It's been a long time since I've enjoyed both SG1 and SGA so much on the same premiere night. This is the more character-oriented of the two, and gives new insight into the Wraith.
-The new black threads show up again, for the second time. I've concluded that these are the "alternate" uniforms that the team wears (like the black ones that SG-1 and few other teams wear), and not a permenant change. The difference here is that the black outfits (and the regular greys) are used both in the field and as regular dress - the SGC wears the black and green uniforms as field BDUs, and when on the base they wear the green or blue "comfort" outfits, with Teal'c or Carter occasionally stripping down to the tank tops underneath. Atlantis has no equivalent base wear, except for Weir's stylish black top from Lulu Lemon.
-Kolya grabs Shep with what looks like a taser, as it has wires popping out of it. But there's no zapping apparent?
-Chris Heyerdahl has been in almost every episode involving the Wraith this and last season, and this is his meatiest role yet. He's played the most charismatic of all Wraith so far with the possible exception of Michael. Here, he almost poetically justifies his kind's need to kill and feed.
-The Genii continue to be pretty interesting villains, despite being in a state of truce with the Expedition. Backstabbing seems to be a way of life for these guys... Kolya's return is very welcome, and his own charisma contrasts the "necessary" evil of the Wraith quite nicely.
-Boy, the Atlantis controller guy sure knows really quickly that the gate is opening off schedule - he shouts as much less than a second from the gate starting to spin up!
-We learn a LOT about the Wraith feeding process here - mostly that we still don't know much about it. Beckett DOES confirm for us however that the aging is not REAL aging, but a visual side effect caused by whatever the feeding process is.
-Most people who survive a feeding die anyway as a result of the process.
-Whatever it is, though, it causes the skin to wither (which is believable), and the hair to thin and fall out (same thing). What I DONT get is how reversing the process restores lost hair and looks.
-As such, I belive now that the energy-draining process is not necessarily tied directly to the aging process, at least not wholly. That it literally makes the victim look much NATURALLY older. might be an evolved process to terrorize or paralyze the victim.
-I think there's the possibility that it could have been ENGINEERED too, but that for me is a question to be answered hopefully in a couple seasons.
-The set where Shep and the Wraith were kept was pretty cool, and meshed well with the location shoot. The corridors and other rooms of the Genii safehouse are an often-used powerplant in Vancouver, previously seen in the franchise as the airbasewhere they were gonna let Cassandra explode in SG-1's first season.
-In any case, how ethical is it to allow a Wraith to live like that? It *has* to kill to survive. It *killed* people to escape - but so did Sheppard, and these guys were willing to kill them both anyway. So is that justifyable homicide for a Wraith? Is letting him escape abetting further crimes, if feeding is done in the name of survival?
Mark
[ August 28, 2006, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: Mark Nguyen ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
It was just a grappling hook thing, I thought.
Waiting three years before doing something interesting with your main villains is a curious creative choice.
A good episode.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
In a pinch, have they ever established whether a Wraith can suck energy from other mammals (e.g. rats , pigs, cows) or are they solely dependent on humans?
Posted by Chris (Member # 71) on :
Given that the Wraith are essentially Eratus bugs that sucked up too much human-juice, they might be solely dependant on humans. On the other hand, the Eratus bug must have had its own source of food before the Ancients came around, so it might be possible. But seeing as how the Wraith are rather large and need more food (in comparison to the bug), humans may be the only things that can give them any sustenance.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Plus, if they could eat something else, it would be difficult to imagine why they wouldn't. Even if it took much more biomass to do the job, the benefits of food that can't shoot you are hard to beat.
Posted by RLF (Member # 1396) on :
"The Defiant One" established that Wraith can feed on other Wraith in a pinch. There was also a scene where a Wraith appeared to be feeding on flying insects by grabbing them out of the air.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
I never thought he was feeding on those insects... Just that he was swatting and grabbing at the li'l annoying things.
Mark
Posted by Fulgrim (Member # 1906) on :
When I started watching this episode, I thought it was a repeat. Did anyone else get de ja vu? I'm sure there is a very similar scenario played out previously (team member captured, held in secret location, team sent to wrong place, ambush etc.).
Posted by Zipacna (Member # 1881) on :
quote:In a pinch, have they ever established whether a Wraith can suck energy from other mammals (e.g. rats , pigs, cows) or are they solely dependent on humans?
They most certainly can feed on other creature...it'd be illogical to assume they couldn't. Humans though, I'd guess, are like a T-bone or lobster to the Wraith...and the Wraith are very descriminate feeders, prefering their favourite foods. They just prefer eating some guy's brain with fava beans and a glass of cianti...or something like that.
Posted by Fulgrim (Member # 1906) on :
...plus humans seem to be literally everywhere and spread like plague. Easy food source! Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Indeed. How many cows have YOU seen in the SG-1 universe? NONE!
Mark
Posted by RLF (Member # 1396) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mark Nguyen: Indeed. How many cows have YOU seen in the SG-1 universe? NONE!
Mark
I suspect that we have the Asgard to thank for that. Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Zipacna:
quote:In a pinch, have they ever established whether a Wraith can suck energy from other mammals (e.g. rats , pigs, cows) or are they solely dependent on humans?
They most certainly can feed on other creature...it'd be illogical to assume they couldn't. Humans though, I'd guess, are like a T-bone or lobster to the Wraith...and the Wraith are very descriminate feeders, prefering their favourite foods.
I wonder if they get gout if they feed on too many rich or fatty people? Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I REALLY liked this episode. I too liked the prison set. I've mentioned this in a few threads - Stargate has the BEST sets out of nearly any show. Even once-off sets are really really good.
The wraith are becoming more and more complex. I like what they are doing. They are SORT of humanising them - but leaving them distinctly alien. I like that. Keep them distinctly alien but find some common ground from time to time. The problem in Trek a lot of the time you get an interesting alien race and two appearances later they are doing and behaving exactly like humans do. It's nice to show that 'different' peoples can have commonalities - but it would make it more interesting if they didn't just turn out to be carbon-copy humans. At least Vulcans always retained that sense of alien-ness.
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