Lifeline (Stargate Atlantis)

Last updated
"Lifeline"
Stargate Atlantis episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 2
Directed by Martin Wood and Andy Mikita
Written by Carl Binder
Production code403
Original air dateOctober 5, 2007 (2007-10-05)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Adrift"		Next →
"Reunion"
Stargate Atlantis (season 4)
List of episodes

"Lifeline" is the second episode of the fourth season, and the 62nd episode overall, of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis . The episode first aired in the United States on October 5, 2007, on the Sci Fi Channel, and subsequently aired October 16 on Sky One in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer Carl Binder, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode is a continuation of the previous episode, "Adrift", following Colonel Sheppard and his team as they perform a mission to steal a Zero Point Module from the Asurans. It was described by executive producer Joseph Mallozzi as a "big op eppy." [1]

Contents

The episode was considered to be somewhat of a send off to Elizabeth Weir (played by the departing Torri Higginson). [2] Although Wood was credited for directing, he was occupied with directing the movie Stargate: Continuum , so Andy Mikita did most of the actual directing for the episode. It received slightly lower ratings than "Adrift", but was still well received.

Plot

To ensure the mission to steal a Zero Point Module is a success, Dr. McKay (David Hewlett) proposes to use Dr. Weir (Torri Higginson) and her nanites to access the Asuran collective and guide them; should the Asurans take her over, McKay would activate a kill switch on the nanites, which would also effectively kill Weir. With their experimental jumper ready, Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) leaves Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) in command of Atlantis. The jumper's hyperdrive works and they arrive over the Asuran homeworld (M7R-227). With Weir's access, Sheppard and Ronon (Jason Momoa) easily steal the Zero Point Module. McKay then finds a code that will cause the Asurans to attack the Wraith and convinces Sheppard to upload a programme to reactivate this dormant code.

McKay initiates an anti-Replicator field to protect them from the Asurans, but Oberoth (David Ogden Stiers) discovers this and sends a wave to override the field. Weir leaves McKay, confronts Oberoth and uses his power to freeze all the Asurans, even tricking him into believing that he has captured the team, all to buy Sheppard enough time to upload the programme. However, Weir struggles to keep Asurans frozen, and when Sheppard finds her just as she loses control, she orders him to leave her behind as the Asurans unfreeze and capture her. The team escapes without Weir, but end up trapped as they lack the power to make it to hyperspace. They are unexpectedly assisted by the Apollo , who have found Atlantis with Colonel Carter's (Amanda Tapping) help. The Apollo lays down covering fire long enough for the team to land in the fighter bay and carries them back to Atlantis. However, the Apollo is unable to lock onto Doctor Weir and beam her aboard. Now fully powered, the city moves to M35-117, a back-up planet, by order of Sheppard and makes a rough landing onto its ocean. Whilst the team mourns the loss of Weir, McKay regains contact with Stargate Command. Dr. Zelenka (David Nykl) announces that the Asurans have begun their attack against the Wraith, meaning Weir's sacrifice was not in vain. Carter tells Sheppard that they will miss Weir, though Sheppard vows to find her again.

Production

"Lifeline" first surfaced in February 2007. [1] Carl Binder wanted to do a heist episode during the off-season, though the writers had no idea where it would fit in the overall season arc. However, as "Adrift" was written, they realized their heist story flowed naturally from it. [2] Even though Martin Wood was credited for directing the episode, Andy Mikita ended up directing most of it instead, as well as directing parts of "Adrift"; Wood was directing Stargate: Continuum at the time of filming. [3] Amanda Tapping requested that showrunners Mallozzi and Mullie not give her a big part for the episode, as she was in the Arctic filming for Stargate: Continuum. Another reason that Carter's appearance was small was that Torri Higginson was still a part of the show, and the producers wanted Carter to be introduced slowly. [4] The episode, as a "third part", was difficult to write, since the second part ("Adrift") is a comeback resolve of the first part ("First Strike"), and the third part has to "resolve the resolve." In the writing stages, there was also talk as to whether or not to save the experimental hyperdrive jumper. Eventually it was decided that it would be saved, to keep open the possibility of using it again. [5]

Tapping felt acting on the new show went a little easier when filming Carter scenes with Bill Dow ("Bill Lee"), with whom she had previously worked on Stargate SG-1 . She said another factor that made acting on Atlantis easier was the welcoming cast and crew of the series. Tapping's hair was longer than it was during her time on SG-1, and the military approved of the change as long as it was worn up. [4] To save money on visual effects, the crew built set pieces to represent some of the buildings on M7R-227 and placed them in front of the puddle jumper set. Another measure taken as a substitute to visual effects was to cast mime artists as the frozen Asurans. [5]

While filming Weir guiding the team to find the ZPM, the fact that she can see "everything" without looking at anything was a hard sell for an actor, but with Higginson's drive in her eyes, this would make the scene more believable for the audience. The scene was not written in the original script. The set for the core room in the Asuran city was the same set as Atlantis' gate room, though in order to make it look as different as possible, the cameras were placed at angles not usually used for filming in the gate room, such as where they would normally place lights. [5]

Reception

The episode earned a 1.1 household Nielsen rating, which was down by one-tenth of a point or 8% from "Adrift". It fell behind ECW on Sci Fi (with a 1.2 rating), Eureka (with a 1.4 rating) and Ghost Hunters (with a 1.5 rating). [6] In the United Kingdom, "Lifeline" received 443,000 viewers, placing Stargate Atlantis as number six in the top ten broadcasts for Sky One for that week, behind The Simpsons and Prison Break . [7] It was positively received by most critics. Tory Ireland Mell of IGN rated the episode a "masterful" 10 out of a possible 10, praising the slow introduction of Carter, rather than having an SG-1 team member forced into the series, and stated the episode gets the viewer "glued to the television for one hour." [8] Critical Myth rated the episode 8 out of 10, stating the episode as "light on plot twists but packs an emotional punch," and was somewhat critical for the lack of surprises in the episode's storyline. [9] Brett Love of TV Squad liked the episode's storyline, and thought Weir's exit was executed well, despite leaks from the Internet that Weir would be leaving, and compared the scene between her and Oberoth to the confrontations between Neo and Agent Smith from The Matrix film series. However, Love was critical about the absence of Teyla throughout the majority of the episode. [10]

Related Research Articles

Stargate Atlantis is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself based on the feature film Stargate (1994). All five seasons of Stargate Atlantis were broadcast by the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States and The Movie Network in Canada. The show premiered on July 16, 2004; its final episode aired on January 9, 2009. The series was filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Rising (<i>Stargate Atlantis</i>) 1st and 2nd episodes of the 1st season of Stargate Atlantis

"Rising" is the pilot episode for season one of the military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a Canadian-American spin off series of Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by executive producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode was the strongest episode of the whole series on Nielsen household ratings. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney McKay</span> Fictional character

Meredith Rodney McKay, Ph.D, is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, two military science fiction television shows about military teams exploring two galaxies via a network of alien transportation devices.

John Sheppard (<i>Stargate</i>) Fictional character in Stargate

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, USAF is a fictional character in the 2004 Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, which chronicles a civilian operation exploring the Pegasus Galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Portrayed by Joe Flanigan, Sheppard holds the military rank of lieutenant colonel in the series and is the second-in-command of the Atlantis Expedition following the death of Marshall Sumner in "Rising".

Elizabeth Weir (<i>Stargate</i>) Character from the television series Stargate Atlantis

Dr. Elizabeth Weir is a fictional character in the Canadian-American Sci-Fi Channel television series Stargate Atlantis, a military science fiction show about a military team exploring another galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices. Elizabeth Weir is introduced as a recurring character in the Stargate SG-1 season seven two-parter, Lost City. She does not hold any military rank since she is a civilian. Weir is the leader of the Atlantis expedition in Stargate Atlantis until the last episode of season three, titled "First Strike".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Beckett</span> Fictional character in the television series Stargate Atlantis

Dr. Carson Beckett is a fictional Scottish character in the 2004 Canadian-American science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1. He is portrayed by Scottish-born Canadian actor Paul McGillion, who previously played Dr. Ernest Littlefield in the first season of SG-1. The character's Scottish nationality was only decided after McGillion's audition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Woolsey</span> Fictional character in the Stargate television franchise

Richard P. Woolsey is a fictional character in the Stargate television franchise about military teams exploring the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies via a network of alien transportation devices. Played by actor Robert Picardo, Woolsey made his first appearance as a member of the NID in "Heroes Part 2", an episode of season 7 of Stargate SG-1, and recurred in several SG-1 episodes until season 10. He was also a recurring character in seasons 3 and 4 of Stargate Atlantis before becoming a main character in season 5 of Atlantis.

"First Strike" is the 60th episode and the third season finale of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode originally aired in Canada on February 5, 2007, on The Movie Network, and subsequently aired March 14 on Sky One in the United Kingdom, and June 22 on the United States Sci Fi Channel. It was written by executive producer Martin Gero, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode is the first of a three-parter, in which the new Earth ship Apollo arrives at Atlantis to conduct a preemptive strike against the Asurans before they can launch a fleet to attack Earth.

"Adrift" is the 61st episode and the fourth season premiere of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode first aired in the United States on September 28, 2007, on the Sci Fi Channel, and subsequently aired October 9 on Sky One in the United Kingdom. It was written by executive producer Martin Gero, and directed by Martin Wood. The episode continues from the third-season finale "First Strike", where Atlantis drops out of hyperspace in the middle of deep space with 24 hours of power left after an Asuran attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be All My Sins Remember'd</span> 11th episode of the 4th season of Stargate Atlantis

"Be All My Sins Remember'd" is the 71st episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, and the eleventh episode of the series' fourth season. The episode was written by Atlantis co-executive producer, Martin Gero, his third script of the season, and directed by Andy Mikita. The episode originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on January 4, 2008, and aired on Sky One in the United Kingdom on January 8. The episode's title is derived from the line, "The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons/ Be all my sins remember'd" from the "Get thee to a nunnery" scene in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Keller</span> Fictional character

Dr. Jennifer Keller is a fictional character from the Canadian-American military science fiction series Stargate Atlantis, a spin-off series to Stargate SG-1. She is played by Canadian actress Jewel Staite, who previously played the Wraith Ellia in season two episode "Instinct". She was created by the producers, who wanted someone to fill in for Carson Beckett after Paul McGillion's departure from regular status in the series. Keller had a recurring role in the fourth season, and was later promoted to a regular in Season 5.

"Search and Rescue" is the fifth season premiere of science fiction television show Stargate Atlantis, and is the 81st episode of the series. The episode premiered on July 11, 2008 in the United States on SCI FI channel, and was then shown on Canada's The Movie Network. The episode premiered over a month later in the United Kingdom on August 19 on Sky One. iTunes USA also made the episode available for download several days later. However, by the next episode, "Seed", shows will be added at the same time as they are scheduled to air. This is the 26th episode of Stargate Atlantis to be written by Martin Gero. The episode introduces several changes in the personnel and command of Atlantis, seeing Richard Woolsey take over command of the base.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the television series Stargate Atlantis commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 16, 2004, concluded on The Movie Network in Canada on January 31, 2005, and contained 20 episodes. The show was a spin off of sister show, Stargate SG-1. Stargate Atlantis re-introduced supporting characters from the SG-1 universe, such as Elizabeth Weir and Rodney McKay among others. The show also included new characters such as Teyla Emmagan and John Sheppard. The first season is about a military-science expedition team discovering Atlantis and exploring the Pegasus Galaxy. However, there is no way to return home, and they inadvertently wake a hostile alien race known as the Wraith, whose primary goal is to gather a fleet to invade Atlantis and find their new "feeding ground", Earth.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the television series Stargate Atlantis commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 15, 2005, concluded on The Movie Network in Canada on January 30, 2006, and contained 20 episodes. The show itself is a spin off of its sister show, Stargate SG-1. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Season two regular cast members include Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell, Jason Momoa, Paul McGillion, and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay. The second season focuses on the Atlantis Expedition continuing to make the Wraith think that the city self-destructed, while continuing to explore Pegasus and hunt for ZPMs this means at times lying to new allies about the city even sometimes claiming to be a small contingent that escaped the Siege; the season also marks the first time the Expedition is able to make contact with Earth although doing so uses a lot of power so the contact is oftentimes via the Daedalus, an intergalactic Earth-Asgard vessel commanded by Col. Steven Caldwell who makes clear his desire to be Military Leader of Atlantis but eventually settles for a sort of advisory role as it becomes clear that Dr. Weir and the Lt.Col Sheppard are a duo not to be messed with. The central plot of the second season is the development of Dr. Beckett's retrovirus, which can, theoretically, turn a Wraith into a human.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of Stargate Atlantis, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on July 21, 2006 on the US-American Sci Fi Channel. The third season concluded after 20 episodes on February 5, 2007 on the Canadian The Movie Network. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Season three regular cast members include Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell, Jason Momoa, Paul McGillion, and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of Stargate Atlantis, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on September 28, 2007 on the US-American Sci Fi Channel. The fourth season concluded after 20 episodes on March 7, 2008 on Sci Fi. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, who also served as executive producers. Amanda Tapping joins the cast as a regular for 14 episodes, Jewel Staite was a recurring character for eleven episodes, while regular cast member Torri Higginson was a recurring cast member for four episodes. Other season four regular cast members include Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, Jason Momoa and David Hewlett.

<i>Stargate Atlantis</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth and final season of the military science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis commenced airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 11, 2008, concluded on the same channel on January 9, 2009, and contained 20 episodes. The show itself is a spin off of its sister show, Stargate SG-1. The season upgrades previous supporting characters cast members such as Richard Woolsey and Jennifer Keller. Amanda Tapping's character Samantha Carter was downgraded to recurring character in this season. The fifth and final season is about a military-science expedition team fighting against the Wraith from their base of operation, Atlantis. The Wraith primary goal is to gather a fleet to invade Atlantis and find their new "feeding ground", Earth.

Enemy at the Gate (<i>Stargate Atlantis</i>) 20th episode of the 5th season of Stargate Atlantis

"Enemy at the Gate" is the 100th and final episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode aired on January 9, 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States, and on January 13, 2009 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom. Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie as their fifth and final script in the fifth season, "Enemy at the Gate" was produced as the nineteenth episode of the season and was directed by Andy Mikita. It is dedicated to Don S. Davis, who died from a heart attack in 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 Mallozzi, Joseph (February 1, 2007). "February 1, 2007". Josephmallozzi.wordpress.com. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Levine, Alex (October 5, 2007). "Office Politics and Lifeline..." Official Stargate: Atlantis Blog. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  3. ↑ Mallozzi, Joseph (March 22, 2007). "March 22, 2007". Josephmallozzi.wordpress.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  4. 1 2 Tapping, Amanda (2008). Audio Commentary for "Lifeline" (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment.
  5. 1 2 3 Wood, Martin (2008). Audio Commentary for "Lifeline" (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment.
  6. ↑ Sumner, Darren (October 22, 2007). "Live ratings drop slightly for 'Lifeline'". GateWorld. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  7. ↑ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes (Go on w/e 21 Oct, 2007, and scroll down to Sky 1)". Barb.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2009.
  8. ↑ Mell, Tory Ireland (October 8, 2007). "Stargate Atlantis: "Lifeline" Review". IGN. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Stargate Review Blog » Blog Archive » Episode 4.2: "Lifeline"". Critical Myth. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  10. ↑ Love, Brett (October 6, 2007). "Stargate Atlantis: Lifeline". TV Squad. Retrieved April 29, 2009.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.