The Defiant One - Recap

Dr. Gaul, an SGA scientist, has discovered a Lagrangian point* satellite on the other side of the solar system. Maj. Sheppard is sent to investigate. He takes along Dr. McKay, Dr. Gaul, and Dr. Abrams. It takes them fifteen hours to reach the satellite by puddle jumper. Once there, they find a massive object about the size of a Goa’uld mother ship. Gaul announces it is a weapons platform, but that it appears to be dead, showing no power output. They conjecture it was used and destroyed a long time ago when the Wraith overran the Ancients. About this time, Abrams detects a distress beacon on the planet below. It’s a Wraith distress call.

Weir gives permission for the team to investigate the distress call. On the surface, they find the wreck of an ancient Wraith ship, which looks too small to be a Hive ship. They enter and investigate. The find numerous human bodies in cocooned alcoves, which indicate to them the ship was a (food) supply ship for the Wraith. Sheppard and McKay go to find the ship’s bridge, leaving Gaul and Abrams behind. After some thought, Sheppard and McKay think some of the Wraith may have survived after all this time and they decide the team should leave the ship. However, it’s too late. A Wraith has already drained the life force from Abrams and cocooned and taken Gaul away.

Back in Atlantis, Dr. Weir decides to send a backup team to the planet as a precaution. Lt. Ford, Teyla, and two other soldiers are sent in a second puddle jumper.

The Wraith both interrogates and draws life force from Gaul, learning of the puddle jumper and Gaul’s remote for it. The Wraith heads for the puddle jumper with Gaul’s remote and radio. Once Sheppard learns what has happened, he follows. It’s feared the Wraith might be able to use the puddle jumper to signal the rest of the Wraith. Gaul at this point is in very bad shape. Most of his life force has been drained, and he can’t move on his own. McKay has been told to stay and watch over him.

The Wraith beats Sheppard to the puddle jumper, but Sheppard, using his radio, convinces the Wraith to leave the puddle jumper to meet him back at the Wraith ship. Once the Wraith exits the puddle jumper, Sheppard shots him numerous times with his P-90. The Wraith appears dead, lying on the puddle jumper’s ramp. As Sheppard approaches, the Wraith, which is not dead, quickly grabs a pistol laying nearby, and both shoot at each other. Sheppard’s P-90 is hit and his arm is wounded, but he is able to take cover in time. The Wraith runs out of bullets and goes into the puddle jumper to find another weapon, giving Sheppard time to get away.

Once Sheppard has gotten to a safe distance, he experiments with a Wraith grenade he found in the Wraith ship. He also takes time to snack on a power bar, and finds the indigenous “glowy bugs,” with high life sign output, are attracted to the bar too, and many buzz around him till he throws the bar away and they follow.

Back in the Wraith ship, McKay is torn between staying with Gaul or leaving and helping Sheppard defeat the Wraith. Gaul settles the point by committing suicide with his pistol. Meanwhile, Sheppard tries to kill the Wraith using grenade/radio booby trap, but the Wraith is only momentarily immobilized.

The Wraith and Sheppard then exchange pistol fire until both are out of ammo, but Sheppard is able to then stab the Wraith in its palm before backing to cover. McKay shows up and fires at the Wraith just as the backup puddle jumper gets close enough to see everyone’s life signs. The backup puddle jumper tells Sheppard they are close.

Sheppard feigns to attack the Wraith while at the same time placing a power bar on the Wraith, before getting knocked backwards. The “glowy bugs” arrive and begin buzzing around the Wraith, who becomes distracted by it. Sheppard orders the puddle jumper to fire on the largest life sign reading, and yells to McKay to run fast. The backup puddle jumper fires a direct hit on the Wraith, destroying it for good.

FuManchu

(*) To see information on planetary Lagrangian points (there are five), see Wikipedia.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point

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