Rodney against the world- the plot that Must Happen. srly.

[luciazephyr]

So, I'm re-watching some of SGA in prep for the new season, and The McKay Thing in The Long Goodbye has got me wondering.

Caldwell: Can you hack it somehow, override her code?
Rodney: You do know who you're talking to?
Caldwell: So that's a yes?
Rodney: I'm just saying, if anybody can, I can. I helped design the system.
Caldwell: Then do it, please.
Rodney: Alright, but I'm using my access code.
Caldwell: Why, 'cause still don't trust me?
Rodney: No, because it's a sixteen digit alphanumeric code I will have to enter God knows how many times and I haven't gotten around to memorizing yours yet.

Okay, so. If the TPTB are smart (and we know they can be), they'll use this. This? Is the foundation for a Rodney vs. Atlantis plotline and that would seriously rock the casbah. I can tell you right now that it would be my favorite episode. One man- one supergenius- against Lizzie, John, Radek, and his own team. 'Cause, goddamn, if not an episode, it should at least be a fanfic. Why hasn't it been done yet?

And I want to be Hewlett play the bad guy in an episode. 'Cause he would be amazing. Rodney's smug superiority plus "you are all at my mercy"? v. good. And he'd justify it. Like, he'd find out how to make the city fly and Lizzie would tell him no, so he'd take matters into his own hands. Hell, use a deus ex machina and have Rodney hit with an alien drug that lowers his inhibition and common sense. Then John would have to get to him ASAP to inject him with a Beckett-made antidote to get our Rodney back.

It'd be the best episode ever. Hell, make it a mid-season two-parter! Part one is Rodney going crazy from Alien Drugs and taking over, part two is John trying his damnest to save his boyfriend.

Anyone who goes to a con should ask about it at a panel if Gero or Cooper or another one of the writers is there. Recite the line about memorizing codes and ask if that'll ever come up again or if we'll get a "Rodney vs. Atlantis" episode.

I love my men smart, sexy, and slightly mad.

So, tell me: how would you do a badguy!Rodney episode? Are there any other episode ideas you'd like to see/write?

-Luce

Comments

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

An evil, or at least differently-goaled, doppleganger Rodney from another reality. Yeah. This is in my to-be-ficced list as well.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Oh, the classic deus ex machina: quantum mirrors. Alter!Rodney shows up in our time and at first seems to be a carbon copy of Our!Rodney until he... Um... ooh, finds out we have two ZPMs and decides he'd like to stick around and maybe take over the entire city or something so he can find the things he needs to save his reality, even at the expense of our reality.

Yesh.

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

It's cheesy, but HOT. =)

. . . as your icon would suggest.

I'm not a huge SG-1 fan, but I LOVE the episode where a million teams show up and one of them is EBIL. The room full of Sam Carters was classic.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Tis a good icon. *grin*

I hate Sam on principle and I still loved that episode. I was waiting for SG-15 to show up though. *sad* That woulda been hilarious.

[justabi.livejournal.com]

Rodney would be an awesome bad guy. Only, I think that they would have to re-evaluate the amount of clearance that boy has, and that would be sad. Because he could totally destroy everything and everyone if he got it into his head. Waaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than Caldwell with a snake in his head.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Hence the need for slight alien intervention. It's a bit of a cop-out, but you'd need some reasoning to keep him around. And knowing this won't happen unless certain circumstances screw around with Rodney would so work.

But, yes. It'd shake up Rodney's relationships quite effectively. And it'd make the less-enlightened fans realize the power this one man has.

And clearance? Phuft. Rodney needs no clearance. If he has command codes memorized and can still override them if need be, no one can stop him.

[rivier.livejournal.com]

I'd like a Rodney who looked bad but was secretly good! Like Data in that episode where the Enterprise meets a race of xenophobes and they all get memory-wiped apart from him, and he's trying to hide the evidence that they were ever in that place.

So, say, if Rodney activates some Ancient version of Zod, and then has to run about like a maniac trying to get him... some McGuffin, or he'll blow up the city. I'd like Rodney stuck trying to lie and pretend to me a monomaniacal despot, when he can't fess up what he's really up to!

I'm sure there's a sex-with-Sheppard interlude in there somewhere too. MMyeah

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

I have never seen any Trek sans the original series, but that sounds quite cool. And would play into Rodney's inner angst we saw in 'Grace Under Pressure; that, when it comes down to it, he doesn't trust anybody but himself.

And John would so catch onto the whole 'Rodney's not actually evil' thing and he'd try to get the truth from Rodney and they'd end up having sex. Yes.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

I and someone else were mulling something exactly like this over.

*shoves bunny at you*

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

iawtc

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Ooooo, badguy!Rodney would be so much fun! I hope if SGA plays long enough they'll get around to that. Most of the other leads have gotten to so it's only fair. In the meantime, this would make great fics! It should be a challenge of some sort - evil Rodney or just turn anybody bad (or good).

*sighs* I hope your post encourages someone to write some!

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

That would make a very interesting challenge, but in all honesty, it is very hard to run a challenge. You usually won't get many responses. Which is a shame.

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I wonder if sga_flashfic would do it. I may have to suggest it and hope for the best.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

If you suggest it, I'll second the suggestion.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Suggested it to the admins. *thumbs up*

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! I love the way you phrased it. "Dark Side," heee. Hopefully they'll do it.

[tipsywitch.livejournal.com]

How about it's our Rodney, but under some plant, crystal, smoke, room, influence he becomes really really bad, nasty with it and snarky,to hurt people. At the mo we see snippets of the real Rodney underneath all the bluster and he's a woobie. What if the gloves were really off?

Anything else is too much Data and Lore.......

[tipsywitch.livejournal.com]

P.S.hope you don't mind, I've friended you so I don't lose track!

PPs Your banner is gorgeous!

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

beckyc_m made the layout. *grins* Ten wins, man. He always has,

Hi, new friend! *waves*

[tipsywitch.livejournal.com]

Yeay! *Tipsy waves back*

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Like the change of camera angle in 'Duet', so whenever Cadman or Rodney was speaking, there was a different way of shooting? So, give Rodney another duel-personality thing?

[dr-dredd.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm a fan of mind control. The Genii could probably pull it off. (Even if Laden's now in control, Kolya's still out there.) Or maybe Wraith?

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Wraith would make more sense.Or a new villian entirely. If you're up-to-date on spoilers, then you'll know who I'm thinking of.

[dr-dredd.livejournal.com]

Indeed. David Ogden Stiers comes to mind... ;-)

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

David Hewlett can play evil really well, so I'm sure it would be a great episode! I'm just not sure if Atlantis could deal with the fallout if he was actually evil.

And Rodney has been through so much with the team, that I can't really see him turning against them entirely - so I would prefer a "Rodney appears to be evil but isn't really" episode - Or I really like the idea of an evil Rodney from an alternate reality...

There was a really great fic a while ago where Rodney and Chuck (the cute Canadian control room guy) were secretly spies for the Canadian government --- It was great! There should definitely be more evil Rodney fic! :)

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

I'm voting for Alien Intervention. I like the idea that Rodney would, under his layers of restraint and better judgement, thinks he can out-do most of the expedition.

Oh god, "The Universe is Not Enough", right? Awesome ficlet.

I hoping my suggestion to the Flashfic comm for a 'dark side' challenge comes through. Fingers crossed, eh?

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

Yep - I really like the idea of Alien intervention too.

And yes, thats the fic I was talking about. I loved it! :)

It'll be great if sga_flashfic pick up the 'dark side' challenge. My fingers are crossed too!

[amyheartssiroc.livejournal.com]

Link, please?

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Only because you said please.

[moxie-brown.livejournal.com]

OMG you stole my idea!!!!!!

Hah, actually I've been daydreaming this little story in my head for a while now. A la the tradition of evil universe trek episodes, evil Rodney and his black leather-clad sidekick duo of Ronon and Teyla (turned evil in their parallel universe after Sheppard dies in some heroic fuckup, leaving Elizabeth et al to try more and more desperate measures against the Wraith, until they lead a coup against her fumbling diplomatic decisions) pop through the gate and wreak havoc on Atlantis. They want Rodney and something from Atlantis (haven't figured that one out yet). One scene has all the main characters in the control room, megolomaniac Rodney (in black t-shirt) grandstanding about his great plan. Radek smartmouths something, Rodney goes on about his incompetence and how his Radek's learned his lesson about going against Rodney. Evil Rodney casually shoots (kills) Radek, as he can't do it in his universe for some reason (but that's okay, because he tosses his Radek through the gate after they kidnap regular Rodney, so now we have a mentally fucked up alterna-Radek to play with). Then of course there's the requisite scene where Rodney gets Sheppard alone, ties him up, and runs his gun barrel along John's jaw, explaining how their Sheppard left them to fuck everything up. The some stuf happens (this isn't fleshed out as I get distracted by the gun scene). Somehow our John and alterna-Radek manage to go to the evil universe to get (starved, abused) Rodney back, but not before getting a truly chilling glimpse into a universe that could so easily happen back home. And we get lots of mentions of how people flinch away from regular Rodney once he's up and about again, though he didn't do anything wrong, everyone now knows he has it in him, but he remembers all their evil versions and doesn't understand how they can be blind to their own potential evil. The End.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

*stares in awe*

YOU KILLED RADEK! *cries*

But seriously... find a beta, write that story. Please.

[moxie-brown.livejournal.com]

Hah! But I brought back mentally unstable Radek! And somehow, though everyone would have expected the total opposite, alterna-Radek's the only one who spends a lot of time with Rodney now, there's no tension in the labs when they work together. Radek's been granted a second chance, another opportunity to work with a true peer, and regular Rodney is like a beautifully painful memory of evil Rodney before it all went to hell.

But alterna-Radek's had enough of this suspicion, these fragile scientists jumping at the shadow of a truly innocent man, one who now knows his most damned potential and will make sure he never reaches that point. So Radek quickly (perhaps not quietly, because alterna-Radek's learned to browbeat minions from the best of them) brings the distrusting scientists in line...

...And I'm spent. This is fun, but oh god, sitting down and actually attempting to write it freaks me out.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

It'd make a brilliat epic. I'm thinking at least seven, full-lenght chapters.

[moxie-brown.livejournal.com]

*twitch* Yeah, exactly. In order for everything to flow and make sense and to let the characters grow, it'd be a pretty hefty fic. Maybe someday, or maybe someone else will come along to write their version.

[angw.livejournal.com]

After reading all the comments a dark Rodney would definitely be an interesting episode. Expecially from the person they trust (and expect) to save the day...

I could go with him being invaded by an alien entity like a Goa'uld or say someone from Progeny. Mind you drug dependence could be another way to go. The Hive episode could have easily turned out dark and agressive. And maybe it's legacy still could explored in a future episode.

In all seriousness one person having all that knowledge can't be a good thing - look at RepliCarter.

[mneiai.livejournal.com]

Wonderful idea! I mean, I'm definitely with the group that says there has to be a good reason, just so Rodney can go right back to be Rodney the next episode or whenever, but it would be fun to watch even if it were cliche....Especially if John was, say, the only one who knew there was a good REASON behind it and ended up having to take Rodney on by himself.

Which also makes me think it would be cool to have an everyone vs. John episode...like everyone else is affected by something and John is just a bit too Ancient to be controlled or whatever and he has to save everyone (also big cliche).

(though, what I've always wanted was Atlantis vs. Earth. Or at least SG-1 vs. SA 1, and for it to be in SGA, so they win ^.^)

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Better yet? John&Atlantis vs. everyone.

Earth vs. Pegasus would so win. And we could use it as a way to cut off Atlantis from Earth again, which is good.

[mneiai.livejournal.com]

Omg, yes, Jon&Atlantis would be SO wonderful. Or, wait, you do mean Atlantis as the city and not Atlantis as the people in the city, right? Because sentient!Atlantis and John need a lot more interaction, imnsho.

I even have imagined scenerios for the Atlantis vs. Earth. (Begin Babble: Like, they each, separately, find out there's a store of ZPMs somewhere, and both go after them and meet on that planet. Earth would need them, of course, for whatever shit they got themselves into THIS time and Atlantis would need them because of whatever (reallygoodMcKayapproved!)reason they need them (perhaps Atlantis needs to leave the planet and go somewhere else or something). Whatever it is, it would be dreadfully important. So they end up at odds with each other, and McKay manages to trick Sam somehow, and Atlantis makes off with the ZPMs, thus saving the Pegasus Galaxy, but, whoops, making enemies of the Earth (and, man, imagine the allies one could have if they WEREN'T aligned with Earth...).)

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Sentient!Atlantis. I always loved the idea of John as the Atlantean Prince. God, I wish I remembered what fic that came from...

That could work. Maybe as a season finale. Here's to hoping Martin Gero is connected to the hive mind of fandom and hears that.

*really just wants Rodney > Sam*

[mneiai.livejournal.com]

I think Rodney > Sam is probably the main fan desire since...well, ever ^.^

The problem with it, of course, is who's in control. We as the SGA fans want Rodney and co. to be the better group, but if it's something that's not just in SGA, but is a crossover that has episodes in both series, then I don't think there's a big chance of Atlantis coming out as the definitive better group....

They say they're going to show more about John's past and I'm really hoping that it's still very vague, because my desire for the char is that there's some sort of Ancient-related "plot" around him. Like, he's the reincarnation of an Ancient, or he's part of an Ancient eugenics program, or something like that. I was so excited because in the book "Reliquary" they have a lot of little details involving just how Ancient John is. Well, in both of the newer books, actually....

[mneiai.livejournal.com]

Btw, totally friended you, since you have such wonderful views ^.^

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! *waves to the new friend*

[sorka42.livejournal.com]

Actually, you don't even need for him to be evil!Rodney. Just give him a reason to think that the rest of Atlantis has been compromised. Whether real or imagined.

Oh! He could react to something in the water on a planet, and it makes him all paraniod. He thinks either they are all trying to kill him or that they all tured into Goa'ulds or something. Or he starts seeing everyone as Wraith.
He'll do everything and anything to make sure that his people and his city are protected.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Everything depends on messing with poor Rodney's brain.

Poor Rodney. *pets him*

[looking4tarzan.livejournal.com]

hmmmmmmmmm
I can see Zelenka making a move when the opportune moment arises......maybe it starts as a contest between the two, a contest of meglomanical proportions.....except Rodney when he puts his mind to it can be just as scary as Zelenka

one minute your sat there and bam the whole place is on lock down!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

actually, i've been planning to write something like this for quite some time now. i thought i'd make it a follow-up to "trinity", where rodney tries to get back on everyone's good side, only they won't let him. i can imagine that he might get pretty pissed about that after a while? so why not take disappointed, angry rodney and have him snap - seeking revenge on the ones he thought were his friends but obviously aren't? and what better way than to side up with the wraith? and then atlantis will have a real problem.

i'll write this. i so will.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

See, I can't see the 'siding with the Wraith'. He gets nothing out of that but being his friends' murderer. The rest is a great idea, but the Wraith thing is very shaky.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Of course this is still a little, uh, rough. I'd make sure to give him a really good reason, maybe saving Earth in return or something like that.

Rodney vs. Atlantis

[kiranovember.livejournal.com]

I'd have the team come back from a multi-day mission and slowly realize something was wrong with the rest of the expedition. Rodney would notice something about the computer systems, or what reasearch was being worked on and what had been back-burnered, and be unhappy with Weir and Zelenka making changes behind his back. He would complain to John, but John wouldn't pay much attention at first because it was just Rodney bitching. Only John (like in Home) starts to notice things are off, and gets more than a little weirded out (maybe starts to wonder if they're in a similar situation) and goes back to Rodney to compare notes. Realizing that whatever it was had to have happened while they were off-world, Teyla and Ronon are the only others they could trust.

I would have Rodney hiding somewhere in the city controlling/guiding his teammates' movements (because I want something like John in The Storm/The Eye), maybe with them having to move him around, protecting him (but I want him to have at least one good physical scene because I loved him shooting the wraith in The Defiant Ones), and Teyla needs to use sticks to subdue people without permanent harm and Ronon can set his Big Gun to stun.

So, not exactly Rodney vs Atlatis but Team Sheppard vs. Atlantis, masterminded by Rodney and John in a weird but cool synchronicity.