Stargate Atlantis 5x04 The Daedalous Variations

[Revy]

Here's a better pic of it, or at least a replica of it;



According to wikipedia, they used it because the War in Iraq at the time made it difficult to get hold of P90 cartridges. No idea if that's true or not. Do they even use the P90 in Iraq? I wouldn't have thought so.

[[R_H]]

Looks like a custom AR based gun. you can see the common AR features, the forward assist, brass deflector, 100 round betamag, forward vertical grip, looks like a railed free float handguard.

Other mods include no iron sights, maybe a 7.5" barrel barrel (which really reduces the effectiveness of 5.56 with regards to range). I dunno any particular brand for this gun, the closest I've seen would be the HK-416. But it doesn't look like one of those. Thats a weird stock too.

I'd say some movie props guy throwed together sometihng that looked cool without regards for effectiveness.

Is that an A2/A4 stock? Noveske Rifle Works and LWRC are two companies that offer 7.5"/8" M4s (both have rifles with that barrel length chambered in 5.56mm and 6.8mm), off the top of my head. I think Diemaco also has a 7.5" or 8" PDW M4. Regarding effectiveness, if it were chambered in 6.8mm it would be much more effective than if it were chambered in 5.56mm (6.8mm FMJ rounds fragment at lower velocities). That being said, they could have changed the powder the 5.56mm FMJ rounds used with something that burns a little faster to get more velocity out of the shorter barrel.

[[R_H]]

Here's a better pic of it, or at least a replica of it;

snip photo

According to wikipedia, they used it because the War in Iraq at the time made it difficult to get hold of P90 cartridges. No idea if that's true or not. Do they even use the P90 in Iraq? I wouldn't have thought so.

Very unlikely that they use the P90 in Iraq. Who would use it, the P90 isn't a widely sold weapon (20'000 weapons sold, according to Modern Firearms).

[His Divine Shadow]

Is that an A2/A4 stock?

Nah that stock looks like some of the weird shit they put on in states where evil features like pistol grips are not allowed. I dunno any gun that would have such a stock on purpose.

[[R_H]]

Is that an A2/A4 stock?

Nah that stock looks like some of the weird shit they put on in states where evil features like pistol grips are not allowed. I dunno any gun that would have such a stock on purpose.

Yeah, it just saw that it wasn't an A2/A4 stock when Revy posted that other picture of it. It's what they use in California, so that they don't have an evil pistol grip which will assault all the children...think of the children!

[JME2]

Interesting variation on the Flying Dutchman concept, but could have been executed better.

3/5

[Timotheus]

You think wrong. The P-90 was designed as a replacement for the MP-5 as an effective secondary weapon for vehicle crews to carry. It was also intended as a weapon to fire the new 5.7mm round which was intended to have superior effect against ligh body armor.

Man, it's been effective in replacing the MP5, hasn't it. Has the MP-5 ever been used as a PDW in vehicle crews? Look at the list of users of the P90, most of them are police units or special forces...they're not used as PDWs by vehicle crewers. From [ur=http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg13-e.htm]Modern Firearms[/url]

The FN P90 submachine gun (SMG) was developed in the late 1980s as a personal defense weapon for the troops whose primary activities does not include small arms, such as vehicle and tank crew members, artillery crews etc. Standard pistols and submachine guns chambered for pistol rounds were proved ineffective against enemy soldiers, wearing body armor; Therefore FN designers first developed a new round with enhanced penetration, initially known as SS90.

It has failed at that, which militaries use the P90 as an SMG for artillery crews, vehicle crews etc?

Most interesting fact about adoption of P90 is that so far it has been adopted for the role, directly opposite to its original niche of "personal defense weapon". In fact, most services and agencies that adopted P90 use it for offensive roles, as a specialist or even a primary weapon for various assault teams, and other "professional small-arms users", as opposed to military personnel which primary functions do not include use of small arms.

I said what it was designed to do. Not what is has started to do. Lots of bad press and rumor have really hurt the P90. Fears that the clip will pop out when dropped or that the ammo rotation mechanism will jam easily have really hurt the use of the weapon. The fact that neither of these is true is besides the point.

The P-90 is very accurate for its size because of its bullpup design and carries more ammo than a MP5. In every category other than popularity it is a superior weapon to the MP5. Obviously popularity is the most important category since the MP5 continues to be the more common choice. You do see P90's though used by the swat teams of yuppie towns with excess money and a desire for the newest toys. Towns that really have no need at all to possess a swat team.

It still is the best choice out there for its intended purpose. It has a better punch, more ammo, is ambidextrous, and was designed to be easier to use than any other weapon you would compare it to in this area. It also uses the same ammo as the 5n7 handgun which would allow a military that used it to cut out one item in their supply requisite.

[Chris OFarrell]

For the record RE Teyla and the Daedalus, she did NOT know how to do very much with it, she even more then once in the episode says to Sheppard 'I don't have a clue how to do that!' and he had to jump up and help her.

She also didn't tell McKay HOW to fix the sublight engines, all she did was cut power to his crystals when they started sparking, THEN suggest she could help out by running a diagnostic on the auxiliary systems. That is it.

And it sounds like Marks really did invite them to take some kind of formal 'crash course'. All Teyla did IIRC was look at sensor readouts and tell everyone what she saw, had McKay walk her through rerouting power to the shield systems over the radio, then run some diagnostic programs.

RE the P-90, it really is just the weapon SG1 took for a weird reason when going up against the Unas. Carter DID have her 'Carter Special' kitbash because the war in Iraq made 5.7 rounds very hard to get for some reason, so they had her take that weapon, then had Teal'c use Zats more and so on.

Combat teams at the SGC almost never use P-90's, SG3 almost always have M4's, often VERY heavily augmented with extended mags, grenade launchers, scopes, laser designators e.t.c. Not to mention big .50 cal sniper rifles, heavy shotguns and so on. We still also see MP5s.

In Atlantis, they were cut off from Earth for the first season, so to simplify logistics they all had P90's with a handful of M4's, M249's and some rocket launchers, though we've seen increasing numbers of M4's as time goes on.

Though in Season 9 and 10 of SG1, H&K made comebacks in more then a few episodes, with SG1 using MP7's, and Mitchell apparently falling in love with his G36 -which just looks frigen awesome BTW.

Really, the P-90 is a small, lightweight, compact weapon thats arguably a solid step up from the MP5.

Of course, none of this answers the question of WHY they are not using Zats as a secondary weapon. The writers have been asked that question more then once and they acknowledge that it would have made perfect sense for the initial expedition to carry them, given their absurd endurance and relative effectiveness, but they wanted to really keep the show separate from SG1.

[Timotheus]

Of course, none of this answers the question of WHY they are not using Zats as a secondary weapon. The writers have been asked that question more then once and they acknowledge that it would have made perfect sense for the initial expedition to carry them, given their absurd endurance and relative effectiveness, but they wanted to really keep the show separate from SG1.

Winners of the "stupidest answer given by a writer" award. Yep we want to make it so defnitely seperate we let them recontact Earth at the end of Season 1.

[[R_H]]

I said what it was designed to do. Not what is has started to do. Lots of bad press and rumor have really hurt the P90. Fears that the clip will pop out when dropped or that the ammo rotation mechanism will jam easily have really hurt the use of the weapon. The fact that neither of these is true is besides the point.

Don't you mean to say, that fact that FN says neither of those fears are problems is beside the point? The ammo rotation mechanism has to rotate the rounds 90 degrees, sounds like it just complicates the weapon (and makes it prone to ammo feeding related problems), in order to change the position of magazine from the butt to the top.

The P-90 is very accurate for its size because of its bullpup design and carries more ammo than a MP5.

How accurate is the P90? What size groups does it shot at 50yards or 100 yards? How accurate is the MP-5? What I do know, is that good quality M4s (assuming the use of quality ammunition) can shoot 1" groups or smaller at 100 yards with a barrel about as long as the P90's. How many rounds of 5.7mm are required to have the same effect as an MP-5 (say a 3 round burst?)?

In every category other than popularity it is a superior weapon to the MP5. Obviously popularity is the most important category since the MP5 continues to be the more common choice. You do see P90's though used by the swat teams of yuppie towns with excess money and a desire for the newest toys. Towns that really have no need at all to possess a swat team.

How is it superior to the MP-5? Why isn't the MP-5 being phased out in large numbers in order to be replaced by P90s? Popularity is the most important category for the selection of a weapon...are you fucking retarded? BTW, American SWAT teams are phasing out the MP-5...in favour of the M4, not the P90. I suppose your last two sentences are a concession that the P90 is a new, fun toy?

It still is the best choice out there for its intended purpose. It has a better punch, more ammo, is ambidextrous, and was designed to be easier to use than any other weapon you would compare it to in this area. It also uses the same ammo as the 5n7 handgun which would allow a military that used it to cut out one item in their supply requisite.

In exchange for common ammunition between the P90 and it's smaller, equally retarded relation, the current weapons would have to be phased out (which likely share the same calibre ammunition) in exchange for a family of weapons which aren't in widespread use, and which use more expensive ammuntion, until its produced en masse, in quantities like 5.56mm or 9x19mm. In the case of the US military, for example, the troops that would potentially carry PDWs are already using M4s. The P90, like pretty much every other PDW (other than the KAC or Magpul prototypes) are pieces of shit that are ballistically less effective than a carbine or rifle.

Lets recap. In order to reduce the one item from the inventory (SMG/pistol ammunition) - which is being phased out, except as a back up weapon (officers and medics are issued M4 or M16s, so they don't stand out)
- Two new weapons have to be introduced into the system
- The new ammunition for said weapons has to be introduced into the logistics system
- Factories to produce the magical-awesome-soft-body-armor-piercing rodent killing round have to be built, so that there's enough ammuntion to supply the now massive number of soldiers that these new weapons are being issued to. How many factories produce the AP 5.7mm round? In what volume? How long would it take to expand their production capacity in order to supply the now much larger ammunition demand? How about the production capabilities of the factories producing the pistol and the SMG? How long would it take to expand their production capacities to a suitable volumes.

You didn't solve a problem by introducing the 5.7mm round, you just created at least three more.

Many I direct your attention to the following page about 9mm armor piercing ammunition and PDWs: PDWs - Anthony G Williams

Perhaps the most interesting recent development has been the Russian adoption of the 9 x 19 round, just as NATO was searching for its replacement. In this case, the 9 x 19 is seen as significantly more effective than the long-established 9 x 18 Makarov (an attempt to boost the performance of the Makarov round up to NATO 9 x 19 levels with the 7N16 high-pressure loading was abandoned because of the danger of using this in older guns). The effectiveness of the new Russian 9 x 19 is significantly enhanced by the development of new loadings which combine the ability to pierce body armour with the benefits of a full-calibre bullet against unprotected personnel. It achieves this by means of a method of construction which is similar to that of Second World War APCR, HVAP and PzGr 40 anti-tank gun projectiles: the bullet has a hard sub-calibre core contained within an outer sleeve and separated from it by a polyethylene layer.

If the bullet strikes an unarmoured target, it holds together to produce a wide wound channel. On impact with armour, the sleeve is stripped away and the core penetrates alone. Two different loadings have been introduced: the 7N21 (5.3 g at 460 m/s for 560 J muzzle energy) and the 7N31 (4.2 g at 600 m/s for 756 J). The latter in particular is a very high-pressure loading which can only be used in particularly strong pistols. Not satisfied with improving the 9 x 19 in this way, the Russians have also introduced a longer 9 x 21 round for special forces weapons to achieve the same effect. The 7N29 AP loading fires a 6.7 g bullet at 410 m/s for 560 J, and will reportedly penetrate two 1.2 mm titanium plates plus 30 layers of Kevlar at 50 m. This Russian approach appears to provide the best of both worlds. The disadvantage is that high impact velocity is needed for this to work, so the bullets (especially in the 9 x 19) are relatively light to maximise the muzzle velocity. This does mean that they will lose velocity relatively quickly, limiting their effective range.

[phongn]

The Royal Thai Army tried using P90s for their MPs, but apparently found it rather suboptimal (the magazines were prone to spilling ammo if you dropped them, there is no bayonet and you can't use it as a club).

[[R_H]]

The Royal Thai Army tried using P90s for their MPs, but apparently found it rather suboptimal (the magazines were prone to spilling ammo if you dropped them, there is no bayonet and you can't use it as a club).

Another problem is that the 5.7mm round is anemic at wounding. About as effective as .22LR. The Level 3A body armour can be penetrated by 9x19mm ammunition, which is what the Russians use, while still being more effective against than what the P90 brings to the table.

I'll post some ballistic data about the 5.7x28mm round tomorrow.

[CaptJodan]

but they wanted to really keep the show separate from SG1.

Winners of the "stupidest answer given by a writer" award. Yep we want to make it so defnitely seperate we let them recontact Earth at the end of Season 1.

Yes, it makes such sense. By that logic, we shouldn't be seeing Asgard beam weapons on 304s going to Atlantis, because it was on SG-1. Hell, the Asgard shouldn't have been on the Daedalus in its first few appearances, as they were an SG-1 race (its not like his inclusion was actually necessary). There are countless crossover technologies they've made use of, not to mention whole reused plots. They're not fooling anyone if they think the lack of zats give the feeling of a clean break with SG-1.

Given that their attempt to make the two shows completely separate has COMPLETELY failed, they should just suck it up and ship over some zats. No ones buying it, and if this has been a question asked multiple times, then clearly it should be dealt with.

[Darksider]

Thought this was worth mentioning, but I didn't want to start a new thread. Gateworld reports that there won't be a mid-season break this year.

If the mysterious ISD-using aliens are going to show up again, they may do so sooner than expected.

[Anarchist Bunny]

Well, hopefully this is a sign that the new foes will not be an "OMG SUPERRACE WE HAVE NO HOPE" followed by a Dues Ex Machina. The one thing I liked about the Anchient Replicators was that they were not a invincible force until they weren't(Ori I'm looking at you). Had some technology superiority, but 304 were a match for them.

[[R_H]]

Here's some information about the terminal ballistics and wounding caused by 5.7x28mm ammunition.

Source

Letter responding to an article in American Rifleman (Jan 2000, p. 4) from Dr. Marvin Fackler:

"The article 'FN's FiveseveN System (No.v/Dec. 1999 p.40) seriously misrepresents the wounding capacity of the 31-gr. P90 bullet. Claiming it "produces a wound cavity that is similar to that of the 5.56 mm NATO ammunition is an absurd exaggeration. The 31-gr. P90 bullet has only half the weight of the M16A2 bullet - and its velocity is about 1000 f.p.s. less. [(The reference was intended to convey that it is an FMJ design, not that it has equal energy and wounding characteristics to the 5.56x45 mm cartridge. - The Eds)].

The amount of tissue disruption propduced by the P90 bullet is less than one-third of that produced by a well-designed expanding 9x19mm handgun bullet. And the P90 produces a temporary cavity of only about 8cm diameter - smaller than that of an expanding 9mm handgun bullet. Most of the P90's bullet's wounding potential is wasted in producing a temporary cavity that is too small to be a reliable wounding mechanism. The P90 bullet doesn't even come close to matching the wounding capacity of a well-designed, expanding 9mm handgun bullet.

The light recoil of the P90 should hardly come as a surprise: The momentum and kinetic energy of its bullets are only about half that of the .22 Hornet bullet. The P90 bullet's wounding potential is about equal to that of the .22 WMR bullet. The laws of physics cannot be denied - minimal recoil is inconsistent with maximal tissue disruption.

For the military, where any wound is often all that is required to cause an enemy soldier to leave the battlefield, perhaps this tiny P90 bullet is OK. Law enforcement officers are often faced with armed violent criminals at close range. In that scenario, a bullet capable of disrupting a significant amount of tissue is needed: One must incapacitate a criminal, a minor wound will not suffice. By no stretch of the imagination is the P90 bullet adequate for that task.

References for further reading in the Wound Ballistics Review are: Vol. 3, No. 3, 1998 (pp. 36-37) 'Corrections on the Wound Ballistics of the current FN P90 bullet'; Vol. 3, No. 1, 1997 (pp. 44-45) "more on the bizarre FN P90'; and Vol. 1., No. 1, 1991 (p. 46) 'Description of the first generation P90.' These may be obtained from the IWBA by calling (310) 640-6065, or its website at www.IWBA.com.

Marvin L. Fackler, MD, FACS,
President, Int'l Wound Ballistics Ass'n.

[(The 5.7 was designed primarily for a military and special operations role, not as a duty cartridge for typical law enforcement officers - The Eds)]

Forum post by Doctor Gary K. Roberts

Other than being able to perforate soft body armor, the 5.7 x 28 mm used in the FN P90, as well as the 4.6 x 30 mm fired from the HK MP7 cause wounds less incapacitating than those made by 9 mm FMJ fired from a pistol.

I have personally fired the 5.7 x 28 mm FN P-90; velocity, penetration, and tissue destruction is like a .17 Hornet--far less than we see with 75 gr TAP or 77 MK out of our M4’s. Winchester RA45T 230 gr JHP’s fired from our duty 1911’s crush more tissue and penetrate further than the 5.7 x 28 mm. Use of the 5.7 x 28 mm is a good way to ensure mission failure.

Several papers have described the incredibly poor terminal performance of projectiles fired by the FN P90.

--Dahlstrom D, Powley K, and Gordon C: “Wound Profile of the FN Cartridge (SS 190) Fired from the FN P90 Submachine Gun". Wound Ballistic Review. 4(3):21-26; Spring 2000.

--Fackler M: "Errors & Omissions", Wound Ballistic Review. 1(1):46; Winter 1991.

--Fackler M: "More on the Bizarre Fabrique National P-90", Wound Ballistic Review. 3(1):44-45; 1997.

--FBI Academy Firearms Training Unit. FBI Handgun Ammunition Tests 1989-1995. Quantico, U.S. Department of Justice--Federal Bureau of Investigation.

--Hayes C: “Personal Defense Weapons—Answer in Search of a Question”, Wound Ballistic Review. 5(1):30-36; Spring 2001.

--Roberts G: “Preliminary Evaluation of the Terminal Performance of the 5.7 x 28 mm 23 Grain FMJ Bullet Fired by the New FN P-90 , Using 10% Ordnance Gelatin as a Tissue Simulant”, AFTE Journal. 30(2):326-329, Spring 1998.

--Roberts G: “Terminal Performance of the 5.7 x 28 mm 31 Grain SS-190 FMJ Bullet Fired by the FN P-90 in 10% Ordnance Gelatin.”, AFTE Journal. In Press.

The early 5.7 x 28 mm 23 gr FMJ bullet fired by the FN P-90 had insufficient penetration for law enforcement and military use. The current 31 gr SS-190 FMJ bullet has nearly adequate penetration, but the wound resulting from this projectile has a relatively small permanent crush cavity, as well as an insignificant temporary stretch cavity. Although the 5.7 x 28 mm penetrates soft body armor, wounding potential is at best like a .22 LR or .22 Magnum. Even 9mm NATO FMJ makes a larger wound--and we are all aware of the awe inspiring incapacitation potential of M882 ball from the M9......

Numerous other projectiles commonly used for law enforcement and military special operations applications, such as a good 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP JHP, the better 5.56 x 45 mm BTHP/JSP loads, as well as 12 gauge shotgun slugs and 00 buckshot, all provide better penetration, crush more tissue, and have far greater potential to reliably physiologically incapacitate an aggressor than the 5.7 x 28 mm 31 gr SS-190 FMJ bullet fired by the FN P-90. Law enforcement agencies and military special operations units are strongly urged to avoid adoption of this weapon system.

[CaptJodan]

If the mysterious ISD-using aliens are going to show up again, they may do so sooner than expected.

I really don't see this ISD thing. Anything that has a point and has a very remotely looking tower at the back is now an ISD copy? I don't get that, and I certainly don't see the resemblance. An ISD looks 10 times meaner and actually far better overall.

Well, hopefully this is a sign that the new foes will not be an "OMG SUPERRACE WE HAVE NO HOPE" followed by a Dues Ex Machina. The one thing I liked about the Anchient Replicators was that they were not a invincible force until they weren't(Ori I'm looking at you). Had some technology superiority, but 304 were a match for them.

While I can't disagree with you that I don't want another super-race clone, that final battle with the Replicators is by far not the best example to pull out as to their vulnerability. The writers had them practically pulling their punches at every opportunity. Not a single drone fired, their shields were pitifully weak, and they weren't able to destroy a single Hive, something they had been achieving all throughout their campaign against the Wraith with ease after McKay reprogrammed them. If there sensors were as good as Atlantis', and I can't believe they aren't, they would have detected the incoming fleet and ambushed them when their shields were down (something that this episodes demonstrates is an impossibly small window, while other episodes have it on the order of several seconds). I'd almost call that battle a case of writers fiat (although anymore, what episode of Atlantis isn't?).

I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing the Wraith exterminated as we saw with the Goa'uld, only far sooner, assuming this new race is worth sticking with. A bit of complexity with our enemies would be nice. I wouldn't call Baal overly complex, per say, but he had character. He wasn't just a carbon-cutout enemy. He had a humorous side, he was a bit more pragmatic than his other Goa'uld brethren, and he was intelligent. Sadly, I feel that they are trying to make super-soldiers again, which is the same mistake they made with the Jaffa in the beginning, Anubis' super soldiers, and the Wraith, until all of these were dropped. Little character or purpose, just "ZOMG, I'm EVIL!"

I suppose they've tried that with Michael, but I'd much prefer with stick with Todd. He seems to be the Lord Yu of Atlantis at this point.

[Strider]

I suppose they've tried that with Michael, but I'd much prefer with stick with Todd. He seems to be the Lord Yu of Atlantis at this point.

I agree. From a perspective of making the Wraith a cooler foe (and making them not, you know, suck), Todd really needs to be taking a more proactive stance. If I got my wish, there would be a two-parter in a couple episodes where Todd plays Atlantis against Michael somehow, gets him and his lame Hybrids wiped out for good, maybe by some miracle gets the Daedalus destroyed or shot up in the process, and generally rallies at least a bit of what's left of the Wraith "menace" to some degree of competence. I forget, does Todd know the current location of Atlantis? I thought he did from "Be All My Sins Remember'd", but I don't know for sure.

[Revy]

I agree, I like Todd better than Michael. Michael is ok, but I hate the whole 'human/wraith hybrid' storyline they're using now. The Wraith are weak enough these days without making them even weaker and less distinctive already.

On the weapon front, I know it's only a video game, but when I play Rainbow Six Las Vegas, I actually do prefer to use an MP5 over a P90 or MP7 because it kills the enemy faster. With the other two SMG's I'm having to spray quite a few rounds to get them to go down, especially if I'm using a supressor. A lot of people tend to go for newer, shinier guns because the MP5 is your default starting gun, but it's surprisingly effective. The UMP45 is a great gun in 'Six as well, but only having 25 rounds does tend to kill it with lots of reloads.

[Revy]

Just saw this on Gateworld;

Regarding the new alien race: "It's unlikely we'll see them again this season."
(Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog>)

I could probably find the actual blog entry but I'm too lazy. Well, if that's true then so much for these new aliens, guess we're stuck with Michael and the Wraith for the rest of this season. All I can hope for is that the Wraith either get wiped out this season or something happens to make them much more formidable.

[[R_H]]

Is it just me, or were the aliens a lot tougher than the Wraith? Sheppard put about 15 to 20 rounds into it's shoulder (all the rounds appear to hit), it came towards him, Ronin shoots in in the back with his energy pistol, while Sheppard empties the rest of the magazine into it at close range (and pulls out his pistol, it collapses around 3 meters away from Sheppard (it's in the doorway, Sheppard in the hall). Compare that to episode 3, Sheppard shoots the Wraith four or five times with his pistol (after its hand gets lopped off), the Wraith goes down, doesn't seem lethaly wounded, but doesn't bother getting up again. While Ronin and the other Satedan (Tanin?) are having their lameass sword fight, he holds off the drones with his two pistols, but only 2 or 3 shots to the chest are all that's needed to put them down.

When Ronin and Sheppard are attacked by the rest of the aliens (were there 3 or 2?), the other one that's killed on screen is shot at by Ronin four times, with one visible hit to the chest (camera changes from filming Ronin to filming the alien). Sheppard empties his magazine at it, misses once, with about 3 visible hits to the chest (rest of Sheppard's shooting is with the camera solely filming him, not him and the alien). Ronin then clubs it in the side of its head with his pistol.

[General Zod]

Is it just me, or were the aliens a lot tougher than the Wraith?

Nope, they definitely came off as being much tougher. Aside from the physical confrontation, their ship surviving a direct hit from a beam-weapon was pretty telling as to their capabilities. Although I wouldn't be surprised if their "toughness" was the result of the suits/armor they were wearing.

[His Divine Shadow]

I suppose the beam attacks from the daedalus might not have been full powered either. It was in a pretty shitty state after all.

[[R_H]]

Is it just me, or were the aliens a lot tougher than the Wraith?

Nope, they definitely came off as being much tougher. Aside from the physical confrontation, their ship surviving a direct hit from a beam-weapon was pretty telling as to their capabilities. Although I wouldn't be surprised if their "toughness" was the result of the suits/armor they were wearing.

Physically they seem to be quite strong too. The alien caught Ronin's pistol arm as he was about to bring it up to fire, slammed him into both sides of the door jamb, slammed him into the wall twice (once the whole body, had him pinned and slammed Ronin's upper torso) and then tossed Ronin on to the floor. The alien was about Ronin's height (6'4") if not taller.

Regarding the Wraith, was their resilience to bullets less in episode 3 than in the rest of the seasons? Perhaps those particular Wraith, or the Wraith in general, haven't been able to feed enough to shrug off the effects of being shot multiple times.

[Timotheus]

Is it just me, or were the aliens a lot tougher than the Wraith?

Nope, they definitely came off as being much tougher. Aside from the physical confrontation, their ship surviving a direct hit from a beam-weapon was pretty telling as to their capabilities. Although I wouldn't be surprised if their "toughness" was the result of the suits/armor they were wearing.

Physically they seem to be quite strong too. The alien caught Ronin's pistol arm as he was about to bring it up to fire, slammed him into both sides of the door jamb, slammed him into the wall twice (once the whole body, had him pinned and slammed Ronin's upper torso) and then tossed Ronin on to the floor. The alien was about Ronin's height (6'4") if not taller.

Regarding the Wraith, was their resilience to bullets less in episode 3 than in the rest of the seasons? Perhaps those particular Wraith, or the Wraith in general, haven't been able to feed enough to shrug off the effects of being shot multiple times.

I was disapointed that Shep didnt take the chance to get himself his own cool ray gun.