The Tower

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S2 (The Tower)

When they find themselves up to their arms in the filth of an alien culture's unjust society they can't help but thrust their hands in deeper, it seems to me. Sheppard does a fine impression of Captain Kirk, who seemed happy to show up and disrupt a civilisation if he was opposed to it. There doesn't seem much argument that it was an unfair society, but the SGC personnel always seem heavy-handed the way they butt in and start mucking about with things. The situation this time is that the rich live in their ivory tower, or to be precise, Ancient Atlantis-alike tower, which has protected the planet from Wraith attack for many generations due to the Royals having the necessary gene that controls the chair that controls the tower that controls the drones that protects the planet, but he's not the fairest of them all, demanding half the villages' crop and treating the slightest insubordination extremely harshly, or at least the tower guards do. What worked in this one was in showing the vast difference in the living conditions of the two tiers of society as the rural poor subsist as best they can in their simple rags and hovels, while the Lord Protector and his court lord it over them, wearing fine linen, gorging themselves with ample feasts and living in splendid luxury within the Ancient 'tower' walls. The team stumble in propitiously just as the Lord Protector is about to die from poisoning so they can't fail to get ever more mixed up in things, just as they love to do.

Just is the apposite word, as neither Sheppard nor Ronon can stand by while injustice abounds, and it doesn't help that Sheppard is made an honoured guest/prisoner, one the leader's daughter, Mara, sees as a direct route to succession, since of course John has the all-important Ancient gene. But, oh no! it's the clipped English-sounding Chamberlain who turns out to be the real baddie, and after he seemed so reasonable, too. I have to admit I suspected the daughter since the son was too obvious a terrible successor and potential tyrant. But no, it was the Chamberlain, played well by Peter Woodward, an English actor I was very pleased to see since he guest-starred in an episode of my favourite English TV series, 'BUGS,' back in the Nineties - I thought I recognised the bald head and glassily piercing eyes from somewhere and upon checking the name I found I was right, though this would only have been about ten years after. The subplot, if it can be called one, features McKay and a villager searching out the 'catacombs' for the ZPM which, if interfered with, can stop a hail of drones descending on the defiant villagers which have been encouraged to stand up and fight by the warriors Teyla and Ronon. For one thing, it didn't seem the wisest thing to stand in the middle of the village in a clump, awaiting fiery destruction and you'd think the experts would have led them into the woods to carry out guerilla warfare, but everything was a bit rushed.

Another problem is that the catacombs beneath the ground, merely corridors of the Ancient vessel/city are said to be prone to earthquakes, yet everything's nice and shiny and spotless until McKay and his mate go down there. They did a good job ageing the Jumpers by trawling cobwebs all over (wonder what those spiders looked like!), so it's a shame the production values didn't stretch quite far enough, especially in an episode where they're reusing Atlantis standing sets, even if dressed differently with opulent hangings, suits of armour, and weaponry adorning the walls. And McKay was taking a big risk trying to blast a drone up through the ground to get a radio signal out - seems to me it would have been just as likely to explode on impact with the ceiling and fry McKay and his man! Leaving logic and sense aside, the episode looks nice with its outdoor scenes, and the court intrigue, while nothing spectacular, is entertaining enough. The real issue should have been whether it was right to intervene, how to intervene, should they remove the ZPM and leave the planet unprotected if it allowed the villagers to have a fairer life? That would have given the story much more depth, but they don't tend to go in for that very much, it's about the action. I'm not even sure we had adequate explanation for the consequences, either - it's clear that around half the villagers, with gene treatment, will be able to operate the chair, but that could just as easily degenerate into a new societal division! These things need to be addressed if the series is to make for thoughtful viewing, so as it is, it ends feeling half done.

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