The Stargate Franchise - A First Timer's Watchthrough

[Romulan_spy]

I have to say that revelation about the Wraiths being created as a cross between humans and the bugs makes me wonder if the Ancients are really all that "good". They mishandled Anubis, they can't interfere in corporeal life events, and they accidentally created the Wraiths. What good have they done, other than protect the city and maybe help Daniel ascend, even though that seemed to be all Olma's doing.

I think you have to differentiate between the Ancients before and after they ascended. Before they ascended, they were just technologically advanced humans. We idolize them because they were so technologically advanced but they were still human. And like all human civilizations, they did some great things and they also made some mistakes. Inventing the stargate, building Atlantis, seeding life in 2 galaxies are among their great achievements. But creating the Wraith was obviously a big mistake.

Now the ascended Ancients are governed by their rule of non-interference. Season 9 and 10 of SG1 will actually explain more about why they have a strict rule of non-interference so it will make a bit more sense even though Daniel does not agree with it for reasons that will become clear as well. But the rule of non-interference also means that they are not much use really since they will sit back and do nothing.

The ending makes me incredibly excited about the finale. The Wraith are coming, they know about Dr. Weir and they want another rich feeding source, Earth. I have a feeling the finale is going to be amazing, because this season has been incredible.

I think you will love the finale. It is super epic! Remember it is in 3 parts.

 

[tomalak301]

Now the ascended Ancients are governed by their rule of non-interference. Season 9 and 10 of SG1 will actually explain more about why they have a strict rule of non-interference so it will make a bit more sense even though Daniel does not agree with it for reasons that will become clear as well. But the rule of non-interference also means that they are not much use really since they will sit back and do nothing.

Yeah and in Threads we actually saw that. In fact one of the more chilling scenes was when Daniel was trying to get the other Ancients attention and they barely moved. That's why I was wondering if they were really good. Also thanks for clearing up the whole before ascension and after ascension thing. There is this attitude of Ancients being so much greater (worshiped as ancestors) that it is hard to forget that they were only human before.

 

[David cgc]

I have to say that revelation about the Wraiths being created as a cross between humans and the bugs makes me wonder if the Ancients are really all that "good". They mishandled Anubis, they can't interfere in corporeal life events, and they accidentally created the Wraiths. What good have they done, other than protect the city and maybe help Daniel ascend, even though that seemed to be all Olma's doing.

Well, the Ancients were around for a mind-boggling amount of time. I think they said the Antarctic DHD was 50 million years old, the Stargate itself is probably older (since it seems like the DHD was more of an upgrade than an integral part of the Stargate system, since the SGC can make a gate work in a totally different way), and the last of Lantean civilization didn't fall until 10,000 years ago. That means, just from the time the Antarctic DHD was built, probably around the time they were first constructing what would become Atlantis, to when they were finally defeated by the Wraith, the Ancient civilization went through the entire span of not just recorded history, but of homo sapiens's existence, more than a hundred and fifty times. That's the low-end estimate. It's probably just an archeological and historical convenience, not to mention vanity on the part of that latter-day Ancients, to consider them one civilization. The people who accidentally spilled human-juice on the Iratus Bug were as far from the people who invented the Stargate as we are from the dinosaurs. And they were also a civilization who could turn into energy beings at will, and this was a normal accomplishment for them, like getting a PhD or running a marathon. That's gotta have a weird effect on society.

What I'm saying is, the Lanteans were definitely in their resting-on-their-laurels, decadent, overconfident, and self-destructive phase as a civilization once they were established in Pegasus. It may well be the last noble thing they did was build the Dakara Superweapon to recreate life in the Milky Way after they fled, leaving it barren and desolate, and as the word "superweapon" suggests, it might've also been their first major ill-conceived boondoggle that would almost certainly cause more problems than it solved. It's unclear when the Ancients were tight with the Asgard, Nox, and Furlings, but it's entirely possible that the Asgard did not think highly of the Lanteans compared to how the Ancients used to be hundreds of thousands or millions of years earlier.

Spoiler

I'm having extreme difficult trying to segregate stuff we learned about ancient Ancient history in the Ori arc, later seasons of Atlantis, and SGU, but I'm pretty sure I didn't let anything slip.

Yeah and in Threads we actually saw that. In fact one of the more chilling scenes was when Daniel was trying to get the other Ancients attention and they barely moved. That's why I was wondering if they were really good. Also thanks for clearing up the whole before ascension and after ascension thing. There is this attitude of Ancients being so much greater (worshiped as ancestors) that it is hard to forget that they were only human before.

One interesting thing that Oma mentioned in the diner is that while some of the Others were Ancients, not all of them were. Maybe not even most. Hell, maybe not even Oma herself. The Ascended beings were a much bigger club than just the Ancients, though it's likely the Ancients were the ones who started it, at least in our corner of the universe. It's possible, likely even, that the Ancients that were still in human form were also frustrated by the fact that the ones who Ascended wouldn't help them with their problems. Some may have even refused to Ascend on principle, not wanting to abandon all the "little people" of our reality.

 

[DigificWriter]

How did I not know that Chloe Frazer is voiced by Claudia Black?

 

[Skywalker]

I'm realizing I'm getting close to the movies now and I actually got some funds to rent those movies on Itunes when I need to. According to the viewers guide I'm supposed to see Ark of Truth before Atlantis Season 4 and I think Continuum can be viewed any time. Then it's Universe and then Origins. When you think about it, this franchise is really expansive. It's a shame there isn't new Stargate on the horizon like we've seen with Star Trek, Star Wars, or the various Superhero shows.

When you get to Origins, check and see if your local public library has a subscription to a digital service called Hoopla Digital. Origins is available on there in its full movie form, rather than in the original separate webisodes. And it's free for you to access through your library (again, if they're subscribed to it). I haven't watched it yet, but from what I've heard it's not really worth spending money on.

If you don't have a library card yet, your library might be letting people set up digital-only accounts right now during the pandemic. You'd just have to get in contact with them to set it up, and then you should be good to go.

 

[Skywalker]

Sorry for the double post, but I just double-checked Hoopla and both The Ark of Truth and Continuum are on there, too. So, no need to rent either of those. And Stargate Infinity is apparently there too, if you ever want to check that out. I haven't heard good things, but...

 

[David cgc]

I'd strongly recommend against watching Origins. I watched it a few weeks ago for the first time, and I kind of wish I hadn't. It's fan-film level.

 

[tomalak301]

Sorry for the double post, but I just double-checked Hoopla and both The Ark of Truth and Continuum are on there, too. So, no need to rent either of those. And Stargate Infinity is apparently there too, if you ever want to check that out. I haven't heard good things, but...

I just checked Hoopla for my library and they are not there. I also just learned about Stargate Infinity maybe a week ago. It's an animated series apparently.

The Siege (SG: Atlantis)

Holy Crap. Talk about a fun way to spend a Friday Night at home in Quarentine.

That was 2 hours and 15 minutes of pure awesome. Every episode of this story built on the last, the promises of the season kept and delivered, and it put a wrap to (And started season 2) one of the best Sci Fi first seasons I think I have ever seen. They weren't lying when they were saying the Wraith were coming, and boy do they come in waves. This was jam packed with action, thrills, and it satisfied all the stories that first season gave us. I've spent a lot of this season complimenting the amazing visual effects and they delivered so much here. I was excited for these episodes, and my expectations were on the rise as we got closer to the Wraith bombardment. They were met and exceeded. I said for SG-1 yesterday about going big and delivering something epic? SG: Atlantis just did the same thing. Honestly I'm not sure which episode is better, Reckoning or The Seige. One series just started, the other series pretty much wrapped up. I think I might just give the edge to Reckoning because that was 8 seasons worth of story they wrapped up, but man it's incredibly close. Because this was such an epic trilogy, just some bullet points and then my thoughts on the rest of the season.

1) I can understand why you might want to see Moebius first, but I have to say you really don't need to. Atlantis fills you in on the ZPM and the Daedelus pretty well, even though to see how they got the ZPM, it's fun to watch.

2) Speaking of the Daedelus, holy cow what a ship that was. I have to say thinking about some of my favorite Sci Fi series with Space Battles like B5, DS9, Battlestar, Stargate has some epic space battles on it's own. The Daedelus is pretty big but can maneuver pretty well. Also, a ship with Rail guns is a lot nicer than a ship with phasers and torpedos, considering the limitations of the torpedo, IMO of course.

3) They cloaked the city. That entire scene was amazing having the nuke detonate in the atmosphere and while it was disepating you can see Atlantis decloaking. I mean I wonder what the budget is for a show like this because I can understand why they couldn't show the city cloaking. At least we got to see it reappear.

4) I started out hating Colonel Everett, but he came around as Part 2 went. Having him say he owed Weir a drink as a sign of respect was really nice

5) God I'm so glad I watched The Gift and Siege together. Teyla sending a message to the Wraith because of what we learned in the Gift was a really nice use of that storyline.

6) Speaking of Teyla, when you have episodes where the entire cast can do various things and you feel like everyone is getting equal screen time, you're doing something right. The fact that everyone in this cast had something huge to do was great.

7) Going back to the Daedelus again, nice to see Novak (The Hiccup officer) and the Asgard again. Also Agent Skinner is on Stargate Atlantis. That's amazing. (I'll let you figure out the reference )

8) Where the heck is Ford going. I was thinking maybe he is part Wraith now, but that's basically the only question I have in season 2 so far. There will be more (Like when does Aquaman appear) but so far the Ford thing is really interesting.

Well, I'm going to do the TL;DR version of my season recap because this is going pretty long. This season was fantastic. We got universe building, we got character development, there's some great one liners, and I'm actually starting to warm up to McKay. He's the only providing most of the one liners so that might be why. My other favorite characters so far include: Teyla, Sheppard (except for Letters from Pegasus), Beckett, and Zelenka.

Top 5 episodes in the first season:

The Siege
Rising
Before I Sleep
The Storm/Eye (This season was so epic I almost forgot about the midseason 2 part show)
The Gift

Well done to Stargate's first spin off series on a nearly flawless first season. I'm more than impressed.

 

[John Clark]

I've seen and heard her in quite a bit of stuff.
I've seen her in Pitch Black, Farscape, SG-1, The Dresden Files, NCIS, The Originals, and the Uncharted games, which I count because she did voice and mo-cap for a character who looks just like her.
I've heard her in Justice League: Doom, Rango, Rick & Morty, God of War, Dragon Age: Origin, and Mass Effect 2 & 3. Seeing that she voiced Cheetah in JL: Doom, kind of makes me want to see her do Wonder Woman's voice.

Yeah, I think I've seen/heard Ben Browder in about 9 separate things (Memphis Belle being the first), while Claudia Black being closer to 13 (Hercules possibly being the first )

 

[Romulan_spy]

Yeah and in Threads we actually saw that. In fact one of the more chilling scenes was when Daniel was trying to get the other Ancients attention and they barely moved. That's why I was wondering if they were really good.

Well taken as a whole, the entire ascended beings are probably not what we would consider "good" although like I said they have their reasons. But not all ascended beings are the same. There are some outliers. Oma is one of them. There are a few individual ascended beings that are not like the whole. You will have to wait to S10 and the SG1 movies to see what I mean.

 

[Farscape One]

[/QUOTE]

7) Going back to the Daedelus again, nice to see Novak (The Hiccup officer) and the Asgard again. Also Agent Skinner is on Stargate Atlantis. That's amazing. (I'll let you figure out the reference )

[/QUOTE]

Technically, he was Assistant Director Skinner.

(And Samuel Campbell. Figure out THAT reference.)

 

[bigdaddy]

Oh yeah the Daedelus. It's amazing that Earth can build a completely new designed ship without anyone knowing in all of 2.5 years since the last ship. I always find that amazing.

Also the cartoon series isn't cannon, I haven't even seen most of it.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I love the design of the Daedulus. It looks very Earth-like yet futuristic. It is worth noting that compared to Wraith ships, it is very small. The Daedulus is about 5-6 times smaller that a Wraith ship but it is equipped with superior Asgard shields which help it withstand a lot of punishment, it is also faster and more maneuverable than a Wraith ship which also gives it an advantage.

 

[tomalak301]

(And Samuel Campbell. Figure out THAT reference.)

Just so I'm clear, his name on the show is Steven Caldwell. Don't know who that Samuel Campbell is. And it's been a long time since I've seen X-Files, but yeah I should have given him his proper title.

 

[cylkoth]

David cgc said
What I'm saying is, the Lanteans were definitely in their resting-on-their-laurels, decadent, overconfident, and self-destructive phase as a civilization once they were established in Pegasus. It may well be the last noble thing they did was build the Dakara Superweapon to recreate life in the Milky Way after they fled, leaving it barren and desolate, and as the word "superweapon" suggests, it might've also been their first major ill-conceived boondoggle that would almost certainly cause more problems than it solved

That's a tad harsh I think. Remember, the Ancients nearly died from a plague created by their brethren. The Dakara Creation Device wasn 't conceived as a weapon. Once it was used to reseed the Milky Way (I've wondered if the plague also affected alien life-it was never openly mentioned if non humans existed in the MW beforehand) they then departed for Pegasus for a fresh start.
And I've never liked the "Ancients created the Wraith" line that was so often used. Their Pegasus equivalent of the Creation Device zapped a planet with some bugs that reacted differently to it than other animal/insect lifeforms that had to exist on most 'Class M' planets. It was a freak evolutionarily accident, not a deliberate act.

 

[Farscape One]

Just so I'm clear, his name on the show is Steven Caldwell. Don't know who that Samuel Campbell is. And it's been a long time since I've seen X-Files, but yeah I should have given him his proper title.

Samuel Campbell is a character related to the leads of a REALLY long running series. One of my personal favorite shows.

 

[John Clark]

Samuel Campbell is a character related to the leads of a REALLY long running series. One of my personal favorite shows.

Im still to watch past series nine of that particular show (One day I'll catch up) but I remember when he appeared and who his character actually was

 

[tomalak301]

Samuel Campbell is a character related to the leads of a REALLY long running series. One of my personal favorite shows.

I had to look it up and yeah I've never seen a single episode of that series. I can't believe it's still going on.

 

[Farscape One]

I can. It's an awesome show. They have a LOT of meta episodes. This is their final season, number 15. They'll end up with 327 episodes... damn close to the entire amount of STARGATE live shows COMBINED.

 

[JD]

Did they get a chance to film their finale before the pandemic shut things down?
He's also one of the villains on this season of Supergirl, but it's honestly probably been one of his less impressive roles so far.

Sorry for the double post, but I just double-checked Hoopla and both The Ark of Truth and Continuum are on there, too. So, no need to rent either of those. And Stargate Infinity is apparently there too, if you ever want to check that out. I haven't heard good things, but...

Just as an FYI, as far as I know Hoopla doesn't have any kind of TV or game system apps, so you can only watch stuff from there on a mobile device or computer.
As I'm writing this an episode of the original MacGyver is on where they're dealing with Egyptian mythology, and they are saying Ra's name Ray. I'm assuming this is a mistake on their part? Every other time I've ever heard his name they've said it Ra, like a cheer.