Why not finish Weir's storyline?

[Snowman37]

Why didn't the producers/writers have the guts to finish off Elizabeth Weir's storyline? I just read this article. Torri Higginson softly states that she believed the writers kept killing her off and bringing her back to draw in the Weir fans. Really, I think that's exactly what was going on. The writers knew how obsessive fans are, so they wanted to keep Weir open to spike ratings, or something. Perhaps the writers didn't want a repeat of Doctor Beckett? I liked what they did in the fourth season. For me, it only "Ghost in the Machine" was a letdown. Anyone think we'll eventually found out what happened behind the scenes?

[Mnikolic]

The writers hoped that they would be renewed for a 6th season, however, SGA was cancelled. I was also pissed when I saw "Ghosts in the Machine", because it wasn't Torri Higginson playing Elizabeth Wier, it was some actress that sort of tried to sound and act like her.

Here's a quote from another member's post on this board. It contains some info on what would happen to Wier in season 6 of Stargate Atlantis had it been renewed for another season:

From Joe Mallozzi's Blog:

GHOST IN THE MACHINE (505)
Another one of Carl Binder’s infernal “ghost” episodes! Have to hand it to him though. He was damn good at them.

This one was bittersweet for a host of reasons, the chiefest, of course, being the fact that it marked the final appearance of Elizabeth Weir (in new replicator form, mind you). The original ending was a little more open-ended but, once were unable to secure Torri for a return appearance, it was decided to rewrite the script and offer closure to that particular storyline. I often like to think that, if things had turned out differently – IF the show had been picked up for a sixth season and IF Torri had been amenable to a return appearance – we could have found a way to re-introduce the real Weir to the Stargate universe. In my mind, Oberoth’s claim to have killed the real Elizabeth was an obvious lie. Why dispose of such a valuable asset, someone with such intimate knowledge of Atlantis and the Stargate program? It’s more probable that Oberoth kept Elizabeth in stasis at a secret location – only to perish with that knowledge.

Somewhere out there in the Pegasus Galaxy, Elizabeth Weir is waiting to be rescued!

Photos:

The lovely Michelle Morgan as Fran.


Lots of firepower in this episode.


Heads up! (Photo @MGM Television)


(Photo @MGM Television)

In my mind, the following takes place:

Spoiler:

Elizabeth didn't really die, she's just trapped on another planet with barely having anyting to eat or drink. Her team goes back to the planet (or what's left of it), fight the remaining Asurans and instead of retreiving their freind's body, they end up saving her after nearly (or more than) two years. Of course, her mind and body have been both tomrented by the Asurans to the point where her well-being is brought under the question of weather she will get better and if she does, will she ever be the same? In the end, she's put into a rejuvenation chamber back on Atlantis... When she wakes up, she doesn't remember a thing of what happened since she was trapped by the Asurans and she's back to being as old as she was when she was trapped on their planet.

[Snowman37]

I doubt the sixth season Weir episode would have provided any more conclusion than "Ghost in the Machine" did. Didn't they say that episode would provide closure? When it aired, turned out it didn't. As for your idea, Weir is found, big fire fight, Weir gets magical ancient machine induced amnesia, and that's it? Come on... There should have simply been two or three Weir episodes in Season 5. Wrap it up instead of waiting until the audience doesn't care anymore. It comes off a bit silly to have all of these clones of Weir running around. I'd have liked to see the Asuran Weir revealed to be the real Weir. Find a reason to bring her and the other Asuran survivors back to help Atlantis fight the Wraith. In return, Atlantis will give them full access to build human bodies and transfer their consciousnesses. Better yet, why not send them to the sister city from "The Tower? Surely that city also has the equipment necessary for them to fulfill their goals. A third and final episode for the fifth season deals with the last of the Asurans, now human, ascending. This can close out the story of Weir and her Asuran group, or it can set up new story for Season 6.

It doesn't matter what story is told, and it doesn't matter who's critical of who's story. I just think that if they were going to wrap up the story, it should have been in Season 5.

[chrono trigger]

Once weir left atlantis it became obvious the writers had no idea where they were going with her story, they were just bringing her character back to shut her fans up. I would have prefered they never got rid of her in the first place but as they did i think it would have been better to write her a proper exit story in season 4 instead of dragging it out like they did but then the same thing happened with ford aswell.

[poundpuppy29]

I Hated Ghost In The Machine because no matter how many time I watch it that was not the real Elizabeth. What they did to the character Elizabeth was shameful

[The Flyattractor]

Yes. In the 6th season I heard that everybody that had ever diied would have come back and every one would ascend and they would all live happily ascended after!

[Mnikolic]

I doubt the sixth season Weir episode would have provided any more conclusion than "Ghost in the Machine" did. Didn't they say that episode would provide closure? When it aired, turned out it didn't. As for your idea, Weir is found, big fire fight, Weir gets magical ancient machine induced amnesia, and that's it? Come on... There should have simply been two or three Weir episodes in Season 5. Wrap it up instead of waiting until the audience doesn't care anymore. It comes off a bit silly to have all of these clones of Weir running around. I'd have liked to see the Asuran Weir revealed to be the real Weir. Find a reason to bring her and the other Asuran survivors back to help Atlantis fight the Wraith. In return, Atlantis will give them full access to build human bodies and transfer their consciousnesses. Better yet, why not send them to the sister city from "The Tower? Surely that city also has the equipment necessary for them to fulfill their goals. A third and final episode for the fifth season deals with the last of the Asurans, now human, ascending. This can close out the story of Weir and her Asuran group, or it can set up new story for Season 6.

It doesn't matter what story is told, and it doesn't matter who's critical of who's story. I just think that if they were going to wrap up the story, it should have been in Season 5.

Your idea isn't hlaf bad. It's actually better than mine, I must admit. And I agree about the finishing her story part.

I actually think that the writers made a terrible mistake by writing her off in the 4th season. She should've stayed the commander of the SGA expedition troughout almost SGA's entire run. They could've done that in a way by using your idea.
Like... have John feel guilty about deciding on leaving Elizabeth behind. Then a group of Asurans attacks Atlantis, captures the entire expedition, but John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronnon and Carson sneak out of the city somehow by using a cloaked p. jumper and race to the nearest Stargate available. Somewhere, the team could find and highjack a dmanaged and abandoned Wraith ship, on which Rodney would be able to bring online the gate systems. Half of the team would go back to Earth to get reinforcements (SG-1 anyone?) and half of the team would go to the Asuran planet to search for Elizabeth. This would work as a finale to season 4. Then we could have 3 (or maybe even 4) Wier episodes in season 5 with your story idea, including a full crossover between SG-1 and SGA. Then the rest of season 5 could feature some character-focused episodes, before the big finale, where and when the Wraith are defeated in a huge-ass battle and Atlantis is brought back to Earth.

[sueKay]

My least favourite TV Trope - http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PutOnABus

I get really pissed off they used it for Weir

Her 'death' however is mentioned in this trope - http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...erFoundTheBody

[AkureiDark]

Your idea isn't hlaf bad. It's actually better than mine, I must admit. And I agree about the finishing her story part.

I actually think that the writers made a terrible mistake by writing her off in the 4th season. She should've stayed the commander of the SGA expedition troughout almost SGA's entire run. They could've done that in a way by using your idea.
Like... have John feel guilty about deciding on leaving Elizabeth behind. Then a group of Asurans attacks Atlantis, captures the entire expedition, but John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronnon and Carson sneak out of the city somehow by using a cloaked p. jumper and race to the nearest Stargate available. Somewhere, the team could find and highjack a dmanaged and abandoned Wraith ship, on which Rodney would be able to bring online the gate systems. Half of the team would go back to Earth to get reinforcements (SG-1 anyone?) and half of the team would go to the Asuran planet to search for Elizabeth. This would work as a finale to season 4. Then we could have 3 (or maybe even 4) Wier episodes in season 5 with your story idea, including a full crossover between SG-1 and SGA. Then the rest of season 5 could feature some character-focused episodes, before the big finale, where and when the Wraith are defeated in a huge-ass battle and Atlantis is brought back to Earth.

i like this whole idea from the both of you. Better then what i was making up when i saw the last episodes from Weir. I agreed that ghost in the machine isn't a great episode when i see the 'fran' i need to think about how she was first in my eyes a little bit childlishe. The whole episode didn't fit with me. When i saw it for the first time i didn't know that Weir died but i know that Torri was playing her. So when they let play a other actress Weir it felt wrong from the first sec.

*stares at her writing* I have the feeling that i have a lot mistakes hope you get the point. ^^"

[Sparky She-Demon]

I have my own take on what happened with Weir. The IOA "rescued" her and did experiments on her nanites. When they were done, she was placed in Witness Protection.

[AkureiDark]

that could also. jeez you guys have great ideas. Mine was just that she was put in a stasispod by Orobeth and That they downlaod her memorys in the fran body. And that John, teyla, ronon and Rodney find her one a desserted planet. Because there is a ZPM what give the stasispod engery so to fly in one row (oke sounds better in dutch srry guys). Rodney find out what happend to her and John 'rescued' the fran body for the memory's. Oke kinda sucks what i had but thats my idea.

[Mnikolic]

Wait... wasn't Elizabeth's memory downloaded to the "fran" body? That means Rodney still had a copy of her memory somewhere... It's like downloading a file from the internet. You get a copy of the file from the website, but the file ends up being on both: on the website AND your computer's HDD. So they could've just found the body and then just re-downloaded her memories into her.

However, I still like my idea and Snowman's idea better. Because the whole thing could take place within the last 5 episodes of season 4 and the first 10 episodes of season 5. Then there would be a couple of character-based episodes for each of our main characters, then probably a couple of fillers and then a 2-part or perhaps even a 3-part finale episode.

[poundpuppy29]

If we ever get more SG in the future maybe they will finish it one way or another one can hope

[AkureiDark]

yeah thats true.

O well it was just a idea already told you it kinda sucks LOL

[Aesop]

One thing I didn't get in "Ghost in the Machine", was after the Asurans consciousnesses were transferred into their new bodies, why didn't the Weir replicator simply alter her form to that of Weir? I can't remember if this was ever addressed or not in the episode, did it have something to do with the "stripped down" nature of the replicator body that McKay had created earlier in "Be All My Sins Remember'd"?