SGA 4*17 "Midway" (Spoilers)

[[R_H]]

Did you pay attention to their face before they put the mask on? It looked as though they had no eyes whatsoever, or they were so tightly clenched as to look that way. The only explanation I can think of is the genetic engineering they use to make them super-buff compromises other aspects, such as sight and they haven't been able to properly work it out.

Yeah I noticed the apperant lack of eyes too. It looks like the drone still had eye sockets, but there was skin over it (perhaps a limitation of the makeup used). It's surprising that given many thousands of years, no work around was discovered.

[General Zod]

Yeah I noticed the apperant lack of eyes too. It looks like the drone still had eye sockets, but there was skin over it (perhaps a limitation of the makeup used). It's surprising that given many thousands of years, no work around was discovered.

The Ancient facilities they used to grow soldiers seemed to be disused since the war with the Ancients. Perhaps they simply lacked the ability to perform research due to the fact that they had no ZPMs. . . .or didn't see it as any significant drawback to bother tampering with their genetic structure further. Given the information we have it makes more sense to me than some type of mind control mask.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I actually had a thought as to WHY the Wraith were trying to get to the surface. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Wraith don't know WHERE in the MilkyWay Earth is. In the episode where they used the antivirus on a whole hive ship, we saw that a group of wraith focusing their psychic abilities can serve as a beacon call across interstellar distances. What if the wraith were only trying to get to the surface in order to, for all intents and purposes, 'send up a flare', so that a combined wraith Armada could start heading towards earth?

Just a thought.

[NecronLord]

I didn't really mind the lack of defences on Midway that much. While it's sheer incompetance, every other race has incompetance by the bucketload, it's about time the Tau'ri got caught being overconfident.

However, I think the wraith menace could have been bigger. Maybe some kind of biological agent they planned to release on the surface; to say, cause mass amnesia. That'd seriously disrupt human warmaking capability, and render them easy targets for a full-scale feeding frenzy.

Or to open the missile hatch (from interrogations of captured SGC personnel?) and send thousands and thousands of darts (from a hive ship in orbit over their base planet) up, in order to try and destroy earth's fleet when it was unprepared, and start harvesting.

Either way, the Wraith commando force needed a more effective plan demonstrated to the audience.

[PREDATOR490]

Or to open the missile hatch (from interrogations of captured SGC personnel?) and send thousands and thousands of darts (from a hive ship in orbit over their base planet) up, in order to try and destroy earth's fleet when it was unprepared, and start harvesting.

Ha... Expose the Stargate program in the series and have to totally shake the foundation of future episodes as we watch Earth disintegrate into fighting. I dont think the Stargate writers have the balls to try something like that. Wraith darts randomly sweeping up people over SGC is something you couldnt cover up at all without a major reset button.

Regardless, my own guess about this is that it was meant to cut off SGC from SGA. By doing that the Wraith can attack Atlantis without them being able to notify Stargate Command for supplies or escape. They still have the ZPM but by using it SGA uses power that would be required for defence of the city.
I expect the next episodes to be the Wraith coming back to take Atlantis is someway because if they are gunning to take them out they will have to do it before the bridge is rebuilt and / or their ships come to properly defend Atlantis.
That said, I find it extremely fucking stupid that after all these years they STILL havent figured out the idea to keep one of their ships on station around Atlantis. Especially given the Wraith KNOW where Atlantis is and this little incident should get them ready for another siege. I would choose to move Atlantis again but then incompetance is the hallmark of Stargate Atlantis.

[NecronLord]

Ha... Expose the Stargate program in the series and have to totally shake the foundation of future episodes as we watch Earth disintegrate into fighting. I dont think the Stargate writers have the balls to try something like that. Wraith darts randomly sweeping up people over SGC is something you couldnt cover up at all without a major reset button.

Err... The idea was that this would be the wraith's plan, not that they'd actually succeed.

I would choose to move Atlantis again but then incompetance is the hallmark of Stargate Atlantis.

<McKay> I dinnae have the power Keptain.

Admittedly, they might be able to move all three (perhaps only one) ZPMs back to Atlantis, but as we don't know the timeframe, the others might be in use still.

[Anarchist Bunny]

Huh I never thought of it, but maybe thats the difference between the Drone(buff "Jaffa" Wraith) and the unmasked leader wraith are. The Drones are the leftover clone masses from the Ancient War.

[JME2]

Admittedly, they might be able to move all three (perhaps only one) ZPMs back to Atlantis, but as we don't know the timeframe, the others might be in use still.

True; the status of the other two won't be known until Ark of Truth is released next month. Anyway, both theories mentioned by Predator1940 and Captain Chewbacca as for motivations behind the operation work.

[Gil Hamilton]

I didn't really mind the lack of defences on Midway that much. While it's sheer incompetance, every other race has incompetance by the bucketload, it's about time the Tau'ri got caught being overconfident.

I think what's jarring is that it is in stark contrast to what you see at places like SGC and SGA, even during that episode. I mean, even ONE guy with a machine gun set up, such as the ones they have at SGC, would have been enough to stop the Wraith from taking Midway. The lack of any sort of Midway defenses whatsoever just smells of a plot contrivance in order to make the story work. In other words, straight up bad writing since we KNOW the humans know better than that.

Either way, the Wraith commando force needed a more effective plan demonstrated to the audience.

Agreed. Their big plan seemed to be "Mill about for a while until Teal'c and Ronin find you and kick your ass". I mean, their entire strikeforce they sent to Earth lost to two guys. Any plan would have been good. Hell, if that thing we saw them carrying had during out to be a one time broadcast rig and their plan was to run it to the surface and set it off to give away Earth's position in the Milky Way, it would have COMPLETELY justified what we saw.

[CaptainChewbacca]

You know, if the wraith had had TWO of those stun grenade things, and used one on Midway, they would've been rather unstopable.

[Gil Hamilton]

You know, if the wraith had had TWO of those stun grenade things, and used one on Midway, they would've been rather unstopable.

That is another way to resolve the episode, though it would deprive them of having the Wraith menacing the dickhead Midway control staff.

[NecronLord]

I think what's jarring is that it is in stark contrast to what you see at places like SGC and SGA, even during that episode. I mean, even ONE guy with a machine gun set up, such as the ones they have at SGC, would have been enough to stop the Wraith from taking Midway. The lack of any sort of Midway defenses whatsoever just smells of a plot contrivance in order to make the story work. In other words, straight up bad writing since we KNOW the humans know better than that.

We're assuming that a base that's designed by McKay will be as secure and redundantly so as one designed by General West and his minions. Frankly, if races that have been in space for thousands of years can cock up and be impractical time and time again, I can forgive the Tau'ri doing it too; for once, plot contrivance weakness workes against the home side.

That said, forgive, not endorse. Some irises would have been good. Might have been fun to give the wraith the ability to burn through an iris in no time at all (thus giving us a reason to consider the Atlantis shield superior) for instance.

[Starglider]

That said, I find it extremely fucking stupid that after all these years they STILL havent figured out the idea to keep one of their ships on station around Atlantis.

It was understandable when they only had one 304, excusable when they only had two, but rather silly now that they have three. Presumably they got complacent after blowing up the replicators.

I would choose to move Atlantis again but then incompetance is the hallmark of Stargate Atlantis.

Last time they tried to move it the city took heavy damage and was nearly destroyed. If that shield goes down the whole thing depressurises. Under current conditions it'd be risky even if they had three ZPMs.

Might have been fun to give the wraith the ability to burn through an iris in no time at all (thus giving us a reason to consider the Atlantis shield superior) for instance.

They could've just cracked the GDO coding along with the bridge macro, no extra special effects required.

[NecronLord]

They could've just cracked the GDO coding along with the bridge macro, no extra special effects required.

Giving them that ability would be a problem, as Atlantis also has a GDO system in use, last we heard...