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Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 9

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

So, we are at the end of the book now but there is still a lot that’s about to happen.

Guide sends word that he wants to meet and trade for information about where Queen Death is going to attack next. Atlantis can’t ignore the possibility that he’s telling the truth with no hidden agenda and so meet and make a deal.

Name of the next planet to be attacked for their latest information and research on the Hoffen drug/plague.

Not a bad deal per se, but Guide won’t get his information if the attack doesn’t happen or if the Lanteans die in the attack so he is, once again, trusting Shepard far more than he probably should.

It’s not Shepard who’s the problem, because he’ll keep his word every time, it’s that there’s no guarantee he’ll live long enough to keep his word and I’m not sure Atlantis would keep it for him.

The next planet that Queen Death intends to attack is named Levanna and there are a few more surprises there than just her impending attack.

When the team arrives to warn the people, Ronon gets a happy surprise when one of the guards at the Gate ends up being a fellow Satedan he had thought dead. More than that, she isn’t the only Satedan on the planet or even left alive.

We all know there are others because of the TV series, but it’s always been insinuated that Sateda was wiped out and its people scattered forever. Here that isn’t so and it’s a fabulous foreshadowing by the authors of things to come.

The Levanna people are more than happy to accept Atlantis’ help and even the Genii. They were trading for weapons with the Genii and wanted a speed up of the next delivery and possibly help.

I think the fact that Atlantis was already helping kind of pushed Ladon to send soldiers and weapons because it wouldn’t have looked good at all if Atlantis was willing to die alongside another galaxy’s people, but the Genii couldn’t be bothered to help their own.

Because if Atlantis hadn’t stepped up, they wouldn’t have at all.

In a conversation with Mr. Woolsey and Shepard, we find out that Ladon has enough credible information to send a team through to help. Which meant that he knew there could be an attack and didn’t warn the Levannan people.

I really don’t like the Genii.

The death toll was mercifully low for this attack compared to the devastation it would have been. Not that people didn’t die, I believe the Genii may have had the highest death toll but I could be wrong because it doesn’t say how many of the Levannan’s died. We know five Atlantis soldiers died and at least twelve Genii, but the Genii deaths were actually the fault of their commanding officer who refused to fall back when ordered too.

They tried blaming it on the Lanteans, because they had called for backup, but the Levannan General was having none of it (he was the one to tell Shepard to stay put) and put the Genii commander in his place. I like the dude and would not be surprised if he gave Ladon a talking to about his soldiers.

Our weary peeps take themselves home but aren’t allowed time to sleep because New Athos is under attack and they rush to save their longtime friends!

…except they aren’t under attack.

New Athos is fine and never sent the message begging for help.

But Kanaan takes the opportunity to talk to Teyla and it’s the conversation they needed to have but boy does it hurt.

Teyla doesn’t want to be like her mother who walked away time and again before never coming back. She thinks she’s failed her people and Kanaan by wanting to stay in Atlantis.

Kanaan, proving he’s a good peep, is very understanding of who she really is and doesn’t take it personally. He’s always known she wasn’t meant for the traditional Athosian life, even before Atlantis, but did carry a hoe she would change. They have a child together but are not suited to be together and he wouldn’t want to force anyone to live without the love he had with his wife.

So he asks her to release him so they can both go their own way while still being Torren’s parents.

Before they can finish the conversation though, Darts arrive.

But they aren’t acting right.

Instead of going for easier targets, they are focused on the team. In fact, they aren’t breaking off even though they’re sustaining severe damage.

Too late it clicks in their minds, but Rodney is already swept up by a Culling beam and gone.

Dr. Zelenka gets the last fifty Gate addresses from the DHD and both Halling and Teyle narrow it down until they only have nine addresses to work with.

And that’s the end of book 1!

If you haven’t read the books yet but plan too, I would suggest getting all of them because there are cliffhangers and you do NOT want to have to wait.

Ta for now, next week we get into book 2!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 8

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

On to the Wraith!

Because you can never have enough Guide in your life!

Last weeks review was definitely human centered which was fun, but now we get to the really good stuff! (this ones longer but well worth it I promise).

We know Guide returned to his Hive and is trying to gather his fleet again. After getting a damage report they intend to Cull to fill their stores when two other Hiveships arrive and ‘offer’ to introduce Guide to the new Queen.

Obviously, he can’t say no, but he isn’t about to bow down either.

What’s really cool about this is that we get to see more about the Wraith and their society. It really goes into the hierarchy of the Wraith and about how the structure worked on a healthy Hive way back when.

(Guide gets a little nostalgic as that’s what his Hive was like with his Queen Snow before her death.)

Another thing we get to see is about their appearance in the grooming sense.

Those chosen to go with him to meet this new Queen have their hair done nicely and are wearing their best clothes, with claws perfectly polished and leathers shining.

Guide himself is wearing an older style coat that speaks to his age (and also looks good on him as we hear in his thoughts) and his hair is actually combed instead of just doing its own thing.

What I enjoyed the most about this group of scenes is that he thinks about what they look like. A band of refugees, proud despite everything.

He tells them he is pleased, which is high praise and definitely speaks to how he commands and to why Wraith join him. I doubt there are many Hive’s that would readily welcome so many and actually nurture their talents when they are from different lineage’s.

As to the meeting… well, the meeting goes about as well as you’d expect.

The Wraith that accompanied Guide over are affected to varying degrees by the Queen. She is beautiful and powerful, and they haven’t had a Queen in their midst since Steelflower (which we all know is Teyla and not actually a Wraith Queen but fun stuff about that later!)

He is too but not to the same degree, as Queen Snow is his Queen and we now get an idea that he plans to never have another Queen again. As affected as he is, he still makes the comparison between this new Queen’s beauty and Queen Snow’s and finds the new one lacking for reasons.

This isn’t explicitly stated, more my personal opinion, but it does lead the reader to believe that Guide is still mourning his Queen and not interested in taking up with another.

No matter how beautiful she may be.

I like this idea a lot because it once again shows that the Wraith are a lot more like the humans than either side wants to admit. Even if Guide isn’t still mourning Queen Snow, he is still not interested in having another Queen.

We can chalk it up to his arrogance and say that he just wants to be in charge and not under someone else’s control again, but I think it still has something to do with Queen Snow because he’s thought about her in certain situations that lead the reader to go that route in their minds.

Or I’m just a romantic and like that idea.

Either way, he may find this new Queen beautiful, but he is SO not interested based solely on her actions, previously and now in this meeting, which make him not like her even more.

(She really shouldn’t have crossed him, I’m just saying.)

Anyways!

After backing him into a corner in regards to speaking on behalf of his absent Queen Steelflower (who he claimed he is also Consort too (please feel free to roll your eyes like I did because dude is gonna get his butt kicked when Teyla finds out)), about joining her alliance, she feeds heavily on one of his new Clevermen, Ember.

As in, too heavily.

Ember is still alive and standing, with help, but that she would go that far kind of says something about her control.

Right after that she invites them to partake in their bounty and, once again, Guide is not impressed.

Apparently feeding in public isn’t a thing, but since Ember needs to feed after what she took, he doesn’t even try to protest. However, the human woman he feeds on tastes ‘like ash’.

Ya’ll can understand how bad the situation is when a hungry Wraith doesn’t enjoy a free meal.

As for these rituals and traditions we have gotten to see so far (I LOVE THESE BOOKS!!!).

The feeding on his Cleverman, Guide notes, went out of fashion even before Queen Snow’s death. This new Queen is obviously trying to bring those traditions and rituals back and though some, like the zenana (which is a group of Wraith who are the Queen’s council and a Consort), Guide isn’t opposed to, some were left behind for a reason.

This new Queen has a councilor who is older than Guide that she calls ‘Old One’ and who has been telling her all about the old ways.

Having read the entire series already I know who he is, but refuse to spoil it cause YOU GUYS IT’S SO COOL! (and heartbreaking but we’ll get to that later).

The point I’m trying to make is that I really don’t believe this new Queen is actually the one in charge. The Old One is, certainly, wily enough to stay alive so long and it wouldn’t take much to control a young Queen.

They aren’t that difficult to understand or to manipulate.

And using the old ways as a means to unite their people is a good one especially when you add in the promised new feeding grounds. A return to what they were before the war with the Alterans decimated so many of them.

Who wouldn’t want that?

A good chunk of the Wraith actually as we shall see in the coming books.

But back to this one.

Guide isn’t about to let anyone ruin his plans and so sends a message to Atlantis about wanting to meet.

He knows where Queen Death is going to attack next and he wants to trade.

A deal is made and he goes off to do his thing while we go back to the human side of things and the last review for Book 1!

See ya’ll later!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 7

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

So, remember the Genii from last time?

Little boogers are back.

Sora has had a bone to pick with Teyla for some time now and at first Kolya didn’t allow it and now Ladon isn’t too happy with her either. She can’t see straight when it comes to Teyla and will go out of her way to antagonize Atlantis too if she can.

Despite being ordered NOT to engage with anyone from Atlantis, that is just what she does.

Dr. Beckett and Dr. Keller are on a planet, recently attacked by the new Wraith Queen, giving medical aid to the people. Despite the inhabitants not having much in way of trade, Atlantis has always tried to help when they could which is why they’re more welcome than the Genii most times.

When they’re alerted to a Genii patrol heading their way, Carson tells Jennifer to leave and warn Atlantis because he suspects the female Captain is Sora.

He isn’t happy to be proven right either.

Sora has her men search for other Atlantis personnel in the village, shoving people out of their homes and breaking things, before having one go through the medical supplies Carson and Jennifer had with them.

After destroying a few items, Carson tells them to stop and gets a gun in his face.

Sora, being the brain damaged idiot she so clearly is, then decides it would be a great idea to take the medical supplies AND Dr. Beckett back to the Genii homeworld.

Thankfully, Jennifer got back to Atlantis and Shepard got a team together in time to return before the Genii left.

The standoff ends with Dr. Beckett safe, but the supplies left with the Genii.

Ladon is pissed to an extreme level, but since Sora is with this other high-ranking officer that currently supports Ladon, Ladon can’t really do anything without causing himself more trouble.

He has her arrested and stripped of all rank instead of simply killing her.

Which is something Teyla notes to Shepard (and let Mr. Woolsey know about) when they contacted the Genii and told them what had happened.

The meeting between Ladon and Atlantis takes some time, but Mr. Woolsey is at his best and gets things done.

Atlantis and the Genii are still ‘friends’ at the end, but everyone know the Genii have no intention of stepping down. If they ever get a chance, they’ll betray Atlantis again.

On a less dour note!

Some time later Kanaan arrives to visit, but Teyla isn’t there. She’s off world helping with negotiations so Rodney steps in.

The conversation between the two is pretty funny in its awkwardness.

Kanaan thinks Rodney is the man that Teyla loves on Atlantis and when he disputes it, Kanaan goes through his head of everyone Teyla has mentioned in what fashion to try and figure it out. The funny part is that he finally decided that it must be Rodney even if Rodney doesn’t know it and doesn’t see her like that.

As we all know, Shepard is the one and it’s kind of interesting that she apparently hasn’t mentioned him enough for Kanaan to think of him.

We also get a glimpse of Kanaan and what he’s going through. Whereas he certainly isn’t a main character by any means, his involvement with Teyla can’t be overlooked and I really appreciate that the authors decided to give him a larger part in the story.

We get to see his thoughts on things like how Torren is going to be raised with him on New Athos and Teyla on Atlantis and how he sees Atlantis and its people. He doesn’t not like them, but he doesn’t understand who would want that life. He is very much a man of nature and not technology.

This also gives us an idea of what kind of drama is going to be coming because Teyla hasn’t actually said what her plan is and Kanaan isn’t going to accept not seeing Torren regularly. Though she would never intentionally hurt Kanaan she is having trouble facing the fact that these choices have to be made and by dragging it out she is in fact hurting him.

A cute thing that happens in the Kanaan and Rodney discussion though is that Kanaan tells Rodney that if anything happened to him and Teyla, that he was glad that Torren would have someone else to be his father.

Rodney is, understandably, flustered but agrees he wouldn’t let Torren be without a family.

Not long after this more drama and adrenaline ensue, but that’s for next week.

I had actually started this post intending it to be one but realized pretty quickly that it was going to have to be split up because of how much happens still, so there are two more reviews after this one before the end of book 1.

Yes, I know I rant, but ya’ll are the crazy ones still reading so…

Happy week ahead and I’ll see you next Monday bright and early!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 6

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

I admit, I got a little ahead of myself in regards to the book last week.

I skipped some pretty cool stuff, so I am here to correct my mistake and earn yall’s forgiveness.

(in my defense, Guide is a pretty good reason to skip…just sayin.)

There wasn’t too much really, but it is important.

First!

Teyla goes back to New Athos with her team and Torren for the first time since arriving back in Pegasus and wow is it awkward for everyone. Except maybe Ronon. I don’t know if he was aware of the undertones, but he isn’t stupid so probably he just didn’t say anything.

If I haven’t mentioned before, Kanaan lost both his wife and son awhile back and when Atlantis went to save Earth, he was left thinking it had happened again. Even though he and Teyla aren’t a couple, they have a child together and it was still way too close to home for the poor dude.

I feel for him, I really do.

When they arrive, Teyla and Torren join Kanaan to get acquainted again while Rodney and Shepard join Halling (Ronon excuses himself pretty quick).

The conversation with Halling is…cringey. He tries to help them understand how things are for Teyla. Her mother had a wanderer’s spirit too and it caused Teyla a lot of pain when she was little because people compared her to her mother and her mother left one day and never returned. It’s not insinuated either way whether her mother was killed or just kept going through the Stargate so I don’t know how to feel about the woman.

What we do know is that Teyla doesn’t want to be alienated from the Athosians, yet her very being won’t allow her to be happy anywhere but with Atlantis and her team.  

Halling tries to explain how conflicted she is, but it comes out a little judgey (against Atlantis) and Shepard makes an excuse to leave.

The one-on-one conversation between Rodney and Halling goes a little better. Possibly because of the conversations between Teyle and Rodney, Rodney has more of an idea of where she is head space wise and Halling really cares for his friend and keeps talking to get his point across (Shepard should have stayed cause it would have helped him, but what can ya do?).

Presumably they stay for several hours, maybe even the night, but we cut to the Genii homeworld and find ourselves in the office of one Ladon Radim (aka-butthead)

I admit, I liked Ladon at first because he seemed to want what was best for his people. Which is what prompted him to help Atlantis all those times after the botched take-over with Kolya and the fact that they saved his sister from radiation poisoning got them a ton of brownie points too.

Now however…well.

The position of Genii leader is not one easily gotten, nor kept. Apparently, no one can be civil and voting is not in the cards for these peeps. They’re too paranoid. Which brings us to Ladon having a meeting and his thoughts are what keyed me into his coming up behavior.

Letting Atlantis handle the Wraith is all fine well and good (seriously, Atlantis is far better equipped than anyone else) however, the Genii have taken the last few months Atlantis has been away, and they’ve begun to assert themselves as THE power in the Pegasus Galaxy (which wouldn’t have been laughable except Atlantis did return, otherwise it would have ended very badly for Pegasus).

Essentially (and I tell ya’ll this knowing it’s a little spoilery, apologies) they’ve been going out and trying to find Alteran tech hoping to reverse engineer it, and working on their own version of the ATA gene therapy to make the tech work.

This isn’t what I have a problem with because it’s pretty much exactly what Earth did (only we did it better).

My problem is how they’ve been treating people. Instead of pretending to be at the same level technologically as those they treat with (they left that trick awhile ago and I like to think it’s cause Shepard and Teyla told everyone) they’ve simply been going out and bullying people into giving them what they want or simply stealing it while lying about what they were doing.

As you’ll find out, their actions have made a lot of people REALLY unhappy and now that Atlantis is back things are not going to keep going so well for the Genii.

Leaving Atlantis to deal with the new Wraith Queen was a smart move on Ladon’s part, but it only delayed the inevitable and sooner, rather than later, they’ll meet again and the Genii won’t be on top anymore.

Before I let you wonderful peeps go this week, another funny thing!

SO!

The planet Manaria is where the Wraith Queen (calling herself Death) left the message and booby-traps. Which means we have come full circle.

When they go through, they see the destruction and Shepard asks Rodney if he can find out if anyone Gated to safety.

Rodney goes to the DHD and it explodes.

Which, he notes, happens a lot more than he’d like.

The control crystal and associated parts are completely kapoot (this means they can’t dial out), but Shepard asks if Rodney can fix it anyways all while looking for a place to spend the night.

Rodney is fabulous and surprises his entire team by immediately saying he can fix it (instead of complaining like he usually does first) because he has backups with him for just such instances (and it really tells you how often this has happened that he now plans for it).

Everyone’s reactions are hilarious and if you haven’t read it yet, you’ll laugh out loud!

And with that I end this weeks review.

Thank you again for joining me and I warn that I have been tempted to re-watch episodes lately so there may be more interruptions to the Legacy posts. I’ll do my best to at least finish book 1 first though.

Later!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 5

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

YAS!!!

This week on StALeR our fabulous peeps arrive back home!

Atlantis is finally back in the Pegasus Galaxy and everything is going as it usually does.

As in, lots of chaos and uncertainty.

The new planet they land on is mostly ice and Shepard does a fantastic job of landing them just shy of the equator (which is the only place remotely habitable for humans).

ZPM’s are down to 9 percent and they not only need more but they also need to see what’s been happening since they’ve been gone.

So off they go!

It doesn’t take long for them to realize something has gone seriously wrong. And it isn’t the Genii or the Alteran’s this time either.

A new Wraith Queen has appeared seemingly out of nowhere and declared open season on the humans. Presumably, she knows where Earth is and is promising that any Wraith that follow her will be rewarded with the bounty.

Problem is, she isn’t the best choice and most of the Wraith know that. She advocates the destruction of entire worlds with no consideration for the future. Her promises of a better feeding ground is one thing, the other Wraith know about Earth, but it’s extremely stupid to destroy their only food source before guaranteeing they can reach Earth.

Oh yeah, and she calls herself Queen Death.

Yeah.

Little drama queen is what she is.

Anyways, our peeps end up on a world that’s been devastated, and they help the survivors before trying to find out more information. This particular planet had developed far enough to have computers and McKay wants at ‘em.

Unfortunately, the Wraith left booby traps behind and it’s taking forever to find them. And time is not something they have a lot of and certainly the resources they’re expending could be used for other pursuits.

So what do they do?

Call in reinforcements!

In the form of our favorite Wraith, Guide!!

High Commander Guide does his thing and gets them inside the building where the main computer is.

And where the drama queen left a message (along with a bomb, but McKay wasn’t impressed with how easy it was to find it).

Her message is what you’d expect from a young and full of herself queen so we won’t get into that (seriously, it sounds like a B rated supervillain rant).

What we want to focus on (and that I alluded to several weeks ago) is Guide’s reaction.

Apparently, this little queen is something of a looker by Wraith standards and he isn’t immune. We get to hear Shepard’s thoughts on the subject and I had a really good laugh at this point!

Even though she’s beautiful, Guide has better sense than that. Not only does he seriously not approve of what she’s advocating, but he isn’t about to let some little upstart usurp him. (okay, so this was my thinking and nothing in the book suggests it, but come on. Guide has been doing all the hard work and he doesn’t seem the type to just throw it away for a pretty face)

Anyways!

That funny bit aside, the next part is almost as hilarious as Shepard’s thoughts. Guide is being Guide and has somehow made himself a transmitter and his peeps arrive to pick him up.

Shepard, of course, doesn’t want to let him go, but also doesn’t want him to continue to starve. Add in the bonus of Guide being more useful out there gathering information and he let’s the Wraith go.

Can he truly trust Guide will keep his end of the deal and relay information?

We’ll find out next week!

(well, you guys will if you haven’t already read the books).

With that I shall sign off, because I have an important interview tomorrow and I need to be well rested.

Wish me luck and I’ll see ya’ll next week!

So!

I have been doing quite a bit of crafty things the last few weeks and thought y’all might like to see some of those things.

And thus, this weeks post shall be crafty and not Stargatey.

Hopefully this won’t disappoint peeps too much. I’m really excited about the UV resin and polymer clay crafts I’ve gotten into and wanted to share cause it’s fun!

Here are some pics of my work!!

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I have 2 more diamonds cooking, they’ll take way longer than the pictured ones did because I used an obscene amount of black acrylic paint to color the resin (it came out faster than I thought it would).

I’m not so keen on the bezels though it might be because of the type I used. I’ll be trying open backed ones soon to see if I like that better.

The diamond mold I bought makes 3 at a time and is by far my favorite thing at this point! Some of my creations have glow in the dark pieces in them and are amazing!

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The plaster for these was the EXACT same color as my white paint so I really only painted over mistakes instead. Why waste the paint ya know?

I made this from a kit my sister bought me from Barnes and Noble. It’s part of the ‘Tiny World’ craft series by Odd Dot and its great!

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As you no doubt can see, there are specks in my clayke. I didn’t know the rules when I did this and so I didn’t have anything between my clay and table. Apparently there are certain materials (glass and tiles were mentioned on YouTube) that should be used to keep dust and such out of the clay.

I have several other things I’ve done that I’ll share later. There’s (supposedly, I haven’t tried yet) a way to make molds using a hot glue gun that work with both resin and polymer clay.

We shall see.

I’ll see everyone next week when Atlantis heads back to Pegasus!

Stay bright my peeps!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 3

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

More character development, but a little more subtle cause two of these peeps are dancing around each other like you wouldn’t believe.

Okay, so last week we got to see what Rodney and Jennifer were up to right? Because I wanted to set the next book up and give ya’ll an idea of where these two’s relationship was going and if it would last.

This week however, we’re looking at the rest of the team.

Rodney and Jennifer aren’t the only ones dealing with relationship issues. Even though they aren’t officially a couple, we all know that Shepard and Teyla have had chemistry for quite some time.

I know, I know.

Teyla had a child with another guy and was interested in this dude a few seasons back.

However! Turns out that she and Kanaan were lovers, but not in love.

Teyla talks to Rodney about it and explains how and why she and Kanaan got together and that it was about comfort. When she found out she was pregnant it changed things because of course Torren should know his father, but they weren’t like that so…

Awkwardness ensues.

As in cringeworthy.

But that’s later, for now-

We get to see scenes where Shepard is taking care of Torren while Teyla is working with Mr. Woolsey, and just generally being around when she needs anything.

There is awkwardness here too because, just like with Rodney and Jennifer, they believe they’re stuck on Earth for good. And if that’s true than there’s no reason they shouldn’t be together right?

Except that neither of them is sure what the other wants and, even though Teyla isn’t afraid to share her feelings, she is hesitant now because of how she thinks people view her because she isn’t actually married to Kanaan but has his son.

I think that she has reason to be concerned that people would judge her, but I don’t think it would be anyone who actually matters. As in the IOA may try to use it against her, but her team and the majority of SGC peeps wouldn’t have a problem. I know there’s a stigma to being a single parent and it’s worse in some ways for women but her fears on this matter seem more like an excuse.

Just a me thing!

She’s so confident and sure of herself the majority of the time, but now that she and Shepard could actually be a couple the sudden awkwardness and weirdness gives it a more realistic feel.

Shepard, of course, is dealing with issues that are making it easy to not talk about what could be. His situation is different from the rest of the team because Ronon and Teyla can go back to Pegasus via the George Hammond, Rodney and Jennifer were very much welcomed to Area 51’s team and the other Marines and personnel are seamlessly integrating with SGC.

Shepard, unfortunately, has had a few run ins with General Landry (remember when he stole a Jumper and disobeyed direct orders?), General O’Neill isn’t talking to him at all and he can’t join the Hammond’s crew because he outranks Colonel Carter’s second but is just shy of being her equal.

So dealing with his feelings isn’t the most important thing (and Teyla understands but she isn’t one to put up with stupid for long without calling you out on it) but he definitely used it as an excuse too because there were times that they could have talked and dealt with things but didn’t.

Those two. I swear!

Anyways, we have one more peep to mention quickly cause he didn’t get too much face time in the first part of the book when they were on Earth.

Having said that, Colonel Carter asks him if he’d like to join her crew as an independent contractor. It would get him back to Pegasus, and fighting the Wraith, and no one else has offered him another option yet.

The scene is fantastic because Carter asks him what he was before he was a soldier. Apparently, Ronon was in school to be some kind of scholar? Maybe a teacher is the better translation, but the Wraith attacked and we know the rest. Ronon respects Carter and appreciates that she sees there’s more to him than just muscle and agrees to join her crew.

Relationship wise, the end scene of season 5 has our peeps standing on a balcony looking out at the water of San Francisco Bay and we see Ronon standing with a woman.

We have met her before, don’t worry. The writers didn’t just randomly throw some woman into the mix so the team was all paired up.

Amelia Banks has been around for a bit and in a particular episode she does a round-house kick (I think that’s what it is) and takes out a bad guy. Ronon sees this and is impressed (pretty sure it’s because he hasn’t seen that fighting style before) and thus the ‘possibility’ of a relationship is set forth especially after the whole Jennifer thing doesn’t work out.

I’ve seen where people weren’t too happy about this supposed ‘sudden’ relationship but you have to remember that there was still a chance for a movie at the time and possibly even more than one if not another season. The writers could have easily meant for those to be the pairings.

Since they couldn’t, we have this absolutely lovely Legacy series!

Amelia shows up a bit more in the series and there’s stuff I want to mention, but it’s later and I don’t want to ruin anything so we’ll just call it good right here.

Just shy of a thousand words again, thank you all for reading another review and I shall see everyone next week!

(I may be interrupting the regular posts to add crafty ones as I’ve been quite busy on that front and have almost completely emptied my ‘in-progress’ craft box. Much success!)

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming Part 3

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

Can you say ‘character development’?

A wonderful thing, character development, it gives us a chance to see people at their worst, best and everything in between. All so we can decide whether we like them or not. All so we can change our minds about people we didn’t like in season 1, but end up adoring because of that one episode in season 3.

The character development the authors get to do is nothing short of amazing. Staying true to the established characters and who they were, while also thinking of who they would choose to become is hard to do but its been done here.

First.

Rodney McKay.

We all know he was a pain in the butt, know-it-all at first, but we got to see him grow throughout the series and the authors keep it going here and in the rest of the books (I REALLY want to tell you guys about the next book and what happens but I can’t because book one is so full of amazingness that you can’t miss it either. Just know that it’s amazing and epic and you will love it when I get to it…or before if you’ve already read it).

Rodney doesn’t like a lot of what’s been happening since they landed in San Francisco Bay. It seems that the IOA doesn’t want Atlantis to return to the Pegasus Galaxy at all and that won’t do for our resident genius.

Unfortunately, its not McKay’s decision to make and when the IOA decrees that Atlantis is to be dismantled, it’s the last straw and he walks.

His girlfriend Dr. Keller leaves as well.

Since Atlantis won’t be going anywhere, there isn’t a need for medical personnel anymore and Area 51 has a position open. Being in a relationship is hard enough with the usual problems, but Rodney and Jennifer have had to deal with galactic issues and life or death problems as well.

(I know that some people don’t like this pairing because they claim it ‘just happened’ but ya’ll need to remember that it was established that they started seeing each other in the episode where they, and Carter, fall into the mine. The one where Rodney proves to them he’s more than just an egotistical and self-absorbed person.)

Since the two of them have been dating for months now, they decide to get an apartment together and end up getting a kitten as well.

Cute right?

Well…

Nothing is perfect. Getting an apartment together and even the kitten was all really a bad idea. In my opinion, and it’s alluded to in the book, even they aren’t sure why they did any of it except that it was what was expected of them to do (or what they thought was expected of them in any case).

When the call comes that Atlantis is leaving Earth immediately (months later) Rodney is ready and completely willing. Keller on the other hand isn’t so sure. They left for a reason. A very good one too and now Rodney is ready to just let things go?

Keller isn’t so sure she wants to go back to working for people who would be okay with experimenting on a person. Even if that person is an alien that has to kill humans to survive. There’s also the fact that she’s never felt like she’s been enough for the people who call Atlantis home.

Rodney just assumes she’s as happy about Atlantis returning to Pegasus as he is and it causes a little bit of tension when he realizes she’s not as gung-ho as he is.

Keller does decide to go back, but you can kind of see that things between them is tense and not as stable as they’d like to make themselves believe.

I think that they both jumped into the moving in together thing too quickly as a way to cope with their lives changing so drastically in such a short amount of time.

In Pegasus there was danger, but a lot of it was on a bigger scale so why decide to move in together when they were already happy with their own rooms and could meet up whenever they wanted?

On Earth, there’s a sense of finality and I think it contributed greatly to their jumping into things. The further away from any decision they’d make in Pegasus the better.

It was time to move on with their lives and they’d do it if they had to fight every inch of the way.

We can all see that things are not going to go as planned with these two.

And it’s great!

That’s the end for this week’s review. I like that I got to talk about both Rodney and Keller and their relationship here because it’s super important to their character development. They’re cute together, but are they a forever kind of thing?

We shall see.

Before I say goodbye for now, a note to give you hope on Atlantis returning to Pegasus (even though we know already it’s a fun bit tossed in to make things exciting and let us know O’Neill has our back!)

An interesting moment, before Keller leaves Atlantis, is when Dr. Beckett asks for some of the supplies and machines from the infirmary. Since he’s planning on returning to Pegasus with the George Hammond and Colonel Carter, he’d like some items to help him with medical needs in the galaxy.

The list has almost every piece of Alteran machinery and the majority of other supplies too.

This is a sneaky thing and you can thank General O’Neill for it.

Till next week peeps.

Be a Light!

Alrighty, so last weeks review was bad. Even I know it was a rushed and nonsensical mess, so I am here to correct that mistake.

The problem (and I’ve been thinking about it all week) is that I thought I should review in the book order. That won’t work however because I like Guide (Todd for those who missed last week) and will rant about him for WAY too long.

Thus, until Atlantis actually gets to Pegasus again in the book it will make more sense to stick to one side or the other.

This week will be Guide and next week (possibly more depending on how long they end up) will be Shepard and crew and what they have to deal with all up until Guide makes his next appearance.

Sound good?

Excellent!

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

I have several more thoughts about Guide (you’re not surprised so don’t lie) that I didn’t get to cover last week, but a recap with additional thoughts should work to keep things from getting out of hand (probably I should just write a book about that Wraith and get it over with).

Todd is actually known as Guide and if you think about it, it makes a massive amount of sense.

From what we know, the Wraith don’t have names like us, but more of a feeling or sense of who or what each individual is (no one forgot they’re telepathic right?). Translated, we would get a name to call them, but in the eyes of the Wraith being called something at birth is ridiculous because you don’t know who that person will be so how could you know what to call them?

Guide isn’t really his name either, I don’t think (I’m almost positive later books talk about it), or it’s not his first name. Wraith live so long that their names would no doubt change as they did to reflect who they become.

Guide is an appropriate name for him now from what we can see of who he is, because he’s leading the way for others to follow in an alliance that’s beneficial to both Wraith and humans.

Since he’s so put out about being called Todd, I’m guessing he’s been going by Guide for some time now. Possibly since his Queen died and he had to lead the Hive without her but also possibly before that.

I brought up his kids last week too and considered why he only mentioned having two. To be fair, he only mentioned having two with Queen Snow, so it’s possible he had other kids with other female Wraith (I still don’t know if all female Wraith are Queens or not).

I feel like having an entire re-read of the series now…

Anyways, there are probably multiple reasons why we don’t see more Wraith children and one of the bigger ones would be to protect them. From other Wraith and definitely from the humans.

I covered my thoughts and feelings about his choosing to be without a Queen quite well last week so don’t feel that I need to go over it again…because there’s this thing that happens later in the book that will let me cover it again and more.

Yeah.

Its an ENTIRE thing that’s a little disturbing and vastly hilarious at the same time.

More on that later.

For now, we continue with what happens in the rest of chapter two.

While Guide is trying to keep his mind off starving, Shepard is talking to Dr. Beckett. Beckett isn’t happy with a ‘request’ from the IOA about handing Guide over to another group. The request is full of language and insinuations that if Guide cooperates with experiments they want to do, he may have better opportunities that Atlantis isn’t willing to give. If he doesn’t cooperate, well we all know he won’t really have a choice.

Beckett refuses to be part of it and needs Shepard’s help. Because Guide likes Shepard and respects him enough to listen to Beckett’s idea.

Stasis.

They have a chamber available and Beckett is pretty sure he can get it to work for Guide. It gets Guide out of a cell that he could conceivably escape from and keeps him from starving. A win-win.

Except they need to convince him that’s the best option.

Enter Shepard.

We get to see Shepard’s thoughts concerning Guide here and it’s really fantastic that the authors didn’t mind head-jumping to give us a broader view of our favorite characters. Not only how they think but their emotional state too.

Shepard catalogues the changes in Guide and can’t argue that he’s close to the edge already. A few barbs before getting to business, the assurance that he won’t be handing anyone else over to be fed on, and we come to a crucial point.

Guide is ready to ask Shepard for mercy before the end. To ask that Shepard kill him before he actually starves to death.

Shepard recognizes the moment (a look on Guide’s face) and refuses to let Guide say anything. Instead, he immediately mentions the stasis and Guide, amused, agrees and asks what the chances are of getting his clothes back.

He doesn’t promise of course, but Shepard comes through in the end and Guide is once more in his own clothes before heading to the stasis chamber.

Dr. Keller is there with Beckett (some time has passed of course and the book itself gives us other snippets of what’s going on) and she’s not keen on the idea. She isn’t sure if it’ll actually work for a Wraith and thinks that he’s being coerced.

Shepard isn’t about to let anyone stop them at this point though because he won’t let Guide be experimented on, can’t send him home and refuses to feed him.

Stasis is the only option.

Guide steps into the chamber, asks about the restraints being removed because why not, and settles in.

And that is that for this week peeps!

Guide will stay in stasis for a time before they need him and that interesting thing happens that I talked about earlier. The whole Queen thing?

Yeah. It’s gonna be good ya’ll.

Hope you enjoyed a more concise and none rushed review this week. Next week will be all about our favorite humans and the stuff they have to go through before heading back to Pegasus.

See you there!

I know everyone is as excited as I am to get to the first in the Legacy series (especially considering last week), but first a note from the writer (that’s me! Feeling much better, thank you).

(two notes because I feel that this review is somewhat disjointed but I’m not sure how to fix it so I’ll most likely go over things again in Part 2)

Since I am now the proud owner of the entire Stargate Atlantis Blu-Ray/DVD set a shout out to my sister for that fabulous Christmas present!), I feel that I should share the goodies inside it cause, ya’ll, it has special features!!

Thus, after this review, I think I’ll do a book review then a review of a special feature/s depending on how long they are and what not. I totally plan to watch the entire thing again because from comments other fans have made it seems that the TV episodes didn’t show everything?

If that’s true than I’ll do posts of what was left out in case any of you don’t have the set yet (but you should totally get one cause it’s that amazing and don’t tell me you won’t watch it over and over again like me).

Also, before I forget once more, this review and others may be sliced into multiple posts because the new information and absolute amazingness that is the Legacy series will have me ranting way more than even Common Ground… and you all know how much I love Todd! (who, by the way, is even more awesome in the books!!)

Now that we are caught up with what’s gonna happen and all that good stuff, onto the review! (and there will be a TON of personal ranting and fangirling in these ones because of the WOW things that happen…you’ve now been warned.)

Stargate Atlantis Legacy: Homecoming

SGA #16

ISBN: 9781905586509

Many kudos to the authors, Jo Graham and Melissa Scott, for how they wrote this book. Its not chronological in reference to the events in the book, but the decision to start the book where Atlantis is en route to the Pegasus Galaxy instead of picking up where the last episode ended was a brilliant move.

So.

Dr. Becket and Lt. Colonel Shepard are switching off on piloting Atlantis back home. They’re taking twelve hour shifts each since there isn’t a third pilot (apparently that’s how the Alterans did things when piloting the city).

Between the Milky Way and Pegasus Dr. Beckett detects a ‘wobble’. Shepard verifies and they continue on, keeping an eye on it, but as is par for the course for our beloved peeps, things go wrong.

The ‘wobble’ is a massive problem that forces them out of hyperspace at the very edge of the galaxy with only twenty percent power in the ZPM’s and only two systems close by that they aren’t even sure have habitable planets.

And this is where we jump back in time!

Five months earlier is when we see Teyla in a meeting with the IOA trying to convince them that it’s in everyone’s best interest to get Atlantis fixed and back to Pegasus (WE know this, but they’re still idiots).

A hilarious scene where Torren is being carried around in one of those baby slings by Shepard and we jump to a gathering/party thing where the IOA, high up people from around the world and military brass are rubbing elbows and such.  

Chapter two starts with our absolute favorite person in existence.

Todd!

Well, actually, that’s not his name.

(side note! I’ve read a ton of fanfic because I have to get my fix somewhere right? And in several I found references where Todd is called Guide instead. I thought it was something that was started by one author and it slowly became a fanfic canon because it fits him so perfectly and the reasoning behind it is so Wraith. Turns out it is canon and I about died when I began chapter two so ya’ll need to be careful! Side note end)

Our dear, lovely, imprisoned-despite-being-the-one-sole-reason-they’re-all-alive, Guide is pacing.

Glamorous right?

This chapter, the scene, is the reason I will forever love the Legacy series. For the entire show we only ever got to see the Wraith as the villains. The books touched on the Wraith being more. As humans and Wraith being more alike than not, but we never truly got to see the Wraith as people and now we do.

Hitting us several times in two pages, the authors put us in Guide’s head as he tries to take himself away from the cell and his starvation.

His pacing is familiar, something he did while in the ‘care’ of the Genii, and it takes him into his memories.

(this is what I wanted from the Wraith in the show and I adore the authors for how they wrote this and for bringing it up so quickly)

We all know he’s something of an enigma. Considered to be ‘weird’ by Wraith and human standards because he controls a Hive without a Queen and has for some time.

However, that’s a recent thing (relatively speaking for a Wraith) because he had a Queen. In fact, he thinks of her as his true Queen.

Something that is based on love as is suggested throughout the Legacy series where he, his past and family is brought up (there are short stories that are ALL WRAITH and one where he proves himself to his true Queen and it is so fantastic I can’t wait for when I do that review!!).

I know that’s not shocking to ya’ll, but keep in mind that until this book we haven’t been given any firm idea of how their family structures work or how they interact with their children, consorts (I don’t remember them using the word ‘mates’ but I’ll correct myself later if they do) and Hive in more than general ‘how do we kill them’ terms.

He had a son and a daughter.

Kids.

Guide had kids.

You’d expect him to have had several considering how old he is, so this brings up a question about how they procreate. Do they have trouble with fertility? Is it something of a failsafe in their genetic code because they’re immortal? Are the children casualties of war amongst their kind? Or do they negotiate the equivalent of contracts between adults to keep the lines from inbreeding and it takes time and a vast amount of trust?

Before I end this rant (yes I have to, I’m over a thousand words again), I leave you with this to consider in the week to come.

Guide has been Queenless by choice. He had a true Queen (whose name was Snow by the way) and loved her so much that he willingly kept himself from that kind of relationship again.

And I’m not talking about the Queen and Consort relationship here either (that is a whole nother thing entirely). I’m talking about how their species is matriarchal and how he’s kept himself from that by choice.

And don’t try and say that he didn’t have a choice. He tricked Teyla into being a fake Queen because he knew she would never allow herself to stay like that and that he would have the protection of a Queen without having to actually be around one in the way their kind are essentially programed to be.

Does anyone really think he couldn’t have joined another Hive or another fleet with a Queen if he wanted to? We’ve been led to believe that it’s all about power with him and it is, to a certain extent (he cares for his crew and his species which is why he’s allied with Atlantis so often even after being burned), but it’s just a tad more complicated than that apparently.

I guess there’s more to the Wraith than we know.

Till next week!

(oh, don’t worry. I’ll finish book one review before I get into special features from the DVD’s)