Progeny

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S3 (Progeny)

A chameleon of a story that shifts several times to keep things interesting, but there's the nagging feeling that they couldn't quite come up with a good enough story and that's why they had to keep up the sleight of hand. First thoughts on sending a MALP to this unknown base and they talk of it being deserted, but as if some research project had been completed was that it was going to be a typical locked down bunker with alien experiment on the loose killing people off. But that was quickly off the agenda when Nium makes contact and invites them over. I was excited to see David Ogden Stiers credited in the guest starring role, knowing him from around fifteen years earlier on 'TNG' ('Half A Life'), and was anxious to see what role he'd have here. Then it turns into a story about an offshoot of Ancients whom, according to Oberoth (Stiers), they split from after a disagreement. The way he was so still and cold, his slightly jerky movements did catch my attention, though I'm not sure I suspected they were artificial as I was too busy trying to take in all the details - they've found a similar city to Atlantis, only this one is much bigger, but, like Oberoth, everyone is slightly off, imperfect, and a little odd.

I thought it was going to become some kind of diplomatic story about Weir trying to reach a trade agreement between us and them, but Oberoth is quickly dismissive of such things and so it's already time to leave. Except then the Asurians (the city's called Asura), won't let them. I have to say I didn't think the humans were being very diplomatic for their expressed desire to have diplomatic relations, but such qualms are quickly swept aside as our Atlantis team is held captive in a cell. Then they break out rather too easily and when they rush back to Atlantis and the Asurians don't follow, plus there's this sudden attack of Wraith ships in overwhelming numbers, and the fishiness of the Asurians became fishiness about the scenario - and of course, that's what it was, they were still back in the cell and it was some kind of information gathering trick. I always love 'nature of reality' style episodes so again I was hopeful that this would continue in that vein, but once they're awake and realise what happened Nium comes to tell them they are indeed back in reality.

Okay, so it's not going to be a questioning reality story either, so what is it about? Turns out the nub of the matter is that these Asurian Ancients are in fact… wait for it… Replicators! Right, fine, okay, whatever. I couldn't remember what happened to the nasty blighters in 'SG-1,' only that they were defeated, so this is where their remnant went? Or this is another offshoot… Or… well, it seems the Ancients actually were responsible for the creation of the Replicators in the first place (did we know that? I don't think we knew that), as a weapon against The Wraith, until they realised they were too powerful and tried to wipe out the experiment, and then the Replicators survived and wanted revenge, or some of them did, and others wanted to ascend as the Ancients did, to that old higher plane of existence thing. But I don't think these were related to the Replicators we knew in 'SG-1,' so it was getting a little confusing by this time. Anyways… they were able to get Nium onboard to help them escape as the city was on the way to blast Atlantis into tiny pieces, and all he wanted was ascension. What I didn't understand was that he went along with them even though the others who shared his goal were about to be blown up when Asura was blasted into tiny pieces instead. Did he not care about them? How did this society of Replicators work if they didn't care about each other? And if it had indeed been around for thousands of years wouldn't he have been attached to the city?

None of these questions are really that important since we're talking about an artificial life form here, so we don't know if he even had any feelings or whatever, but it was another aspect of the story that was glossed over, or entirely ignored, and I always feel bad that the Stargate people are instantly into action and blowing up every last trace of the enemy, probably because I was raised on the 'Star Trek' way of talking to the enemy and even the worst enemies having examples of reasonable people, and should we destroy them all just to save ourselves - you know, moral dilemmas. In the Stargate world it's usually as simple as the enemy are going to kill us all unless we can kill them first, which is why it always seems so much more of a simplistic, action-based franchise rather than a thoughtful science fiction one. Not that it's bad, just that it doesn't necessarily make for as compelling storytelling. But the characters keep it watchable, McKay as usual spouting all the best lines. I was impressed with Sheppard's easy determination to remain behind on Atlantis during his mind probing, sacrificing himself so the others could escape to Earth. But by the end of it I was no clearer on what the point of the story was, unless it was to set up yet another enemy (to add to Ford, Connor Trinneer's Wraith, the Wraith themselves, etc), and I was even waiting for a portentous shot of Nium, the last 'survivor' of the Asurians, left floating in space after his programming reverted and he tried to strangle Weir, and guess what? That's exactly how the episode ended, like paint-by-numbers sci-fi.

I reiterate that it wasn't a bad episode, but I do feel that Ogden Stiers was rather wasted, and through the schizophrenic narrative they never settled on one story to tell that they could have explored in depth, and while jumping between various ideas can make the episode zip along (relying on Rodney's genius to carry them out of any situation, as usual!), it doesn't amount to much in the end, nor does it make me anticipate the next encounter with these also-Replicators - I never really liked the original version on 'SG-1,' they seemed too much like a ripoff of Trek's Borg, so I can't say I'm overjoyed that 'Atlantis' has its own version. Let's get back to new planets, exploring the characters and unfolding the story of dealing with The Wraith, please, and if they want to do a proper sci-fi story, commit to it!

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