SGA 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3" Episode Guide

Précis

While the team risks going into the Replicators' city to obtain a ZPM to power the city-ship Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter joins the crew of the Apollo to search for the missing base.

Guide | Transcript

MGM/SciFi.com Official Summary

Atlantis remains stranded and out of power, in the middle of space. Col. Ellis of the Apollo has reported the city's disappearance, and Col. Samantha Carter and Dr. Bill Lee of Stargate Command travel to the Pegasus galaxy to initiate a search. Carter has a plan to find Atlantis, but it will take time — lots of time. They must hope that they're not too late.

The denizens of Atlantis aren't waiting around for rescue. Rodney McKay modifies a Jumper to fly through hyperspace so a team can travel to the Replicator homeworld and steal a Z.P.M. to power the city. Elizabeth Weir, now part-Replicator herself, agrees to go along because she can link to the Replicators' mind-network and guide her people where they need to go. She is uneasy about her strange new abilities, but determined to help.

Sheppard, Weir, McKay and Ronon fly to the Replicator homeworld, where McKay activates the link between Weir and the Replicators. With new knowledge flooding her mind, Weir guides Sheppard and Ronon as they sneak into the city and steal a Z.P.M. The mission seems accomplished.

McKay, however, makes a crucial discovery by probing the Replicator network through Weir's link. Buried in the sentient machines' base code is a dormant command to attack the Wraith. If the team could activate that command, Atlantis's two greatest enemies would go to war and, just maybe, wipe each other out. It's a riskier mission than stealing the Z.P.M., but it's too great an opportunity to miss.

Sheppard and Ronon trek deeper into the city to the Replicators' central data core. Unfortunately, as Sheppard struggles to activate the command, the Replicators discover them and soon adapt to their anti-Replicator shields and weapons.

With Sheppard and Ronon about to be captured or killed, Weir takes action. She confronts the Replicator leader, Oberoth, outside the core room. Engaging him in a Replicator-style psychic battle, she tricks him into believing that he has defeated her even as she actually freezes all the Replicators long enough for Sheppard to activate the command. Then her control weakens and Oberoth reasserts his power. As the Replicators capture Weir and swarm after Sheppard and Ronon, she orders the two men to leave without her. They barely escape back to the Jumper.

Deeply saddened by Weir's sacrifice, Sheppard flies his team into orbit. Replicator ships are pursuing them, and the Jumper has no power left after the hyperspace flight that brought it here. Unless McKay — or Samantha Carter — can work a miracle, they will die despite Weir's heroism.

Cast

• Joe Flanigan as Lt. Col. John Sheppard
• Amanda Tapping as Col. Samantha Carter
• Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan
• Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex
• and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay

Guest Stars

• Torri Higginson as Dr. Elizabeth Weir
• Michael Beach as Col. Abe Ellis
• David Nykl as Dr. Radek Zelenka
• Bill Dow as Dr. Bill Lee
• David Ogden Stiers as Oberoth

Production

• Written by Carl Binder
• Directed by Martin Wood

Related Articles

Keywords

• Apollo
• Asurans (Replicators)
• Atlantis
• Puddle Jumper
• Wraith
• Zero Point Module (ZPM)

Other

• Season Four Episode Guides
• Episode Guides
• Season Four Transcripts
• Transcripts
• Previous: SGA 4.01 "Adrift Part 2" Episode Guide
• Next: SGA 4.03 "Reunion" Episode Guide

Related Links

Official

• Official MGM Stargate Atlantis Website
• SciFi Channel 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3" Episode Guide

Fan

• Solutions On-Site Forum: Season Four Discussion Board
• Solutions News and Spoiler Blog
• Stargate Screencaps: Season Four

Production Notes

• This episode is paired with "Adrift" as a two-parter, but more like "Progeny" and "The Real World", with "several like story elements that will run through a number of episodes in the show’s fourth season." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 2 blog)
• Joseph Mallozzi's one-word description of this episode is "gamble". (Joseph Mallozzi's March 5 blog)
• "They are both big episodes [Adrift and Lifeline], offering much in the way of eye candy visual effects, character moments, and major revelations." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 21 blog)
• "Since Martin Wood is Up north shooting scenes from Continuum, Andy Mikita will be stepping in to direct some days from Adrift and Lifeline." (Joseph Mallozzi's March 22 blog)
• Images from the set of Lifeline are included in Josesph Mallozzi's March 30 blog entry (including Dr. Weir with others in a puddle jumper).
• "Doppelganger and Lifelife certainly have their dark moments as well." (Joseph Mallozzi's April 3 blog)
• "As for what happens in Lifeline, well, we go to the Replicataor city. That's a tough episode to talk about because there are things I can't reveal. I will tell you that there are some heavier emotional scenes in this episode which are nice, and I think turned out well. They add a layer to the overall body of episodes this season that I believe is going to make the fans appreciate the show a bit more." — Joe Flanigan, Starburst interview, published August 2007.

Further Reading

• Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
• Starbust #354, Interview with Joe Flanigan, August 2007
• Alex Levine's SciFi.com Blog, October 5, 2007

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--DeeKayP 06:28, 1 June 2007 (PDT)