Epiphany (212)

[AutumnDream]

Since every retrovirus has a genetic "compatibility" with a certain type of cell, and then infects it to multiply itself, then destroys the target cell when it's done, I think Beckett is basically making a Wraith retrovirus that contains aggressive viral human RNA. It'll navigate the wraith's system, implanting itself in every wraith cell, send a lot more human DNA out into the wraith, and then destroy that cell. It seems almost perfect. That's how Shep was cured, right? Like Beckett said,

BECKETT: [cutting off Doctor Biro before she starts speaking again] Yes, yes! I agree. That's why we have to use the iratus bug stem cells.

[Ringing silence ensues. They're all staring.]

MALE SCIENTIST: Uh, sorry?

BECKETT: The iratus bug stem cell programmed with human R.N.A. wouldn't get rejected by his system and would be practically ignored by the current strain of retrovirus.

BIRO: We attack it from the inside?

BECKETT: Exactly. It would be like our own magic bullet that could navigate the retrovirus and start to repair his mutated cells.

From my understanding, the method Beckett is going to use to turn Wraith into humans seems perfectly viable. Converting a wraith wouldn't be any different than curing Shep because at that point, his genetics were almost like a wraith's anyway... from the prototype virus that gave him all the bad RNA in the first place.

...this is coming from a composer/symphonist though. ^_^

[Shep'sSocks]

I wholeheartedly agree with you here. The ascendees weren't that interesting to me at all- they were almost a distraction. I, too, have watched it a third time, and by far the very best parts were Sheppard's.

This ancient chick didn't bother me in regards to Sheppard, but she was boring. Nice, but boring.

And because she was an wannabee ascendee she had to wear a floaty dress. This is standard.

[Shep'sSocks]

You know me... I won't disagree there... I love onscreen claustrophobia...
I don't mind sundry wannabee ascendees (with a bit more spark please) running back and forth from the cave trying to feed him and persuade him to go ascending...
Angsty Sheppard is always good...

Nuh, Shep all alone in the cave talking to his radio. No distracting floaty dressed wannabee ascendees unless he's hallucinating.

[Shep'sSocks]

I'll come over and have a lurk; maybe you'll convert me. I would love to see more raw angst in Sheppard than I have. I've been using fan fic for that :-)

You gotta watch the eyes. Everything's there.

[Yeade]

What Shep'sSocks said. It's all in the eyes. And the hair. Which spikes, flattens, and waves according to Sheppard's mood.

[AutumnDream]

What Shep'sSocks said. It's all in the eyes. And the hair. Which spikes, flattens, and waves according to Sheppard's mood.

That's because Sheppard's hair is ATA Activated!

[Easter Lily]

That's because Sheppard's hair is ATA Activated!

What a hair-raising thought...
Sorry couldn't resist it...

*dashes to the nearest exit*

[Shep'sSocks]

What a hair-raising thought...
Sorry couldn't resist it...

*dashes to the nearest exit*

What I admire is that it does that all by itself with nary a thought to hair products... Quite creepy really.

[Yeade]

Well, it would be creepy if we weren't all so enamored of it. It's hard to be scared of the thing when your fingers are itching to muss it up.

And I think we'd better stop there and leave the rest to the thunkers.

Sadly, though, I honestly can't think of anything else to say about this episode.

...

Okay, I got it!

I spent a little time trying to figure out the spatial relationship between the cave, the village, and the possibly two fields that both reminded everyone of the one in "Duet." This was set off by Sheppard's offhand comment about having gone on a ten-mile(?) run and his later sprint to the team's rescue. Even factoring in cut time, it just seems... silly to think Sheppard ran more than a couple miles to get to his friends. And, what's more, the villagers apparently followed Sheppard--after having some sort of revelatory conversation or mind meld, I'm sure--at a stately walk.

So, working my retconning skills, I came up with the following points:

The key is to assume the field where Sheppard ran into Avrid is different from the one the rest of the team was crossing at the end. For clarity, the first is Field A, the second Field B. (Not very creative names, I know, but I'm tired.)

Now, the cave is between Field A and the village. Field B, on the other hand, is between the cave and the village.

(Note that when I say "between" I don't necessarily mean on a straight line. These places could also be located triangularly.)

When Sheppard left the cave to forage, he either went away from the village directly toward Field A, where he ran into Avrid, or circled gradually outward from the cave and happened to be in Field A when he ran into Avrid. He might have done either, but the latter has the benefit of being more military, IMO. However, if he did circle, Field A is closer, maybe a great deal closer, to the cave than the village; that ensures Sheppard wouldn't have run across the village while circling outward.

At any rate, with Field A on the far side of the cave away from the village, Teer's remark that Avrid carried Sheppard "halfway across the sanctuary" is plausible. As is Sheppard's ten-mile run. (Especially if he got lost for a stretch, lol.)

When the team left the cave to search for Sheppard and the Ancient power source, they went toward the village in the direction of Field B. If it's assumed the villagers walked the distance, Field B is fairly close to the village.

Ta-da! That was a lot of explanation for a simple concept, but I don't have the skill to draw it and post the image. And, as geeky and obsessive as it is, it's not off-topic! Yay!

[Shep'sSocks]

Yeade, you think too much.

[Quinn Mallory]

Although there were quite a few similarities to SG-1 episode 100 days (Sheppard was trapped for about 6 months in this one so I guess this episode would be 150 days), I thought this was still quite an interesting episode (of course, after the wait for the new episodes, any SGA is satisfying).

In terms of SGA stand alone episodes, I thought this was one is probably among my favorites. It's not as good as Aurora but better than Condemned.

[AutumnDream]

Yeade, you think too much.

Some of us *ahem* tend to think about this series way more than is healthy.

...also, it's our duty to get every episode thread to at least 200 replies.

[Quinn Mallory]

Well, it would be creepy if we weren't all so enamored of it. It's hard to be scared of the thing when your fingers are itching to muss it up.

And I think we'd better stop there and leave the rest to the thunkers.

Sadly, though, I honestly can't think of anything else to say about this episode.

...

Okay, I got it!

I spent a little time trying to figure out the spatial relationship between the cave, the village, and the possibly two fields that both reminded everyone of the one in "Duet." This was set off by Sheppard's offhand comment about having gone on a ten-mile(?) run and his later sprint to the team's rescue. Even factoring in cut time, it just seems... silly to think Sheppard ran more than a couple miles to get to his friends. And, what's more, the villagers apparently followed Sheppard---after having some sort of revelatory conversation or mind meld, I'm sure---at a stately walk.

So, working my retconning skills, I came up with the following points:

The key is to assume the field where Sheppard ran into Avrid is different from the one the rest of the team was crossing at the end. For clarity, the first is Field A, the second Field B. (Not very creative names, I know, but I'm tired.)

Now, the cave is between Field A and the village. Field B, on the other hand, is between the cave and the village.

(Note that when I say "between" I don't necessarily mean on a straight line. These places could also be located triangularly.)

When Sheppard left the cave to forage, he either went away from the village directly toward Field A, where he ran into Avrid, or circled gradually outward from the cave and happened to be in Field A when he ran into Avrid. He might have done either, but the latter has the benefit of being more military, IMO. However, if he did circle, Field A is closer, maybe a great deal closer, to the cave than the village; that ensures Sheppard wouldn't have run across the village while circling outward.

At any rate, with Field A on the far side of the cave away from the village, Teer's remark that Avrid carried Sheppard "halfway across the sanctuary" is plausible. As is Sheppard's ten-mile run. (Especially if he got lost for a stretch, lol.)

When the team left the cave to search for Sheppard and the Ancient power source, they went toward the village in the direction of Field B. If it's assumed the villagers walked the distance, Field B is fairly close to the village.

Ta-da! That was a lot of explanation for a simple concept, but I don't have the skill to draw it and post the image. And, as geeky and obsessive as it is, it's not off-topic! Yay!

That's a good explanation except you wouldn't need two different field. What's actually more plausible is just that within the one field, you have the stronger time dilation effect closer to the village. So at the entrance to the cave, the field dilate time by a factor of about 250X. However, Ronan said it was only a couple of hours while Sheppard said something like 6 months (this would mean the dilation is 2200X). The theory that the field is stronger would easily justify this discrepancy as well as how Sheppard got to the rest of the team that fast.

[Yeade]

What's actually more plausible is just that within the one field, you have the stronger time dilation effect closer to the village.

OMG. Christ, don't pull the pin off that grenade!

Okay, so we've all been assuming a uniform time dilation field, and I could see that it's possible the field isn't uniform or perhaps experiences random fluctuations...

Hm. I would expect some evidence of a gradual increase in the time dilation though. Especially if we're talking a factor of ten. For example, if the trees had noticeably moved through seasons as the team walked to the village. I didn't pay much attention to the scenery, but I don't think that was in the episode, so I think I'll give you random fluctuations but not increasing field strength toward the village.

That the power source was in the village--as your idea implies--might explain why the team headed that way though.

Thanks for the interesting theory! It's good to run the brain every once in a while.

[Shep'sSocks]

I'm surprised there's not been much talk of place as a sanctuary from the Wraith.