Aurora (209)

[mgbland]

Did anyone other than me think that Sheppard and McKay appearing in those white uniforms rather than their usually combat gear was a little strange?

[Atlantis1]

Did anyone other than me think that Sheppard and McKay appearing in those white uniforms rather than their usually combat gear was a little strange?

My thoughts were that it was part of the VR program. Everyone in the program was wearing that uniform so it would be logical Sheppard and McKay would be also. The program would not reconize the uniforms the two wore because what they looked like would have to be put into the program.

[Atlantis1]

Anyway, I'm trying not to compare SGA to BSG...but episodes like this make me wonder if the writers of BSG wrote an episode for SGA would it be much better?

The writers of SGA do an amazing job. The show is not of the same flavor as BSG. I don't know if the BSG writers would capture the shows character. I would be afraid they might write it too dark or miss the character interaction of SGA. What I have seen of BSG actually makes me want to avoid the show. There is too much distust and blood shed among other things. I feel like I am watching a version of the nightly news.

SGA holds hope, great character interactions, adventure and wonder among many other things. What darkness there is in the show is within the taste of the stargate universe. I come away from the show entertained and relaxed which is something very important to me.

I like the idea of having a diversity in my chooses of what type of sci-fi I want to watch. I hope you don't think I wrote this to put down BSG. Rather I just feel the stargate writer know what is needed for this show and I for one truly apprieate there work.

[birdieey]

The Matrix was bleak and depressing. Don't see the similarities. VR is a common theme. Now, if SHep had shown up in a long black coat and was bouncing walls, I'd see the objection.

Hmmm, at first I was just gonna let this go and make it an agree to disagree thing, but unfortunately it's been that kind of day and I'm feeling a little a little over sensitive. (And I'm still carrying around a little frustration from some of the posts in the Instinct and Conversion threads)

First of all, when I made the references to the Matrix in my 2:00 am sleep deprived ramble of an episode description, it was not meant to be taken negatively. Yes, I enjoyed the Matrix (and to a much lesser extent the sequels) but no I am not one of those people who think it is the be-all and end-all of sci-fi/action films. I pointed out the similarities because they are there. No the Matrix is not the first film to suggest a virtual world or show people in pods but it IS the most recognizable. When I said there's a bunch of people in stasis pods like in the Matrix I'm was not suggesting the SGA writer ripped off the movie I was pointing out what I thought was an obvious similarity.

Okay fine, the Matrix was a tad bleak and depressing (if you chose to see it that way) but the similarities I pointed out in my original post were not theme/mood related, they were action/plot related. ie. people in stasis pods, an intruder jacking into a foreign environment (Agent Smith in the real world vs Wraith in the virtual world), and the music (you can disagree with that one if you like).

But okay lets say you still don't see it, the Matrix is about shiny pvc outfits, long black trench coats and aerobatic flights of fancy and since none of that was in Aurora there are no similarities...right?

Well if you cue up your tivo/dvr/vhs/illegally downloaded episode to the scene where Rodney releases Sheppard from the prison (as I pointed out before) you will see that this scene is definitely a nod/tribute/rip-off/whatever to the Matrix. If it wasn't in the script then it came up on set. You can disagree with me on the rest, but I won't (easily) back down on this one.

Sorry for the rant, but as I said earlier it's been that kind of day.

[SGalisa]

just for the record: I've never seen the Matrix. Plus, there's a bunch of other movies that have been mentioned in other topics, that I've never seen before either... so I'm new at watching most of the Stargate stuff that has been placed before me... (this mind hasn't yet been cluttered with some certain things from the popular movie domain to contrast or *nit-pick* it against).

Originally posted by Stevo:
Little note though, when sheppard got the self destruct code was it set in the "Virtual Environment" or somewhere in the damaged ship

I think it was set on the actual ship. Shep was in the virtual reality on the CLOCK, as relayed to him by McKay, and per Caldwell's orders. Shep relayed the same basic message to the Captain of the Aurora, who then told Sheppard that Shep needed the codes in order to (literally) destroy the Aurora. Once the codes were activated, he said it should/would also take out both wraith cruisers -and those physically existed outside of the virtual environment- during Shep's remaining moments on Caldwell's ticking countdown CLOCK.

[SGalisa]

can't find the originals, but this was noted in LORD MONK's post-

originally posted by the Fifth Race:
1) Why did'nt Shep mention that the Ancients had ascended or they learned how to ascend? I kept waiting on him to mention this to at least the captain.

1.) hmmm, slipped my mind... maybe he was trying to figure out which part of the timeline they were from.

2) Do you think the crew ascended after the explosion?. Again I was kind of waiting to see a white light emerge from the explosion indicating they had ascended.

3) ...do you think those Ancients ascended not knowing that the other Ancients had learned to ascend. Maybe they had an Ancient angel waiting to help them ascend after the explosion?

3.) it's possible. What I don't understand is the fuss over why everyone has to *learn* to ascend as a scientific formula.

I realize that's what was explained for SG-1's Prototype ep

Spoiler:

*Son of Anubis* episode

, that there is a programmed machine that was either helping (or monitoring?) Khalek develop super-powers, etc, but I have trouble in accepting ascension as a pure and total science. Monitoring one's progressive growth is easy to understand, but to cause ascension from a technical formula or a scientific equation? That's also what I would consider as complicating the issue more than necessary. In most real-life spiritual circles, "ascension" is automatic upon death. Simple departure of the soul/spirit from the body- it just happens...

Real scientists have forever been attempting to discover life beyond mortal death, and haven't succeeded yet. I think with some half-believing scientists, there is more of sensing an emotional feeling that something else does exist beyond life as we know it, itself, but that *something* is totally intangible and invisible to the natural human eye and exists on another dimension of existence... and aside from entertaining any *fantasy* aspects of such an idea, I think that might be part of what Stargate's entire study on it is about. (just guessing on that last thought...)

I know this isn't taught in Stargate, because there are several SG stories centering around "one must learn how to achieve enlightment" which is somehow being merged with "how to ascend" - yet in most spiritual circles, once a person dies, their soul simply goes to heaven or hell or wherever in between and they never learned how to move their soul from their deceased body... it *just happens*...! No machine involved. The spirit suddenly leaves from its lifeform shell and ventures off to somewhere else.

When Orlin died after he met Sam the first time around, he simply ascended - nothing complicated about it, no scientific formula required to pass the invisible "GO" marker. His human body died from severe injuries, and his spiritual entity simply ascended - like an Angel. He was focusing on a personal mission -before and after physically flatlining, succeeded, and flew off to elsewhere. Nothing scientific about that, unless mental imaging is being turned into physical equations, etc. (like binary codes being translated to words and pictures on a computer).

Whether an Angel actually takes or guides the newly departing soul to heaven or hell or wherever, is believable in the sense that the soul has no idea which "wormhole" to jump into that travels into the invisible (to human eyes) realms beyond tangible human life as we see it. It helps to have guidance from the beyond, at least for the first trip out there...

Originally posted by Xmen583:
i don't think the ancients in Aurora might learn how to ascended because they're too old, they don't have enough stenght to release the burden.

the ancient are very weak and very old, there no way when the ancient can ascended while in pod. they're too weak to learn how to ascended.

Somehow, I think if that person ever did die, while in their stasis pod, they would still be able to ascend/descend to somewhere. I do think the first officer did not "ascend" -however, because her bones were exposed in her uniform. "Why didn't she?" is the harder question. Everyone, including Daniel, on SG-1 who has ever *ascended* has simply vanished, with only their clothing left behind. No trace of bones anywhere.

More mysteries added to the entire "ascension" thing. Why do some people's mortal bodies remain at death (Machello and the skeleton remains of the first officer of the Aurora), and others simply vanish into a vapor of energy (Orlin, Skaara, Daniel)?

[Macilnar]

can't find the originals, but this was noted in LORD MONK's post-
1.) hmmm, slipped my mind... maybe he was trying to figure out which part of the timeline they were from.

3.) it's possible. What I don't understand is the fuss over why everyone has to *learn* to ascend as a scientific formula.

I realize that's what was explained for SG-1's Prototype ep

Spoiler:

*Son of Anubis* episode

, that there is a programmed machine that was either helping (or monitoring?) Khalek develop super-powers, etc, but I have trouble in accepting ascension as a pure and total science. Monitoring one's progressive growth is easy to understand, but to cause ascension from a technical formula or a scientific equation? That's also what I would consider as complicating the issue more than necessary. In most real-life spiritual circles, "ascension" is automatic upon death. Simple departure of the soul/spirit from the body- it just happens...

Real scientists have forever been attempting to discover life beyond mortal death, and haven't succeeded yet. I think with some half-believing scientists, there is more of sensing an emotional feeling that something else does exist beyond life as we know it, itself, but that *something* is totally intangible and invisible to the natural human eye and exists on another dimension of existence... and aside from entertaining any *fantasy* aspects of such an idea, I think that might be part of what Stargate's entire study on it is about. (just guessing on that last thought...)

Spoiler:

Khalek was being genetically advanced by Anubis using an Ancient device to a point where Khalek could Ascend with out the help of an Ascended being.

You see the Ancients where more genetically advanced then we are and once they realized how to Ascend they did so.

Spoiler:

We will find more out about Ascension latter in the episode "EPIPHANY"

I know this isn't taught in Stargate, because there are several SG stories centering around "one must learn how to achieve enlightment" which is somehow being merged with "how to ascend" - yet in most spiritual circles, once a person dies, their soul simply goes to heaven or hell or wherever in between and they never learned how to move their soul from their deceased body... it *just happens*...! No machine involved. The spirit suddenly leaves from its lifeform shell and ventures off to somewhere else.

When Orlin died after he met Sam the first time around, he simply ascended - nothing complicated about it, no scientific formula required to pass the invisible "GO" marker. His human body died from severe injuries, and his spiritual entity simply ascended - like an Angel. He was focusing on a personal mission -before and after physically flatlining, succeeded, and flew off to elsewhere. Nothing scientific about that, unless mental imaging is being turned into physical equations, etc. (like binary codes being translated to words and pictures on a computer).

Whether an Angel actually takes or guides the newly departing soul to heaven or hell or wherever, is believable in the sense that the soul has no idea which "wormhole" to jump into that travels into the invisible (to human eyes) realms beyond tangible human life as we see it. It helps to have guidance from the beyond, at least for the first trip out there...

Orlin was able to "ReAscend" because the Others Ascended him once he had learned his lesson.

Somehow, I think if that person ever did die, while in their stasis pod, they would still be able to ascend/descend to somewhere. I do think the first officer did not "ascend" -however, because her bones were exposed in her uniform. "Why didn't she?" is the harder question. Everyone, including Daniel, on SG-1 who has ever *ascended* has simply vanished, with only their clothing left behind. No trace of bones anywhere.

Simply put it is most likely that she didn't Ascend. As to why I do not know.

More mysteries added to the entire "ascension" thing. Why do some people's mortal bodies remain at death (Machello and the skeleton remains of the first officer of the Aurora), and others simply vanish into a vapor of energy (Orlin, Skaara, Daniel)?

Machello and first officer of the Aurora, never Ascended so there is no reason for their corporal forms to have "vanished". As for Orlin, Skaara and Daniel they did Ascended those their corporal forms "vanished".

[mgbland]

Caught something!

McKay asked Sheppard if he trusted him, and Sheppard said, "no."

This probably pointed back to Trinity.

[Shep'sSocks]

Caught something!

McKay asked Sheppard if he trusted him, and Sheppard said, "no."

This probably pointed back to Trinity.

I also caught that but the way it was said it was almost as though they'd almost got past it, sort of semi-joking but not quite.

[Macilnar]

Caught something!

McKay asked Sheppard if he trusted him, and Sheppard said, "no."

This probably pointed back to Trinity.

Um SGalisa said that 3 posts up...

Also check THIS some great pics of the Aurora...

[prion]

I also caught that but the way it was said it was almost as though they'd almost got past it, sort of semi-joking but not quite.

Caught that as well, but believe that the trust IS back as after all, he went into the pod.

[mgbland]

Caught that as well, but believe that the trust IS back as after all, he went into the pod.

I thought McKay looked a little hurt for an instant, before he returned to his obnoxious self.

[Shep'sSocks]

I thought McKay looked a little hurt for an instant, before he returned to his obnoxious self.

I thought that, too.

[badblu]

This episode was ok not great but ok

[mgbland]

Seen it too many times.

A couple of holes:

1. Why didn't Caldwell order a team to watch the wraith? If Sheppard and McKay are in the stasis pods, and the wraith can get free as easily as they can, what's to stop the wraith from leaving the pod long enough to locate them and chow down?

2. The first officer's body was definitely fed upon. Why wasn't her uniform aged like Elizabeth Weir's was in Before I Sleep? And why wasn't her uniform torn round the chest to show the feeding scars?