History Recap / StargateAtlantisS03E12Echoes

* EatTheDog: Sheppard suggests this with respect to Sam the Whale. [=McKay=] is justifiably horrified.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Sheppard's so focused on the 'Use the ''Daedalus'' Shield to Deflect the CME' plan that he doesn't think to ask Rodney exactly how long a CME actually lasts (such as up to several hours). Of course, Rodney's not exactly blameless here either. Even though Rodney knows all this, he ''doesn't'' explain it to Sheppard while trying to dissuade him from the plan -- something that a pissed-off John calls him out for once he realizes the plan's in trouble.

* BrownNote: The visions of past Lanteans the Atlantis team experience are due to subsonic communications from the "whales" based on their collective GeneticMemory.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Sheppard's so focused on the 'Use the ''Daedalus'' Shield to Deflect the CME' plan that he doesn't think to ask Rodney exactly how long a CME actually lasts (such as up to several hours).
** PoorCommunicationKills: Of course, Rodney's not exactly blameless here either. Even though Rodney knows all this, he ''doesn't'' explain it to Sheppard while trying to dissuade him from the plan -- something that a pissed-off John calls him out for once he realizes the plan's in trouble.

-->'''Sheppard:''' Rodney! UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague's a joke! Music/CelineDion is overrated! Zelenka is smarter than you are! ''[Rodney mentions an Ancient biolab and suggests checking it ou.]'' OK, [[EmbarrassingFirstName Meredith]].

%%* PsychicNosebleed

* StatusQuoIsGod: Atlantis regains another ZPM mere episodes after Rodney depleted its previous one.

** PoorCommunicationKills: Of course, even though Rodney knows all this, he ''doesn't'' explain it to Sheppard while trying to dissuade him from the plan -- something that John calls him out for once he realizes the plan's in trouble.

** PoorCommunicationKills: Of course, even though Rodney knows this, he ''doesn't'' explain it to Sheppard -- something John calls him out for.

* ConvectionSchmonvection: Averted. While the ''Daedelus'' shield deflects the CME, there ''is''residual heat buildup that starts damaging the hull as the CME progresses.

* ContinuityOverlap: Weir mentions the Ori Crusade as part of the SGC's justification for taking two of the Asuran ZPMs and installing them in the Antarctic Outpost and the ''Odyssey''. With this episode taking place just after the events of the ''SG-1'' mid-Season duology "The Quest" and the Ori obtaining the Sangraal, it's completley justified the SGC would be seizing any advantage they can against the Crusade.

* PsychicNosebleed
* StockEpisodeTitles: 24 uses
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Two of the ZPMs being brought back to Earth instead of remaining with Atlantis. With how bad things are going with the Ori, the SGC ''needs'' every advantage they can get (and the Ori are, for the moment, the more immediate existential threat to Earth than the Asurans or the Wraith).

* MoralDissonance: Caldwell suggests nuking the whales. Really?

* ProperlyParanoid: The episode starts out with [=McKay=] objecting to two of Atlantis's ZPMs being sent elsewhere (Antarctica and ''Odyssey''). At the time Weir correctly points out that the power sources are badly needed in those places; later of course it turns out that Atlantis is facing an imminent and lethal crisis which could have been easily solved if all three ZPMs were present. [=McKay=] wastes no time pointing out that he was correct.

-->'''[=McKay=]:''' ''A lot of animals--whales, dolphins...''
-->'''Zelenka:''' ''Pigeons.''
-->'''[=McKay=]:''' ''Are affected by the tiniest anomalies in the magnetosphere. It's as if their internal compasses were somehow, well...pigeons?''
-->'''Zelenka:''' ''Yeah, homing pigeons. I used to raise them before coming here. We used to consult solar charts before our pigeon races.''
-->'''[=McKay=]:''' ''Pigeon races?''

Rodney's [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS02E14GraceUnderPressure old friend]] Sam the Whale has been spotted circling Atlantis. Why is he called Sam? Because "it's a boy's name too." Actually, Sam is not a whale, but a large species of fish called a Flagecallus by the Ancients - but we all know a SpaceWhale when we see one, so "whales" it is. And there sure do seem to be a whole heck of a lot of them. Sam is joined first by his mom, then by a few more pods, then by what seems like every freakin whale on the planet. Sheppard wonders if they make good eating.

Meanwhile, people around the city start seeing flashes - an ancient woman speaking gibberish, a burned man in a pilot's uniform. Teyla thinks they might be the ghosts of the slaughtered Ancients from [[Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E10TheReturnPart1 the last couple of episodes.]] Ronon thinks they're the product of too much meditation. [=McKay=] manages to figure out that they (along with headaches and nosebleeds for everyone) are caused by the whales singing at them.

Fortunately, the city just happens to come with a [[strike:bat]]-whale-song-decoder! The whales are replaying events that happened 15,000 years ago, stored in their genetic memories. It's a warning. The Lantean sun puts forth a massive coronal emission every - you guessed it - 15,000 years. Last time, the Ancients got warning and were able to extend their shield to protect much of the planet, but it was still a Mass Extinction Event with respect to the unprotected area. Those, of course, were shields powered by ''three'' [=ZPMs=] - after giving one to the SGC to power the Antarctic base and one to the Odyssey to help in the fight against the Ori, Atlantis only has one of the Asuran [=ZPMs=] left, not nearly enough to protect the planet.

* ApocalypseHow: {{ApocalypseHow/Class 4}}. Zelenka says that past coronal mass ejections and the Atlantis shield explain the evidence of mass extinctions he's seen far from the city.

* GeneticMemory: now with instant playback capabilities.

-->'''Sheppard:''' Rodney! UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague's a joke! Music/CelineDion is overrated! Zelenka is smarter than you are! ''[Rodney mentions an Ancient biolab and suggests checking it out.]'' OK, [[EmbarrassingFirstName Meredith]].

* StockEpisodeTitles: 24 uses

* DeflectorShields: The Daedalus's Asgard shields (boosted by an Ancient ZPM) are able to withstand a point black coronal mass ejection from the Lantean sun.

Fortunately, the city just happens to come with a [[strike:bat]]-whale-song-decoder! The whales are replaying events that happened 15,000 years ago, stored in their genetic memories. It's a warning. The Lantean sun puts forth a massive coronal emission every - you guessed it - 15,000 years. Last time, the Ancients got warning and were able to extend their shield to protect much of the planet, but it was still a Mass Extinction Event with respect to the unprotected area. Those, of course, were shields powered by ''three'' [=ZPMs=] - after giving one to the SGC to power the Antarctic base and one to the Oddessy to help in the fight against the Ori, Atlantis only has one of the Asuran [=ZPMs=] left, not nearly enough to protect the planet.

* BrownNote: The visions of past Lanteans the Atlantis team experience are due to subsonic communications from the "whales".

-->'''Sheppard:''' Rodney! UsefulNotes/{{Canadian Football|League}} is a joke! Music/CelineDion is overrated! Zelenka is smarter than you are!

-->'''Sheppard:''' Rodney! UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague is a joke! Music/CelineDion is overrated! Zelenka is smarter than you are!

-->'''Sheppard:''' Rodney! Canadian Football League is a joke! Celine Dion is overrated! Zelenka is smarter than you are!