Body Swap Stones, Good or Bad Idea?

[shivkala]

My big problem is that I don't get the logic behind why the ancient's created them. Even under the best circumstances (which, I guess is the way they are being used currently, where the person on the receiving end understands what the stone can do) it is a really inconvienent matter of communication. If they can project thoughts across these great distances, couldn't they transmit holograms to communicate, without the horrible body swapping side effect?

 

[cultcross]

My big problem is that I don't get the logic behind why the ancient's created them. Even under the best circumstances (which, I guess is the way they are being used currently, where the person on the receiving end understands what the stone can do) it is a really inconvienent matter of communication. If they can project thoughts across these great distances, couldn't they transmit holograms to communicate, without the horrible body swapping side effect?

Possibly, although the stones seem to be very old tech (pre-leaving the Ori galaxy old) and so maybe their hologram projection tech wasn't so good then. They needed a physical vessel to receive the transmission?
Plus, the body-swapping does give a physicality to the communication which could be considered a positive side effect. It allows the caller to experience the environment, rather than just view it. There are numerous examples of why that could be beneficial (I think SGU is due to touch on one: bring an expert on board semi-literally across galaxies).

 

[Kaijima]

I provisionally approve of the stones in terms of how they were used in Air III. That as appropriate and dramatic and made the logical consequences of the stones - the fact that you can have negative effects on your host body - a part of the drama. Old Stargate would usually shy away from ideas like that to keep things breezy. Universe /has/ differentiated itself... so far.

But yes, the stones will be kept on high alert for lazy writing abuse.

 

[Peter the Younger]

My big problem is that I don't get the logic behind why the ancient's created them. Even under the best circumstances (which, I guess is the way they are being used currently, where the person on the receiving end understands what the stone can do) it is a really inconvienent matter of communication. If they can project thoughts across these great distances, couldn't they transmit holograms to communicate, without the horrible body swapping side effect?

One idea I thought of, the Ancients might have created clones of themselves, kept mindless in some sort of stasis, for use with the stones. These would become a sort of avatar of the real person.

Alternately, the body-swapping could have a diplomatic use: First, it's a matter of trust, since you are going into the body of someone the other party chooses, and second, it gives you the opportunity to "walk a mile in another man's moccasins, as it were.

I think they need to be careful with the stones. If poorly handled, they will become abusive and lessen the dramatic effect. But from what we've seen so far, they are okay. I think the "we are lost, nobody knows" thing is pretty well hashed over, dramatically. This is more interesting, more akin to what we see with modern survival stories, where the people in harm's way might call or text home, but that doesn't mean they are ever going to see their loved ones alive again.

 

[Snick27]

Dont like the stones cause like ive said, they should have both Carter and Mckay on the ship by use of the stones and they could have the ship fixed with in an hour and have it upgraded with a shields etc.

I rather they leave earth alone and just be out there with no contact and find some human like planets out there and pick up some new cast memebers and get supplies.

 

[Snaploud]

Dont like the stones cause like ive said, they should have both Carter and Mckay on the ship by use of the stones and they could have the ship fixed with in an hour and have it upgraded with a shields etc.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

 

[cylkoth]

Dont like the stones cause like ive said, they should have both Carter and Mckay on the ship by use of the stones and they could have the ship fixed with in an hour and have it upgraded with a shields etc.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

With Asgard beam weapons inside of a week.

And a proto ZPM in a month or two...

 

[DWF]

Dont like the stones cause like ive said, they should have both Carter and Mckay on the ship by use of the stones and they could have the ship fixed with in an hour and have it upgraded with a shields etc.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

With Asgard beam weapons inside of a week.

And a proto ZPM in a month or two...

Maybe they could just send MacGyver and I mean MacGyver not O'Neill, just give him a couple of rolls of duct tape and his Swiss army knive and he'll have the ship up and running in no time.

 

[Morpheus 02]

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.

Do you think it would be better to have flashbacks as a means to get guest stars/Earth in SGU?

Wouldn't most of the SGU staff have had previous Stargate experience? If so, they certainly would have had experiences with previous Stargate staff, providing a great excuse for guest appearances.

 

[Skywalker]

Dont like the stones cause like ive said, they should have both Carter and Mckay on the ship by use of the stones and they could have the ship fixed with in an hour and have it upgraded with a shields etc.

Ah, now I remember why I had such a hard time getting into SG-1 and SGA.

 

[Tulin]

Yeah, that sounds about right.

With Asgard beam weapons inside of a week.

And a proto ZPM in a month or two...

Maybe they could just send MacGyver and I mean MacGyver not O'Neill, just give him a couple of rolls of duct tape and his Swiss army knive and he'll have the ship up and running in no time.

Funny you said that because, having not watched SG since about S2, I just call Anderson's character "Macguyver".

Like when he came onscreen in Air Pt III I said, "Ah, it's Macguyver!"

 

[arch101]

Once they showed Telford on the sip, I liked the idea. How frustrating to be able to "go home", but not bring anything physically back and forth. I think this could be good. Who wants to bet on how many eps before Rush holds those stones hostage to get his way? How apeshit will these people go if they are lost or stolen?

 

[broberfett]

You can trade bodies and go back and catch a movie and have beer and pizza. If you were a dude and appeared in a hot chick's body would it be wrong to vigorously masterbate with the hot body? You could have all sorts of fun. Of course we'll see somebody get their borrowed body killed. Then the new person will be stuck. If you were old that would be a desireable thing to get a new young body to keep permanently.

 

[Morpheus 02]

You can trade bodies and go back and catch a movie and have beer and pizza. If you were a dude and appeared in a hot chick's body would it be wrong to vigorously masterbate with the hot body? You could have all sorts of fun. Of course we'll see somebody get their borrowed body killed. Then the new person will be stuck. If you were old that would be a desireable thing to get a new young body to keep permanently.

Or if your character is getting lame, you can replace the character but keep the actor. So then we can tell if it's the writing or the acting that's the problem. (Such as with Teyla, Ford & Ronan -- is it the actor, or just that they aren't given good material).

Still early to tell perhaps...but any characters that seem "made up on the fly" (i.e. don't have a decent , or even ANY character arc)?

 

[broberfett]

They can even dishonestly sell the thing to personnel telling them that they are transferring their consciousness to a body in a distant alien spacecraft, but leave out that their body is being used while they are away. Only after their fun, R&R body starts to get a little fatter or maybe an STD do they realize that somebody has been using their body while they were away.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

How about this scenario: a person on the ship goes bonkers from the stress of being away from home, so they strap a grenade to their head, swap bodies with the stone, and then the bomb goes off, permanently leaving the person in their new Earth body.


Also, it's a matter of time before a group infiltrates the crew using the crew's own bodies. Mark my words

 

[QCzar]

Also, it's a matter of time before a group infiltrates the crew using the crew's own bodies. Mark my words

The only surprise here would be if they didn't do that.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

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.

OK, thanks. Didn't watch SG-1 much past 200.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

So correct me if I'm wrong, but this bodyswap method is the only way of communication, is that right? Characters can't actually dial out from this ship to an Earth gate? I suppose that would have to be the case, or else they have no show.

Is there *any* conceivable way the Destiny could possibly actually dial Earth?

 

[Kpnuts]

I quite like the idea actually. Opens up a huge amount of storytelling possibilities and the idea of them actually being alone and cut off from Earth was never that exciting or unique anyway.