SG-U: 1.09 - Life

[Dr.Jackson]

Since nothing has been posted for a little while, I thought I'd pick up the baton.

Using the communications stones, Lt. Scott and Camile Wray use their time back on earth to visit those they’ve left behind. Camile returns home to spend time with her partner, trying her best to make the strange circumstance normal. Meanwhile, Lt. Scott learns a past relationship might not have ended as he thought.

Aboard Destiny, Dr. Rush supervises the exploration of new areas of the ship. Looking for resources to make their everyday lives easier, the crew stumbles upon a piece of Ancient technology that carries the promise of a way home. While somewhat familiar with the find, Dr. Rush can’t guarantee the safety of using it, bringing him and Col. Young to a standoff on what to do.
Synopsis from stargate.mgm.com

I thought this a somewhat bleak episode, the use of the song 'Worst Day Since Yesterday' was an inspired choice given the nature of day to day survival on the Destiny. Again Rush was shown to be headstrong, manipulative, and not really concerned with other peoples opinions. Yet when it comes to him taking a risk with his own safety, he backs down.
I hope that the chair features at some point later in the series as the repositories did in SG-1, surely it can't be safe to use, but I don't think that will stop Rush getting his way and putting somebody in it, if only to find out whether it is safe to use or not.

Exploring a little about Lt. Scott and Camille, their back stories and how things have changed since they were last on Earth, was interesting, although I'm not sure how it will affect them in later episodes, if they do decide explore the ramifications, or they may simply gloss over them in favour of more 'gripping' storylines.
Also, does anyone else still find the whole idea of using other peoples bodies to have 'relations' with your Earthbound partner a little creepy, or is it just me?

 

[PTeppic]

They've covered, at the very end, one of the more interesting aspects of your final point, by extrapolation: how do you know who is actually inside the remotely controlled body? We're going to be getting all sorts of new protocols being devised. We've had excessive power demonstrations (by Col. Telford) and now an impersonation, so at least they are developing the issues connected with using the stones. For this latest matter I guess they're going to have to instigate security checks somehow, as Col. Young seems to be instigating physical constraints on anyone arriving in the Destiny.

There's also the apparent security issue of memory leak from host to inhabitant. Could be interesting/useful by the end of the season.

As for the intimacy thing, at the end of the day I guess it comes down to taking the argument to its logical conclusion: do you love a person for their personality and memories/experiences (etc.) or their body?

Apart from the boringly intrusive use of sex in the show (this is really just doing to the SG universe what Torchwood did for the Dr Who one) it is developing one or two nice little twists which are definitely on the "other" page when "happily ever after" was written.

 

[PTeppic]

Whilst on the mindless pounding of a treadmill I suddenly realised, there are technically important ethical/legal issues regarding their continual use of the communication stones.

Ignoring the issues relating to commiting crimes whilst in another person's body, or dying (and the effect on the host), the bigger concern is that which Col. Telford has found himself involved in. During acts of intimacy, technically the host is being raped. This has impact on both STIs and pregnancy, whether the host is male or female.

It also looks like they might have memory leaks which (if I haven't suggested this elsewhere) might mean limiting use of the stones to official business only (since, whilst on Earth they can rotate host bodies almost endlessly, they can't on the Destiny).

 

[Connavar]

Whilst on the mindless pounding of a treadmill I suddenly realised, there are technically important ethical/legal issues regarding their continual use of the communication stones.

Ignoring the issues relating to commiting crimes whilst in another person's body, or dying (and the effect on the host), the bigger concern is that which Col. Telford has found himself involved in. During acts of intimacy, technically the host is being raped. This has impact on both STIs and pregnancy, whether the host is male or female.

It also looks like they might have memory leaks which (if I haven't suggested this elsewhere) might mean limiting use of the stones to official business only (since, whilst on Earth they can rotate host bodies almost endlessly, they can't on the Destiny).

They wont limit the stones to official business since the show has been more about going back to earth in other bodies than what is happening in the ship.

Its easier to write about personal stories with the stones. Like Telford,Young,his wife.