This is topic Stargate ATL�NTIS in forum General Sci-Fi at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.


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Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
 
Well I finally finished downloading - and WATCHING the 2 hour premier of Stargate Atlantis.

I loved it.

Very good.

Now I am eagerly awaiting the next episode.

The entire cast was good. Everything was great...

Can I just say once again Stargate production crew has EXCELLED at their sets. Seriously these guys make the best sets I have ever seen on TV, startrek included (apart from Ops and The Promenade on DS9).

All the way through SG1 the sets have been fantastic... especially the Goa'uld ship interiors and most DEFINATELY the Asgard vessels!!

Well, the Atlantis sets are also fantastic - everything looks great!

I downloaded quickly the opening credits (which aren't included in the 2hour pilot) I REALLY like them too... The music is great!

Thought I'd just share that.

Can't wait until episode 3 has finished downloading. Is it best to keep watching each Atlantis episode in conjunction with each season 8 SG1 episode? They are showing season 8 here in Australia now (There's a massive following here) and I thought I wouldn't watch the Atlantis pilot until I'd seen the first two episodes of Season 8 of SG1.

Andrew
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
Yay! Another convert!

It's not really ncessary to watch SG1 and SGA in parallel, but a couple of things DO cross over from one thing to another, and it was fun speculating how they did. Without spoiling too much, Asgard-human relations are affect both series to a degree, for example. The first batch of SGA episodes are more on exploration and universe development - a number of antagonists are introduced, and they play off each other and our heroes through the first season.

As I understand it, towards the end of the first season the actions of one group will most definitely start to affect the other, though again it will be in a way such that you don't HAVE to watch both series concurrently to have things make sense. However, once SG1 finishes its run, you can probably expect some crossover from both series.

Mark
 

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Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
YOu wrre'nt disapointed in the Wraith?
I sure was.


Bueatiful city design though.
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
I liked Steve.

But the Wraith, while certainly underwhelming, are not yet disappointing to me. I'm willing to believe that at the moment they're still in the process of waking up. Furthermore, I'm in the camp that surmises that the Wraith have become lazy and complacent after centuries without anyone worthwhile to fight; now that the Atlantis team are on the scene and with the city ultimately at their disposal, after a major victory or two things will likely escalate to the point that the Wraith are a true danger again. It's not unlike the situation with the Goa'uld - the Jaffa went from being a formidable cannon fodder to a rather weak opponent and potential fifth column resolution, with Anubis eventually introducing the Kull warriors who can't be turned.

Also, don't forget that Atlantis itself, and much of the technology in it, is MILLIONS of years old! It's hella powerful, to be sure; but even with upgrades and refits over the millenia I doubt it REALLY represents the pinnacle of Ancient technology when the population abandonned it. Atlantis is not a lemon, but it may be the grand ole Cadillac of what the Ancients came up with in their time.

Mark
 

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Posted by Alshrim Dax (Member # 258) on :
 
Well... for us Canadians - we don't get Atlantis here - on regular cable because you have be able to get the American station: Scifi channel .. which isn't included in regular cable. I'd have to pay my arm and a few toes to get it...

However, i managed to get a hold a downloadable copy.

I was absolutely blown away with how well made this show was for a spin-off...
Not even Star Trek did it right, when they spun out TNG - AND/OR Voyager...

The sets for SG:A are incredible.. the budget they have must be monumental!!

And let me say - that this latest installment of the Stargate franchise is going to succeed where Star Trek: Voyager failed miserably...

There are some paralells that one can pick out - such as.. both involve a crew of people that are lightyears from home - with no immediate way back to Earth... Only ST:A has a crew of characters that are functional and likeable... the token leader in both series is a woman (yay equality) -- on in SG:A - the leader is intelligent, fair and isn't in constant PMS mode!! Or God Mode (my way or no way, Jose)....(I guess that takes us back to likeable characters).

For ST fans.. this is a great cross of DS9 and Voyager - but in a format that actually works...

They made things in SG:A familiar - but new all at once...

There is a great feeling of 'Unknown' in this one - but you know they have all the tools to do what they need to do (dunno if i'm saying this right) ... i felt a great sense that "Sky's the limit" ...

My only beef was... If the Ancients had so much foresight that they led O'Neal to a power source that could drive away the Goa'Ould AND power their Stargate to lead to Atlantis... You'd figure they'd have the same foresight to have an operational SPARE powersource to power the Atlantis Stargate for a return trip to Earth or anywhere in the MilkyWay Galaxy... that was the only hole i saw... very minor detail that i simply chalked up to "It wasn't in the script".

I love the new series. Consider me won over too...
 

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Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
 
I think the idea was that the Ancients evacuated Atlantis and didn't want the Wraith to find it... They probably made a few trips to Earth and drained the ZPMs that were there. The city was in "power saver mode" when the team arrived, probably so that the Wraith would have a harder time finding it even if they did locate the correct planet.
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
I was under the impression that the Atlantis ZPMs were drained by time - being underwater for thousands of years and having that energy shield to protect you. The Ancients gated back home, possibly with the intent of coming back when they figured out a way of defeating the Wraith, and they all died out / ascended before they could.

Regarding the crew, I differentiate it in that the Atlantis team are a bunch of explorers who WANT to be millions of light years from home, rather than a bunch of scientists who didn't want to leave their neighborhood. Obviously the characterizations are different, but other than Lt. Ford being given a bit of the Kim/Mayweather treatment (which is a true shame, though we're only a half-season in), I'm enjoying this cast far more than I ever did Voyager.

You'd be surpirsed with how much the production team can do with so little. They're the same people who cut their teeth on series like "The Outer Limits", also filmed in Vancouver, which was known for often crafting whole alien worlds and complete spaceship sets for every episode, with few common set pieces between them (as an anothology series, few of the episodes had anything to do with the other). With Atlantis, while they were able to splurge on the big sets (which are STILL being built - just wait for the half-seson episode "The Storm"), the secondary sets are a marvel of economy while still making it look huge. In the Ancient outpost, for example, half of the "ice walls" were created by white curtains, tin foil and lighting, without having to resort to moulded rocks or plastic ice. They're kept FAR in the background or on moving shots, making the set look huge without selling limbs to do it. Many Vancouver productions are famous for doing so much on a fraction of the budget of a Hollywood show.

Just don't wiggle the Atlantis gate too strongly. Unlike the SG1 prop, it's not supported by the top or sides.

Mark
 

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Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
 
Then again, neither is the SG-1 offworld gate...

Something I just noticed: While watching "Lost City II" from Sci-Fi they have an ad for Atlantis in one of the commercial breaks that shows the Atlantis gate underwater, and the inner track is spinning. Maybe at that time they hadn't nailed down the dialing sequence?
 

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Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
Wouldn't surprise me. OTOH, they could have been looking to maintain the spiffy new dialling sequence as a surprise for the actual show.

Mark
 

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Posted by Wes (Member # 212) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Topher:
Then again, neither is the SG-1 offworld gate...

Something I just noticed: While watching "Lost City II" from Sci-Fi they have an ad for Atlantis in one of the commercial breaks that shows the Atlantis gate underwater, and the inner track is spinning. Maybe at that time they hadn't nailed down the dialing sequence?

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