Stargate

[datalaughing (deleted)]

My favorite sci-fi show on TV now is Stargate SG-1. Atlantis isn't bad either. In fact the whole Friday night lineup on Sci-Fi is great. What do yall think?

[rayman]

I saw a few episodes here and there in syndication but didn't get into Stargate until after it moved to sci-fi channel. After Richard Dean Anderson left the series has been so-so. I like Ben ever since Farscape, but it seems the writers don't know what to do with him. The finale this season was pretty good and with Claudia Black joining the cast I'm expecting some good stories this coming season. Stargate Atlantis is way better in my opinion, it reminds me more of Star Trek.

[valarules (deleted)]

yea this current season has been so-so, but you have to realize that it's sort of a whole new thing for the writers and producers because in addition to new cast members they have to introduce a new bad guy and come up with a story arc for it all. I think that the show has stayed strong even with RDA leaving. Atlantis and Sg-1 should both be good next season with the two/three cross-over that they're gonna do.

[tstone (deleted)]

I'm here in Germany right now, and will be for the next coupla years, so I haven't gotten to see all the new offerings in real time with everyone else. That sucks, but it makes DVD all the more pleasurable.

Now, I'm a Stargate fan from way back, and have been introducing a friend of mine to the show (I converted EVERYONE in the barracks to Firefly), and we have been breaking it down.

It's not nearly as deep and weighty as, say, the new BSG or Babylon 5, but, like Star Trek, it does combine some deep stuff with the adventure, tho I believe it is weighted more towards the adventure side of the equation than Trek is.

Also enjoy Atlantis. Like I said, haven't seen much of the new stuff, tho I did catch that season eight ep which Vala was intro'ed. Claudia Black and Michael Shanks have excellent on screen chemistry.

[valarules (deleted)]

I think that season 9 got into some pretty deep stuff, maybe not as deep as BSG, but the writers have done a good job of showing what the current state of mind is. With 4th Hourseman, they took the idea of the avian flu pandemic and turned it into something that they could use. Michael and Claudia do have good chemistry together and they really established the whole love-hate relationship between the two characters in 'Promethus Unbound' (a great episode in my mind).

Atlantis has done a good job in establishing its own ID in the sci-fi world and not having people call it 'that Stargate spin-off'. And now with the Daedalus they are able to have cross-overs with the shows but it can still maintain its own storyline and such. And I can't wait for the new season to air, it should be really good since they are going to revisit 'Wormhole X-treme' for the 200th episode and have Daniel finally visit Atlantis.

[tstone (deleted)]

Oh, yes, to be sure, there is deep and weighty stuff going on. If there wasn't, I wouldn't be drawn to the show. But the fact they have interesting adventure, just enough deep and weighty stuff and great characters make me a fan.

Oh, they are revisiting Wormhole X? MY FAVE EP! And Daniel is going to Atlantis?

See, as much as I love it here in Europe, this is what makes me miss being stateside, enjoying it along with my fellow geeks.

[valarules (deleted)]

yea they are going to do another 'Wormhole X-treme' episode next season and I guess that it's based on the whole Firefly/Serenity thing where it got cancelled after X episodes but it did so well on DVD sales that they're making a movie out of the show. Also they're gonna bring back RDA and Don Davis for the episode.

Daniel is going to Atlantis, how long could they put that off? he wasn't able to go all the other times he wanted to so evenutally he would have to and I heard that they are going to tie it with the Ori and Merlin being an Ancient. I think that it's great that Daniel is finally going to see Atlantis because it's something that he's been working towards his whole time at the program and to him it's the archeological find of the century (although he won't be able to tell anyone because of the whole secrecy thing).

[bimpavidus (deleted)]

SG-1/Atlantis are indeed my favorites. They are fun, whitty, adventurous and the play between cast members is great. I truly wondered how it would do without RDA, but I am pleasantly surprised that the show is doing well with the new cast members.

[valarules (deleted)]

I also wondered how good it would do without RDA, and it surpassed my expectations. Sure there's no more Jack/Daniel interaction but I think that when he does the occasional guest spot, they'll have that. And they've still kept the zingers that we've come to expect from the show, except they've spred it out between everyone.

Is anyone upset about the whole Jack/Sam relationship? For one thing it would be against regulations because Jack is still Sam's CO (if not directly) and Sam has this thing where anyone she really really likes tend to die or have something horrible happen to them that reasults in death (I think that they call it 'the kiss of death'). The same thing seems to happen to Daniel as well. They just can't seem to keep a girl/boyfriend alive for more than a few episodes. And it all ways ends badly for them.

[tstone (deleted)]

Actually, they COULD pursue it now. People in the modern military marry all the time. The only time it's verboten is in direct chain of command. And even then, it can happen, tho someone will either leave the service or accept another assignment.

[bimpavidus (deleted)]

Creating any sort of lasting relationship on a series such as this shuts out any ability for those characters to be part of a theme of love intrigue, or use of their ------ity for leverage. I personally had hoped that their relationship would either seal or go away, kind of tired of being dragged around when I know it won't ever happen

I thought that an appropriate time was when they were fishing at the pond in back of Jack's cabin - should have just bonded it there, and moved Jack along some other path, not that of her CO or anything.

Perhaps there is a reason i'm not a writer

cheers

[tstone (deleted)]

I think it's kinda like in real life. More people seem interested in the anticipation, rather than the real work of an actual relationship, which, to many, seems tame, humdrum, everyday by comparison. So, it's truly a talented writer who can write it in such a way that justifies it.

[valarules (deleted)]

Does anyone know what happened to Samuels? He was in a few episodes in the beginning of the show and then dissapeared until 'Mobius' when he had a cameo. It's like he just dropped off the face of the SG universe.

And did anyone watch 'The Simpsons' this weekend? RDA guest starred on it as 'MacGyver' but they made SG refernces and it was very funny. However I feel that they portrayed the typical SG fan wrong because there are a lot of women who are huge SG fans and it's not just men who are into the show.

[fayjprufrock]

Quote: See, as much as I love it here in Europe, this is what makes me miss being stateside, enjoying it along with my fellow geeks.

I feel that I really ought to protest on behalf of my fellow European geeks...but unfortunately I know just what you mean. Yes. It is rather wretched being out of the loop wrt the shows that are coming out, and although you can :ahem: them from various sites and watch them on your computer, it's really not the same.

I'm terribly fond of SGA, because of the whole John'n'Rodney snarkfest, and Zelenka (BLESS Zelenka) and ...actually I'm just going to list all the characters, so I'll stop. But I do like the show lots. SG1 is great fun too (And Wormhole XTreme made me laugh until I cried - fair play to them, that was FABULOUS). But both shows are very lightweight and fluffy, for the most part - and although I do enjoy the humour and the lightness of touch, I don't find myself giving that much of a damn about the characters.

...no, I haven't expressed that properly. I enjoy the characters on both shows, but I don't feel that storylines and character development are all that important to the writers and producers - they're making unapologetic swashbuckling adventure yarns, and they'll choose a cheap laugh over an uncomfortable (but believable) bit of storytelling. Compared with BSG or 'Firefly' - well, it's a very different kettle of fish. (Both SGA and BSG have addressed the whole torture-a-prisoner-to-get-vital-information thing, but on the former it was almost a joke, whilst on the latter it was violent and disturbing and raised real moral questions.)

[tstone (deleted)]

True, the Stargates are couched mainly as adventure shows. But that's fine. They are well told adventure, full of wonder and fun. The characters are well written and believable. No, they don't have the depth and layers that BSG, Firefly, Farscape and B5 have, but they don't have to. That stuff is being handled by other shows. So I have the Stargates for well crafted escapism, and BSG for challenge.