Apr 182015
 

avatar Vala gets an unexpected message from off world, her father long the bane of her life is offering the SGC a deal on the information he claims to have about the location of a cloaked cargo ship equipped with Naquadah and intended for a first strike against Earth. When this information proves reliable he is granted sanctuary on Earth but his inherent need to exploit and con people comes to the fore and faced with increasing displeasure he offers to deal with a band of Jaffa who have Naquadah and are still on Earth but he would have to be part of the operation as there is a failsafe built in and only he can disarm it.

FT (18)Family Ties while not being written specifically for Fred Willard was tailored to his style once he came on board to play Jacek and it’s hard to imagine anyone portraying the lovable rogue who gave us Vala even if he is by no means a good father and it sounds even less of a good husband. The episode as with a few in the second half of the season feels like it would have served better if earlier in the run, it’s certainly not part of an arc but then I suppose with the ORI put to one side (for now) they really don’t have to go to extremes to set up a season finale since at this point they knew they were cancelled. The set designers get a lot of praise for this episode, they were allowed to a little over the top in presenting us with what Jacek considers high calibre home decoration and in many ways you can see where Vala gets her love of gaudy objects speaking of which it was touching to see that she did indeed treasure the little trinkets he often brought back to her from his travels.

This weeks promo is for the Game of Thrones podcast Tyrion’s Landing and next week we are going to be taking a look at the Stargate Atlantis episode Submersion. As always we would not say no to some feedback and comments on the show or an itunes review/rating, we’d be happy with a tweet if push comes to shove:)

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Mar 072015
 

avatar After another very successful raid against the Lucian Alliance their leader Netan places a bounty on SG1 and thanks to them being tagged during the last raid the galaxies premiere bounty hunters are on their way to Earth to collect. Cameron along with Vala are going to his high school reunion, Daniel is deep in some research at a public library, Teal’c is offworld dealing with some Jaffa issues and Sam is attending a technology conference to demonstrate some of the tech she is “working” on. Meanwhile back in Kansas Vala is making quite the impression on John’s parents and to be honest I think she has been accepted by the mother who maybe sees a bit of a kindred spirit but Cameron is dealing with an old crush and a friend who it seems is more than happy to stir things up a bit.

Vala blends in

Vala blends in

Bounty is again a pretty much standalone episode even though the Lucian Alliance and Netan storyline has been active this season but background to that isn’t required to enjoy this story, we get the whole team having their own little adventures and dealing with the bounty hunters who come for them and eventually the big showdown at Cameron’s high school brings them all together. I think it’s safe to say never have so many NDA’s been issues at one time although no doubt in high school tradition they could get away with saying the punch was spiked even though there surely would have been a licensed bar. Either way there is a lot of fun to be had with the episode, Daniel ducking a femme fatale and Teal’c and Sam a more brute force approach to collecting a bounty but the rise of Odai Ventrell played by Mike Dopud brings the action into focus and we get the unexpected resolution, no doubt a character who may have returned if there had been an eleventh season Mike does return to the franchise in Stargate Universe and a guest spot on Atlantis. It was fun imagining Peter DeLuise has he directed his wife Anne Marie playing Amy Vandenberg to lay a smacker on Cameron and it’s easy to imagine Vala interrupting them had more of a meaning:)

Overall Bounty is an excellent episode, lots of action and humour but as we are coming to the end of SG1 you wonder if more time should have been given over to the ORI resolution and fall out but at this point given we did the movie we can’t complain about the writers and cast getting to have some fun. This weeks promo is for the Dune Saga Podcast and next week we are going to be taking a look at the Atlantis episode The Game, hope you join us.

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Jun 142014
 

avatar Vala returns to the SGC although only her mind and she takes great delight in occupying Daniels body especially when her first port of call is the mens locker room. Anyhow when Sam realises what is happening and they get to debrief Vala (no not in that way) and she tells them of her appearance in the ORI galaxy in a small village, her friendship and romance with a native of that world and ultimately the bombshell that she is pregnant. If that wasn’t enough to drop on SG1 and the General she then reveals that the ORI ships are ready to go and filled with soldiers ready to fight and die in a religious war against the inhabitants of the Milky Way. Oh and in the meantime the Chinese have made their play for access to the Russian Stargate currently leased to the US.

The Will of the Ori

The Will of the Ori

Crusade marks the return to Stargate for Claudia Black and yes she was heavily pregnant at the time and that worked so well with the story the writers created around her return, the consequences of this story will play out in the tenth season but for now the structure of this episode allows Vala to take center stage without putting too much pressure on Claudia although there was no question that she was giving 100% with the scenes in the village and her acting opposite Tomin played by Tim Guinee. Once again the standing village set is redressed to provide a unique location without requiring huge investment which allows for strong guest actors including Tim as mentioned and of course Michael Ironside who can tick another genre show off his to act in list:)
I really enjoyed Crusade, Claudia was excellent as was Tim and the whole weaving of the Ori story which was basically clips/flashback and exposition was delivered to the viewers in a entertaining and fast paced manner, the threat of the ORI is now really becoming clear and puts pressure on the SGC to handle the local political fall out after the games the Russians were playing and the threat given that the ORI have proved to have weapons tech far in advance than even the Asgard.

Many thanks for the feedback this week and our Facebook, Google+ and Twitter have been very active and lets not forget that we are on a very gratifying number of listener lists over on Stitcher, wouldn’t say no to another itunes review though:)

This weeks promo is for the Sci-Fi Movie Podcast and next week we return to Atlantis for the episode Inferno with our guest Thomas once again joining us for an episode he asked to do a while back, hope you can join us for that and don’t forget we are keen to get more voices on the show, why not get intouch and join in watching and talking about an episode of Stargate SG1 season 10 and Atlantis season 3.

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Nov 092013
 

avatar2 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

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

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:)

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Oct 262013
 

avatar2 Vala volunteers to travel with the rest of well sorta SG1 to a world that has been visited by a Prior, it turns out that she stayed on this world disguised as Qetesh. No one should really be surprised that her real motive was to reclaim a bunch of treasure she had acquired but Daniel is convinced that only the truth of the false gods is capable of combating the threat of the Ori who themselves are false gods. Of course after learning the truth the people immediately imprison Vala for crimes against them and while Daniel is defending her the Prior arrives and makes his position very clear. After he leaves the people start to fall ill and nothing Dr Lam and her team can do can cure the disease, even the healing device is only a temporary measure and when it push to comes the natives of the world bow down to the Ori and the Prior cures them all. Just before he turns to leave he stares at Daniel and tells him to relay this story to anyone that will listen and then walks away.

A losing battle

A losing battle

The Powers That Be is a very strong episode and really nails down what the Ori and their Priors are capable of doing along with the propaganda use of their actions both positive and negative. As with the Gou’ald the SGC and Earth are once again faced with very powerful beings but until the System Lords the Ori powers are at a level that does seem to be a step away from technology based thus enforcing the belief they have god like powers or are indeed gods themselves. It doesn’t hurt that the Priors for the time are preaching only the positive and backing it up, any opposition has a very difficult time to hold up examples of the Ori’s deceit or complicity and words are just words.

Get used to losing guys!

Get used to losing guys!

It was very interesting to see the former Administrator turned Prior arrive in the Milky Way, it was bad enough random Priors were appearing but his appearance had to be response to Daniel being on the planet, it certainly underlines how manipulative the Ori are at least until force is required to quell the dissenters. Greg Anderson who plays the Prior does a wonderful job with the writing his is given, by keeping some level of humanity (not seen in the other Priors) he is all the more threatening and competent. The use of the disease/plague is also a call back to the ultimate demise of the non-ascended ancients, you wonder if before they fled their home galaxy their conflict with who would become the Ori left a little seed which generations later removed them from the physical plane. This episode does a great job of opening avenues for the story to travel down.

Thanks for everyone who has been posting and using the Facebook, Twitter and G+ sites as well as regularly visiting this main website, it’s rewarding to see people making use of our efforts and the feedback we get is great. In that regard we got some discussion about Duet over on Facebook and continued chatter on Twitter about pretty much everything Stargate. This weeks promo is for the new Dune podcast which will be covering the entire literature aspect of the franchise on a monthly basis, the show hosts included Scott from the Scifi Diner podcast so you may be familiar with his voice:)

This was our 200th episode and it includes the results of the recent competition, they will be published on the site and other portals when everyone has been notified but we want to thank everyone for entering, at best there is a prize at worst you got to puzzle over four Stargate themed questions:)

Brad once again got up early and recorded with us, we had a lot of skype issues but we stood firm and got the episode recorded. We are still looking for more guests to come on the show, the schedule is rather sparse for the next few months so if you fancy joining us for an episode (SG1 or SGA) then get in touch and we’ll sort something out but until then take care everyone and don’t forget where you left the gate.

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Oct 122013
 

avatar2 It looks like Daniel is finally free of Vala but after she leaves the SGC he collapses in a manly fashion and upon awakening Vala is once again by his side, it seems the effect of the bracelets has continued perhaps due to the influence of the communications stones. Thus begins a journey for what will become the new SG1 as they track down the man who Vala stole the bracelets from and he in turn agrees to help if they can return a necklace Vala stole, this leads them to a trader who wants a power coil in exchange and then a cargo ship for the coil and at each stage the “treasure hunt” gets more dangerous.

Looks like a stand off

Looks like a stand off

The Ties That Bind once again proves how well suited Daniel and Vala are in terms of a love/hate relationship even if the love part is always well buried, the chemistry between Michael and Claudia is well used and provides lots of humour and some drama with more to come. The adventure the soon to be SG1 embarks on is also full of it’s own humour and more importantly begins the Lucian Alliance aspect of Stargate be graphically showing that these guys are not some two bit operation, they have resources at their disposal and as mentioned lots of people looking for work and to make money in a galaxy with it’s former structure ripped apart.

Vala and her boys

Vala and her boys

It was great to see Wallace Shawn appearing on the show playing the part of Arlos Kadawarn a former love interest of Vala complete with interpretive finger play which make everyone a little uncomfortable, he delivered some great dialogue and was perhaps the highlight of a very good episode. His performance takes nothing away from Bruce Gray, Malcolm Scott and Michael P. Northey who had wonderful supporting roles and played opposite Vala with style and how great was it to see the return of Jup and Tenat who once again come out of a deal with nothing and having to explain themselves to the Alliance.

Thanks to Brad for the voicemail this week and yes it’s week 3 of the competition, the question is in the show and once again it is an episode we’ve already covered so when you figure it out email us the answer. This weeks promo is from the guys at Pulp Audio Weekly and next week we say hello to Lt Cadman who makes her debut in the Atlantis episode “Duet”, Adam will be joining us for that show.

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Sep 142013
 

avatar2 Mitchell having finally convinced a few of the gang to join him on an adventure is deep within the earth below Glastonbury battling trials of intelligence, honour and courage left by the Ancients, success brings rewards and Vala is all for rolling around in the gold but an ancient text reveals the truth about the Alterans and everything changes.
An Ancient communication device using the stones (as seen in Citizen Joe) is activated by Daniel and Vala and they go elsewhere and occupy the bodies of a couple in a far away galaxy where the Ori are gods and the people live according to the tenants laid down in the Book of Origin. The intrepid duo are unable to keep from being discovered and with their unfamiliarity fall foul of scripture but the brutal consequences are mitigated when a Prior of the Ori visits the village in response it seems to their statements about being from another galaxy.

Avalon is very much a feature length episode, splitting it into two takes away some of the impact but jumping straight back into the action and peril does get things going quickly in the second half of the story, you could also say that with Origin to come we are still only two thirds of the way through the introduction of Ori and other new SG characters.
The writers have taken risks in making the religious aspect the focal point of the Ori storyline, it’s far more pronounced and important than with the Gou’ald but as they say ultimately the show is simply taking the stance than you should seek the truth and revealing the false gods serves that purpose. Of course as we see the Ori through their Priors certainly make a very definite statement as to their capabilities, god like even.
Another aspect of the story which is stirring things up is the emergence of Garek and his power play for control of the Jaffa which becomes a major concern not only for Teal’c but the SGC and the rest of the Milky Way.

One happy camper

One happy camper

Avalon Part 2 is an excellent episode, we get some good time with Dr Lam as well as seeing the village standing set which will serve both SG1 and SGA in the next season and beyond. This is also perhaps one of the best episodes for Vala, we see her at her most devious and playful but also more vulnerable, it’s very revealing for her character so early into her time on the show and also proves Daniel does have some feelings for her beyond just normal compassion.

Toasty

Toasty

Many thanks to Thomas for staying with us to record the second part of this story and he’ll be back for a bonus show later in the year and a couple of shows a bit further into the future. This weeks promo is for Tuning Into Scifi TV and next week we take a trip on the Daedalus as it journeys to Pegasus with an unwanted passenger on board in “The Intruder” and Brad will be joining me for that show while Alan is busy moving home. Thanks for the discussions on Facebook and Twitter, the shares and plus ones on G+ are appreciated and as always we really like to hear from you about our show and Stargate and if you have the time a Itunes rating and review would be icing on the cake:)

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Aug 312013
 

avatar2 Changes abound in and around the SGC with the aftermath of the battle for Dakara and the attack by the Replicators on the base. Major General Jack O’Neill has moved on and his chosen replacement Major General Hank Landry has taken over and is having running battles with his “psychic” assistant one Master Sargent Walter Harriman. Lt Colonel Cameron Mitchell recovered from the battle over Antarctica against the forces of Anubis has taken over the command of SG1 and expected to be working with Sam, Daniel and Teal’c but they like Jack have moved on. He valiantly attempts to get the band back together but is getting nowhere until one Vala Mal Doran visits the SGC with a tablet and the promise of technology and treasure and low and behold everyone is off on a mission to track down the old haunts of Merlin and the buried secrets of the Ancients in and around Glastonbury.

A slight technical issue...

A slight technical issue…

Well season nine heralds some significant changes for the show with Richard Dean Anderson becoming nothing more than an occasional guest and thus a full time replacement in the big chair is presented to use with Hank Landry played by Beau Bridges and in the field Cameron Mitchell played by Ben Browder. Vala Mal Doran played wonderfully by Claudia Black also has a strong presence in this season as is the move away from the tradition religions and cultures by embracing a more western European and more specifically Arthurian legends and myths.

Merlin Sword, Sword Merlin

Merlin Sword, Sword Merlin

It was certainly interesting to see how quickly the last three members of SG1 quickly looked to break away from the SGC, after so many years of blood, sweat and tears you can understand why they all may think they have done enough however Teal’c perhaps more than the other two has accepted a path which is more demanding and maybe just as dangerous, politics with starships as collateral in decision making. As with many of the two part stories within Stargate this first part is laying a lot of the groundwork for the pay off in the second and it needs it, it’s easy to get washed away with all the changes to characters and tweaking of the long established mythology but it will all pay off.

One huge decision by the producers and writers was to make sure the episode had it’s fair share of out and out humour and not ignoring the obvious Farscape connection between Ben and Claudia as well as playing up the concerns over the similar look/style of Michael and Ben. As we look back at this episode and ninth season we know many fans had issues and some never got over losing Jack as a focus for the show or even the use of Farscape talent to fill the gaps. I’ve no doubt the casting of both Ben and Claudia brought in some Farscape fans and it was probably a good marketing move but scifi fans can be picky, it’s always tricky dealing with change and the consequences but we did get more Stargate and is not a bad thing.

Now I know how River felt...

Now I know how River felt…

Huge thank you to Brad and GateTechAlfaSix for the audio feedback and everyone who posted on Facebook, G+ and on Twitter, the wrap up shows and poll results were well received and we are now back into the swing of things and will handle Alan’s moving home in our stride. Please feel free to get in touch with any comments about Stargate, Gatecast or scifi in general, we certainly do appreciate talking to people who share our enthusiasm for Stargate and the scifi/fantasy genre and an itunes review/rating is always appreciated:)

This weeks promo is for Aaron’s SciFiDig and next week we begin the second season of Stargate Atlantis, we hope you can join us for that.

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Apr 202013
 

avatar2 General Hammond takes command of the Prometheus on a mission to Pegasus to discover the fate of the Atlantis expedition who have now been out of contact far longer than they would have preferred. Hammond overrides Jack’s objections and takes Daniel and Walter on the mission and before they even leave the Milky Way galaxy they find two damaged Gouald ships. It is of course a trap and the Prometheus is taken over by a single Kull warrior with the crew stranded on the damaged ships as the Prometheus with Daniel on board flies away. The mystery is revealed when the warrior turns out to be a young woman named Vala Mal Doran who is stealing the ship to help her people but a now imprisoned Daniel soon learns that Vala says a lot of things that are not entirely true. Prometheus Unbound is a wonderful episode, it was initially designed as a bottle show to save some money using a small cast and the standing sets but the production was getting such good results extra money was provided to create the CGI which really added the icing to the story. The introduction of Vala and the casting of Claudia Black was inspired even if she had just been a one off character but we know she returns to work her wicked ways on Daniel and later to grace the SGC.

Suits you Sir

Suits you Sir

Once again it was great to see Don S. Davis return as Hammond and yes again as a guest star he seems to be getting better roles which allows him to push his character, great chemistry as always. Huge praise to Claudia who only worked on the episode for three days (flew from Australia) who grabbed the role and made it her own including adding her own little touches and while Novak ( Ellie Harvie ) seemed a strange role it all worked out ok.

The Dynamic Duo

The Dynamic Duo

Jeff joined us for this weeks show and I think we all had a good time with a great episode, next week we are going to be covering the Stargate Atlantis episode Hot Zone so we hope you join us for that and if possible send us some feedback. We got a little from our Facebook group this week as well as an itunes review from our friend Michael Clark the host of the Star Trek podcasts The Holodeck and Ten Forward. This weeks promo is from Pulp Audio Weekly which is a bunch of guys talking geek about games, movies, tv and many other things with a lot of humour, they recently had a 3 part Game of Thrones tv retrospective.

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