Body Swap Stones, Good or Bad Idea?

[Tom]

We see in the previews that Col Telford will visit the Destiny by body swaping with Col. Young. Just thinking if this 'body swap' plot device is a good idea for this show.

Pros:

Lets you bring in guest actors. Lets you be in contact with Earth and also for characters to have Earth based stories.

Cons:

Puts a big dent int he 'we are all alone' idea. True they are physically alone but can mentaly connect with Earth. Also Scientists from Earh can study the Destiny and help the people on board fix problems with the ship etc..

Thoughts?

 

[SmoothieX]

Telford ain't on the ship? Didn't know that.

I like the idea because it allows for storylines about friends and family left on Earth, plus contact with the SGC.

I don't think it detracts from the aloneness factor.

 

[bigdaddy]

Dislike it. We don't need Earth based episodes, they are meant to be alone, also I think it will be overused like the holodeck.

 

[The Wormhole]

The body-swap part has the potential to become an overused gimmick, but for now I don't mind it. Personally, I like that they've stayed in contact with Earth.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I am skeptical... I worry about its use.

 

[Brent]

It reminds me of Atlantis to be honest. Atlantis was supposed to have our teams lost in another galaxy as well, with no contact. Yet, they not only achieved contact with Earth, but had frequent visits.

With Universe, at least I knew up front the body swap stones would be used, so I wasn't surprised. However, I thought the plot was supposed to be once again that they are lost in another galaxy, this time wayyyyyyy out, with no contact. Apparently the "no contact" part of the plot never really existed though. I am at least glad they used it up front, so we know what to expect in this series, rather than be lead into thinking something else.

It does take away from letting the series stand on its own though. If they really wanted to branch out they would have no contact with Earth, and we'd never see any of the SG-1/Atlantis cast after the premier. I don't want this series hanging on guest appearances by SG-1 cast, let it stand on its own, which was what Atlantis was supposed to do. I hope they don't repeat the same mistakes.

 

[Spider]

..........I think it will be overused like the holodeck.

My fears as well. This is to easy a gimmick to misuse.

 

[Starbreaker]

I don't like it. Even Voyager lasted for four seasons before resorting to having contact with Earth.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Do we know for a fact the communication is 2 way? IIRC, all we have is Mr Scientist Man's word it. While we did see the gentleman on Earth get posessed, did we see any reaction shots of the body in the craft reacting to "Holy crap, I'm in a spaceship!"?

Also what was the timing on the report from the Hammond to O'Neil? Was that before of after the usage of the stones?

Besides, I don't trust Rush. He seems to be the type to take his clothes off for money or something...

 

[Harvey]

We know it's two way because of the way the stones were used on SG-1 (Daniel and Vala went to the Ori Galaxy from Earth; Vala went the Milky Way galaxy when she was trapped in the Ori Galaxy). We also know that Telford will visit the ship very soon based on publicity photos, and we already saw Rush visit the SGC.

 

[Yoda]

Body swap stories are a TERRIBLE idea. The swappy stones are a terrible plot device, and in a better world they would accidentally drop them out an airlock never to be found.

 

[Harvey]

Oh, no doubt there will be some contrived drama over somebody losing the stones at some point. But in the end, they'll get them back.

 

[QCzar]

One of the strongest themes behind Farscape was the fact that John was verily and truly cut off from home, so that in the rare instance when he could go back, it had serious dramatic weight and seemed genuinely consequential, both for him and for everyone else on Moya.

Similarly, the use of Palantíri/Lost Seeing Stones from LOTR carried with it the threat of being observed and even harmed by Sauron.

IMO, the possession of such stones, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. But I think that their use should come with some serious consequences, like screwing with people's minds or alerting some super-advanced enemy to their location/presence. Anything other than letting them become the equivalent of intra-galactic comm badges.

In other words, these devices need to be a "last resort" kind of thing. They need to be dangerous, so that when they are used, you know that they basically have no other choice. Plot devices can actually be good things, if they are used to create real dramatic tension. Otherwise they're just Deus Ex Machinas, which IMO most Ancient tech has already become.

If the preview for tonight's episode is anything to go by, I'm worried that's exactly what they'll become.

 

[Danny99]

The body-swap part has the potential to become an overused gimmick, but for now I don't mind it. Personally, I like that they've stayed in contact with Earth.

I agree with this!

For all those who dislike the idea or anyone, would you be screaming "Where are the stones? They are on an Ancient Ship?"

 

[Agent Richard07]

I don't like the idea for the reasons already mentioned, but I really liked the execution I saw in "Air, Part III". As I said in the grading thread, it was creative scifi and what they did had some dramatic impact. If used at the right times and in the right way, they could give us some really good stuff. I wonder what would happen if someone wanted to use these rocks for conjugal visits. That could actually be interesting.

 

[Brent]

I don't like the idea for the reasons already mentioned, but I really liked the execution I saw in "Air, Part III". As I said in the grading thread, it was creative scifi and what they did had some dramatic impact. If used at the right times and in the right way, they could give us some really good stuff. I wonder what would happen if someone wanted to use these rocks for conjugal visits. That could actually be interesting.

I read that that is going to happen actually

I also thought what if someone switched bodies, and no one else knew it, imagine a spy on board or something, you'd never know who was actually inside the body

 

[Jax]

Its a good concept for now though I would like the stones to become usless by the end of season 1.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

To be honest, the stones to have a couple of interesting angles.

What happens when someone abuses the body of the other person? We saw a glimpse of that in Air III. What if it was done deliberately? What if someone snaps and decides to do a crime?

When you do a bodyswap, you can see, feel, hear and smell home. Your partner. Your family. But to them, you're a complete and utter stranger -- at least, your body is. So essentially, that which you can never have is rubbed in your face. That's bound to have some psychological consequences.

How far are the two people tied together? If one dies, does the other one die as well? And if not, how would that impact the self-image and relationships of someone who now permanently inhabits the body of someone else?

Lots of interesting stories to be found there...

 

[rafterman1701]

I like the idea for two reasons. One, it's an established part of the Stargate world which keeps the series firmly connected to the other two. Two, it is not real. You use the stones and go home, but you don't really go. Your body is still stuck on the ship, so it's a false visit, which can do more psychological harm. As long as they don't treat it in a funny casual way, it'll be fine. Just not every episode.

 

[cultcross]

I like the idea for two reasons. One, it's an established part of the Stargate world which keeps the series firmly connected to the other two. Two, it is not real. You use the stones and go home, but you don't really go. Your body is still stuck on the ship, so it's a false visit, which can do more psychological harm. As long as they don't treat it in a funny casual way, it'll be fine. Just not every episode.

This.

Plus, it's Stargate. Do we really think they were going to manage 4 or 5 seasons with no Earth contact? We'd jsut get the Atlantis setup where they're 'all alone' and then magically in the space of about 3 episodes, they have two way travel with Earth. Hopefully, having the stones in the story from the beginning will allow them to connect with Earth while keeping the inevitable physical connection story out of the first season at least.