So...where's Franklin?

[Trinary]

Franklin probably escape through the hole above the chair, He might found something when connected to the chair and get a map for the whole ship while in session. He may up for something that related to the other part of the ship such as the pyramid section.

Otherwise, he may be kidnapped by the blue alien to gain the stargate dialing knowledge.

[meo3000]

Since when does the clothes ascend with the individual? Yes clamps were still there, but not the clothes.

[timebandit]

i like the idea of a whiny franklin ship --- could be funny! If his body is in stasis, it couldn't have 'gone' far.

Ascension though -- hmmmmm .... normally when we have ascention they show the cool glowy tendrily arms and stuff and here were denied that, so I'm thinking no just for simplicity.

I doubt aliens took him otherwise wed see a hole cut in the ceiling of that room or one near it [we didnt see a hole shown so we dont know there wasnt one]. if he was it means he got blue-brains ...

[Billz]

Answer

Spoiler:

franklin acended. he was all glowy and floaty just like oma desala

Oh snap, now rush will totally want to sit in the chair again!

The "glowy" part, was coming from the lights above him that was also spitting out the frost. He didn't ascend. He was directly connected to the ship and, being the reasonably clever chap that he is, probably created some kind of rudimentary teleport system. Given Destiny's age, it would probably be a fairly new system for the ship. Maybe the frost was to minimize potential damage to the person being transported at the time.

I'd love to see that! Franklin appear somewhere else on the ship, frozen in a sitting position! Would be funny to see.

[jwillis84]

I think the chair was less than what they thought.. but did more than they hoped.

We know the Ancients were interested in "higher consciousness" and aware of other planes of existence. But didn't quite know how to get there... or hadn't come up with the idea of immigration quite yet. But they may have been aware of when a thought experiment got out of hand.. hence the environmental controls, restraints, ect..

It might have been more of a "thought lab" where scientists and explorers could go to contemplate and experiment.

Sure it had access to mundane library resources not unlike a mental iPad for reading books.

But not unlike the Krell lab in Forbidden planet it could be a dangerous tool.

I think the "master key" they have been seeking is more like a library card "index" it just happens to be the basis of their knowledge storage system, like a number base.. or an arrangement.. such than when things are viewed through this kaleidoscope of the magic number everything becomes clear.. like figuring out the number of scan lines in a TV picture... or the structure of a book.

Passwords are an awful concept.. most acknowledge physical access trumps silly distractions like puzzles and can be eventually defeated.

But like the plaque on the Pioneer or Voyager probes.. without a point of reference.. the data would be inherently secure simply because it could not be understood in context.. the new arrivals on Destiny are the "key" the aliens have been looking for.. (what a great plot point.. what if at some point they have to try to convince the aliens.. they've all gone home.. would the aliens all pack up an go home?)

The "containment" room was an isolation chamber for managing the enormous energies that could be dissipated when something went wrong. Or could bleed it off and store it somehow.

Franklin probably figured out how to access the library.. and the mental terminal access to the ships computers.. but was afraid.. not of ascension.. but a plain and simple death.

Will they ever understand all of this in a Rush'ed monologue somewhere down the line.. I doubt it.

It will either remain a genuine unsolved mystery.. or.. an Ancient is shadowing them.. and will miraculously return him at some point entirely whole and humbled.

Of course by returning him.. they would forfeit the Ancients oversight.. but might finally understand fully what happened to Franklin.. and be given some measure of control of the ship.. probably a mid-season or end of season cliff hanger... though we don't know if the non-interference directive is maintained out in the border lands between galaxies.. the rules seemed to change between the Ori galaxies and the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies.. there seem to be regional domains of authority.

It has also occurred to me that inbound wormholes are permitted and the Milky Way in theory has the knowledge to open another one to the ship.. even if it cannot dial home.

SGU reminds me of an old SciFi novel called "Slow Freight" by F.M. Busby where a starship was sent out that had something like a wormhole aboard.. initially it too had an aversion to FTL and aliens.. don't take it as prior art however.. there are many SciFi stories with glancing similarities to the themes in play.. I would rather see some of those books turned into Saturday night SyFy "B" movies

[garhkal]

Franklin finally woke up, somewhat...and now has vanished. Where do you guys think he went? Did he ascend? Did he somehow become one with the ship?

Also, is it possible that he, not James, was the one who somehow sabotaged the engines? It seems unlikely, but I like to consider the options.

I am thinking he became one with the ship. When that 'cool air' started to come down i saw something in the ceiling look like it was made for a person (well that is what my mind showed me). BUT maybe that is part of the key to controlling the ship. it needs a human interface, like with the Guardian from SG1.

I wonder if the room going cold had anything to do with whatever happened to him?

that makes me wonder if it did not place him into one of those hybernation like states that SG1 did with Oneill in lost city.

I'm curious as well about the room getting cold right before whatever happened to Franklin.. his voice went almost like a Goauld there when he said "Go" or was it just me?

Perhaps that was the ship speaking THROUGH him. Heck it might have even been his command TO the ship since right after it the ship went into ftl.

a some what diff thought. he has been cryogenicly frozen as he maintains command over the ship.... this would mean that the chair is also like "the chair" on Atlantis and from Antarctica....and in those chairs you had to sit to stay in command...but being a older version it has to freeze you to sustain control with out killing you. as well as some how moving you to a better suited "freezer"?

Like the cryo room near the chair in Lost city..

I doubt aliens took him otherwise wed see a hole cut in the ceiling of that room or one near it [we didnt see a hole shown so we dont know there wasnt one]. if he was it means he got blue-brains ...

Plus none of their fighters landed..

[Pharaoh Atem]

franklin went out in a blaze of awesomeness.

[Mr chuckles]

He is in the room above the chair room, with a kino viewer he found the secret stash of ancient porn. Old footage, literally billions of years old.

[thekillman]

i think he ascended.

essentially he released his burden and he was psychologically ready for it, so yes i think he ascended

[The Swarm]

He had the secrets of the universe downloaded into his brain, i dont think we should exclude asscension just yet...

[Shai Hulud]

Destiny absorbed him and used the copious amounts of fat as fuel for the FTL drive.

[Puddle-Jumper]

Ya I extremely doubt its ascention, perhaps Destiny has some form of transporter and beamed him to another section of the ship, or he beamed himself to another section of the ship... I could throw out a few crazy reasons as to why he'd have to make himself colder for that but its unlikely... I really don't have a clue.. Can't wait to find out though

It seemed a bit BSG hybridy though... I don't mind I loved them

[exscape]

That seems like the most likely explanatoion so far. We know that ancient from the desert planet ( or whatever it was ) is at the very least interested in the desinies crew. It helped Lt. Scott find that lime. It would be a good time to tie up that loose end and make it part of what happened to Franklin.

That was (most likely) not an ascended being; it was the tiny bugs they later released through the gate in "Water". The buggers seemed to be drawn to water, which led Scott to it.

[flameling]

I think that Franklin didn't ascend but instead was integrated into the ship which'll raise the question as to how communication would work. What I find more interesting is if Franklin is part of the ship, or possibly the ship, could he be the password Rush has been looking for to control the ship? I've missed a few episodes so I'm not sure if they found the control code yet but it would be interesting if Franklin is the command code now.

[xxxevilgrinxxx]

I am reminded of Babylon 5 when Draal became a part of The Great Machine.

GREEN for a B5 reference! I think the destiny is at least partly sentient and that now Franklin is hooked into that somehow.

... I don't want to picture the crew drinking essence of Franklin.

*shudder* no one wants to picture that, LOL!

franklin went out in a blaze of awesomeness.