Why don't they shoot the Wraith in the heads?

[Mach5]

So there is no reason why the pilot episode of Atlantis would be different than any other episode.

No you're obviously missing MY point. After the Atlantis pilot, the rules have probably changed (just like they changed for SG1). The producers may have gotten slapped on the wrist by the SyFy brass, and headshots were banned from that point on.

Too bad, because every time I see humans engage the Wraith, I catch myself saying: "shoot him in the head, you moron!"

I bet Colonel Everett wished he listened to me...

 

[AJ86]

Not 100% sure on this but think it's 'illegal' to show a shot to the head in a TV show.

There's a bloody Wraith headshot in the first episode of Atlantis.

And there are naked boobs in the first episode of SG1, so what's your point?

SG-1 premièred on premium cable, so what's your point?

 

[spooky spice]

Not 100% sure on this but think it's 'illegal' to show a shot to the head in a TV show.

I doubt it's illegal

I put ' ' around illegal cos I didn't mean it was against the law illegal, but against some regulation within the industry

Don't know about tv in general, but I do know that the 1998 Sci-Fi Channel standards and practices forbade head shots. The producers in Sliders season five put a head shot scene into a script to see if Sci-Fi was even paying attention to their production (turns out they weren't).

see, there you go!

(oh and SGA has a 12 cert this side of the pond)

 

[Mach5]

SG-1 premièred on premium cable, so what's your point?

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=5208211#post5208211

 

[AJ86]

They allow severed heads and aliens bursting from bloody abdomens. Headshots are not banned, and if they were, the production team would already be aware.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Practically, shooting for the body is probably the safest and most ammo-efficient. When you're taking lots of fire, are you really going to stick your head out long enough and take the time to line up a head shot? Body shots may take more bullets for a kill, but the body is a much bigger target that you don't have to take as much time trying to line up a shot for.

Not 100% sure on this but think it's 'illegal' to show a shot to the head in a TV show.

Or at least a fatal shot to the head, a glancing blow that the victim survives after a haircut is acceptable.

There's probably not a lot of fans of it happening, but it does get done of TV. The two examples I can recall most recently seeing is NCIS and Jericho both killed major characters with shots to the head.

 

[MrJ]

Practically, shooting for the body is probably the safest and most ammo-efficient. When you're taking lots of fire, are you really going to stick your head out long enough and take the time to line up a head shot? Body shots may take more bullets for a kill, but the body is a much bigger target that you don't have to take as much time trying to line up a shot for.

I have to disagree with this. Even the most incompetent SGC "red shirt" is still a highly trained professional soldier, usually special forces. That is especially true of all the military members of the Atlantis expedition, who were supposed to be the best of the best, except for Shepard who only went because he could use Ancient technology. So every military member of the Stargate program could hit a Wraith in the head easily. I am not a special forces operator, though I have worked with them, and as I said before even us regular soldiers are trained to shoot in the head, and double tap.

 

[Morpheus 02]

i'm surpised no one has answered "becuase they're vampires, not zombies!"

 

[Mach5]

Two days ago I saw a S3 episode in which someone takes a wraith down with a headshot. Can't remember who, could have been Ronon.

 

[Star Wolf]

Practically, shooting for the body is probably the safest and most ammo-efficient. When you're taking lots of fire, are you really going to stick your head out long enough and take the time to line up a head shot? Body shots may take more bullets for a kill, but the body is a much bigger target that you don't have to take as much time trying to line up a shot for.

I have to disagree with this. Even the most incompetent SGC "red shirt" is still a highly trained professional soldier, usually special forces. That is especially true of all the military members of the Atlantis expedition, who were supposed to be the best of the best, except for Shepard who only went because he could use Ancient technology. So every military member of the Stargate program could hit a Wraith in the head easily. I am not a special forces operator, though I have worked with them, and as I said before even us regular soldiers are trained to shoot in the head, and double tap.

I agree especially after the pilot when multiple hits in the body didn't slow down a wraith. And at the ranges they engaged at the first order of business the next day for the sergeants would have been to instruct everybody to take head shots. Since a body shot was an effective miss. Sort of like shooting a tank's armor instead of the commander's head.