How will he return? Spoilers for the later part of season 4

[Maximus]

Ok lets eliminate the ones that are definately not possible..

He cant come back as a time traveller.
He cant be from an alternative universe
He cant b a replicator/robot/hologram/dream/ascended being
He cant be revived from the dead (He was blown to bits months ago. Meaning he is nothin but a charred, buried and probably partially decomposed corpse by now).

JM said specifically it would be Carson "in the flesh".

This leads me to believe either he was cloned earlier in the season like O'Neill was on SG1, but actually reached full maturity and didnt know he was a clone..(the original being kept prisoner/guest by the cloner)..or perhaps replaced by someone else (replicarson anyone?) and it was the copy that died..

Other than that I cant think how it's possible to bring back the REAL, FLESH AND BLOOD Carson Beckett back to the show... Especially if he's only back for 2 or 3 episodes!

If its Carson in the flesh, why cant it be that??

[DarkFighter]

Spoiler:

But Carson isn't physically capable of ascension, theonly way he could ascend is if an ascended being had helped him.

Spoiler:

well he is in the city of the ancients preaty good guess to think there might be one hanging around... after all they did help the entire people's of abydos to ascend

[Bacardi]

If its Carson in the flesh, why cant it be that??

cos JM also said it would not be an AU or time traveller

EDIT:

Q: Will it be “our” Carson Beckett or an alternate version?

A: Well, I don’t want to give too much away but I can say it won’t be an AU version of Carson - or a time-hopping Dr. Beckett either.

[Steve_the_Wraith]

Shocking new info from Mallozzi's Blog...

Propagander(Me) writes: “Regarding Beckett's return - your not going to pull a Dallas on us are you? Someones not going to wake up and find him in the shower and the past season was all a dream are they?”

Answer: Damn, you’ve figured it out! The team wakes up after a looooong nap on the mist-shrouded world from season one’s Home to discover they never left the planet and the past two and a half seasons have all been a hallucination.

[Mitchell82]

Shocking new info from Mallozzi's Blog...

Joe is such an ass from time to time.

[Mitchell82]

I agree with those who said it could be related to Michael. He could have some of Carsons DNA and recreate him, or he could have ascended and retake human form, or... heck who knows it could be anything. I can't wait to find out.

[Ruffles]

In Tao of Rodney, Carson states that he keeps a sample of everyone's DNA/blood. That's how they saved Rodney. The machine restored Rodney back to his original form. The closest I can get (and tech is NOT my forte) is Rodney figuring out how to modify the machine to use Carson's DNA to "remake" him. Perhaps he doesn't have his memories. Maybe he'll be sent back to Earth for therapy or something since he can't remember anything.

[Mitchell82]

In Tao of Rodney, Carson states that he keeps a sample of everyone's DNA/blood. That's how they saved Rodney. The machine restored Rodney back to his original form. The closest I can get (and tech is NOT my forte) is Rodney figuring out how to modify the machine to use Carson's DNA to "remake" him. Perhaps he doesn't have his memories. Maybe he'll be sent back to Earth for therapy or something since he can't remember anything.

Hmm possible though I'd prefer to think that Michael is somehow responsible.

[Copernicus]

Most theories I have seen posited on this thread have focused on two possible episodes, Vengeance and Tao of Rodney, as possible return points for Dr. Beckett. I'm here to suggest a third, which admittedly has been less hinted at but would make for a reasonable episode.

Carson Beckett was the victim of an exploding tumour. Taken by itself, this seems like a ridiculous concept. Maybe it's not supposed to be taken by itself. We have this machine that, when turned on, caused everyone to grow exploding tumours, presumably because it didn't work correctly. What if it worked incorrectly in more ways that just that?

A question that needs to be answered before going on is how much of Carson was actually left after the explosion. If there were only trace amounts, it could be plausible that the explosion did not kill him, but had another effect, perhaps phasing him out of our time-space. Before you roll your eyes, remember that the man died of an exploding tumour.

However, that's not the interesting part. We have that Beckett exists as a ghost, of sorts, trying to get back to his time-space. Now we toss in that Teyla can see him. This makes sense because Teyla has those minor psychic abilities, but of course Rodney will look for a more scientific explanation, like that the shrapnel from the blast exposed her to a very mild amount of the same element that shifted Carson and now allows her to see him.

Also, we will have the following obligatory funny moment:
McKay: Teyla, could you ask him something?
Teyla: Of course.
McKay: After Carson died, well I wanted to apologize for not going fishing with him. I went out to the pier to think by myself, and while I was out there, I could feel him there with me. Actually I could kind of see him, too, but I just figured that was some coping mechanism. Was that really him?
Beckett: It most certainly was not! The man sounds like he's got mild schizophrenia!
*Teyla thinks for a second*
Teyla: Doctor Beckett says he appreciated your apology very much.

Hilarity will also ensue when Sheppard gets Teyla to ask Beckett what he's done for food for the past year.

If this is a one-parter where Beckett does not return for good, Dr. Beckett gets Teyla and Rodney to help the other person who is stuck in the shifted time-space (doctor whatever who blew up earlier in the episode), but does not tell them that he is incapable of returning due to some complication that will be written in later. The result is that Carson commits one last selfless act as a tribute to his character.

If this is a two-parter where he does not return for good, the same general ideas happen, with Teyla and all, but then Atlantis gets taken like in The Storm, leaving only Sheppard in the city. Sheppard, desperate for any help he can get, makes his way to the room with the machine and turns the radiation machine on, giving him the ability to see Carson (McKay's scientific explanation) who can provide him with intel to take back the city. This also sets up a ticking clock, as if Sheppard does not take the city back in time, he will explode.

If Beckett is going to return, you can use the same general ideas that would have brought back the other person but with Beckett as well and then rework it for a one or two part episode.

[The Suicidal Goldfish]

That explosion was a very powerful one and any body found would of likely of been chared to a crisp by the times the flames went out. Kidnappers could of, if they had the techonoloy levels, beamed Carson out at the last second and beamed in a dead body who was the same age, race height as Carson so they would think he was dead.

Someone's been reading William Shatner's The Return!

TSG

[wellduh!]

When Rodney imparted knowledge to carson, at the end, he downloaded a lot of other knowledge, including a way for Carson's consciousness to become part of Atlantis. And they wil somehow discover that an then figure out how to use the machine that fixed Rodney's DNA in Tao, along with a blood/tissue sample from Carson, to make a new body for him and transfer his consciousness into it.

This would fit with Carson talking to Rodney at the end of Sunday.

I just want to know how they are going to explain it to Carson's family.....

[The Suicidal Goldfish]

"Umm, terribly sorry folks; your loved one wasn't blown to kingdom come by an exploding bunch of cancer cells but was uploaded into this handy USB stick. Ta-ra for now!"

[Mitchell82]

Most theories I have seen posited on this thread have focused on two possible episodes, Vengeance and Tao of Rodney, as possible return points for Dr. Beckett. I'm here to suggest a third, which admittedly has been less hinted at but would make for a reasonable episode.

Carson Beckett was the victim of an exploding tumour. Taken by itself, this seems like a ridiculous concept. Maybe it's not supposed to be taken by itself. We have this machine that, when turned on, caused everyone to grow exploding tumours, presumably because it didn't work correctly. What if it worked incorrectly in more ways that just that?

A question that needs to be answered before going on is how much of Carson was actually left after the explosion. If there were only trace amounts, it could be plausible that the explosion did not kill him, but had another effect, perhaps phasing him out of our time-space. Before you roll your eyes, remember that the man died of an exploding tumour.

However, that's not the interesting part. We have that Beckett exists as a ghost, of sorts, trying to get back to his time-space. Now we toss in that Teyla can see him. This makes sense because Teyla has those minor psychic abilities, but of course Rodney will look for a more scientific explanation, like that the shrapnel from the blast exposed her to a very mild amount of the same element that shifted Carson and now allows her to see him.

Also, we will have the following obligatory funny moment:
McKay: Teyla, could you ask him something?
Teyla: Of course.
McKay: After Carson died, well I wanted to apologize for not going fishing with him. I went out to the pier to think by myself, and while I was out there, I could feel him there with me. Actually I could kind of see him, too, but I just figured that was some coping mechanism. Was that really him?
Beckett: It most certainly was not! The man sounds like he's got mild schizophrenia!
*Teyla thinks for a second*
Teyla: Doctor Beckett says he appreciated your apology very much.

Hilarity will also ensue when Sheppard gets Teyla to ask Beckett what he's done for food for the past year.

If this is a one-parter where Beckett does not return for good, Dr. Beckett gets Teyla and Rodney to help the other person who is stuck in the shifted time-space (doctor whatever who blew up earlier in the episode), but does not tell them that he is incapable of returning due to some complication that will be written in later. The result is that Carson commits one last selfless act as a tribute to his character.

If this is a two-parter where he does not return for good, the same general ideas happen, with Teyla and all, but then Atlantis gets taken like in The Storm, leaving only Sheppard in the city. Sheppard, desperate for any help he can get, makes his way to the room with the machine and turns the radiation machine on, giving him the ability to see Carson (McKay's scientific explanation) who can provide him with intel to take back the city. This also sets up a ticking clock, as if Sheppard does not take the city back in time, he will explode.

If Beckett is going to return, you can use the same general ideas that would have brought back the other person but with Beckett as well and then rework it for a one or two part episode.

Very interesting theory. For one JM said it would be a two parter and mabey a third. This could be a great story, though a little far fetched. I think it's more likely a combination of Vengence and Tao, but great theory.

[Happenstance]

Someone's been reading William Shatner's The Return!

TSG

I love that book, should have been made into a movie!

[Arica12]

These are all good theories, personally I'm hoping for something really sci-fi (and something hopefully we haven't seen before). But as for the Ascended bit, I don't know, I thought it wasn't likely but then I borrowed a friends copy of Rising the other day and well....What if he's already an Ancient? (Please note in the interests of preventing anyone exploding in rage on reading this that the next passage is written very much tongue in cheek)

Spoiler:

I mean seriously, did anyone else buy the whole accidentally shooting a drone off routine; no one was able to make the chair work (apart from O'Neill who is part ancient, was an ancient for a day I believe? - My Sg-1 knowledge isn't that great) until Beckett sits down and suddenly there's artillery going off? Okay, maybe not out of the question but when you consider it was shot at a helicopter carrying O'Neill (someone who I would imagine many ancients would like to shoot a drone at.....it makes you think. They gave their hand away in the first blooming episode, Beckett is an ancient. One who likes practical jokes - and that bit definitely explains the exploding tumour!

Okay the above was the result of a little too much celebrating of a cancelled work trip. In all seriousness for a moment all I want is a comeback that is well written, believable and which adds to the whole Stargate story. Sci-fi should tackle the big issues, and really what bigger issue is there than death? Or does everyone really think that on a science fiction show that death should really be accepted as the uncrossable barrier?