SGA 5.01 "Search And Rescue Part 2" Episode Guide
Précis
A race against time pits Col. Carter's crew against Michael and his Wraith hybrids to recover the Atlantis team trapped in the rubble of Michael's facility.
Guide | Transcript
MGM/SciFi.com Official Summary
The official summary is not available as this episode has not yet aired in the United States.
Spoiler Summary
Sheppard has returned from the future and things are kind of hectic in the city of Atlantis. To make matters worse, Lt. Edison returns to the base without the rest of his team. They were trapped when the compound they were in off-world exploded. Edison is not certain of how many, if any, survivors there are because he lost radio contact with them. Carter gathers several teams for a Search and Rescue operation because the Daedalus is two hours away. The S&R team consists of new military member Capt. Alicia Vega, combat engineers, and Dr. Jennifer Keller’s medical away team.
Trapped in the debris are Maj. Evan Lorne and Dr. Rodney McKay. The S&R teams have used three Puddle Jumpers in their operation, and once rescued, McKay pilots one with Carter as co-pilot, Keller and Vega riding behind them, and Lorne and some Marines occupying the seats in the back compartment. While they head for their Jumper, they are attacked by several Wraith darts that are under the command of Michael in his cruiser. The Wraith activate the Stargate, preventing the teams’ escape. The teams realize that the Wraith are also after the survivors who are still trapped on the planet and must be dug out (McKay said that two people remain trapped). Fortunately, the Jumpers are cloaked, but cannot engage twenty darts without great risk, so they decide to hide in orbit and await the arrival of the Daedalus.
Michael has as part of his cruiser crew Kanaan, the Athosian father of Teyla’s son.
Cast
- Joe Flanigan as Lt. Col. John Sheppard
- Rachel Luttrell as Teyla Emmagan
- Jason Momoa as Ronon Dex
- Jewel Staite as Dr. Jennifer Keller
- Robert Picardo as Richard Woolsey
- and David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay
Guest Stars
- Amanda Tapping as Col. Samantha Carter
- Connor Trinneer as Michael
- Kavan Smith as Maj. Evan Lorne
- Mitch Pileggi as Col. Steven Caldwell
- Martin Christopher as Maj. Kevin Marks
- Leela Savasta as Capt. Alicia Vega
- Sharon Taylor as Technician Amelia Banks
- Patrick Sabongui as Kanaan
- Lt. Edison
Production
- Written by Martin Gero
- Directed by Andy Mikita
Production Gallery
The following are links to images concerning the production of this episode and were published by Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog:
- Candid: Leela Savasta at her uniform fitting for Capt. Alicia Vega (February 12, 2008)
- Concept Art: Wraith Tablet (February 14, 2008)
- Candid: Leela Savasta (February 14, 2008)
- Candid: Leela Savasta (February 14, 2008)
- Candid: Fake Baby - Full Body (February 15, 2008)
- Candid: Fake Baby - Head Shot (February 15, 2008)
- Candid: Fake Baby's Fake Umbilical Cord held by Carl Binder (February 15, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Two clapperboards for Scenes 67 and 67A (February 18, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Martin Gero posing with the remains of someone/something in a Wraith lab (February 18, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: A Wraith examination table with hand-held scanner and restraints (February 18, 2008)
- Concept Art: From "The Kindred Part 2", the scanner at the examination table appears to be a Wraith Ultrasound Handset (October 12, 2007)
- On Set at Norco: A Wraith console/screen for ultrasound - inactive (February 18, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: A Wraith console/screen for ultrasound - active with image of fetus (February 18, 2008)
- Candid: Jason Momoa with his dreadlocks reattached (1) (February 19, 2008)
- Candid: Jason Momoa (2) (February 19, 2008)
- Candid: Jason Momoa (3) (February 19, 2008)
- Candid: Jason Momoa (4) (February 19, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Silhouette in red fiber optics (February 20, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Profile of one of Michael's Bugmen or some other kind of Wraith thing (February 20, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Wraith console display - active (February 20, 2008)
- On Set at Norco: Wraith console (February 20, 2008)
- Candid on the Lot: Martin Christopher (plays Maj. Kevin Marks) (February 22, 2008)
- Candid on the Lot: Amanda Tapping (February 22, 2008)
- Candid on the Lot: Mitch Pileggi (February 22, 2008)
- Candid on the Lot: Amanda Tapping and Mitch Pileggi (February 22, 2008)
- Candid on the Lot: Amanda Tapping and Martin Gero (February 22, 2008)
- On Set: Director Andy Mikita and Actor Leela Savasta converse (February 26, 2008)
- On Set: Preparing the MALP to go through the Stargate (February 26, 2008)
- On Set: Greenscreen of soldier in front of the Stargate for a "puddle pass-thru" (February 26, 2008)
- On Set: Prepping a scene in the control room (February 26, 2008)
- March 5, 2008, entry has several puddle jumper images, both on set and concept art
- Concept Art: Sheppard trapped in the rubble (March 10, 2008)
- On Set: Connor Trinneer as Michael at a Wraith console (March 10, 2008)
- On Set: One of Michael's Bugmen or perhaps just a Wraith device of some sort (March 10, 2008)
- On Set: Rubble with what appears to stained with blood (March 13, 2008)
- On Set: Rubble that appears to be stained with blood (March 13, 2008)
- On Set: "Devastation" (March 14, 2008)
- On Set: "More devastation" (March 14, 2008)
- On Set: Leela Savasta talks with crew amid rubble (March 14, 2008)
- On Set: David Hewlett and Kavan Smith exit the studios all covered in dust (Maj. Lorne has some facial lacerations) (March 17, 2008)
- On Set: Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter in the rubble (March 17, 2008)
- Candid: Kavan Smith in costume (March 17, 2008)
- On Set: Michael (Connor Trinneer) at controls (March 22, 2008)
- On Set: More Michael at controls (March 22, 2008)
- On Set: Wraith set (March 22, 2008)
- On Set: Michael at controls (from behind) (March 22, 2008)
- On Set: Inside Michael's cruiser (March 22, 2008)
- On Set: The rubble (March 25, 2008)
- On Set: Connor Trinneer as Michael (March 25, 2008)
- On Set: Patrick Sabongui as Kanaan (March 25, 2008)
- On Set: Michael at controls (March 25, 2008)
- On Lot: Kavan Smith (Lorne) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
- On Lot: Kavan Smith (Lorne) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
- On Lot: Kavan Smith (Lorne) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
- On Lot: David Hewlett (McKay) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
- On Lot: David Hewlett (McKay) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
- On Lot: David Hewlett (McKay) and Kavan Smith (Lorne) bloody and dirty (April 12, 2008)
Mallozzi's Search and Rescue videos:
Related Articles
Keywords
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- Season Five Episode Guides
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- Previous: SGA 4.20 "The Last Man Part 1" Episode Guide
- Next: SGA 5.02 "The Seed" Episode Guide
Related Links
Production Notes
- "We are not thinking past season four which will end on a cliffhanger. We have a general idea of where we want this major arc to go and hopefully will have a chance to develop it with a fifth season pick-up." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, August 10, 2007.
- "It really hit home this afternoon when I glanced up at the whiteboard and saw the big, empty space beneath the Season 5 heading and beside the numbers 1 through 20. Marty G. helpfully filled in areas with the following titles: Premiere, Mid-Season Two Parter, and Finale. Awesome! 4 down and 16 to go!" — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, October 24, 2007.
- "To those of you asking - yes, Jason [Momoa] did cut his hair. The dreads were becoming a bit of a pain and he asked us if he could go ahead and lose them. Paul [Mullie] and I wanted to accommodate him but were a little concerned given that the first episode of season 5 will pretty much pick up events as we leave them in the final episode of season 4, and we figured the fans might notice the not-so-subtle change in hairstyle. Well, after getting on the phone with Jason’s hair expert (no kidding), we arrived at a solution. Jason could lose the dreads provided he held on to them. A couple of weeks prior to the start of principal photography for season five, they would be reattached in a procedure that would take approximately four hours, and he would have them back for premiere. Thus, Jason is happy and continuity is maintained. As for the ultimate fate of those dreads - that, among many other things, is up for discussion this week." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, October 28, 2007.
- "Oh, a little correction to something I stated in yesterday’s blog entry. The process of re-attaching Jason’s dreads will not take the laborious four hours I had assumed. It’ll actually take a little longer. Approximately two days. See, this is why I prefer to keep him hair short." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, October 29, 2007.
- "We know where we’ll be going with the first two episodes and it looks like the idea Carl pitched out today will find the third slot. After that, it’s wide open although, there are a couple of ideas that look very promising." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, November 1, 2007.
- "As you may or may not have guessed, the title of our premiere (which I cryptically referred to as S&R) is Search and Rescue. Who's searching and who's in need of rescue? Tune into the season 4 finale to find out." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, December 7, 2007.
- "Okay, that’s all for now guys. Thanks for the questions but I need to get back to “Search and Rescue” our season 5 premiere. It’s due Monday and I still have a scene or two to write." — Martin Gero in Joseph Mallozzi's personal blog, January 6, 2008.
- "Andy Mikita, meanwhile, has been roaming the offices for over a week now, mentally preparing himself for the big season premiere. Regarding Search and Rescue - we’ve changed Taylor’s name to avoid having it confused with “Teyla” in rapidfire conversation. First name Alison. Last name Porter. We’ll see if that sticks." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, January 21, 2008.
- "Production Designer James Robbins swung by the offices to show us some of the concept art for the first three episodes. Marty G. weighed in on Search and Destroy [sic] (He thought the roof should be lower, the construction a little more “reined in”). [...] Woops. I meant Search and Rescue. Although I suppose Search and Destroy is also applicable. It’s just not the title." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, January 24 and 25, 2008.
- "I read, researched, looked at baby pictures (Seriously, they all look identical to me. I’m sure Marty G. will do a wonderful job deciding.) — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, January 29, 2008.
- "So far I'm doing one [episode] off the top, which explains Carter leaving the show. And I don't think I'm telling tales out of school or jumping on anyone else's press release, but since it's been announced that Sanctuary's being picked up I'm obviously not going to be a regular character on Atlantis. I think everyone has pretty much figured that one out." — Amanda Tapping, Gateworld interview, February 2, 2008.
- "Rachel remains a series regular and an important part of the team. Two of the first three episodes see some major developments for the character." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 4, 2008.
- "As I mentioned yesterday, prep is finally underway on episode #1, Search and Rescue. Construction has already started in the VFX stage, and the baby pictures are making the rounds. We’ve pulled the trigger on Porter - who may well be in for yet another name change - casting an actress who had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her part back in season 3’s Tao of Rodney but did a bang-up job and caught our attention. 'We should bring that actress back,' I suggested at the time. And now we have." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 7, 2008.
- "Meetings, meetings and more meetings. Yup. We're officially prepping episode #501, which means: MEETINGS. Concept meetings, prosthetics meetings, art department meetings, costumes meetings, props meetings, stunts/spfx meetings, VFX/playback meetings, hair and makeup meetings, extras meetings, and production meetings! Not to mention, tech surveys, fittings, camera tests, contact fittings, and the cast medicals! Whoa. This is a lot of work, right here. The slow build to the first day of shooting has begun." — Alex Levine in his scifi.com blog, February 8, 2008.
- "The introduction of the Vega character had nothing to do with lessening the onscreen presence of any existing characters (regulars or recurring) and everything to do with a genuine desire to expand our roster of familiar faces." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 10, 2008.
- "Captain Alicia Vega, a.k.a. Leela Savasta, was in for her costume fitting this morning and swung by the production offices. She’s a very sweet young lady who was genuinely surprised to learn she’d already become the talk of many a fan forum - without even having shot a scene yet." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 12, 2008.
- "Yes, production started today. Marty G. and I swung by Norco for a couple of hours and took in the sights and sounds. The sets were positively smoking. Literally! I snapped a bunch of pics and will no doubt be swinging by to snap plenty more in the days to come. I also got a couple of shots of a re-dreaded and miserable Jason Momoa who dropped by the production offices this morning. Guess that decides that." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 18, 2008.
- "And, of course, production started this week, beginning with Search and Rescue, the first episode of season 5. Much of our shooting this week was on the Norco stage, but now they're shooting on our Daedalus set. Trust me, this is going to be a very cool season 5 premier (read: expensive with lots of VFX)." — Alex Levine in his scifi.com blog, February 22, 2008.
- "Yesterday, production shifted from Norco to the Bridge Studios, leaving the dark and sinister confines of the wraith sets for the clean sleek environs of the Earth ship Daedalus. Almost the entire cast was on the lot in addition to a few familiar faces (pictured). And I’m pleased to report that Search and Rescue is coming along nicely. It will continue the tradition of big Atlantis season openers." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 22, 2008.
- "Congratulations to Martin Gero and Andy Mikita on what promises to be a fantastic season opener. We watched the director’s cut today and loved it. I’ve got plenty of behind the scenes pics on this one, but I won’t post them until after The Last Man airs so as not to spoil ya." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 5, 2008.
- "Otherwise, the front half offers up some great team-episodes as well as episodes which go a long way toward cementing the bonds of friendship between our various players (Teyla and McKay in Search and Rescue, Ronon and Sheppard in Search and Rescue, ... are a few that immediately come to mind)." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 17, 2008.
- "Michael still has Teyla and the rest of the…I don't know how much I'm actually able to say, but nonetheless they do manage to find me and, you know, a little baby comes. A little baby comes, which apparently is a wild and wooly scene. It was certainly a wild and wooly scene to shoot. ... Oh gosh, well in the beginning part of the season certainly she's struggling with what every mother struggles with, every working mother struggles with. She has to make a decision as to whether or not she wants to be a part of this perilous journey and return to being a part of this team that essentially puts themselves, their lives, on the line every time they step through the gate or taking care of this gorgeous being that she was so desperate to keep. ... So that's the new challenge for her and that's something that she struggles with in the first little part but everybody will be happy to know that she decides to rejoin the team. ... Oh no! [Michael's arc is] not resolved. [Laughter] Oh no, he's still out there. He's still out there and he still has his diabolical plans to rule the universe. So no, it hasn't been resolved. We're safely back where we need to be but …" — Rachel Luttrell, Gateworld interview, April 2008.
- "We’ll certainly see more of Teyla than we did in season four. As a fan of the character, you’ll no doubt love Search and Rescue, Broken Ties, and The Queen, and no doubt enjoy The Daedalus Variations, Ghost in the Machine, and The Shrine." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 28, 2008.
- According to Joseph Mallozzi in his May 6 entry, the Stargate SG-1 movie Stargate: Continuum can be seen as set after Carter leaves Atlantis in this episode. This would mean that Carter is returning to her former team SG-1 following her year in Atlantis.
- "It was one of those ones where, when we first walked in I was like, ‘How the hell are they going to pull this off?’ They were trying to build this destroyed tower in a studio. Then we got in there and started looking at it, and it’s unbelievable. We had little flames flickering in the foreground and these giant columns lying there – it was pretty neat. That was kind of fun; it was me and Kavan [Smith] stuck in a little air pocket, trying to get ourselves out. Lorne is just the opposite of McKay. Lorne’s this no complaints, do-the-job, sturdy soldier type, versus McKay who makes a meal out of everything. It is quite a fun dynamic, so hopefully they’ll pursue that a bit more." — David Hewlett, MGM Close Up, June 3, 2008.
- "The season opener is great, I think. Coming up from what Paul set up in "[The] Last Man," what had been set up at the end of "[The] Kindred, [Part] 2." Teyla's missing and all that. So all that gets wrapped up. There's some really heart-warming moments in that." — Alan McCullough, Gateworld interview, published June 4, 2008.
Further Reading
- Joseph Mallozzi's Blog
- Alex Levine's scifi.com Blog
- Solutions: SGA S5 Spoilers: "Search and Rescue", February 1, 2008.
- Gateworld: More from Tapping on Atlantis, Sanctuary, February 2, 2008.
- Solutions: Mallozzi on SGA S5 Recurring and Guest Cast, February 9, 2008.
- Gateworld: Interview with Rachel Luttrell, April 2008.
- MGM: Close Up: David Hewlett, June 3, 2008.
- Alan McCullough interview with Gateworld, "Sophomore Stride", published June 4, 2008.
--DeeKayP 11:09, 25 January 2008 (PST)