Stargate Atlantis Season 4 (1 Viewer)

[JediFonger]

i skipped over a bunch of posts cause i'm only upto episode 11ish.

after a lackluster beginning to the season, i really REALLY dig the ep9&10 closers. i also luv how the seemingly planet of the week episodes tied up nicely with the overall arc of the entire first half of the season and its repurcussions. i think they saw the strength of that in both SG1 and SGA's first coupla seasons and brought it back. 3rd season had much less serial storytelling than first 2.

anyways, the spacebattle just gets BETTER AND BETTER! just the idea of the whole fleet duking it out with one another and ending a storythread while keeping it open is just AWESOME!!! it's times like these ep9&10 that make me smile and forget the crappy things that they done and instilling the adventurous part of ourselves in these characters. i absolutely dig this season

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i also luv the little references of SG1 days and things they bring back and the experiences of carter in helping them out. it's so awesome.

and i bet you guys all laughed hard when the 4 colonels all "colonel'd" one another .

i'm really looking forward to a rousing close to the season and hope that the blu-ray comes out quickly! i know that the HD DVD was announced, so we know they had plans for it =P. just as an aside.

PS didya guys luv jill wagner as the 'traveler' group? i think shepherd+her=sizzling chemistry. it's just awesome =).

PPS isn't rachel luttrel pregnant in real life? i believe they worked it into the series, i thought that was cool. very artistic and respectful of cast members.

i'm really liking this season so far, the series has really hit its stride, as many series do season2 onward... i hope they keep it up and not get diverted with the SG1 movies and NEW stargate projects coming our way. SGA's is definitely a keeper. hopefully it runs 10 yrs, but i think 7 is more likely. so here's to another great 3 seasons =).

i'm so looking forward to SG1's direct to DVD movie. i pre-ordered it =).

 

[Arild]

Sooo... no reactions to Carson's out-of-the-blue appearance in the latest episode? Any guesses as to what's going on?

I'm thinking that Michael cloned him somehow, although that doesn't explain how he has the original Carson's memories - which he clearly does, as he recognized Sheppard and co. immediately, plus he was no doubt the person who "helped" Michael with the Hoffan virus.
I'm actually surprised they'd revisit the Hoffan story again, considering they were last seen in one of the earliest episodes of season 1 (appropriately enough, it was a Beckett-heavy episode) and then never mentioned again until now. Looks they should have listened to Sheppard's warning back then.

 

[Andres Munoz]

The previews from last week ruined the surprise of seeing Beckett again (damn you sci-fi!)

 

[JediFonger]

do u think they'll bring ford back? was he really such a pain in the arse in season1? he'd rock as a villain since they all hated him such.

 

[Andres Munoz]

I still don't understand why they got rid of the Ford character. Was he really hated by the fans? I never had a problem with him.

 

[Arild]

No. I think they simply weren't able to put the character to good use. That's why they came up with the "SuperFord" storyline, but unfortunately that meant they had to lose him as a regular.

 

[Andres Munoz]

And what about Ronan? Is he a better character that Ford was?

 

[Arild]

IIRC, the producers wanted to add a level of "menace" and intimidation to the team, similar to what SG-1 had in Teal'c.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Absolutely not. He is a boring Worf clone and the actor playing him does not help.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I don't get Worf clone at all, and the actor playing Ronon doesn't bother me. I just hope they don't humanize him too much, just as I never wanted them to humanize Teal'C too much. I think warriors should stay warriors, not come over to the light and be all about joking around and laying on the beach like any good earthling. So far, they'd done a pretty good job of resisting that with Ronon.

As to the original question of if Ronon was a better character than Ford, are we talking pre or post conversion Ford? Pre-conversion Ford was just another face in the crowd to me. Ronon is not. Post-conversion Ford is an interesting character I wouldn't mind seeing more of.

 

[JediFonger]

what about the latest episodes where ronon is kissing the doctor? lol... that kinda' threw people off =P. but i suppose even warriors have to mack it up sometimes.

 

[Andres Munoz]

I would say pre-conversion Ford because that's the character they decided to replace.

 

[Tom Keels]

Chalk me up to the "hate Ford love Ronan" crowd. Ronan is fast becoming my favorite character behind McKay. So the Midway episode was one of my favorites.

 

[KevinGress]

I really liked Dr. Beckett, but I'm not sure I like them bringing him back. I'll have to see how they explain it first, I guess.

Count me as another Ronan fan. Ford was a terribly underwritten character, and while WraithFord had promise, Ronan was a very good addition.

But I don't think I agree with the 'I hope they don't humanize him too much' argument. Remember, Teal'c as a character is over 10 years old (and terribly underused a good portion of that time). You can't have him acting completely the same in season 10 as in season 1 - it wouldn't be believeable. Also, given that he spends the vast majority of time with SG1 and Terrans, that he'd start to act more like them. Ronan should do the same. Now, I do hope that he'll remain the 'hothead' of the group, and a 'act first, think second' type of character, as that's his draw, but if in a future episode, he and Teal'c are in a theater watching "Blades of Glory 2" laughing, I wouldn't be upset.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Upset is too strong a word and I've no need to change your mind on your opinion, but I do want to offer some food for thought. I may or may not be successful in that endeavor.

First, you mention Teal'C being around Terrans/Tauri for over 10 years, but I'd point out that a sigificant portion of a person's personality is formed in the early years of his life. Teal'c has been a warrior since birth. Add to that Teal'c's age. It's easy to look at him and forget he's over a century old. You don't live one way for 100 years and have it erased by how you live in 10 years, especially if there's nothing wrong with the essence of what you were (being a warrior -- or soldier -- can be noble depending on the cause).

I don't think you take a person like, say, Dick Cheney and put him around Jokesters for 10 years and end up with a jokester. They are who they are. To a lesser degree, the same goes for Ronon.

It's a TV show, so whatever happens, I'll either ignore it and move on, or enjoy the truth of the happening. But if I'm being honest, I much prefer these types of characters stay true to who they are and what they bring to the show. Why does every character have to walk around being silly? That's what removes a bit of the gravitas from a series that could have it all, and shoves it in the direction of fluff.

Now even the Wraith are no longer really intimidating. Many people believe once evil and scary characters that lose the element of fear lose it because we become used to the characters and the threat they bring. I say that it happens more because writers insist on humanizing them. Even the Borg. We had to have Hugh, 7of9, and a Borg Queen. Hey, an unstoppable force that can't be bargained with, can't be reasoned with, and absolutely will not stop (OK, so I'm also reading the Sarah Connor Chronicles thread), just needs a hug and it'll all be OK.

I think this is why some folks who watch The Wire love it so much. People are who they are on that show. You extend an olive branch to some of those characters, you better learn to walk with an olive branch protrusion. It's rare you can see that on TV. I realize Stargate in it's various incarnations isn't a heavy show, and that's OK. But in my opinion, it's a completely different level of show (better) when the threats feel real and intimidating. And when the fate of the earth (or Pegasus galaxy) hangs in the balance, I rest better at night knowing there's a warrior Teal'c and a warrior Ronon who live and die to fight -- not sit around laughing at Blades of Glory 2. There are other characters to do that. If anything, I'd rather see them watching other characters doing it with an, "I want no part of that" look on their faces. Of course, YMMV.

 

[Arild]

 

[KevinGress]

Wow, a lot of good stuff there. I don't think we're really that far apart in our thinking, but perhaps more of our labeling.

First, I agree that a majority of a person's personality is formed early on - but how a person acts/reacts is heavily influenced by his/her friends and current circumstances. Don't forget - Teal'c is 120-150, and not 10, but 60 years being with the Tauri (due to 'Unending'). That's a good portion to half of his life, so one should expect that he'd 'pick up' a Tauri habit or two. But, he's still a warrior - he still trains, he still meditates, and he still calls people by their title ("Colonel Carter", "Colonel Sheppard", "Dr. Daniel Jackson"), so he's still showing a given foundation, that would have been formulated in his youth.

I'm guessing that you're more concerned that Ronan becomes bland, or soft. I agree; that shouldn't happen. But, I also see a character that now has a new family, and he's willing to smile and play around a little around them - and I think that's the sign of a well-developed character. I don't think it would endear him to the audience if all he does it growl and yell. (Well, ok, he should probably do it *most* of the time. )

But I do think you touched on the biggest problem in the Stargate franchise- proper character development. I totally agree that the Wraith are no longer very intimidating (I never really thought they ever were). That's why they brought forth the Pegasus replicators. But, like they did in the later years of SG1, they took a great idea and went nowhere with it (ex: Anubus, RepliCarter, Super-soldiers, and to some extent, the Ori). The problem isn't that they 'humanize' the villians, but rather, they've made the good guys too tough.

Now, I do have some hope with both 'Michael' and 'Todd'- I hope they continue to have stories involving them; they are the most interesting villians I've seen in a while. What makes them good, in my opinion? They keep the good guys off-balance. 'Todd', I'd say, is the most 'human' Wraith, but he's a great adversary because he manipulates Atlantis and out-schemes them.

I agree that they need to have some better writing, and keeping the bad guys tough. I also think it helps to have some darker undertones (not BSG dark, though). And I really think they need to get back to the exploring stories.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

At first I thought that maybe they substited a clone Carson back 2 years ago and he was the one who died. Obviously not though.

 

[JediFonger]

well, the season4 is officially over.

ya know while watching the last man (20th ep, s4 finale) i have come to realize i really have a dislike for time-travel episodes from any franchise unless they are extremely well done. the problem is that a lot of SF writers tend to rely on them as crutches. many series like BSG have elevated the level of what happens in the course of a series can affect the rest of the series so much that these types of 'reset button'-like eps are becoming more and more annoying if they are not with some purpose in mind.

just my 2 cents and i'm still looking forward to season5. the first half of s4 was totally incredible!!!! =D.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

"Last Man Standing" reminded me of those old DC "What If?" comics. It was fun to see how everybody ended-up in that alternate time line, but you knew even as you viewed it that none of those depicted events were going to be definitive.

Still ... The first 20 minutes or so were fairly imaginative; and we got a good (and real?) cliffhanger out of the ep.

All in all, not a bad ending to the season!