How was Carson Beckett cloned? (spoilers for "Sunday" & "The Kindred")

[Snowman37]

In "Sunday," Carson Beckett was killed by an exploding tumor. He returned as a clone a year later in "The Kindred, Parts 1 & 2." It was revealed that Michael had taken genetic material from Beckett in Season 3's "Misbegotten" to create a clone. OK... So, Carson was cloned; but how on Earth did his consciousness get cloned along with the body? Did I miss something? A clone is a glorified identical twin, cloning doesn't clone the mind.

[chrono trigger]

In "Sunday," Carson Beckett was killed by an exploding tumor. He returned as a clone a year later in "The Kindred, Parts 1 & 2." It was revealed that Michael had taken genetic material from Beckett in Season 3's "Misbegotten" to create a clone. OK... So, Carson was cloned; but how on Earth did his consciousness get cloned along with the body? Did I miss something? A clone is a glorified identical twin, cloning doesn't clone the mind.

better question is why on earth did the writers think it was a good way to bring back a character? especially considering he didnt even come back full time they should have left him dead rather than cop out.

[Snowman37]

He was brought back due to audience outcry. The writers killed off Carson for a dramatic episode and to shake up the cast, allowing for a new doctor to be written into the show. Unfortunately, it backfired. I didn't mind him being killed off, but an exploding tumor was really stupid. As for his return, since the show only touched upon time-travel in two episodes, I would have brought him back from an alternate future.

Imagine if "The Kindred" played out the same, but Beckett is from... the future! How can that be when he died a year ago? He's from a year or two into the future where Atlantis was lost with nearly all hands. He came back via SG-1's time-traveling Puddle Jumper. It can only travel long spans of time, so he went to the distant past, then they returned to the present a few years earlier than when he left. He returned some time in the third season and was eventually captured by Michael. His mission to save Atlantis may fail if he's never rescued. These changes to the timeline cause a ripple effect that ultimately leads to the death of his "present-day counterpart." After being a prisoner for nearly two years, he's finally rescued by Sheppard's team. Carson can now provide the critical information necessary to save Atlantis. Perhaps the rogue Asgard were responsible for the destruction of Atlantis (or how about capture and death of the expedition)? Anyway, that's when Carson could shine and save the day. He could still be left in a recurring role.

Granted, if that's too complicated, just go the alternate reality route.

[blueray]

i personally think a good way they could have brought carson back is having him be from a different demention. that way they still have the idea that he knows about michael's facilities without the convenience of him being a "clone". also they could have added a new element of that carson experiences being slightly different then everyone else. and the fact that his atlantis failed which is why he ended up in ours in the first place. and be a recurring character.

anyhow to the op. i think i read somewhere that michael used some wraith thing to copy his personality and memories (and the accent ).

[jelgate]

They should have never caved in to fan's whining and kept Beckett dead

[Snowman37]

i personally think a good way they could have brought carson back is having him be from a different demention. that way they still have the idea that he knows about michael's facilities without the convenience of him being a "clone". also they could have added a new element of that carson experiences being slightly different then everyone else. and the fact that his atlantis failed which is why he ended up in ours in the first place. and be a recurring character.

I quite like this. Time travel or alternate reality would have been the best way to bring him back. Cloning... eh... it just doesn't work for me.

anyhow to the op. i think i read somewhere that michael used some wraith thing to copy his personality and memories (and the accent ).

Supposedly, Michael got what he needed when he was alone with Beckett in 3-2 "Misbegotten." The problem is, Michael had no access to Wraith technology, just what Beckett had on hand. Cloning Beckett is good and all, but how did he copy Carson's consciousness?

[Perelandra]

I loved Carson, but I never liked the clone story either as I also wondered how he retained his memories/or conciousness, which was never explained that I can remember as to how Michael managed that.
I think the alternate timeline/dimension ideas described above would have been much better.

[magictrick]

I think we are supposed take for granted that Michael pretty much perfected the cloning technique. There were some details given I believe but I don't recall them. I didn't like how it all played out with the way they brought him back. Ideally, they should not have killed him off in the first place. But since they went that route they should have left things the way they were.

[maneth]

Well, at least the show writers were smart enough to make the rest of the cast seem amazed that the clone really has the original's memories, which of course wouldn't be the case in reality any more than identical twins share the same memories. Still, I would have preferred a Beckett from an alternate dimension as well. He could have been brought back by accident, then sent back to his own dimension to prevent Michael's experiments there after Whispers, rather than have him roam the Pegasus galaxy in "our" dimension.

[maxbo]

They should have never caved in to fan's whining and kept Beckett dead

They should never have used such poor excuses for killing him in the first place.

Instead of killing him to shake things up and make way for Keller, they should have had a well-thought out plan for Carson's death and then followed through by keeping him dead. IMO, if they had thought this out, they probably wouldn't have killed Carson in the first place. Because it's clear that, after the Kindred episodes, they had no idea what to do with him after they brought him back.

[Snowman37]

I think we are supposed take for granted that Michael pretty much perfected the cloning technique.

There's no way you can perfect cloning to the point where the person's consciousness is cloned with the body. To do so would require some kind of brain scan that would effectively copy everything in your brain that makes you... you. If we are to assume that Michael got his genetic material to clone Beckett in "Misbegotten," I can tell you that Michael did not have access to any brain-scanning equipment.

[magictrick]

There's no way you can perfect cloning to the point where the person's consciousness is cloned with the body. To do so would require some kind of brain scan that would effectively copy everything in your brain that makes you... you. If we are to assume that Michael got his genetic material to clone Beckett in "Misbegotten," I can tell you that Michael did not have access to any brain-scanning equipment.

Pretty much why they expected us to just accept it, despite not really explaining it in detail, and why a lot of people didn't like it.

The alternate universe Carson would have been the better choice I think. When they brought Dr. Fraser back for one episode in SG-1 they did it this way and it worked well.

[Arica15]

The clone storyline had panic measure written all over it. They messed up and they were looking for the easiest way out of it.

Now could a clone storyline have been good if written properly, well yes. Cloning is an excellent vehicle for discussing issues such as the human soul etc and would have been great character material had they actually done it. I have no problems with a clone of Carson storyline if it had been done with any thought, planning or intelligence, sadly it was not.

I personally like the alternate reality idea, perhaps have them encounter an alternate Atlantis under seige from the Wraith, where they can only save people who no longer have counterparts.......hell I would even have taken another ascension storyline........or my own personal preference would have been for them not to make such a mess of a perfectly good show in the first place!

[Skie]

There's no way you can perfect cloning to the point where the person's consciousness is cloned with the body. To do so would require some kind of brain scan that would effectively copy everything in your brain that makes you... you. If we are to assume that Michael got his genetic material to clone Beckett in "Misbegotten," I can tell you that Michael did not have access to any brain-scanning equipment.

Even more questioning is how you want to copy and implement memories such complex as humans. And don't forget Michael is originally wraith so not at all familiar with human brain physiology/neurology. Yes, the wraith cloned before but it seemed only drones and they hatch as adults, so they didn't need to copy memories. But of course Super-Michael can do all the tasks others, human and wraiths alike, failed. This whole clone story is just damn ridiculous. Should have never kill Beckett off.

[Hellraiser-89]

Michael is just that awesome