Merlin's Weapon

[DarkProphet]

Anybody else think this was a little cheap writers trick to take out the Ori? That means anybody with the scientific designs of Merlin's Weapon can take out all Ascended Beings within the proximity of an entire galaxy in one fell swoop! Isn't that a bit cheap? Not even one nuke bomb can take out all the humans in an entire galaxy!

Also, how come the Ascended Ancients didn't stop the Sg-1 team from making the device? They allowed Sg-1 to destroy the Ori but didn't allow Morgan to help out Sg-1 against the Ori? Also weren't they threatened that the device designs could fall into the wrong hands and all ascended beings in the milky way galaxy will become extinct?

Honestly I didn't like the idea of a device able to obliterate every ascended beings in an entire galaxy. It's very very cheap. I would have preferred the Ancients engaging the Ori directly like how Morgan engaged Adria in Ark of Truth. That's the one thing that bothered me about the Ori arc. One device able to take out all ascended beings in an entire galaxy makes the Ascended Ancients look very weak and vulnerable.

 

[DWF]

I'm sure that Adria made sure that Merlin's weapon couldn't be recreated. And the Ancients weren't going to interfer for the same reasons they at first prevented Morgan from helping SG1 take down Adria, but in the end they let Morgan help them, but it cost Morgan her freedom.

 

[Kpnuts]

Anybody else think this was a little cheap writers trick to take out the Ori? That means anybody with the scientific designs of Merlin's Weapon can take out all Ascended Beings within the proximity of an entire galaxy in one fell swoop! Isn't that a bit cheap? Not even one nuke bomb can take out all the humans in an entire galaxy!

Also, how come the Ascended Ancients didn't stop the Sg-1 team from making the device? They allowed Sg-1 to destroy the Ori but didn't allow Morgan to help out Sg-1 against the Ori? Also weren't they threatened that the device designs could fall into the wrong hands and all ascended beings in the milky way galaxy will become extinct?

Honestly I didn't like the idea of a device able to obliterate every ascended beings in an entire galaxy. It's very very cheap. I would have preferred the Ancients engaging the Ori directly like how Morgan engaged Adria in Ark of Truth. That's the one thing that bothered me about the Ori arc. One device able to take out all ascended beings in an entire galaxy makes the Ascended Ancients look very weak and vulnerable.

The Stargate writers have been doing this for years. Coming up with various "hunt for the Ancient/magic weapon/device" storylines from season 7 onwards, as a way of hiding their own lack of creativity. A couple of times fine...

But, The eye of Ra, The Antarctic outpost, Atlantis, The weapon on Dakara, Merlin's weapon, The Ark of Truth etc etc?

 

[Hermiod]

But, The eye of Ra, The Antarctic outpost, Atlantis, The weapon on Dakara, Merlin's weapon, The Ark of Truth etc etc?

To be fair, they only found the The Eye of Ra by accident, the Ancient outpost was found because they were looking for Atlantis and it was Ba'al who told them where the weapon on Dakara was.

There's only been two long "Find The..." arcs. Essentially, since the primary mission of the SGC is to secure the technologies required to defend Earth from its enemies, they are only doing their jobs.

The reason the Ascended Ancients did not stop SG-1 from using the device is because they weren't the first to cheat. The Sangraal was technology developed by a human. Sure, that human was a descended Ancient, but that's just bending the rules. They're no more breaking the rules about interference than the Ori were - Adria, the Priors etc. Plus they were invading the Milky Way galaxy with ships and Supergates constructed by people who would have no idea how to build interstellar spacecraft had they not had help.

 

[Kpnuts]

But, The eye of Ra, The Antarctic outpost, Atlantis, The weapon on Dakara, Merlin's weapon, The Ark of Truth etc etc?

To be fair, they only found the The Eye of Ra by accident, the Ancient outpost was found because they were looking for Atlantis and it was Ba'al who told them where the weapon on Dakara was.

There's only been two long "Find The..." arcs. Essentially, since the primary mission of the SGC is to secure the technologies required to defend Earth from its enemies, they are only doing their jobs.

The reason the Ascended Ancients did not stop SG-1 from using the device is because they weren't the first to cheat. The Sangraal was technology developed by a human. Sure, that human was a descended Ancient, but that's just bending the rules. They're no more breaking the rules about interference than the Ori were - Adria, the Priors etc. Plus they were invading the Milky Way galaxy with ships and Supergates constructed by people who would have no idea how to build interstellar spacecraft had they not had help.

It doesn't matter how these things were found, my point was there was far, far too many all powerful devices/weapons just waiting to be found by SG-1. As if there weren't enough in the series, they then made an entire film about it.

 

[Hermiod]

It doesn't matter how these things were found, my point was there was far, far too many all powerful devices/weapons just waiting to be found by SG-1. As if there weren't enough in the series, they then made an entire film about it.

Which, again, is the point of the show.

How else do you propose that they beat the Ori in 90 minutes ? Convince the Ancients to fight them when they'd been talking about how they don't interfere season season five ?

Perhaps they could suddenly come up with many new ships, fitted with Asgard weapons ?

 

[Kpnuts]

It doesn't matter how these things were found, my point was there was far, far too many all powerful devices/weapons just waiting to be found by SG-1. As if there weren't enough in the series, they then made an entire film about it.

Which, again, is the point of the show.

How else do you propose that they beat the Ori in 90 minutes ? Convince the Ancients to fight them when they'd been talking about how they don't interfere season season five ?

Perhaps they could suddenly come up with many new ships, fitted with Asgard weapons ?

Perhaps they could write convincing enemies where human enginuity could combat the Ori, like it did against the Goa'uld in the early years of SG-1. But no, that would involve the writers actually using their brains rather than just writing "SUPER POWERFUL ANCIENT BEINGS WHO CAN DO ANYTHING" as their badguy summary.

Otherwise, I have no problem with Merlin's weapon, or the ark of truth being used as a plot device. But when you've got a 'hunt for the ancient device' plot used every year, it gets old, and very lazy on TPTB's part.

 

[Hermiod]

Otherwise, I have no problem with Merlin's weapon, or the ark of truth being used as a plot device. But when you've got a 'hunt for the ancient device' plot used every year, it gets old, and very lazy on TPTB's part.

Every year ? Seasons one, two, three, four, five, six and eight featured no such plot line.

 

[DWF]

It doesn't matter how these things were found, my point was there was far, far too many all powerful devices/weapons just waiting to be found by SG-1. As if there weren't enough in the series, they then made an entire film about it.

Which, again, is the point of the show.

How else do you propose that they beat the Ori in 90 minutes ? Convince the Ancients to fight them when they'd been talking about how they don't interfere season season five ?

Perhaps they could suddenly come up with many new ships, fitted with Asgard weapons ?

Agreed as I've said in the past, how else could they stop beings like the Ori or Anubis with bad language and curse words?

 

[Jax]

My guess is maybe the Ori would of been kept around if we had a 11th season and the trick would of been to stop the followers so no power for the Ori.

 

[Kpnuts]

Otherwise, I have no problem with Merlin's weapon, or the ark of truth being used as a plot device. But when you've got a 'hunt for the ancient device' plot used every year, it gets old, and very lazy on TPTB's part.

Every year ? Seasons one, two, three, four, five, six and eight featured no such plot line.

That would be because seasons 1 to 6 were Stargate at its outstanding best. It didn't need ridiculous plot devices like all powerful devices to save the day.

7-10 were godawful.

When reading "every year", please don't do a DWF and take every word I say so literally.

 

[Kpnuts]

Agreed as I've said in the past, how else could they stop beings like the Ori or Anubis with bad language and curse words?

Read this again

Perhaps they could write convincing enemies where human enginuity could combat the Ori, like it did against the Goa'uld in the early years of SG-1. But no, that would involve the writers actually using their brains rather than just writing "SUPER POWERFUL ANCIENT BEINGS WHO CAN DO ANYTHING" as their badguy summary.

 

[Hermiod]

That would be because seasons 1 to 6 were Stargate at its outstanding best. It didn't need ridiculous plot devices like all powerful devices to save the day.

7-10 were godawful.

When reading "every year", please don't do a DWF and take every word I say so literally.

You appeared to be bashing the show based purely on a misconception that every season contained a running "Find the Magic MacGuffin" plot. I pointed out that this belief was not true.

 

[Kpnuts]

You appeared to be bashing the show based purely on a misconception that every season contained a running "Find the Magic MacGuffin" plot.

No I wasn't. If I had time, I could list dozens of reasons why the latter seasons were terrible. The propensity of including "find the..." storylines is only one of the reasons.

 

[DWF]

Agreed as I've said in the past, how else could they stop beings like the Ori or Anubis with bad language and curse words?

Read this again

Perhaps they could write convincing enemies where human enginuity could combat the Ori, like it did against the Goa'uld in the early years of SG-1. But no, that would involve the writers actually using their brains rather than just writing "SUPER POWERFUL ANCIENT BEINGS WHO CAN DO ANYTHING" as their badguy summary.

Yeah maybe they should've just stuck to beating System Lords in their spare time and killing hordes of Jaffa who can't shoot straight.

 

[Hermiod]

You appeared to be bashing the show based purely on a misconception that every season contained a running "Find the Magic MacGuffin" plot.

No I wasn't. If I had time, I could list dozens of reasons why the latter seasons were terrible. The propensity of including "find the..." storylines is only one of the reasons.

I don't care if you or anyone else likes the show or not, I am stating a fact. There was the search for the Lost City which started in "Full Circle" and was finished a year later. That was all designed to be set up for Atlantis anyway.

Then there was the search for the Sangraal which took half a season. That's the occasional episode out of a season and a half of a show that ran for ten years.

 

[DarkProphet]

Otherwise, I have no problem with Merlin's weapon, or the ark of truth being used as a plot device. But when you've got a 'hunt for the ancient device' plot used every year, it gets old, and very lazy on TPTB's part.

Every year ? Seasons one, two, three, four, five, six and eight featured no such plot line.

That would be because seasons 1 to 6 were Stargate at its outstanding best. It didn't need ridiculous plot devices like all powerful devices to save the day.

7-10 were godawful.

When reading "every year", please don't do a DWF and take every word I say so literally.

I thought seasons 1-8 were great. Many of the finest episodes (perhaps the best of the entire series) appeared in both seasons 7 and 8. Lost City was really the first time they relied on Ancients technology to defeat the Goauld fleet. So that's not too bad, and that happens at the end of season 7. In season 8 it was the second Ancients technology to help defeat the Replicators. But the main villain was Anubis and it was Daniel's pleas and Oma being convinced that took out Anubis. So that's all good.
Ancients were relied on twice. I mean they were the most technologically advanced race and earth was nowhere near as advanced as the Goauld or the Replicators.

I think it was in season 9-10 where they went too far and the writers needed yet another Ancients technology (Merlin's Weapon) to take out ascended beings. But it's not really a weapon in a conventional sense. It's a writer's hack to take out beings from a higher dimension in the proximity of an entire galaxy. There is no aiming involved whatsoever. No planting the bomb in any specific location (like Celestus for example). It just takes out the entire galaxy in one fell swoop. Now that is ridiculous. It's not far from having someone modify Merlin's weapon to take out all humanoid lifeforms in an entire galaxy in one fell swoop.

I agree with you about the Ark of Truth. That is also pretty damn cheap and somehow manages to spread out throughout the galaxy. I would have preferred earth benefiting from the Asgard technology and building a fleet of ships able to take out the Ori. That would have been more hands-on and exciting.

 

[Hermiod]

^It takes months - even up to a year - to build one ship. I'm sure the fact that they have to do it in secrecy doesn't help.

 

[DWF]

^It takes months - even up to a year - to build one ship. I'm sure the fact that they have to do it in secrecy doesn't help.

And the fact that Earth ships are no match for Ori vessels.

 

[Hermiod]

^It takes months - even up to a year - to build one ship. I'm sure the fact that they have to do it in secrecy doesn't help.

And the fact that Earth ships are no match for Ori vessels.

Well, to be fair, they were by The Ark of Truth.