Reasons why a newbie should bother with Atlantis

[NG.1]

Hi there

First of all I'm from South Africa and every since Sci-Fi Channel got cancelled over here I have serious doubts as to whether I will ever get to see Atlantis on local TV.

After all we only got to see SG1 up to third series and then a thousand and one repeats. The result was that I had to buy the rest of the seasons from Brittian.

Now I must be honest and say that so far I'm not really that excited about the prospect of Atlantis.

What I need to know from all the lucky (or not?) ones that got to see the new branch series is whether there is any reason for me to purchase it when the first DVD comes out sometimes at the end of this year/beginning of next year - or something in that line.

How's the action in the series?
What's the special effects like?
How's is the character development being handled in the series? Can you daydream and write fanfiction about Atlantis' lead characters?
Who is your favorite character and why?
Is there any potential for shipperness in the story and if that is the case between which pairs?
Also what interesting stuff happened that made you go, "Wow...that is so cool!"

Please remember that I have never seen a single episode of this series and as such is clueless as to who is who, therefore any explanation from anybody will be greatly appreciated.

People: I need to get excited about Atlantis otherwise I'm just not going to bother with it!!!!

[ibwolf]

Most of this has been discussed here and there on this MB.

Personally I've enjoyed the series, and would say that it is very likely that I'll buy the DVDs once a season set comes out.

The action has been decent and the special effects are about on par with SG-1 as far as I can tell.

It's still a bit early to judge the character development, but right now some of the characters have begun filling out, while others (Ford and Teyla in particular) are still quite flat.

I see a lot of potential, but whether or not it is realized remains to be seen.

Favorite character right now is McKay, simply because he stands out and is generally fun to watch. Dr. Beckett would be second for similar reasons.

As for 'ship. There is potential if you want there to be. There hasn't been any ship as such on the show though.

As for a 'wow' moment. Well that would be spoiling the premier abit

Spoiler:

I'd say the scene where Atlanis rises from the bottom of the sea qualifies for me

I know it's not exactly politically correct to suggest this, but have you considered downloading the pilot in order to judge the series. If you like it you can buy the DVDs, if not then ... well I guess you can just forget it ...

[ShadowMaat]

I thought Atlantis sounded like it was gonna be utter garbage, but I've ended up liking it even more than the current season of SG-1. Of course, a large part of that has to do with my utter adoration of Dr. McKay.

Still, I'd have to say if the fact that it's Stargate "but different" isn't enough to draw even your remote interest, if you're inclined to skip it anyway because it doesn't interest you and if you're going to start off thinking negatively about it, there's a chance that you'll wind up not liking it because of that.

I'd go with Wolf. Download the pilot, see if it's enough, and if it is, well, good on you. If it isn't, then don't bother with the DVDs.

[Mio]

As for a 'wow' moment. Well that would be spoiling the premier abit

Spoiler:

I'd say the scene where Atlanis rises from the bottom of the sea qualifies for me

I agree. everything was well played out for that.

Spoiler:

The CG was good, the music was right, and the lights flickering, etc. It was all good.

[Wallpaperman]

What I can say to convince you is that show is one of the best sci-fi shows ever, and I'm a big fan of SF, I think, my 3 favourite shows are babylon 5 , Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis.
Characters are fun but serious enough, and the most important: friendly and we are happy on each episodes to see them again. I think it's the beginning of a new cool team like SG-1.
The special effects are impressive, especially the city of Atlantis, it's really an high-tech feeling, more than in SG-1 because they're everytime in a sci-fi city.
Stories are similar to the first season of SG-1, it's normal on the beginning of a show, the main story has to grow slowly and the evil wraith are very scary !
They have big charisma.
If I had to suggest one thing: when the DVD will be released: buy them directly !!! (but first: watch the seven seasons of SG-1 and the first episode of season 8).

[Ugly Pig]

People: I need to get excited about Atlantis otherwise I'm just not going to bother with it!!!!

Watch SG-1 up to and including 'New Order' (the first two eps of season 8) first. Then you can check out Atlantis in its proper context in the Stargate universe. Watch the pilot, and then decide for yourself if you like it enough to continue.

But if you want my personal opinion - yeah, it's great. It has everything that made SG-1 so good. Likeable characters, adventure, spectacular special effects (I mean, really spectacular!) and a plot worth following.

[Taonas]

Well... My friend (who is a newbie to stargate) came with me, my dad, and my brother to watch the Atlantis premier. Some of the things he said were that the special effects were amazing, humor was great, action was great, he didn't like the wraith that much (I personally love them).

Anyway, Stargate: Atlantis (much like SG-1) has much to offer everyone.

[Major Fischer]

I think it's worth the trouble, but I wouldn't presume to tell you that you will like it. The effects and action have been great, and though some characters still lack developement I think it's far better (and more consistant) than SG1 was in it's first 10 episodes.

[Ugly Pig]

The effects and action have been great, and though some characters still lack developement I think it's far better (and more consistant) than SG1 was in it's first 10 episodes.

Agreed 100%. Compared to the first ten episodes of Atlantis, the first ten episodes of SG-1 were actually rather poor. Given time, Atlantis could become an incredibly kick-ass show. Actually, that's not far from how I would describe it as being right now!