Longing for a break

“The Lost Tribe” continues on from the previous episode “First Contact” in which Daniel Jackson and Rodney McKay were kidnapped by unknown armoured warriors.  In this episode we start with the Attero device having an unforseen side effect that causes any stargates that open whilst the device is turned on unable to close, and ultimately exploding, unfortunately for Atlantis theirs was open when the device was turned on.  Thanks in no small way to the Atlantis gate having a forcefield the majority of the blast is absorbed, although significant damage is done to the Atlantian gate room.

On the Daedelus Todd has siezed control and used a device to knock out the crew, first to regain conciousness is Woolsey who unwhittingly becomes bait to force Atlantis to shut off the Attero device.  Unfortunately for the Altantis crew they have no idea of the device, although they advise Todd of their suspicions that the device stolen from Atlantis buy the aliens is a component of the device Todd speaks of.  Now without a stargate Atlantis is forced to transmit the coordinates where they believe Daniel and Rodney were taken to, upon their receipt Todd orders his fleet to stay put and not activate their hyperdrives whilst he takes the Daedelus to the specified coordindates.

One of the armoured aliens enters the room where Rodney and Daniel are being held captive, Rodney running through scenarios and why they must shut down the device, none of which is news to Daniel.  Daniel is taken to meet the leader of the aliens where he questions why they remain in their armour, noting he is surely no threat to them.  After the leader turns his armour peels away to reveal the aliens are Asgard, a splinter group that moved to the Pegasus galaxy long ago, the armour being necessary as this Asgard civilisation have been forced to inhabit an highly toxic planet in order to avoid confrontation with the Wraith.  More recently the Asgard’s armour could no longer offer them any protection and they were forced to abandon their home, having discovered the Attero device they but were unable to activate the device without the Atlantian component.

With Todd now en route to Janus’s laboratory, where the Asgard are holding Daniel and Rodney, the Atlantis crew are thrown a bone by the Travellers who contact them to determine why stargates are blowing up, one having destroyed their first planetary colony killing 3000 people.  After Sheppard explains the Travellers agree to assist and set their clunky hyperdrive to maximum for the laboratory.  Whilst the Daedelus is in hyperspace Dr Keller and Ronon enter the engineering section where Ronon begins destroying the control crystals which disable all systems except life support, this allows the Travellers ship to beat Todd to the laboratory.

Upon their arrival at the world home to Janus’s laboratory the Travellers ship is forced into evasive manouvers when attacked, but is able to destroy one of the ships.  Down on the planet Daniel is returned to detention area with Rodney who has managed to devise a means for their escape, trigger the fire system which will force the detention room doors to open, lucky for him this works.  As they open another door they immediately are confronted by two of the armoured suits upon which Rodney launches into his usual panic stricken rant, thankfully for them both Daniel realises the suits are not occupied and Rodney returns to pre-panic state.  Daniel and Rodney enter the suits, designed to mould to the shapes of their occupants, and enter the Asgard command room where the unsuspecting Asgard are easily dispatched.  The remaining Asgard quickly vacate the planet realising their plans foiled, launching into hyperspace before they can be attacked by the Travellers ship.

Rodney devises a plan to turn off the Attero device, but it isn’t without risk as they must enter a room where bolts of lightning are shooting off, although the armour he believe should protect them.  Rodney’s plan gets the go ahead, although Daniel insists that he must come along just incase Rodney’s suit is hit my the lightning.  As they enter the device’s chamber Todd’s team aboard the Daedelus arrives, although they are unable to attack as weapons were not able to be restored after Ronon’s attack.  As they arrive at the planet Ronon manages to free the Daedelus crew whom he uses to regain control of the ship, but on their arrival at the command room they discover the Wraith have left and are now entirely located within their ship in the X302 room.  

The Daedelus crew quickly discovers the reason behind the Wraith retreat, they’ve programmed the ship to immediately head for the laboratory, using the ship to destroy what weapons would not.  The crew works tirelessly to regain control of flight controls and looks doomed when the Travellers ships jumps ahead of them and opens a hyperspace window sufficiently large enough to take both ships through the planet, after which the helmsman manages to regain controls.

Down at the laboratory Rodney has opened the Attero device panel and as he goes to remove the correct crystal Daniel is struck by a bolt of lightning, injuring him badly.  The crystal pulled, and the device deactivated, Daniel tells Rodney his injuries are bad, that he doesn’t expect to make it.  At this point the Daedalus manages to use Asgard transporters to beam them to the Daedalus, and Woolsey asks the Travellers to immediately fire upon the facility to prevent the Attero device from ever again being used.  

Back at Atlantis Daniel is well on the mend, although his recovery is by no means attributable to hospital food which Rodney agrees to consume without so much as battering an eyelid.  Daniel thanks Rodney for praising him back at the laboratory when it looked as though he might die, Rodney of course disavows any knowledge and proceeds to remind Daniel that none of this would have happened had Daniel not found the Atlantis laboratory.  Daniel comes to understand that Rodney is lax to praise anyone but himself, except perhaps if they are dying in which case the rules may be broken.

I’m a little bummed that Atlantis will not be renewed for a 6th season now, the possibilities the Asgard storyline introduces reminds me of the final season of Stargate SG1 when Adria blends with a Goa’uld symbiote – oh the possibilities that storyline could have seen develop.  :(