SG-U – Air I and II (1x01/02) - (Discuss – Grade | SPOILERS)

[BorgMan]

I really liked this premiere. The whole beaming up thing really had me laughing! I knew they had to evacuate the base, so at first the fact that people were pushed out of the Stargate with force was logical to me, though it did made me cringe as it... well... looked really painfull. But when the flashback established that they just walked in, it made me think about it: are they so far away that the distance itself played a part in accelerating the stuff that went in on the other side?

Destiny is in one bad shape, perhaps even a bit worse than I thought, though the discovery of the Keno's was just a handy plot device to circumvent the absence of MALP's. Plus, they're just SGU's attack drones in terms of discovery item. I found it nice to see, though, that the other convenient plot device in SGA (the puddlejumpers) met a pretty bad fate here; so one shuttle less, and a senator less. Badass!

Sex scene was a waste of seconds. If it had impact on the story, OK, but it had none what so ever. Tragic, tragic waste of seconds. My guts tell me that we're going to see loads of those in the coming time.

Rush is an egoistical SOB, it's great to see him as the prime antoganist instead of a pursuing alien vessel. Also, I found it nice that the military commander wasn't actually dead, as happened in SGA. Good stuff!

Yeah, I'm giving this 8 stars out of 10. And no, no chevrons, as the chevrons on this stargate don't actually do anything next to being funny thingies that light up. I hate the round ball on top! If only had they replaced it with a real, single chevron, I'd be happy...

[Corran Horn]

BorgCat wrote:

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I really liked this premiere. The whole beaming up thing really had me laughing! I knew they had to evacuate the base, so at first the fact that people were pushed out of the Stargate with force was logical to me, though it did made me cringe as it... well... looked really painfull. But when the flashback established that they just walked in, it made me think about it: are they so far away that the distance itself played a part in accelerating the stuff that went in on the other side?

It's been established that unless everything is calibrated correctly (no celestial drift in play or whatever they 'tech' it with) you do get launched out of the gate sometimes. The modifications to the SGC's dialing computer and all that were why nobody gets catapulted through (or is covered in frost) anymore.

[FKnight]

Corran Horrrrrrrrible wrote:

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It's been established that unless everything is calibrated correctly (no celestial drift in play or whatever they 'tech' it with) you do get launched out of the gate sometimes. The modifications to the SGC's dialing computer and all that were why nobody gets catapulted through (or is covered in frost) anymore.

Yah, that's why in the movie and in the first episode of SG-1 they got thrown out of the Stargate like last night's trash. The way Carter explained it was that the DHD's correct for stellar drift and other factors. After modifying the SGC's dialing computer, they ended up resolving the issue.

Not sure what the affects would be when opening a wormhole to a moving ship billions of light years away though, although one must wonder why the guys at Icarus base didn't use the DHD that was sitting there the whole time.

[cultcross]

FKnight wrote:

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Yah, that's why in the movie and in the first episode of SG-1 they got thrown out of the Stargate like last night's trash. The way Carter explained it was that the DHD's correct for stellar drift and other factors. After modifying the SGC's dialing computer, they ended up resolving the issue.

Indeed, although we do see the effect done a few more times, deliberately to indicate when a connection is unstable, unintentional, or in fact deliberately slapdash. The first of these three seems to be the intent here - they're travelling billions of light years, without proper compensation - it's going to be a rough ride.

Not sure what the affects would be when opening a wormhole to a moving ship billions of light years away though, although one must wonder why the guys at Icarus base didn't use the DHD that was sitting there the whole time.

I can only assume the DHD belonged on Icarus and was 'locked out' from dialling 9 chevron addresses (only Earth's, the intended point of origin, has full control of all nine chevrons), in the manner that all Pegasus gates bar Atlantis' were locked out from dialling 8 chevron addresses. Speculation, but makes some sense.

[Candlelight]

That was one of the worst pilots I've ever seen. So freakin' slow. Took ages to get going and then all of a sudden it finishes. None of the characters really stood out. Colonel Young is dull, spends half the episode unconscious (probably like most of the audience) and when he does wake up, he's Weir/Hammond! Scott and Greer both beg the question - what the hell is the recruitment level for SG troops these days? Shagging while on duty? In the brig for anger issues? What's up with the medic? "She can't deal with that COS SHE'S ONLY A MEDIC". Oh please....

Why was Eli brought with them? He cracked their code, job done. Let the experts carry on. Oh wait that's right, we have to have a 'normal' human on board so we can have those dumbed down metaphors so as to insult our collective intelligences. Rush is just weird. Or is that eccentric?

Can someone clarify for me; Rush said the ship left Earth unmanned, yet wasn't their explanation for the shuttle door being open was it must've jammed trying to get someone out...? The communications device was silly too. How can it work over billions of light years? Oh and at the start of the episode we see the stargate activate and people start pouring through, yet in the flashback the gate is open for a couple of minutes before Scott goes through, and even then everyone that follows simply walks through - so why are they tumbling out at the other end??

Pacing was off. The last half hour nothing happened. The senator wasn't a likeable character and then he dies. Am I supposed to feel something?

Not a good start to a series. They are clearly going down the route of Galactica, but it's done in such an unnecessarily in-your-face way it's not up to the qualities that made BSG, SG1 and SGA great.

Will watch Air, Pt 3 but I doubt I'll follow this one.

3 Chevrons (and that's being generous).

[MPH]

^
I think its supposed to be viewed as a 3 parter, it was slow in places but enjoyable overall.

[Gibraltar]

FleetLord wrote:

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Also cant the get the kino camera to somehow bump the close button?

That was my idea, too. Tape a friggin' pencil to the thing and have it push the button.

[Brent]

The button was recessed, and looked to be maybe touch screen, I don't think the ball could have poked it.

[Jenee]

It was in the freakin' script. Who cares. That's the story.

[Lindley]

Candlefright wrote:

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What's up with the medic? "She can't deal with that COS SHE'S ONLY A MEDIC".

Church: Okay, you, Doc. Get over there and help Caboose.
DuFresne: My name isn't Doc. It's DuFresne.
Church: Yeah, I can't pronounce that. So from now on, your name is Doc.
DuFresne: I'm not really comfortable with that. I'm not a doctor; I'm a medic.
Tucker: What's the difference?
DuFresne: Well, a doctor cures people. A medic just makes them more comfortable... while they die.
Tucker: Mental Note: Don't ever get shot.

-Red vs Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles

The communications device was silly too. How can it work over billions of light years?

Agreed, but this one is squarely on SG-1's doorstep; it was established there that the stones could work between galaxies in real time. Sometimes it's best to forget silly things like that were ever established ("three shots disintegrates", anyone?), but you can't really blame them for sticking with it.

Oh and at the start of the episode we see the stargate activate and people start pouring through, yet in the flashback the gate is open for a couple of minutes before Scott goes through,

Huh, you're right. Didn't think of that. Umm.....got nothin'.

and even then everyone that follows simply walks through - so why are they tumbling out at the other end??

As covered ad naseum, that's established behavior of the gate without fine calculations. Over that sort of distance, it may even be impossible to avoid.

[Candlelight]

Re: the last point - after 15 pages I just posted what I thought, haven't trolled through all of them.

Re: the second-to-last point - maybe similar to the last point; after such great distances the stargate might not have it's timings correct.

[Brent]

about the stones, and their ability to communicate across billions of light years in real time, hey, this is science fiction, who says an advanced alien race couldn't have developed the technology for something such as that, apparently, they did in the gate universe... it just is, as silly as you think it is, it is technology, just cause we don't understand how it works doesn't negate the fact that it does

[Gep Malakai]

Brent wrote:

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The button was recessed, and looked to be maybe touch screen, I don't think the ball could have poked it.

I thought the point with the door was that there needed to be a life sign inside the shuttle for it to close (like someone was going to launch it). They mentioned trying to have someone push the button and leave, only to have the door open up again right after it shut. So I don't think doing it by remote would work.

[Samurai8472]

Quantum wrote:

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When did Jack gain so much weight?

It's called the "off season" and "not having to tone up due not having to film a weekly series anymore"

[cylkoth]

MPH wrote:

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^
I think its supposed to be viewed as a 3 parter, it was slow in places but enjoyable overall.

Additionally, the premiere was originally 2 hours, but at the last minute, they decided to make it a 3 parter.

Wow, it took me 3 days to sit down and watch a space based syience fyction show. It wasn't the horror I was fearing, but it wasn't as engaging as it should've been, given the over 2 years they've been working on it. Defying Gravity, with all it's faults, was at least interesting-at least to me.