Be All My Sins Remember’d

Summary | Analysis | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

With a plan to potentially extinguish the Replicator threat, the Atlantis team must seek an alliance with a fleet of Wraith ships.

RATINGS SCORECARD
OUR RATING -
FAN RATING - 9.52 
NIELSEN - 1.4 
EPISODE #411
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 01.04.2008
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 02.02.2009
DVD DISC: Season 4, Disc 3
WRITTEN BY: Martin Gero
DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
GUEST STARS: Michael Beach (Colonel Abraham Ellis), Mitch Pileggi (Colonel Steven Caldwell), David Nykl (Radek Zelenka), Jill Wagner (Larrin), Christopher Heyerdahl (Voice of Wraith), Brendan Penny (Wraith), Michelle Morgan (Fran), Martin Christopher (Major Marks), Torri Higginson (Elizabeth Weir), Niall Matter (Lt. Kemp), Chuck Campbell (Technician), Jason Coleman (Larrin's Crewman), Patricia Cullen (Replicator Crew Member)
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The Atlantis team has allied themselves with a captured Wraith, a scientist who wants to help them against a common enemy. Under heavy guard, the Wraith helps McKay in his science lab.

The Daedalus and Apollo, two of Earth's battle cruisers, orbit the planet over Atlantis. On board the Daedalus, Colonel Carter is working at the Asgard Hermiod's former work station. As she reviews some recent modifications to the ship, Colonel Caldwell engages her in conversation. The two talk about her new command of the Atlantis base, which Sam tells him is going well ... though she didn't realize how much she would miss being out in the field on an SG team.

John Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon Dex are joined by their new Wraith friend on a mission to make contact with the Wraith fleet. But when they arrive on a hive ship the Wraith stun them, in order to speak with the Wraith privately. Later, on board their Puddle Jumper in space, Sheppard wakes up to find himself with the Wraith. Ronon and Teyla are there, too, but still unconscious. After returning his missing sidearm, the Wraith tells Sheppard that seven hive ships have been convinced to join their fight. It is not as many as they were hoping for, but a good start.

A war is brewing.

ANALYSIS

  • The Apollo and Daedalus have been retrofitted with the new Asgard plasma beam weapon, acquired some months ago when the Asgard bequeathed their history, their knowledge, and their technology to Earth ... before committing mass suicide ("Unending"). The Asgard themselves had helped to install these upgrades in the Odyssey, and this is the first indication that Earth scientists have managed to implement some of the alien technology in Earth's other deep space carriers.

    Odyssey also obtained cloaking technology, which so far has not appeared in any other Earth ship.

PRODUCTION NOTES

  • "Be All My Sins Remember'd" is the second installment of the mid-season two-parter, following "This Mortal Coil." Both titles are from Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1:
    To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
    For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
    When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
    Must give us pause: there's the respect
    That makes calamity of so long life;
    ... Soft you now!
    The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
    Be all my sins remember'd.

  • Guest star Michelle Morgan ("Fran") was originally cast as Linara, the daughter of the Seer, in this season's "The Seer." She had to back out because of scheduling conflicts with a movie she was shooting, and was quickly recast as Fran.
  • Does Todd the Wraith look a little ... different to you? This is the only episode of the series where he is portrayed by a different actor – Brendan Penny. Actor Christopher Heyerdahl still provided his voice for Todd, though his schedule did not permit him to be present for filming. (The same thing happened with Michael the Wraith in the second season finale, "Allies," where Brent Stait stepped into the role while Connor Trinneer was able to still provide his character's voice.)
  • Production Goof: While this episode has some of the show's most impressive visual effects sequences, there is also an erroneous CG model used for the space gate (visible at 15:56). Unlike other space gates seen throughout the series (including here in Season Four), this gate has white chevrons, it is missing its three stabilizer nodes, and it bears several Milky Way symbols (though evidently not all 39 symbols from a Milky Way Stargate). It also has only eight chevrons, rather than nine:

    Spacegate mismatch

    While this could be explained away in canon as an experimental gate that the Lanteans left here before the full Pegasus network was deployed, without power nodes it should no longer function. The team could dial in (where the wormhole is powered from Atlantis' side), but with an unpowered Stargate they would be unable to dial back again.
  • "Hey, look at what showed up on my desk yesterday. It's the second part of the mid-season two-parter compliments of Marty G. I predict it will vie for the title of Season Four Fan Favorite Episode. We'll see if the title sticks." (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
  • "Spent most of the day in editing today ('Reunion' is coming along swimmingly), taking a break for lunch and the 'Be All My Sins Remember'd' read-through. I read the part of Caldwell and really killed. Alan McCullough read the part of the lovely Larrin and we were all blown away by the palpable chemistry between him and Joe Flanigan. If we'd known he'd do such a spectacular job, we'd have cast HIM for 'Travelers.'" (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
  • "We watched Marty G.'s producer cut of 'Be All My Sins Remember'd' today. Another great episode. Can't say enough about the convening of the war council scene." (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)
  • "For the greatest space battle we've ever done, check out 'Be All My Sins Remember'd.'" (Executive producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)