Rising, Part 2 (102)

[Oh4CrynOutLd]

Well, I'm gonna call it a night. Talk to all you guys later!


"Right now I'm thinking of a turkey sandwich." -Sheppard.
Nothing happens.
"Worth a try." -Ford, shugging.

[Adamixoye]

I see they re-used some alien characters from SG-1 episodes -- wasn't Dr Weir's "Simon" really Narim -- I think that was his name, a Tokra.
And wasn't that red-headed guy they first met on the new planet from
that SG-1 episode where the sphere was shrinking around the town, and
people were disappearing, but the computer kept reloading their memories --
can't recall the name of the episode.

Yes and yes, except Narim was Tollan, not Tok'ra.

Also, I've heard the actor who played Lt. Elliot in SG-1 will be making an Atlantis appearance as a different character. This always bugs me. Why can't they get new people?

[keshou]

Random thoughts on the premiere:

*General setup was really pretty cool. The mythology of Atlantis has always fascinated me and I'm interested to see it tied into the Ancients backstory. I'm a little confused about why the all-powerful Ancients with the neat toys couldn't handle the Wraith a little better but maybe that will be revealed as we go along. I loved the city on the water, rising out of the sea and the idea of the team being stranded with the Ancient's city as their base is intriguing. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with that aspect of the show, which to me is the biggest departure from SG-1. The rest of the premise is similar to the formula they used with success on SG-1. Opponent who appears unbeatable, technology they don't understand, forced to seek allies thru the gate system while encountering unknown dangers, etc.

*Joe Flanigan's Sheppard was a very pleasant surprise! Sure, he's a Jack O'Neill version 2.0 but he's cute and has a nice natural charm and sardonic wit that I enjoyed very much. McKay was great, although he seemed to get stuck with a lot of exposition in this premiere. Hopefully he'll get more to do. He *did* get some great lines and the "lemon" thing at the end was very funny and a nice nod to his original introduction on SG-1. Rainbow Sun Franck's Ford character was also fun and I liked the dynamic between Ford and Sheppard. Weir seemed to come and go for me, sometimes she seemed a little "off" and other times I liked her quite a bit. The Scottish doctor just needs a little time for development. I thought he was quite amusing although I confess I kept thinking of Scotty when he was delivering his lines. Teyla was my least favorite. Maybe it will get better but I didn't care for the character very much at first meeting.

* Special effects were really stunning. New wormhole effect to the Pegasus galaxy, goosebump effects of the city rising out of the water, orbiting gates, the wraith darts streaking out of the gates, etc. I loved the look of the city, isolated in the middle of the ocean.

*Sets are indeed impressive. And big. Wow. I really loved the city and can't wait to see more of it. At first I didn't care that much for the look of the gate (looked a little Las Vegas) but it did seem to fit the sleek modern architecture so I'm going to go with it.

*The Wraith. Reserving judgment until I see a little more of them. I guess they didn't impress me that much this first time. I think I kept getting distracted by the bad teeth and wondering if the evening gown was a rip-off of an old Donna Karan that I once saw Streisand wear. Maybe I'll be more creeped out when I see them next time.

So not a bad way to start at all. It was well-paced, I was never bored. It actually impressed me way more than I expected. Yay!

[DAL SHAKKA MEL]

I thought it kicked major ass!
The only major dissapointment was that the cerveron guy was left out! they had some other guy call out the cheverons!

Was anyone else dissapointed by the lack of cheveron guy?

[Avalar]

The Wraith woman didn't do it for me. I think she talked a little goofy and she wasn't that weird. The other one though, that guy with the two-strand beard thingy, was a little creepy and I don't know what to say about the guards, they kind of went against the sleek look that I thought the Wraith would have.

All in all I don't think they're bad villains. The whole life-sucking thing is always cool but not too original.

[Loki]

The show was excellent and geniuely felt different than Sg-1 (other than the Wraiths, which I'm venting about in another thread ). I knew I really liked it when I can watch a show for two hours and still want to see the next episode immmediatly. Overall, I was very impressed and hope that this show gets the fan (and ratings) support it deserves.

[Kaloo]

The Drones are a standard wepon

[Adamixoye]

The Drones are a standard wepon

I love the drones.

[Shipperahoy]

I'm still in the middle of watching it but I really like it so far. I like Sheppard a lot more than I expected too. The effects are great. The whole time Garwin Sanford was on I couldn't help myself from thinking "But that's Narim!". I think they should have used someone else for that part. Gonna go back and finish it now.

[Chevron 1]

To quote The Joker from the Batman-Superman Animated Movie, "Look at all the toys!"

I love the new dial-up sequence. And with it being the base and with a DHD built in, no need to account for spacial drift, Dopplar Shift, or all that stuff Carter said in SG-1 premiere all those years ago.

Although there will be no need for a chevron guy now...or at least truncate the saying: "chevrons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7", or something.

And the puddle jumpers...Incredible...I was hoping that sandwich would appear somewhere...

All in all, very cool.

[uknesvuinng]

I thought it kicked major ass!
The only major dissapointment was that the cerveron guy was left out! they had some other guy call out the cheverons!

Was anyone else dissapointed by the lack of cheveron guy?

Well, we have McKay. All this time we thought he wanted to be more like Carter, and he really just wanted to be the Cheveron Guy.

[chiefchucky]

I enjoyed this premiere although it wasn't outstandingly good it was still a good solid episode. I wish it had been presented commercial free because then they could of had another half an hour and it wouldn't have felt rushed. Other than that Stargate Atlantis Is a damn good show so far.

[P90]

Amazing. Simply amazing. I'm almost looking forward to Atlantis more than season 8. The wraith were alot more freaky than I thought they would be, and I am in love with the Puddle Jumper. That scene had my heart beating faster than I could remember in a long time. That was so amazing. My mind has been blown. Atlantis has blown my mind.

[Liebestraume]

Very pleasantly surprised (and to think till two weeks ago I hadn't planned on watching it).

I must confess that being unexpectedly impressed by Flanigan in Lowdown was the main reason that I decided to give this a try. Being unfamiliar with any of his previous work, I nevertheless liked his easy charm and laid-back manner. And his Sheppard did not disappoint -- he is Jack without the "dumb soilder" act.

However, tonight's hands-down "sleeper hit" had to be Beckett. I thought he was very funny without really trying, and McGillian's delivery was hilarious. I hope to see more of the dear doctor in the future episodes.

If truth be told, I hadn't been very impressed with Higgison's Weir in SG-1. But, somehow, she just seemed to be more in her element here. I think I now start to see TPTB's wisdom in the cast change. And Dr. Weir's ability to make the hard decisions totally made a big fan out of me.

But I am not overly thrilled with the new villains. For starters, they are just too aesthetically unpleasing to hold my attention (apologies for a personal moment of shallowness ). So far, their evilness seems to be very one-dimensional but I believe this will change as the season progesses.

All in all, a promising pilot. I think I'll watch next week.

[Shipperahoy]

I just finished the episode. I really liked it. I'm still not sure about the Dr. Weir character but maybe she will grow on me. I love Sheppard and McKay was at his best. I'm really looking forward to the series. What happened to no ship on Atlantis though? It sure looks like there's something between Sheppard and Teyla but maybe it's just my imagination. I don't really care one way or another. But I really like the Sheppard character. He's great. At least I know that if this is Stargate's last year that there is something else that is watchable out there. SG-1 will always be my favorite though.