning to Atlantis and armed with this knowledge they attempt through hypnosis to engage her gift and she is successful in accessing Wraith onboard the approaching hive ships but in a twist a Wraith gets access to her but one thought remains, they want the Earth. The Alpha site is then compromised and Bates who is sure it was Teyla sees his paranoia about her people raise a notch. The rewards of knowing what the Wraith are upto swings Weir into deciding to attempt the contact again and Teyla gets possesed and pretty much kicks ass until Bates stuns her with a Wraith rifle but what now, can Teyla with her Wraith DNA ever be trusted?

Victim... I mean patient secure

Victim… I mean patient secure

The Gift is an episode which allows Rachel to exercise her skills as well as giving the prosthetics a good work out, we also get some valuable information on her people and background but make no mistake this also paves the way for the bigger budgets required for the season finale.
The episode doesn’t get any rave reviews but I personally think it’s required to add depth to Teyla and her people but also allows for an extra bit of impetus and potential conflict for The Siege and well it gives Bates something to do. We’ve seen in Stargate SG1 that the Gou’ald have at times experimented on humans to achieve some payoff so it’s no surprise the writers of Atlantis chose to use that plot element once more, I’m not sure it really paid off in the grand scheme of things but it’s perfectly fine for this episode. Teyla has some good character pieces with Dr Heightmeyer played by Claire Rankin and yes we have a psychologist/therapist on a scifi show that actually does her job.

I'm a doctor not a.....

I’m a doctor not a…..

We had a bumper crop of feedback for Threads on our facebook group and a few other things so that was obviously a popular episode, I wonder how it’s doing in the poll, when not check it out. The promo this week is Pulp Audio Weekly which is just geeky fun so why not click on the link and have a listen, you may just enjoy their show.
Many thanks to Brad for joining us this week and next week we discuss part 1 of the Stargate SG1 Season 8 finale “Moebius”.

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A Stargate Birth – Rachel and Loyd

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Oct 082012
 

Many congratulations to Rachel Luttrell and Loyd Bateman on the birth of their second child last Friday, a daughter named Ridley Asha Bateman.  Rachel tweeted the good news earlier today, @rachel_luttrell