Talk:Enemy at the Gate

I saw that a previous version of this article was removed because it contained too little (actually none) information. I hope this one does. —GeneralDuke 12:56, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

@Matthew R Dunn: I saw that you removed this episode's name earlier today because there was no source. I found one, so it checks out! ;) —GeneralDuke 15:39, 16 August 2008 (UTC)
 * OK, I see now. Thanks for notifying me. -- Matthew R Dunn 16:18, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

It's kind of cool, yet somewhat depressing as it's the last episode of SGA, that this episode airs on my birthday. So I'm feeling some mixed emotions here.&mdash;Anubis 10545 23:43, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

I dread the thaught of Carter being in command again, I like Woolsey much more. Sman789 21:51, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Slight mistake: Sam won't be promoted to General but to Brigadier General, as that one follows Colonel. Before gaining the rank of a full General, she would have to get promoted to Major General and Lieutenant General, respectively. GeneralDuke 22:29, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Where did we find that Carter would be general? I haven't seen it anywhere, so I'm questioning if it's true, especially because it was put on the episode's page by an unregistered user.&mdash;Anubis 10545 00:26, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

I haven't found anything about Carter being promoted, so I added "cite needed". However, while looking for evidence, I stumbled upon this! :-) GeneralDuke 14:32, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

You know what, its gonna suck if Samantha Carter becomes a Brigadier General. I see her more of a Colonel and I liked General Landry being in charge of the SGC! Tau'ri 21300—Tau&#39;ri 21300 06:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
 * She's more of a scientist. While she is in the military, it doesn't fit her personality to become a General... if that makes sense.&mdash;Anubis 10545 07:17, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

I added info from the December 15-21, 2008 issue of "TV Guide" (pg. 33) about this episode. RE687 01:29, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

I found it strange that Woolsey welcomes Ronon to Earth. If I remember, Ronon already was on Earth at least twice (once when Sheppard's father died and once when McKay was captured). Accidental continuity error?--Amitakartok 22:39, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I found that strange too. If anything, they should have welcomed Teyla. I don't recall her being on Earth before.&mdash;Anubis 10545 07:43, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

Plot
Wow, sounds cool... except for the Daedalus being damaged. I'm always in the mood for a good space battle though. It kind of sounds like it could be directly related to Vegas... or something.&mdash;Anubis 10545 06:38, 13 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I wonder if Todd's lieutenant who leads the invasion of Earth is the same one who was the Primary's hive ship commander in The Queen (He was bald Wraith with the goatee thing). Either that or it could be Kenny. (That is if he wasn't killed in Infection).
 * Kenny will be in the episode according to . Tyler McClendon is listed as playing him. Hmm...interesting.

I can't believe I let myself read the description of this episode. Now I have that feeling I get after I finish a really good video game, or when I watched/read the description of Unending. It's sort of a light-headed and mind boggling feeling. I need some time to think now...&mdash;Anubis 10545 19:15, 23 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I know the feeling. Doesn't really happen with games for me, but definitely books and TV shows. When reading a book, I will slow down as I realize I'm getting closer to the end, so that it will last longer. In the same respect, I was massively disappointed when Firefly ended. That said, don't set your expectations too high. The episode is properly EPIC for a series ender, but by no means is it perfect. The whole thing seems rushed, and very important things pass by in the blink of an eye, or are skipped altogether. It feels as though they condensed what would have been the hour long premier of season 6 in with it. For one, the Apollo, Sun Tzu vs. Hive battle is completely skipped, as is the incredibly important wormhole drive.  I mean, wormhole drive sounds like something they could dedicate a full episode to. Also skipped is the retrieval of the ZPMs. Given that "Vegas" was what it was (fairly disappointing given it's importance in the grand scheme), these final episodes were clearly written with a season 6 in mind. According to a Gateworld interview with Martin Gero, cast and crew didn't find out about the cancellation until last day of filming "Brain Storm". Otherwise, I couldn't see them dedicating their second last episode to a CSI spoof. Cheers.—Ka&#39;lel 20:51, 23 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I have yet to actually see the episode, but that's terrible that they don't show the battle with the Apollo and Sun Tzu. ... and Atlantis entering the wormhole thing. It probably was meant to be a two-parter... and it probably would have been better if it was one too. Oh, well... it still sounds pretty cool. Although now I'm pissed they don't show that battle. Also, I really hate rushed episodes. Although all really good episodes seem rushed when I first watch them though. But by the sound of it, they cut out scenes important to the plot. As I said before oh well... &mdash;Anubis 10545 20:55, 23 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually, another important point to note is that what was leaked (all anyone's seen so far) is a DVD screener which was sent to press before the episode's completion. Some of the CGI is unfinished, and it's possible for minor plot points and dialogue to change before final release. However, the episode already runs 42 minutes long, so it's unlikely much more can be included. We'll just have to wait and see, and I most definitely plan on watching these episodes again in 720p. That's also why I haven't uploaded many images, the screener quality is pretty bad. —Ka&#39;lel 21:07, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

watch?
who of you watched this episode already? AND PLEASE RESPOND!—Tau&#39;ri 21300 01:23, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

I'm confused, Has this episode aired already. It has not air'd in America yet.

HAS EVERYBODY SEEN THIS EPISODE BUT ME. I'M SO ANGRY I COULD AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 * Hey don't worry, I haven't seen it either, you are not alone. I'm trying very hard not to read everything, just some things, so I don't get too spoilt. -- Matthew R Dunn 01:53, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Me too, I haven't seen it either. Although with all those screen shots I've been uploading and articles I've been creating/editing, I've been trying not to spoil it for myself... but it looks like that didn't work out to well.&mdash;Anubis 10545 05:38, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
 * what i meant was had anyone watched this episode on some website, cuz alot of you already got alot af pics and information that i was getting so curious on how so many of you noe wat happened before the show even aired.—Tau&#39;ri 21300 00:04, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
 * It's written all over this website exactly how people have already seen this episode. It's written here, here, here, at the top of this page, and here. Probably other places too. Your wait nearly is over, it airs officially in roughly two hours. Breathe. —Ka&#39;lel 00:16, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Kenny
Hey, who killed Kenny in the episode and how??? I kinda missed that.
 * AR-1 rushed in when he was about to interrogate Ronon. Looks like John shot him. —Ka&#39;lel 03:17, 31 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh my God, you killed Kenny! You bastards! (couldn't resist) :P
 * You couldn't see THAT one coming a mile away... —Cmantito 04:03, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Ending
I'm upset. I really would have liked to see Sci-Fi channel run some sort of "Good Bye Stargate Atlantis, Thanks for 5 amazing seasons" commercial like they did after the last episode of SG-1. Instead they ran a crappy 5 second SGU spot. As for the episode, it was kind of rushed... although it was still pretty awesome. In the words of Richard Woolsey "This is an historic Day". I think that pretty much sums it up :) &mdash;Anubis 10545 06:16, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Plot Part 2
I have noticed alot of wrong things in the Plot of "enemy at the gate", but this part i really got confused! It 'WAS' a fact that Atlantis' shield's would be powered up as long as there is power and that there would be 'NO' percentages and that the energy from any weapon would 'NOT' leak through it, but in this episode, that was just what they did!—Tau&#39;ri 21300 12:03, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
 * You used a double negative, so I don't really know what you're asking. But I'll take a crack at it. Whatever you think happened in Enemy at the Gate that has you so confused, didn't. The opposite happened. Atlantis' shields worked just fine. Does that help? —Ka&#39;lel 15:03, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
 * I think he means when they said "shields down to 70%" or something like that, and when there were sparks flying in the Control Room. I tried explaining that at the bottom of the weaknesses section of the Atlantis shield article and it seems pretty sound.

oh, i understand now y the shields were losing power. yeah, its a big ship, was meant to just be a flying city, thats all. and a space battle wasn't wat it was designed for. shoulda saw that one. beckett even said that he didn't have enough power. atleast Atlantis survived =)

the only stupid thing i found in this last episode was the fact that john didn't jsut go to the control chair and demolish the super hive while it was in lunar orbit. hell, he couldve destroyed the darts coming at him aswell....

and another thing, where the hell was the Oddyssey? on a secret mision? what the hell is thta mission! hopefulyl we'll find out during the movie. maybe its to another galaxy lol. the atlantis expedition doesn't get to find out and ren't they supposed to have the hgihest security known to mman, living in another galaxy and all.—SupremeCommander 18:21, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
 * As the Odyssey is ZPM powered too, it probably could have seriously crippled the hive ship, which would have destroyed the plot. They couldn't let the Odyssey loose because it's sooo powerful so the best thing that the writers could do was just leave it out all together. Although it would have been coll if, at the end, the Odyssey exits hyperspace over Erath guns blazing.&mdash;Anubis 10545 20:54, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
 * That would be like in the series Battlestar Galactica where in the Battle of New Caprica, the Pegasus starts firing its weaponat the basestars to buy Galactica time!
 * What makes you think the asgard phasers on the oddyessy would be any better than the daedalus's? The physical guns were only designed for the power outputted by Asgard generators. The weapons on the hive were purpose built over a period of months to handle more power from a ZPM. Extra power can only go so far if the systems can't use it. Yes it's shields may last a little longer, but inevitably you would have needed drones to destroy them from a ship unless your shields could last hours. Sman789 01:42, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * In EATG, Col. Caldwell said "Full power to the beam weapons" (or something like that), which shows that Asgard Plasma Beam Weapons can fire a more deadly stream of plasma depending on the power provided. That, in conjunction with the more powerful shields and engines, would have made the Odyssey last longer in battle. I'm not saying that much longer, or that it would win... but it would last longer. It would also probably help if Tau'ri ships didn't just stay in one spot or fly in a straight line during every battle. I mean, there are a few (like the battle of Asuras) where they're not, but almost everywhere else, the ship stays stationary.&mdash;Anubis 10545 04:02, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Im sure they can handle a little more energy than they usually get but I dont think they can channel enough ZPE at the wraith ship to do any form of major damage, the difference would be minor. Also, if I may ask, are the SFX any different on the proper aired version than on the leaked one? And do we get to see the wormhole drive? Sman789 21:03, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * The SFX does seem to be better, but no, the wormhole drive isn't shown :( &mdash;Anubis 10545 01:46, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

The SFX are finished and it's most apparent during the battle between Atlantis and the Hive. Beckett's firing of so few drones doesn't look as pitiful when the massive explosions are added. I'm in the process of updating a lot of the images from the unfinished copy. —Ka&#39;lel 04:22, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Thats the thing I really dont understand about the battle. Why on earth would you fire one drone at a time at the hive. If he'd done what O'neill did on lost city P2 the hive would have been vapourized instantly, the combination of the energy fields of all those drones could easily burn through the hives hull, even with its extra-denseness. I mean, he was basicly ignoring the only advantage of drones over energy weapons, which is that they go through stuff, and in big enough numbers, any stuff!!!. And seeing as atlantis' 3 ZPMs were only powering the shield to hold in air when Atlantis first arrived at earth (the hive didnt fire until after atlantis did,) there should have been more than enough power to fire them all at once seeing as you only need one ZPM not even at full power to do it. Also whilst they were en route they mabye could have programmed the atlantis chair to make use of all the antactic drones too allthough probably not. Sman789 23:06, 16 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Sman789, I think you may be overlooking the fact as to who is in the chair. We all know from Rising, et. al. that Beckett, despite having a high CIA, is not the very best at controlling Ancient Technology.  The fact that he manages to fly the ship, and land it, is in itself quite impressive.  And on top of that, we have no idea how the Wormhole drive taxed the ZPM's, but there even Zelenka said it would require massive amounts of power.  That, coupled with damaged systems, might have limited their firing capacity.  As for why they didn't rig the chair to the Ancients Weapons Platform in Antarctica, the reason is simply that they didn't know that the had to.  Atlantis still believed that the chair was intact, and was probably expecting Sheppard to be firing by the time they got there.  Hope that clears up some confusion.--Nmajmani 16:08, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

Now that the ori and all there followers are gone why couldn't they use the core to make weapons to defeat the wraith in enemies at the gate

Keller
Was I mistaken and missed her early on, or did Keller only appear in about two scenes really late into this episode? --69.11.210.98 22:08, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

i only remmber seeing her when Woolsey goes to tell her about the wormhole drive and to be at the ready cuz they were gonna be under fire in a few moments if they survived the jump—SupremeCommander 01:01, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Keller was given only two scenes in the episode, before they enter wormhole space, and at the very end. That is indeed her only moments in this episode. --Nmajmani 03:41, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

Gate Priority
The thing I found to be confusing, from a technical standpoint, was this gate-priority business. As far as we had been informed, (based on information from Talk: The Pegasus Project and other sources iirc, Milky Way gates shouldn't work in Pegasus and Pegasus gates shouldn't work in Milky Way -- that would make both what they did with the hive ship, and that babble about the Midway workaround irrelevant or at least, incorrect, unless I'm missing something. In addition, WHY would a Pegasus gate take priority over a Milky Way gate? Especially considering that they don't share symbol-sets (now I know that with Atlantis dialing earth that issue would still exist, but I rather assumed that that was the function of the control crystal -- to convert Pegasus symbols into Milky Way symbols). Any thoughts from anyone else? —Cmantito 04:15, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Im Guessing that the Pegasus gates have priority over Milky Way gates because they were ALOT more advanced.—Tau&#39;ri 21300 05:26, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
 * First off, the control crystal is simply a security precaution. It allows the 8th chevron to lock, without which they can't actually dial the other galaxy.  Any pegasus gate can dial a milky way gate.  As for the priorities, the Ancients probably made the pegasus gates prioritize in their design.  As such, the wraith simply used the gate to block incoming wormholes, and to deactivate the SGC gate.  And then... Dr. McKay can fix anything, I'm sure he could simply dial the equivalent milky way symbols on the DHD for the Alpha site. --Nmajmani 03:02, 13 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Excellent explanation! —Cmantito 10:48, 13 January 2009 (UTC)

If Pegasus and Milky way gates work in each others galaxy, why did the Ancients even design a different one for Pegasus?&mdash;Anubis 10545 23:13, 16 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Probably to come up with technology. The pegasus gates are the digital equivalent of the milky way gates.  As such, new galaxy, need to build a gate with different symbols, why not improve the hardware and the OS a bit.  It's like if you moved to a new house, you'd probably get new tech installed, but your old home would still have old tech in it, unless you took the time to upgrade.  And as far as I understand, the Ancients simply abandoned the milky way network, making the task of replacing each gate essentially pointless.  Just think how many gates they built for Pegasus, and I don't think they ever mentioned how long it takes to build a gate.  As for redesigning it a bit, it's mostly cosmetic, just bringing the entire spinning ring to a set of 36 screens.  It dials faster too.
 * Another thing worth mentioning is that we have no idea how long it was between the Ancients arriving in Pegasus (Several million years ago according to Rising) to when they decided to build new gates. For all we know, they could have been using the milky way design for millennia before redesigning.  It could be that the new gate was a more recent invention, but that is purely speculation. --Nmajmani 03:35, 17 January 2009 (UTC)