Saturday, February 26, 2011

Stargate SG-1 - Episode 102 "Children of The Gods (Part 2)"

Episode Synopsis (From GateWorld):

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 the two planets.

Episode Summary:

As the episode starts, the Earth gate is dialing. The team comes out of the gate, and a metal barrier closes over the gate behind them. normal_sg1_101_0722While Ferretti, gets taken to the infirmary, Jack asks what it is. Hammond informs him it is an “iris”, made of pure titanium. Hammond wants to know what happened on the planet, and Jack tells him base camp was attacked while they were off looking around.normal_sg1_101_0736

On a random planet, we see a group of people locked up. The attackers that came through the Earth gate enter the room and take Sha're, leaving a frustrated Skaara behind them. normal_sg1_101_0743Back on Earth, Jack checks on Ferretti, then takes Daniel home. normal_sg1_101_0760They discuss Abydos, Sha’re and Jack’s son, who died right before the first movie. A little later, we see a group of women waiting, including the female Airman from the beginning of the episode. normal_sg1_101_0803She’s taken to see the Ra look-a- like, who says that she could be the vessel for his queen. But the “queen” rejects her, and she is unfortunately killed. normal_sg1_101_0842

Back on Earth, the President gives authorization to go form 9 teams whose sole mission will be to gather intel on threats to Earth. Jack is given command of the flagship team, SG-1, with Sam as his second-in-command and Daniel accompanying them. normal_sg1_101_0869A doctor comes in a informs them that Ferretti is awake. He manages to remember the symbols dialed by the aliens and types them on the computer. normal_sg1_101_0885

The teams gear up and get ready to move out. They have 24 hours to find what they are looking for and return, or their codes will be locked out and the iris will be permanently sealed. normal_sg1_101_0892They head through the gate, arriving at an unknown planet on the other side. They set up camp, making it a defensible position in case they are attacked. Back in the unknown complex, Sha’re is taken next. Like the Airman, she is taken to meet the “queen”. normal_sg1_101_0964But unlike last time, Sha’re is acceptable to her. The “queen” burrows into the back of Sha’re’s neck, taking her body as her own. normal_sg1_101_0992

SG-1 meets a group of the indigenous people. Jackson approaches them, telling them they had come through the Chapp’ai (Goa’uld for Stargate). normal_sg1_101_1019They take SG-1 to the town, called Chulak. normal_sg1_101_1041There, they are treated to a feast, which is interrupted when “Ra” and Sha’re, now possessed, enter the room. normal_sg1_101_1061Daniel jumps up and attempts to communicate with her, but is knocked back by “Ra”. Jack raises his weapon, but when Sha’re jumps in front of Apophis, he lowers it in surprise and is knocked unconscious. normal_sg1_101_1066

Daniel wakes up in the prison room, along with Carter and Jack. Jack says he hasn’t found a way out, and the gate is going to be sealed in just over 90 minutes. The leader of the soldiers, confronts Jack, asking him where he’s from. Daniel draws the symbol for Earth in the dirt. The leader scratches it out and walks away. normal_sg1_101_1098Daniel figures out that it isn’t Ra that they are fighting against, it’s Apophis, Ra’s rival. Right after he does this, the soldiers return and the “gods” enter, looking for who is going to be the “Children of the Gods”. Making their rounds, Daniel tries to sacrifice himself to be close to Sha’re in some form. normal_sg1_101_1174But instead, Skaara is chosen. As they leave, Apophis says “Kill the rest.”

Preparing to execute all the prisoners, Jack yells to the leader, “I can save these people. Help me?”normal_sg1_101_1211 The leader replies, “Many have said that…but you are the first I have believed can do it.” He turns and fires on his own men. Jack grabs a staff weapon and blows a hole in the wall. The prisoners escape out the hole, and Jack convinces the leader to come with him.normal_sg1_101_1248 Jack asks him his name, and he find out his name is Teal’c.

As they head to the gate, SG-1 find out about the Jaffa, the soldiers of the Gou’ald. They discover that all Jaffa carry an larval Goa’uld, in exchange for perfect health.normal_sg1_101_1286 They and the prisoners arrive at the gate at the same time as Apophis and the other Goa’uld. The ship drops them off, then proceeds to strafe the escaping prisoners.normal_sg1_101_1403 The situation is extremely dire, until SG-2 pops up with a rocket launcher and shoots it down.normal_sg1_101_1407

SG-1 make their way to the gate, and when Jack sees Skaara, he runs down the hill to meet him. When he calls Skaara’s name, he turns around and his eyes glow.normal_sg1_101_1451 He knocks Jack back with a Goa’uld hand device and then proceeds through the gate. normal_sg1_101_1453Jack is visibly crushed, but there is no time to be concerned about that. They are almost out of time. They are surrounded by Jaffa, who are closing fast.normal_sg1_101_1492 On Earth, General Hammond finally gives the order to seal the gate and lock out their transmitters. Back on Chulak, Daniel finally dials the gate.normal_sg1_101_1521 As soon as Hammond hears that, he retracts his last order. normal_sg1_101_1523

Carter sends her transmitter code and they begin sending people through the gate. Once everyone is through, the last SGC defenders make their way through the gate. One of SG-2’s members is grazed and Jack and Kawalsky have to pick him up.normal_sg1_101_1598 On the gate pedestal, they trip and in that moment, a larval Goa’uld burrows in the back of his neck. normal_sg1_101_1620He shakes it off, not quite realizing what happened. They jump through the gate and the gate is locked down behind them. Everyone is happy to be home and leaves the gate room after a minute or so. Kawalsky stays behind for a minute longer…and his eyes glow. normal_sg1_101_1686

Episode Review:

The second part of “Children of The Gods” is just as good as the first part. Michael Shanks gets to showcase his acting chops more in the second part, where he has a bigger role. This part also sets the stage well for the rest of the series. It gives a foreshadowing of the scope of the Goa’uld Empire, as well as a inkling of the quest to find both Sha’re and Skaara. But personally, the best part was watching the larval Goa’uld burrow in to Kawalsky. You know that it’s probably not going to end well later, and you want to jump up and scream at SG-1 to check him out, just to avoid the inevitable take-over. All in all, a great episode!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Day 17 - Star Trek (Part 2): Enterprise Season 2

- ENTERPRISE -



OFFICIAL (Amazon.com) SYNOPSIS:
With Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) trapped in the 31st century, season 2 of Enterprise opens with a rousing resolution to season 1's cliffhanger finale. The first four episodes instantly became fan favorites: "Shockwave, Part II" advances the Suliban's role in the Temporal Cold War; "Carbon Creek" reveals the real first contact (albeit a secret one) between humans and Vulcans in Pennsylvania in 1957, allowing Jolene Blalock to play T'Pol's "second foremother" in a Sputnik-era scenario; in "Minefield," Reed (Dominick Keating) is nearly killed by an explosive device attached to Enterprise's hull; the damage is repaired in "Dead Stop," featuring award-winning digital modeling effects as the disabledEnterprise encounters a mysterious automated space station. Season 2 also emphasizes Archer's ongoing friction with the Vulcan High Command, exacerbated when T'Pol's career is threatened (in "Stigma") by her involuntary involvement with ostracized mind-melders. Connections to the original Star Trek (series and films) continue with episodes involving Tellarites, Tholians, Klingons, Andorians, and even a brief appearance by a Tribble (one of many occasions for humor in Dr. Phlox's sickbay, the setting of many of the season's finest dialogue-driven scenes). Early warp-drive history is also explored in "First Flight," a Right Stuff-like episode guest-starring Keith Carradine as Archer's friend and rival in breaking the Warp 2 barrier.
Consisting primarily of stand-alone episodes that integrate ongoing story arcs, season 2 showcases the primary cast with generally good results: Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) visits the "boomer" cargo ship he was raised on in "Horizon"; Hoshi (Linda Park) experiences unsettling transporter symptoms in "Vanishing Point"; and Tucker (Connor Trineer) plays a pivotal role in several episodes, notably "Dawn," "Precious Cargo" and "Cogenitor." And while "Regeneration" provoked controversy among fans for introducing the yet unnamed Borg in an early Starfleet context, it's a fine episode (with echoes of The Thing) that holds up to scrutiny, while others (including "The Crossing," "The Breach" and "Cogenitor") feel somewhat recycled, indicating the challenge of finding new ideas in the Star Trek canon. Overall, however, season 2 is consistently strong, with several episodes directed by cast alumni from previous Trek series, including NextGen's LeVar Burton, and Voyager's Roxanne Dawson and Robert Duncan McNeill. They all lead up to a devastating attack on Earth (with seven million casualties, including Trip's younger sister) in "The Expanse," ending the season with high-stakes mystery as Enterprise enters a treacherous region of space in search of the Xindi, an enemy race that factors heavily in season 3.
Abundant bonus features include a generous selection of deleted scenes (non-essential, but interesting to fans); audio commentary (on "Dead Stop" and "Regeneration") by writers Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong, who explain the challenge of writing under constantly shifting production conditions; and text commentary (on "Stigma" and "First Flight"), in which Trek veterans Michael and Denise Okuda demonstrate their encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek fact and fiction. Six Easter eggs, known as "NX-01 Files," are hidden on the Special Features menus; they offer brief glimpses into specific aspects of production, including set recycling and art direction. "Enterprise" secrets are revealed for those who pay meticulous attention to detail; "Inside 'A Night in Sickbay'" offers a behind-the-scenes assessment of that memorable episode; and "LeVar Burton: Star Trek Director" celebrates the actor's smooth transition to directing after his stint on Next Generation. "Enterprise Profile: Jolene Blalock" is a tribute to the sexy actress by her fellow cast members and executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, including Blalock's assessment of T'Pol's pivotal role as Enterprise's resident Vulcan. Best of all, however, are the hilarious outtakes: They show the cast as a family unit, combining hard work with humor as the second season progresses. --Jeff Shannon


REVIEW:
The second season continues the rather fast paced story that begun in the final few episodes of Season 1, where Archer discovers that Crewman Daniels is actually a time agent from Starfleet in the 31st century. As aggressions with the Suliban (A reptilian race) rise to a breaking point and Daniels pulls Captain Archer into the 31st century, believing that keeping him safe there will save their future, but in fact ends up destroying his entire civilization in an instant.
This season marks the ending of the Suliban story line and the beginning of the season and a half long war with the Xindi. Season 2 is actually one of the best one's that Enterprise has to offer, especially when Archer is stuck in the 31st century because there are a lot of little easter eggs for long time viewers like "What's this Romulan Star Empire?" and Daniels answers "Oh it's... nothing important."


And like most things in Star Trek... "This is just the beginning..."


Let's go!

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.

Image Source:

Friday, February 18, 2011

Stargate Atlantis Vegas - Soundtrack


Hi folks! Took a few hours but I extracted what I could of the music of the Stargate Atlantis Episode "Vegas" the second to last episode of the series. Check it out and more soundtrack videos coming soon!

Battlestar Galactica Onine: Beta Review

Game site: http://us1.battlestar-galactica.bigpoint.com/

Battlestar_galactica_online.jpgBattlestar Galactica fans everywhere, your game has arrived! Bigpoint, in association with SyFy and NBC Universal, has been working on an online MMO called Battlestar Galactica Online. Battlestar Galactica Online (BGO) is set just after Season 2, Episode 11 and 12, where Galactica and Pegasus destroy the Cylon Resurrection Ship. According to the story of BGO, the Cylons retaliate soon after for the lost of their ship. But when the Colonial Fleet tries to jump away, something goes wrong. Both the Colonial and Cylon fleet are hit with a massive energy pulse that overloads their FTL drives and triggers an uncontrolled jump that throws them way off course.

Here starts the main story of BGO. One the game site, Bigpoint gives this description:

In Battlestar Galactic Online, both the Colonial and Cylon fleets find themselves stranded in an unexplored area of space at the very edge of one of the galactic arms. Heavily damaged and critically low on resources, both fleets race against time to repair and rearm, struggling for control of systems rich in Tylium, metals and water. The Colonial fleet desperately searches for a way to escape and continue the search for Earth before the Cylons gain enough strength to destroy them once and for all.

Even though BGO is just a beta at the moment, I'll give a short review of it in its current state. When it goes to its actual release, I'll review it again with any additions they've made.

Note: This review is done from the human side of the game. You can play as a Cylon, and I will be reviewing that side of game later.

Review

Gameplay/Presentation 7/10 - The gameplay of BGO is pretty well executed, especially for a solely online MMO with no downloaded client. The game starts you off with a brief tutorial that teaches you how to fly your Viper Mk II, how to attack, and few other basic skills. When the tutorial ends, you can get more training by going and getting missions from Admiral Adama, or you can jump straight into the main game. The main story of the game involved jumping to systems, preferable with a fleet of other player ships, and establishing an outpost in that system. This can be easy if the Cylons don't have an outpost ship in that system. But if they do, massive, multi-ship PvP battles tend to take place, with spectacular results.
If you don't want to jump straight into helping with the raid fleets, you can take little assignments from Apollo and Starbuck. These are usually mining, drone killing, and recon missions, great for getting a little extra money and experience. Hopefully when the release copy of the game comes out, they will have a few more missions. When they do, BGO will definitely get a higher score here.

battlestar-galactica-online1.jpgGraphics/Sound 9/10 - If you run BGO at full graphics over a good internet connections, the graphics of the star systems look amazing. The ship textures are extremely well done and the textures for the asteroids, planets and other various in-system objects look great. Even when you have to turn the graphics down, the game still looks good. The soundtrack of the game is even better. Some of the music is from the show, and the music that isn't from the show is clearly related to the music from the show. But it's not just the music that is stellar, is also the sound effects. The explosions, gun and missile sounds, engine noise are all extremely well done. They sound similar to the show, without being a direct rip from BSG.

Story 7/10 - Here's where the game is lacking a little bit. While there is an over-arching story to the entire game, there are not a lot of side missions and side stories to explore. Mostly, the story revolves around trying to take more systems than the Cylons. But what happens if the humans push them all the way back to their Basestar. Does the game end? Will Galactica jump out from behind the nebula finally? We may never know, but hopefully the developers have considered these, and other burning questions that the beta testers have had.

Overall Verdict 8/10

This game has huge potential, and since it's just hitting open beta, it has plenty of time to work out any hiccups that may pop up. To the developers, I just have to say keep up the great work on the game. I'm look forward to flying my Viper around the world of BGO for many months to come.

Kai_Strife

Image Sources:
http://windows7themes.net
http://www.mmogamesite.com
http://us1.battlestar-galactica.bigpoint.com

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blog Update 09

Hey everyone!

Just a very brief blog update: All Stargate reviews, starting this friday, will be released every friday, and most likely not by the same person each time.

I believe that they will also be posted over at FLIGHTS OF FANTASY as well. Coming Soon, and starting out with the original movie!