Review of Stargate: Atlantis Volume 4

Introduction

The confusion over running order is a distant memory as the latest disc of Stargate Atlantis makes its UK debut. As there are only twenty episodes in this first series, this turns out to be the penultimate disc. Time flies when you`re visiting distant galaxies through a giant stone bagel. Stargate Atlantis is the new spin-off from the successful Stargate SG1 series. A plucky expedition of explorers has set foot through the device 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. There are four more episodes from series one on this disc.

Hot Zone

The return to Atlantis after the storm has been fairly uneventful, but the city still has to be checked to see if it hasn`t been damaged. McKay`s team is about to head back from a search when two of the team gets into trouble. McKay finds one of them dead, as the other one is literally frightened to death in front of the rest of the team`s eyes by a hallucination. At McKay`s recommendation, the city is put under quarantine until the nature of the contagion can be uncovered. An Ancient viral laboratory was wrecked in the storm, and unless Beckett can cure the infection that has escaped, the smart city will take care of it itself, without regard to the inhabitants.

Sanctuary

The Wraith attack Sheppard`s Puddlejumper during a mission, and things look bleak, until an energy surge from the planet they are orbiting destroys their pursuers, leaving them untouched. Investigating the planet, they find an idyllic paradise that has been miraculously untouched by the Wraith. It is a spiritual community, and they are keen to introduce Sheppard and his team to their high priestess Chaya Sar. This world would be an ideal sanctuary from the Wraith but initial negotiations aren`t successful. Chaya agrees to visit Atlantis however to learn more about her distant relatives. But there is far more to Chaya Sar than meets the eye.

Before I Sleep

Exploring through the city, Sheppard an his team find a room that is still inhabited 10000 years after the last Ancient had fled. This particular inhabitant has been in suspended animation since that time, although she has slowly aged as the years passed. They have the chance to speak to another Ancient, but when the elderly woman is revived, they are stunned to learn that she is actually the aged Elizabeth Weir. She explains to her younger counterpart how she was sent back in time, and of an alternate history where the Atlantis team`s first discovery of the city was nothing short of disastrous.

The Brotherhood

The ruins of an Olde English style monastery on a distant world hold the best chance of locating a ZPM that will bring Atlantis back to full power. McKay has to solve an ancient puzzle to locate the device, and their hosts aren`t all of one mind when it comes to helping the Earth people. There is more trouble on the horizon, when a Genii plot to steal the ZPM results in the team being taken prisoner. Meanwhile, the Wraith have rediscovered Atlantis.

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 featurette count has gone up by one in comparison to the other discs, but there are still no commentaries.

There are two Mission Directives this time around, one for Before I Sleep and one for The Brotherhood. Both run at 14 minutes apiece, and both feature plenty of behind the scenes hi-jinks, and interviews with the cast and crew regarding the episodes in question.

Behind The Stargate: Secrets Revealed Part I lasts 22 minutes, and provides a more general behind the scenes look at both SG1 and Atlantis. It`s presented by David Hewlett and has interviews with both the casts, and footage from both shows. The emphasis is very much tongue in cheek though.

As usual there is a 4-minute Production Design & Photo Gallery slideshow, with a minute devoted to each episode on this disc. There are still no production designs though. And as usual there is a thirty-second advert for the Stargate WWW fan club. All the extras are subtitled where necessary.

Conclusion

The fourth disc of Stargate Atlantis is upon us, and the countdown to the season finale has already begun, with some essential scene-setting taking place in the episodes on this disc. It seems only a couple of months since I first encountered the series, yet it has already entrenched itself into my DVD play-list, with the characters becoming comfortable and the stories providing some value entertainment. Stargate isn`t the most original sci-fi series ever to grace our screens, and indeed if you are familiar with SG1, then the Atlantis episodes may even be a little too familiar. The four episodes on this disc have all been seen on television in one form or another, but once again, Stargate Atlantis refreshes them with sharp writing and excellent characterisations. Indeed the only episode I found less than exemplary was Sanctuary, although not for reasons of quality.

Hot Zone is the obligatory killer virus on the loose episode. It`s a sci-fi staple but always provides excellent paranoid claustrophobic action if done well. I`m a particular fan of the cure they find, it has its basis in real science, and doesn`t rely on excessive babble. It also provides a tantalising mystery for future episodes. Sanctuary provides a bit of romance, with Sheppard falling for an enigmatic alien woman. The Trek references fly thick and fast, but the twist in the tail was totally spoiled by the featurette in Volume 3, which gave away the plot to this episode. Fortunately this disc`s extras do not anticipate the next disc, but it`s a change that comes too late. The beginning of the final stretch begins with Before I Sleep. You can`t turn on the TV nowadays for Time Travel shows, but this does provide a tantalising glimpse at the Ancients and their battle against the Wraith. And where most time travel stories vanish into inconsequence with a masturbatory reset ending, where nothing that happened in the last hour means anything, this episode actually moves the plot along. The Brotherhood is perhaps the most enjoyable episode on the disc, delving into Indiana Jones territory with plenty of tomb raiding. Robert Davi returns as the evil Genii soldier, and chews plenty of scenery as the Nazi stormtrooper stereotype to McKay and Sheppard`s gestalt Indy. But while that comparatively light swashbuckling is going on elsewhere, the Wraith`s discovery of Atlantis adds a tension and foreboding to the end of the episode.

I think I`ve sussed where these stories work for me. I have experienced enough televised sci-fi that recurrent themes and clichés will most likely have me rolling my eyes in sheer despair. It takes a lot to rework a theme and make it fresh and new, and most sci-fi series don`t even bother. When I see the umpteenth alternate reality, time travel, or monster of the week episode, I get an irresistible urge to go read a book. Both the Stargate series don`t bother hiding these aspects, instead they call attention to them, quoting other genre shows and referencing movies with abandon. Sheppard falls for an alien beauty and the Kirk references fly. Dr Weir meets her older self and it`s time to make a nod to Back To The Future, with McKay complaining geekishly about how unrealistic a flux capacitor is. It`s a thoroughly enjoyable part of Stargate that I actually look forward to. This added to the excellent characterisation and lack of technobabble that I have discussed in other reviews make Stargate Atlantis an enjoyable if predictable piece of genre programming. Volume 4 begins setting up for the Season finale, and by now the characters are firmly established. This may not be the best place to start, but if you are already a fan of Atlantis, then this is an essential purchase.