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    FAN REVIEWS: The Pegasus Project

    Visit the Episode Guide
    STARGATE SG-1 - SEASON TEN
    EPISODE NUMBER - 1003

    SG-1 visits Atlantis in the hopes of preventing the Ori from sending more ships through the Supergate, and to find a new lead on Merlin's anti-Ori weapon.

    VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>



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    Last edited by GateWorld; 06 February 2021, 09:13 PM.

    #2
    The Best of Both Shows
    I love this episode. “The Pegasus Project” directed by Will Waring, most notably director of Season 5’s “Meridian”, and written by Brad Wright is an episode that has SG1 visiting Atlantis, black holes, Gates, giant Gates, a Wraith ship, an Ori ship and Carter and McKay together again

    I savored the teaser where the SG1 team, mostly Daniel Jackson finally gets to enjoy a first view of Atlantis from the Odyssey’s Bridge. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the wonderful moment (and presumably Dr. Jackson’s) was marred by excessive talking, mostly by Vala.

    I relished the scenes between McKay and Carter, especially when he brought up the, uh, hallucination (“Grace Under Pressure”). McKay came across as especially obnoxious in the episode, but I’ll put it down to his wanting to show off for Carter. It was worth it when Mitchell stepped forcefully between Carter and McKay when McKay was about to say “I find your recklessness sooo sexy.” McKay was smart enough not to finish the last word. Mitchell’s intervention didn’t come off as condescending to Colonel Carter because nothing was actually said and Carter ignored them both and got to work. As usual, Amanda Tapping and David Hewlett are wonderful in their scenes together and Ben Browder worked flawlessly with both of them. I’m sensing a significant rewrite of the Mitchell character to make him more of a leader and less of a cut-up.

    The secondary plot had Daniel and Vala on Atlantis researching the database for information on a weapon created by Merlin. These scenes were more interesting than I expected because of Morgan La Fey’s surprise, but I have to say I was once again annoyed by Vala’s constant chatter. Isn’t Vala supposed to be in training? Sarah Strange, her real name, playing Morgan La Fey was dignified, impressive and strikingly beautiful as appropriate for the Morgan Le Fey of legend. Michael Shanks had a very nice speech that he performed passionately, in classic Daniel Jackson style, when he realized that he was being manipulated by Le Fay. In this scene, I did notice the similarity between the arc to find Merlin’s weapon and Season 7’s search for the Lost City.

    The Atlantis and SG1casts were fine in their first major crossover, notably Torri Higginson as Weir in the La Fey scenes and Joe Flanigan in the amusing lemon scene with Ben Browder and Amanda Tapping. The casts mingled so well together, it didn’t occur to me until later that this was the first time several of them had acted together in the Stargate franchise. Christopher Judge also performed capably in his lonely ship scenes by the supergate.

    The episode’s science was very interesting, if a bit confusing. The special effects and just plain effects were impressive, from the black hole accretion disc to the weird voice distortions caused by time dilation. I also was impressed by Teal’c’s scenes evading the Ori ship. And I always love the battle scenes on the Odyssey.

    Finally, I had a laugh at my sense of disorientation after the teaser, when I expected to hear the “Atlantis” theme and I heard David Arnold’s “Stargate” theme music. I actually forgot which show I was watching! It wasn’t a bad thing in this case, but I wonder at the confusion it caused on the set and in editing room.

    This was a well done episode, written for fun and directed carefully. It was obvious that the actors were enjoying themselves. I enjoyed myself too, and if I didn’t understand how sending bombs through a stargate via a black hole to a supergate was supposed to create a passage to Atlantis and destroy the Ori’s passage…it gives me an excuse to watch the episode again.

    ***

    Some trivia: Will Waring acted as camera operator on David Hewlett’s movie, “A Dog’s Breakfast” and 2003’s “Elf” as well as T.V. shows “X-Files” and “Stargate SG1”. Sarah Strange appeared in the movie “White Noise” and T.V. shows “Dark Angel” and “X-Files”.

    Bonnie Arbuthnot
    Hatshepsut, Queen Pharaoh

    Comment


      #3
      Review of “The Pegasus Project”
      By: Rarocks24

      The Pegasus Project was one of those few episodes that illustrate the true capabilities of the Stargate Series writing staff. There was plenty of character development, revelations, and to some extent, humor in this episode as well. This episode had possessed something Morpheus and Misbegotten lacked, and that was consistency. The serious nature of the episode, and the interaction between the Atlantis characters and SG1 characters were critical keys in making this episode as incredible as it was. It showed great comradeship, and some amusing, and highly edge of your seat, scenes that merely made this episode the icing on the cake.
      We did finally get a resolution to what happened in Season 9’s Off the Grid. I found it slightly amusing that they just launched it out of the fighter bay. I did get to see the large mess area aboard the Odyssey, it’s much larger than the Prometheus’s was.

      The interaction between Rodney Mckay and Major Carter was highly entertaining, with Rodney alluding to his own encounter with Grace, in the form of Samantha Carter in the episode Grace Under Pressure. I would have rather have seen such a conversation compared to Grace, and a full conversation concerning it. It was amusing though when Sam asked whether she was naked or not. One would have thought Mitchell would have been nice enough to not threaten Rodney with a lemon. I was angry that Sheppard gave the lemon to Mitchell, after two seasons one would think Rodney and Col Sheppard would have evolved beyond Sheppard keeping a lemon in his pocket.

      Doctor Elizabeth Weir and Daniel clicked strongly during the episode. Though initially skeptical of the events that have transpired. She was very friendly to SG1, though I’m a bit disappointed that Caldwell wasn’t in the mission, or at least briefing, which was weird considering the nature of the mission. Daedalus should have been providing escort duty and watching out for Odyssey’s back. On the other hand, Daedalus may have been on her way home for a complete overhaul given the beating she got in No Man’s Land.

      I was shocked to discover that it was in the same hologram that was in Rising, the actress being Melia McClure. Her voice definitely did sound different, though, from during Rising, she sounded much more like an English lady in this episode than her empty dialect voice in Rising.

      The Special Effects were amazing, and credit goes to the makers, they really worked for this one. I was proud to see the Odyssey and Stargate pay homage to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home when Mitchell had suggested using the black hole’s gravity well to slingshot around it, fabulous. And the role the Wraith hive ship played made this episodes conclusion a shocker. When the nukes went off, it was just incredible. I loved seeing the Odyssey descend upon Atlantis. It was highly amusing to see Claudia Black taunt Dr Jackson about destroying his trip to see Atlantis the first time around back in Avalon. Colonel Emerson’s eyes read an expression that I could only think said, “I’m going to live here”.

      There was a lot of potential for characters to cross over again. The final victory in the end though was what made this episode absolutely incredible.
      Last edited by TameFarrar; 30 July 2006, 10:54 PM.
      http://www.change.gov

      The reason you should vote Republican in 2010.

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        #4
        After the slight dip into mediocrity in the previous episode, the writers get back on track with this installment. I was immediately impressed by the heavy continuity references throughout the episode. Elements from many previous episodes, sometimes going back several seasons, came together in a fairly logical fashion. I was quite impressed!

        Using the Ancient database on Atlantis to find the location of Merlin’s weapon was a clever move, and one that helps bring the events on “SGA” into context. I’ve been waiting for the chance to see both teams deal with the Ori and Wraith simultaneously, and this episode delivers on that potential. In a certain sense, there’s a weapon against the Ori now, even if it’s one that can only be used here and there. And now there’s only three Ori ships in the Milky Way, though that victory may be short-lived.

        Having the same writers on both shows, for all intent purposes, keeps the characters consistent. There are the usual scenes between characters that never get to interact, but that is kept to a minimum and a lot of time is spent demonstrating why these people are so competent at what they do. The Carter/McKay material was priceless, for instance.

        The action sequences were all well and good, but my favorite material was Daniel’s plot thread. For me, that was a lot more revealing. The Ancients are definitely stepping back and letting the younger races deal with the threat of the Ori themselves, and it demonstrates one of the key issues that the younger races should have with the Ancients. The Ancients seem to apply their rules with a disturbing amount of caprice, and their decision to stay out of the fight with the Ori is hard to reconcile.

        I was expecting the whole Morgan LeFay thing to stretch out over the course of the season, but it had an immediate and unexpected payoff. That also impressed, and made me wonder if this season will manage to be as consistent as the ninth season in terms of season arc. Granted, there will always be the stand-alone episodes of varying quality, but they could also trickle out a few plot points here and there.

        Very little time was wasted in this episode, and that was something I found exciting, especially in contrast to the episode of “SGA” that aired on the same night. I was strongly invested in everything that was happening, and I felt like my long-term fan loyalty was being rewarded by all the ongoing continuity references. It’s the kind of episode that I really wanted to watch again, to see what else I might catch along the way, and that’s exactly the kind of episode that brings me back for every new episode.

        Comment


          #5
          Well, here's my review for The Pegasus Project. I managed to make it exactly 1000 words, so I hope you like it.

          The Pegasus Project. Finally, a proper cross-over episode between SG1 and Atlantis. It’s been a long time in the making and the writers have picked an excellent moment to make it happen. SG1 is now back in its top gear and Atlantis is also really coming into its own. The combination of good writing, good acting and a nice dose of action makes that this episode will most likely go down in history as a big fan favorite. It’s already one of mine.

          It’s nice to see the writers haven’t forgotten how much Daniel wanted to go to Atlantis from the beginning, so they made the first scenes mostly about him finally getting there. And that little smile pretty much tells the story in itself.
          The scene of the Odyssey approaching Atlantis is very nicely done with great CGI and playing a few notes of music from Atlantis at both the beginning and the end of the episode was a lovely little touch.

          The briefing scene was also very nicely put together, using McKay to explain the complete plan without it feeling forced or contrived for one single second. It’s also brings Carter and McKay back together, which is always a lot of fun to watch. After this, the story breaks down into two distinctly different storylines, both of which are lots of fun to watch and very interesting.

          Trying to create an active wormhole between the Pegasus galaxy and the Ori supergate was an ambitious plan to say the least. Seeing that this plan goes back to SG1’s experience from eight years ago gives the whole thing a feeling of continuity and takes away the need for a complete new plan.
          Leaving Teal’c in the Milky Way was a very smart move on the writers’ part. He doesn’t have anything to do in the Pegasus galaxy and this way he still makes a serious contribution to the mission. Besides that, not going with the rest of SG1 would allow Teal’c to spend some time with the Jaffa.

          Back on the Odyssey, the best part was probably McKay’s interaction with Carter and Mitchell. Mitchell doesn’t seem to like him very much. Of course, McKay isn’t very likeable when you first meet him and you do have to get to know him to see past him being so utterly annoying. On the other hand, Carter knows him a bit better and does kind of like him, sometimes. The scene where McKay thanks Carter for ‘being there for him’ is a nod to the Atlantis episode Grace Under Pressure, which Atlantis fans will most likely have liked a lot.

          The mission itself of course couldn’t go perfectly, there are always complications. That’s not just telling a good story, it’s live. What was nice to see, is that Carter and McKay each contributed to the solutions of their problems and that once one of them had an idea, the other would immediately get it. This shows very nicely how smart both of them are and that they do work very well together. We can only hope we’ll get to see more of it in the future.

          Introducing both a Wraith ship at one end of the wormhole and an Ori ship at the other was a good move to get the suspence up to a whole new level and let’s us see what the characters do best: work under pressure. One question one could ask it how the gates survived. Both Carter and McKay though they would most likely be vaporized. It could have been they were wrong, Stargate are made up of strong stuff. It could also have been help from of higher hand. Who knows?

          Back on Atlantis, Daniel and Vala trying to figure out where Castiana and Sahal are is the smaller plot, but turns out to be the one with the biggest consequenses. First of, the interaction between Daniel and Vala is spot on once again and I’m starting to think those two actors just can’t go wrong when they have a scene together.
          Daniel almost immediately suspecting the hologram is in fact Morgan le Fey is good to see. Could it be that he subconsciously remembered her from when he was ascended?
          It does show us that there are more Ancients out there who would help us fight the Ori if they could. For now, the majority of them doesn’t agree and will punish anyone who tries, but that may change in the future. I have the feeling we haven’t seen the last of Morgan just yet, and I certainly hope we haven’t.

          So, what does the end of the episode leave us? We have two worlds to search for Merlin’s weapon, Morgan assurance that we have our answers, one useless Supergate .
          Still, how hard could it be for the Ori to get another Supergate going? They can do the whole trick all over again and there’s nothing we can do about it.

          Apart from that little thing, I can find nothing wrong with this episode. It has everything I like about Stargate: lots of action, story development and most importantly, several lovely character interactions. Even the music, the CGI and the supporting characters were loads of fun to watch. To summarise, The Pegasus Project shows us exactly why Stargate is the longest running science fiction show ever. It might not be perfect, but it’s as close as it gets. So, I award The Pegasus Project with 9.5 activating Supergate out of a possible 10.
          Last edited by TameFarrar; 11 August 2006, 10:40 PM.
          *And that's all I have to say about that*

          Comment


            #6
            This episode does a tremendous job in demonstrating two things: Firstly, the Stargate writing staff have still got it! Secondly, SG-1 and Atlantis running alongside each other is, for the most part, a blessing.

            The opening of the episode served little more than an emotional purpose and good thing too. As you see the Odyssey fly towards Atlantis with the ever brilliant music score, you can't help but get choked up and take joy in seeing Daniel do the same. Mitchell's part in this segment of the episode was great simply because he knows he's in charge of saving the galaxy and his team are finally back together and fully formed with the addition of Vala... who, by the way, is brilliant so far!

            Moving on from the first couple of minutes of the episode... the balance of Atlantis and SG-1 was more or less perfect in this episode. Its great to have a crossover episode where important people are not mysteriously missing. Every Atlantis team member who should have been in the briefing was in the briefing and McKay's role in the episode was reminiscent of good ol' "saving the Earth" days. Another nice aspect was the Mitchell and Sheppard moment and, equally, the Weir and Jackson moments. The writers did a great job of creating a subtle distance between Mitchell and Sheppard while trying to convey the friendship that Weir and Daniel have formed since her arrival in season 7. Another interesting relationship was between Mitchell and Mckay. As well as being funny I felt that it showed the differences between the SG1 and SGA teams. Mitchell is in no way close to McKay and shows clear loyalty to Carter while using Sheppard's idea to bully Mckay into creating an ingenius idea. It helps us to remember that these people are literally galaxies apart and two very seperate 'families'.

            Moving onto the plot.... it was very enjoyable though nothing particularly mind-blowing. It was very linear, meaning that everything lead into what followed very nicely with no surprising twists or turns. However, that didn't prevent the excitement from building. Of course, with the supergate plot the majority of the excitement came from having two enemy ships from both galaxies moving in on our teams. It was a brilliant device, not only to rid us of a Wraith vessel and Ori toilet-ship but also to show the danger that both the SGC and the SGA face. It was also brilliant to hear some of Teal'cs one liners in response to Earth phrases, something which he hasn't done much recently.

            The Atlantis sub-plot was equally as interesting although quite redundant until, at the end, Daniel informed us about what we had learnt from the encounter - the Ancients won't be helping us fight the Ori.

            There were few problems to note in this episode as almost every bit of writing, plot development and storyline was flawless. One thing I will say is that the Ancients continue to irritate me. These beings who we've been following for about 5 years now continue to ignore humanity and the lower plane despite the threats of the Dakara weapon and now the Ori, as well as the fact that humans have now stepped into Atlantis, are fighting the Wraith on their behalf and are almost single-handedly trying to deal with the Ori invasion. I only hope that they eventually come through with something or are forced into action by impending doom. Despite their long history and wonderful role within the Stargate universe I would love to see them squirm a little.

            In conclusion, this is one of the strongest episodes of season 10 and the 'new' SG-1 thus far. It doesn't do much to progress the story arc or reveal anything new but does do a brilliant job of crossing-over the two series while also destroying a Wraith and Ori ship and putting the supergate out of use and most importantly, giving us the rare opportunity to interact with another Ancient. The special effects of the episode are brilliant as always and the writing is pretty much flawless - what more could you want from an SG-1 [or is it SG1A?] episode?

            Rating: 8/10 - simply because this was a crossover episode and relies heavily on Atlantis, McKay's character role and the Wraith to make the story work. Although brilliantly executed and thoroughly enjoyable we really need to see SG-1 episodes doing it on their own, without inter-connecting to Atlantis.
            //

            O'Neill: Phasers?
            Carter: Sorry sir.

            HAPPY 40TH STAR TREK!! LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

            Comment


              #7
              The ABC of good Stargate SG1 storytelling is followed to optimum effect in The Pegasus Project. Ambition with the complex storyline; Balance with the characters; and importantly, the show’s Canon being used to great effect. All these aspects tie wonderfully together to create a highly enjoyable and quality episode where SG1 gets back to saving the galaxy.

              The storyline is ambitious cramming in: a trip to Atlantis; the Supergate; a couple of victories; Merlin’s weapon, and seeding the beginning of a character arc for Daniel (or arguably continuing one that began in S5’s Meridian). Brad Wright does an excellent job of making it all look easy when there are so many ways this might have failed miserably in the hands of a lesser writer and Will Waring does a superb job with the direction. The story is broken down into two manageable chunks; the first dealing with the Supergate and the second dealing with Merlin’s weapon; both aspects critical to the overall Ori arc.

              Having set up the indestructible nature of the Ori ships, the Supergate needed to be dealt with in order to keep the fight somewhere near winnable for our heroes. The plan to jump a wormhole powered by a black hole to block the Supergate indefinitely sounds credible with the effects of the black hole neatly incorporated. The twist of enemies approaching on both sides with the destruction of one leading to the destruction of the other in tremendous explosions is neatly executed. The special effects in the Pegasus galaxy are superb from the city of Atlantis itself to the black hole and the battle over it. Those in the Milky Way look static in comparison although the Ori ship breaking apart is good if a little short. Importantly, the ambitious plan gives the team a well earned victory.

              The second chunk is also neatly executed as Daniel finds the two addresses of the two planets left in the search for the weapon and has an interesting encounter with Morgan Le Fey. It is the latter that prevents the search of a database from being a yawnfest. The discovery of Morgan, the impassioned plea from Daniel for the Ascended Ancients to help them, and the dramatic snatching of Morgan away just as she seems about to tell them something of importance creates its own drama and tension that is just as effective as the extravaganza of space battles if in a more quiet and subdued manner. Indeed the differences and contrast between the two chunks create a nice balance.

              Balance between the characters is absolutely key to ensuring that the team-feel so well-established to date in S10 is not lost given that the breakdown of the story into manageable chunks forces the SG1 team to be split up and this is further complicated by adding the characters from Atlantis into the mix. All the characters are given identifiable roles that fit within the story and within their established characterisations and relationships.

              Given the first chunk focuses on science and space battles, Sam is used as the main anchor partnered with Rodney and Mitchell. Her combined role as soldier/scientist is used to balance the extremes of Rodney the science geek and Mitchell the military pilot. The Sam/Rodney heated debating yet underlying respect for each other professionally is an established dynamic and both contribute to the ultimate success of the plan as does Mitchell whose own expertise as a pilot is highlighted when he suggests the slingshot. Mitchell adds a new dimension as he runs interference which fits with his established character trait of not tolerating inappropriate behaviour to female colleagues. Rodney irritating Mitchell is established early on and continues throughout culminating in the confrontational lemon scene. While the lemon is a little mean, it feels like Mitchell does use it as a last resort to get Rodney focused on a solution, and in doing so makes the alpha male bonding moment between Mitchell and Sheppard a valid part of the story.

              Teal’c is also a part of the Supergate plan and it could be argued that he gets the worst deal except for two moments which completely counter-balance his isolation from the rest of the team; firstly, his comment of ‘I am hanging loose, Colonel Mitchell’; secondly, acting like the warrior he is as he single-handedly defeats an Ori ship.

              With Sam anchoring the science chunk, Daniel anchors the mythology one, partnered in comparison with two women; Weir and Vala. Daniel’s past is touched on in his interaction with Morgan while the outcome perhaps provides the final disillusionment for Daniel with the Ascended philosophy that may play into events in the future. Vala’s past as a treasure hunter fits well with this chunk and her bickering with Daniel and contrasting approach to the rather dull search provide a lively dynamic. In contrast, Daniel’s relationship with Weir has always been built on the deepest respect. Yet it is Weir who questions Daniel’s belief he has seen an actual Ascended Being and Vala who supports him.

              Weir/Daniel is a nice throw-back to The Lost City and New Order just as Sam/Rodney is a nice throw-back to 48 Hours and Redemption. Indeed, the show’s canon is used to great effect within the story; the wormhole jumping, the past character dynamics between the Atlantis regulars and the SG1 characters; Daniel’s ascension; Mckay’s hallucination of Sam, the recurring characters in both shows…all are neatly woven in.

              Two minor quibbles: firstly, Landry was missing. They could have easily have had him take the call from the Pegasus galaxy. Secondly, having split SG1 apart for most of the story, it might have been nice to have lost the Daniel/Vala scene and had SG1 reunited at the end; maybe in a debriefing at the SGC. Still overall, these are very minor quibbles. Thanks to a wonderful sense of balance and judicious use of canon, The Pegasus Project successfully manages to achieve all it ambitiously sets out to do and that’s certainly no minor achievement.
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