Stargate Universe - ''Awakening''

Spoiler Level: High

You know, if there's a genre for movies called "feel good" movies -- works of film created with the deliberate intention of bringing you up-- then logically there must also be a "feel bad" genre, works of film created with the deliberate intention of bringing you down. Stargate Universe is determined to be a "feel bad" series.

As with the last few episodes, there's some great things in this episode.  The alien was very cool; I liked how he was very complacent, like he was just another worker, just trying to do his job when he ran into a bunch of humans.  I loved the seed ship-- not only does it give us a glimpse into how Destiny works, it's a cool design and makes for some excellent ship shots of the two docking, and brings some of the thrill of discovery back to the series.  The brief glimpse we get of the gate manufacturing room is very exciting, as this is probably the first time in Stargate history that we've gotten a look into the manufacturing of Stargates, or seen so many in one place at one time.

But this season is really sliding backwards, and that's the kind of thing that will make me lose interest as a viewer. I've commented a lot on how I liked Rush's progression into a decent human being during the second half of last season, and it seems like with this season they've decided to just throw that all away.

Really, guys?  We had to go with Rush stranding Telford on the seed ship?  We couldn't have had the ships undock on their own, or the aliens be responsible?  We had to make it be Rush's decision?  And let's look at that from an in-universe perspective for a moment... Rush has got control of Destiny, which the seed ship is designed to work for, but he can't switch off or reverse the energy drain from the bridge?  He has to resort to undocking the ships and abandoning Telford?  That's just writing it with the deliberate goal of having a feel-bad story, logic be damned.  It's a major step backwards for the character, and it's getting to be the recurring theme of this series.

And speaking of recurring themes, having the closing shot of everyone by themselves in different parts of the ship while a sad, lonely song is sung has been used so much on this show that it's become a cliché.  I started making up my own vocals about how life sucks before the actual words kicked in, and I wasn't far off.

I'll stick with the show because it's already been canceled so there's only 17 episodes left, I've seen every Stargate up to now, and this show has improved before. But man, it's no wonder viewers kept leaving.  If I thought this show was going to run for another four seasons, I'd probably give up on it again and go finish Primeval instead.

Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.  I might just do that anyway.

As always, thanks to Krissie's Caps for the screen captures.

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SGU Stargate Universe: Complete Final Season

Stargate Universe - ''Aftermath''

Spoiler Level: Very High

Well, that episode was a real downer.  Cheer up, Riley!  Any landing you can walk away from... oh.  Never mind.

So now Rush is talking to a woman who may or may not be there.  Geez, he wasn't enough like Baltar?  But okay, it's not always the image of his late wife, and he's already considering that it's most likely the ship trying to find a way to communicate with him.  Or hey, maybe it's the higher intelligence from the previous episode!  Oh wait, that would make him more like Baltar again...

The bridge is very cool.  Talk about taking a great leap forward in exploring the mysteries of the ship.  A bit disappointed that he's not trusting anyone with it-- that feels like the step backwards that I was hoping that he as a character wouldn't take.  But hey, recovery is a process of ups and downs, it's never a straight line up.

And the majority of the Lucian Alliance have been kicked off the ship.  Well, damn.  Yeah, I realize they were out-and-out enemies and may have tried to kill them again, so I guess stranding them is the logical thing to do.  But I'm still disappointed.

And along those lines, we start out the episode with Telford still playing the part of being with the Lucian Alliance, and then he exposes his true loyalties when he comes to Young's side in the riot, but we never get any reaction from the rest of the Lucian Alliance to that.  Maybe there was some and it was cut for time.  There is a lot going on in this episode.

Now if I remember right, they still have a second shuttle but they couldn't get it working, right?  So either they find a way to fix it or they're now shuttleless, right?

I get the ironic parallels between Young nearly strangling a Lucian Alliance guy to death out of anger and smothering Riley out of compassion, but damn, man.  And yes, it was meant to make me feel uncomfortable, but it's still no fun and makes me not like Young very much.

So all in all, while I have to admit it's a very well done episode, it's not necessarily an enjoyable episode.

On something of a side note, Netflix Streaming has now lumped all of SGU into one title, as opposed to splitting it up by seasons, and has added the first two episodes of what would be considered Season 2.5.  So I won't have to have a mid-season break this time, and can continue straight on through!  I'll still be finishing up about a month behind Syfy, but I'm okay with that.  Streaming programming rules.

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SGU Stargate Universe: Complete Final Season

Stargate Universe - "Intervention"

Spoiler Level: Medium

SGU Season Two has come to Netflix Streaming!  And I'm happy about it!  That itself shows how far this show has come for me during the second half of the first season.

When we left our intrepid band of heroes, the Destiny was being invaded by the Lucian Alliance, quite a few people had been shot, and it looked like quite a few others were about to die.  Most of the ways everyone managed to escape death are fairly believable, and when they start to stretch believability we're given a glimpse that something else is trying to save them, and it's watching what they do and passing judgment on the choices they make.  As to what that something is, well... I hope they hadn't planned to reveal that in Season 5, or we're screwed.

Lastly, we now have a group of people stuck on the ship who were out-and-out enemies, and everyone's now going to have to learn to work together for their mutual survival.  Juuuust in case you didn't already  think the show was like Star Trek: Voyager enough.  The whole Maquis / Starfleet thing never really worked for me in Voyager, but before I give you the wrong idea that I think this is a mistake, let me say that I feel it should actually work better here.  Military versus Civilians didn't work for me at all, because they're all from Earth and it would only be logical for them to pull together in a time of crisis, since they all have the same goal.  But SGC versus Lucian Alliance? That makes much more sense. Their goals will overlap as far as getting back to the Milky Way, but beyond that they're going to have very different goals, especially over the long-term control of the Destiny.  This should help give the show conflict and drama that I can get behind.

And lastly, let me once again thank Krissie's Caps for the screen capture!

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Stargate Universe - "Incursion" (Part 2)

Spoiler Level: High

Ahh, the classic "throw everyone in the pool" ploy.  If there's one thing I do enjoy, it is a good "throw everyone in the pool" ploy.

And even though Season Two (or I guess I should say "2.0") has already aired, syfy.com is only posting episodes 2x05 through 2x10.  So it looks like I'll have to wait until the DVDs come out in March.  So hey, I get all the enjoyment of having to wait after the cliffhanger just like everyone else!  Lucky me.

And wow, I thought last episode's exterior of Destiny shot was good?  This one was even cooler.  Thanks again to kirssiecaps.

I think it's a good sign that I actually care enough now that I'm looking forward to seeing how this story is resolved.  Just about everyone except Rush and Eli are in a position to be killed off, although honestly I'll be surprised if anybody besides Telford is.  And the Lucian Alliance soldier that T.J. patched up was talking like they were stuck there now as well, which was pretty much what I figured.  So I'll be interested to see how that works out.

And lastly, this is exactly why I'm worried about how Season Two is going to end; odds are it'll be on a cliffhanger just as high as this one, with nothing new planned to resolve it now that the show's been canceled.

So all in all, for SGU Season 1, I have to say... it was a rough start, but it was worth coming back to.

Stargate Universe - "Incursion" (Part 1)

Spoiler Level: High

Okay, I realize this image is probably the least represent- ative of the episode, but it's probably the best ship shot in Stargate history.  I mean, look at that.  Not only do we get a very nice view of Chloe and Eli in the window, but you see the entire length of the ship behind them.  Beautiful, just beautiful.  So many thanks (as always) to krissicaps for the screen capture, and if you don't like how it looks, that's my fault-- I was playing with the lighting in Photoshop to try and bring out the detail on the ship.

Storywise, I really enjoyed this episode.  Part of me says I should be upset over the fact that Col. Young was willing to let Talbot die by draining all the life support out of his room.  After all, that was one of the things that made me lose respect for Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise.  But this feels very different to me; for starters, I don't hold Young to as high standards as I did Archer, because (1) this isn't Star Trek; Trek is supposed to show us the best humanity can be.   (2), Young has never been as strong in moral character, because this is Stargate with a nuBSG spin, so it's hardly shocking coming from this show.  And finally (3), Young new that killing Talbot and reviving him would be the final way to break the Lucian Alliance brainwashing.  So here it actually worked.  You know when I complain that I don't want my Star Trek characters doing this kind of thing, I have plenty of other shows for that?  Yeah, this is one of those other shows.  Here it's in character, it's in the style of the show, and it had a good reason in the script.

I also liked the consequences of his actions; when Scott says to Young "If I had known what you were doing, I could have backed you up," and Young replies "You're supposed to back me up, that's called the chain of command."  (Or something to that effect.)  It's something that probably would have been a given to Scott before spending so much time stuck with the tiny community of the Destiny.

And I hate to say it, but I'm glad we've got a storyline with good old fashioned SG-1 villains.  I'm enjoying seeing the Lucian Alliance again.

Lastly, I have to complain about O'Neill; this is another one of those episodes where he comes off as an insensitive jerk.  Yeah, I get his point about having to make the hard choices for the greater good; but y'know, the Jack O'Neill I remember used to frequently disobey orders to rescue Daniel or Teal'c or Sam.  He shouldn't be coming down on Young for having a conscience.  I think he's spent a little too long behind that desk in the Pentagon and needs to get back to going off-world.

Stargate Universe - "Subversion"

Spoiler Level: High

This is the first time we've seen Lou Diamond Phillips in this half of the season.  I hadn't really minded, because I wasn't really in to the whole subplot of Young and his wife both cheating on each other, and that seemed to be pretty much all his character, Col. Telford, was really contributing to the show.  But like most things about the second half of SGU's first season, now he's started to get interesting.

While Young has to wonder whether Telford's actually been brainwashed by the Lucian Alliance or whether Rush is up to his old tricks, as the viewer my question was more of whether or not Rush had understood his dream correctly or if there was going to be some twist.  If the whole thing had turned out to be a stunt by Rush for an ulterior motive then I would have been severely disappointed, because it would have meant the character had taken a major step backwards.

I always enjoy getting to see SG-1 characters on SGU, so it's nice to have both Daniel and O'Neill guest star in the same episode.  I also like that O'Neill tries to be the same witty smart-alec he always ways, although with SGU's tone it tends to not quite come across right.  However I did get an extra laugh this time when he pulled one of his one-liners and both Young and Telford just stared at him.

One question, though;  let's just say that Rush succeeds in getting the 9th Chevron to work and the Lucian Alliance does get to try and invade the Destiny.  (Which, considering the next two episodes are called "Incursion," is extremely likely.)  The Lucian Alliance still can't get back any more than the Icarus Base team can.  So what do they gain out of it?

And lastly, I can't let this review go without acknowledging the announcement that SGU has been canceled.  I have to say, I'm surprised and even a bit disappointed.  Surprised because I kept seeing that the show was very high in DVR and online viewing, so I thought it had been considered a success;  Disappointed partially because I'm finally enjoying it, but mostly because the decision was made after they wrapped filming on Season 2, which means there may not be a wrap-up to this series.  I know that Stargate has been good about making direct-to-video movies, but that was for SG-1 and Atlantis, which both were considered successful-- would they be willing to do that for a canceled series?

This also means that for the first time since the Sci-Fi Channel came on the air, they're not running anything I'm interested in.

As always, a special thank you to krissiecaps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Pain"

Spoiler Level: High

You know, with a title like "Pain," I wasn't expecting a fun episode of happy sing-a-longs, so I can't honestly say I'm surprised with what we got in this episode.  But I tend to not like it when the show gets raunchy and/or gory, and this episode had some big servings of both.

It is however a good character episode, as bugs infect several of the characters and cause them to hallucinate.  And we're let in on the fact they're hallucinations right off the bat when Lt. James kills Scott before the opening title card.

Each hallucination gives us some insight into the characters, but I can't say that we really learn anything new here; we know that Chloe misses her dad, Scott misses his son, and Rush is traumatized by being captured by aliens.  I wasn't aware that Lt. James had a thing for Scott, but I have to chalk that up to my having a bad memory-- her hallucination implied they had something already, and I do remember there being a sex scene in the pilot, so I'm guessing that was between the two of them.  And we learn that Volker is claustrophobic.  Which is kind of a surprise, because they'd already set up that Greer was claustrophobic a few episodes ago, but apparently he's more afraid of the civilians taking over the ship again.

I did like the way that Rush's and Greer's hallucinations were overlapping, that was pretty cool.

Thanks again to krissiecaps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Sabotage"

Spoiler Level: High

I like Lt. James.  She's hot.

Other things I liked about this episode:

* Rush continues to be changed by his experience.  He's still abrasive, but it comes across more as stress over their situations and his inability to change it instead of "get out of my way, you're preventing me from running the ship properly, and by the way I should really be in charge here."

* Finally, someone brings up the ethical issue of having sex while they're in someone else's body.  It was practically a throw-away line, but at least it was mentioned.  Everyone's been so cavalier about it in the past, it really struck me as disrespectful to the hosts.

* Greer and Scott both having nothing but happiness and surprise at finding each other alive.  Some angst and trust issues may arrive in later episodes when things get tight, but at this moment they're just happy they all made it.

* They used one of those robots they found!  I like robots.  Plus, anything where they learn more about the ship makes me happy.

I feel as if SGU has turned a corner.  It still doesn't have the traditional Stargate sense of humor and is very nuBSG-esque, but the storytelling has become enjoyable to watch.

And as always, thanks to KrissieCaps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Lost"

Spoiler Level: High

SGU continues to improve.  This episode gives another enjoyable series of flashbacks, showing us Greer's past and what lead him to join the military.  Rush continues to actually give a damn about somebody besides himself, making every effort possible to rescue the stranded team members. (Even if it does ironically end up blocking the gate and preventing the very rescue he's trying to accomplish, but hey, that's drama for you.)  And we get LOTS of Stargate travel, which is something the show has been missing.  I like the explanation that these Stargates are more primitive than the ones in the Milky Way galaxy; it explains why they have to eject steam after they close, as opposed to simply "it looks grittier." We got to see more advanced Stargates in Atlantis, now we're seeing more primitive ones on Universe.

I'm also very glad that Greer immediately took the attitude of "They thought I was dead" as opposed to "They abandoned me!"  And (again, ironically) the fact that he didn't leave with the others is what saved him.  Now he's going to wind up with a weird combination of abandonment issues and survivor's guilt.

So Destiny is now headed out of the galaxy.  Once again they've upped the stakes, and it'll be interesting to see how Scott, Eli & Chloe make it back.

As always, thanks to krissiecaps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Human"

Spoiler Level: High

Wow, this was really good.  I dare say this is the second best SGU I've seen yet (my favorite still being "Time").

Getting to see some of Rush's past went a long way towards making him a more likable character.  It was nice to see he took the lessons he learned to heart as well.  ("I was being optimistic." "That's new for you.")  I just hope it sticks and he doesn't go back to being a selfish creep next episode.

Daniel was the perfect guest star for this episode; his losing Sha're made him the perfect counterpoint to Rush, and helped to draw Rush out.  And I noticed the 46 pattern all on my own!  I'm so proud of myself.  ^_^

This episode really gave me a lot of what I'd been wanting from this show; the characters learning to better themselves, learning more about the ship's secrets, and getting to visit an alien civilization.  (Although I absolutely hated that spider.  I hate spiders to begin with and that was the most nightmarish spider anyone could have come up with.  When they're huge like in Lord of the Rings it's easy to say it's fake and impossible.  When it's the size of a dog, it's just small enough to be believable and just big enough to scare the bajeebies out of me.  And the teeth and the hiss just put it over the top.  You know what, forget this, I'm getting chills just writing about it.  Moving on.)

I also enjoyed the cliff hanger element of Apollo, Starbuck, the Professor and Mary Ann  Scott, Greer, Eli and Chloe being stranded, and am looking forward to seeing how they get rescued.  And the ending theme is really, really growing on me.  (Man, I love watching stuff on Netflix and having end credits again!)  I walked away from this episode feeling something I never felt from an SGU before:  upbeat and, as Rush said, optimistic.

Once again, I'd like to thank krissiecaps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Faith"

Spoiler Level: High

Now this is more like it.  The civilians and military may not be getting along, but they're making the effort.  Fences are being mended and people are starting to realize they're all in this together.

The story is a pretty typical one for any "lost in space" series; they come across a planet that's paradise, and some people want to stay.  And it's easy to understand why, seeing how hard conditions have been living aboard Destiny, and with so little chance of getting home.

Usually there turns out to be a dark secret to the planet that either makes everyone change their minds or kills those who chose to stay behind.  Luckily, this episode doesn't do that. Instead, this take on the story adds the twist that the planet was deliberately put there.  I share Rush's curiosity and frustration that the answers of who did it and why won't come before it's time to leave; but unlike Rush, I know I'm watching a TV show, so the possibility is open that the answers may still turn up later.  The possibility that the planet was put there as a lifeline for the Stargate team is inspiring and plausible; however it also occurs to me that it could have been placed there as a lure.  Again, we may never know.  So while those who chose to stay behind may wind up dead after all, at least it didn't end with those on Destiny listening to them screaming while they flew away.

Colonel Young's decision to let the civilians stay but order the military back makes 100% sense.  The civilians should have the right to make their own decisions and get off this ride if they want; the military officers have an obligation to the people on the ship in their care.  T.J.'s wanting to stay for her baby's sake makes sense, but I think a part of her realizes how necessary she is as the ship's only doctor.  If I was in her shoes, I would have tried to resign.  Young undoubtedly wouldn't have accepted it, but if I felt that strongly about not raising my child aboard Destiny as she says she does, I would have at least tried.

Add to all that more exploration of the ship and the discovery of what looked like a room full of robot drones, and it all makes for an episode I really enjoyed.  I hope more of them are like this.

Thanks again to Krissie's Caps for the screen capture!

Stargate Universe - "Divided"

Spoiler Level: High

Well, it finally happened-- I finally reached a point where I was interested in watching SGU again!  Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, starwars.com hasn't posted the latest Clone Wars yet.  But I did want to see a new (for me) SGU over rewatching Next Gen!  So that's got to count for something, right?

An interesting thing happens when I hit bottom on a show:  my expectations get so low that either I start appreciating the things they do right, or there are no things I feel they're doing right so I bail.  If this episode is any indication, SGU is falling into the former.  Granted, I've had six months (and a warning from Rich) to make peace with the fact that the characters aren't going to act the way I would like to see them act, so it was easier to go in expecting them to continue to work against their own self-interests.

And I have to admit, I could even see their point of view: yes, in all free nations, the military answers to the civilians, as it should be.  But I disagree with Rush's inclusion of "in microcosm."  These people are there because they were assisting a military operation in the first place.  Why should that change because they're cut off from Earth?  It's also the military's job to protect the civilians in their care and to get them home safely.  By trying to take over and make all future military decisions have to through them, the civilians are jeopardizing themselves.

And here's the problem:  When the shuttle wouldn't dock with Destiny because of Rush's seizing control of the computer, it never occurred to me that he didn't know that would happen.  Oh sure, Rush and Young agreed not to try and kill each other anymore, but only reasonable characters abide by their word.  So I felt a bit of forgiveness when Rush said he had no idea.  And then he goes and lies to Eli and Young by saying that he can't stop the transfer, and is pretty much willing to let Young die to get control of the ship, and has to be talked out of it.  So y'know, 1 point up, 2 points down.

I think part of the problem I have with this show is that the character's are SO much of a retread of the BSG characters.  Young is Commander Adama, Rush is Baltar, Scott is Apollo, Greer is Starbuck.  Eli feels like the only original character with any personality.

But despite all that-- or maybe because I'm making my peace with it-- I enjoyed this episode.  Lines like "Remember, we still have to live with these people tomorrow" gave me hope.  Maybe now that everything's come to a head, they'll start looking at new ways to live and work together for their own common good.

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Krissie's Caps for the screen capture!  This was exactly the image I was looking for!

Stargate Universe - "Space"

Spoiler Level: High

Remember how I said that SGU was like Voyager meets Macross wrapped in a Battlestar Galactica coating? Well, I may not have mentioned I've always had a love/hate thing going on with both Voyager and Galactica.
Voyager was a lot of wasted potential, and Galactica was too much of people making stupid decisions. SGU has both flaws wrapped into one show, with the wasted potential being all the Macross elements that were in the premiere. So I'm getting the same mixed feelings I always got with both of those shows.

I liked the aliens. About time we got some aliens! Well, besides the dust-cloud monster. But if you're on a ship exploring the universe, you really should be running into LOTS of aliens.

I didn't like that the show is filmed so dark I couldn't get a look at their ships at all. I kept fiddling with my TV settings to no avail.

I like that the aliens want Destiny. Shades of the Zentraedi wanting the Macross.

I figured Rush would be back in this episode, but I had kinda' hoped it would take him more than one episode to make it back to the Destiny.

I like that Rush and Young were willing to put aside their attempts to kill each other for the sake of the crew. I don't like that Camille immediately began planning the next attempt to get rid of Young, and Rush was right there with her. I know the drama on this show is supposed to come from the conflict between the military and the civilians (again, Voyager with Starfleet and the Maquis) but that's Galactica drama-- the "let's do something stupid even though it's obvious it would work against us" logic. I'd like to see these people learning to pull together and rise up to the challenge. But that's not what this show wants to do, so I have two choices: get used to it or quit watching.

Stargate Universe - "Air"

Well, this was an interesting premiere. Take the hook for Stargate, mix it up with the original concept for Macross, throw in a healthy dash of Star Trek: Voyager, and wrap it all up in the trappings of the Battlestar Galactica remake, and you have SGU: Stargate Universe.

(Fun alternate titles: Stargate Galactica, Stargate Dimensional Fortress Destiny, and Battlestargaticross! I can't come up with alternate titles that include Voyager, because everyone knows Star Trek titles are no fun anymore.)

We have an all-new cast, made up of both military SGC officers and civilians who were working together on a research outpost when a crisis hits. They do an emergency evacuation via their Stargate and wind up in an Ancient spaceship, and promptly get stuck there. They're far from home (that's the Voyager part), and only by learning the secrets of this mysterious, giant spaceship will they be able to get back (that's the Macross part). As the ship draws close to planets that have a Stargate, the ship's Stargate activates and they send their team through so they can explore the planet (the Stargate part) and find whatever they need at the moment (more Voyager). And while of course the military is in charge, they still have their duty to protect the civilians with them, many of whom are learning they have to step up if they're all going to survive (more Macross).

And of course we have the heavy angst, the moral dilemmas, the shaky camera work, and the raunchy sex scenes of the Galactica remake.

Unlike Galactica, I didn't feel like people automatically made the wrong choice, and I did feel that the characters had good moral compasses. Dr. Rush seems to be the obvious Dr. Baltar character-- he's the long-haired, bespectacled scientific pragmatist who essentially gets them into the mess but is quick to point out how it's not his fault. However he does seem to be of a stronger moral fiber underneath it all than Gaius Baltar was. Oh, and he sounds Scottish instead of English.

SyFy is obviously hoping this show will keep their Stargate fans and pick up their Galactica fans at the same time. Will it work? Beats me. I can never predict these things. I don't really need to have a Galactica-flavored Stargate, but it doesn't offend me either, and the premise does work for me. As long as they treat it more like Atlantis than Voyager-- have them actually make contact with home, but appreciate the value of where they are, so that "getting home" isn't the constant drive of the show-- then I think this could be a great series. I love ships, and I always said Stargate had some of the best looking ships, and the Destiny is no exception. So I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with this series.

Stargate Atlantis - "Enemy at the Gate"

Well, I didn't see that ending coming.

One of the things I love about series finales is that since there are no plans to make any more, anyone could die at any time. (Hopefully it won't be a wasted, pointless, out-of-character death like Trip's on Star Trek: Enterprise... but I digress.) So I was in serious fear for everyone (and every ship) on this episode. The only thing I didn't think they would go for was actually nuking the hive ship with everyone aboard it, but hey... it wouldn't be the first time a show decided to end by killing off everybody.

But I really, really didn't expect them to bring Atlantis back to Earth. I never thought of Atlantis as one of those Gilligan's Island type shows... right from the beginning, they intended to stay in the Pegasus galaxy, but ideally be able to travel back and forth as needed. And the more they accomplished that goal, the more I liked the show. (It broke my heart when they blew up the GateBridge.) I loved the idea of Earth being the catalyst for uniting all these scattered tribes of mankind across the universe, and with Atlantis being Earth's permanent base in another galaxy it just felt like humanity was constantly moving forward. So the idea that they might say "Show's over, bring them home!" just never occurred to me.

Although I have to admit, that closing shot of them all lined up looking at the Golden Gate bridge was great, and exactly what Voyager should have had. (I wonder if they did it on purpose just to take a dig at Voyager? After all, wouldn't it have been more fitting to have Atlantis touch down in the Atlantic ocean, instead of the Pacific?)

Which raises my next question... Earth considered it their obligation to stay in the Pegasus galaxy since they woke up the Wraith. Now I'd imagine that some of the Wraith have been "cured" as Todd apparently was, but I doubt that completely solves the problem. I'll be curious to see how much the next TV movie deals with this, and how much of it is setting up Stargate Universe.

Speaking of which, I'm guessing that will be using that nifty Singularity Drive they got working this episode...

And lastly... SO MANY COOL SHIP SHOTS!! I love the ships on Stargate. I really, really do. I wish Hasbro would make Stargate ships in their Titanium line. And I really like the F-302s. I love the whole concept that the US Air Force reverse-engineered these alien Death Gliders, and now we have an Earth-looking version. It's the kind of thing that other shows would have as back story, but we watched it all unfold on SG-1.

And speaking of which, it was good to have so many supporting characters fro SG-1 and Atlantis come back for this episode. (But who the heck was that woman who visited Ronon in the infirmary?!?)

All in all, I'd have to say Stargate Atlantis did a good job in its run. It had a great theme song, good characters, character growth, and cool spaceships. Not as good as SG-1, but still a strong show in its own right. I'm looking forward to Stargate Universe.

Stargate Atlantis - "Vegas"

Wow, I absolutely LOVED this episode.

I don't watch CSI (not enough spaceships in it) so I didn't get the specific homages, but I figured they were something along those lines. And I really didn't need to know CSI to enjoy the extra elements of this episode.

It didn't take long for me to stop watching it with an eye towards figuring out the angle ("is this a broken timeline? An alternate reality? A hallucination?") and just got sucked into this totally different take on the show. Learning why everything was different was just icing on the cake.

Looks like Atlantis is going out in style.

Stargate Atlantis - "Identity"

Once again, the team on Atlantis runs into the same problem that SG-1 ran into.

Once again, the threat feels very real because I'm wondering if people will actually be killed off since the show is almost over.

Once again, there's a lot of running through forests. Thanks a lot for pointing that out to me, RTD. >:/

It may sound like I feel it's getting repetitive, but I don't really. I enjoyed this episode a lot more than last week's. Good characterizations, and I think it actually makes sense that some of the stuff from the Ancients would be recurring.

And I like Zelenka.

Stargate Atlantis - "Infection"

Good concept and decent characterization, but not carried through very well. I liked seeing how the overall arc progressed with Todd and the attempt to "cure" the Wraith, but I hate it when the characters don't see the obvious (see my previous Clone Wars review).

"Dr. Keller's gene therapy... disease... help us..."
Well, it seems immediately obvious to me that they tried the gene therapy and it resulted in a disease, so they're hoping you'll be able to cure it. Yet it takes our heroes 10 minutes to figure this out?

"Colonel, the wall in front of me is melting... ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!"
Well, gee, it seems immediately obvious to me that the ship is rearranging itself. Yet it takes our heroes about 5 minutes to figure this out...

"Why are all these malfunctions happening?!?"
Well, let's see, it seems immediately obvious to me that since Wraith ships are organic that maybe your ship has caught the disease?!? At least in this case they asked the question right before the commercial break and got the answer right after they came back. So I guess they're catching on quicker.

So all in all, a few good elements, but not a very good episode.

Stargate Atlantis - "Brain Storm"

Rodney McKay is an interesting character. On the one hand, he still manages to be annoying and unlikeable even after five seasons and I find myself asking, shouldn't the character have grown a little more by now? And then he goes and has a scene or two where he seems not so much insecure as vulnerable, and Keller gives him that shiny-eyed smile and we see him through her eyes, and somehow he manages to be still annoying... but likeable.

I also liked seeing so many real-life scientists actually be in (or in some cases represented in) the show. Gives it a nice reality touch.

And one has to wonder if McKay's musings at the end of the episode is going to turn out to be relevant to Stargate: Universe....

Stargate Atlantis - "Remnants"

Pretty cool episode, and dare I say it-- the ending was the kind of uplifting, "The universe is an amazing place" kind of ending Star Trek used to do.

At first I found it very, very interesting that we had three plots going on that seemed to have nothing to do with each other. So the fact that they all turned out to be completely connected was great.

Going into it I was a little miffed at their bringing back Kolya. I generally prefer it when characters stay dead. But as it continued and Sheppard's part got bigger and bigger, I found it totally appropriate. Kolya is perhaps the best foil Sheppard's ever had, and their scenes together always work great.

I began to suspect something was up about half way through, but it still kept me guessing as to exactly what-- the device is a prank by Zelinka to finally get back at McCay? Maybe Vanessa was a test put in place by the AOI agent Shen? Maybe Vanessa and/or Shen were Genii plants and Koyle's just keeping Sheppard out of the picture so he can't stop them? But once it was revealed that the Vanessa was an illusion, it all fell into place-- no wonder Zelinka was pushing McCay, no wonder Kolya's back from the dead, no wonder they took such a big step as having Sheppard lose his hand... they were all illusions too. When Vanessa said to Woolsey that she was trying to find out what kind of person he was, I half expected Shen to turn out to be an illusion as well. Normally I might feel cheated at having things turn out not to be real changes after all, but I didn't in this case. The idea that this as an alien race trying to come back from extinction --and needing humanity's help to do it-- was too inspiring for me to feel cheated by everything else.

A very strong episode. As I'd hoped, Atlantis has really come into its own now that it's the only Stargate on the block. It's a shame it only has 5 episodes left.