Stargate Atlantis 07/14/2006"No Man's Land"

[Anubys]

First SG-1 and now Atlantis...both great eps...I'm pissed they lost the Orion...why not use it in future plots?

[dswallow]

First SG-1 and now Atlantis...both great eps...I'm pissed they lost the Orion...why not use it in future plots?
Maybe they'll end up keeping a hive ship.

[ebonovic]

The only thing that "bugged" me about the episode...

Was how fast those darts responded to Sheppards attack...

I mean... They are in Hyperspace, no way to know he was there...
It is not like they where sitting in those darts (while in Hyperspace) to be ready for an attack.

So he get's one shot off... turns to fire on the other ship, and boom... several dozne darts are already to launch.

I mean he should have at least been able to get another shot off befor anyone even fired up their engines


I love how Dr. Weir called out the "IAC" (or what ever they are called)...
You are going to wait till after the deadline, make me make the decision, so you have someone to blame...

[JimSpence]

Actually, they had to drop out of hyperspace to let the ship "rest". But, there were an awful lot of dart ships after Sheppard right after he took the first shot.

So will Michael become a regular? At least until the Waith threat is over.

Did anyone think that it would be great to have the Waith meet up with the ORI? Now that would be interesting. :)

[Mike Farrington]

I knew they'd get rid of the Orion -- in order to keep the status quo. In fact, I predicted its destruction in a thread last season (although I predicted it would be used in the fight against the Ori). But in the end I knew it would be destroyed in short order.

[busyba]

Those drones did look awful pretty whilst blowing up the Hive ship though.

[dtivouser]

Is it my imagination or did Caldwell age like 5 years over the break? He looked much older than I'd noticed previously.

What a great episode though!

[Church AV Guy]

I was shocked that they actually MENTIONED the Ori in this episode. Frequently they keep the plotlines from each show so separate that it is almost like the two universes are isolated from each other. Maybe the Ori should send some priors to the Wraith.

[shaunrose]

I was thinking about how neat it would be to see the Ori and Wriath fight each other, but what if the Wraith and Ori teamed up? The Ori could turn the Wraith loose on any planets that would not follow Origin.

[Idearat]

I was thinking about how neat it would be to see the Ori and Wriath fight each other, but what if the Wraith and Ori teamed up? The Ori could turn the Wraith loose on any planets that would not follow Origin.
hmm...
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=4199006#post4199006

[vikingguy]

Solid start to the season I did love it when the orion opened fire the drones are so freaking awesome. It is a shame the ship had to be blow up so soon I was hoping it would last a few engagements.

[mrpantstm]

Fairly good episode. I liked Sheppard's lines 'Operation This Will Mostly Likely End Badly' and 'Well this is new.'

I was also dissappointed they got rid of the Orion so quickly. Those drones pack such a punch. :)

Next week's episode looks interesting. What to do with the wraithless humans?

[drew2k]

Fairly good episode. I liked Sheppard's lines 'Operation This Will Mostly Likely End Badly' and 'Well this is new.'

I was also dissappointed they got rid of the Orion so quickly. Those drones pack such a punch. :)

Next week's episode looks interesting. What to do with the wraithless humans?For starters, they'l have to keep injecting them with the retro-virus, or the Wraith/humans will revert to hungry evil Wraith in about three days! Quarantine, anyone? :)

[BeanMeScot]

This was an enjoyable episode. I enjoyed it more than SG-1.

[ZeoTiVo]

the wraith are psuedo-ancients. get them and the Ori to meet up and they should go after each other. Wonder if the wraith can suck the energy out of the priors and their staff :eek:

[pkscout]

For starters, they'l have to keep injecting them with the retro-virus, or the Wraith/humans will revert to hungry evil Wraith in about three days! Quarantine, anyone? :)

I thought they licked that problem when the weaponized it?

[drew2k]

I thought they licked that problem when the weaponized it?I thought they had, too, because what's the point of a weapon that "wears off"?

I could swear that in this season's opener someone mentioned the three-day thing, but I could be wrong.

I had also just watched last season's finale right before the season opener, and I thought it was brought up there as well, that it wasn't necessary that the effects were permanent, because the "allied" Wraith would just feed off the Wraith/humans right away. Again, I could be wrong.

[PJO1966]

"I saw it on a movie"

[Tangent]

Didn't the peoploe they got the Orion from "let them use it" instead of flat-out give it to them? I don't think they're gonna get their security deposit back...

[dcheesi]

Actually, they had to drop out of hyperspace to let the ship "rest". But, there were an awful lot of dart ships after Sheppard right after he took the first shot.They knew the humans might be coming after them, and they couldn't just jump away into hyper without risking damage due to insufficient "rest" time. So they probably stayed at battle-stations the whole time they were in normal space. And they probably detected Sheppard as soon as he started his first attack run, so there's a few more seconds for you.

What bothers me more is the whole issue of finding them in the first place. First off, Weir stated that they don't know just how fast the hives are with the new upgrades, so how do they know how far they'll get before stopping? The only possibility is that the "radiation" damage accumulates based on normal-space distance rather than time in hyper, so that the speed doesn't matter. Second, if the wraith were even slightly clever, they'd change their vector enough so that they wouldn't be exactly in the expected spot along the direct path to Earth. Even a slight course change off-axis would open up a large volume of space within which the Earth ships would have to search, without seriously affecting the hives' total travel time.

So will Michael become a regular? At least until the Waith threat is over.Well, it's not like the actor has anything better to do these days ;) But I doubt he'll be on the SG team or anything. He could be a recurring character, though, if they set it up right.

[mrpantstm]

Well, it's not like the actor has anything better to do these days ;) But I doubt he'll be on the SG team or anything. He could be a recurring character, though, if they set it up right.

Make him into another Ford type character, popping up every couple episodes.

[cheesesteak]

I feel sorry for Caldwell. He gets overruled on everything. I hope he goes postal one episode.

[7thton]

Great episode! I guess Weir gets to keep her command...

The retro-virus doesn't work on women? I wonder how many women were on the ship. They didn't really explore that one too far...

[nataylor]

Great episode! I guess Weir gets to keep her command...

The retro-virus doesn't work on women? I wonder how many women were on the ship. They didn't really explore that one too far...
I think the females are few and far between... they're "queens," surrounded by workers and soldiers.

[dcheesi]

I think the females are few and far between... they're "queens," surrounded by workers and soldiers.I think that's the idea, yes. This brings up interesting questions about an earlier episode, though; the one with the Wraith-girl and the prototype virus. First, if females are always (potential) queens, what were they doing leading a young female around on a raid? Typically she'd either be killed off at birth, or very well protected. Second, why did the prototype virus affect her? The virus must have changed a lot since then if it no longer has any affect on females one way or the other.

[drew2k]

I think that's the idea, yes. This brings up interesting questions about an earlier episode, though; the one with the Wraith-girl and the prototype virus. First, if females are always (potential) queens, what were they doing leading a young female around on a raid? Typically she'd either be killed off at birth, or very well protected. Second, why did the prototype virus affect her? The virus must have changed a lot since then if it no longer has any affect on females one way or the other.Maybe the retro-virus only fails with full-blooded queens, but works to some degree on princesses, dames, ladies-in-waiting, ...

:p

[mrpantstm]

Great episode! I guess Weir gets to keep her command...

But how is she going to get back to Atlantis. The Daedolous is clearly in no shape to make a trip back to Earth, all of Earth's intergalatic ships are in ruins or need to be at Earth to protect against the Ori. Weir's kinda stuck on Earth for the time being since Earth can't dial out to Atlantis.

[Rob Helmerichs]

But how is she going to get back to Atlantis. The Daedolous is clearly in no shape to make a trip back to Earth, all of Earth's intergalatic ships are in ruins or need to be at Earth to protect against the Ori. Weir's kinda stuck on Earth for the time being since Earth can't dial out to Atlantis.
I'm sure they'll gloss over that. Pretty soon, there will be a weeks-long gap between episodes...

[Stormspace]

But how is she going to get back to Atlantis. The Daedolous is clearly in no shape to make a trip back to Earth, all of Earth's intergalatic ships are in ruins or need to be at Earth to protect against the Ori. Weir's kinda stuck on Earth for the time being since Earth can't dial out to Atlantis.


I'm thinking the MkII generator can be used to power the gate for one way travel, but it burns the unit up.

[mike3775]

I am under the assumption that they can dial Earth and Atlantis now, as Weir did dial Earth to give an update and Teyla did dial Earth after an hour to check up on Wier like she was told to.

[Rob Helmerichs]

IIRC, Atlantis can dial Earth, because they have the ZPMs, but Earth can't dial back.

[nataylor]

IIRC, Atlantis can dial Earth, because they have the ZPMs, but Earth can't dial back.
Well, since an open gate allows 2-way flow of EM radiation, I wonder if they can use Asgard beaming technology to beam her though a wormhole established by Atlantis. :)

[Stormspace]

Well, since an open gate allows 2-way flow of EM radiation, I wonder if they can use Asgard beaming technology to beam her though a wormhole established by Atlantis. :)

That is a unique idea and one that should technically work given the knowledge we have of the beaming device. Course Weir could always go back on an Asgard transport ship as well.

[Mike Farrington]

Well, since an open gate allows 2-way flow of EM radiation, I wonder if they can use Asgard beaming technology to beam her though a wormhole established by Atlantis. :)

That would be interesting.

I would have to imagine that the wormhole is omnidirectional, but it's just the endcoding/decoding logic built into the gate system that prevents two-way travel. If one-way travel weren't a plot device, they could certainly hack the system to allow a reversal of travel direction.

[dcheesi]

Well, since an open gate allows 2-way flow of EM radiation, I wonder if they can use Asgard beaming technology to beam her though a wormhole established by Atlantis. :)Except they already established that people are dematerialized and essentially "beamed" between gates anyway; there's even a Trek-ish "transporter buffer" involved. Now why that stream can't go both ways like the EM signals can is beyond me, unless it's more of a device failsafe ("don't cross the streams!" ;) ).

EDIT: However, in the "snotty smart-girl trainee" episode (well, thet's what they should have called it ;) ), it was pretty strongly hinted that the uni-directional thing is an inherent property of the wormhole (which snotty-girl hadn't considered the possibility of, yadyada...).

[mrpantstm]

as I was writing about Weir being stuck I thought, how come they can send radio transmissions both ways but not matter? Plothole much?

[dcheesi]

as I was writing about Weir being stuck I thought, how come they can send radio transmissions both ways but not matter? Plothole much?Photons are mass-less; I had always assumed that's the difference. But if they're being dissambled (and held in pattern-buffers) anyway, why couldn't the gate system transmit photon streams instead of matter? Maybe the gates lack the technology to convert energy into matter, even though they can rearrange matter from individual particles?

Heh, looks like I answered my own previous question :o

EDIT: But then, how does the pattern-buffer store all that incoming matter? It's got to store it someplace, and you can only compress it so much. I guess I need to watch that "Teal'c gets stuck in the buffer" episode again...

Boy, I'm really nerding out today, aren't I? :D

[Sherminator]

Fairly good episode. I liked Sheppard's lines 'Operation This Will Mostly Likely End Badly' and 'Well this is new.'

I was also dissappointed they got rid of the Orion so quickly. Those drones pack such a punch. :)

Next week's episode looks interesting. What to do with the wraithless humans?If the way that Michael is bing treated, if the unaffected Wraith come across a hive run by Wraith-Humans, they probably blow the hybrids out of the sky.

[Church AV Guy]

...I guess I need to watch that "Teal'c gets stuck in the buffer" episode again...

Actually, they should have never MADE the "Teal'c gets stuck in the buffer" episode in the first place.

[busyba]

Actually, they should have never MADE the "Teal'c gets stuck in the buffer" episode in the first place.

+1 :up:

That was so Trek.

[mrpantstm]

That was so Trek.

With all the space battles (on both SG1 and Atlantis) how long till they change Gate to Trek?

Watching the Daedalus getting beaten, sparks flying and Colonel Caldwell at the helm, I was waiting for Asgard to call up 'I just canna do it captain! The engines don't have the power!!'

;)

[Rob Helmerichs]

Watching the Daedalus getting beaten, sparks flying and Colonel Caldwell at the helm, I was waiting for Asgard to call up 'I just canna do it captain! The engines don't have the power!!'

;)
Heh.

Especially funny when imagined with a snooty Asgardian accent.

Wouldn't have exclamation points, though!

[bonscott87]

That Asgard must feel he is in detention or something for having to babysit the humans. Or is it an initiation now. "Do your duty and help the poor humans and you'll get into the acadamy." :D

[jbcheshire]

I missed the season premiere. Can someone tell me how to find it so I can download it?
Thanks.

[jerobi]

I got the feeling that they one-way tripped Weir to Earth on purpose. That could add extra drama if she attempts to command the Atlantis crew over the "radio" for an episode or two, leading to issues with the current boarding party on the disabled Hive ship. And the inevitable "we can't contact Earth - what would Weir want us to do? Tell us, Tayla!"

Of course, that all depends on agreement from the next episode's writer, or it's a plot device to get Weir back ASAP off camera.

[phox_mulder]

I missed the season premiere. Can someone tell me how to find it so I can download it?
Thanks.

It's gotta be replaying numerous times before Friday.


phox

[Church AV Guy]

I definitely sense some crossover episodes this year. Only a committee of total morons would take a field commander and demand they leave the front lines and come back to give a report that they could so easily have done through teleconference.
.

[quango]

I definitely sense some crossover episodes this year. Only a committee of total morons would take a field commander and demand they leave the front lines and come back to give a report that they could so easily have done through teleconference.

Not if they intended to force her out; she was recalled because they (reading between the lines) were going to fire her, and you can't fire someone who's still in Atlantis and expect it to stick.

[busyba]

Church is also overlooking the fact that the IOC might very well actually be a committee of total morons. :)

[drew2k]

Church is also overlooking the fact that the IOC might very well actually be a committee of total morons. :)Let's leave real-life politics about the Olympics Committees out of this, please. :p

I believe you meant to say IOAC, International Oversight Advisory Committee. ;)

On a separate note, I wonder how long Kavan Smith will be allowed to pull double-duty: he plays Loren on SG-A and an NTAC agent on The 4400! Both are definitely only supporting roles, but how much does that mess up the writers and a production schedule?

[Sherminator]

Church is also overlooking the fact that the IOC might very well actually be a committee of total morons. :)Aren't all QUANGO's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quango)?

[Church AV Guy]

Not if they intended to force her out; she was recalled because they (reading between the lines) were going to fire her, and you can't fire someone who's still in Atlantis and expect it to stick.
Church is also overlooking the fact that the IOC might very well actually be a committee of total morons.

Wow! You are BOTH right. They were likely going to relieve her of command, and they are all morons. Even Tamlyn Tomita, who I like, for the most part. (The exception was that time on JAG where she had that annoying southern accent.)

[busyba]

Aren't all QUANGO's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quango)?
As well as wango tangos. :D

[Anubys]

Photons are mass-less; I had always assumed that's the difference. But if they're being dissambled (and held in pattern-buffers) anyway, why couldn't the gate system transmit photon streams instead of matter? Maybe the gates lack the technology to convert energy into matter, even though they can rearrange matter from individual particles?

Heh, looks like I answered my own previous question :o

EDIT: But then, how does the pattern-buffer store all that incoming matter? It's got to store it someplace, and you can only compress it so much. I guess I need to watch that "Teal'c gets stuck in the buffer" episode again...

Boy, I'm really nerding out today, aren't I? :D

I like the pretty colors on the gate :)

[jfjellstad]

I thought they had, too, because what's the point of a weapon that "wears off"?

Eh, while the wraiths are in human forms, they are much easier to kill. Also, you would also make the humanized wraiths into food for the surviving wraiths...

[7thton]

When Michael was given the retro-virus, was he as weak as the Wraiths on the Mother Ship were? I don't recall...

[MickeS]

When Michael was given the retro-virus, was he as weak as the Wraiths on the Mother Ship were? I don't recall...

Yeah, I think he was... at least he was in a hospital bed for quite a while, which I assume wouldn't have been needed if he wasn't weakened by the retrovirus.

[Anubys]

they also have no memories...so they have no reason to fight or know how to fight (and use the ships)...

[7thton]

they also have no memories...so they have no reason to fight or know how to fight (and use the ships)...
So, they're like old...women? :)

[newsposter]

a few things:

1. do they really not have the technology to realize that a foreign object is resting on their own ship? It's kind of hard to believe. As mass goes i realize it's immaterial to the ship's weight itself..but still...they have sensors for every other thing. (and i always wondered why half the time they know about alien transmissions from their own ship and half the time they get away with it. )

2. i had no idea until this ep that the gate works only to dial out and send from the dial devices world. I'll defer to those that really know these eps but I cant believe there isnt one example of someone dialing a gate and someone from the other side coming back through. If true...amazing I hadn't known this before.

[Jonathan_S]

2. i had no idea until this ep that the gate works only to dial out and send from the dial devices world. I'll defer to those that really know these eps but I cant believe there isnt one example of someone dialing a gate and someone from the other side coming back through. If true...amazing I hadn't known this before.Nope. No examples of someone from the other side coming through.

In SG-1, there was an episode where Jack O'Neill went through a gate from off-world to the SGC and stuck his hand back into the gate to prevent the gate from closing.* As seen from the dialing side his hand did not reemerge. (We didn't get to see if it was dematerialized, or if it just stuck through back of the blue on the SGC side)

*(Gates have some form of activity detection and timeout ability, so that if they aren't being used, after a short while, they shut down. That's in addition to the normal max runtime limit).

If you'd seen the early season's of SG-1, where they spent more time on the mechanics of checking out new worlds prior to sending a team, you would have seen several times they sent a remote probe (MALP) which could send back video, but unless they sent a team the MALP couldn't be retrieved.
It couldn't back though the outbound wormhole, and lacked the ability to dial the gate on its own. (Besides being difficult to implement, that ability would also be a security risk as the MALP couldn't be fully aware of who or what might want to come through the gate with it. Or who might be to discover earth's gate was active by watching it dial)

[JustAllie]

Nope. No examples of someone from the other side coming through.Go back and re-watch the pilot, Children of the Gods.

That's the only example I can think of, though -- I guess they hadn't worked out the "physics" of the wormholes yet.

[NoCleverUsername]

1. do they really not have the technology to realize that a foreign object is resting on their own ship? It's kind of hard to believe. As mass goes i realize it's immaterial to the ship's weight itself..but still...they have sensors for every other thing.Maybe it never occurred to them, therefore no sensor for it. :shrug:

[Sherminator]

2. i had no idea until this ep that the gate works only to dial out and send from the dial devices world. I'll defer to those that really know these eps but I cant believe there isnt one example of someone dialing a gate and someone from the other side coming back through. If true...amazing I hadn't known this before.Not been watching both shows fron the start have we?

The show makes it clear that transit is strictly one-way; an attempt to travel "backwards" causes the traveller to be destroyed.[22] Additionally, the gate is invariably entered from the same side as the "kawoosh"; the show has not demonstrated what happens if a traveller enters from the wrong sideQuoted entry here, end of 3rd paragraph. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_(device)#The_Wormhole)

Also at: the offical MGM SG-1 site, FAQ, Plot specific, 1(d) (http://www.stargatesg1.com)

Admitted, I thought that it was a bit off when Jack "Held the door open" in Stargate-SG1 ep318 "Shades Of Grey"

[newsposter]

Maybe it never occurred to them, therefore no sensor for it. :shrug:

Maybe i'm trekked out but these kinds of shows can always sense everything...

Not been watching both shows fron the start have we?




sure i have. It's just never come up or been realized by me.I'm sure there are shows you've watched for years but never realized certain things. Like what color the drapes were on Friends ;)

[JustAllie]

OK, I just went back and watched "Children of the Gods" to see if I remembered it right. I thought I recalled Apophis and his Jafa walk back through an incoming wormhole in that episode. But in fact the wormhole closes, and then somehow they reopen it (offscreen, so we're not sure how). I guess they had some sort of portable DHD.

Since the SGC had no DHD, there was no other way for Apophis to dial home -- he didn't know anything about the SGC's homemade DHD or how to operate it.

[Church AV Guy]

Do they really not have the technology to realize that a foreign object is resting on their own ship? It's kind of hard to believe. As mass goes i realize it's immaterial to the ship's weight itself..but still...they have sensors for every other thing. (and i always wondered why half the time they know about alien transmissions from their own ship and half the time they get away with it. )
Well if Han Solo could do it to an Imperial Star Destroyer, then Shepherd can do it on Atlantis. The precedent has been set by a much higher power (George Lucas) so they can feel free to use it. To put it another way, could you detect a magnet stuck in an out of the way spot on your car?

[Anubys]

Well if Han Solo could do it to an Imperial Star Destroyer, then Shepherd can do it on Atlantis. The precedent has been set by a much higher power (George Lucas) so they can feel free to use it. To put it another way, could you detect a magnet stuck in an out of the way spot on your car?

I see your point but the analogy is a little weak...cars don't have sensors that can detect a foreign object that is light years away...

and since the sensors should be able to "see" a ship that is entering the docking bay, the range starts at the hull...

[newsposter]

Well if Han Solo could do it to an Imperial Star Destroyer, then Shepherd can do it on Atlantis. The precedent has been set by a much higher power (George Lucas) so they can feel free to use it. To put it another way, could you detect a magnet stuck in an out of the way spot on your car?

my car doesn't have hyperdrive, artificial gravity (see my HH thread for that one), superduper laser photon torpedo thingies etc etc etc

if they have all that, they should be able to detect a piece of space dust on their hull ;)

[Church AV Guy]

Maybe it just NEVER happens, except as a plot device. In that case, there would be absolutely no need for such sensors, and in fact not having them is a necessity for advancing the story. Ever think if that? Hmmm? :D

[newsposter]

it could also be that that array was down for scheduled maintenance...can't believe none of you thought of that

[marrone]

The sensors might have been damaged. It was in a battle, after all.

-Mike