Outsiders

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Outsiders)

A better first half than a second, mainly because it turns into action, while before that it's a difficult moral quandary for our heroes, but overall it was classic 'Stargate,' be that 'SG-1' or 'Atlantis': go to a planet, get involved with their struggle against a powerful outside force, save the people. In the old days it would have been the Goa'uld, now it's Wraith, but it amounts to the same thing, and this is what the franchise did quite nicely. We get to have Dr. Beckett (mk. II), back again, as he's right in the middle of this planet treating refugees who survived the Hoffan plague and ended up with these other people, so it was good to start right in the thick of things, no Atlantis-based preamble (though that also means we don't see Keller or Wolsey), and we're soon in trouble as Wraith show up demanding the refugees be handed over, since the plague is deadly to them and means they can't feed on human populations with impunity. Handy then that Sheppard and his team had come to visit Beckett... The ultimatum is a tough one: give them up or your village will be destroyed, while the best Sheppard can do is offer temporary sanctuary at Atlantis until they can locate a planet suitable for them to start a new life. But it's a big thing to have to give up your whole way of life and everything you've built just for the sake of some outsiders. Obviously Jervis is quite an unsympathetic character, he's the one who counsels simply giving them up without a fight, and it would have been a more complex issue if it had been Elson who wanted to do that after we'd got to know him as a kindly type.

There isn't really enough time for complexity when the series is so action-based, so it does lose something sometimes, and can't delve into an issue the way Trek used to be able to (not any more!), but still, I like seeing a tough situation and how it's dealt with, and Sheppard comes up with something. The secondary part of the story becomes McKay and Beckett kidnapped by the Wraith thanks to a cowardly member of the Bolarans (the refugees), showing that it's not even as simple as them being all honourable, but it backfires on him, just as it backfires on Jervis when he's taken in by Elson's apparent change of heart and leads the Wraith into the mines where he believes the last Bolarans are hiding, blown sky-high along with the Wraith he chose to serve. It's a harsh lesson, and I'd have liked a few words from Elson perhaps about his regret he had to lose members of the village, even if they were dishonourable, but again, no time for that. The shooty stuff is good and well choreographed as it usually is, all outdoors in lush greenery and trees, although the Beckett/McKay stuff is a little too reminiscent of McKay and Daniel Jackson in the previous episode: in both cases they're kidnapped and forced to work on some science project by the kidnappers, have to escape, etc, so as much fun as it was having Carson along, doing the same scene in consecutive episodes wasn't the best idea.

It remains reassuring that our team succeed in rescuing the villagers and the remaining Bolarans (although I don't know what happened to Novo and her group that were going to be taken aboard the Hive ship - were they rescued, too?), but it must be a terrible thing to have to leave your entire life behind, trust strangers to provide you with a new start on an alien planet, and all that that entails, something the series isn't likely to go into, which is a shame as old Elson seemed a decent sort (I saw through his ruse to get Jervis and the others into the mines right away, since Sheppard said he had a plan). It's a pretty good standalone story that reminds us of the thread about a virus being carried by certain people which it's in the Wraith's interest to wipe out, so I'm sure it'll be coming back into play in this last half of the season. In summary, a good moral dilemma supported by nuts and bolts action, and a story that takes place almost entirely away from Atlantis, which is always refreshing, plus cowardice and bravery, a decent mix.

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