Episode of the Week: McKay Is Under Pressure

OCTOBER IS PUDDLE JUMPER MONTH!

When Dr. McKay is trapped underwater in a sinking Puddle Jumper, his only chance for survival may be an hallucination of Samantha Carter.

Our rewatch of favorite moments in Stargate history continues! Each month we’ll pick a theme, and feature a key episode every week. Join us by watching the episode this week, and then head to GateWorld Forum (or posting below) to talk about it!

Gate Ship One …

• The Jumper (named by John Sheppard) is technology developed by the Ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy — a ship designed to fit through a Stargate.
• The ships are security-locked so they cannot be stolen by the enemy (or a local out for a joy ride): the pilot must have the Ancient gene for the controls to respond.
• Puddle Jumpers also allowed the Lanteans to construct Stargates located in space.
• The versatile little ships have a rear compartment for storage or extra passengers, and is equipped with small drone weapons.
• There’s even one instance of a Jumper being discovered in the Milky Way Galaxy, evidently by a Lantean scientist who had resettled from Atlantis.

“Grace Under Pressure” Facts:

• This episode’s title is a play on the SG-1 Season Seven episode “Grace,” which has a similar premise: Samantha Carter is trapped alone on board the Prometheus, and hallucinates her father and teammates after a head injury.
• Though this episode was Amanda Tapping‘s first appearance as a featured guest star on Stargate Atlantis, she had previously made a very short cameo — receiving the data burst from Atlantis in Season One’s “Letters From Pegasus.”
• Tapping filmed this episode following the birth of her daughter, shortly after returning from her maternity leave — which had taken her out of action for the first five episodes of SG-1‘s ninth season.
• Actor William MacDonald, who played the Puddle Jumper pilot who sacrificed himself to give Rodney a chance at survival, would later return to the franchise in the SGU episode “Lost.”
• The whale-like, undersea creature that helps to save McKay’s life also makes a return appearance — in the third season episode “Echoes,” bringing the city a warning of an impending natural disaster.

“Grace Under Pressure” on GateWorld:

• Episode Guide
• Episode Review
• Episode Transcript
• Photo Gallery
• Screencap Gallery
• Discussion Forum

• Stargate Atlantis Season Two Podcast
• Interview with Amanda Tapping (2005)
• Interview with David Hewlett (2006)
• Interview with writer Martin Gero (2006)

Download “Grace Under Pressure” now from Amazon or iTunes!

Rewatch “Grace Under Pressure” this week! Then post your comments below, or head over to the “Grace Under Pressure” discussion thread and see what people were saying back in the day. What are your favorite moments?

Every month we’re featuring a new theme from Stargate’s 17 seasons. Watch the weekly episode with us join in the fun!