The Siege, Part 3 (201)

[Egeria]

Just watched this ep tonight....wow, I loved it. I had such high hopes for SGA's return and I wasn't dissapointed. The pace was spot on, carried on perfectly from last seasons finale.

Loved....

Hermoid - an Asgard cussing under it's breath, priceless.
Novak - I think she's great, hoping to see lots more of her.
Ford - loving the new look and attitude.

Uncertain....

Everett - after Seige Pt 2 I wanted rid of him, but not so sure now, I felt really sorry for what happened to him.
Rodney - seemed a bit too buffed up, looked a bit odd to me.

Overall I loved the episode, everything I hoped it would be. One thing that got me though was the scene when Ford demanded the enzyme form Beckett. Why did Beckett hand over the enzyme. He was stood in front of a cooler with several medicines in it. Surely if he'd handed over something else, something benign, he'd have known that as an addict Ford would be forced to return for the enzyme. At which point they'd have been able to restrain him. Ford's not a medic he wouldn't have known what had been handed over to him at the time.

[gwangung]

Well said... Penguin... and Tokra Hostess...
I think the hug can be interpreted in several ways but more importantly, this hug showed a personable side to Weir and that was very important for her and for us. She was often too emotionally detached in the early part of the first season but that she is now able to break through the icy veneer and demonstrate this degree of concern visibly is a momentous step.

I think she hugged Shep BECAUSE she's such a naturally emotionally detached person with a bit of an icy exterior; the relief was so overwhelming that she HAD to hug him.

[Hotshot]

Just watched this ep tonight....wow, I loved it. I had such high hopes for SGA's return and I wasn't dissapointed. The pace was spot on, carried on perfectly from last seasons finale.

Loved....

Hermoid - an Asgard cussing under it's breath, priceless.
Novak - I think she's great, hoping to see lots more of her.
Ford - loving the new look and attitude.

Uncertain....

Everett - after Seige Pt 2 I wanted rid of him, but not so sure now, I felt really sorry for what happened to him.
Rodney - seemed a bit too buffed up, looked a bit odd to me.

Overall I loved the episode, everything I hoped it would be. One thing that got me though was the scene when Ford demanded the enzyme form Beckett. Why did Beckett hand over the enzyme. He was stood in front of a cooler with several medicines in it. Surely if he'd handed over something else, something benign, he'd have known that as an addict Ford would be forced to return for the enzyme. At which point they'd have been able to restrain him. Ford's not a medic he wouldn't have known what had been handed over to him at the time.

When he first gave Ford the enzyme, I thought that it was something else. But, I guess he really did give him the enzyme.

[uknesvuinng]

Overall I loved the episode, everything I hoped it would be. One thing that got me though was the scene when Ford demanded the enzyme form Beckett. Why did Beckett hand over the enzyme. He was stood in front of a cooler with several medicines in it. Surely if he'd handed over something else, something benign, he'd have known that as an addict Ford would be forced to return for the enzyme. At which point they'd have been able to restrain him. Ford's not a medic he wouldn't have known what had been handed over to him at the time.

When Beckett lied and said that he didn't have anymore enzyme, Ford responded by telling him that he saw him procure the enzyme. Ford had a gun to a patient's head, so Beckett wasn't gonna take the chance of giving Ford something else when Ford very likely knew what the enzyme looked like.

[SGalisa]

This may be premature in posting this, because I'm seeing more info being mentioned about it and why the weird eye/facial cheek transformation in Lt. Ford elsewhere (above postings!).

Originally posted by ShadowMaat:
Even if Ford got and accepted the Ancient gene ... he also had Wraith enzymes. And isn't Ancient tech supposed to lock out Wraith?

Well, based on what I've seen in the teasers for future eps, I'd say:

Spoiler:

explain that then to Sheppard who transforms into a wraith by the bug critters... and he has the most abundant supply of the ancient gene than anyone else at Atlantis.

Obviously you haven't read the spoilers yet or seen the photos for the "Conversion" episode? anxiously anticipating *that* little nightmare to hopefully get resolved (eventually), lest there be bigger problems for the rest of the entire SG:A series!

Besides, how else would half of the Ancient populations end up being turned into Wraith, while the Ancients from Atlantis went on hiatus and came back only to find their seeded Pegasus galaxy plagued by a never before known species?

Originally posted by Ace:
Exactly... The way I understood it was that they made some of their more valuable technology only usable to those who have the gene, so the Wraith couldn't use it.

Originally, that's what I would have thought, too based on Season 1 eps; but it seriously contradicts Ford being able to fly the Puddle Jumper all on his lonesome at the end...(and I've already provided a theory behind how that might be successfully achieved.)

According to the SG:A storyline so far:
Only someone with the ancient gene can start up the PJ. The Wraith in the Defiant One was unable to start it up (didn't have the ignition *key* ancient gene), and tried to tamper "hot-wire" it instead. Unless of course, FORD now knows how to hot-wire such things that even SGA's *genius* scientists haven't figured out yet.

Originally posted by Ace:
If somehow he magically was given the gene and his body didn't reject should the Puddle Jumper have detected that he had Wraith genes and not let him fly the jumper?

First of all, I think HOT ZONE gave a possible solution to the FORD receiving the gene (after the ep resolved itself).

Second: The Wraith enzyme was only beginning to work on Ford's body chemistry. If it got frozen just prior to transforming him from ancient therapy into full Wraith, he might be able to still fly it. "Conversion" might explain this processing better when that episode comes up.

...having Conversion *anxiety* attacks (with flashbacks to

Spoiler:

Sheppard's dilemma... aka "38 Minutes"...!)

[ShadowMaat]

Ummm... half the what get turned into WHAT?! Where the hell are you getting THAT from?? I didn't think I missed anything from season 1, but that seems to be a pretty significant gap in my knowledge. I don't want to be spoiled AT ALL on Atlantis unless it's by MY CHOICE.

[keppiezbt]

well, pretyt much all has been said.

i just got to say wow. so great. the fight scenes werent as good as in seige pt 2 but the cgi was still good as was the stor.

i am liking atlantis alot more than i like sg1 lately lol...

two thumbs up!

[uknesvuinng]

Ummm... half the what get turned into WHAT?! Where the hell are you getting THAT from?? I didn't think I missed anything from season 1, but that seems to be a pretty significant gap in my knowledge. I don't want to be spoiled AT ALL on Atlantis unless it's by MY CHOICE.

I believe he's referring to Beckett's speculations in "The Gift". Granted getting "half the Ancient population became Wraith" from "bugs incorporating human DNA" is a bit of a stretch.




As for various Ford questions that everyone still seems to have, please refer to Martin Gero's answer here.

[ShadowMaat]

I believe he's referring to Beckett's speculations in "The Gift". Granted getting "half the Ancient population became Wraith" from "bugs incorporating human DNA" is a bit of a stretch.

Yeah, I remember that, but I didn't get "Half the Ancients turned into Wraith" out of it. Besides, aren't humans and Ancients different? Hence the whole point of having an Ancient gene?

[SGalisa]

quoting without the link (and I'll have to read it later), but appreciate the link being there:

Originally posted by ShadowMaat:
Martin Gero has responded to the whole Ford vs. Puddle Jumper debate, but the short answer is that Ford does NOT have the Ancient gene.

sorry, I missed this. I was having difficulty viewing the forums (pages were getting stuck during loading), and started *skimming* some posts past the 80th (ep topic) reply. I wrote my reply (at post # 166) based on earlier pages, and probably misread the
"Ancient tech supposed to lock out..." too. I thought it did that too. Anyways...

After seeing a portion of what was on Martin's PJ topic, I still think there's still a plot hole connection somewhere.

If Ford lacks the gene, and is only able to open the gate, *who* started up the PJ if the ignition key (ATA gene) is needed to get it moving? It would be logical that the autopilot would not engage until the ignition key (ATA gene) started the engines...

Like Sheppard, in SG-1, Jack had to touch the console first before the engines engaged. Hot-wiring the thing is a possibility to engage the autopilot, but wouldn't that then put Ford at a *genius* level to hot-wiring, or did he learn something from McKay's hot-wiring ordeal in "38 Minutes"?

...and if instead, he took the operating PJ that was cloaking the city, umm shouldn't that in itself cause a problem for Atlantis' entire rouse (radiation fallout without the cloaked jumper connections)...? That would leave a gaping hole for everyone involved. Yes?

Originally posted by ShadowMaat:
Ummm... half the what get turned into WHAT?!

couldn't figure out what you were referring to, until I read uknesvuinng's message below it. (details missing, and it apparently shows up BIG time here...) Here's the "half" which may more be like an "undetermined portion" of the population:

If the Ancients seeded the Pegasus galaxy... After their hiatus, upon their return, they met up with the Wraith (whom everyone is guessing is the "dark enemy, who's technology riveled their own"). If the Wraith were created by the bug critters (aka "38 Minutes"), somehow the Wraith also had time to evolve, grow, develop technology, and greatly multiplied in their numbers.

By the time the Ancients entered or decided to leave the Wraith war (large variance here!), it was most likely that half of their populations in the Pegasus galaxy equalled the Wraith numbers. That's where the estimated "half" of that point in time came from.

Originally posted by ShadowMaat:
I don't want to be spoiled AT ALL on Atlantis unless it's by MY CHOICE.

After reading some of your postings, I realized it was *risky* mentioning it, but I did use spoiler tags... I do find it difficult reading all white pages, but that's a challenge I'm learning to adapt to...

I also don't want to read the spoilers either -this time round (read too many for SG-1's Season 8), but I had to peek in this one specific (SG:A) instance. (That's also why I used spoiler tags for the *who* in it, in case someone else wanted to peek.) Reading your notes on "spoiler" tags has been a significant help, but I still don't know who is 100% never tell nothing, (including episode titles?) yet. Seriously, peeking put me into more of an anxiety mode more for that episode than Siege... There's another one coming in January that is on par with the one I mentioned...


As for Ford's facial transformation... how about this instead:
The Wraith enzyme was only beginning to work on Ford's body chemistry. If it got frozen just prior to transforming him from human into an accelerated cooked Wraith food format, that could explain why he's more or less at a halfway point of sorts, verging as SuperFord. Unless there is a difference in how the processing occurs between the masked Wraith soldiers against those like Steve. (Sumner and Everett mostly aged. Ford turned "darkside".)

[joebags]

This episode totally rocked and everyone was great in it.

Can't say enough about Ford, his changes were cool. I took his facial changes as the Wraith had partially fed on him. Poor guy.

"Hermy" the Asgard, yeah, I thought he was cussing under his breath. *LOL* But I liked the interaction with "hiccup lady". (Novak). And I liked Caldwell a lot. The Daedelus has an interesting crew!

McKay was the best part. He obviously has practiced with his weapons.

As for the hug thing, they are good friends, however we didn't see the others getting mushy about Sheppard's return. If they are going with a ship angle, I'd rather see that one, than the alternative one.

[macktheknife]

Not sure if it was this thread or another, but I just watched the part with the ZPM and the wraith, and it is CERTAINLY 4 wraith. 2 wraith get shot in front of mckay, and then the 2 other wraith come from the direction McKay etc came from (ie behind them).

[Nessva]

I think pretty much anything that can be said has been by now, but I'm liking the fact this episode seemed to have some character-based stuff in it, I felt that was lacking sometimes in Season 1, so I'll be glad to see some development.

Other than that, I just want the next episode already!

[Vyse]

Really liked the episode, but one thing is bothering me, when the bomb was set off wouldn't there be residual radiation for at least a few minutes after the explosion? I figure the shield kept the radiation from getting to the city originally , but when it was down for the cloak, what kept the radiation from infecting everyone?

Also the Sci-fi inside special ruined the surprise for me, the last shot was the bomb over the Atlantis shield so I figured they did a fake self-destruct.

Only other complaint is one I'm sure everyone agrees on, the new intro is horrorible!

[joescookiem]

I loved this episode! I thought the Daedulus was cool. Dr. Novak and Hermiod were hilarious. Also, Dr. McKay was funny too. I loved how he was ranting about not having a big enough escort and then, when the Wraith stunned the two soldiers, he accidently ejected the bullets. I loved the relief Shep shows when he knows that Atlantis survived. The scene between Shep and Everett was heartbreaking. I loved Shep's salute. The special effects were neat. I was also wondering about the fallout from the nuke -- was five seconds long enough to wait for it to clear? What about the rest of the planet? Is there going to be contamination all over?

Well, I can't wait to see next week's episode!!