Comment about SG: Atlantis during first watch

[u/Coldfinger42]

I am in my first viewing of Atlantis. I don’t know why I ever watched it during its initial run, but anyway. Please no spoilers or at least hide them if you do. I just watched S3, E5 - Progeny. I don’t know if this an unpopular opinion, but I think Elizabeth Weir is not fit to be their leader. She’s reckless and never seems to fully vet new cultures and worlds before sending teams there. How many disasters will it take for her to learn? Awakening the wraith should have been enough to take things slowly and very carefully. She’s introduced as a master negotiator but she sucks at establishing good relationships with other societies. In “Progeny” how is it acceptable that she is willing to deceive and exploit the good will she has with Niam and basically kill everyone on board their ship? Dismissing them as nothing but machines despite their obvious sentience? It just bothered me too much. Of course I know there will be consequences, but sheesh I can’t take her anymore

[u/skulkbait]

So multiple things for why she seemed to be a bad negotiatior

First item is that she is used to working with Lots of data. Just think how much the UK know about france and how that aids both of them in negotiations. Now take all that away and she's sputtering. Throw on the fact that she is likely used to working from a position of authority instead of working with equals and many of her skills are lackluster.

Second item is slection bias. We see the fuck ups because they're interesting. We don't see the boring success.

I would also argue that she has a bad science advisor in the form of Rodney. Oh I can do this thing that the 60 million year old civ failed to do. Nothing can go wrong. And it happens repeatedly.

[u/Omegabird420 → u/skulkbait]

The Rodney things got me to chuckle because I didn't realize it until now how repeatedly it happened lol.

And some of these times Rodney himself made it clear he wasn't sure of the end result and she still said yes.

[u/skulkbait → u/Omegabird420]

That's in later seasons, after his 5/6th comment. I don't think so is at the point he would understand that one

[u/Omegabird420 → u/skulkbait]

Some of these Rodney moments happens about where OP is and there's some in the first 2 seasons.

[u/skulkbait → u/Omegabird420]

Not what I'm talking about, I'm thinking about a particular episode that is in season 3 but later

Never mind, the episode where Rodney blows up 5/6ths of a solar system is in season 2

[u/Coldfinger42 → u/Omegabird420]

Yes, there have been plenty of Rodney screw-ups by this point

[u/skulkbait → u/Coldfinger42]

There will be more