Amanda Tapping (Col. Samantha Carter) one of only 2 women to direct a Stargate episode. Ever. (Photo from GateWorld.net)
I was reading this post in the archives of Feminist SF–The Blog! about the lack of women writing and directing science fiction shows on TV. Two of the shows author Ide Cyan cites as lacking in females behind the cameras are Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis. In her post, Ide lists two Atlantis episodes written by women and one SG1 episode directed by a woman. That sounded a little short to me, so I dug deeper to see what the real tally of women writing or directing Stargate episodes is.
Here’s a run-down of female writers and directors in Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis and the up-coming Stargate: Universe (as mcuh as GateWorld.net knows about it):
Stargate SG1 episodes written or directed by women:
- Season 1 (22 episodes)
- Emancipation: written by Katharyn Powers
- Brief Candle: teleplay by Katharyn Powers
- Thor’s Hammer: written by Katharyn Powers
- Fire and Water: teleplay by Katharyn Powers who shares story credit with Brad Wright
- Enigma: written by Katharyn Powers
- Season 2 (22 episodes)
- Thor’s Chariot: written by Katharyn Powers
- Family: written by Katharyn Powers
- Sepent’s Song: written by Katharyn Powers
- Season 3 (22 episodes)
- Learning Curve: written by Heather E. Ash
- Foothold: written by Heather E. Ash
- Pretense: written by Katharyn Powers
- New Ground: written by Heather E. Ash
- Season 4 (22 episodes)
- Crossroads: written by Katharyn Powers
- Beneath the Surface: written by Heather E. Ash
- Season 5 (22 episodes)
- Rite of Passage: written by Heather E. Ash
- Season 6 (22 episodes)
- Smoke and Mirrors: story by Katharyn Powers
- Metamorphosis: story by Jacqueline Samuda and James Tichenor
- Season 7 (21 episodes)
- Resurrection: directed by Amanda Tapping
After season 8 they hung the “No Girls Allowed” sign outside the SG1 offices, apparently, so let’s look at Stargate Atlantis, which premiered in 2004 (coinciding with SG1 season 8):
Stargate Atlantis episodes written or directed by women:
- Season 1 (20 episodes)
- Poisoning the Well: written by Mary Kaiser
- Home: directed by Holly Dale
- The Storm: story by Jill Blotevolgel
- Letters From Pegasus: some of the excerpt credits go to Jill Blotevolgel and Mary Kaiser
Season 2 (20 episodes)
- Instinct: written by Treena Hancock and Melissa R. Byer
Season 3 (20 episodes)
- The Game: story by Holly Henderson and Don Whitehead
And that was it for the women. The last two seasons of Stargate Atlantis had no women writing or directing. Ouch!
Stargate: Universe won’t air until October, so details are still sketchy on who did what, but GateWorld has directing credits (at least) on most of the episodes of the inaugural season. Guess what? No women. Now, some of the episodes don’t have writing credits listed, but I’m a regular reader of Stargate writer Joe Mallozzi’s blog and don’t recall him mentioning any female names attached to scripts (but I’m going from memory).
Final tally:
Out of a total of 10 seasons and 213 episodes, SG1 had 17 episodes written by women and 1 episode directed by a woman. That’s just 8% of the entire series written or directed by women.
Out of a total of 5 seasons and 100 episodes, SGA had 5 episodes written entirely or partially by women, and only 1 episode directed by a woman. That’s 6% of of the entire series written or directed by women. I counted the “excerpts” credits as partial writing credits. Without that, it’s 5%.
I think there are going to be 20 episodes in the first season of SGU. No women, so 0%.
Average for all three shows (so far): 7% out of 333 episodes, assuming SGU gets 20 episodes in its first season, and I’m not mistaken about what Joe Mallozzi said on his blog about the writers.
Caille Wray (Ming Na): the first openly gay character on Stargate (Photo from GateWorld.net)
And yet, SG1 and SGA provided some strong female characters who weren’t stereotypes. Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Janet Frasier, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Dr. Jeannie Miller, Dr. Jennifer Keller and Tayla Emmagan, anyone? From what we know about SGU so far, it looks like the trend will continue. I’m especially interested in Ming Na’s character Camille Wray, who is the first openly gay character for the Stargate franchise. There were rumors of other gay characters, but they were never outed on the show. Camille is in a long-term, stable relationship (she’s married)–in fact, hers is the most stable relationship on the show, according Joe Mallozzi and others.
Back when SG1 was airing, it bothered me that we didn’t see women other than Carter and Vala coming and going through the gate on SG teams. Atlantis rectified that a bit, even going so far as to having an episode with an all-female team. The male characters don’t make any comments about it. It’s the leader of the female team who jumps to the conclusion that Colonel Sheppard thinks she made a bad call by choosing all women for her team. Of course he’d know who was on her team, being the Chief of Security on Atlantis, but he still looks a little surprised. According to the show runners (in season 5 DVD commentaries), one of the characters on that team, Alecia Vega, was gay, but she got killed in a later episode. However, on the season 5 DVD extras you can see the scenes that were cut for time, including one of her asking Dr. Jennifer Keller for a date. Major Evan Lorne was also supposedly gay, but that might just be rumor.
I would also have liked to see more people of color going through the gate. There were main characters who were POC on both Atlantis and SG1 and there will be some on SGU. There was Teal’c (Christopher Judge) on SG1, and Lt. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Franks), Tayla Emmagan (Rachel Luttrell) and Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa) on Atlantis. On SGU, we’ll get Mater Sergeant Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and the afore-mentioned Camille Wray (Ming Na). And then there are the recurring POC characters like Bra’tac (Tony Amandola) and Apophis (Peter Williams) on SG1. So there’s some representation there.
Oh yeah, I should do some disclosure here: I’m a straight white female, but I pick up on lack of diversity on the shows I watch, and it bothers me that there’s so much of it.
In summary, it looks like the Stargate folks took a stab at having women writing stories for them then bailed on the idea for whatever reason. In spite of this, they still manage to write some female characters that I’ve liked and even admired. So, Stargate show runners, if by some miracle you read this, please give some more women a chance to write and direct, OK? I love you for creating some of my favorite shows, but I’d like to love you more for giving my fellow female writers more opportunities. And, hey, maybe awesome SF writer/consultant John Scalzi wouldn’t mind having one of the women from this list or this list joining him for those advising duties. They could tag team. It would be fun.
August 24th,2009
Opinion | tags:
SF,
Stargate,
Women |
9 Comments
The Ancient warship Aurora (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Aurora
Story by Brad Wright & Carl Binder
Teleplay by Carl Binder
Directed by Martin Wood
Guest starring Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Steven Caldwell), Bruce Dawson (Captain), James Lafazanos (Wraith), Pascale Hutton (First Officer), Ryan W. Smith (Crewman)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
The team finds a derelict Ancient ship whose crew is in stasis and living in a virtual environment, but Sheppard’s team isn’t the first to find them.
General Impressions
This is yet another episode about which the GateWorld guys and I disagree. They gave it 2.5 stars out of 5, but I really liked it a lot. I like the idea of finding a derelict Ancient warship with actual living Ancients still aboard. The virtual environment concept is also used well and is one that gets used again in future episodes. I share the team’s enthusiasm about finding this ship and its crew—what an opportunity! This is our first chance to see how Ancients lived before they abandoned the Pegasus galaxy and either died off or ascended, not to mention (hopefully) getting our hands on one of their warships. Then there’s the technology the ship possesses. All that makes it so painful when the crew of the Aurora sacrifice themselves and their ship at the end.
The Good
Nice design on the Aurora, especially the deterioration and aging. It looks great. I also liked the design of the stasis/VR pods and the shiny-new-looking ship Sheppard and McKay find in the virtual environment. It’s so bright and blue. The Ancient’s uniforms were nice, too, but did the first officer’s uniform have to be sexy? Why wasn’t her uniform like everyone else’s? Oh, right: Sci-Fi babes always dress sexy, especially the military ones. Or the native ones. Apparently, Tayla’s people not only mastered fire long ago but they also mastered the push up bra.
Here we get another example of how intelligent and resourceful the Wraith are, with one of them getting into a stasis pod and not only entering the virtual environment but controlling it, keeping the Ancients from remembering that what they’re experiencing isn’t real. Not your run of the mill enemy. It was very brave of Rodney to unhook the Wraith from his stasis pod without having any back up handy.
The Bad
Still with the clash between Weir and Caldwell. Getting old. Very old.
Oh, geez, does Sheppard have to make a pass at every hot chick he meets? Seriously? This sort of thing drove me nuts with the original Star Trek.
Caldwell, McKay? Wraith aren’t “psychic”, they’re “telepathic”. Psychic means you can see the future and the past with the power of your mind. Telepathic means you can communicate mind-to-mind, which is what the Wraith do.
Nice stalling on Tayla’s part, but why didn’t Caldwell ask the obvious question: “If ‘magnetic shielding’ was supposedly messing with Rodney’s radio, why wasn’t it messing with Tayla’s and Ronon’s, too?
OK, by now I’m trained to ignore the aliens speaking English thing but “communiqué” is a French word. Yes, I know it’s commonly used by English speakers and has been for centuries, but still…it’s French.
The Awesome
I don’t think anything else tops the heroic sacrifice of the crew of the Aurora. This quote from the Captain is heart wrenching: “We longed for nothing more than returning to Atlantis, to raise a toast to home and victory. We may not return home, but we’ll do whatever we can to ensure that victory.” The quiet, subdued, sad music under the Captain’s final speech to his crew was just right, keeping the focus on the speech. I cried. It was so moving. Definitely a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the crew of the Aurora.
Rating
9 out of 10. Interesting premise, nice look at Ancient tech, and a heroic ending.
Yay! Super Ford's back! (Photo from GateWorld.net)
The Lost Boys
Excerpts written by Robert C. Cooper
Written by Martin Gero
Directed by Brad Turner
Guest starring Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford), Kavan Smith (Major Lorne), David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka), Aaron Abrams (Kanayo), Paul Anthony (Jace), James Lafazanos (Wraith), Andee Frizzell (Hive Queen)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
Super Ford returns and forces the team to help his Wraith juice-enhanced gang blow up a hive ship. (Part 1 of 2)
General Impressions
This episode and the next deceived me into thinking we’d get a lot more Super Ford throughout the series, but no. Just these two episodes then Normal Ford appears in a flashback in the first episode of season five to guilt trip Sheppard. Oh well.
This episode explores drug addiction and how far friendship and loyalty can be stretched before breaking. The team still want Ford to come back to Atlantis with them and be cured, and Ford even expresses a desire to go home at one point before revealing it was all a trick. He wants Sheppard to trust him but everything he does ensures that Sheppard won’t trust him. He’s completely misguided.
The Good
Ford’s recap of how he got off the Wraith ship. It’s cool and creepy at the same time. The way his gang chains up the Wraith and keeps them for their supply of the enzyme is just like the way Wraith keep humans prisoner to feed on later. Creepy parallel.
I honestly couldn’t stand Ford after this episode. Everything he did to Sheppard’s team was disgusting and evil. You don’t force drugs into people’s systems. You just don’t. It’s a horrible violation, and I found it very hard to watch when Ford’s guys were forcing injections on Tayla and Ronon. That’s the visceral reaction the writers were surely going for, but if they weren’t it was definitely a happy accident. Strong emotional audience reactions are good.
I believe I’ve mentioned previously just how much I love the design of the Wraith ships, especially the darts. If I could have any small ship from the Stargateverse it would be a Wraith dart. I love how they look like they’re made of bone, and the gooey sound the cockpit canopy makes when it’s raised and lowered. I’d love to know what it’s made of and how it does that. It always astonished me that the expedition never tried to find a way to adapt the culling beam technology for their own use. Imagine how useful it could be for transporting people and materials. If nothing else, I can’t believe they never commandeered a bunch of darts just to have that technology, if for no other reason. Wraith tech might be inferior to Ancient tech but it’s still pretty advanced and like nothing our team has.
The Bad
I didn’t like this episode that much, yet I can’t put a finger on what made it drag for me.
The Awesome
Crazy puppy Super Ford. The contrast between his need to be accepted by his former comrades and the evil of him forcing the Wraith enzyme on them is incredibly disturbing. When he tells Sheppard he wants to go home it’s just so sad—until he reveals later that he was lying in order to trick Sheppard. I sympathize with him but at the same time hate him for what he does to his former team. Ronon and Tayla fighting each other over food then trying to convince Sheppard that the enzyme is a good thing erases most of the sympathy I had for Ford. Rainbow Sun Franks was awesome.
I think Super Ford is interesting and could have had a great journey as a character if they hadn’t put him on a bus after the next episode. He could have turned up a few more times, finally got dragged back to Atlantis and maybe Earth for detox and then fought to get accepted back into the Stargate program, though he would more likely have faced disciplinary action and been banned from returning to the Pegasus galaxy. It would have been interesting, but no. Put on a bus. Pity.
Rating
6 out of 10. The exploration of drug addiction and the way it changes a person is interesting but doesn’t really carry the episode. Rainbow Sun Franks, on the other hand, does.
Sheppard gets yet another temporary girlfriend (Photo from GateWorld.net)
The Hive
Written by Carl Binder
Directed by Martin Wood
Guest starring Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford), Aaron Abrams (Kanayo), Kavan Smith (Lorne), Jenn Bird (Neera), David Nykl (Dr. Radek Zelenka), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Stephen Caldwell), Andee Frizzell (Hive Queen)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
Sheppard, Ronon and Tayla are trapped with Ford and his gang on a hive ship after their mission to destroy it goes wrong. (Part 2 of 2)
General Impressions
A lot of people like The Lost Boys better than this episode, but I actually liked this one better. It didn’t drag as much as the other one seemed to when I was watching it, probably because this episode has more action in it. Ford becomes progressively more of a jerk, almost making me glad they put him on a bus after this episode. This episode also wraps up the drug addiction thread, showing various members of Sheppard’s team and Ford’s team going through withdrawal and eventually being free from the enzyme.
We also learn yet another new thing about the Wraith: Some humans serve and even worship them. We also learn that the Wraith have turned against each other, something our heroes can exploit.
The Good
A Wraith Queen who’s actually kind of pretty. Nice hair, nice gown. They’re all played by the same actress (Adee Frizzell) with a different make up job, but this time she looks good for a Wraith. Oh to be so tall and willowy. She even has a disco audience chamber with lasers. Groovy.
I love it when Rodney gets brave. The lengths he’s willing to go to to save his comrades is inspiring and sometimes pretty funny, but what was he thinking taking so much enzyme all at once? He’s not Ronon, after all. Still, Badass Kung Fu Rodney is awesome: “And that’s what happens when you back a brilliant scientist into a corner!” Then he’s just plain crazy after that. David Hewlett really is a fantastic comedic actor.
I kind of like the idea of Wraith worshippers. It adds a layer to the relationship between humans and Wraith beyond predator and prey and fleshes out Wraith culture beyond culling, feeding and monologueing about how their going to cull you and feed on you.
The Bad
I knew Neera was a spy for the Wraith almost as soon as we met her. Good for John for realizing it, too.
I’ve never understood why impacts to the Deadalus’ shields would cause sparks to fly on the bridge. It’s one of those things that people who nitpick the science in movies and TV always pick on. They also pick on the notion that you can hear things in space, like exploding ships, or that passing ships have a Doppler effect just like they would in atmosphere. I know kabooms are more dramatic, but it doesn’t work that way in reality.
And just once, can we not have the “there’s no way anything could have survived that” moment followed by the miraculous survival of our heroes? Does it have to be like that every single time?
The Awesome
David Hewlett, yet again. Rodney is brave and funny and tortured in turns, and Hewlett is amazing. His drug-crazed Rodney and detoxing Rodney are awesome.
Rainbow Sun Franks as Super Ford, even if he doesn’t have as much screen time in this episode as in the previous one. He really seems to relish playing crazy.
The space battle between the two hives, especially the thousands of tiny darts flying around them like gnats, and the explosion of the two ships was really amazing.
Rating
8 out of 10. Action, drug addiction, and a big space battle.
Hey, look: It's another John Sheppard Temporary Girlfriend (tm)! (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Epiphany
Story by Brad Wright & Joe Flanigan
Directed by Neil Fearnley
Guest starring Chad Morgan (Teer), David McNally (Avrid), Nicole Muñoz (Hedda), Scott Miller (Pilot)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
Sheppard gets trapped in a time-slipped community of people working toward ascension.
General Impressions
Ascension has been a plot point on Stargate since season three of SG1 when Daniel Jackson meets an ascended being named Oma Desala. The Atlantis expedition met an ascended being in the first season. Now Sheppard meets a group of people trying to figure out how to ascend and who believe ascending is his only way out of the time-slipped valley. Meanwhile, he gets a girlfriend who’s had visions of him since she was a little girl and waited for him, but then she ascends.
The idea of a valley where time flows differently is as old as stories of Faerie and probably older even than that but it’s still a decent story telling device.
The Good
M.A.L.P. On a Stick(tm) cracked me up. As did Rodney referring to Ronon and Tayla as “Conan” and “Xena”.
Those Ancients really were amazing. Not only could they invent a time traveling jumper, they could set up an entire valley to operate on different time than the rest of the planet, giving the people inside the field ample time to work out ascension. Not only that, but they also set it up to have its own day/night cycle and climate. It was nice of them to leave it for anyone who wished to pursue enlightenment. And I couldn’t help but notice how similar it was in look and feel to the planet where the team found that ascended being in the first season. You know, another of Sheppard’s temporary girlfriends.
I also liked that the villagers didn’t turn out to have a sinister secret, nor were they attacked by the Wraith. The only threat to them was one generated by their own fears and it was part of the journey to enlightenment. The creature was real enough but only had as much power as the villagers’ fear gave it.
Loved the costumes in this episode, even if they were monochromatic. They were all light and comfortable-looking.
The Bad
Plenty of clean-shaven men in the cloister, but none of them could loan Sheppard a razor? Joe Flanigan looks like he dragged himself out of a gutter after an all-night bender with that beard.
I am so tired of everyone on this show being pretty, even the guest stars. Perhaps beauty is a prerequisite for ascension.
The Forsythia bushes hurt my belief in this as an alien planet even more than the recognizable species of Canadian trees. We had Forsythia bushes planted along the property line of the house I grew up in, so, despite the fact that our property also backed up to a forest full of the same kind of trees in this episode, it’s the Forsythia bushes with their bright yellow flowers and childhood familiarity that ruined the illusion for me.
The Awesome
The very idea of a sanctuary inside a time dilation field is interesting. A nice, safe place that the Wraith can’t get to, allowing the inhabitants to focus on ascension. It’s idyllic, filled with wildflowers and surrounded by beautiful mountains and always has a perfect climate (no thunderstorms, which Sheppard had to describe to them). It’s like a Buddhist retreat, right down to the loose-fitting cotton garments and vegetarian food. The contrast between Sheppard and the villagers is striking: They meditate, socialize, and tend their crops. Sheppard falls asleep during mediation and spends his morning jogging. They’re focused on the spirit, while he’s still focused on the body. They’re ready for ascension, he’s not, yet he’s the one who realizes that what they need to do in order to ascend is stand up to the monster.
The team for once doesn’t try to make off with the valley’s power source, except for Rodney, as usual. Then again, the ascended villagers didn’t give them much of a choice.
The establishing shots of the valley and its planet from the air are beautiful, as is the valley itself. It’s so peaceful.
Rating
8 out of 10. Interesting premise, beautiful sets and props.
Special Features
Road to a Dream with Martin Gero
No, this isn’t the story of how Stargate Atlantis came into being. It’s a tongue-in-cheek documentary about writer Martin Gero’s attempt to be an actor and play Dr. Beckett’s “younger, handsomer, smarter” brother. He does the most horrible Scottish accent ever. All in good fun.
Audio Commentary for Aurora
Director Martin Wood, Co-Producer Peter DeLuise. These two get technical about how scenes were shot, use of visual effects, and trivia about the actors. Things I learned: They got real chess champions to play the two guys playing chess at the beginning of this episode; Martin Wood doesn’t like cuts in a shot, Peter DeLuise likes them; Jason Momoa’s head is huge and didn’t fit in the EVA suit helmet; Joe Flanigan kept the New York Times with him on set, even in the stasis pod; they love David Hewlett and Mitch Pileggi…a lot.
Audio Commentary for The Lost Boys
Writer Martin Gero, actors Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett. These guys had a lot of fun with this commentary. They even called the actor who played Kanayo while doing the commentary and interviewed him. They really like this guy (he’s a friend of Martin’s). They also hate montages. They, like the viewer, are in awe of the effects shot when Sheppard flies the dart into the hive ship.
Audio Commentary for The Hive
Director Martin Wood. Commentaries are usually best with more than one person so they can play off each other, but Martin Wood does a good job on his own of explaining how and why things are done in this episode. He’s really informative, going into some detail about the idea of everybody going into drug withdrawal. If this guy taught a class in film school, I’d take it, even though I have no interest in directing. He’s a really good lecturer.
Audio Commentary for Epiphany
Director Neill Fearnley. Mr. Fearnley is nowhere near as dynamic a speaker as Martin Wood. His slow voice and cadence and the fact that he’d go for long stretches with no commentary don’t help, either. I couldn’t listen. He kept losing me.
Production Design & Photo Gallery
Must Tweet! Must Tweet! Must Tweet!
No, I’m not talking about a new toy for your virtual pet. I’m talking about things like email, RSS feeds, Twitter and searches. It’s addictive, and apparently it hurts your attention span and sort of melts your brain. An article in Slate magazine on the subject nails it:
Actually all our electronic communication devices—e-mail, Facebook feeds, texts, Twitter—are feeding the same drive as our searches. Since we’re restless, easily bored creatures, our gadgets give us in abundance qualities the seeking/wanting system finds particularly exciting. Novelty is one. [Washington State University neuroscientist Jaak] Panksepp says the dopamine system is activated by finding something unexpected or by the anticipation of something new. If the rewards come unpredictably—as e-mail, texts, updates do—we get even more carried away. No wonder we call it a “CrackBerry.”
I could have told them that. In my eight months of unemployment, I’ve spent far too much time online and too little time getting out and about and interacting face-to-face with other humans. It’s had a negative effect on my attention span and ability to think creatively. For example, I wanted to improve my web design skills and redesign my old fanfiction website to repurpose it for original fiction, which I naturally planned to write. I accomplished neither of these things. Instead, after staring at a blank Word document for a few uninspired minutes, I would turn to my RSS feeds and get distracted for hours. Whereas I used to be able to write for hours on end, often taking up an entire weekend with it, now I can barely get out a blog post (and the posts I write are dissatisfying). The same thing would happen when I tried to sit through online training modules in an effort to learn web design languages. I’d start one and next thing I’d know I’d be playing Mahjong Titans or reading feeds.
The feeling in my mind when I try to write is like sleepwalking through waist-deep mud in a thick fog. I sometimes think my sleeping mind does a better job of thinking and being creative than my waking mind, if my vivid dreams and nightmares are any indication. Even caffeine doesn’t help. Part of the problem could be the clinical depression I’ve fought off and on for most of my life. It could have something to do with my periodic anemia (I take ferrus sulfate for it), or perhaps my blood pressure or thyroid issues (I take meds for those, too). Maybe I sleep too much or too little. Or maybe it’s all of the available distractions added to the boredom of not having a job to go to.
Something else the Slate article pointed out sent up a flag with me:
Ever find yourself sitting down at the computer just for a second to find out what other movie you saw that actress in, only to look up and realize the search has led to an hour of Googling? Thank dopamine. Our internal sense of time is believed to be controlled by the dopamine system. People with hyperactivity disorder have a shortage of dopamine in their brains, which a recent study suggests may be at the root of the problem. For them even small stretches of time seem to drag. An article by Nicholas Carr in the Atlantic last year, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” speculates that our constant Internet scrolling is remodeling our brains to make it nearly impossible for us to give sustained attention to a long piece of writing. Like the lab rats, we keep hitting “enter” to get our next fix.
That’s another problem I notice I’m having–in fact, I’ve had it most of my life: A distorted sense of time. However, I’m more like the Googler described above, than the person suffering from hyperactivity. Time tends to get by me before I realize it. Conversely, my attention span is shorter. Last night, I actually spent three hours reading a book, something I used to do all the time (Harry Potter in a day, anyone?) Yet, I’ve had that library book in my possession for a month and a half without really digging into it. It’s not a boring book–quite the opposite, in fact–it’s just that I couldn’t seem to read more than a few sentences without my attention wandering. I was interested in what was happening in the story, but found myself wanting to skip to the end of each chapter to find out how it came out. I never used to do that. I was meaning to spend my afternoon reading that book, but what am I doing instead? Blogging, reading feeds, and tweeting. *sigh*
The same thing happens to me when reading articles online. Lately I want my information in small doses, which is a change from my pre-unemployment habit. And yet, now that I’m thinking about it, the trend began when I first started using RSS feeds two years ago. I’m horribly addicted to them, usually only reading the “above the fold” text and rarely clicking through to read the rest. I’m deeply disturbed by this trend.
Clearly I’m incorrigible because I signed up for a Twitter account this week. So far I’ve resisted it’s siren call to tweet every little thing I’m doing, every five minutes, but I do find I keep refreshing it to see what the people I’m following are tweeting about. I eagerly await tweets from my favorite actors, writers, artists, astronomers, pundits, politicians, magazines, and friends. I resisted Twitter for more than a year. Why did I give in? I have friends on Twitter, but I think what really pushed me over the edge was the sales pitch I got in a training class about social media this week. The focus was on using social media tools like Twitter to network while looking for a job. I’m fascinated by the many ways digital media can be used to communicate, market, sell and inform, so the inventive ways people use Twitter enticed me to try it for myself. Now I’m obsessed with finding interesting Twitterers. I am still rebelling against getting it on my cell phone, though I do have unlimited texting on my calling plan. Must…be…strong.
So, now that I’m about to be employed again and will have far less time on my hands, will I be able to ration my social media time and focus on writing when I do have spare time? I hope so. All this will take is some good old fashioned self-discipline and a sufficiently succulent carrot to reward me for achieving my goals! Now, please excuse my while I go find that carrot. And check my Twitter feed.
Read the full Slate article, here
August 15th,2009
Opinion | tags:
Technology |
2 Comments
Chewie, Han and Leia get captured (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Condemned
Story by Sean Carley
Teleplay by Carl Binder
Directed by Peter DeLuise
Guest starring Darcy Belsher (Eldon), Christian Bocher (Torrell), Alan C. Peterson (Magistrate), Kavan Smith (Major Lorne), Kyla Anderson (Marin), James Lafazanos (Male Wraith), Chuck Campbell (Technician)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
Sheppard’s team is captured on a planet that keeps the Wraith at bay by sacrificing criminals.
General Impressions
This episode raises an important moral question about capital punishment. As Sheppard and Weir are suggesting that they might not want to have a relationship with the Olesians because they condemn their prisoners to being fed on by the Wraith, Tayla asks: “Do you kill your violent criminals on Earth?” Sheppard, the American, doesn’t want to have the conversation, which would reveal his (and Weir’s) hypocrisy. Rodney, the Canadian, tells Tayla they execute their criminals “in some countries” with a meaningful look at Sheppard. Having seen the whole series, I can’t help but find it ironic every time the expedition tries to claim the moral high ground. Having said that, I wonder how many worlds in the Pegasus galaxy came up with a similar solution.
The Good
Great to see some new advanced tech. Unfortunately we don’t see it again after this episode, but that’s the Wraith’s fault. I really liked the police ships on Olesia and the city. The contrast between the clean, high-tech Olesia and the dump that is the penal colony reminded me of the above ground/underground contrast in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, which is my all-time favorite movie.
This episode has the first instance of Sheppard calling Ronon “Chewie”, which makes Sheppard Han Solo and Tayla Princess Leia, perhaps? I guess that makes McKay C3PO.
The Bad
So I guess the Olesians send their prisoners to the island with a supply of tatty leathers. Perhaps this is prison garb from the advanced society that dresses in gray not-leather? Mad Max, anyone? OK, they probably made their clothes from the hides of animals they hunted for food. Still, bit clichéd.
The Awesome
The Olesian city and technology was fantastic. I also loved the irony of the Americans condemning capital punishment when in many States it’s legal, including the one I live in. Is it morally correct to punish murder by killing the murderer?
The Magistrate getting hoisted by his own petard when the prisoners flee the island leaving only the city dwellers for the Wraith to feed on.
Nice to learn something new about the Wraith and to see a Wraith that doesn’t just monologue about how he’s going to feed on us all. This Wraith has a little more personality to him. The Wraith’s explanation for his ability to eat food is repeated word-for-word in season 5 by Todd the Wraith: “Although it may provide me a moment’s pleasure, it does not sustain me.” Wraith and humans share a common ancestor, and some Wraith apparently retain the ability to digest food, if not derive nourishment from it.
Rating
7 out of 10. This isn’t one of my favorite episodes, but it does present an interesting moral dilemma and reveals something new about the Wraith.
McKay blows up a solar system (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Trinity
Written by Damian Kindler
Directed by Martin Wood
Guest starring David Nykl (Dr. Zelenka), Sean Campbell (Solen Sincha), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Steven Caldwell), Christopher Gauthier (Mattas), Chuck Campbell (Technician)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
McKay’s attempt to resurrect a powerful Ancient weapon goes very badly awry.
General Impressions
This episode is character focused. It shows us Rodney at his worst and his best. It also shows a bit more of Ronon’s dark side and his history. Ronon and Rodney are about as opposite as possible, so it’s interesting to have stories focused on them in the same episode. Rodney lets his ego and excitement at possibly outdoing the Ancients get the best of him, and Ronon shows just how much diplomacy is not his strong suit. In the end it comes down to trust: Sheppard’s trust in Rodney, and Tayla’s trust in Ronon. Both get broken.
The Good
Learning more about Ronon’s backstory and his culture. His joy at learning that 300 Satedans survived the massacre is heartwarming. I can’t imagine how that feels, going seven years believing you’re the last of your kind then suddenly learning that there are hundreds of your people still alive. And I don’t think the number 300 was a random choice on the part of the writers, considering the context of warriors making a last, hopeless stand. I can almost hear Ronon screaming at the Wraith, “THIS! IS! SATEDA!”
We also learn more about the Ancients’ war against the Wraith.
Rodney’s ego is way out of control in this episode. Sheppard and Weir believe in him and get horribly burned. But to Rodney’s credit he humbles himself in the end and apologizes, showing that others believing in his abilities is more important to him than his belief in himself.
The sparkle in Sheppard’s eye when Batman and Robin tell him the Ancient outpost is a big, powerful weapon is so cute. As is the sparkle in Rodney and Radek’s eyes when they give Sheppard a hint about how awesome the Ancient’s physics used at the outpost were. Sheppard tries to contain his excitement.
The Bad
Not a thing.
The Awesome
Ronon finding out that he’s not the last Satedan, only to kill one of them for treason, abusing Tayla’s friendship in the process. Tayla rightfully gives him a verbal ass kicking for it afterward. Like Rodney, Ronon is humbled by the end of the episode.
Rodney humbling himself to win back Sheppard’s trust after John went out on a limb for him, and after accusing Radek of professional jealousy when he tried to convince Rodney to abort the test. Rodney even goes so far as to assure Sheppard, “I won’t let you down”, making his failure and apology at the end of the episode all the more affecting.
The wide shot of the world with the Ancient outpost is amazing. I especially like the shot through a ruined window of the puddle jumper flying away. The special effects are fantastic.
The musical score under Rodney’s explanation of how important the power source in the Ancient outpost could be to history is appropriately soaring and heroic. Conversely, Weir and Caldwell’s similar argument has no music under it until Sheppard chimes in that he’ll be Rodney’s minder. The music then is ominous. Likewise, leaving out the music when Rodney is apologizing to Sheppard then bringing it up for Sheppard’s last comment was perfect. Rodney at his most humble really needed to stand on its own.
Rating
10 out of 10. This is one of my favorite episodes for being character driven despite the big tech at the heart of Rodney’s arc.
A sympathetic Wraith? (Photo from GateWorld.net)
Instinct
Written by Treena Hancock & Melissa R. Byer
Directed by Andy Mikita
Guest starring Jewel Staite (Ellia), John Innes (Zaddik), Stephen Dimopoulos (Goran), Tom Bates (Callup), Jeffrey Robinson (Wraith)
WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND!
Summary
The team encounters a juvenile Wraith Queen who wants to be human badly enough to steal Dr. Beckett’s untested retrovirus.
General Impressions
Here we get more of the moral dissonance that plagues the Atlantis expedition. There is also ominous foreshadowing of an ambitious—and morally ambiguous—experiment later in this season, an experiment that will come back to bite the expedition in the ass over and over again in subsequent seasons. The question is: Is it right to turn Wraith into humans? In this case, the test subject was a volunteer, but that won’t be the case in later episodes. I found it strange that it’s Dr. Beckett initiating the experiment. He’s usually a conscience for the expedition, the one who respects living beings, but here he’s developing a retrovirus to do something that I, at least, found reprehensible. His enthusiasm about it, with no hint of reluctance, is a bit disturbing.
The Good
A human loving and raising a Wraith is an interesting idea. If it hadn’t been established in the opening scenes that the villagers didn’t know what Wraith looked like, I wouldn’t have bought that a human wouldn’t connect the child he’d found with the life-sucking Wraith of legend and try to raise her as his own child.
Ellia the Wraith girl is very sympathetic and likeable, and her desire to be human is believable. It’s almost heartbreaking how hard she tries to please and be accepted. Jewel Stait does a great job with the character.
The Bad
This isn’t so much a deficiency in the episode as it is something that disturbs me about this show in general: The moral dissonance. I really, really think it’s wrong to turn Wraith into humans against their will. While it’s true that Ellia was willing, the fact that Beckett would even think of changing Wraith into humans, and no one would raise a red flag doesn’t speak well for the expedition.
Now this is a strike: I noticed in the scene where Ellia is opening the case containing the retrovirus that her right hand doesn’t have a feeding slit on it (although it’s visible in flashback scenes later). However, later in the episode Zaddick reveals that she’s been feeding on him, which is why he looks old. He also reveals that she hadn’t fed in two years (to his knowledge), so how did she feed without a feeding thing in her hand like other Wraith?
The Awesome
I love the look of this episode, especially the night scenes, with the creepy fog, not to mention the foggy forest. The inn and Zaddick’s cave lab are also great. I also liked the way the episode was shot. It gives it a spooky monster movie feel, which in a way is what it is what with the monster killing people in the forest.
Once again we learn something new about the Wraith: They can subsist on human food when they’re young, but at some point they lose the ability and can only survive on human life force.
Ellia changing. The effect was very convincing.
Rating
9 out of 10. Interesting premise, Jewel Stait is awesome and the sets are great. The moral dissonance thing bugged me, though.
