Friday, January 09, 2009
Closing the Gate
Stargate: Atlantis finishes a five season run tonight with it's 100th and final episode. I'm sad to see this franchise go from SciFi's Friday lineup where it has been a staple for many years. Tonight Earth and the Atlantis team react to an attack by the Wraith, the evil life sucking villains of the far away Pegasus Galaxy. Thanks to the awesome CSI type Vegas episode last week that took place in a parallel universe, the wraith in our universe found the location of Earth. It is not clear how they will get there as they lack the Asgard inter-galactic hyperdrive technology. The season will end with some sort of cliff hanger which will be resolved in one of the two direct to DVD movies. I really like Atlantis. It took SG1 a few years to really get going. I thought Atlantis was great from the first season.
Stargate is not dead. In fact the set from SG1 still exists. They are still making direct to DVD movies. As long as those are making money I guess they will keep making them. Also there is a new series in development: Stargate: Universe which will begin this summer on SciFi. But that is going to be completely self contained with no cross over characters like Col. Carter and Maj. Davis on tonight's episode (pictured). I'll watch it and I'll like it.
Labels: Stargate: Atlantis
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Stargate: Atlantis Pays Homage to Boston Legal
Last night SGA had bottle episode. A bottle episode is one episode of the season that is produced for with the absolute minimal amount of money. Very few special effects, no special guest stars, and no location shoots. This is often done as a clip show. Most shows, I'm looking at you Star Trek, do them in lame or cheesy ways. For some reason Stargate: SG1 did them very well and now so does Stargate: Atlantis. The format for the clips this time was a trial of the Atlantis team for crimes against the people of the Pegasus Galaxy by a new coalition that has recently formed. Rarely do clip shows have significant character development, but this one did. Mr. Woosley, the current head of the Atlantis Expedition and the Emergency Medical Hologram, got to mount a defense for the Atlantis team. Not only did we get to see him use his high powered attorney roots, he also adeptly maneuvered the politics of this new council and Atlantis come out ahead in the end. We see now how the wormy civilian bureaucrat became the head of an intergalactic scientific and military expedition.And the end of the episode Mr. Woosley and Col. Shepard shared a glass of Scotch and a cigar on the balcony of the control tower and just like the end of every episode of the current best courtroom show, Boston Legal. And of course Mr. Woosley and Denny Crane each have origins in Star Trek so there are even more parallels. I give the episode high marks.
Labels: Boston Legal, Stargate: Atlantis
