Stargate Archives

Beachhead

A Prior of the Ori arrives on the Jaffa world of Kallana and offers the people Origin, they turn him down but he states that this world will still serve the Ori as he proceeds to eliminate the Jaffa and raises a large energy shield around the Stargate. Nerus ( Maury Chaykin ) a former confederate of Ba’al sends a message to the SGC and when he arrives he offers information to defeat the Ori invasion of the Milky Way.

Carter turns up bringing with her a MK IX enhanced nuclear device designed to destroy a Stargate and the team along with Vala travel to the planet onboard the Prometheus. After talking to the Prior and getting no satisfaction the nuclear weapon is armed but before they can act Jaffa ships arrive and open fire…..

Beachhead is a strong season nine episode of Stargate SG1 and marks a pivotal point in the story as the Ori begin their invasion of our galaxy. An interesting choice for the writers to give us the win but clearly demonstrate that the big picture favours the Ori tremendously. I’m not sure how much I appreciated the way Vala was treated even though she is not part of the team, her advice and action proven to be instrumental and she paid for her willingness to act. That aside the production was of a very high standard, good solid acting especially from the late Maury Chaykin and getting Louis Gossett Jr. on the show was great casting.

My thanks to Tim for joining me on the podcast and for choosing an excellent episode to chat about. His podcast (Uncharted Territories) has wrapped but when he and Stacey return to the medium we’ll let you know. Ratings and reviews are most welcome and if you want to be on the podcast then please get in touch (email, social media etc), just pick an episode from any of the live action series and we can chat over skype for an hour or so.

IMDB WIKI

Episode 5 “The Life, Death, and Life of Wild Bill Hickok”

In this latest episode from the Stargate Archives we return to the 1995 Richard Dean Anderson series “Legend” and it’s fifth episode which deals with the arrival of Wild Bill Hickok a true legend of the west. In this episode Wild Bill (William Russ) arrives in Sheridan to recruit Nicodemus to capture the Jack McCall gang on behalf of the railroad. Ernest of course is not overly keen but well you know how it goes, he’ll get himself in the middle of this mess regardless.

After finding out that Wild Bill is having eye sight issues the Professor is brought in and after some eye tests hey presto Wild Bill is more or less cured which is a good thing since his failure in the recent gun fight has reached the ears of Jack McCall who decides that Legend needs dissuading from Wild Bills crusade. After a failed attack Ernest and the Professor track the gang via their ballon unknowing that Wild Bill is also tracking via horseback. They come to each others rescue after an ambush and after some chaotic events Ernest gets captured and finds out that Jack may hate more or less everything the literature of the dime novels is his pet peeve and berates Ernest for his slap dash storytelling and factual accuracy. A rather unexpected but entertaining twist in the narrative and portrayed wonderfully by John Pyper-Ferguson. Thanks to the professor Wild Bill is able to launch a successful attack on the camp but Jack gets away and Ernest is unable to convince Wild Bill to walk away so they take the prisoners to Deadwood and the two legends part ways….

Later that day Wild Bill goes to pay poker in the saloon and sits with his back to the entrance and soon after Jack walks in and shoots Wild Bill in the back, he slumps over dead and his cards aces and eights fall to the table.

What a blinder of an episode, two great new characters both portrayed excellently and a narrative that works well as pure fiction but slips between the gaps left by a legend of the west. Not sure about the choice of music for the scene in Deadwood but despite that it was still powerful more so for a basically comedic adventure series.

I’ll probably be covering another Legend episode next as everyone is busy over the holidays but as always love to hear from you and check out our social media presence and a review/rating on your chosen podcast app is always welcome.

IMDB WIKI

The team take the jumper through the gate to a world whose people are called “Olesian” who practice an unusual form of punishment for those that break their laws, naturally it turns out that there is far more going on once the team dig beneath the surface of this society.

The team visit the Olesian city and begin an agreeable dialogue with the Magistrate played to perfection by Alan C. Peterson who reveals the island which holds the gate is a penal colony, on return to the gate the jumper comes under fire and is brought down. On Atlantis Elizabeth is worried when there is no contact with the team and visits Olesia along with Major Lorne and support personnel. The Magistrate is friendly and states that everything will be done to locate the missing Atlantis people despite the danger the prisoners could represent, he believes only his only people should search and for now Elizabeth agrees. Meanwhile the team are the prisoners of the de facto "head honcho” named Torrell ( Christian Bocher ) who demands that the jumper be repaired by McKay or else he will execute the others. As time goes by Elizabeth gets more concerned over the delaying tactics of the Magistrate and when she learns from Marin ( Kyla Anderson ) that anyone regardless of the crime is sent to the island and this food for the Wraith. The team eventually escape from captivity thanks to help from one of the native prisoners but it was a setup and they are once again captured but now Rodney has acknowledged that while he can not repair the jumper he can get the DHD working. Naturally this is the time the Wraith appear in the form of a single dart and we learn that the Magistrate is sacrificing his own people to prevent a global culling but as two cruisers fly towards the gate they are fired upon by a drone and all hell breaks loose. Elizabeth in the second jumper supports the grounded team and the native prisoners escape to a unknown world and the Atlanteans return home leaving the Magistrate and his people to feel the wrath of some hungry Wraith.

Condemned is an entertaining episode and well chosen by Tim, the strength of the episode rests more with the two outstanding performances by Christian and Alan but the story is strong and the production levels hit the high bar Atlantis has set for itself. My thanks to Tim for coming on the show and choosing an good episode to chat about, if you want more of Tim then he co-hosts the long running Uncharted Territories Podcast which I’ve listened to for many years.

If you want to join me on the podcast then please get in touch directly or through social media, chose an episode from SG1, Atlantis of Universe and we can chat for an hour or so over skype and yep it’s that easy. The next episode from the Archives will probably be from Legend since I have to arrange some new guests and hopefully get some recordings in the can during the upcoming holidays. So until next time keep enjoying Stargate, rate and review us if you can and take care.

IMDB WIKI

The Destiny is running scared as the Drone fleet ever present continues to threaten whenever the opportunity presents and with new sensor scans the threat becomes ever more clear as every viable star that could refuel the ship is blockaded.

With no immediate hope from Earth the only option is to run a blockade to gain access to a stargate or planet to gather resources by setting the shield frequency to the Drone weapons but after initial success the drones switch to ramming tactics which the Destiny shields can no longer block. Eli knowing this tactic has no long term value comes up with a desperate plan to leave this galaxy on a low power consumption journey to the neighbouring galaxy. The only drawback is that the only way this will work is if the crew are in the pods but before that happens some of the pods will need fixing and the only way to source a particular element is to run another blockade the reach impact sites for meteorite debris. This achieved the crew go into pods eventually leaving Young, Rush and Eli who then have to deal with a faulty pod and who has to shoulder the burden of saving themselves or putting the ship and crew ahead of their own survival….

What can I say, Thomas chose an excellent episode of Stargate Universe and one of the best from the entire franchise. The whole two seasons of Universe lead to the decisions made by the crew and the individuals all of who exhibit the growth we have watched them show throughout the journey. It may be wrong to highlight Robert, Louis and David but their scenes together were magnificent and the focus of the finale but the supporting cast both regular and recurring signed off with aplomb.

We may never know the fate of Destiny in live action television form (check out the comics if you will) but the two seasons of Universe were overall a joy to experience and the finale hit the sweet spot of leaving the long term fans satisfied but still yearning for more.

Many thanks for listening to the podcast even though the release schedule is far more lax than the Gatecast and if you want to join me via skype then pick an episode from any of the the three live action shows and get in touch, we can sort out a date/time and get a show recorded. You can find us via the various links on this website including the usual social media portals and a review/rating on the podcast portals would be most welcome.

IMDB WIKI

Episode 4 “Custer's Next to Last Stand”

In the fourth episode of the season Ernest becomes involved in the doings of the famous George Armstrong Custer who is touring the Forts in the region while investigating corruption within the war department. Ernest naturally ends up in the deep end after Libbie Custer (former friend) asks for help and her husband announces to the world Ernest will be writing an expose on the corruption. Thanks to the genius of the Professor they uncover some proof of wrongdoing by the licensed trading posts that support the US military but in doing so they put themselves and everyone else at further risk.

Will Ernest or should we say Legend save the day?

Another entertaining episode, certainly tongue in cheek and a little campy at that but the writing is spot on and both RDA and John deliver great performances. Alex Hyde-White (Custer) and Ashley Laurence (Libbie) both are great onscreen and the bad guy (Richard Cox) is wonderfully menacing. I would say however we have seen enough of the Legend flyer/glider and maybe even the balloon.

I’ll be covering further episodes dotted in between the regular Stargate coverage and looking forward to watching more Legend, a fun show which I can recommend for fans of RDA.

IMDB

SG1 are exploring a seemingly empty world full of "trees and moss" when they hear a noise and a running man appears, he is scared and speaks of the Taldor. SG1 agree to help him and moments later some sort of airborne technology emits a blinding light and they find themselves under a huge spot light in a vast empty space. There SG1 are "tried” for crimes against Taldor and while many of the offences can be argued their help of a murderer can not be excused and they are sentenced to life in captivity. They are sent through the gate to another location deep underground and find themselves in an enclosed biosphere where the guilty are sent by the Taldor to live out their lives but there is a structure to the society down below and so there is hope.

A woman named Linea ( Bonnie Bartlett ) is by the application of knowledge and influence is in charge and when approached by SG1 with Sam taking the lead we learn much of the backstory of Taldor and the prison, she also reveals that she has a form of cold fusion which Sam is convinced can power the gate thus allowing manual dialling. The goal now is to stay alive long enough to enact their plan while unknown to them General Hammond is getting rather upset with SG1 (diplomatic team) and these advanced aliens who are not playing ball.

Prisoners is a good solid episode, the set location of the prison is excellent and the minimal use of expensive CGI has no doubt allowed for a little more money for set dressing. Bonnie plays Linea to perfection and while a lot has to happen in a little over 43 minutes it never seems rushed and provides a good second season episode.

My thanks to Brad for picking this episode and joining me on the podcast, if you would like to follow his lead then please get in touch and we can arrange a time to chat over skype about your favoured or even least favoured episode from any of the live action series. Visit us on Facebook or Tumblr or follow us on twitter, reviews are most welcome on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Google Play.

Not sure yet what the next episode will be but I’ll probably watch another Legend episode.

IMDB Wiki

Episode 3 “Legend on His President's Secret Service“

In the third of the one and only season of Legend we have Ernest being drawn into a suspected assassination plot against Ulysses S. Grant the current president of the United States, the suspect is one Colonel Ethan Catridge Steele played by Ken Jenkins. The Colonel’s daughter Abigail sort out Legend in the hopes that he could sway her father’s actions but Ernest ignored her concerns and returned home from his promotional trip to Texas. There is is confronted by two secret service agents who turn out to be working for the Colonel and only then does Ernest realise he may have got himself into the middle of a very dangerous situation which only gets worse when an actual secret service agent escorts him to see the President ( G.W. Bailey).

The result of these various meetings sees Ernest along with the Professor and Ramos traveling to Texas, they make contact with Abigail but learn there is a definite plot against the President. At this point even Ernest let alone Legend can not ignore events surrounding them so escaping capture they rush to aid the President and his Wife onboard the train.

Legend on His President's Secret Service was yet again an enjoyable piece of television, Richard playing both Ernest and Legend is able to deliver the humour and action you would expect from him and is ably supported by John de Lancie and this weeks excellent guest stars. I didn’t think I would like this show as much as I do, it’s dated in production terms but not in story since it was set way back when and truth be told there are some nice pieces of cinematography and special effects in the episode which hold their own.

If you want to join me on the podcast to talk Stargate or even Legend then please get in touch, I could really do with a few more guests if for no other reason than to force a faster turn around on recording and releasing content. No excuse I know but some people can do the one man or one woman podcast, that’s not really my thing but either way I hope you enjoyed my take on this episode.

IMDB WIKI

Well here we are again trying to spice things up a little and thus the beginning of a new series of podcasts which take a look at each season of Stargate and decide if each episode is really worth watching for someone new to the franchise or those like us who have rewatched many a time.

Brad joined me for this quite lengthy discussion of the first season of Stargate SG1 and while the concept of see it/skip it is well established for podcasts coming up with a unique tag for each option proved difficult. We eventually went with “Kree” which is a versatile word but only when editing did I realise Harlan had the perfect word to partner the Jaffa word. Anyhow enjoy the podcast and as always if you fancy joining me to talk Stargate then get in touch and we can arrange something.

Episode 2 “Mr. Pratt Goes to Sheridan”

Here we are for the second episode in the one and only season of Legend as Ernest returns to Sheridan to make it his home both for the advantages being friends with the Professor provides as well as some gentle pushing from his publisher. Naturally the townsfolk are overjoyed to have their hero return but Ernest is still having problems adapting to life as his alter ego Nicodemus Legend and things get a little complicated when a notorious bank robber and accused murderer (Jimmy Siringo ) states he will only give himself up to Legend in person. There is of course much more to the story and much to his chagrin Ernest finds himself in Tucson along with the Professor investigating the bank robbery and death of a guard and planning for the arrival of Jim.

Well I said I was going to be watching the series and I decided I might as well make it part of the podcast although I may have to revise the idea of recording with my ipad, the audio is a little flat/dull. Anyhow the episode was a lot of fun although the plot was not unfamiliar to me but then again if I had seen this episode when it was originally released then the shows that came after would have been picking plot points from this. Originality isn’t quite dead and ultimately it’s how you present a story to the audience and the writers by combining good old fashioned integrity and honesty with modern forensics gave us a twist that worked very well. There was also plenty of humour as you would expect and a healthy dose of western themed hijinks, all told and enjoyable episode of television.

The next podcast will probably be looking at the first season of SG1 as a See It/Skip it overview and look for the further advances of Legend in the feed over the next few months. As always reviews and ratings are appreciated as is any social media sharing. If you want to come on the show and talk Stargate then please get in touch, I would love to have some new voices on the podcast as well as drawing on the many people that helped us through nearly 400 episode of the Gatecast.

IMDB

Evidence found outside the entrance of a Ziggurat on the planet P2X-338 indicates that a Russian team had visited the world recently, further investigation confirms that a team had been lost on the world prior to the Russian program being shut down after the events of Watergate. A Russian team arrives at the SGC and together with SG1 and with the data which instigated the initial Russian interest they gate to the planet and eventually gain access to the ziggurat. Inside they find the remains of the team and it looks like something had eaten them, a sarcophagus is found, sealed from the outside. Colonel Zukhov however triggers a pressure plate and as the structure quakes the entrance is sealed, Lt. Marchenko is lost in the attempt to escape. Zukhov opens the sarcophagus and finds the remains of the System Lord Marduk and again the bones show small teeth marks, whatever finally killed the Goa’uld took a long long time to do it and maybe was responsible for the demise of the first Russian team and with that the two teams find themselves in a battle for survival with a small and fast moving creature as well as the symbiote which as they are oft to do survive until an opportunity presents itself.

The Tomb was an entertaining episode and the reluctant integration of the Russians was done well, storywise it had to happen after all once the Russians knew of the Stargate program and contributed via the DHD they were not going to let the Americans do whatever they wanted. Naturally the episode plays up Jack’s annoyance with the situation and we get to see the complications that can arise with a different military mindset and an additional intelligence/security endeavour. The episode won a LEO award for "Best Production Designer in a Dramatic Series" and rightfully so, the design, construction and realism of the ziggurat set combined with the excellent shadow and dust filled scene filming hid nothing from the viewer and looked spectacular.

My thanks to Tim for joining me and choosing this episode to discuss, he is currently doing a series rewatch and may well be finished by the time this podcast got released. Tim co-hosts the Uncharted Territories podcast and also takes part in Partial Nerdity, check ‘em out.

If you want to join me on the Stargate Archives then get in touch and choose any episode from SG1, Atlantis or Universe and we can have a chat over skype for an hour or so. I’m also going to be a doing a season by season See It/Skip It show (Recorded the first with Brad) and may well continue with Legend, time will tell.

IMDB WIKI