Originally called a money-saving clip show, this couldn't be farther from the truth. While clips are used as additional material, the larger part of the show is an effects-heavy Wraith invasion of a whole planet! It also serves the SG universe's typical reason for the existence of clip shows, to recap the season and set things up before the finale. And that it does, with fine performances from everyone (including Ford), as well as a bunch of recurring characters.
- The main idea behind the episode is something McKay thought up back in "Home". With the proper reconfiguration, they don't NEED a ZPM to establish a wormhole home - just to maintain one. 1.3 seconds isn't enough to send any matter back, but a comm signal can make it with bandwidth to spare; just the essentials (mission and status reports, complete overview of the city, etc.) would take 0.3 seconds with McKay's whimsical compression techniques. So, they record some additional personal messages to add to their SOS.
- This is something that's been bugging me for a while... They apparently have two conference rooms, and for the life of me I can't figure out where the hell they are. Through the season, we've seen alternating episodes in a conference room with a large, black, trianguar table. Then, we see what seems to be the same set, but with seperate smaller tables that have tube jutting out from their fronts. I think this is the first time we see both in the same episode, though I believe previous to this they were always seen at the top of the stairs in the main room, opposite the ops centre. This time, we clearly see the black table in the chamber at the top of the stairs, but it wasn't the first one up there. In "Before I Sleep", it was the smaller tables, but one episode before that in "Sanctuary" (which clearly predates "Before I Sleep"), the black table is back up there! Is someone randomly changing the tables back and forth when we're not looking?
-We FINALLY see the Wraith fleet up close, and MAN is it impressive. Hive ships, while not necessarily as big as a Ha'tak, are at least as menacing. Imagine a Dominion battleship squished down to look much sleeker, with tons of lights and windows. Each Hive Ship is escorted by several smaller ships (Shep calls them cruisers later) along with the same look (and a little USS Dauntless mixed in), in a carrier battle group sort of mentality. Darts are apparently deployed from both. When they exit hyperspace against the darkside of the planet they were culling, it looked pretty overwhelming.
-The hyperspace VFX used by the Wraith is different from what we're used to: prior to emergence, a distorted, multicoloured blob first appears. Zelenka suggests that they either don't have the same mastery over FTL travel as we do back home (and are dong a hopscotch route to Atlantis), or more likely the fleet is taking periodic stops to pick up some takeout as they go along.
***
Carson: What shall I say? Aiden: (shrugs) Uh... "I miss you", "I wish you were here"..? Carson: I wish who was here? Aiden: I dunno - who do you wish was here? Carson: Nobody! I wish *I* wasn't bloody here!!
***
- I'm really surprised that they filmed so many messages from so many different secondary characters, including Zelenka, Beckett, Bates, Cavanaugh, and the cute nerdy lab assistant we've never seen before. All were different, and all served to illustrate just how dire things are around here, and how diverse a group of people are in the expedition.
- Cavanaugh's message was to O'Neill, and he spent the whole time whining about how Weir is such an incompetant leader. This followup to his previous appearance in "Thirty-Eight Minutes" is sure to have repercussions down the line, perhaps even in the next couple episodes.
- Okay, so what WAS that wierd beam Sheppard went out to see? It wasn't moving and the Wraith weren't attacking it, so it figures they were involved. Perhaps a transport beam into which the Darts could empty their morsels?
-In the history of sci-fi crossover cameos, this has got to be one of the shortest. Carter only says one word - Atlantis - and we fade to black. Nice.
Mark
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Additional - I've just noticed that the Hive ships each CARRY three of the cruisers attached to their nose and wingtips. I thought the wings had nacelles, but they were whole other ships, that detached following exit from hyperspace. I guess this means that the cruisers probably can't go FTL by themselves. It just looks really cool.
Mark
Posted by DoughBoy05 (Member # 1417) on :
I loved the little " we regret to inform you's" I just love it when they actually recognize those "red shirts"
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"In the history of sci-fi crossover cameos, this has got to be one of the shortest. Carter only says one word - Atlantis - and we fade to black. Nice."
Especially funny since Walter got to say multiple whole sentences in that scene.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
OK I have both SG1 and SGA up till current episodes - but I've only just now gotten a chance to start watching them. First on the Agenda - "Letters from Pegasus". My sentiments pretty much echo those of Mark's.
Can I say I LOVED THIS EPISODE!! It was really good.
What WAS that beam... for a moment there I thought they may have had a zed pee em.
The people crying and screaming and the insessant noise of the Wraith Darts was very unnerving. Top marks to the sound guys on the show.
That's the funny thing about Stargate - It's the 'technical things' that you usually take for granted made just so much better in these two shows. Originally for me it was the Sets in SG1 - I mean even 'sets of the week' are fantastic! I realised this watching the finale of season 1 - way back when. Then subsequent episodes like the corridors and sets on Asgard ships etc.
Atlantis has been great - and I LOVED seeing a fleeting glimse of SGC! I don't know - has SG1 been as GOOD as previous seasons in season 8? I think SGA might have been just really really good and showed it's sister show up a little? No? Anyway I love both shows - and for a 'clip show' - "Messages from Pegasus" was great.
Doctor Beckett was again fantastic. And I agree that lab tech chick was a CUTIE! LOL when Rodney spat something out and asked her if there was ?lemon? in it. And she giving an emphatic 'no'! I wonder if he'll ever pick up on her keenness for him - he's not too quick in that department - and besides, he likes blondes with short hair. I guess he wouldn't have like the Carter's from 'mirror universes' that we've seen - with the long hair and everything! Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"What WAS that beam..."
Apparently, it's some kind of marker beacon. A spotlight that says "Eat at Wraith Joe's".
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Now watch Joe be the name of a Wraith they capture. Just watch.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I wonder if he'll ever pick up on her keenness for him - he's not too quick in that department - and besides, he likes blondes with short hair. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)