SGA 5.02 "The Seed" Episode Guide

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Précis

Dr. Carson Beckett is revived from the stasis chamber after an alien organism incapacitates Dr. Keller and triggers a quarantine of the Atlantis team.

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

From The Movie Network:

When Dr. Keller fails to report for her morning shift, concerned team members investigate and are shocked by what they discover: Jennifer, unconscious in her quarters - a mysterious web of tendrils attached to her body. Suspecting her condition may be linked to her research into the wraith data recovered from Michael’s lab, the team makes the decision to bring Beckett out of stasis. The beloved doctor leads the medical investigation while Sheppard and co. are quarantined under suspicion that they may have been exposed to the same virus that has affected Keller. As Beckett struggles to find a solution, the alien organism grows, creeping out into the adjoining corridors toward the main power grid. With Atlantis itself now under threat, Woolsey is ultimately faced with a decision that could cost Keller her life.

From Monsters and Critics: Robert Picardo and Joe Mallozzi discuss command changes on Stargate: Atlantis, posted July 7, 2008:

M&C: What adjustments will we see with Woolsey?
Robert Picardo: ... In the very next episode, which is called The Seed, he faces the first major crisis at his new command. It’s a very dramatic outing for the character. It’s - there’s not really much humor in that first one.
And he learns the lesson that he can’t simply follow the rulebook and do this job. I mean, he - by his own estimation, he’s broken protocol about five times in his first crisis.
And that puts him -- at the end of the show -- in a personal crisis because he’s always sort of defined himself as someone who knows the rulebook, evaluates others ability to live by it and now in his first series of, , crisis command decisions he’s broken his own, his own commitment to protocol and - in order to save a beloved member of the crew.
So he learns and in so doing - and so having that conflict, I think he earns the respect or the beginning respect from Colonel Sheppard because he demonstrates a capacity that he hasn’t shown thus far.
M&C: Is Woolsey going to be loosening up as this character arc and be less by the book as the season goes on?
Joseph Mallozzi: Well I mean, you kind of answered that question with regard to Episode 2 where - I mean, he comes in and he’s essentially appointed because he is a by the book guy and someone who the IOA feels they can trust to follow protocol.
And in his very first, crisis situation in Episode 2 called The Seed, he throws the playbook out the window and quickly realizes that in the Pegasus Galaxy, you can’t just follow protocol in order to save lives and really make the right decision.
You really have to react as a situation dictates. You just kind of play it by ear and it’s like a little mini crisis for Woolsey at the episode’s end where he realizes he - rather than following protocol, he went against protocol.
And even though the situation worked out, that’s not the point because I mean, that he was not sent to the Pegasus Galaxy to just kind of play the cowboy.
M&C: Talk about Woolsey’s relationships with the other Atlantis characters this year and is there one character you’re especially enjoying seeing Woolsey interact with in season five so far?
Robert Picardo: ... In the episode that we have already talked about -- The Seed -- at the end of that, I think he takes a major step in the relationship with Joe Flannigan’s Colonel Sheppard by admitting to him tat he doesn’t know if he’s the right guy to run the base because he’s already broken his own rules so many times.
But Joe basically says that’s the only way to do it here and kind of gives him a pat on the shoulder and says, you’re learning and perhaps you’re going to do better than we all thought - is the intimation of that moment.

Cast

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Production Gallery

The following are links to images concerning the production of this episode and were published by Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog:

The following are links to images concerning the production of this episode and were published by David Nykl in his personal blog:

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Production Notes

  • "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.
  • "Will Waring came by the offices today, looking well-rested from the hiatus and raring to tackle episode #2. He talked backstory with Paul who suggested he review Kindred I, Kindred II, and The Last Man." — 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. [...] Paul commented on The Seed (The wraith walls are a light brown but we light them purple. All the same, he thought the shading was too light.). — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, January 24, 2008.
  • "I told her [Jewel Staite] she’d have to get in for 4:00 a.m. every morning so that prosthetics could get an early jump on the body cast process which would take about 3-4 hours. “The trick is not to breathe too much or let the latex touch your skin,” I advised, “as it’s not only toxic but highly corrosive. Anyway, relax and have fun with it.” She wasn’t sure whether I was kidding or not." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 11, 2008.
  • "Despite the delay, I got in about five minutes before the prosthetics meeting. We discussed upcoming episodes Whispers, The Daedalus Variations, The Seed, and Broken Ties. Among the subjects covered: visual versus practical effects, stunt people vs. acrobats, fog, elements of the visual we saw in Spoils of War, yogurt, and, of course, methacil." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 12, 2008.
  • "Paul is prepping his episode (The Seed)..." — Jospeh Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 20, 2008.
  • "Said hello Paul McGillion back who dropped by the production offices on his way to his wardrobe fitting for The Seed." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, February 27, 2008.
  • March 6's shooting included McKay in a hazmat suit, according to David Hewlett's twitter entry.
  • "We're at episode 2 of season 5 [“The Seed”]. We're making Jewel's life misery right now, which is a nice change for me. I'm noticing a theme to season 5, which is a lot of people strapped to beds. So there's a little teaser of season 5. Season 5: A Season in Bed." — David Hewlett in About.com interview, March 7, 2008.
  • "I got a call from Paul McGillion yesterday who touched base to thank us for The Seed and tell me how much he’s looking forward to Whispers. Of course he says that now but his upbeat tune could change once those smog machines start running overtime." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 13, 2008.
  • "Will Waring is working on his director’s cut of The Seed." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 13, 2008.
  • "The Seed is a standalone episode." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 14, 2008.
  • "We also sat down to a director’s cut of The Seed. Great episode. Poor Zelenka." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 19, 2008.
  • Sheppard's Delight writes: "I know it is early days but I just wondered as a Shep fan (& whumper ) do you think that there are any eps in s5 that we should look forward to in particular?" Answer: "I think "The Seed" will give you some of your desires.....I am certain the true Shep fan will get their fix in season 5." — James Bamford, stunt coordinator, in his GW Q&A thread, March 23, 2008.
  • "Paul is in editing, working on The Seed." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 24, 2008.
  • "Oh, I also found time to join with the other writers [...] and watch half of Paul‘s producer‘s cut of The Seed before the dvd froze on us (Ah, the wonders of modern technology!)." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, March 31, 2008.
  • "It was wonderful to be back onset again with all of my cast mates. I guess you can call this the episode where they take Beckett out of the deep freeze! Atlantis is in peril and my character is the one who needs to take action and hopefully figure a way out of this dilemma before it’s too late and we lose some of our close friends! The crew as always was fantastic and welcomed me back with open arms, as did the cast. I could tell it was back to work like old times because of the constant taunting back and forth between Hewlett, Flanigan, Momoa and myself, which makes for good times. Will Waring was the director, and he has such an understated humour and a clear vision of what he wants, so it’s always a pleasure to work with him." — Paul McGillion in TV Zone interview, excerpts at Solutions Blog, April 4, 2008.
  • "This is true in that we have yet to reveal Woolsey’s personal reasons for accepting the command position. On the other hand, the reasoning behind the IOA’s decision to replace Carter is discussed in episode 2, The Seed." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, April 16, 2008.
  • MGM: "[Richard Woolsey has] always been quite abrasive in the past. Will this provide an opportunity for conflict with the existing personnel?" Answer: "Yes, definitely, right off the bat. In episode two, ‘The Seed,’ you’ll see that. The thing about Woolsey is that he’s always been a representative of the IOA, and the IOA have had their agenda. In some ways he’s been the rep for that particular agenda. But on the other hand, we’ve humanized him, to the point where I hope we like the guy and understand him and sympathize with his position and his willingness to at times realize that what the by-the-book situation calls for may not be the right decision." — Joseph Mallozzi in MGM interview, May 6, 2008.
  • "There are a number of standalone episodes that contain bigger arc elements (ie. The Seed, Broken Ties, Whispers, Tracker, The Queen) in addition to your one-offs (Daedalus Variations, The Shrine)." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 19, 2008.
  • DasNdanger writes: “I can’t wait to see the new Wraith ship - I LOVE gooey, icky Wraithy stuff!! Just wish they’d show us how it’s all created…is it something that Wraith produce themselves, or something they’ve created in the lab, like test tube tech, that then grows on its own?” Answer: "Check out The Seed for the cryptic answer." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 19, 2008.
  • "The very first episode that I’m featured in is the second episode of season five, called ‘The Seed.’ Woolsey has to handle his first crisis – which I of course won’t give away. He is immediately amazed at his own behavior, that he chooses to break protocol and not follow the by-the-book way of dealing with the security threat that the base is facing. He turns away from that and makes some riskier choices in order to try to save one of our endangered crew members. The book clearly states, ‘restore security with minimum collateral damage,’ which means sacrifice the one life for the good of the many. He doesn’t do that, and I think he’s kind of shocked by himself. There’s a quite nice scene that I have with Joe Flanigan at the end where he confesses to Sheppard that if he can’t trust the rules that he’s supposed to follow, he doesn’t know whether or not he can really do this. He’s a theorist that’s put in a real situation, and he doesn’t know how much of the theory that he’s memorized he can truly trust to guide his decisions. That’s a major step for his character right off the bat. The Woolsey that you saw in the alternate time line at the end of season four is the guy before he faced this kind of crisis and finds out that he cannot lead effectively the way he thought he would." — Robert Picardo, MGM interview, May 20, 2008.
  • "Back at the office today. Watched ... a Day 1 mix of The Seed ..." — Joseph Mallozzi in his personal blog, May 20, 2008.
  • “He’s basically exactly the same. I think he’s much more handsome in season five. [laugh] He’s been away from craft service and he’s dropped a few pounds! But no - there was some comment in our first episode back, ‘The Seed’. There’s a little awareness [that he’s a clone] at first, but that’s diminished now. ‘Outsiders’ is my third episode back, and I think it’s almost like, ‘Whatever!’” He laughs again. “You know that it’s Beckett. I don’t have any special super powers or anything. There’s really not too much comment.” — Paul McGillion, MGM Close Up interview, June 17, 2008.
  • "Paul [Mullie], I think, very cleverly in "The Seed," wrote an episode that does not diffuse the tension that we wanted to bring over with Woolsey, but shows a softness to him. The thing is, by-the-book works on paper [and] is easy to judge when you're sitting on Earth. But when you're in the Pegasus Galaxy and people are turning to you, it's all of a sudden life and death, sometimes the rule book just doesn't make a lot of sense and you have to rely on yourself and the people around you." — Martin Gero in Gatworld interview, published June 26, 2008.

Further Reading


--DeeKayP 11:14, 25 January 2008 (PST)