Childhood's End (106)

[crazylinguist]

I suppose at the time the people were more interested in how long it would work than in how much area it would cover, but unless they dumped the device and ran, wouldn't it make sense to keep working on the shield and see if you could find loopholes so maybe you could get time AND area configured?

It would make sense. They didn't really explain anything about the people who left the shield did they?

[ShadowMaat]

It would make sense. They didn't really explain anything about the people who left the shield did they?

The answer will be "plague". It's always plague where the Ancients are concerned.

[Cydonia]

I initially thought that their method of population control was pretty stupid. But then I realized that dying as an adult once you've "lived your life" is far more acceptable than any other method of population control in a low/non-tech society (China's forced abortions, for example). And if they've been doing that for 500 years, then it's their way of life and it seems they insured people wouldn't ever successfully question it.

Good episode... McKay seemed a bit too mellow the past couple eps and it was good to see him get on his holier (or more advanced) than thou kick - and to see him knocked down from it.

Teyla's character felt more real as well and of course Ford was way better with the kids than McKay - he's younger (joking... I'm old myself)

Sheppard showed a bit of recklessness by allowing McKay to even consider taking the device and it was good to see that he's not perfect either.

All in all, I like it a lot, even though I missed seeing Beckett.

[Dragonlor]

McKay picking a fight with a little kid. I bet he still would have lost.

[ShadowMaat]

I was waiting for the kids to play with the device and figure out the correct sequence, thus proving that they ARE smarter than McKay!

Well, not really, but it would have been funny to see MKay try and deal with that. "Lucky guess! That's all!"

[Shipperahoy]

I really liked this episode. Any episode where I'm laughing outright more than once is a good one. Have I said how much I LOVE McKay. Those kids were great. I can tell why he only had a cat to leave behind when he left for Atlantis. I was kind of hoping the fist fight between McKay and that kid had played out. Something tells me McKay might not have come out on top. I like Ford more and more every episode and I really enjoyed Courtnay (happy David?) Stevens performance. I'll happily watch this episode over again.

[Xevallah]

I actually find it a little difficult to believe that they would give up that ritual as easily as implied. As far as these people are concerned, the lives of every person on the planet depends upon The Sacrifice. Then some guy comes along and says, "Oh, you know that ritual thing? Yeah, actually, we don't have to do that anymore."

I'd also like to know why the builders of the device didn't make whatever change McKay made to expand the field. I mean, if McKay can think up and implement the idea, why not one of the Ancients?

The Ancients were long dead 500 years ago. It seems the people reached a technological point that the Wraith came. By the time all of their cities had been destroyed, they had figured out how to adapt a scavanged ZPM (probably half depleted considering it only has a small percentage of juice left after 500 years of a relatively simple task....compared to running an entire city.) to do that thing it did.

Over all it was a good episode. I didnt really buy how easily they decided to abandon there faith in the rituals. Would be a nice followup where some tribes seperate from the others and continue the old ways.

[vfxsoup]

I loved the comments about the bows and arrows... many of them were entirely CGI for scene specific safety reasons. Did you guys like the tree house village shot? That one was quite tricky, again, all CGI. We spent a lot of time adding CGI people up there to give it some life (notice the rope bridge is swinging?). I could carry on and on about what else was CGI in the show, but then I'd be letting you guys in on too much!

Keep watching, we've got more great stuff in store!

Mark Breakspear
Visual Effects Supervisor
Atlantis

[Buzz Lightyear]

Awww.

We didn't get a ZPM

Well, getting one by episode 6 in season 1 would be a bit too easy, don't you think?

[Bobthespirit]

Okay...I'm sorry, but I'm so sick of these 'primitive planets with some silly ritual custom' episodes. Especially when it's a premise they did unsuccessfully in TNG.

Well, this one was better than TNG's try at it, simply due to absence of Lwaxana Troi, but this entire episode, though it had some entertaining Shepherd/McKay moments, just felt like 'been there, done that.' Just another Learning Curve/Brief Candle/Broca Divide/etc/etc type episode with the same ending.

[Bobthespirit]

Oh, and on these planets it's always one of two things.

A) Leader guy is nice, second in command guy is mean.

B) Leader guy is mean, the first guy they meet is nice and eventually overcomes his personal demons to 'do the right thing'.

This one was "A". This episode just seemed really 'by the numbers' to me.

[stargateatlantean]

I registered just to say that this might be the WORST EPISODE...EVER. Not just for "Atlantis", which I love, but for the SG1 universe. How bad is this episode? It STUNK.

Normally you expect writers to run out of ideas and start cribbing plots from what they saw the week they "came up" with said bad ideas, but man, it's only episode 6! And the writers are already cribbing that funny, so, so funny "Southpark" episode where the kids took over the town, and those two adults found them wearing Mad Mad gears and whatnot. Of course that episode was cribbing "Children of the Corn", but they admitted it.

And now "Atlantis", just 6 episodes into a new show, is already stealing wacky ideas off "Southpark"!!! Oh dear.

My nitpicks:
- I love how the kids basically boss Sheppard around. Remember when he shot that Wraith arm? Two kids run up, grab him, and basically threw him to the ground on his knees. Too funny.
- Someone please tell whoever played that "evil kid" to go back to acting school. Geez. Can you overplay the bad guy enough? How about some subtlety, kid? Of course you can't blame it all on the kid, since he's just doing what the silly script said.

Well, that's about it. This episode was just too dumb for me to continue wasting my time on it, so I'll stop.

My grade, out of 5, I give this episode NEGATIVE FIVE.

[stargateatlantean]

I loved the comments about the bows and arrows... many of them were entirely CGI for scene specific safety reasons. Did you guys like the tree house village shot? That one was quite tricky, again, all CGI. We spent a lot of time adding CGI people up there to give it some life (notice the rope bridge is swinging?). I could carry on and on about what else was CGI in the show, but then I'd be letting you guys in on too much!

Keep watching, we've got more great stuff in store!

Mark Breakspear
Visual Effects Supervisor
Atlantis

Hey, Mark, that treehouse was great. I actually thought it was an actual prop until you said it was CGI!! But although that treehouse was great, that flying blue orb -- er, probe -- was less than convincing. Also, was it me, or was the bluescreen effect showing the "outside" of the puddle jumper as it was crashing, er, blurring???

[DJFavorite]

I really like this episode.


I think the issue of SGA taking ZPM's is going to be a good plot line. They just touched on the issues of taking things in this episode. I hope that TPTB will expand on the issue in the future. Next time, there might not be such a 'happy ending' to the story.

[Buzz Lightyear]

I actually find it a little difficult to believe that they would give up that ritual as easily as implied. As far as these people are concerned, the lives of every person on the planet depends upon The Sacrifice. Then some guy comes along and says, "Oh, you know that ritual thing? Yeah, actually, we don't have to do that anymore."

Yes, I agree. The elders' acquiescence to dumping their centuries old sacred ritual seems a tad rushed. And all because of a "wild story about a magic shield" brought by complete strangers.

I'd also like to know why the builders of the device didn't make whatever change McKay made to expand the field. I mean, if McKay can think up and implement the idea, why not one of the Ancients?

Two considerations:

1. We don't know the builders of the device were Ancients. They could have simply recognized the benefits of a ZPM and designed a device to harness its power.

2. The device builders (whether Ancients or not) might have known how to expand the field but, knowing the ZPM had limited energy, opted for maintaining a certain size for a longer time frame. McKay's adjustment likely means the increase in field coverage will drain the ZPM sooner.