So not Encounter at Farpoint
Oct. 25th, 2008 07:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lunabee34Excuse the typos because today was Writer's Group and I am drunk off my ass and also I am PISSED OFF at show. Who knows what my rage will do to Querty?
Let's begin with last week's episode, which was less rage-inducing and was an engaging set-up (I thought) for this week's premise.
Although I have a very hard time suspending my disbelief that the SGC would ever let Carson go out into the Pegasus galaxy as a goodwill mission of one, the fact remains that it is fucking nice to see one of the Atlantis expedition members working through his culpability for the atrocities done in Pegasus since they arrived. *This* is what I wanted from Whispers and didn't get. A Carson who is integral to the storyline, who is is drawn in service of character rather than plot. I love love love love the moment when Carson goes all badass on their Wraith captor because I genuinely did not know where the story was going. I thought he might actually be killed. Again. And I was so impressed by what actually happened.
What's going on planetside is pretty interesting as well. At one point, Main Evil Villager says, "This is not your affair." Which is when Lorraine sat up and said, "Like hell it's not." Everybody in Pegasus has to pull together. They are no longer disparate, farflung settlements. They have to start pulling together. They have to start thinking galactically. Every village for itself doesn't work anymore, the way it did before the Wraith and the Replicators and the Evil!Asgard were woken. You are yourHoffan victim brother's keeper.
I still am having trouble articulating how I feel about Sheppard sacrificing all those guys in the jail cell as bait for the Wraith trap. I know their options were limited, but that wholesale sacrifice makes me really uncomfortable.
In any case, as soon as I saw the trailer for this week's episode, I thought that we'd had a good lead in for the notion of Atlantis on trial for its actions in Pegasus and I was super stoked about the episode.
Until I watched it.
This could have been so cool. So fucking cool. A way for the show to acknowledge the damage the Atlantis expedition has done while still celebrating all the good things it's accomplished.
Instead what we get is a clip show. Which yawn. And Boo-Hiss.
And an apologia that is so disgusting that I think I am going to have to pretend that this episode never happened.
I was right that the previous episode foreshadowed the people of Pegasus banding together. This is right and good and the logical conclusion to their dliemma. They must think galactically or they will never win against the Wraith or whatever enemy strikes next. No longer can it be one village for itself, but everyone for everyone. *this* is awesome.
They charge that Atlantis is responsible for
1. the deaths of over 2 million people
2. waking the Wraith
3. aiding in the creation and distribution of the Hoffan drug via Michael
4. thwarting the Genii Wraith-destruction plan
5. waking the Replicators
6. conspiring with Wraith
Of all these charges, only 4 and 6 seem negligible to me. The Genii had no means of deploying their nukes. Their citizens were dying from inadequate shielding and they clearly were deceitful and untrustworthy. In addition, although I would not categorize Todd as trustworthy, his help has proven invaluable and he has not caused widespread destruction as a result of his involvement with Atlantis. In fact, he's been instrumental in orchestrating several key defeats of enemies.
But the rest? THEY SO DID THAT. ALL THAT. And even though they didn't know and even though they didn't mean to and even though they've been working their asses off to fix it all these five long years, THEY STILL DID THOSE THINGS. They made bad choices. With bad consequences. In the words of a Council member, Atlantis has been making "unilateral decisions that affect the lives of millions and without accountability;" and later, "no restraint or due process."
And what happens? Sheppard offers no legitimate defense. Neither does Woolesy. He bribes a jury member. Teyla and Ronon are silenced. They Look Significantly at each other several times as if they understand where the Council is coming from but never say anything. The Council is made up of one man who will listen to Reason (which is presented as Atlantis Being Right) and one woman who is utterly against them (a typical Pegaus resident who has lost her family and has every reason to be pissed) and a swing vote. I know that the justice system in America would never accept that woman as a juror because she is clearly biased but her presence here makes sense for me. She speaks for the families of the TWO MILLION PEOPLE THAT DIED. We are not in Washington, Woolsey. This is not somebody who wants to sue McD's because the coffee was too hot. This is a woman who has lost everything and can directly attribute that loss to Atlantis's involvement in Pegasus. And their threat to cut off trade is a very real and tangible threat. At any time, contact with Earth can be cut off and Atlantis can be left at the mercy of Pegasus. In addition, any hope they have of navigating this galaxy is contingent on the aid of the natives. If that aid is rescinded, they have very little hope of bartering for a ZPM or gaining access to an Ancient archive without behaving underhandedly. Which frankly, I suppose, is an option.
Did I want Atlantis to lose? Of course not. I love Atlantis. I love Team Sheppard. I love Woolsey. I don't want them executed or exiled. What I did want is an acknowledgement of responsiblity and culpability and a renewed pledge to eradicate the consequences of mistakes. How hard would it have been for Sheppard to say, "You're right. We screwed up. And I live with that everyday and I promise we will use very inch of manpower and technology we posses to make this place a better one for all of us to live in."
I don't want to even think of how mad the end made me, Woolsey with his cigars and his scotch and his boy's club and *rages*
TACKY, SGA. TACKY. You defeated the tribal elders and their payyrus. With a bribe. How classy.
*vomits*
Let's begin with last week's episode, which was less rage-inducing and was an engaging set-up (I thought) for this week's premise.
Although I have a very hard time suspending my disbelief that the SGC would ever let Carson go out into the Pegasus galaxy as a goodwill mission of one, the fact remains that it is fucking nice to see one of the Atlantis expedition members working through his culpability for the atrocities done in Pegasus since they arrived. *This* is what I wanted from Whispers and didn't get. A Carson who is integral to the storyline, who is is drawn in service of character rather than plot. I love love love love the moment when Carson goes all badass on their Wraith captor because I genuinely did not know where the story was going. I thought he might actually be killed. Again. And I was so impressed by what actually happened.
What's going on planetside is pretty interesting as well. At one point, Main Evil Villager says, "This is not your affair." Which is when Lorraine sat up and said, "Like hell it's not." Everybody in Pegasus has to pull together. They are no longer disparate, farflung settlements. They have to start pulling together. They have to start thinking galactically. Every village for itself doesn't work anymore, the way it did before the Wraith and the Replicators and the Evil!Asgard were woken. You are your
I still am having trouble articulating how I feel about Sheppard sacrificing all those guys in the jail cell as bait for the Wraith trap. I know their options were limited, but that wholesale sacrifice makes me really uncomfortable.
In any case, as soon as I saw the trailer for this week's episode, I thought that we'd had a good lead in for the notion of Atlantis on trial for its actions in Pegasus and I was super stoked about the episode.
Until I watched it.
This could have been so cool. So fucking cool. A way for the show to acknowledge the damage the Atlantis expedition has done while still celebrating all the good things it's accomplished.
Instead what we get is a clip show. Which yawn. And Boo-Hiss.
And an apologia that is so disgusting that I think I am going to have to pretend that this episode never happened.
I was right that the previous episode foreshadowed the people of Pegasus banding together. This is right and good and the logical conclusion to their dliemma. They must think galactically or they will never win against the Wraith or whatever enemy strikes next. No longer can it be one village for itself, but everyone for everyone. *this* is awesome.
They charge that Atlantis is responsible for
1. the deaths of over 2 million people
2. waking the Wraith
3. aiding in the creation and distribution of the Hoffan drug via Michael
4. thwarting the Genii Wraith-destruction plan
5. waking the Replicators
6. conspiring with Wraith
Of all these charges, only 4 and 6 seem negligible to me. The Genii had no means of deploying their nukes. Their citizens were dying from inadequate shielding and they clearly were deceitful and untrustworthy. In addition, although I would not categorize Todd as trustworthy, his help has proven invaluable and he has not caused widespread destruction as a result of his involvement with Atlantis. In fact, he's been instrumental in orchestrating several key defeats of enemies.
But the rest? THEY SO DID THAT. ALL THAT. And even though they didn't know and even though they didn't mean to and even though they've been working their asses off to fix it all these five long years, THEY STILL DID THOSE THINGS. They made bad choices. With bad consequences. In the words of a Council member, Atlantis has been making "unilateral decisions that affect the lives of millions and without accountability;" and later, "no restraint or due process."
And what happens? Sheppard offers no legitimate defense. Neither does Woolesy. He bribes a jury member. Teyla and Ronon are silenced. They Look Significantly at each other several times as if they understand where the Council is coming from but never say anything. The Council is made up of one man who will listen to Reason (which is presented as Atlantis Being Right) and one woman who is utterly against them (a typical Pegaus resident who has lost her family and has every reason to be pissed) and a swing vote. I know that the justice system in America would never accept that woman as a juror because she is clearly biased but her presence here makes sense for me. She speaks for the families of the TWO MILLION PEOPLE THAT DIED. We are not in Washington, Woolsey. This is not somebody who wants to sue McD's because the coffee was too hot. This is a woman who has lost everything and can directly attribute that loss to Atlantis's involvement in Pegasus. And their threat to cut off trade is a very real and tangible threat. At any time, contact with Earth can be cut off and Atlantis can be left at the mercy of Pegasus. In addition, any hope they have of navigating this galaxy is contingent on the aid of the natives. If that aid is rescinded, they have very little hope of bartering for a ZPM or gaining access to an Ancient archive without behaving underhandedly. Which frankly, I suppose, is an option.
Did I want Atlantis to lose? Of course not. I love Atlantis. I love Team Sheppard. I love Woolsey. I don't want them executed or exiled. What I did want is an acknowledgement of responsiblity and culpability and a renewed pledge to eradicate the consequences of mistakes. How hard would it have been for Sheppard to say, "You're right. We screwed up. And I live with that everyday and I promise we will use very inch of manpower and technology we posses to make this place a better one for all of us to live in."
I don't want to even think of how mad the end made me, Woolsey with his cigars and his scotch and his boy's club and *rages*
TACKY, SGA. TACKY. You defeated the tribal elders and their payyrus. With a bribe. How classy.
*vomits*
