SGU 103, Air Part 3 (Spoilers)

[Stofsk]

I'm not surprised by the BSG influence. It was a popular, critically acclaimed show and it is going to influence the genre. An stronger emphasis on characterization and realistic instead of technobabble problem solving is good.

Four seasons is hardly a success story.

Oh come on. Granted Battlestar had its problems, but calling it a failure because it lasted 4 years is hardly reasonable. For one thing, the writers always intended for it to be a limited story, I guess in a similar way to Babylon 5. Drawing it out indefinitely would have been the weaker way to go, and for better or worse RDM succeeded in telling his story from beginning, middle and end.

PS Four seasons is actually a good run for a sci-fi show. A lot of mainstream shows don't last beyond a couple of seasons.

[Bilbo]

Now, all that said, I'll grant that the 'leak' in Adrift makes no sense. But as to the other bit there; descending from orbit is a net energy gain (they're going down) taking off is not. Therefore running the shields and thrusters would be the only worries there. Liftoff (especially under fire from dozens of hives) is another matter entirely.

Both Ancient and Assgard hyperdrives have shown they can work in an atmosphere. This doesnt mean a hyperdrive works underwater, though it also doesnt mean it cant. It does mean that Atlantis wouldnt be exposed to more than a couple seconds worth of fire from the Wraith before jumping into hyperspace.

[Bilbo]

Has there been any scaling done on the Destiney? I am wondering if the ships is Atlantis sized, Ancient warship sized, Wraith Hiveship sized. Wondering if we will ever see more than a small percentage of the ship explored.

[NecronLord]

Both Ancient and Assgard hyperdrives have shown they can work in an atmosphere. This doesnt mean a hyperdrive works underwater, though it also doesnt mean it cant. It does mean that Atlantis wouldnt be exposed to more than a couple seconds worth of fire from the Wraith before jumping into hyperspace.

I don't even know what you're thinking this demonstrates. Morgan Le Fay makes it sound a lot like the Lanteans fleeing didn't expect the environment they went to to be that primitive. They'd have no reason to bring the city if they expected to find a developed friendly civilization, and every reason to let the Wraith think it was destroyed (as they presumably did).

On the matter of Destiny's size, I don't think she's very big: her shuttles are clearly visible in some shots.

[Bilbo]

Both Ancient and Assgard hyperdrives have shown they can work in an atmosphere. This doesnt mean a hyperdrive works underwater, though it also doesnt mean it cant. It does mean that Atlantis wouldnt be exposed to more than a couple seconds worth of fire from the Wraith before jumping into hyperspace.

I don't even know what you're thinking this demonstrates. Morgan Le Fay makes it sound a lot like the Lanteans fleeing didn't expect the environment they went to to be that primitive. They'd have no reason to bring the city if they expected to find a developed friendly civilization, and every reason to let the Wraith think it was destroyed (as they presumably did).

On the matter of Destiny's size, I don't think she's very big: her shuttles are clearly visible in some shots.

The Ancients made a huge assumption on what they would find on Earth. They left Atlantis behind when they could have brought her. They didnt even take Jumpers. Instead they walked through the gates really with less supplies than the Expedition brought with them to explore Atlantis.

Just seems to me that if you have to leave somewhere forever you take as much useful stuff as possible with you and Atlantis herself would rank pretty high up on that list.

As for the size issue. So we are talking not much larger than a Daedalus class or am I assuming small from that picture.

[NecronLord]

The Ancients made a huge assumption on what they would find on Earth. They left Atlantis behind when they could have brought her.

No reason to think that. We saw one group leave, but the evacuation orders had already begun.

They didnt even take Jumpers.

Correction, we didn't see them take any. But Janus at least had access to the tools to manufacture and upgrade one.

Instead they walked through the gates really with less supplies than the Expedition brought with them to explore Atlantis.

Just seems to me that if you have to leave somewhere forever you take as much useful stuff as possible with you and Atlantis herself would rank pretty high up on that list.

I always assumed that's why they never found any Lantean healing devices (Telchak device) weapons, or other light combat equipment on Atlantis.

As for the size issue. So we are talking not much larger than a Daedalus class or am I assuming small from that picture.

Could even be smaller. We can get an exact size for the interior of the shuttles from Joe Mallozi's blog, where he posted set-design blueprints here. But I'd rather wait a while and see if they're a consistant size.

Related, spoiler image: Spoiler

he also posted this, which is the communications and sensor console, labelled in english with tape. Interestingly they have a 'stealth mode' according to that.

[Bilbo]

Morgan's shock over how "primitive" Earth was says they did not really do much checking before retreating.

There was a full Jumper Bay in Atlantis when the Expedition got there. Why take some and not all of them? The fact that any were left behind is very odd to me. Were the Atlanteans planning to walk everywhere?

I kinda figured the TelChak was an experiment that didnt work or was invented much later by an Ancient back on Earth. Though your theory would explain why we never once saw the expdition raiding an Armory on Atlantis for sidearms.


Will be interesting if the ship is that small how long they play the "unknown" card on the ship. Also wonder when we are going to get a SG-1 Gateroom, Atlantis "Command center" on the new show. So far other than the window deck we have not really had a place that would work as a nerve center for everyone to be in when shit happens. The gate room is rather dark and empty.

[NecronLord]

Morgan's shock over how "primitive" Earth was says they did not really do much checking before retreating.

It suggests. It doesn't say. For all we know, Ra had most of them crucified, and that's what she meant by 'so primitive'

There was a full Jumper Bay in Atlantis when the Expedition got there. Why take some and not all of them?

And the secondary jumper bay was all but empty.

Will be interesting if the ship is that small how long they play the "unknown" card on the ship. Also wonder when we are going to get a SG-1 Gateroom, Atlantis "Command center" on the new show. So far other than the window deck we have not really had a place that would work as a nerve center for everyone to be in when shit happens. The gate room is rather dark and empty.

Possibly never on the SG gateroom. That standing set was supposedly disassembled recently I believe. The Atlantis one is still standing, and is currently the dominant gate on Earth.

[Bilbo]

That would explain why the SGC is suddenly operating out of the Pentagon in SGU. Timeframe wise was Earth ruled by Ra at the time the Atlanteans returned?

[Johonebesus]

That would explain why the SGC is suddenly operating out of the Pentagon in SGU. Timeframe wise was Earth ruled by Ra at the time the Atlanteans returned?

When Osiris escaped and took over Jackson's old flame, he and his scholarly rival both tracked her/him to a previously unexplored temple in Egypt. The rival was amazed, and admitted to Jackson that the temple was at least ten thousand years old, thus confirming Jackson's crazy theories. So the Goa'uld were active on Earth around the same time as the Atlanteans returned.

That's why it doesn't make much sense. They either would have come out in Antarctica or in the middle of Ra's base. Either destination would not have been very good. Surely they would have sent some probe to Earth first, especially since Antarctica was already frozen when they left. They should have expected the stargate to be buried by ice. If they arrived in Ra's base, why was there no mention of it? Aside from the two Ancient power sources, one ZPM and the "Eye of Ra," there was little indication of any direct interaction between Ra and the Atlanteans. Even if they were unprepared, with their technology couldn't they have put up a fight? If the primitive Egyptians could overthrow Ra, surely the more advanced Alterrans could have led the locals to freedom. If they were defeated, why didn't Ra take one as a host? Surely he would have noticed that these humans had psychic powers. How did any of them escape to give rise to the Latin language?

Ra did not really rule over the whole Earth, so it would seem that the base on the Nile was just a small outpost on an otherwise wild planet. About the only thing I can think of is that they arrived at a time that Ra was not present, and did overwhelm whatever local authority was left in place. However, instead of disabling the stargate and completely overthrowing Goa'uld authority, they decided to disperse and mingle with the locals, sort of like the stupid Colonials in NBSG. Perhaps they settled in the Black Sea basin, and were taken by surprise when the sea levels rose. The few survivors would have then made up the base of the Indo-European linguistic group, with perhaps another community being absorbed later to give rise to Latin.

[JME2]

That standing set was supposedly disassembled recently I believe.

Wasn't the Icarus gateroom just a redressed SGC? And I thought both the SG-1 and SGA sets were both still intact given MGM's desire to keep doing the DTV's.

[NecronLord]

If they arrived in Ra's base, why was there no mention of it? Aside from the two Ancient power sources, one ZPM and the "Eye of Ra," there was little indication of any direct interaction between Ra and the Atlanteans. Even if they were unprepared, with their technology couldn't they have put up a fight? If the primitive Egyptians could overthrow Ra,

In fairness, those primitive egyptians had stockpiled goa'uld weapons and assistance from at least one alien race the RPG describes as Asgard level in some respects (the fish guys from SG1 season one).

surely the more advanced Alterrans could have led the locals to freedom. If they were defeated, why didn't Ra take one as a host?

It would likely kill him. Goa'uld are normally spawned for a specific species or group of species (Hathor) while some can obviously make the change from Unas to human, Ancients have highly developed anti-freeze-laden bodies. It's likely their immune system would consume any goa'uld.

Surely he would have noticed that these humans had psychic powers. How did any of them escape to give rise to the Latin language?

That would be Janus, almost certainly. In Roman myth, Janus the god of time and portals founded a town on one of the hills of rome (the Janiculum) long before they moved there. Presumably he taught the local tribes his language. Somewhere I've been planning to do a fanfic along such lines that'd also feature Egeria.

[JME2]

That would be Janus, almost certainly. In Roman myth, Janus the god of time and portals founded a town on one of the hills of rome (the Janiculum) long before they moved there. Presumably he taught the local tribes his language. Somewhere I've been planning to do a fanfic along such lines that'd also feature Egeria.

Sounds like an interesting fanfic idea.