Letters from Pegasus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stargate Atlantis episode | |
|---|---|
| “Letters from Pegasus” | |
 |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 17 |
| Guest star(s) | Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter Terence Kelly as Orin Paul McGillion as Dr. Beckett David Nykl as Dr. Zelenka Ben Cotton as Kavanagh Gary Jones as Walter Harriman Dean Marshall as Sgt. Bates Manami Hara as Miko Peter Graham-Gaudreau as Arja Chuck Campbell as Technician |
| Writer(s) | Carl Binder |
| Director | Mario Azzopardi |
| Production no. | 117 |
| Original airdate | March 4, 2005 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Brotherhood" | "The Gift" |
"Letters from Pegasus" is an episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
After Atlantis discovers three Wraith Hive-Ships coming in their direction, the leading team discusses what to do. Lt. Ford suggests they take the ZPM from M7G-677 but Dr. Weir refuses to back such a suggestion. McKay reveals that they can use the whole of their energy resources to open a wormhole to Earth and send a high-compression data burst. Though risky, the team decides to do it. After the meeting, Dr. Zelenka informs the team where the Hive-ships will leave hyperspace and Maj. Sheppard and Teyla decide to personally oversee the threat. They travel to a planet which Teyla knows via Puddle Jumper and meet an old friend of hers named Orin. After warning him of the threat from the Wraith, Teyla tells Orin that they will rescue his family although Sheppard can make no promises.
At Atlantis, McKay suggests that since space will remain after the initial data transfer, everyone should include a personal message to be sent to Earth as well. Weir decides that every member of the team should have the possibility to send a video message to their loved ones (given they do not reveal classified information). Ford takes on this task by filming a message inteded for his grandparents.
Meanwhile, Teyla and Sheppard quarrel about what Teyla's promise of help to Orin when the Wraith abruptly appear. Each hive ship is escorted by three cruisers, making the force invading Atlantis much worse than expected. They shower the planet with a flurry of Wraith darts. Before the puddle jumper can escape through the Stargate, it is dialed by the Wraith so they return to the predetermined location to meet Orin and wait for him.
In the meantime, the Atlantis members continue to forge their messages. Dr. Beckett, although inarticulate at first, sends a sentimental message to his mother. Dr. Zelenka recounts (in Czech) Atlantis' rising. Sgt. Bates sends a message to his younger brother and Dr. Weir informs the families of fallen servicemen about the fate of their family members as well as an ulterior personal message. Dr. McKay even films a lengthy message on his own while Dr. Kavanagh sends a message to Gen. O'Neill in which he lists all the mistakes Weir has made (in his opinion). During these clips, several flashbacks occur from former episodes which outline ambiguous details and facilitate a clearer understanding of the past months; including the events during the storm around Atlantis, the attack of the Genii, and several battles with the Wraith.
On the planet, Sheppard and Teyla can only watch in horror while the Wraith cull the population. Suddenly, a strange beam slams into the village so Sheppard resolves to investigate. While he is away, a Wraith passes by the jumper, oblivious to its presence. However, Teyla is able to collect inhabitants who wander by. When Sheppard returns, he adamantly wants to escape (since the gate is deactivated) but decides to wait for the waylaid Orin. Finally, he arrives accompanied by several other denizens, and Sheppard decides to take as many as possible aboard the jumper. They are able to flee through the gate but not without some human loss to the Wraith.
In Atlantis, Sheppard and Teyla divulge to Weir the threat which the fleet poses. Soon after, Weir asks him to record a message to the family of Col. Sumners which he promptly carries out. The "intergalactic e-mail" is successfully sent to Stargate Command, received by Lt. Col. Carter.
[edit] Trivia
- The title of this episode was inspired by the 1987 PBS TV documentary Dear America: Letters from Vietnam. [1]
- This is the first clip show episode of Stargate Atlantis.
[edit] Quotes
- Beckett: What shall I say?
Ford: Uh, "I miss you, I wish you were here"?
Beckett: I wish who was here?
Ford: I don't know. Who do you wish was here?
Beckett: Nobody! I wish I wasn't bloody here!
- Zelenka: (gives lengthy account of Atlantis rising from the ocean in Czech)
Ford: You didn't say anything that would require security clearance, did you?
Zelenka: Security clearance?
[edit] References
- ^ "Stargate Atlantis: Season One, Part II", TV Zone Special #61, Visual Imagination, 2005, pp. 86.
[edit] External links
- Official Stargate Atlantis site. MGM. Visited June 8, 2006.
- Transcript from GateWorld. Transcribed by Callie Sullivan. Visited May 14, 2006.
- Analysis from GateWorld. Visited May 14, 2006.
- Gatenoise from Moon-catchin'. Visited June 23, 2006.
