SGA 4.01 - Adrift

[tielan]

Finally got around to watching this. Am about to watch Lifeline and Reunion before topping off with Doppelganger tonight.

This isn't exactly a review, but a few WTF? points.

Dwama on top of dwama, death, asteroid fields, replicator repairs, and Sam.

Impressive first episode, plotwise, but I have some issues with the science logics. (Yes, yes, I know - this is Stargate, scientific logic need not apply...)

Problem #1: Breaking up the asteroid field. Asteroids and meteors have tremendous velocity, even small ones can do damage. A tiny meteor shower - with meteors the size of basketballs - can totally wreck a space station. It's like peppershot (rifleshot? buckshot?). The items are smaller, but at their velocity, they still do a tremendous amount of damage. They could break up the asteroid field, but the city would still look like a sieve afterwards.

Problem #2: The spacewalk. Why is the spacewalk necessary - why don't they just take a jumper out and extend its field to enclose the zone that needs to be worked in? They did it in Grace Under Pressure for the water, didn't they? (Which is another thing they could have done for the asteroid field: set the 'jumpers in front of key zones of the city so the conduits, comms arrays, and suchlike were protected from the asteroid damage.) Uh...and no tether lines to the city? Buh?

Problem #3: Zelenka losing air and pressure (as well as blood) when he gets hit by the microasteroid. Can't do anything about the blood, sure. But the suit? Doesn't anyone in TV universes carry duct tape with them? Especially in societies where the space suit may be their last line of defence against space vacuum. First Apollo in Resurrection Ship 2, now John and Radek in Adrift. DUCT TAPE, PTB! IT HAS A LIGHT SIDE AND A DARK SIDE AND IT HOLDS THE UNIVERSE (AND YOUR SPACE SUIT) TOGETHER!!!

Otherwise, enjoyable episode to watch. I can pick things that could have been done better, but for Stargate, that was pretty good.

Comments

[madjm.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was thinking the same thing about the asteroids. My scientific knowledge is very weak, but I remember reading somewhere about the danger of leaving garbage up in space (like we apparently do a lot), because even a little item shooting through space can damage a space shuttle. Not to mention chunks of an asteroid.

[tielan]

It's like bullets. Tiny solid pieces with great velocity can still cause heaps of damage.

Honestly, Atlantis should have been leaking like a sieve after that asteroid shower.

[windmiran.livejournal.com]

I'm sooo with you on the jumper thing. I was yelling at the screen and cringing. There was no need for a ridiculously stupid heroic stunt of throwing Zelenka out into the void. John even radioed for a jumper later. I just, it was... and the rest of the episode interactions between characters didn't please me one bit, so there was no squeeto cover up their plotholes. Le sigh.

[tielan]

I dunno. The interactions between the characters was okay, it just...could have been better. More varied. There were some nice moments, but other opportunities that they missed.

And plotwise, they're still spending way too much time on Rodney's "OhNOES!" as well as the infodumps. It's frustrating, especially since I've just been watching BSG where they completely skip the "OHNOES!" *dramatic pause* "[exposition of problem and how they cannot fix it]" and just deal with the solution.

[ladyjax.livejournal.com]

As far as the suits go, you'd think there'd be some sort of temporary self repairing function and failing that, someone carrying A PATCH KIT.

[tielan]

You'd think, yeah. I mean, basic safety, surely?

[pixiesio.livejournal.com]

Doesn't anyone in TV universes carry duct tape with them?

LOL! Funnily enough, the SGA book I'm reading right now, they actually did use duct tape to repair a tear in a space suit! Guess the authors are smarter than the producers? ;)

[tielan]

Honestly, a little out-of-the-usual-Stargate-box ingenuity and they could think up solutions to half the problems that turn up in these episodes...

[berlinghoff79.livejournal.com]

Yup, the spacewalk made me think too,*shudder*, and then it made *ping* and I remembered that they didn't actually expect to encounter a huge hole in the city, only no atmosphere.

#3 I was waiting for a floating Borg arm to appear, so that John could tie it around Radek's leg,*g*. If you know ST:FC, you know what I mean ;)

[madjm.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was thinking the same thing about the asteroids. My scientific knowledge is very weak, but I remember reading somewhere about the danger of leaving garbage up in space (like we apparently do a lot), because even a little item shooting through space can damage a space shuttle. Not to mention chunks of an asteroid.

[tielan]

It's like bullets. Tiny solid pieces with great velocity can still cause heaps of damage.

Honestly, Atlantis should have been leaking like a sieve after that asteroid shower.

[windmiran.livejournal.com]

I'm sooo with you on the jumper thing. I was yelling at the screen and cringing. There was no need for a ridiculously stupid heroic stunt of throwing Zelenka out into the void. John even radioed for a jumper later. I just, it was... and the rest of the episode interactions between characters didn't please me one bit, so there was no squeeto cover up their plotholes. Le sigh.

[tielan]

I dunno. The interactions between the characters was okay, it just...could have been better. More varied. There were some nice moments, but other opportunities that they missed.

And plotwise, they're still spending way too much time on Rodney's "OhNOES!" as well as the infodumps. It's frustrating, especially since I've just been watching BSG where they completely skip the "OHNOES!" *dramatic pause* "[exposition of problem and how they cannot fix it]" and just deal with the solution.

[ladyjax.livejournal.com]

As far as the suits go, you'd think there'd be some sort of temporary self repairing function and failing that, someone carrying A PATCH KIT.

[tielan]

You'd think, yeah. I mean, basic safety, surely?

[pixiesio.livejournal.com]

Doesn't anyone in TV universes carry duct tape with them?

LOL! Funnily enough, the SGA book I'm reading right now, they actually did use duct tape to repair a tear in a space suit! Guess the authors are smarter than the producers? ;)

[tielan]

Honestly, a little out-of-the-usual-Stargate-box ingenuity and they could think up solutions to half the problems that turn up in these episodes...

[berlinghoff79.livejournal.com]

Yup, the spacewalk made me think too,*shudder*, and then it made *ping* and I remembered that they didn't actually expect to encounter a huge hole in the city, only no atmosphere.

#3 I was waiting for a floating Borg arm to appear, so that John could tie it around Radek's leg,*g*. If you know ST:FC, you know what I mean ;)