Gatecast 246 SG1 Memento Mori

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Nov 012014
 

avatar Daniel takes Vala on a date or as he puts it two friends sharing a meal but it’s a fancy looking restaurant and they both look like they have put a little effort into their appearance so I think it’s safe to say Vala definitely sees it as a romantic possibility and well Daniel is just deluding himself. When Vala takes a trip to the ladies she is accosted by a guy who injects her and then carries out to a car which then speeds away, the helpful waiter who witnessed the “abduction” informs Daniel and the game is on. It turns out elements of the Trust now led by the Goa’uld Athena (former confident of Ba’al) is looking to unlock some information in Vala’s brain from her time as Qetesh using alien technology. The SGC investigate known Trust safe houses and come up with five possible locations and raid all five, it does not go well and in the warehouse where Vala is being kept the SG team are all killed and an injured Vala escapes but the alien tech has damaged her memories and she finds herself wandering aimlessly and finally being drawn to Sol’s Diner where through very good luck she finds employment. After she foils a robbery the police put her photo on the wire and the Trust and the SGC race to find her but the bad guys get her first leading to a car/bike chase which results in Vala capturing an injured Cameron and thanks to her memories still not sure who she can trust.

MM (8)

Vala retraces her steps and returns to the warehouse with the Trust and SGC right on her heels, a fire fight breaks out and eventually she and Daniel are face to face and with a heart felt plea he breaks through her memory blocks and overwhelmed with memories of her friends and new family she embraces Daniel with tears streaming down her face, oh Cameron has put his pants back on for the raid on the warehouse 🙂

Memento Mori is a very good episode for Vala (Claudia Black) and also solidifies her position in Stargate Command, it’s clear despite her lone wolf and mercenary attitude she has found a place she is happy to be and with people she likes and respects. It was a great moment to see her presented with the SG1 patches and of course lots of people seemed to like Cameron hand cuffed to the motel bed as Vala got the low down on her “alien abduction” scenario, lots of fun. The set piece bike and car stunt was very well done, looked very nice and Teal’c interrogating the Trust operative was fantastic. Overall Memento Mori was an entertaining episode, some laughs and lots of action and drama, lets not forget The Usual Suspects homage when Vala was talking to Detective Ryan (Adrian Holmes).

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Gatecast 204 SG1 Ex Deus Machina

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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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Gatecast 203 SGA Trinity

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Nov 162013
 

avatar2 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.

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.

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”.

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Gatecast 179 SG1 Full Alert

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May 182013
 

avatar2 Jack returns from buying beer to find Kinsey has broken into his home and is drinking his booze and as you would expect Jack has his gun drawn and while he doesn’t shoot him he his happy to call the cops. Kinsey then lays down the reasoning he has approached Jack and when the fate of the planet is at stake Jack never fails to meet the challenge. It seems that Trust are once again making a move and they need Kinsey for some sort of secret mission so a sting is arranged with the SGC monitoring the meeting which of course blows up in their faces, big time.

Full Alert is the final episode for Robert Kinsey played wonderfully by Ronny Cox over the span of eleven episodes and while he has a decent role in this episode it is a little bit of a let down as a farewell to his character. That aside the story adds to the political and conspiracy aspect of Stargate which takes more of a central stage in the final two seasons, some people appreciated that added depth others not so much.

Who wouldn't trust this face?

Who wouldn’t trust this face?

Daniel has a bit of fun when he returns to Russia in an attempt to contact a senior General and it’s quite good to see him all dressed up and it seems mildly flirtatious with Captain Voronkova. It’s rather an ingenious plot as the Gou’ald avoid a direct attack and work from within the Trust to influence high level military and political figures in the US and Russia with the goal to provoke a nuclear exchange. It may sound rather dry and yes there is a lot of talking heads but we also get some decent action in orbit as the Prometheus seeks out the cloaked Al’kesh which mounts an attack in the hopes of killing the captured Kinsey who does make his escape.
The Prometheus really does need to up it’s game in terms of security.

Daniel's having second thoughts about the mission.

Daniel’s having second thoughts about the mission.

Full Alert is a solid episode within a series rewatch but not so much for a one off viewing, at least for me but it has it’s good moments and has a strong guest cast which bumps up the overall viewing experience. We had some audio feedback from Dan this week, it came out of the blue so that was a nice surprise even though it seems the Ronon figure has done a runner, which is rather fitting. This weeks promo is from Tuning Into Scifi TV and next week we are back on Atlantis with the excellent episode Before I Sleep.

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Episode 171 SG1 Endgame

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Mar 232013
 

avatar2 The Stargate is beamed away in the middle of the night shift, poor old Walter never gets a break. The SGC investigate Area 51 as a possible source of the security breach which allowed the gate to be painted with a tag to allow beaming using Asgard technology. Tealc is still off world dealing with majar bio-weapon attacks against the Jaffa including worlds which are home to rebel groups. The finger points to the Tokra but as the two stories merge we once again see the desperation or fanatacism of the Trust who casual slaughter millions seemingly unworried about possible retaliation.

Oh ****!

Oh ****!

Endgame is in essence the second part of the double feature with Affinity, the same members of the Trust after gaining the codes required to operate an Ancient coded device return with a fully functional cargo ship with Asgard tec on board. They’ve combined the symbiote poison and Earth based missile systems with the gate to create a good delivery system and have already hit three worlds killing both “good” and “bad” Jaffa but also an unspecified number of Tok’ra.
The pacing of the episode is excellent with both action and drama sequences plus quite a bit of humour which you wouldn’t expect from a story dealing with the beginnings of a campaign of genocide but we see the two sides in a clear light, the SGC handling a problem the Trust taking a sledge hammer to it.

Now that was a party

Now that was a party

It’s not clear if Jack’s hesitation in ordering the capture/destruction of the cargo ship was due to the presence of Sam and/or Daniel on board but it’s clear that maybe command of the SGC is still not quite site comfortably on his shoulders. Hammond made the job look easy but he did have decades of experience behind the desk before taking over and Jack has had to deal with a quite a bit in a very short space of time.
I personally liked Endgame, a good well written and produced episode which does benefit from being watched soon after Affinity and we are left with a few loose ends which will need tieing up later.
This weeks promo is from The Holodeck and next week we are covering the Stargate Atlantis
episode The Storm so get those comments in for inclusion, speaking of which thanks for the discussion on the Facebook group, Home generated some buzz.
If you want to get in touch with us then you can use this websites contact options and we can also be found on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Stitcher Internet Radio and of course itunes and we always welcome a review/rating on that site.

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Episode 167 SG1 Covenant

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Feb 232013
 

avatar2 A surprise announcement from the head of Colson Industries who claims to have proof of alien interference with mankind and various governments collusion to cover it up. This shocking press conference has the US state department and the SGC attempting to put out the fire but with Alec Colson having his own fleet of satellites and his companies access to relabelled recovered alien tech he is certainly in a position to see the big picture. The SGC may be willing to play nice but the Trust made up of former NID operatives and backers are more decisive shall we say and if an accident can’t be arranged then there are
other means to remove a threat.

Covenant is a very well cast episode, both Charles and Tom play their roles exceptionally
well as the idealist and the realist clashing over what they should do with information that
could change the world. It’s great to see both Daniel and Sam working together out in the
real world and a call back to the Prometheus episode with the reporter being used to
glue everything together.

On or Off the record?

On or Off the record?

Thor of course is always a pleasure more so because they really have got the puppets
interaction down pat even to simple reaction shots and close in work with the actors.
I’m seriously impressed with the SGC’s creation of the base on the new Alpha site, that
would have taken a lot of work or maybe they had access to some Tok’ra crystals but
it looked man made. In hindsight it looks a lot like the Icarus base from Stargate Universe.

Don't forget the door remote!

Don’t forget the door remote!

This weeks promo is from the Scifi Diner hosted by Scott and Miles, they talk about genre
tv and movies and gather countless excellent interviews from their many convention trips, well
worth a listen. Next week we return to Pegasus and meet for the first time the Genii in the
SGA epsiode “Underground” which stars Colm Meany and Erin Chambers.

We got some feedback from Colin our friend over at Trek News & Views as well as a little
bit of facebook feedback on last weeks episode but we always need more so if you fancy dropping
us a line then you can do so via Facebook, Google+, Twitter and this sites contact form. You can
also find us on Stitcher Internet Radio and on itunes.

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Episode 165 SG1 Affinity

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Feb 092013
 

avatar2 Affinity is an excellent Teal’c episode despite not being written by Christopher, his characters move off base has been long overdue but it was never going to go smoothly even if Tealc was perhaps the epitome of a good neighbour/samaritan, I don’t think the local community was quite ready for him. His cover of an African visitor brought to the states by Daniel was pretty good and he embraced the tribal heritage which perhaps had a lot of ties to the culture of the Jaffa and he got on very well with Krista and Eric for slightly different reasons. In this respect I think Teal’c was looking for both companionship and the mentoring a youngster, being on Earth limits that aspect of his life.

Cleaning up the neighbourhood

Cleaning up the neighbourhood

Erica Durance is excellent as Krista the very friendly neighbour and we get hints of Noire as she unintentionally puts Teal’c in a situation where he has the emotional attachment and would defend her to the extreme if required, as it happens the story uses this situation without the manipulation which makes the return to the SGC more heart breaking for Teal’c. The second story with the Trust really adds depth to the episode and that goes partly hand in hand with the continued Sam/Peter romance, the two finally conclude quite well with the Trust now set up as being a significant player in the season. Respect to Brad Shivon as Joe, this wasn’t one of his final performances prior to his untimely death in 2010 aged 39 but it was short and sweet and he made his mark.

Brad Shivon as Joe

Brad Shivon as Joe

We had some audio feedback once again from Brad and a little feedback from our google+ group. This weeks promo is from British Invaders and next week we are in Pegasus with the episode Poisoning The Well which is a strong Carson Beckett episode. If you have any comments about Affinity or any of the Stargate episodes covered or yet to be done then please get in touch, we really can not put a price on community interaction across all the portals open to the fan base. You can find us on Facebook, Google+, iTunes, Stitcher Internet Radio and of course this very website.

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Episode 118 Allegiance

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Feb 042012
 

 The Tokra are attacked and take refuge at the Alpha site unaware of the large group of rebel Jaffa  are based there themselves refuges from an attack on their world. Almost immediately conflict arises and suspicions aired and then despite the deaths from the attack a Tokra is murdered and a Jaffa suspected but complications arise when that Jaffa is then found murdered.
Has the Alpha site been infiltrated by a Goauld or are the SGC simply dealing with the millenia old greivances that are being brought to the surface by such close proximity?

Nothing to see here.

This is the first look at this Alpha site and the first episode in which both Bra’tac and Jacob come face to face, two excellent characters and actors who have graced the series with their presence over the last few years. An interesing titbit is that the majority of the extras in Allegiance were also featured in the early episode “Warrior” whose Jaffa rebels were driven from their home to the Alpha Site, a nice touch.

The gym must have been full

Alligeance is an ok episode, it works more due to it’s production value (Location, stunt work and guest stars) then as an overall story but it is more than the sum of it’s parts and adds a lot of depth to the relationship between the two shaky allies and the humans who stand between them. It also has RDA shooting a really big gun in slow-mo so props to the steadicam operator.

Say hello to my little friend

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