Hubris the Atlantean Sin

[Steve_the_Wraith]

I'm sure we're all familiar with the myth of Atlantis about an ancient civilisation that attained incredible heights only to be destroyed by their Hubris (their pride and arrogance)


The Ancients in SG:A were surely guilty of this
They accidently creating the wraith (as theorised by Beckett in "The Gift"), but more than that they underestimated the Wraith at every turn.They their most powerful ships straight into a trap ("Before I Sleep") and this cost them the war. Their experiments in "Trinity" and "Hide and Seek".They settled a galaxy filling it with human life but when war came they were unprepared because they didn't think there was anyone capable of challenging them into a trap proved to be the ancients undoing. Their own arrogance and pride that they were the most advanced species cost them everything.


And now history seems to be repeating itself. The Atlantis teams own arogance and pride keep seeming to lead to trouble. Obvious examples like "Trinity" stand out, McKays belief that he can master a dangerous technology which results in the destruction of a solar system! But Ronon's killing of a supposed "traitor" smacks of the same arrogance too. Throughout season 1 the team were alone against an enemy so superior that there seemed very little hope.

Every encounter seemed life threatening any failure could mean destruction of the city and the expedition. A certain Bravado even arrogance was needed to keep fighting and the team were lucky that they even survived. But then in season two help arrived, they were no longer alone and now failure didn't mean destuction anymore. Alot of people complain that this took the tension out of the show but what it introduced was the possiblity for the team to fail, to fail badly and to have to live with it and be judged for it.

Throughout season 2 the team carried out questionable actions, the aformentioned "Trinity", the turning of "Michael" into a human (they told themselves they were helping him but they didn't not for his benefit but there own), their infighting in "Critical Mass", their arrogance in "Allies", are just some examples.

TPTB seem to devloped the theme throughout season 2, and I for one look forward to see where they're going with this

[aAnubiSs]

McKay is arrogant and prideful. The others can't hide behind this. The rest of them make stupid decisions. Sadly, if this were real life, Weir would be long gone IMO.

Zelenka is the best written char IMO

Weir makes bad decisions.
Teyla makes... nothing.
Ronan, same as Teyla.
McKay is arrogant and prideful, something he's hopefully working on.
Sheppard makes some really bad decisions. Just the fact that Teyla has to mention that they are allying themselves with the Wraith and that isn't a good plan makes me cringe.

[Blaminator]

<Snip>

You have too much time on your hands

[The Signal]

^troll!

I think it is TPTB sticking close to the actual mythologym, thank God Atlantis started when it did or that wouldnt have happened. At the end of the day, every advanced race falls dut to its arrogance, the Asgard, the Ancients, the Tollan, everyone.

[generaloneill]

I'm sure we're all familiar with the myth of Atlantis about an ancient civilisation that attained incredible heights only to be destroyed by their Hubris (their pride and arrogance)


The Ancients in SG:A were surely guilty of this
They accidently creating the wraith (as theorised by Beckett in "The Gift"), but more than that they underestimated the Wraith at every turn.They their most powerful ships straight into a trap ("Before I Sleep") and this cost them the war. Their experiments in "Trinity" and "Hide and Seek".They settled a galaxy filling it with human life but when war came they were unprepared because they didn't think there was anyone capable of challenging them into a trap proved to be the ancients undoing. Their own arrogance and pride that they were the most advanced species cost them everything.


And now history seems to be repeating itself. The Atlantis teams own arogance and pride keep seeming to lead to trouble. Obvious examples like "Trinity" stand out, McKays belief that he can master a dangerous technology which results in the destruction of a solar system! But Ronon's killing of a supposed "traitor" smacks of the same arrogance too. Throughout season 1 the team were alone against an enemy so superior that there seemed very little hope.

Every encounter seemed life threatening any failure could mean destruction of the city and the expedition. A certain Bravado even arrogance was needed to keep fighting and the team were lucky that they even survived. But then in season two help arrived, they were no longer alone and now failure didn't mean destuction anymore. Alot of people complain that this took the tension out of the show but what it introduced was the possiblity for the team to fail, to fail badly and to have to live with it and be judged for it.

Throughout season 2 the team carried out questionable actions, the aformentioned "Trinity", the turning of "Michael" into a human (they told themselves they were helping him but they didn't not for his benefit but there own), their infighting in "Critical Mass", their arrogance in "Allies", are just some examples.

TPTB seem to devloped the theme throughout season 2, and I for one look forward to see where they're going with this

i don't think that the actions you say the team carried out were questionable actions as you say they did the actions they carried out were necessary like weir telling ronon to torture that irritating scientist in critical mass was justified because they believed he was involved in planting the bomb in the city the infighting in that episode was also justified in my opinion because the team didn't know who was responsible for planting the bomb and started turning on each other rodney thought cadman was the bomber just because she is an explosive expert and that kavanaugh's unusual behaviour prior to and in this episode would make anyone suspicious. and at what point did any member of the team display arrogance in allies all they did was state that only 3 wraith be allowed on the base at all times and that they would be subjected to random and extensive searches if you recall near the end of season 1 zelenka said to weir we are at war, Elizabeth. In war, there are casualties. and in war difficult decisions have to made such as the decision to turn a wraith into a human and using torture when necessary it seems to me that you are biased against stargate atlantis and are determined to find something that you don't like about the main characters.