Showing posts with label Stargate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stargate. Show all posts

Friday, May 20, 2011

New Stargate Fan Video: Blow Me Away

As I’m sure you’ve guessed, the writers here at Flights of Fantasy love Stargate just a little bit (hard to believe, right? :-D) Well, I log onto YouTube today, and see there on the homepage a brand-new Stargate fan music video. Made by JaapVSWDelta, who has made a few other videos as well (I’ll post a few of these as well), he’s taken scenes from all three Stargate series’ and combined them into one amazing video set to Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure!


And as promised, a few addition videos from JaapVSWDelta!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Stargate Universe-Episode 218 “Epilogue” (Quick Review)

Review

"Epilogue" was the second half of the last episode, "Common Descent". It's not a fast-passed episode, but it is an emotionally draining one. From happy to sad, it covers all the emotions. I will say this, if you cry easily, be prepared to cry for this one, because there are a few major kickers that no one has seen coming at all.

The basic story of the episode starts after the team disembarks from the shuttle. They head down into a bunker that was built by the people of Novis. Inside, they find a massive archive containing the entire history of the planet from the time that the alternate crew of Destiny had come through the gate inside the star. Throughout the episode, they are racing to download the database before extreme seismic activity brings the entire place down around them.

There were a few really good performances in this episode. First, Volker is really coming into his own at this point. There's one scene in particular where he stands up to Rush, a huge step for him. Also, there's Eli, who is continuing to get more and more confident in himself. The information that they find in the database gives him a huge confidence boost, making me think that he will play an even bigger role in a lot of scientific problem-solving later. Last, but definitely not least were TJ and Young. It seems that they have a shot at working everything out after all.

If you haven't watched "Epilogue" yet, find it on Hulu or SyFy Rewind, or download it ASAP. It was a great episode and if you are a Stargate Universe fan, you should definitely watch it.

[NOTE] Look for the full review of this episode coming in the next week, after the UK has had a chance to see the episode. Don't want to right my summary review and spoil it for all those fans. Peace out!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Stargate SG-1 Episode 103 "Enemy Within"

(This does contain spoilers, but considering it aired 15 years ago you should have had time...)
OVERVIEW:

The weeks following SG-1's intense adventure keep the SGC busy as wave after wave of their new found enemy attempt to penetrate the Stargate's shield. Little does the team know, but someone has already gotten through.

REVIEW:
Personally I liked Enemy Withing, I thought that for beginning Stargate is was a good episode showing how the Gou'ld can infiltrate almost anywhere, no matter how many weapns you point at the Stargate, and also gave more light to how when it is required, Teal'c will do anything necissary to protect the one people who actually showed him trust and support. This reappears several more times throughout the series.

It was a little annoying that the infiltrator turned out to be Kawalski but only because he (Other than Daniel and Jack) was the last Alumni character from the original movie.

All in all, this episode is just another reason why Stargate SG-1 is a really great piece of work, from the writers room, to the actors. When it comes to O'Neill's humor or the serious but caring Teal'c everyone keeps the fun going and suspsense up.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Stargate SG-1 - Episode 101 "Children of The Gods (Part 1)"

Episode Synopsis:
When powerful aliens come through Earth's Stargate, Colonel Jack O'Neill returns to Abydos to retrieve Daniel Jackson, who has discovered that the alien transit system includes much more than two planets.

Episode Summary:
The episode starts off with a few Air Force enlisted folks playing poker in the lower levels of Cheyenne Mountain. normal_sg1_101_0007.JPGWhile they're sitting there, a tarp falls off the Stargate and someone starts dialing in. As the wormhole opens, they draw their weapons. One female Airman moves up close to the gate, curious. She's grabbed, and a firefight ensues. normal_sg1_101_0069.JPGThe Airmen take out a few of the assailants, but in the end are no match for them. One manages to sound the alarm and the base goes into lock down. By the time the strike team gets to the gate room, the gate's already been dialed and the remaining attackers leave, taking the female Airman with them.

The Air Force sends some men to retrieve Col. (ret) Jack O'Neill, telling him it has to do with the Stargate. Back at the base, General Hammond, the new general in charge of Cheyenne Mountain, talks to Jack, questioning him about the mission and asks him if he had indeed detonated the nuke on Abydos. When he answers that he did, Hammond reveals that they are going to send another nuke through. Jack is forced to admit that while his team did detonate the weapon, they detonated it aboard Ra's ship and they faked that gate on the other side had been buried.normal_sg1_101_0251.JPG
Hammond decides to send the bomb through anyway, and locks Jack in the brig. After sitting for a while, Hammond comes back and tells Jack he's considering any other options. Jack asks to take a team through the gate, which Hammond agrees to. He sends a message to Daniel and after he receives a reply, they put a team together. normal_sg1_101_0322.JPGIn addition to Kawalsky and Ferretti, Captain Samantha Carter, an astrophysicist, also joins the team. normal_sg1_101_0378.JPGWhen they leave, they're told that they have 24 hours to return or send a message.

  normal_sg1_101_0463.JPG
When they arrive on Abydos, some kids pop up around them, ready for battle. But immediately Daniel Jackson calms them, telling them to lower their weapons. Everyone is reunited, and introductions are gotten out the way. When Daniel asks why they returned, Jack reveals the attack on Earth. Daniel tells Jack that they couldn't have come from Abydos, but they thinks he might have an idea where they may have come from. They have to wait for a sandstorm to pass.

While they wait, Daniel tells Jack that they attackers must have come through another gate. Jack and Sam are surprised. normal_sg1_101_0535.JPGThey had run hundreds of other addresses through the computers without finding another address. But according to Daniel, they didn't have a critical component. He takes them to a room with a ton of writing on the walls. It turns out that map of a huge Stargate network. normal_sg1_101_0573.JPGSam initially says that it couldn't be possible, until Daniel suggests that the gates could've drifted apart. She realized that would account for the addresses not working, and says that, using the map as a basis, she could set up an equation that could account for the shift. While staring around the room at the huge amount of addresses, she remarks "The aliens could've come from anywhere..."normal_sg1_101_0601.JPG
While they are off looking at the map, the gate activates, and the same attackers from before come though. normal_sg1_101_0618.JPGThey take Sha're and Skaara and leave just before Jack and the rest of the team show up. normal_sg1_101_0651.JPGnormal_sg1_101_0662.JPGWhen Jack and the team go back to Earth, they bring Daniel with him. Before he leaves, he tells Kasuf to bury the gate for 1 year after they leave. normal_sg1_101_0698.JPGIf, on that day, he didn't return an check in, they were to rebury the gate forever, cutting themselves off from the Stargate network. After the emotional good-bye, SG-1 steps through the gate. normal_sg1_101_0708.JPG

Episode Review:
All great shows have to start somewhere, and for Stargate SG-1, this episode was a great start. For those who has watched the movie Stargate, the change from Kurt Russell to Richard Dean Anderson and from James Spader to Michael Shanks might have thrown a few people off. Personally, I prefer Richard Dean Anderson's more sarcastic nature to Kurt Russell's very rough and tough persona. And Michael Shanks does an amazing job of giving off the vibe of Daniel Jackson. All in all, this was a good episode, and a great start for an amazing series.

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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Stargate (Part 1): The Movie - Review #1




Let me start off by saying Kurt Russell is no Richard Dean Anderson. ;) In all honesty, the original Stargate motion picture was not what caught my attention and lured me to the Stargate franchise. It was the sarcastic wit and humor of Colonel O’Neill in SG-1, and the charisma between that SG-1 team that first won me over. I didn’t grow an attachment to anyone in the original Stargate movie. Okay, I take that back, James Spader did an awesome job as Dr. Daniel Jackson and thus was the only character in the film that I felt any connection to.




The movie starts off showing Ra arriving on earth and presumably capturing a human boy. The movie jumps to 1928 Egypt where Professor Langford and his daughter, Catherine, at the dig site during the uncovering of the physical Stargate. The movie then jumps to modern day with Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) giving a lecture. His audience soon disappears as he shares his view that the Egyptians did not build the pyramids. Little does he know that Catherine Langford is present and has being following up on him. She gives him travel plans and tells him this is his chance to prove his research. Having just lost his apartment, he has nothing to lose.


Colonel Jack O’neil is introduced when officials arrive at his home to bring him out of retirement. We see the distress and sadness in his home and learn of his son’s accidental death while playing with Colonel O’Neil’s gun. Langford, Jackson and O’Neil all meet up at a secured military base where Jackson figures out in days what the research team has been working on for two years. He recognizes that the symbols on the Stargate’s cover stone are constellations and act as coordinates for another planet. Jackson quickly volunteers to go on the mission by stating he is sure he will be able to get them home.



While dialing the gate to send a probe through, I felt my spooky sense kick in. Yes, I am very sensitive to movies and am known to have an increased heart rate during any movie or scene that I consider chilling or unearthly. I remember being in the theater watching the first trip through the stargate. What a ride! For that time the effects were great and during those seconds of twisting and turning, I was extremely eager to see what was waiting for them on the other side. This scene is my favorite in the movie because it gave me that unknown extraterrestrial feel, which made me excited and fearful at the same time. Later on, I was pleased to see this wormhole journey carried over into the series.

Once on the planet, you immediately feel sorry for Dr. Jackson. It was like watching a nerd being picked on by the football team in high school, as the military off-world team yelled at him and even threw his bag, resulting in his books being scattered in the sand. All this because they do not understand that he cannot automatically dial the gate back to earth. He tries explaining that he needs to look around for any markings that will help him figure out the coordinates, but this falls upon deaf ears. The tone soon changes when Dr. Jackson goes to pet a local domesticated beast, gets his foot tangled in the animal’s reigns and goes for an unexpected drag through the desert. Don’t worry, O’Neil and a couple other team members are close behind and they all end up on a dune overlooking the local humans mining for mineral.

Introductions go surprisingly smooth since Dr. Jackson is wearing a necklace Catherine Langford lent him that she found on the dig site when she was a small girl. The necklace is inscribed with Ra’s symbol and the people of the distant planet think that their God, Ra, sent them. While visiting with the villagers, they learn that Ra has outlawed reading and writing in fear that the people of this world will rise up against him. During the evening Daniel spends some time with Sha’uri, and unknowingly becomes married to her. She takes him to where their history is written on the walls of caves and teaches him to speak the language. Being a linguist, he catches on quickly. It is here that we learn Ra is portrayed as an actual alien. The human host’s body is possessed by Ra, an average looking grey alien that we all are used to seeing in Area 51 type photos. Ra is the last of his kind and chooses a human host because the human body is easy for him to repair. This is a notable difference between the movie and the Stargate series. This obviously was changed later on with the SG-1 series where Ra and the other false gods are easiest described as evil parasitic snakes called the Goa’uld.

Upon returning to the rest of their team at the Pyramid, they find that Ra has returned and has killed or captured their team members. Ra’s men then kill more team members as they enter the pyramid and capture O’Neil and Jackson. This is also where Ra confronts them with the bomb that Jack O’Neil brought to the planet to detonate in case there is any threat to earth. Ra tells Dr. Jackson that he has to kill his teammates in front of the villagers to prove that Ra is their true god.


Meanwhile, the children of the village see the battle between Ra and Colonel O’Neil’s team and return to the village to spread the news, only to see that Ra has attacked the village. Sha’uri tells the children their history and why they no longer can continue on as slaves. An uprising is formed and during the assembled called together by Ra, where Dr. Jackson is suppose to kill O’Neil and his team, the villagers fight back and save the day. In my experience, the most remembered scene in the movie takes place during this battle. Just about every time I mention this movie to someone, they bring up the scene where one of the local boys is killed while running down the pyramid’s inclined plane.

When Ra realizes he has lost control over the people of this world, he tries to flee. Unfortunately for him, O’Neil and Jackson are able to send transfer the bomb is Ra’s ship seconds before it explodes.



Unlike the TV series, I didn't become attached to Colonel Jack O’Neil’s character. He was rough, and not just around the edges. The few times we were able to see a closer look at him, we saw the pain that he is still experiencing from his son’s death. He didn’t mind letting a child in the village try out smoking for the first time and even gave the boy his lighter as a gift, but as soon as the boy reach out to handle his gun, O’Neil’s fear exploded and scared the boy away. By the end of the movie, there was a sense that O’Neil had softened a little – just a tiny bit. Okay, who am I kidding?



Besides the threat of Ra being eliminated, the end was left wide open. With Dr. Jackson choosing to stay on the planet and live with his new wife it seemed he had finally found a place where he fit in and belonged. How does Dr. Jackson’s life unfold on the planet? The film ended with the rest of the team walking through the stargate headed for home. What happens back on earth? What does O’Neil tell the military about the planet they visited and their trip? Maybe frequent visits between the two planets are in store? If you’ve seen this movie and for some reason have never started watching the TV series, be sure to start watching Stargate SG-1 to see how the story continues and unfolds during ten seasons of awesomeness.

Image Source:
www.gateworld.net

Monday, January 31, 2011

Stargate SG-1: The Basics (Part 3)

The technology in the Stargate universe is vastly diverse. It ranges from incredibly primitive to unbelievably advanced. Today, let's take a look at some of the more common technology from Stargate SG-1. We'll start with the most well known piece of technology, the Stargate.


486px-Stargate.JPGStargate


The Stargate is a ring-shaped device that can create an artificial wormhole linking two points in space, specifically two Stargates. The wormhole allows for near-instantaneous travel between the points. The Ancients, who created the gates, are often called the Gate Builders, because the Stargates are often considered their greatest creation. It's the central piece of technology to the entire series, like an always looming protector.


Tau'ri Technology


The technology of the Tau'ri, or the Earthlings, is at the level of 20th century Earth. Everything that is designed and built on Earth reflects the technological level of the late '90s. As the series advanced, Earth obtained more advanced technology, but within "realistic" limits.While some of the technology the Tau'ri obtain comes from good ole human ingenuity, a good deal comes from upgrades performed by the Asgard and from information gleaned from the Ancient database and from outposts around the galaxy.


Ancient Technology


Ancient technology is the most advanced in the universe, as far as anyone can determine. In their379433-zero_point_module_large.jpg travels, SG-1 has not found anyone with technology that surpasses the Ancients in every facet. At their civilization's height, they were unmatched in science, technology and military might. While some civilizations have come close to their level of advancement (The Asgard), no one has yet surpassed them. In fact, due to the fact that the Ancients ascended to another plane of existence, no one even knows the full extent of their capabilities and research.


Goa'uld Technology


While more advanced than the Tau'ri, it is considerably inferior to both the Ancients and the Asgard. Goa'uld technology is mostly an amalgamation of technology from the various species and worlds they have conquered over the centuries.


Those are the three main technological groups present in Stargate SG-1. There are a few more, such as the Asgard and the Nox, but they will be talked about as they appear in the show. Since this is the last installment of "Stargate SG-1: The Basics", we will be starting the reviews of the series shortly. Look forward to that soon!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Stargate SG-1: The Basics (Part 2) - [Updated 2-5-2011]

Today in Part 2, I'm going to outline the three main factions that SG-1 encounters and is forced to fight throughout the series. The series starts with the fight against the Goa'uld System Lords and their slaves, the Jaffa. Toward the end of the System Loads reign, they encounter the Replicators that have been fighting against the Asgard for years. Last, the Ori enter the picture, attempting to use their advanced technology and knowledge to trick the galaxy into worshiping them.

Goa'uld


The Goa'uld are a serpent-shaped parasitet_sokor.jpg that possesses a human host to survive. The resulting combination is an exceptionally strong creature with enhanced strength and extreme longevity (when paired with their resurrection device, the Sarcophagus). They use this and their advanced technology to set themselves up as gods. Taking humans from Earth thousands of years ago, they spread them throughout the galaxy and began to rule over them as various gods from human mythology. Notable Goa'uld System Lords include Apophis, Anubis, Hathor, and Sokar.

Jaffa


t_jaffa.jpgThe Jaffa are the slaves of the Goa'uld. They are descendants of humans that have been modified to that they have to serve as an living incubator for larval Goa'uld. Without a larval Goa'uld, the Jaffa will die soon after hitting puberty due to a failing immune system. In fact, if the symbiote is removed from an adult Jaffa, they will die a slow, painful death within a matter of hours. They must either acquire a new symbiote, or they require regular injections of a drug developed by the Tok'ra, called tretonin. The Jaffa often where armor with a helmet resembling the a specific animal. For instance, all of Apophis' Jaffa wore helmets resembling serpents.


Because of the reappearance of SG-1 and the Tau'ri in the galaxy, may Jaffa are realizing that the Goa'uld are not the gods they thought them to be and are rebelling against them. These actions aid SG-1 and the people of Earth as they try to bring down the System Lords.

Replicators


t_replicator.jpgThe Replicators are mechanical beings composed of nanotechnology. Their main goal is to increase their numbers and spread across the universe by assimilating the advanced technology of other species. For this reason, the Replicators are opposed to all other life-forms. They started out as an arachnid-type androids, but in "Unnatural Selection", they developed human-form Replicators. Normal Replicators are resistant to energy weapons, like the Jaffa staff weapon, but can be broken apart and destroyed by projectile weapons. However, human Replicators are resistant to both types of weapons because they're make up of smaller blocks that resemble cells. They were eventually completely destroyed by the Dakara Superweapon in Season 8.

Ori


ori-stargate-Islam.jpgThe Ori are a group of Ascending beings who are incredibly similar to the Ancients. They use their ascended powers and infinite knowledge of the universe to force other lesser beings to worship them. The Ori differ from the Ancients in one key way, their life view. The Ancients value science while the Ori value religion. They created a fake religion known as "Origin" to sway beings to worshipping them. Origin is designed to channel the energy created by the human worshippers to the Ori. So, while they promise Ascension to their followers, they won't acually help other Ascend because they would have to share the energy they sap.

All their technology is designed and targeted to help get more followers to sap more energy from. Since the Ori are Ascended, they don't directly interfere on the physical plane. They instead recruit humans called Priors to spread their word. They artifically evolve the Priors to be one step from Ascension in order to give them special powers. Because of the number of followers the Ori have, they are nearly unstoppable.

Stargate SG-1 has had the perfect villians since it was concieved. Starting with Ra, the writers continued to come up with great storylines and great enemies that kept SG-1 on their toes, and us on the edge of our seats. That's it for part 2, part 3 on the basic technology of Stargate will be posted tomorrow afternoon. Soon after, we'll be starting on the reviews of the series, starting with the extended cut of "Children of the Gods". Till next time, stay classy!

[UPDATE]

We'll be starting with the original 1994 movie "Stargate", which kicked the franchise off. Coming Soon!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Stargate SG-1: The Basics (Part 1)

In preparation for the slew of reviews soon to come about Stargate SG-1, today we’re going to have a basic overview of the entire series. We’ll take a brief look at the main characters, the main enemies, a few of the allies, and the main technology and mythology of the series.

Summary

Stargate SG-1 takes place about 2 years after the events of the movie Stargate. It follows the adventures of the main team sent out from Earth to explore the Stargate network, SG-1. In addition to SG-1, there are about 2 dozen other teams that explore various planets through the Stargates, looking for allies and technology to defend against several enemies, first the Goa’uld, then the Replicators and later the Ori.
Full Cast

Main Characters

The main characters of Stargate SG-1 are the members of the SG-1 team, along with a few other people.
richard-dean-anderson-1Jack O’Neill – Jack is the leader of the SG-1 team for seasons 1-7 of the series. He was on the original mission to go through the Stargate in the movie Stargate and comes out of retirement to help counter the Goa’uld threat. After being promoted to Brigadier General in Season 8, O’Neill takes command of Stargate Command (SGC) and, after a brief stint in Washington in Season 9 (and being promoted to Major General), he returns and maintains command of SGC through both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe (where he receives his promotion to Lieutenant General).
Series: Stargate SG-1 (All Seasons), Stargate Atlantis (1 and 3), Stargate Universe (All Seasons)
Movies: Stargate: Continuum
Sam CarterDr. Samantha Carter – Sam is the resident brain of the SG-1 team, with a Ph. D in theoretical astrophysics. Before the start of SGC, she had spent years at the Pentagon trying to get the Stargate working. After the discovery of the Abydos cartouche, which contained the locations of all Goa’uld known Stargates, Captain Carter was responsible for the algorithm that corrected the addresses for stellar drift. In Season 2, she is briefly taken by the Tok’ra Jolinar, after which she retains many memories and has the ability to control Goa’uld technology, a major advantage for SG-1. She is promoted to Major in Season 3, and then to Lieutenant Colonel in Season 8 when O’Neill is promoted to Brigadier General, and assumes command of SG-1. Sam briefly leaves SG-1 in Season 9, but rejoins in Episode 7 to help counter the Ori threat.
Series: Stargate SG-1 (All Seasons), Stargate Atlantis (Seasons 2-5, various episodes), Stargate Universe (Season 1, Episodes 1 and 19)
Movies: Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum
Doctor_Daniel_Jackson_(Michael_Shanks)2Dr. Daniel Jackson – Daniel is a great archeology who specializes in all things Egyptian. In the original movie Stargate, he is responsible for deciphering the gate address for Abydos. He stayed on Abydos after the events of Stargate, but returned to Earth at the beginning of Stargate SG-1, after Apophis attacked Earth and Abydos. He joins SG-1 to locate his wife, Sha’re, who was kidnapped by Apophis and possessed by a Goa’uld, Amonet. This is his primary goal throughout the first few seasons, followed by finding the lost city of the Ancients in seasons 6 and 7, and discovering how to dial the 9-chevron address in the last 2 season.
Series: Stargate SG-1 (All Seasons), Stargate Atlantis (Seasons 1 and 5), Stargate Universe (Season 1)
Movies: Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum
ChristopherJudgeTeal’c – Teal’c is a Jaffa warrior who joins the Tau’ri (what the Goa’uld call the people of Earth) in order to free his people from Goa’uld oppression. The Jaffa are human-like, but have pouch that houses a larval Goa’uld in exchange for enhanced abilities and long life. But the Jaffa are treated as slaves, and Teal’c sees joining SG-1 as a means to eventually freeing his people. Over time, Teal’c becomes an integral part of the SG-1 team, and is present through all 10 seasons. He also appears briefly in Stargate Atlantis, once to wish Carter good luck before she assumes command of Atlantis, and again to teach Ronon Dex how to deal with IOA interviews.
Series: Stargate SG-1 (All Seasons), Stargate Atlantis
Movies: Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum
Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal’c were the main characters throughout Stargate SG-1. There were a few characters that appear at certain places, but disappear later. There are even a few that stay for a while, but mostly stay in SGC. As we encounter these characters our watch-through, I’ll mention them and give a brief character overview.
That’s it for part 1. Tune in this weekend for part 2, where I’ll go over the three main enemies from SG-1, and then part 3, where some of the basic technology and mythology will be looked at. Right after part 3 is done, we’ll be starting our episode-by-episode review of Stargate SG-1. Make sure not to miss it!