SGA 1x09 Home: Discussion
This post opens discussion of Stargate: Atlantis episode 1x09: "Home".
This episode first aired in the US 10 September 2004. This episode is parallel to Stargate: SG-1 episode 8x09 "Sacrifices", by original US airdate.
US DVDset summary: When Dr. McKay discovers a way to open a wormhole back to Earth, the team is overjoyed to learn that they can return to Atlantis within a month. But when the hyperdrive of the ship Prometheus is accidentally destroyed, so too are their hopes of returning to Atlantis!
Resources. Standard linked-external-website disclaimers apply.
Credits and synopsis at Gateworld. English. Includes credits; synopsis; links to photos, transcript, other resources.
Stargate Wiki entry. Includes full episode summary, quotes, trivia (including spoilers), and links to other resources including official websites.
Have other good resources for this episode? Please provide a link in a comment or message me.
Please engage in unrestricted discussion about SGA 1x09 Home as replies to this entry or its subthreads. "Unrestricted" means all seasons of Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG-1 may be referenced without warning. References to Stargate: Universe content or plotlines still require "spoiler" warnings. (The "unspoiled" threads weren't getting traffic, so I'm not posting one; if you would prefer an unspoiled discussion environment, please let me know - or feel free to start one!)
Questions to consider:
- When you first saw this, when did you catch on that something wasn't right? Did you figure out the truth (or most of it) before the show revealed it? The Rodney/Elizabeth mesh scene: How confusing was that? Did it work for you then; does it work when you know what it means?
- The Gateworld notes point out that John reveals a second personal item, a book, in this episode. Do you subscribe to the "one personal item" theory and figure John either cheated or was given a pass, or do you write off that element as "pilot-itis", those elements that show up in pilot episodes but are dropped by the continuing series as unworkable?
- Rodney says they can take off their hazmat helmets. Really, Rodney? Is this a matter of field inexperience, or of shortsightedness from personal discomfort? In the end, does this gesture matter? Would they have returned without suits later anyway; did the suits make a difference?
- The second gate is 804 years (either one-way or round trip) from Atlantis by jumper. Yet Rodney is confident he can reconfigure the DHD successfully despite the doubts of others, and Weir permits this even though, if he fails, the only Earth-capable crystal will be lost for those 804 (x2?) years. For those spoiled for season two: Note the dynamic being set up here. For all parties: What if he'd been wrong? Is the expedition particularly reckless / adventurous?
- The "will you go" conversation pairs Elizabeth and John for awkward mutual reassurance, and Rodney and Aiden for arrogance and mockery (respectively). Does this work? Would you have changed the pairings? If so, how?
- Rodney is sure he can make it work, he wants a big moment for the dialing of Earth ... and then he murmurs "please work" to the device. He has no new messages; he dismisses that, but considering what's really going on, what does that say about his self-perception? How much of his arrogance is bluffing, if any?
- Elizabeth and Simon: For those spoiled for season two, does what happens here influence her expectations there, consciously or not? For all parties, Simon didn't know if she would come back but swiftly reconnects with her; considering what's really going on, what does this say about Elizabeth?
- Rodney and Elizabeth try to find other ways back; John knows something's going on; Aiden, politically powerless, instead trusts that Rodney is trying to get them back. Does this fit with their other interactions? Is this contradiction or complexity?
- Rodney and Elizabeth seem to figure out the situation individually at the same time John is calling the bluff; what about Aiden? What makes John uniquely capable of realizing the manipulation was off - his easier use of the ATA gene, or something else? If you think the ATA gene is a factor, did it help Rodney with his scientific insights, and what makes Elizabeth then better able than they are to see through the setup without the assistance of the gene?
- The mist, unlike many highly powered alien entities, doesn't have superior science, so Rodney keeps confounding their setup by finding new solutions and seeing their "science" is gibberish, even if he doesn't quite crack the real problem. What do you think is the history of the mist? Is their condition voluntary ... even with the functional Gate there, potentially slaughtering dozens on each inbound, much less outbound, use? They've tolerated this situation and made sacrifices to remain in secret ... why, exactly? For that matter, why not invade the mind of a random explorer and manipulate them into destroying the gate (assuming they can act that far and the explorer has the necessary tools / weapons)?
Please don't limit yourself to these questions, though - what's on your mind?For now, this is an all-ship / no-ship welcome zone: feel free to note any supporting evidence for or against your favorite "ships", including gen / no-ships. In all cases, please be respectful of other people's ships or lack thereof.
Any comments, questions, suggestions, or other recommendations may be entered as new comments to this post. If you need to make a recommendation or ask a question outside this post, I can be reached by LJ notifications or by email to my username @livejournal.com.
Comments are nested by Livejournal default; to see all comments in strict posting order, click here. When using the flat view, remember to check the nesting context before posting replies. To track all responses to this post (by LJ notifications or email), use the "pushpin" icon for the entry.
The next discussion, of 1x10 The Storm, will open approximately 11am US EDT Saturday 30 January (When is that for me?).
Spoiled discussion of the previous episode, "Underground", is ongoing here.
This episode first aired in the US 10 September 2004. This episode is parallel to Stargate: SG-1 episode 8x09 "Sacrifices", by original US airdate.
US DVDset summary: When Dr. McKay discovers a way to open a wormhole back to Earth, the team is overjoyed to learn that they can return to Atlantis within a month. But when the hyperdrive of the ship Prometheus is accidentally destroyed, so too are their hopes of returning to Atlantis!
Resources. Standard linked-external-website disclaimers apply.
Credits and synopsis at Gateworld. English. Includes credits; synopsis; links to photos, transcript, other resources.
Stargate Wiki entry. Includes full episode summary, quotes, trivia (including spoilers), and links to other resources including official websites.
Have other good resources for this episode? Please provide a link in a comment or message me.
Please engage in unrestricted discussion about SGA 1x09 Home as replies to this entry or its subthreads. "Unrestricted" means all seasons of Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG-1 may be referenced without warning. References to Stargate: Universe content or plotlines still require "spoiler" warnings. (The "unspoiled" threads weren't getting traffic, so I'm not posting one; if you would prefer an unspoiled discussion environment, please let me know - or feel free to start one!)
Questions to consider:
- When you first saw this, when did you catch on that something wasn't right? Did you figure out the truth (or most of it) before the show revealed it? The Rodney/Elizabeth mesh scene: How confusing was that? Did it work for you then; does it work when you know what it means?
- The Gateworld notes point out that John reveals a second personal item, a book, in this episode. Do you subscribe to the "one personal item" theory and figure John either cheated or was given a pass, or do you write off that element as "pilot-itis", those elements that show up in pilot episodes but are dropped by the continuing series as unworkable?
- Rodney says they can take off their hazmat helmets. Really, Rodney? Is this a matter of field inexperience, or of shortsightedness from personal discomfort? In the end, does this gesture matter? Would they have returned without suits later anyway; did the suits make a difference?
- The second gate is 804 years (either one-way or round trip) from Atlantis by jumper. Yet Rodney is confident he can reconfigure the DHD successfully despite the doubts of others, and Weir permits this even though, if he fails, the only Earth-capable crystal will be lost for those 804 (x2?) years. For those spoiled for season two: Note the dynamic being set up here. For all parties: What if he'd been wrong? Is the expedition particularly reckless / adventurous?
- The "will you go" conversation pairs Elizabeth and John for awkward mutual reassurance, and Rodney and Aiden for arrogance and mockery (respectively). Does this work? Would you have changed the pairings? If so, how?
- Rodney is sure he can make it work, he wants a big moment for the dialing of Earth ... and then he murmurs "please work" to the device. He has no new messages; he dismisses that, but considering what's really going on, what does that say about his self-perception? How much of his arrogance is bluffing, if any?
- Elizabeth and Simon: For those spoiled for season two, does what happens here influence her expectations there, consciously or not? For all parties, Simon didn't know if she would come back but swiftly reconnects with her; considering what's really going on, what does this say about Elizabeth?
- Rodney and Elizabeth try to find other ways back; John knows something's going on; Aiden, politically powerless, instead trusts that Rodney is trying to get them back. Does this fit with their other interactions? Is this contradiction or complexity?
- Rodney and Elizabeth seem to figure out the situation individually at the same time John is calling the bluff; what about Aiden? What makes John uniquely capable of realizing the manipulation was off - his easier use of the ATA gene, or something else? If you think the ATA gene is a factor, did it help Rodney with his scientific insights, and what makes Elizabeth then better able than they are to see through the setup without the assistance of the gene?
- The mist, unlike many highly powered alien entities, doesn't have superior science, so Rodney keeps confounding their setup by finding new solutions and seeing their "science" is gibberish, even if he doesn't quite crack the real problem. What do you think is the history of the mist? Is their condition voluntary ... even with the functional Gate there, potentially slaughtering dozens on each inbound, much less outbound, use? They've tolerated this situation and made sacrifices to remain in secret ... why, exactly? For that matter, why not invade the mind of a random explorer and manipulate them into destroying the gate (assuming they can act that far and the explorer has the necessary tools / weapons)?
Please don't limit yourself to these questions, though - what's on your mind?For now, this is an all-ship / no-ship welcome zone: feel free to note any supporting evidence for or against your favorite "ships", including gen / no-ships. In all cases, please be respectful of other people's ships or lack thereof.
Any comments, questions, suggestions, or other recommendations may be entered as new comments to this post. If you need to make a recommendation or ask a question outside this post, I can be reached by LJ notifications or by email to my username @livejournal.com.
Comments are nested by Livejournal default; to see all comments in strict posting order, click here. When using the flat view, remember to check the nesting context before posting replies. To track all responses to this post (by LJ notifications or email), use the "pushpin" icon for the entry.
The next discussion, of 1x10 The Storm, will open approximately 11am US EDT Saturday 30 January (When is that for me?).
Spoiled discussion of the previous episode, "Underground", is ongoing here.