"The Long Goodbye" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of Stargate: Atlantis.
Synopsis[]
Lt. Colonel John Sheppard's team finds two pods adrift in space. When they recover them, they find an aged person in each one. The two consciousnesses make it into Sheppard and Dr. Elizabeth Weir, and convince the team that they are old lovers. However, the two are actually enemies trying to kill each other over a war that ended a long time ago.
Previously on Stargate: Atlantis[]
The Trust implants a Goa'uld in Colonel Steven Caldwell and has him attempt to blow up Atlantis. The Atlantis expedition discovers this and is able to save Atlantis and remove the Goa'uld.
Plot[]
While scouting an isolated moon by Puddle Jumper, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard and his team discover two battered escape pods in decaying orbit. They bring them to Atlantis, where Dr. Rodney McKay opens the first pod. An aged, unconscious woman lies within, near death. When Dr. Elizabeth Weir approaches for a closer look, an energy beam lances out of a black box-like device in the pod and strikes her, which causes her to collapse.
She awakens moments later, claiming to be a woman named Phoebus. Because her body is dying, the pod has automatically stored her personality and imprinted it on the first living person to approach. Before Sheppard, Colonel Steven Caldwell and the other observers can grow too alarmed by this strange story, Weir seems to resurface. She confirms what Phoebus said and adds that the imprinting will last only a few hours. Before Phoebus's personality vanishes forever, however, she has a request. Her husband, Thalan, is in the second pod. If Sheppard will volunteer to host him, the two can briefly be reunited before they die.
Sheppard reluctantly agrees and receives the imprinting. Phoebus greets Thalan with a kiss — but then the two grab whatever weapons are handy and start firing at each other. In fact, they're actually the last surviving opponents in an ancient, devastating war, and each is fanatically determined to defeat the other.
As the team scrambles to capture them, Phoebus and Thalan carry their vendetta into the corridors of Atlantis. They have total control over Weir and Sheppard's bodies, can impersonate them perfectly, and also have access to their knowledge of the city. Thalan soon sabotages the power systems, plunging Atlantis into darkness. During the struggle, Phoebus shoots Ronon Dex. The hunt goes on as Dr. Carson Beckett struggles to remove the bullet by flashlight.
The moment McKay gets the power back on, Phoebus completely locks down the city, trapping everyone in rooms and corridors and blocking all computer usage. Teyla Emmagan, locked into the same section as Thalan, manages to stun him. Then Phoebus contacts Caldwell — who has assumed command — and threatens to turn the city's fire-suppression halon gas against its population unless Caldwell helps her defeat Thalan.
Knowing that the hazardous gas could kill up to three quarters of Atlantis's residents, Caldwell reluctantly orders Teyla to drag Thalan to a security camera so Phoebus can see her ancient enemy. Phoebus is pleased and explains the war between their two peoples and how soon she will be painfully erased from Weir's body. Phoebus orders Teyla to kill Thalan and thus Sheppard as well. Teyla hesitates while Phoebus continues to threaten to release the halon gas and Caldwell leaves the choice up to Teyla. Teyla reluctantly goes to kill Thalan and Sheppard when McKay finally overrides Phoebus' control of the city and stops her. Frustrated, Phoebus takes off to kill Thalan herself while McKay is unable to stop her as he had to override everyone's control over the city to stop Phoebus' control.
As Teyla prepares to leave to chase down Phoebus, Thalan enters convulsions and is apparently erased from Sheppard's mind. Sheppard appears to regain control though he acknowledges that there's no point in trying to convince Teyla as he knows she won't believe him. At that moment, Phoebus arrives and orders Teyla to step away from Sheppard, only not shooting her due to being unsure of how many rounds she has left in her stolen P90. Teyla lies that Sheppard is unconscious which he pretends to be and Teyla discreetly passes him her Wraith handblaster. Phoebus approaches to get one last look at her enemy's face even if he is unconscious and Sheppard is able to take advantage of the moment to stun Phoebus with Teyla's Wraith handblaster, finally subduing her.
Moments after Phoebus is stunned and the handblaster is kicked from Sheppard's hands, the two are joined by Major Lorne and his team who had finally made it out of the corridor Phoebus trapped them in. When questioned by Sheppard how she knew it was him, Teyla admits that she still doesn't but knew that either way, Sheppard or Thalan, he would've shot Phoebus with Sheppard being willing to do so as he'd know that the Wraith weapon was non-lethal. Teyla then orders Lorne's team to take the two to the infirmary and keep them bound until Phoebus and Thalan are confirmed gone.
The next morning, Weir wakes up in an infirmary bed next to Sheppard who tells Weir that Phoebus finally went in the middle of the night "kicking and screaming." Sheppard tells Weir that Ronon will be fine and that the only people who believe they are really them are the two of them and Beckett. Caldwell then enters and tells them he believes they are themselves too, being the one person to understand what they've gone through due to his possession by the Goa'uld. Caldwell teases the two in a friendly manner, particularly about Phoebus and Thalan's kiss in their bodies before leaving with Weir and Sheppard being highly embarrassed by the reminder.
Appearances[]
Notable quotes[]
Ronon: So people just sit and watch this box for hours at a time?
Sheppard: Yeah, people do.
Teyla: Is it that engaging?
Sheppard: Depends what's on it. There are lots of programs on dozens of channels, every day, all day.
McKay: Most of which are fictional representations of ridiculously attractive people in absurd situations. (camera cuts to Teyla and Ronon).
Sheppard: There are educational programs, all sorts of documentaries. Not many people watch 'em but, uh, well, they're on.
Ronon: And that's what everybody on your planet does for entertainment? Watch a box?
McKay: Not everyone, although I will confess to the occasional half hour of Jeopardy.
Ronon: Jeopardy?
McKay: It's the name of the show: Jeopardy.
Ronon: Sounds dangerous.
Sheppard: Double jeopardy, that's twice as dangerous.
McKay: (to Phoebus) You two need some very serious marriage counseling!
Phoebus/Weir: Now radio security and tell them everything's fine.
Beckett: Everything's not fine!
Phoebus/Weir: (shoots Beckett) Rodney?
McKay: (triggers radio) Security, this is Dr. Rodney McKay. Everything is fine, never been better. Uh, Col. Caldwell was kidding when he said what he said.
Phoebus/Weir: Oh, forget it. (shoots McKay)
Ronon: All right, we need to split up. I'll take Sheppard, you go after Weir.
Teyla: Why?
Ronon: Cause I know how he thinks. I don't have the slightest clue how she thinks.
Beckett: (after hearing Phoebus and Thalen threaten to kill each other despite supposedly being married) Well they're headed straight for divorce!
Beckett: (when the power comes on after he just finished surgery on Ronon) Lovely! Now it comes on!
McKay: I would just like to state, for the record, that it is astounding to me that I find myself once again in the position of having to save this city when you and your…space marines can't figure out how to track down two people!
Caldwell: They're two people with the skills and resources of Dr. Weir and Col. Sheppard who probably know this city better than anyone else. And, also for the record, I was against this from the very beginning.
McKay: Yes!....(much quieter) Yes, you were.
(Weir wakes up, back in control)
Sheppard: Good morning.
Weir: Good morning.
Sheppard: What's her name sure hung in there for a while.
Weir: When did she?
Sheppard: Some time in the middle of the night, kicking and screaming.
Weir: That was the...strangest feeling you know? The entire time I was shouting to everyone but nothing I wanted to would come out of my mouth.
Sheppard: I know. It was a real nightmare. Especially when you shot Ronon.
Weir: Oh God, but I wasn't...
Sheppard: I know, I know, it was her.
Weir: How is he?
Sheppard: He's fine. Teyla and Rodney just went to see him in post-op.
Weir: Did they believe you were...you?
Sheppard: To be honest, I think the only people who believe one hundred percent are Beckett and you.
Caldwell: And me.
(Caldwell enters)
Caldwell: In fact I can safely say that I know how you feel.
Sheppard: Yes sir.
Weir: Thank you Colonel, for keeping a potentially explosive situation under control.
Caldwell: Yeah, well it was a lot closer than I would like to admit.
Sheppard: For what it's worth, McKay says you did a good job.
Caldwell: Did he? Well, maybe there's still hope for me yet.
Weir: Oh God no, don't believe anything she might have said...
Caldwell: I'm kidding. Don't give it another thought. Well if you'll excuse me, I'm sure you'll both agree that the paperwork on this is going to be a nightmare. Especially that kiss.
(Awkward moment)
Sheppard: Yes sir.
Caldwell: Well, try not to kill each other while I'm gone.
Cast[]
Main Characters
- Joe Flanigan as
- Torri Higginson as
- Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan
- Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex
- Paul McGillion as Dr. Carson Beckett
- David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay
Guest Stars
- Kavan Smith as Major Evan Lorne
- Mitch Pileggi as Colonel Steven Caldwell
- Chuck Campbell as Chuck
- Gerry Durand as Sgt. Frank Levine
- Eddy Huber as Coughlin (Uncredited)
- Tony Baretta as Smitty (Uncredited)
- Loyd Bateman as Marine (Uncredited)
- Brian Ho as Marine (Uncredited)
- D. Harlan Cutshall as Marine (Uncredited)
- Raoul Ganeev as Marine (Uncredited)
- Uros Certic as Marine (Uncredited)
- Chad Bellamy as Marine (Uncredited)
- David Neale as Technician (Uncredited)
- Lalo Espejo as Scientist (Uncredited)
- ? as Hutchinson
- ? as Marine
Notes[]
- Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir) reads the "Previously on Stargate: Atlantis" line.
- The title of this episode is an homage to Raymond Chandler's 1954 novel The Long Goodbye, which has also inspired a similarly named episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- When Phoebus first reveals that she has been imprinted within Dr. Elizabeth Weir's consciousness, Dr. Rodney McKay responds "Oh, here we go again." The last time that this occurred was "Duet", wherein Lt. Laura Cadman's consciousness was stored within McKay's mind.
- McKay angrily calls Colonel Steven Caldwell's USMC teams "Space Marines", which is a reference to Warhammer 40,000.
- Dr. Carson Beckett asks a guard for some torches and then says flashlights when the guard does not understand. In British English, the word "torch" is used to mean the same as the North American English term "flashlight".
- Weir and Caldwell discuss the events of "Critical Mass". It is also confirmed that the Goa'uld controlling Caldwell has been safely removed.
- Thalan reveals to Teyla Emmagan that Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, cares for her more then she knows. This was seen as a ploy to deceive Teyla. But proven to be true later when Teyla and Sheppard started a relationship together a few years later.
- Near the end of the episode Sheppard is seen using a Pocket PC. The Device appears to be the HP iPAQ 5555. This is the same model that they use for the Life signs detector prop.
- Thalan is also the name of a major civilization in the game series Galactic Civilizations.
- McKay mentions that he has a 16-digit command code. In "Quarantine", Sheppard reveals that he knows what the code is: 16431879196842.
- The plot is similar to the one in the Original Star Trek series episode "Return to Tomorrow" in which the last three survivors (a married couple and a representative of their enemy) of a species wish to borrow the bodies of Enterprise crewmen (James T. Kirk, Spock and Astrobiologist Ann Mulhall) until they can create android bodies for their consciousness to inhabit. This is complicated when the enemy entity inhabiting Spock's body tries to poison the one in Kirk's body reviving their old war.
Goofs[]
- Phoebus/Dr. Elizabeth Weir states that Halon gas "extinguishes life as well as fires." Halon is biologically inert and not lethal, it does extinguish fires by displacing oxygen but does not displace enough to kill a human. At high concentrations above the range needed to extinguish fires its most severe effect on a human is dizziness and mild tingling in the extremities.
- While operating on Ronon Dex, Dr. Carson Beckett wears a surgical mask, but no surgical cap. No experienced surgeon would do this except in dire situations, e.g. being under fire.
- Around 31:36 mark, when Thalan/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard aims at the door control with Ronon Dex's Particle magnum, the power cell is not glowing, like it does then the weapon is in use, indicating it is empty, yet he can still shoot. In the same shot, we can also see a pyrotechnic charge all set up on the side of the console.
- When operating Ronon's gun, Thalan/Sheppard stuns Teyla Emmagan. The gun's setting is set to yellow (stun). However, when he changes from stun to kill, the light changes from green (vaporize) to red (kill).
- At 39:39, Phoebus/Dr. Elizabeth Weir states that she didn't shoot Teyla because she didn't know how many bullets were left in her weapon. This is highly unlikely as that would've required her to not at all look at the FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon she was using, as its magazine is transparent and located on the top of the weapon.
- Sheppard is the first to go into convulsions despite Weir being the one who was imprinted first.
Other languages[]
- Russian: Долгое прощание (Long Farewell)
- Hungarian: Hosszú búcsú (Long Goodbye)
- German: Der lange Abschied (The long Goodbye)
- French: Possédés (Possessed)
External links[]
- The Long Goodbye on GateWorld. (backup link)
- The Long Goodbye article on Stargate SG-1 Solutions' The StargateWiki
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