What's happening to SGA?

[Heaven]

What's happening to SGA?

it's becoming Startrek Atlantis

[Chrisisall]

What's happening to SGA?

it's becoming Startrek Atlantis

Is that a bad thing (he asks, not done with season one yet)?


Dumb newbie Chrisisall

[Heaven]

Is that a bad thing (he asks, not done with season one yet)?

depends on who you ask.
enjoy season 1, it's the best of the four imo.

[bluealien]

Here is a comment from the bottom of a review of TRIO:

There was a time, in my opinion, when 'Atlantis' out-classed 'SG-1'. Recently, however, it seems that the writers are just throwing out episodes so they can say that they are still on the air. This episode was just boring, much like the two or three before it. Soon to be closing out it's 4th season, I still mildly enjoy the show, but I'll be surprised if it sticks around beyond a 5th season.

Another quote from a reviewer:

They need Weir back, but she isn't coming, and they need Sam gone, which is happening. Season five is going to be rough; they need to do some serious locking up.

My personal fav quote from a review:

Next week… I am predicting it will be a half-perfect episode, as Teal'c comes to Atlantis. We have Sam and Teal'c, all we need is Jack and Daniel (Ha! Jack Daniels), change the name of Stargate: Atlantis to Stargate: SG-1 and the show will be perfect again!

Let's see, TPTB dumped Beckett, Weir, and are making Zelenka a perv. Keller is a "player" now (two separate TRIO reviews have mentioned this), We are getting a whiner leader in Woolsey, along with a new hot young chick (Capt. Vega-whatever).

What is left to like on this show? It is completely different from the SGA I saw in season 1.

Picking a few random negative reviews about the show proves nothing because there are just as many and most likely more positive reviews out there as well. As Alipeeps said you cannot please everyone and there will always be something someone doesn't like. For me the show is great and Weir and Beckett were never my reason for watching. Keller is by no means a player, Woolsey I'll comment on once I've seen him in command and Zelenka is anything but a perv.

I don't want the show to stay the same and each season has gotten better with season 4 being the best so far IMO.

[Chopingrl84]

Just wanted to weigh in on this, as I'm really glad to see I'm not the only one that's been less than thrilled with recent episodes. I (along with my family members that also follow the show) have been extremely disappointed with the season this year. For example, I was excited at the beginning of the season that Carter was going to be on the show, as she was one of my favorites on SG-1. However, to me, the character seems completely different on SGA, like all the spunk and intelligence is gone.

Anyone remember that episode of SG-1 ("200") with all of the parodies in it? There was one that was a "what if everyone was replaced with a younger, emo-ish version" -- that's kind of how Atlantis seems to me these days, and it's very disappointing. I find myself getting extremely bored, and a little embarassed by the writing sometimes. Last week's episode, with it's "Clooney or Pitt?" discussion, etc, seemed like a low point to me.


Not trying to hate on the show (I guess it probably seems that way), but it used to be my absolute favorite thing to watch (I was always a little too excited to get home on Friday nights and watch my tape of it), and I'm just really disappointed with the direction it's taken lately.

[Lost City Antares]

<snip> Characters need to be changed every once in awhile to keep a show fresh, to keep the story something different then characters A,B,C,D went through the gate, killed some wraith, risked a little death, and then went home.

What exactly are your standards for a character dieing "properly"? As far as I can tell every character that anyone possibly cared about can't be killed, despite the fact that they undergo "certain" death on a constant basis (otherwise the show is uninteresting).

As for Carter, I think the primary problem is that she isn't really involved in the show. Yeah, she's in 1 or 2 episodes were Atlantis is in a deathly situation, but out of the 20 episodes of the season she really isn't shooting and killing Wraith and coming up with solutions to what ever problem is happening to day. She isn't the same character, she has a different role to play in the show, and you can't expect her to be the same person she was four years ago.

As for myself, largely I've been happy with this season, it's been so much more interesting then last season, and I think that it's exactly what they needed. Trio wasn't my favorite (and I think they might be overdoing the, "lets stick two or three characters in a horrible situation and see what happens" type of episode), but on a whole they're doing better, especially if the season ender episodes turn out as good as they look to be.

[s09119]

When Stargate: Atlantis first came on the air, it was a different show, yes. The characters were new and exciting, the plot was (mostly) fresh, and we had an enemy that seemed far more sinister than any since the Replicator days. We had a brand new setting in an entirely new galaxy; they could do anything! The possibilities were endless.

And this continued into Season 2, but something began to change. Plotlines began to mirror those if SG-1, and at first, it seemed a great nod to the mother show. After a dozen or so re-hashes, however, many fans began to see that Atlantis wasn't honoring SG-1, but instead simply trying to use all its plotlines instead of making new ones. This trend was only solidified with the introduction of enemies henceforth referred to only as "Replicators" and the gradual forgetting of original Atlantis plots, worlds, and characters.

Finally, Season 4 began. A much-loved character in Carson Beckett had recently been lost, and Elizabeth Weir was next to go. Nearly all of the episodes were rip-offs of SG-1, and the character building seemed to drop into the netherverse. While the quality of writing and effects seem to have increased somewhat, the originality and care that once made Atlantis a beacon of progress for science-fiction seems to have been lost. And only time will tell if the ever-more-radical changes being made to the show will stem that downward slide...

[Heaven]

When Stargate: Atlantis first came on the air, it was a different show, yes. The characters were new and exciting, the plot was (mostly) fresh, and we had an enemy that seemed far more sinister than any since the Replicator days. We had a brand new setting in an entirely new galaxy; they could do anything! The possibilities were endless.

And this continued into Season 2, but something began to change. Plotlines began to mirror those if SG-1, and at first, it seemed a great nod to the mother show. After a dozen or so re-hashes, however, many fans began to see that Atlantis wasn't honoring SG-1, but instead simply trying to use all its plotlines instead of making new ones. This trend was only solidified with the introduction of enemies henceforth referred to only as "Replicators" and the gradual forgetting of original Atlantis plots, worlds, and characters.

couldn't have put it better myself.

[Mitchell82]

I think that it has everything to do with the guy at the top. It all started with his statement "What the fans want has nothing to do with our decision making" or whatever it was that he said.... Basically it was "the customer is always wrong". His first mistake was getting rid of Carson. Then he got rid of Wier and was surprised that Tori was upset????? Then they set us up with this dramatic ending to "Be all my sins..." (Annoying dramatic name for an episode) and because they screwed Tori over there will never be a follow up.

Their decisions to remove Weir and Carson had nothing to do with what the fans wanted. And they didn't screw up with Torri. They offered her a part to come back and she turned them down without even reading the script.

In drama one of the greatest tools is the "Setup and the Payoff" SGA fans got "The Setup and the Letdown". Now were losing Amanda and getting Picardo. Don't get me wrong I like Picardo, but SGA is now in a downward spiral, and something needs to be done fast!

FIRE MALLOZI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I disagree. It is not their fault Amanda is leaving. She made a tough choice. Personally JM is doing a good job.

[Klenotka]

They offered her a part to come back and she turned them down without even reading the script.

How generous of them
I wouldn´t return if I were Torri. It is like any other job-if they would kick me out, I would never return. And they offered her one episode. If Torri works in LA now, the flight to Vancouver bc of one episode, leave everthing behind, just to clean their mess...no, I agree with Torri´s decision. Nobody knows what really happened but I understand that Torri didn´t want to go back to place where she certainly lived some tough moments.

[Mitchell82]

How generous of them
I wouldn´t return if I were Torri. It is like any other job-if they would kick me out, I would never return. And they offered her one episode. If Torri works in LA now, the flight to Vancouver bc of one episode, leave everthing behind, just to clean their mess...no, I agree with Torri´s decision. Nobody knows what really happened but I understand that Torri didn´t want to go back to place where she certainly lived some tough moments.

I see your point but if things were that bad she wouldn't have come back for season 4 at all.

[stclare]

I see your point but if things were that bad she wouldn't have come back for season 4 at all.

Maybe she was hopefull that they would come back with more than 1 ep for season 5. She did mention that although she had 4 eps this season it really only counted as two due to screen time? or something along those lines.

I guess if your offered 1 ep against maybe a play or film. youd take the bigger option. she did mention a lot about doing stage work ect while at peg 3 and she seemed really happy. so im happy if shes happy.

I know ive said this a hundred times before but I wouldnt want to see her or any other charcter shoe horned in just to say there, there. im hoping Carsons eps are done really, really well. still totaly clueless how there gonna pull that off without it turning into a farce. roll on Kindred

[ses110]

Maybe Torri was contracted for Season 4? IMO TPTB treated her horribly.IMO good for Torri for sticking up for herself and moving on to better things. TPTB want to get rid of certain characters and the Actors are just suppose to come back whenever TPTB want. I applaud Torri.

[J_schinderlin56]

Amanda's leaving the show wouldn't be an issue at all if Torri hadn't been kicked off. And I would say that signing someone to a 6 year contract then, only going through half of it was reason enough for her to be upset, especially if she moved there to do the show.

I also don't see how you can have a follow up with the whole "Repli-Weir" thing without Weir. Yeah I know they'll come up with some back story, change her into someone/somethig else. But it won't work for me, they teased Wier now we're not going to get that. I respect that you guys like JM. I don't.... Sorry. But I still love the show, I just don't want it to become BSG.
So try as you may but I'll never be a Mallozzi Hugger.

[Alipeeps]

Finally, Season 4 began. A much-loved character in Carson Beckett had recently been lost, and Elizabeth Weir was next to go. Nearly all of the episodes were rip-offs of SG-1, and the character building seemed to drop into the netherverse. While the quality of writing and effects seem to have increased somewhat, the originality and care that once made Atlantis a beacon of progress for science-fiction seems to have been lost. And only time will tell if the ever-more-radical changes being made to the show will stem that downward slide...

Obviously that's your opinion and you're entitled to it but I'd be interested to understand your reasoning behind that statement, that "nearly all" the episodes in Season 4 are rip-offs of SG1. I personally am not seeing that so maybe you could explain which SG1 episodes you think nearly all the Season 4 SGA episodes are ripping off and in what way? What SG1 episode, for example, does Reunion rip off? Or Missing? Or Spoils of War? Or Trio?

Amanda's leaving the show wouldn't be an issue at all if Torri hadn't been kicked off. And I would say that signing someone to a 6 year contract then, only going through half of it was reason enough for her to be upset, especially if she moved there to do the show.

As has been explained several times in several threads, contracts in the acting industry simply don't work the same way as elsewhere - a 6 year contract for an actor does not mean a guarantee of 6 years of full-time work. It means the studio/production company are effectively paying the actor to "reserve" first dibs on their availability. It means full-time work for as long as a) the show gets renewed or b) the character remains part of the show. It's standard procedure, even when filming a pilot, before the show has even been picked up, to sign actors up for anywhere from 4 to 7 seasons right from the start - so that if the show is a success and does run for those years, the producers know they have the cast members available for as long as they need/want them. Characters are written out of shows ALL the time for all sorts of reasons and an experienced actor/actress knows how the system works. Sure, it's always going to be upsetting to be written out or have the role reduced, but making it sound like the studio/production company/TPTB pulled some kind of unusual, underhand manouevre and sacked someone half way through a guaranteed contract simply isn't accurate.

And folks, at the risk of playing mom, this thread isn't about how TPTB treated Torri or why she turned down the role in Season 5 etc etc... I'd hate to see this turn into another argument on that subject.