rewatching Stargate Atlantis

[bvanevery]

I'm a fan. I have all 5 seasons on DVD. It's been long enough that I've forgotten significant chunks of it all, which is the point of waiting awhile before rewatching something IMO. Since I've seen it all before, and could see it again any time I want if I'm so inclined, I'm not giving it my 100% undivided attention. I tend to do laptop stuff while it's on, and it's getting maybe 65% of my attention, unless it gets particularly interesting. Or maybe my multitasking level of attention is good enough for a lot of it, call it my 'foreground priority level' if you like.

From this sort of "standing back" perspective, I'm noticing that there's a semi plot hole at the end of season 2. Um, they get fooled by a Wraith cyberattack. And they had encountered a Wraith cyberattack in a previous episode, it almost flew the Daedalus into the corona of a star. It was decent writing, and they even explained how they got fooled. But, uh, the big plot hole is avoiding letting the Wraith know how to get to Earth, should have been a major strategic priority that they never should have lost sight of. The "standing back" perspective makes it more obvious that the heroes were portrayed as pretty dumb / clueless about this. For the purpose of having other good things happen in episodes / plot trajectories.

I find it easier to stop paying attention when it's "crisis, technical gibber jabber, blah blah blah." After awhile I'm just like, sci-fi action stuff. Stargate Atlantis is better at acknowledging that sci-fi action tropes occur in all sorts of shows, and their universe isn't written "genre blind". Characters have seen Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.

I do find the "Michael" plot line interesting though. It's where I'm at in my rewatch, right now.

 

[bvanevery]

Carson dying is really sad.

 

[Sinny91]

Some tid bits about SG1

The AF Space Command Patch was worn on the uniform of personnel aboard the Prometheus, Earth's first operational deep space battle cruiser.

In the company credits for the TV Series we find some very interesting references...

Other Companies

* Act One Script Clearance Inc. script research
* David Cowan Enterprises Inc. computer engineering
* Department of the Air Force we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
* Energy Film stock footage
* Gastown Post and Transfer post-production services
* Rainmaker Digital Pictures post-production services
* Sharpe Sound Studios Inc. re-recorded by
* Stargate SG-1 Productions Limited Partnership production services provided by
* U.S. Department of Defense we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of
* U.S. Space Command we gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118480/companycredits

Richard Dean Anderson at the Pentagon in 2004 being honoured by the USAF. In the below photo we can see General John Jumper giving Anderson the honorary General stars.

 

[Seteleechete]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10860506/1/Project-Blue-Book

How I imagine Stargate should have been. Though, I guess there is an argument to be made for giving the other factions equal "upgrades" in mentality. Or you can look at it like all the major threats ruling through oppression which gave birth to such incompetence. I can't really bring myself to like Stargate as much after starting to look at it in more serious light.

 

[bvanevery]

Heh! Well one thing I always liked about the Stargate fiction, is that 'we' just used machine guns instead of pew! pew! lasers, and our weapons worked fine. Whereas a subtext of weapon design in both SG1 and Atlantis is that alien weapons serve a political purpose. The Jaffa / Goa'uld use a staff that's actually kind of dorky and underpowered, but it's meant to look like 'magic' to unsophisticated peoples. It does have the virtue of always having ammo available. The Wraith use weapons to stun their prey rather than kill them, because they want to feed on them, or take them captive for later feeding. Bigger Wraith weapons have stunners so they can stun other Wraith, and a pointy bayonet-like back-end because it's pretty tough to kill a Wraith. Ya gotta pretty seriously impale them vampire-style or they're just gonna heal their own wounds.

So in this sci-fi context, cooperating with the USAF to get some additional authenticity into it, is appreciated for my part.

Of course, weapons on alien gunships / fighters that can't blow running pedestrians on the ground to smithereens, are just a trope/staple of 'heroic' sci-fi. Ever seen Vietnam footage of what a helicopter gatling gun actually does? It sprays death, like a hose. All these aliens haven't even mastered Vietnam era lethality, because heroes have to be able to duck for cover in the nick 'o' time.

 

[Starfishtea]

Oh boy, I used to be 20 minutes late for school every day in 8th to 10th grade because I just had to watch stargate atlantis. It weirdly only aired around 7 am, but I loved the shit out of it and could never leave before the episode was over. And I always thought the Todd wraith was really hot and that series is actually what made me realize just how down I'd be with alien sex. It was my second fandom love after the supernatural fandom introduced me to smutty fanfiction. Those were the days, allbeit a bit embarassing to look back on

 

[bvanevery]

Todd... he's kinda like some long haird heavy metal band thing I suppose.