Snapshot Chronicles

Susan Getgood's personal blog

SciFi Sunday: Stargate SG-1, “Ark of Truth” review

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Okay, let’s get this out of the way right away. I liked Ark of Truth. It wasn’t great art. It wasn’t even great science fiction.

But it was good science fiction, a reasonable way to spend a couple hours and my son enjoyed it.

What was good about it?

Ben Browder and Claudia Black performing together, always a plus. Chemistry? Uhm, yeah. Even when mebbe there isn’t supposed to be…. I started watching Stargate SG-1 when Browder joined the cast and stayed with it for him and Black. Before that, I just couldn’t get into the show. Perhaps because it started at a time when I did not have cable, and so I just wasn’t in the habit. But mostly I think because I could not get invested in the characters. I didn’t dislike them per se, and the performances were fine, but O’Neill, Carter, Teal’c and Jackson as characters. Mostly left me cold.

Especially, and still, Jackson. Don’t shoot me – enter my action figure giveaway instead and tell me why I should care about this character. Because I don’t dislike the character and I appreciate Michael Shanks as an actor. I just find I cannot care about the character of Daniel Jackson. But many of you do. Tell me, tell me.

More goodness. The performances of Currie Graham as IOA bad guy Merrick and Tim Guinee as Ori warrior and former Vala spouse Tomin. There is a scene with Tomin and Teal’c that I think sums up both characters in the Stargate arc, and that says a lot, given that Teal’c was part of it from the beginning. Kudos to the writers and the actors.

More chemistry. Ben Browder has great chemistry with Amanda Tapping (Carter) here too. Something we did not see on Stargate Atlantis with Carter and any of the characters on that show, including Sheppard, played by Joe Flanigan, a character and actor I really like. Fault of the actors? No. I think it is a combination of the fact that Browder could have chemistry with a broomstick, and that Sheppard/Joe Flanigan had such great chemistry with the axed Weir character played by Torri Higginson that nothing else quite measures up. Are you listening, PTB?

Walter. Played by Gary Jones. What else can I say….

About half way through the film, the film splits into two main stories. Daniel, Vala, Tomin and Teal’c continue the search for the Ark of Truth, and Carter and Mitchell deal with a Replicator threat. I think this was a good choice. This allows all the characters their “moment in the sun.”

Some additional observations:

  • The wormhole F/X when the Odyssey goes through the Super Gate, especially at the beginning, are awesome.
  • I had never seen the Replicator storyline on SG-1, only the humaniform Asuran storyline on SGA, so I found the little mechanical Replicators quite unnerving
  • The score when Teal’c is hiking through the mountains was very majestic.
  • There’s one scene, late in the film, where Vala is brought into a room and daughter/Ori/Ascended Being Adria joins her. My dog Reva growled. Not sure whether it was the music or something in the scene that disturbed her, but she was pissed.
  • Weirdness: The jumpsuits the people wear on Odyssey (and Daedalus for that matter) are just weird. Aren’t pants and shirts more convenient. You know…..

The DVD extras are okay. I don’t tend to buy DVDs for the extras, but I know many do. If you are looking for a lot on that score, you’ll probably be disappointed. The main extras are a commentary, the usual “filming of,” and a Stargate panel from last year’s Comic Con. Chris Judge (Teal’c) is particularly amusing on the Comic Con panel.

Bottom line: if you are a Stargate fan, you’ll enjoy it. If you aren’t, but you’d like to dip your toe into the franchise, it sounds like this summer’s Continuum might be the better bet.

 

 

Purchasing links:

DVD: Stargate – The Ark of Truth

Download: Stargate: The Ark of Truth

 

The giveaway:

Long story short, I have some extra SG-1 action figures. Mitchell, Vala and the Ori Prior. I’m going to give away one of each at the end of April and the remaining three when the second film, Continuum, is released this summer.

mitchell_small.jpgvala_small.jpgprior_small.jpg

How to enter: As I admitted above, I had a hard time getting into the SG-1 characters until Ben Browder and Claudia Black joined the cast. Especially Daniel Jackson. I don’t dislike the character, and the actor Michael Shanks does a fine job. I just find that I don’t really care what happens to the character, and I need that to remember to tune in week after week.

So, in the comments on this post, tell me why I should like Daniel. Are there specific episodes to watch that you think would “bring me over?” Or if you happen to have the same problem I do, share. Why do you have a hard time connecting with the character of Daniel Jackson? Is he really that much of a cold fish?

To enter the April giveaway:

  • Leave a comment on my SciFi Sunday: Ark of Truth review. Tell me why I should give Daniel a chance. Or not.
  • I’d be thrilled if you shared this giveaway with friends or readers of your own blog if you wish, but it is NOT a requirement to enter.
  • I will give away one figure for every 10 comments on the blog. In other words, I will give away ONLY the Mitchell figure if I get 10 or less comments. 20 or less comments, Mitchell and Vala. Anything over 21 comments, I’ll give away all three figures in the first giveaway in April. Same rules will apply for the later giveaway.

Entries will close on Wednesday April 30, 2008 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Winners will be selected using a random number generator and announced on Snapshot Chronicles on May 1. Using the relevant number limits as above, the first comment selected will get the Mitchell figure, the second, the Vala figure and the third, the Prior figure.

Giveaway open to adult residents, 18 years or older, of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Void where prohibited.

Questions? Email sgetgood@getgood.com

COMMENTS ON THIS POST ARE NOW CLOSED 

[tags] Stargate SG-1, Ark of Truth, science fiction, giveaway, action figures, Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge [/tags]

SciFi Sunday: Reading List

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My review of the Stargate SG1 movie Ark of Truth is deferred a week or two. Instead, I want to note the passing of one of the masters of the sci fi/fantasy genre, Arthur C. Clarke, and share with you some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy authors and their works.

Let’s start with Clarke, who passed away this past week. He was a prolific author, most well known in the general public for 2001: A Space Odyssey. A classic for sure, but his works that influenced me the most at an early age — junior high — were Childhood’s End and Rendezvous with Rama.

I also devoured the works of Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most eloquent anti-censorship novels of any genre, even if the author says that it was really more about the influence of TV on our culture:

“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”
He laughed. “That’s against the law!”
“Oh. Of course.”

I also highly recommend The Martian Chronicles.

The science fiction authors that had the most influence on my literary taste, though, were Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut. My original, from childhood, copies of the Foundation series are so worn — literally falling apart — that a few years ago I had to buy a new set just to reread them. Among the other Asimov works that merit attention is the Robot series, which he eventually ties into the Foundation universe.

Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics which continue to influence many other works of science fiction:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

A key underpinning to the whole Foundation ‘verse is the concept of psychohistory. In my early adult life, in my final year of university, I spent much of my course and research time studying the history of psychology and the junction between history and psychology. I’ve always wondered how the early influence of Asimov’s work impacted this educational choice. Who knows…

And, so it goes. Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors of all time, and probably contributed, in some small way, to my twisted view of the world. Books you must read: Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Cradle. And please, start but don’t stop there. He is one of the great American authors and the literary heir, in my book, to Mark Twain.

Moving from science fiction to fantasy, the two authors that got me started on the sci fi fantasy path were CS Lewis, and The Chronicles of Narnia, which my aunt gave me as a gift in 4th grade, and JRR Tolkien, and The Lord of the Rings, which I have read more times than I can count. Another set of books that needed to be replaced recently as the glue in the bindings gave way.

After you’ve read these classics, where should you go?

Start with Anne McCaffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern series, Neil Gaiman, particularly Neverwhere and American Gods, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, and Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea stories.

What are your favorites? What should I read next?

Links to Books on Amazon

[tags] Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, Ursula LeGuin, science fiction, fantasy, fiction [/tags]

SciFi Sunday: Battlestar Galactica

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SciFi Sunday will not reveal spoilers, but will refer to publicly available information — press releases, news articles, interviews and TV ads for the shows. I also have a tendency to speculate based on nothing more than the twisted workings of my own mind, so consider yourself warned.

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Principal cast of Battlestar Galactica revisioned as the Last Supper.

Battlestar Galactica, SciFi Channel
Season 4 Premiere Friday April 4, 10 pm Eastern

Only 19 days to go ’til Battlestar Galactica returns. We’ve been waiting a long time for the 10 episodes that will run through early June and who knows how long we will have to wait for the final 10 episodes, the back half of the final season.

If you are the lone sci fi fan on the planet who hasn’t been watching Battlestar (Hi to my brother Doug), it’s never too late to get started. In fact, the producers make it easy for you to catch up. Last year, they did a recap episode as well as a series of webisodes to flesh out the tale.

This year there will be two 1/2 hour specials on March 28th, the Friday before the season premiere. The first looks to be a recap/preview and the second about the show as a fan phenomenon. You can watch five episodes from last season online, free, including the two-part season finale. SciFi Channel also is becoming Channel Battlestar from March 31st, with most of the programming slots being repeats from the first three seasons.

Of course, if you have a really short attention span, what you need is Battlestar Galactica in Eight Minutes:

What’s going to happen this season? Who knows? And per usual the actors and producers are leaving tantalizing breadcrumbs, but very little tangible information, which of course fuels rampant fan speculation. So far, I’ve managed to resist getting too obsessed with spoilers, but I am certain that will change once the season actually starts. From the TV commercials and tidbits that have leaked so far, including the official promo photos, I am inclined to believe that the season will be less about relationships, and how the various couples manage to frak themselves over, and more about the outside forces, particularly the Cylons, that are impacting the Fleet in the search for Earth.

What to do while you wait for the season to start?

March 18: Battlestar Season 3 will be released on DVD. I’m still debating whether to buy it, as I have all the eps from iTunes. The DVD extras are reportedly pretty good though, including an extended version of a significant episode, Unfinished Business. Maybe my husband will get it for me for Easter. Apropos of the Last Supper theme in the picture above.

March 19: Battlestar actors will count down the Top 10 on Late Night with David Letterman. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas and Lucy Lawless.

Check out some websites. In my opinion, the best overall Battlestar site is Galactica Sitrep. For news coverage of all science fiction shows and films, I also like SyFyPortal. If you like a little irreverence with your reviews, check out Television Without Pity. And for spoilers, The Patriot Resource does a great job of keeping up with everything.

Pick up one (or more) of the soundtrack albums. Bear McCreary’s music adds so much to the show, but it also stands up pretty well on its own.

 

Here’s a demo clip of McCreary’s Battlestar music (source Galactica Sitrep):

Speaking of Galactica Sitrep, one of its principal authors, ProgGrrl, will be participating in a panel at the Paley Center in New York on May 19th about the influence of fan sites. I wish I could think of a good reason to go to NYC that day, as the panel looks terrific.

Where will I be when the fourth season starts? In NYC for BlogHer Business. I expect I’ll be calling it a night early and retiring to my hotel room to indulge my favorite obsession. Because I know I won’t be able to wait until the next day when I get home to watch the recording.

Next week: my thoughts on the Stargate SG-1 direct to DVD film Ark of Truth.

[tags] Battlestar Galactica, science fiction, television [/tags]