Instinct (207)

[TheGreatCatOfRe]

Good eps. With each eps more questions arise than are answered, which makes for a great show. As far as following orders, no one in Atlantis follows orders, come on! One of the funny things about the Stargate world is that TPTB always inserts the fact that these people have to make their own decisions in a split second whether to follow orders or not. Is it better to follow an order and ultimately fail or is it better to push the edge of the envelope, fly by the seat of yr pants and save the day. The SG1 team disobeyed orders continuously and recevied medals for it. I don't see SGA being any different. Teyla telling Ronan go ahead, as needed, to disobey an order isn't an alien conspiracy, it's a continuation of all the past Stargate stories.

Stargate reflects society in this sense in the past 30 years. Do you follow a stupid order to everyone's ultimate doom, or do you go your own way. A lot of the movie hero sterotypes over the the past 30 years are the the anti-hero, Shep personifies this and it looks like Ronan will over the course of the year.

This is a major theme with my generation, or you could say Jack's generation, remember when he said "I've spent my whole career trying to screw "the man" now I am the Man". All of this is reflected in the Stargate world, how does Jack's generation deal with the fact that they are the establishment now and how do they expect younger people to follow orders when it was so difficult for them to.

I'm sure the former Lt Calley (sp) is still pondering this question today.

Back to the show, this type of scenario makes for good tension though and that is what SGA is all about. There will be lots of disobeying of the TPTB orders throughout the season, looks like, and it will ultimately save the day.

I didn't feel to sorry for Elia at the end when

Spoiler:

Shep/Ronan took her out, I can't see it ending any other way really, she had been feeding on the villagers for a while, at least two years, it looked like. This eps was good on a level that it showed how dependent the Wraith are on their Human food

.

Thought it was funny when Shep slapped McKay upside the head. I would have done the same at that point, he needs to be slapped upside the head every once in a while.

I thought Teyla and McKay discussion was interesting also, haven't seen them interact too much over the past year.

[TheGreatCatOfRe]

This episode definitely brought up a lot of questions. The one that keeps bugging me is why the other Wraith allowed Elia to be raised by a human and didn't interfere? I have this wild theory that in the natural order of things, as the female she may be the one who's supposed to be taking care of things, giving the orders etc. He didn't take her because she didn't want him to and he had to obey her wishes. I suspect there aren't that many females and like in most societies, she's the one in charge.

Yes, I agree. This eps did raise more questions ref the Wraith than answered them. Hopefully, these questions will be answered slowly through the years.

[MarshAngel]

It's probably a little late for spoilers but still...

Spoiler:

The Wraith ship wasn't a large one. It only carried a few people. It crash landed on the planet. The natives freaked out and killed everyone else. Then the father ( forgot his name) found a small wraith child in the wreckage and couldn't bring himself to kill her so he hid her from the others.

[Gargen]

Man i would just knocked out that little wraith and brought her back to atlantis for beckett to experiment on

[coolove]

I really enjoyed this episode and it was much better then I expected. By just reading the brief synopsis, I thought it was going to be a Sheppard centric episode. I'm glad it wasn't. There were a lot of twists and turns in this plot that I never saw coming. I felt sorry for Elia. She just wanted to be human... to be accepted and not to be judge based on the actions of her people.

And I'm glad SGA got some fresh writers for this episode.

[Apogeal Alpha 01]

There was about two minutes when my cable went out --he says culling, and it came back as they were burning the bodies. He say's he didn't know what they were, but they took no chances. Can someone tell me what I missed?

[Thermonuclearboy]

I'm of two minds with this one. It was a good story, but there were far too many character discrepancies for me. I don't like where they're taking McKay's character this season. Halfway through the first season the writers were beginning to tone down his arrogance and annoying-ness and making him more of a heroic man-of-action guy (while still remaining McKay), and now it looks like he's going back the other way. Don't care for that. I like actual character development in my characters.

Ronon Dex continues to rub me the wrong way, what with his unconvincing tough-guy shtick and his aiming his super-cool pistol "gangsta style" this week (and why does he have sword all of sudden? Did I miss an episode?). Jason Momoa was a model before he became an actor? I can believe it; he comes across more petulant than hard-ass. I miss Ford.

[birdieey]

It could be more of a skill thing then a strength thing. A skilled Martial artist (someone in say jui jitsu) could execute a throw from the ground like she did against a stronger opponent if the opponent was not properly balanced. And Im thinking the one thing you can't call Elisa was "balanced".

Ya, I think this makes more sense then Teyla being stronger than the wraith.

As for all the comments about Teyla's judgment in telling Ronan that he doesn't always have to follow orders...

I think this is being blown way out of proportion. Yes I do think it will probably come back to bite her in the ass later on in the series but I think it has more to do with the fact that for all Ronans recklessness, he becomes quiet subservient when he is given a direct order. And while this may have been necessary when he was back in his planet's military, things are different on Atlantis.

One thing that remains the same in almost all sci-fi shows is the arrogance of the "humans/terrans" and this consistent idea that "we will always prevail" (not necessarily a bad thing). McKays' insistence that he could succeed where the Ancients had failed in "Trinity" is a good example of this. We basically do whatever we think is right, for that reason alone (especially Sheppard; albeit heroically). Sometimes we act without really thinking of the long term effects. Another example of this is Beckett trying to create an enzyme to "eliminate" the wraith, I mean yes they are a horrible species with seemingly no redeeming qualities and were probably created by accident, but does that give us the right to just exterminate them? (I'm not really sure of the answer myself; I'm just posing the question).

Anyway back to my original point, Teyla has been witness to this "attitude" (of team SGA) having less then favourable consequences, which could be part of the reason she suggests it might not be a good idea to follow "all" orders.

And on a side note, this "attitude" we possess also means that we sometimes take heroic, risky and/or self-sacrificing measures to "get the job done". I prefer to think Teyla wants Ronan to know that we occasionally need saving from ourselves

stay frosty,

[cybergaki]

Ok. First off, Ronon is not a heavy drinker. He finished off a *glass* of beer, not a "tub". Maybe the man was thirsty? After all, it's not like they had cranberry spritzers with lime to offer. It...was...a...tavern. Did you catch the look Teyla gave him?

As far as a child being on the ship...maybe they were on the Wraith version of a family vacation? Take in the sights, see some nature, suck a few of the locals when you get hungry?

And has been noted, John finally gets Ronon to "sit", so to speak, and then Teyla talks about "exceptions". *sigh*

Conversion looks like it will be excellent. Hate having to wait two weeks.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

Another good moment from the episode:
Sheppard smacks McKay in the back of the head.

[The Patriotic Symbiote]

I LOVED THIS EPISODE! Personally, i think it was one of the best episodes of the new season, and possibly the old one.
the truth is that i have been waiting TWO WHOLE STINKIN WEEKS for this episode, but it was definitly worth it.

I especially liked Elia. but it was so sad when she died at the end i wish she hadn't died (whaaaaaa).

But in spite of that, it was a very good, no not good, GREAT episode. and they set up another very interesting plot for 'Conversion'. but the problem is that now i have to wait ANOTHER TWO WHOLE STINKIN WEEKS for this episode. i will probably go out of my mind before then, but in the chance i'll survive, i will definitly have my eyes glued to the TV when 'Conversion rolls around.

I will forever watch Stargate Atlantis, and if they ever cancel it, i will rip their heads off.

[Dr Weir]

It's probably a little late for spoilers but still...

Spoiler:

The Wraith ship wasn't a large one. It only carried a few people. It crash landed on the planet. The natives freaked out and killed everyone else. Then the father ( forgot his name) found a small wraith child in the wreckage and couldn't bring himself to kill her so he hid her from the others.

Might had been a wraith cruiser.

[TyrionLannister]

I liked this episode, but I had one major complaint with it. Someone here may have said italready, but I didnt see it. I hated how Elia looked totally weird after taking the retrovirus. She didnt look like a normal Wraith. She looked like a cross between Nightcrawler (from Xmen) and Two-face (of Batman fame). Her skin looked darkblue/black instead of the normal white. The left side of her face (our right) was much darker than the left (especially at first) which was almost the normal white.

Now, since Shep looks dark bluish/black in the next episode and I think those bugs from 38 minutes were the same colors... maybe the virus made her more biglike than a regular wraith...

But this is never explained. Infact, noone seems surprised that she looks so dark. Teyla mentions that she is faster and stronger than any wraith shes ever seen... but I don't know.

[Merlin7]

I liked this episode, but I had one major complaint with it. Someone here may have said italready, but I didnt see it. I hated how Elia looked totally weird after taking the retrovirus. She didnt look like a normal Wraith. She looked like a cross between Nightcrawler (from Xmen) and Two-face (of Batman fame). Her skin looked darkblue/black instead of the normal white. The left side of her face (our right) was much darker than the left (especially at first) which was almost the normal white.

Now, since Shep looks dark bluish/black in the next episode and I think those bugs from 38 minutes were the same colors... maybe the virus made her more biglike than a regular wraith...

But this is never explained. Infact, noone seems surprised that she looks so dark. Teyla mentions that she is faster and stronger than any wraith shes ever seen... but I don't know.

If you look at her hand on Shep's arm at the end, she's totally turning into the bug. I imagine the retrovirus has the bug DNA and she was turning into it. I'm GUESSING that's what's happening with Shep too, in CONVERSION.

[Osiris-RA]

Instinct was depressing to me. It just doesn't seem fair that

Spoiler:

the kid didn't survive! If I was in the dad's place, yeah, I probably would have done the same thing. If there's the slightest hope that some of the child's humanity remains -yes, I'd try and make her better. But in this case apparantly, time proved the greater enemy. I say whatshisface (I keep forgetting his name, I'm sorry, so many characters!) better whip up that serum quick! I mean, hey, if all you've gotta do is get a kid and revert it back to it's human side, STEP TO IT ALREADY!