Review of Stargate: Atlantis Volume 3

Introduction

The MGM lion looked a little sad and disconsolate when I placed Stargate Atlantis: Volume 3 into my player yesterday, uncertain whether he`ll be able to roar proudly in the future at the beginning of a disc. Still, this disc did solve a little mystery left over from Disc 2, that of the out of place episodes. Although Underground, the first episode on this disc was broadcast prior to Home, it takes its place here so as to keep the Genii storyline conveniently on one disc. Not many studios would be as thoughtful as to keep things cheap for those who are only interested in this particular story.

Stargate Atlantis is the new spin-off from the successful Stargate SG1 series. A plucky expedition of explorers has set foot through the Stargate on a one-way trip to the Ancient city of Atlantis in the distant Pegasus galaxy to look for allies and technology to use against the Goa-uld. Alone in a distant galaxy, they wake up the ancient menace of the Wraith, and find new worlds to explore, new alliances to make and new battles to fight. Four more episodes debut on this disc.

Underground

A mission to trade for much needed food takes Sheppard and his team to the world of the Genii, a simple farming community with similar values to the Amish. Appearances are deceptive though as Sheppard and McKay find when they stumble on an underground bunker. The Genii are actually a technological society, engaged in an arms race to develop nuclear weapons to use against the Wraith. Could these be the allies that the Atlanteans have been looking for? Guest starring Colm Meaney of Star Trek fame.

The Storm

A massive storm threatens Atlantis, and all seems to be lost. As the majority of the scientists and Athosians evacuate through the Stargate, McKay comes up with an ingenious plan to reenergize the shield and protect the city. As the storm approaches, a skeleton crew remain in the city, while Teyla, Ford and Beckett race to evacuate the final Athosians from the mainland. The city is awfully vulnerable and open to attack, which is just when a raiding party make their entrance. Guest starring Robert Davi.

The Eye

While McKay and Weir stall for time with their captors, Sheppard fights a one-man war against the invaders. Teyla and Ford hatch a scheme to get back to Atlantis before the storm passes the mainland. Defeating the invaders may be pointless, if McKay can`t put his plan to protect the city into effect before a wall of water a hundred feet high, pushed by the relentless fury of the storm smashes into the city.

The Defiant One

Sheppard takes a Puddlejumper and a trio of scientists to investigate a massive satellite orbiting an outer world in the Atlantis system. While there, they pick up a distress call from a Wraith ship. On the planet, they find a wreck left over from the war that defeated the Ancients 10000 years ago. Surely there couldn`t be a survivor? What do you think?

Video

For a television production, Stargate Atlantis looks absolutely gorgeous, and that is reflected by the DVD transfer. The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer is sharp, clear and colourful throughout. The only problem is some noticeable edge enhancement that mars certain scenes. It`s terribly obvious during the title sequence, but fine detail is prone to moiré and shimmer, and is a minor distraction in what is otherwise a nice transfer.

There is copious use of CGI, with some shots positively awe inspiring. The detail and effort that has gone into the design of the city would rival some bigger budget productions. Having said that, the budget and timetable of television being what it is, some shots are better than others, and some can look a little flat.

Audio

The sound on this disc comes in DD 5.1 English and German. Subtitles are provided in both these languages as well as Finnish. The dialogue is pretty clear throughout, not counting the tendency for some characters to mumble, Dr McKay being a chief culprit. The surrounds are used adequately to convey action and music, but this being a television programme, it hardly rivals cinema in terms of dynamic sound.

Features

Once again, this disc starts by playing adverts for both Stargate SG1 and Atlantis. Fortunately they are skippable. Not skippable are the copyright warnings that get cycled through at the end of each episode. Forget to skip back to the menu before the end credits finish and you may as well go off and make a cup of tea. By selecting Play All, you`ll get the copyright warnings but once. You won`t be surprised to see copious use of animated menus, with plenty of CGI space pods hurtling willy-nilly through Stargates.

The Atlantis discs come off a poor second compared to their SG1 brothers in terms of extras, there are no commentaries on this disc, but there are a few extras to keep things ticking over.

Mission Directive: Sanctuary looks ahead to an upcoming episode. Director Andy Mikita talks about the making of the show, with plenty of light-hearted input from the cast and crew. Clips and Behind The Scenes moments abound. This lasts just over 11 minutes.

Of similar running time is Wraithal Discrimination: It`s Not Easy being Green. No Kermit the Frog here, as this is a featurette on Atlantis` bad guys. Cue lots of latex and green make up, as well as a preview for another forthcoming episode.

Once again there is a Production Design and Photo Gallery. Lasting 4 minutes, this comprises a slideshow of images from the episodes on this disc. Curiously thus far, there hasn`t been any Production Design sketches or images in any of these featurettes.

Finally there is the obligatory 30-second advert for the Stargate fan club. All the extras are subtitled.

Conclusion

After a stunning pilot episode, the following shows in Discs 1 and 2 of Atlantis seemed fairly run of the mill episodes, more apt to develop character than stand out. After watching Volume 2, I was beginning to lump Stargate Atlantis with all the other serial sci-fi shows that make up much of television wallpaper nowadays, fun but forgettable. Volume 3 changed that opinion though, containing three thrilling episodes, as well as the episode Underground, which serves as build up to the two-parter.

Underground is pretty average for the most part, with the Atlantis explorers visiting an agrarian society that resembles the Amish. However these secretive people have a hidden agenda, a massive secret underground base and a nuclear weapons programme, all to defeat the Wraith. It would have been a pretty dull episode if they had just been farmers. Where this could have been a discover the secret and move onto the next planet episode, it turns into something more when Sheppard considers allying with the Genii, and they even execute a joint reconnaissance mission against the Wraith. Things go wrong however and they part on less than friendly terms. This above average episode leads to the two-part story consisting of The Storm and The Eye. A world-encompassing storm threatens Atlantis requiring the evacuation of most of the personnel. A skeleton crew remain behind in an attempt to protect the city, which is when the bad guys invade. Part disaster movie, part hostage crisis and a healthy dose of Die Hard makes for an action packed story. There`s tension in the command centre as McKay and Weir bargain for their lives, while Sheppard does his best John McClane, fighting single-handedly against the invaders using his wits as well as brute force. What really makes these two episodes is the presence of Robert Davi, who always does a great line in psychopaths. I thought this would be it for the action, but the final episode on the disc increases the excitement if anything. Investigating a crashed Wraith ship, Sheppard, McKay and two scientists wind up waking a survivor, who naturally wants to feed. There`s plenty of action as Sheppard battles the Wraith, some excellent character development as McKay tries to protect the rest of the party, and realises that he has changed, and changed for the better. The pop culture references come thick and fast too, with Sheppard even quoting from Star Trek IV.

Originality becomes less of a complaint if the stories are made well and sufficiently entertaining. Volume 2 seemed particularly tired when it came to the stories, as they did feel recycled from Stargate SG1. In Volume 3, the first episode is the most familiar in structure and content, but can be forgiven as it builds up to the two-parter. As for the rest of the episodes, while they remain unoriginal, it`s hard to care when they are done this well. They are tightly written, well paced and make excellent use of the characters. These are the best episodes since the pilot and if you are still considering whether to try out this new series, then Volume 3 is a great place to start. In a useful move, MGM have bundled the related stories together, so you won`t have to go looking for another volume. Enjoyable sci-fi telly.