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Thirty Eight Minutes is episode four of the first season of Stargate Atlantis. The episode first aired on July 30, 2004. It was written by Brad Wright and directed by Mario Azzopardi.
Summary
While on a reconnaissance mission to the Wraith home world, Sheppard is attacked by a paralyzing insect. While trying to return through the Stargate in orbit around the planet, the puddle jumper becomes lodged in the gate. The team must find a way to dislodge it before the stargate disengages after the 38 minute limit.
Plot
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
John Sheppard and his team return to the Wraith planet where they were held prisoner on board a Wraith hive ship. The vessel is now gone, leaving a vast crater behind. On their return to the Puddle Jumper, they are attacked by three Wraith . As they retreat, Sheppard is attacked by a large insectoid creature which attaches itself to his neck. One of the Wraith takes note and doesn't bother to kill him, understanding that the creature will do the job.
Ford attempts to help Sheppard by removing the insect but he is unable to do so. He shoots at it but the creature doesn't detach and instead regenerates causing Sheppard pain. The attempt nearly kills him. They deduce that the creature may be related to the Wraith. The team returns to the jumper and takes off hoping the doctor will be able to do something on Atlantis. They are attacked as they take off, and one of the jumper's drive pods becomes damaged.
They dial and approach the orbital stargate and attempt to go through but unable to retract, the drive pod becomes stuck in the gate lodging the puddle jumper halfway within the event horizon. Ford, who was partially within the wormhole is pulled back into the back half of the ship. He communicates their situation to Atlantis. As the gate interprets the jumper as one continuous object, the jumper cannot be rematerialized on the other end until the whole ship enters the event horizon.
A team gathers to try to solve the problem. They have 38 minutes before the wormhole shuts down and those remaining in the back of the jumper are exposed to space. The only suggestion the team currently has is to close the ship's partition, hoping enough atmosphere remains until another puddle jumper can be sent to rescue them. McKay is frustrated at their progress and works on the jumper's computer pathways hoping to randomly trigger the command to retract the drive pod. Sheppard begins to lose feeling to his arms and legs.
On Atlantis the team grows frustrated. Dr. Kavanagh suggests that McKay's tinkering may cause the engine to explode and send the wreckage through the gate. Weir reprimands him for his self concern and threatens to send him to an uninhabited planet. Dr. Radek Zelenka, experimenting on a puddle jumper on Atlantis, communicates to McKay a means of narrowing down the command pathways to only those responsible for the drive pods. This improves his odds of of finding the right command but his chances of success remain slim.
Dr. Carson Beckett advises Ford to test various substances in the med kit on the creature to see if it reacts. Nothing works, but saltwater causes a violent reaction which does more harm than good. While Sheppard thrashes about, McKay accidentally hits the controls and the ship slides further into the event horizon eliminating any possibility of surviving in the back half after the gate shuts down.
Sheppard comes up with a risky idea to save himself. He suggests that the creature may stop feeding if he's dead. He suggests that his heart be stopped with the defribilator, wait for the creature to detach, and attempt to restart his heart once more using the defribilators. Should they be unable to resuscitate him, they can place him within the event horizon, preserving him. Ford agrees to John's idea and stops his heart. The creature detaches itself after a minute and Ford shoots it. The attempt to restart Sheppard's heart fails however, and Teyla pushes him into the event horizon.
McKay continues to work on the commands and to his surprise, he hits the right one, and the drive pod retracts. The jumper doesn't go through the gate, however, as they have no forward momentum. Ford attempts to push the jumper through by banging against the bulkhead with no luck. Kavanagh communicates his suggestion to open the rear hatch and use the depressurization to push the ship forward.
Ford insists that McKay and Teyla move into the event horizon and stays behind to open the hatch. He grabs a firm hold of the cieling and opens the hatch. The vessel is pushed forward and reconstituted on the other side.
As soon as the ship makes it through the gate, Beckett and his medical team tend to Shepphard and Ford. Sheppard is successfully resucitated and Ford proves to be fine.
- Previous Episode: Hide and Seek
- Next Episode: Suspicion
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