Stargate SG-1 Discussion: “Off the Grid”

The SGC learns that the organizaton of traders and mercenaries known as the Lucian Alliance is distributing a highly-addictive drug and SG-1 goes to investigate. But the situation becomes complicated when the planet’s Stargate disappears…and SG-1 is held responsible.

12 replies on “Stargate SG-1 Discussion: “Off the Grid””

  1. Interestign
    I’m really happy John Crichton has joined SG1. When did he make it back to earth?

    Seriously though…I really like the character but he’s an awful like his Farscape character.

    I watch it every week, but I still swear they have a formula that says build up an impossible situation in 40 min of programming and fix it in 2. With the Ori at first I thought it’d get a little hopeless and no quick & happy ending but suddenly they’re back to the formula.

    • Re: Interesting
      As I see it, his comedic relief lines are problematic as they come out just like the comedic relief lines in Farscape. Whereas RDA’s humor was more self deprecating, I think that if the writers had actually watched some of Farscape with an ear on the comedy, they’d have written the character differently. If the comedy is being ad-libbed, then I think it would be up to the director/producers to hear the similarity and nix it. Next season will hopefully be better, as Ben should be a little more into the character. And if I’m still thinking of Crichton, oh well.

      I like the character, it just doesn’t seem to be any kind of acting stretch for Ben though. And having Claudia show up pretty much at the same time didn’t help separate the characters either. I think the producers knew that it would be a problem, which was why having Claudia running off of Michael was definately a help. Having Claudia go with an American accent instead of her native accent might have helped as well, but I’m pleased she kept her accent. She can wisper sweet nothings in my ear all day. (Lucy Lawless, now there’s an actress that I prefer would stay with the American accent. The interviews I’ve heard just grate on me, although the accent doesn’t bother me on BSG, which I find… odd.)

      I do think Black will be a nice addition to the cast. And I think she’s had the juicier part to sink her acting chops into as well. And it certainly is completely divorced from Aeryn Sun. There’s a big difference between a Peace Keeper and and a Goa’uld host. There isn’t that big a difference between Crichton and Mitchell.

      but I still swear they have a formula that says build up an impossible situation in 40 min of programming and fix it in 2.

      Is it really that different from, say ST:TNG? ST:VOY? Farscape? BSG? <strike>Knight Rider?</strike>

      • Re: Interesting

        but I still swear they have a formula that says build up an impossible situation in 40 min of programming and fix it in 2.

        Is it really that different from, say ST:TNG? ST:VOY? Farscape? BSG? <strike>Knight Rider?</strike>

        [/quote]

        It just seems so blatantly obvious. The ‘solution’ is a 30 sec quick fix. Like last week. It just gets old.

        • Re: Interesting

          It just seems so blatantly obvious. The ‘solution’ is a 30 sec quick fix. Like last week. It just gets old.

          Don’t we often tend to complain when writers invent some really weird solution when the obvious one was staring them in the face? Well, this time they actually got it right!

          I do agree that Mitchel is way to much like Crichton. Neither Mitchel (for that reason) nor the O’ri (sp?) are very engaging to me. I’m watching more out of loyalty this season. I do enjoy Crichton on Farscape. At least there he was a unique character. Mitchel is a carbon copy.

  2. Ships…
    Is it just me or does Earth seem to be rapidly building a fleet? Well, rapidly as things go with big war ships. Considering they lost one last week, it’s probably a good thing.

    Of course, it does seem a bit convenient that they just happen to have a ship mostly ready for a maiden voyage just when they need to rescue someone. Am I the only one who has issues with this?

    • Re: Ships…

      Is it just me or does Earth seem to be rapidly building a fleet? Well, rapidly as things go with big war ships. Considering they lost one last week, it’s probably a good thing.

      Of course, it does seem a bit convenient that they just happen to have a ship mostly ready for a maiden voyage just when they need to rescue someone. Am I the only one who has issues with this?

      I don’t have issue with the idea that Earth (well, actually the US) would be building spaceships at a rapid rate if we could build them with that kind of technology (galaxy-hopping, forcefields, matter transmission, etc.). In fact, I’d find it harder to believe that we wouldn’t.

      What I do take issue with is the fact that all the spaceship building is taking place in secret. There’s no way the population could remain unaware of these spaceships, and by extension the Stargate, considering the infrastructure that would be required for the construction. I’m sure they’re probably saving going truly "public" for the end of the series (that seems like the only event big enough to finish it off) but it’s gone from a secret unlikely to be kept to a secret that couldn’t possibly be kept.

      • Re: Ships…

        I don’t have issue with the idea that Earth (well, actually the US) would be building spaceships at a rapid rate if we could build them with that kind of technology (galaxy-hopping, forcefields, matter transmission, etc.). In fact, I’d find it harder to believe that we wouldn’t.

        What I do take issue with is the fact that all the spaceship building is taking place in secret. There’s no way the population could remain unaware of these spaceships, and by extension the Stargate, considering the infrastructure that would be required for the construction. I’m sure they’re probably saving going truly "public" for the end of the series (that seems like the only event big enough to finish it off) but it’s gone from a secret unlikely to be kept to a secret that couldn’t possibly be kept.

        Actually, we know other countries are in on the Stargate. We also know that a number of other factions know about it. I don’t really have a problem with the ships being built; I, too, would be surprised if it weren’t happening. My big problem is how they always happen to have a nicely timed crisis so that each new warship can have a nice shakedown.

        We do know that they are having a harder and harder time keeping the Stargate secret. We know from previous episodes that private enterprise is profiting from the Stargate program, either through direct contracts with the government or through exploitation of the technology. There have also been web sites, and so on, that have shown up with pictures of space battles. Then there was that whole Wormhole Extreme thing. (Oddly enough, that could be a good way discredit a lot of the folks who might leak information.)

        While it is getting increasingly unlikely that the cat would shred the bag, it is not totally impossible that the secret would not be out. That’s not to say that I think they should continue with the secrecy thing. The more it stretches plausibility, the more distracting it will get.

        I don’t agree, though, that they would have to end the series if the operation went public. Sure, it would change the operation some, but there’s no reason everything would be shut down. And then you can deal with the trouble a public Stargate and space travel scheme would have. I mean, the exploratory stuff would not need to cease. (And they could always set up a base off-world and continue as they are without most folks being any wiser. Hmmm. SG1 gone rogue. That would be a good story line, I think.)

        • Re: Ships…
          I think you misunderstood me just a bit. :)

          I didn’t mean that I thought going public would force the show to end. I meant that they could make a huge event of it and close the show out in grand style. I like some of your ideas, too, though.

      • Re: Ships…

        Is it just me or does Earth seem to be rapidly building a fleet? Well, rapidly as things go with big war ships. Considering they lost one last week, it’s probably a good thing.

        Of course, it does seem a bit convenient that they just happen to have a ship mostly ready for a maiden voyage just when they need to rescue someone. Am I the only one who has issues with this?

        I don’t have issue with the idea that Earth (well, actually the US) would be building spaceships at a rapid rate if we could build them with that kind of technology (galaxy-hopping, forcefields, matter transmission, etc.). In fact, I’d find it harder to believe that we wouldn’t.

        What I do take issue with is the fact that all the spaceship building is taking place in secret. There’s no way the population could remain unaware of these spaceships, and by extension the Stargate, considering the infrastructure that would be required for the construction. I’m sure they’re probably saving going truly "public" for the end of the series (that seems like the only event big enough to finish it off) but it’s gone from a secret unlikely to be kept to a secret that couldn’t possibly be kept.

        What I find annoying is the fact that they’re building them all on Earth! They have an Alpha site with little in the way of defenses. Build them there and they can build as many as they want right out in the open, and when they’re completed, they’d have a pretty nice defense system right there.
        Not only that, but they could order whatever materials they need from private contractors and ship them to any number of military installations around the world, then shove them into a C-5 and fly them to the SGC to be sent to the Alpha site. At least that way, reporters and contractors alike couldn’t easily put two and two together and figure out what they’re building. They’d see the materials going all around the world, not knowing they’d all end up at the same place.
        That’s assuming they’d really need all that much material from contractors, instead of mining/refining it themselves on the Alpha site.

  3. Stargate collection
    It has occurred to me that the collection of stargates that were snagged from Baal’s ship creates a lot of story line potential. I wonder if they’ll go anywhere interesting with that.

    • Re: Stargate collection

      It has occurred to me that the collection of stargates that were snagged from Baal’s ship creates a lot of story line potential. I wonder if they’ll go anywhere interesting with that.

      Or, more interestingly to me, what about the planets that had a gate that were lost in the destruction of Ba’al’s (?SP?) ship? In the case of the drug smugglers they had a huge crop that suddenly lost all its buyers with no way to get them back. What if something more pressing was needed, say, food?

      Lots of potential for an entire story arc. Though with the Ori hiding in the background it’d be a weird segway right now unles the Ori are going to be the borg. An invisible threat that is a few episodes while they keep doing other things.

  4. Good and Bad
    I thought that Baal’s solution was well done; I’l just drop out of the equation and start over somewhere else where they can’t use a stargate to find me anymore. Lovely.

    On the other hand, we saw a horrible situation that was solved by the fact they’ve added too much stereotypical SF technology in recent years. In this case, it’s the beaming technology that also interfered with my limited enjoyment of, um… you know, I can name early episodes, but I can’t remember the names of recent ones anymore? The episode where the Prometheus was destroyed and everyone beamed down to the surface. Sigh.

Comments are closed.