Radek Zelenka/David Nykl Appreciation, Thunk, Translation Thread

[Rosehawk]

Nice argument DragonLadyK and nice piccies of David!

The joke (from a different thread) about Radek being a lab rat came not from his ability to do what Rodney can not do, in essences being a CSI lab rat as you mentioned, rather, it was because he was crawling around the vents in Quarantine, like a rat in a maze heading for a piece of cheese and the reward in the end, so it was not a compliment to Radek's abilities as a scientist, rather something that is the complete opposite!

A rat in a maze is brainless, something Radek is not. And a rat in a maze only thinks of the food/reward that is there at the end of the maze. Since Radek rarely gets praise from his boss, it is obvious that the reward does not mean as much to him as actually getting the work done!

And now I am so screwed with SoulRe@ver

Spoiler:

:
Sam

and Kavanagh -- both research scientists -- were very dismissive both of Radek and his abilities ("Thirty Eight Minutes," "Quarantine").

Actually Kavanagh was dismissive of just about everyone so IMO his opinion of Radek doesn't carry much weight and

Spoiler:

Sam's dismissiveness about Radek I think came more from the fact that at that time she really didn't know Radek, they didn't connect on a personal level at all when trapped in the elevator which is bound to cause doubt with someone you don't know until you see how they handle a crisis and during emergencies she knew what Rodney was capable of because she had worked with him before.

While McKay is gallivanting off-world and taking the credit, Zelenka is the one keeping the lights on back home. Therefore, as the power behind McKay's throne who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make certain the glory-takers can do what they do, and as the man rarely noticed but entirely depended on, and since the glory-takers would be completely screwed without him, Radek Zelenka is most certainly a ### ### serving with distinction.

And he is my *thunk* hero!
I wonder what they do when Radek goes on vacation back to the Czech Republic?? Or if he even takes a vacation!


PS Welcome to the thread DragonLadyK

[DragonLadyK]

Mazes are used to measure rat intelligence and problem-solving skills. The faster a rat goes through a maze -- and the method he usese to solve the maze -- the smarter he is. Granted, rats aren't capable of the same level of problem-solving as even a cow, much less a primate or a human, I would hardly call them brainless. There are humans who still haven't figured out the cause-and-effect reasoning that comes naturally to animals.

Spoiler:

Secondly, mazes are hard. Navigating a building through ducts is hard. The fact Radek was able to get from the control room hallway to the main power room through the vents without a map and without getting lost is pretty incredible. Radek either has the ventilation system memorized (smart) or he's done this sort of thing before.

The idea of Radek having been duct-climbing before could lead to two conclusions. One is, of course, that he's worked as a secular electricial technition in the past and worked his way up the ladder.

The second one involves the equally-intruiging "Tabula Rasa." In Tabula, Radek snuck up on a marine, bashed him in the head, escaped capture, and then completely evaded capture for the entire episode. An entire troop of the best of the best of the Marines could not find him. Furthermore, by the last half of the ep he had a stunner. Only the Marines had stunners. That means that Radek either snuck up on another Marine and beat him up to take it, or he pick-pocketed it.

Either way, those skills (evading capture, stealing) are not those of a normal scientist. Add in his vent-navigation skills and his situational ethics... I wonder if the only reason he doesn't have a record is because you have to get caught to have one. (By situational ethics I mean that Radek had no problem chess-sharking people out of their belongings in "Sunday," he didn't seem to flinch about turning Wraith into humans for other Warith to eat in "Allies" even if he was scared by the Wraith scientist, and he had no problem with Sheppard's choice regarding Weir in "Adrift." If it's them or him and his own, Radek picks him and his own every time.)

Also, we know from "Tao" that Radek was very poor -- even homeless for a time -- growing up. It's very easy to imagine he started out stealing to eat and just improved his skills as time went on.

During Tabula, even without specific memory Radek remembered that soldiers "taking you away" was something bad enough to flip out about. The instinct was so deeply ingrained that not even the fever could wipe it away. However, even without remembering that McKay was a friend, Radek wanted to hide Rodney even though hiding a "clueless person" like Rodney would make hiding much more difficult. Radek was insistent that Rodney be hidden by Radek to the point of being angry with McKay for refusing. That isn't a normal reaction, so you could also make a case for the idea of Radek having learned to be so sneaky helping people past the Iron Curtain back in the day. Or that he started as a thief and ended using his powers for good as an "underground railroad" person who went straight after the Velvet Revolution.

Granted, I'm a shameless Radek/Vala and Radek/Ronon shipper, so I'm biased.

More pretty:




I love his nose. Most perfect specimen of a nose ever.

That explanation of Sam's attitude is plausible, of course, but I think her ego is actually bigger than Rodney's, so again, biased. ^^

I don't think he takes a vacation. He seemed pretty fried in "Quarantine."

DragonLadyK

[Renenutet]

What an interesting analysis. What you've said makes sense to me and could be plausible. I just find it so interesting to get that from the very few things we do know about him.

[Rosehawk]

Mazes are used to measure rat intelligence and problem-solving skills. The faster a rat goes through a maze -- and the method he usese to solve the maze -- the smarter he is. Granted, rats aren't capable of the same level of problem-solving as even a cow, much less a primate or a human, I would hardly call them brainless. There are humans who still haven't figured out the cause-and-effect reasoning that comes naturally to animals.

LOL. I like how the rat managed through that maze!

Okay, brainless is probably too strong of a word considering animals do have brains to function.

I don't necessarily agree with all the studies that say how fast a rat going through a maze and solving the maze as a measure of intelligence. When the incentive on the other end is food and if you have been starve to make the incentive look more intriging and you have a sniffer that can detect food, you will find the path of least resistance to accomplish your goal which is to eat! If that is that a measure of intellegence, I think that can be a subjective interpetation. Intellegence is so much more than just problem solving. I know alot of so-called Intellegent people that can't function in everyday society.

Spoiler:

Secondly, mazes are hard. Navigating a building through ducts is hard. The fact Radek was able to get from the control room hallway to the main power room through the vents without a map and without getting lost is pretty incredible. Radek either has the ventilation system memorized (smart) or he's done this sort of thing before.

Spoiler:

I agree that managing through a maze of duct work is difficult, it suggests that Radek has been in the Atlantis duct work before.

Spoiler:

The idea of Radek having been duct-climbing before could lead to two conclusions. One is, of course, that he's worked as a secular electricial technition in the past and worked his way up the ladder.

Or there is a third

Spoiler:

and that is Radek has had to go in the duct work before to do repairs to Atlantis which would seemed to be the obvious conclusion since he did navigate through the ducts pretty well and he knew he would fit better than Sam or Sheppard.

Spoiler:

The second one involves the equally-intruiging "Tabula Rasa." In Tabula, Radek snuck up on a marine, bashed him in the head, escaped capture, and then completely evaded capture for the entire episode. An entire troop of the best of the best of the Marines could not find him. Furthermore, by the last half of the ep he had a stunner. Only the Marines had stunners. That means that Radek either snuck up on another Marine and beat him up to take it, or he pick-pocketed it.

Spoiler:

He's quite the resourceful man, our dear sweet Radek is, aint' he! Course with everyone forgetting who they were, he could also have easily found the stunner from a Marine who left it behind 'cause that Marine's priority was not the military.

Spoiler:

Either way, those skills (evading capture, stealing) are not those of a normal scientist. Add in his vent-navigation skills and his situational ethics... I wonder if the only reason he doesn't have a record is because you have to get caught to have one. (By situational ethics I mean that Radek had no problem chess-sharking people out of their belongings in "Sunday," he didn't seem to flinch about turning Wraith into humans for other Warith to eat in "Allies" even if he was scared by the Wraith scientist, and he had no problem with Sheppard's choice regarding Weir in "Adrift." If it's them or him and his own, Radek picks him and his own every time.)

Radek also stated that in 'The Seige" that in war there are causalties, which imply that Radek understands what it takes to survive and knows how to make hard decisions so I think he would understand fully the decision that Sheppard had to make in regards to Weir.

Radek did have problems with the bomb in Progeny and Rodney had to remind him that Earth was at risk, so Radek does have ethnics that go beyond situational from his growing up years.
Also, I don't think you can compare a game of chess as the same as turning Wraith into humans and letting them feed on each other.
Chess is a game, it is a competitive game. In Sunday and even in Tao of Rodney we have seen the competitive side to Radek so we know that Radek is competitive.
Dealing with the Wraith is different, Atlantis is at War with the Wraith and in war there are casulties. Radek understands this, he has even stated this.

Radek may have a record, we may never know. Radek's backstory is not top priority for TPTB.

Spoiler:

Also, we know from "Tao" that Radek was very poor -- even homeless for a time -- growing up. It's very easy to imagine he started out stealing to eat and just improved his skills as time went on.

Spoiler:

It's possible. Though while Radek was homeless, he was not without a home - a home is where your family is, not where your house is built. Radek has displayed an immense sensitivity to the people around him which suggest that he had a loving family because he has not become bitter because of his poor upbringing.

Spoiler:

During Tabula, even without specific memory Radek remembered that soldiers "taking you away" was something bad enough to flip out about. The instinct was so deeply ingrained that not even the fever could wipe it away. However, even without remembering that McKay was a friend, Radek wanted to hide Rodney even though hiding a "clueless person" like Rodney would make hiding much more difficult. Radek was insistent that Rodney be hidden by Radek to the point of being angry with McKay for refusing. That isn't a normal reaction, so you could also make a case for the idea of Radek having learned to be so sneaky helping people past the Iron Curtain back in the day. Or that he started as a thief and ended using his powers for good as an "underground railroad" person who went straight after the Velvet Revolution.

I am not sure Taba Rasa is a good argument to support that Radek is a lab rat.
Zelenka would have lived under the Communist occupation of Czechoslovakia which could not have been easy. A fear of soldiers would be understandable since they would have been there to help keep order and to prevent people from leaving. Wanting to help save someone who was not military is understandable depending on the atocities that he may have witnessed. I am not sure how this relates to Radek being a lab rat.

*clasps hands in head* I am still so screwed with SoulRe@ver.
Ummm SoulRe@ver, what kind of chocolates do you like?

You know, if we continue this discussion we should think about starting another thread since this is a thunk thread!

[Rosehawk]

Some lovely thunkin before heading off to sleepy land!

[Pajus]

Radek: Katie Brown got jealous of Dr Keller and Rodney woke up castrated in the morning.

[Snowflake]

Actually, Radek is absofraggingloutely a lab rat : Lab Rats rule the world from behind the throne.


He's also really, really pretty:

I agree!!! And these are great photos!!!

[SoulReaver]

Actually, Radek is absofraggingloutely a lab rat -- I say this as a CSI fan (at least, before Season 7 when everything went straight to Tartarus in a reed basket). On CSI we learned a very important lesson: Lab Rats rule the world from behind the throne. If Jacqui, Hodges, Greg (pre-field days), Super Dave, Archie, Wendy, Henry, Mandy, and Ronnie had ever up and decided to stop doing what they were doing, to be sluggish about it, or even botch the results the CSIs would have been sunk. In the case of the exploding lab, they were sunk.

Now, we know that McKay is hard to work with. This is, after all, a man who was exiled to Siberia for being a such a jerk that it was worth handing his genius over to a dubious ally they didn't trust just to get rid of him. This is a man whose idea of a complement is "you're not brilliant, but you'll do," and whose idea of a gentle reprimand is cutting sarcasm. I love Rodney dearly, but he is undoubtedly the Boss of Doom. He freely admitted in "First Strike" that he didn't know enough about his staff to complete the personell reviews.

However, McKay is still in command of the Sciences division. His crew neither went to McKay's boss and said, "remove him or we walk," (which happened to a buddy of mine's hideous manager) and none of the Marines has beaten him up and/or shot him (because his contempt for the soft sciences is only surpassed by his contempt for those without science). McKay also acted like the personell review was new to him in "First Strike," and cried not that it was a waste of time but that he was not qualified to do it.

This to me seems like Radek was doing all the personell reviews on the sly, not just his own department's, and Weir finally glommed on. We also know that while McKay is the first person the Team calls, all the civillians go running to Radek ("The Brotherhood," "Tao of Rodney," "BAMSR,") and that Radek serves as the Voice of Cauton when McKay gets a little too enthusiastic ("Tao of Rodney," "McKay and Mrs. Miller," "Trinity," "The Gift"). He's also Rodney's personal therapist as much as Sheppard ("This Mortal Coil," "BAMSR"). He also provides the much-needed praise from above for the science staff ("Trinity," "McKay and Mrs. Miller").

Therefore the question arises: what would happen if Radek stopped being McKay's right hand? No more doing the boring paperwork, no more dealing with the spills and funky naquadah generators, no more smoothing ruffled soldier feathers or scientists ready to quit, no more providing encouragement for the minions, and no more talking Rodney down -- no more McKay Liason and Disaster Prevention.

Not only would Rodney be screwed, but so would Atlantis. Either the science department would revolt, or else there would be mass quitting, or else Lorne et al. would be taking McKay out for a walk around the block all the time. It's also true that Rodney's best ideas (with the exception of "BAMSR") have happened while bickering with Radek --

Spoiler:

and that his dry spot happened while he was distancing himself from Zelenka (going to briefings alone instead of taking Zelenka with as he did with Weir, working with Todd instead of Radek, telling Carter he didn't even like Radek -- and Carter believed it, so the socializing had probably been cut as well). It stopped when he pulled Radek in on the project, and then started again when he went back to distancing himself. (Since by "Trio" Carter still believed McKay's "I don't like Zelenka" and didn't call him on it like Sheppard would have.)

We also know from the type of work Radek does ("The Brotherhood," "Tao of Rodney," "Echoes," "Adrift," "BAMSR,") that he is most likely an electrical/electronic engineer. We know he doesn't have the "copyright" issues that McKay, Sam, etc. have because he lets McKay take the credit/push the buttons/do the checklists/etc. We also know that he was offered a post at a university right before he left.

Spoiler:

Sam

and Kavanagh -- both research scientists -- were very dismissive both of Radek and his abilities ("Thirty Eight Minutes," "Quarantine"). Those things to me suggest Radek has a a private-sector scientist background. A private-sector (possibly power company) background would also explain Radek's people skills and his fluency in English, since both would have been imperative if he worked in a Prague company. Given his manifest ability to command ("The Hot Zone," "McKay and Mrs. Miller," and the fact he probably did the personell reviews for McKay for two years) he had probably worked his way up to supervisor, possibly even a section super since he was good enough to be chosen for the Atlantis Expedition in the first place.

Rodney is an astrophysics major and a mechanical engineer. Setting up and maintaning a city's power grid is not within the scope of his education or experience. This is supported by the Lagrangian satellite incident -- in which he forgot the basic rule of capacity -- and the modifications he made in "Tao" -- where he forgot the basic rule of TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY before you start working, and then work on each section of the grid one at a time. (Seriously, the fact that Radek was the ONLY one electrocuted is a frigging miracle.) Zelenka, on the other hand, seems to have power grids and electricity well in hand ("Submersion," "Tao of Rodney," "The Seige 3").

While McKay is gallivanting off-world and taking the credit, Zelenka is the one keeping the lights on back home. Therefore, as the power behind McKay's throne who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make certain the glory-takers can do what they do, and as the man rarely noticed but entirely depended on, and since the glory-takers would be completely screwed without him, Radek Zelenka is most certainly a Lab Rat serving with distinction.

uh yeah, that
see Rosehawk that's exactly what I meant :|

And besides, it was not an accusation, it was the logical assumption based on the fact that you introduced Zelenka as a lab rat on this thread!

which made me the most obvious suspect thus a scapegoat - you should know better Rose, anyone who watches movies knows that the most obvious suspect is never guilty (especially when it comes to putting tags on GW threads)

*giggles* okay I do appreciate the fact that there are some body parts that can stretch way beyond the imagination.

that's not what I meant - I meant the pun (a lame one I admit)

Do I dare ask where?

yes

That was just cruel, I was expectng a cute furry rat, not a RAT!

weren't expecting a sewer rat eh ?



now, I suppose this the part where I get down beg for mercy & apologize ? if so don't get your hopes up lass

Spoiler:

ok fine





(now tell me you can resist that face )




let's kiss & make up




(say a little prayer for you )

Zelenka will not be pleased, oh no, he will not be pleased at all...

Spoiler:

is he trying to look angry ?

I take back all the nice things I said about you.........

let's sum "all" these up :

And besides, I don't think you are cheap!

meh not much of a loss, I'll survive

And now I am so screwed with SoulRe@ver

!

Spoiler:

it suggests that Radek has been in the Atlantis duct work before.

well a lab rat does belong to a maze so that ain't surprising no ?

Spoiler:

just rubbin' it in

Ummm SoulRe@ver, what kind of chocolates do you like?

right now : white. like the colour of the flag you should be waving right about now
I accept your surrender btw -_-

[DragonLadyK]

Hey, there were pretties at the bottom of the posts. Nothing was stopping people from scrolling down past the meta to the pictures.

Now, for some oft under-appreciated but oh-so-yummy fieldgear!Zelenka.





(Gah, I'm such a nerd. I keep typing <IMG src="url"> and having to re-do it all.)

DragonLady

[Rosehawk]

uh yeah, that
see Rosehawk that's exactly what I meant :|

Yeah, right. I didn't see you putting such an elogant argument together.

which made me the most obvious suspect thus a scapegoat - you should know better Rose, anyone who watches movies knows that the most obvious suspect is never guilty (especially when it comes to putting tags on GW threads)

Why don't you just admit that you had something to do with the tag . At the very least you gave someone the idea!

yes

Okay, where!

weren't expecting a sewer rat eh ?

Even sewer rats have more respect then THAT RAT!

now, I suppose this the part where I get down beg for mercy & apologize ? if so don't get your hopes up lass

Spoiler:

ok fine

Galient sir, I most certainly do not have my hopes up. dashed maybe, but definitely not up.

Spoiler:

(now tell me you can resist that face )




let's kiss & make up




(say a little prayer for you )

Oooooh, they are so cute...but they aren't lab rats, they are pets. Big difference!

is he trying to look angry ?

No, pissed!

right now : white. like the colour of the flag you should be waving right about now
I accept your surrender btw -_-

I have not surrendered, I will never surrender....one can never convince me that Radek is a LAB RAT, never, ever, ever.

And Radek is all steamed up because you dare think such a thing!

[Erin Olenko]

Arghh this awful IT guys from block everything! Gonna have to wait until I get home to drool over the pictures.

BTW ladies, I'm back!

[whiskeygirl406]

Oooh, Erin! Is the "Lab Coat Love" Dept. taking applications? References available upon request!

[Erin Olenko]

Gosh whiskey! It's been ages since I last checked here.

Gotta love Lab Coats!

[Pajus]

Oooh, Erin! Is the "Lab Coat Love" Dept. taking applications? References available upon request!

Gosh whiskey! It's been ages since I last checked here.

Gotta love Lab Coats!

Okay... I have to give you equipment and warnings for posting on this thread: *hands out life jackets* Don't forget to wear these whenever you post pictures of Radek in a labcoat or pictures that show Radek's ears

[whiskeygirl406]

Life jackets? What are they for? (Rosehawke's drool pond, maybe? Ewww, btw ...) Nah, you need something to hold the thunkers back - like those clear, electrified riot shields that they use in the ultra-high security prisons!

Love the commercial pics, too! Yup - our Radek is so pretty! <sigh>