How would YOU have approached Season 6?

[garhkal]

I am not sure how returning advanced races back to the stone age and turn them into some sort of slave world is "morally grey".

IMO its cause they are so subtle about it. They look for people willing to accept their ways for protection.

[Super Hive]

How else would have everyone else here brought Elizabeth back/concluded her story?

Do you think Fran!Weir ascending would have been an interesting? Maybe her Replicator!Form storyline was a ruse/red herring created by the Asurans? Is her Human Form still alive and intact? Was their friendship with Elizabeth genuine? Or was she simply a means to an end?

I'd personally want to explore these ideas. Elizabeth deserves a resolution to her storyline, or a continuation. I wouldn't mind seeing her return to the team after recovering from whatever ordeal she had endured. I feel like her negotiation skills were underused. I adored her back-and-forth with the System Lords and I'd love to see that again. Obviously she'd be a bit miffed that Woolsey is now leading Atlantis, but I think she'd get over it.

[Arica15]

Weir is a tough one. The story was so mucked up at the end that I suspect it would be difficult to get a resolution to the storyline which would be completely satisfying however I also agree that if Atlantis had continued it would have been imperative to at least try.

To begin with I wish Ghost in the Machine had never existed, it would be so much easier - and better - to just start from the end scene in BAMSR, however the fact is that Ghost in the Machine DOES exist and simply ignoring it would be ridiculous, and handwaving the whole FranWeir story away as a ruse would be silly, ending up much I suspect like the Beckett Clone storyline, when we never actually get any consequences from the whole sorry story. So as much as I would hate it I would start with FranWeir (though at least we would get to see Fran again).

The obvious route would be for the Atlantis crew to come across some problem which they needed a friendly replicator for and so they unfreeze FranWeir, but that would be boring so how about the Pegasus Asgard, still searching for a solution to their photocopying problem, decide to try the nanite constructed bodies route and what do you know, discover a bunch of experts in nanite tech just floating in space and unfreeze Weir at least (probably destroying the rest of the replicators in space cause I hate loose ends of the replicator variety). It probably wouldn't take the Pegasus Asgard long to work out her backstory (heck maybe they can even get it from Atlantis computers). The deal, if she helps them they help her by building her a new human body. From there there are a number of options available as to where the story goes and a bonus because it is a way of bringing the Pegasus Asgard back into the story (and keeping actual replicator involvement to a minimum). Weir could be Weir again, or they Pegasus Asgard could give her a human Fran body, she could be a villain, good guy or somewhere in the middle.

That's probably where I would start with Weir and see where it went from there. I'm afraid though I wouldn't be pressing the reset button and have her taking over as head of the mission again, a because Woolsey is actually very good and b because I think there are more options available for the character if she didn't return to the leader role.

Anyway, something like that, but I too would like to hear what other people would do.

[Super Hive]

Writing off Fran!Weir as a fake Weir would be the simplest way of re-introducing her I think, but I don't think it'd be the most fluid way. Niam's group of Asurans had no reason to lie about what happened to Weir - if their motive was different then they may possibly have reason to lie, but they were pretty sincere about achieving Ascension. I suppose the motive behind achieving Ascension could have been malicious in intent given the aggressive nature of the Asuran's programming, but based on what was presented in the show that didn't seem to be the case.

Having her Ascend and return to human form is far too convenient and doesn't raise any stakes. Bringing her back from the brink as Fran!Weir is probably the most difficult/convoluted way of doing so, but probably the most fulfilling.

The problem I've always had with Fran!Weir is: why didn't Atlantis just retrieve her in a Jumper once the other Asurans were floating in space? Fran!Weir could have then continued the plan and created the body reconstruction thingy as well as the conscience transfer machine and saved herself and rejoined the team. Once her human body was reconstructed and her conscience transferred over they could dispose of the left over Fran body and be rid of the threat/risk of the Asurans once and for all, as well as getting Elizabeth back.

If that's how she rejoins the team, wouldn't her Asuran knowledge make battling the Wraith pretty much trivial? Unless she forgets most of the knowledge because the human brain can't handle it - I think that would be reasonable, that way she doesn't take over Rodney or Sam's roles of being the resident super brain. She could remember bits and pieces, I guess, either for future plot points or comedic effect.

[Jper]

[... ...] so how about the Pegasus Asgard, still searching for a solution to their photocopying problem, decide to try the nanite constructed bodies route and what do you know, discover a bunch of experts in nanite tech just floating in space and unfreeze Weir at least (probably destroying the rest of the replicators in space cause I hate loose ends of the replicator variety). It probably wouldn't take the Pegasus Asgard long to work out her backstory (heck maybe they can even get it from Atlantis computers). The deal, if she helps them they help her by building her a new human body. From there there are a number of options available as to where the story goes and a bonus because it is a way of bringing the Pegasus Asgard back into the story (and keeping actual replicator involvement to a minimum). Weir could be Weir again, or they Pegasus Asgard could give her a human Fran body, she could be a villain, good guy or somewhere in the middle.

That's probably where I would start with Weir and see where it went from there. I'm afraid though I wouldn't be pressing the reset button and have her taking over as head of the mission again, a because Woolsey is actually very good and b because I think there are more options available for the character if she didn't return to the leader role. [... ...]

I like this idea! Maybe not necessarily because of the Pegasus Asgard, which for me wasn't that bad, but not really a fantastic storlyline either, but mainly 'cause it has the interesting fact that it's a human Weir again, it brings conclusion to the done-to-death replicators, and makes Weir's role to be more open and yet to decided, so that it could be gradually molded/discovered.

[Captain Galaxy]

I would like to have seen Season 6 start with the restoration of Atlantis using F.R.A.N's to repair Atlantis fully and build new ZPM's and Drones.

[Mnikolic]

I already said my take on how would I approach the show, including the 6th season, in other threads.

However, thinking about it, I would definitey start with a movie, where everyone comes back and Atlantis would have a bigger reason to return to Pegasus Galaxy. Then continue the show and conclude it with a 20-episde season, where everything comes to an end.

[thekillman]

I would like to have seen Season 6 start with the restoration of Atlantis using F.R.A.N's to repair Atlantis fully and build new ZPM's and Drones.

you do realize this would permanently destroy any and all suspension in the show ever?

"wraith show up? just build more ZPM's". before you know it we have ZPM-tipped missiles.

[garhkal]

Also, while Fran MAY have been able to construct the ZPM unit itself, do we even know if she could have charged it?

[Arica15]

you do realize this would permanently destroy any and all suspension in the show ever?

"wraith show up? just build more ZPM's". before you know it we have ZPM-tipped missiles.

I think it's more of a balancing act, there are only so many times that you can watch the Atlantis under threat because they don't have enough power before it becomes overly repetitive. The onus on the writers is to keep upping the threat level and coming up with new threats and dangers for the storyline which give the characters new challenges, a bit like in SG-1 where when the Goauld were becoming less of a threat and the Jaffa were starting to be neutralised (that drug thing) along comes Anubis and his super soldiers and a whole set of new problems. So they figure out how to make drones/ZPM's, (or at least recharge them), the trick would be then to come up with a threat or challenge that having ZPM's or Drones couldn't fix. For example - and just off the top of my head so I haven't put any great thought into it - a new enemy an Ancient or group of Ancients who have been kept in some kind of prison and get free, Atlantis might in that scenario be able to make ZPM's but so would the other guys (like the Asurans) and the Ancients would have the advantage of really understanding the technology.

[garhkal]

True, if you build up one side, you need to realistically build up the enemy to keep the 'threat real'. but imo that just gets into an arms race mentality.

[thekillman]

a new enemy an Ancient or group of Ancients who have been kept in some kind of prison and get free

they were called the Asurans.

[Arica15]

they were called the Asurans.

I am quite aware of the Asurans thank you, I think actual Ancients as enemies would be interesting.

[Super Hive]

I am quite aware of the Asurans thank you, I think actual Ancients as enemies would be interesting.

I thought that Ancients as an enemy would be pretty interesting too! The Ori could have been this ... but we know how that went down. Maybe some unascended ones who are hiding from the Wraith, much like the Asgard. They might have heard rumours of humans using Atlantis and become increasingly hostile in their attempts to return home? I dunno, I just think going head to head against our evolutionary ancestors is an interesting idea, especially since they might have invented new technology while we're still trying to understand their 10,000 year old stuff.

[Linda06]

Do pretty much the complete opposite of season 5 and yer on a winner.

And shove McKay in an airlock and I'll be eternally grateful. Get Teyla together with Lorne and get rid of Kannan. Or at least give him a personality.