FF:QLD Stargate discussion

picked up my copy thursday and quite enjoyed it.

lots of nods to other episodes and was good seeing jack back. Loved the dogfight stuff.

The American Season 1-10 collection a sight to behold. Housing 60 discs and several asylum seekers, it now sits next to the TV cabinet, successfully passing as a large subwofer. It's sturdy, shiny, well-crafted, and appears more extraterrestrial artifact than human box set.

It also contains some of the worst interior packaging I've ever seen.

Each disc fits in a cardboard flap that completely fails its designated duty of keeping the DVD safe. Instead, it's a choice between jamming it in (scratching the disc), or letting it sit lightly, where it's prone to fall out (scratching the disc).

(I should add that I read the Amazon reviews and knew what I was getting into. $120 for ten seasons isn't something one turns down lightly. If the discs play, I'll be happy.)

Secondly, and just as importantly, the DVD content has been rearranged from the original sets. All extras are now bundled together on four discs. That's all well and good in theory, but the reassembled discs just scream "rush job". The menus are now bare bones episode lists. That doesn't bug me in the slightest. The English subtitles from the original releases have also mysteriously vanished. That bugs me considerably more.

I do a lot of my DVD viewing these days while cooking, with the volume turned down out of consideration for a studying girlfriend. It's my eccentric little routine and I enjoy it. I'm a bit peeved I can't watch Stargate this way, if only because it's the apparent product of laziness.

Those of you who bought the sets individually can sleep soundly knowing you still have the better deal, shiny television-sized box or not.

Now that's all out of the way:
Stargate SG-1. Good show, isn't it?

The English subtitles from the original releases have also mysteriously vanished. That bugs me considerably more.

<Speaks glaactic language>


Don't feel bad about the menus. They're pretty lame on most of the standalone sets. The subtitles is weird, though. I'd be interested to know if the local release of the giganto-box is similarly gimped.

Well, they just cancelled Atlantis.

I'm not massively surprised by this. This current season has been a bit meh. I watch it and enjoy it, but it's like comfort food. I come back to it because I love the universe, not because there's enormously interesting things going on in it. But this idea of transitioning Stargate to almost a miniseries kind of format is a good one. The two SG-1 movies were really enjoyable, and I honestly think Atlantis could benefit from a relaxation of the episodic restrictions it's under in its current form. It's been very stale, with just the same old Star Trek-esque tropes playing out week after week (with some exceptions; season 4 had some very solid episodes), and being able to work in a more long-form style and better take advantage of the epic setting could be just what the doctor ordered for it. And the other cool thing about this is that it will allow for integration of the franchise: the movies don't need to be branded SG-1 and Atlantis; just "Stargate". They can crossover as little or as often as they want, and it can be like a miniseries that shifts its setting and focus around at will.

So yeah, I'm a little disappointed, kind of on principle, but really quite optimistic about this move. I think good things can come of it.

I've only just finished season one, so I'm not really in a position to pass judgement here - and a science fiction property is always going to appear saturated when you're looking at it from the wrong end of fifteen accumulated seasons - but this does sound like a healthy thing for the franchise.

Stargate Universe is an interesting premise and a chance for a fresh start.
Meanwhile, having both finished shows continue indefinitely with DVD movies is a rare luxury in this industry. Stargate fans really are spoilt, all things considered. I'm now very happy to consider myself one of them.

Huzzah!

I will be quite interested to sit down with you and discuss your impressions as you go through it all. Speaking of which, it's been a while since we've had one of our impromptu Nights At Teh Pubbe...

I've only recently gotten through season 1 of Atlantis myself, and I'd say with the exception of them not being sure what to do with Ford, it's a perfect first season; the hard learned mistakes of SG-1 are not on display, the flow is good and the characters suitably compelling. I'd argue that it catches the pioneering human spirit vibe better than Enterprise did.

As I'm no where near Season 5, I can't comment if it's a good or bad thing, but it does sound like it had some problems the last two seasons. The idea of a Stargate Miniseries once every year or two with a rotating potential cast and locale sounds like a neat idea, and would work well.

In other news, Michael Shanks has just turned up as the new villain in Burn Notice. Between him and Tricia Helfer as the main villain (thus allowing me to get my Six on the Beach fix during the Galactica downtime), this is shaping up to be a very cool season.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

with the exception of them not being sure what to do with Ford

In season 2 they sure figure out something to do with him...

I agree with you, Magnus: I never disliked Atlantis the way a lot of people seemed to when it began. It wasn't as good as SG-1, but it had a solid concept, a decent cast of characters, and had plenty of really good episodes over the years. Its selling point and setting were both its biggest strength and its biggest weakness, however. The eponymous Lost City was a super-cool idea, and its presence opened up the Stargate universe to a huge degree and allowed them to venture into a more Trek-ish sort of sci-fi, just by bent of the high-tech setting. But that high-tech setting divorces the show from one of the most compelling aspects of Stargate: the fact that it's us, right now, the people of early 21st century Earth going out there into space. Not some Rodenbery-esque pseudo-communist utopian future society, but ordinary, everyday people. It's a really fun thing to have that thought "all of this could be happening right now" going through your head as you watch the show. Atlantis isn't completely devoid of that, and it's certainly a valid argument to point out that present-day mankind venturing even further out there, expanding The Fifth Race's influence to another galaxy is a really important aspect of the show, and it is, but it just doesn't have that down-home feel that SG-1 did so well. I think it's telling that one of the best episodes of the show is the clip-show Letters From Pegasus, where the characters get to send messages back home to their loved ones.

The other big problem, of course, is that the last episode of Atlantis will be its 100th episode, which makes it the 314th episode of Stargate as a whole (not including the 3 movies thus far). Is it any wonder the storytelling's getting a bit stale? As much as it's a pity to see the series end, because for a while there it was doing a great job of taking up the Stargate torch (last year's episode Midway was a great example), I really think that breaking out of the formula and the rut that it's stuck in will do it a world of good. A rotating yearly or twice-yearly movie series would suit me right down to the ground. The story possibilities are huge. Now that the Milky Way is basically at peace, with all the major threats soundly taken care of and mankind as basically the superpower, the frontier shifts to the Pegasus Galaxy. The Wraith are still dangerous, and there's going to be a new enemy race being introduced in the mid-season two-parter (and presumably the movie will be about them, since it will resolve the end of season cliffhanger). Wouldn't it be cool to see Atlantis integrated more into day-to-day operations? To see SG-1 and other teams operating from there on a semi-permanent basis? I'm really really keen that these movies play fast and loose with who and what they focus on. I don't want to see "SG-1" or "Atlantis" in the titles. After this next one, let's see one focusing on Daniel and the Atlantis team exploring Ancient ruins in Pegasus. Then let's see one where both teams have to join forces to repell some new threat, a big ensemble crossover. Then one with O'Neill and Teal'c off on some excellent adventure. Then one with a whole new cast, a big standalone thing just set in the universe. Then something to kick of Stargate Universe, the upcoming second spinoff series... I'm just throwing these ideas out, but there's so many things that could be done by seizing the chance to let go of the formula. So yeah: I'm excited, and I hope that they make the most of this.

It's not too surprising, given the Sci-Fi Channel's commitment to the franchise, but Stargate Universe is green-lit.

After unlocking the mystery of the Stargate's ninth chevron, a team of explorers travels to an unmanned starship called the Destiny, launched by The Ancients at the height of their civilization as a grand experiment set in motion, but never completed.

What starts as a simple reconnaissance turns into a never ending mission, as the Stargate Universe crew discovers the ship is unable to return to Earth, and they must now fend for themselves aboard the Destiny.
The crew will travel to the far reaches of the universe, connecting with each of the previously launched Stargates, thus fulfilling the Destiny's original mission.

Challenges will arise though as the ship comes into range of Stargates placed centuries ahead of the Destiny, but only for a brief period of time before carrying on with its pre-programmed navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them, adding to the drama of encountering new races, enemies and adventures.

This could really bring new life to the series. Hell, the end of the first two shows is still in the distant future for me, and I'm already excited.

Ooh, you beat me to it.

I definitely like the sound of that. Same basic Stargate formula, just turned on its head a little bit. It will be interesting to see how long they maintain the "they're trapped and can't go home" thing, which was the selling point of the first season of Atlantis but which ended in the second season with the discovery of new technologies which let them stay in relatively regular contact with Earth. If they can really push the vaguely Lost-esque survivor angle, desperately dashing through stargates to get supplies before they become inaccessible, it could add a great note of tension and jeapordy to something that otherwise sounds like a fun romp. As a Stargate geek, the mention of a younger-skewed cast makes me hope for bit-part SG-1 characters like Leuitenant Hailey ending up as part of the team, but that's not very likely. Still, I'm excited. It broadens the universe (no pun intended) even further than Atlantis did, and the hook of the Sliders-esque time limit is a cool one. Count me in.

When I first heard the concept for Stargate: Universe (which honestly sounds like a better title for a combination of this concept, plus Atlantis and SGC in the mini-series/movie format, but anyway) I thought it sounded pretty silly. The above breakdown sounds better, but there's still room for silliness.

Having a SG Team truly on the back foot again will be great to watch, and hopefully they'll pull a Whedon or two and knock out some starting characters early on.

I should have finished all the previous material by the time it's released

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

SOLD.