So...where's Franklin?

[Stranded]

I'll just point out one thing:

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

The Stargate writers are good at planning ahead and adding tiny bits of info in early episodes, which will later be explored in more detail. An example is Franklin himself, going comatose so early in the season. Another example is that robot being discovered in a previous episode, not the episode they use it in.

The room went cold/frozen. There was a reason for it happening. We just don't know what that reason was yet.

My brother suggested that it had something to do with restricting the speed at which his own mind would be working, while increasing the efficiency of the chair's ability. A very cold climate would cause hypothermia to accomplish just that, and if the chair is anything like Earth computers, it would prevent it from overheatting. Which might suggest it was using a lot more power than usual.

That's one of the things I thought of when I was watching. I think in reality it's going to be something different though. We'll just have to wait and see =/

[Tuvok]

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.

The Destiny absorbed him for processing power.

So it could override certain protocols and enable FTL.

From a Destiny point of view, if it is going to save you. It needs something from you.

[Werewolfhero]

I think he either ended up ascending. All these wierd theories about the chair converting him to power for the ftl or it eating him or shoving him into some hidden room seem alittle too far off the deepend.

[Krisz]

To me it is obvious, does anyone recall a little old SG-1 episode entitled Sentinel? The plot centered around a device that protected a planet and in order to operate it someone had to sacrifice their life.

Think about it, how awesome of a storyline would that be, every time destiny gets into trouble they would have to decide whether or not to sacrifice someone to save the crew.

The Sentinel came to mind when I saw what happened to Franklin. The people on that planet didn't know who built the 'sentinel' and what it really did, only that it destroyed any threats they faced as long as it had a human 'caretaker'. This could be an early form of Ancient defence technology, before they invented the mind controlled drones of the Antarctic outpost and Atlantis.

I like your thought about it being yet another ethical dilemma they get into if they have to get out of another life threatening situation.

[HaMm3r]

For you all, Id say, the floor har something to say on pic 2, its the one second scene before it all goes bright by the lamps above, so its very easy to miss.

http://picupload.org/i/ed08e68565d3.PNG

I didn't catch this minor detail during either of the two times I've watched the ep so far, but if you look at the screen capture that Morganrone93 posted, the wrist and ankle "cuffs" on the chair are still in the closed position and the probes are still extended, as if someone were still in the chair. So that means that Franklin didn't physically leave in one piece. So theories like the chair dropping thru the floor and depositing his frozen body somewhere are out. He had to have been transported, converted or disintegrated by some means.

Just plain dead or a kind of "ghost in the machine" are my guesses.

[pipi]

I like the idea of Franklin teleporting himself into a status chamber to save himself from the verge of death.

[meo3000]

Definitely large enough ceiling hole for first version rings...

http://picupload.org/i/4976e6c97138.JPG

or maybe a trap opening, lowering the chair somewhere

http://picupload.org/i/a811363c43bc.jpg

[garhkal]

I think he either ended up ascending. All these wierd theories about the chair converting him to power for the ftl or it eating him or shoving him into some hidden room seem alittle too far off the deepend.

IMO less so than him being ascended. How long after rodney got into that ascendo device in Tao, did it take for him to get to the point he was capable of ascending? A long time. Franklin has not had that long since he got into the chair to get that way. Especially with him being in a coma for a while.

[Sami_]

Its definetly not going to be ascension, we have enough information of the ancient timeline to know that it came much later.

I don't think he is dead, the whole point of the low temperatures would seem to indicate some sort of suspended animation and therefore he is still alive - most likely augmenting the ships computer in some way.

[Sami_]

The Sentinel came to mind when I saw what happened to Franklin. The people on that planet didn't know who built the 'sentinel' and what it really did, only that it destroyed any threats they faced as long as it had a human 'caretaker'. This could be an early form of Ancient defence technology, before they invented the mind controlled drones of the Antarctic outpost and Atlantis.

Wasn't it indicated that they made it themselves but had lost that knowledge over time?

From Stargate Wiki:

The episode begins as General Hammond attempts to contact SG-9 on P2A-018, who are eleven hours late reporting in. SG-9 was attempting to re-establish diplomatic ties with the Latonans, creators of an advanced defensive weapon named the "Sentinel", which was developed over five-hundred years ago by their ancestors, to defend the planet.

The last ancients (in Atlantis) ascended 10,000 years before SG-1.

[Trinary]

Basically, no residue on the floor to support the theory of his body being shattered. Also Sgt. Riley didn't see any flying bright light to support the theory of ascended being in the room. So, both theories can be dismissed.

[Shai Hulud]

Perhaps Riley has him stashed in his quarters as some weird sort of love slave?

[Mr chuckles]

I think he has become one with the Destiny.

[icsteffi]

I can see the arguments against Franklin's ascension argument... But I really think that ascension is what much of this show will be about---that is why Rush is here!! So I'm going to go with that for now, and be perfectly happy whatever way the writers take it.

Did you guys hear an alarm sounding in your heads when Mandy talked about her long conversations with Rush (after his wife died!) "about the ancients and ascension." Rush has always been motivated by the concept, and has always been overly interested in that chair. I could be wrong, I just feel like Mandy's comment meant a lot!

[Andru10]

In the alternate universe from Atlantis's Vegas episode they would have brought detective John Sheppard to take the case )