Stargate SG-1 - Season 1 Gift Set (2001, DVD)

Note that this will spoil the ending of the Stargate movie.

Who knew that when the movie Stargate came out that it would eventually spawn one of the longest running sci-fi series ever? The movie wrapped everything up pretty nicely, Ra s dead, Daniel is on Abydos with his wife, the team makes it home, Jack is no longer suicidal. If there were no additions to the story it would be a fine ending.

However, finding an extension of the story really isn t that difficult: make the stargate open to other worlds and put some more aliens out there. Executing that may not be so easy, but SG-1 pulls it off almost perfectly.

The Stargate program has been shut down. With the threat and the gate on the other side destroyed there s not much more to do. What Earth doesn t know is that there is another god out there who is now able to access the Earth gate. Apophis is looking for a queen and takes an Air Force soldier from Earth and Daniel s wife from Abydos. Daniel and Jack reunite to fight this new threat and are joined by the beautiful Captain Samantha Carter and later by the tank Teal c, a soldier of Apophis who wishes freedom for his people.

As Earth learns of the immense number of alien races on the many worlds out there and the threat of Goa uld attack from space they begin an exploratory commission to make allies and retrieve helpful technology. SG-1 is the most experienced team, but there are many others exploring also.

Part of what makes this show so fun is the immensity of it. There is so much in the Stargate universe to explore. The possible stories are endless. SG-1 has its flaws, but does such a fantastic job of creating an epic-scale mythology that fans are able to immerse themselves in it. We get to revisit or at least reference what came before so there is a strong feeling of progression which really feels rewarding for the faithful viewer.

Another important element is the core set of characters and the fantastic portrayals of them. Michael Shanks does such a good job of filling the shoes of James Spader that transitioning from the movie to the show version of the character is almost seamless. OK, maybe that s an exaggeration, but it s still easy to swallow.

Richard Dean Anderson as Jack is a bigger change, but it helps that he went through such a big transition at the end of the movie. Jack is surprisingly funny now, but still very serious about his job. He s not book smart compared to others on his team, but he s an impeccable leader, dealing with pressure with the resolve of a super hero. I used to watch MacGyver some, but I never knew how good an actor Richard is until I saw some of the very out of character positions his character gets into. Sometimes I think the writers try to come up with the most outrageous things to happen to Jack just because it s so much fun to watch Richard portray them.

There are some guest appearances by other movie characters with some of the movie actors returning and some not, but all of the other main characters are new.

Teal c is a human-like alien that carries around a larval parasite in his gut. It provides him with a stronger than normal physique including resistance to disease and injury. Teal c was in the service of Apophis until he saw in SG1 the chance to free his people from slavery to the Goa uld. Christopher Judge does a phenomenal job portraying the noble and powerful character showing emotion only subtly beneath his stone face but getting it across nonetheless. Teal c often has the funniest lines which are all the more so because of the seriousness of the character.

Amanda Tapping is the drop-dead gorgeous, freakishly brilliant Sam Carter. While that combination sounds like it should be corny Amanda plays it with the attitude of a soldier scientist not a beauty queen and makes the character seem real.

There are many other recurring characters, but two of the most important are the staunch General Hammond and the lovely Dr. Fraiser. Once again, though, despite Fraiser s looks her portrayal is not built upon that. A lot of times female roles like this can feel like they were created for no greater purpose than having beautiful women on screen. Perhaps if Carter and Fraiser had more of a supermodel air to them or showed up in tight and revealing clothing that might seem like the case here, but I think part of what makes them so attractive is that they don t try to be beautiful, they just are, like that girl next door you just can t take your eyes off of.

To have a successful series you have to have characters that the viewer wants to spend time with and SG1 does this as well as any show I can think of. These people fight for justice and honor often facing off against the corruption of their allies on Earth as much as the evils of the universe. But you have to have good villains as well. Part of the strength of SG1 is that it doesn't rely on any single villain, for that matter in the long haul it doesn't rely on any one race. Sometimes there isn't a villain at all but a problem to be conquered. Therein lies the interest, the viewer has no idea what's coming. It might be a Goa'uld attack, it might be a bug, it might be a misunderstanding or disagreement with another sovereign race. The variety of stories keep the series from being repetitive. I said the same thing about X Files, and SG1 is the only sci-fi show to surpass it in the length of its run.

Even with great ideas sometimes the execution can stink. One thing that keeps SG1 from falling into that is that it often takes the more difficult road in its solutions (although I do think the healing sarcophagus is over-used). Generally this keeps the endings from being as predictable as many shows. You can't be sure that every problem will be solved, you can't even be sure that anyone but the people in the title sequence will survive. Even if a problem is solved in the short-term that doesn't mean there aren't more consequences down the road, and vice-versa; an unresolved issue may well be revisited in the future. The point is that the stories continually feel fresh and worth the time to watch.

There's generally a lot of fast paced action, but there are also many dramatic and suspenseful moments. Some episodes are slower than others, but they tend to remain interesting sometimes even more so than the adrenaline-laden moments.

Downfalls: there aren't many, and they aren't big. I mentioned the sarcophagus use already. Others include some too off-the-wall characters, sometimes they can just be to wild and crazy. General Hammond occasionally gives into demands from the team too easily, but this is partially alleviated by his obvious high respect for Jack's judgment and improves later on with stronger rebukes for Jack's more emotionally driven rebellious moments and a better setup for the offering of ideas from the team. The phrase "with all due respect" is overused. Some guest actors aren't that great, and sometimes the special effects don't quite look realistic although in most cases you really have to look hard to notice it.

One big loss is the language barrier. If you read my Stargate movie review you know that one element I really liked was the realism of a communications barrier. How likely is it that these people would speak our language when many people on our own planet don't? On the other hand, how good can a TV series be if every episode is about learning a new language? It's a sacrifice necessary for a series of 40 minute plots. We do occasionally get a race incapable of linguistic communication and differences in the English that cause confusion. This helps drive home the fact that we're dealing with aliens at times.

There are few shows out there worth your precious time as much or more than SG1. It shows the difficulties of life as well as the hope. Much emphasis is put on doing the right thing even when commanded to do otherwise by superiors or captors. It casts much hope on the potential of the human race.

Content:
Despite being developed by Showtime which could allow all manner of questionable material, this series is less questionable than many regular TV shows. The most notable exception is in the pilot which features full-frontal female nudity in a pretty long scene. The scene is meant to be disturbing and not at all sexual. There is very little sexuality, sexual dialogue, or revealing attire. Bad language is not common. There are occasionally a few choice words that can't be said on regular TV, but the use of any such words is sparse. There is violence and death, but it is generally not graphic. It might be a slightly higher violence level than Star Wars, but it's nothing like the average crime drama. So to sum it up, except for the one nude scene it's PG13 at it's worst.

DVD:
This is a decent TVD set. Later ones are improved, but the early ones do deserve praise in some areas. This is a 5 DVD set. Each disc has it's own regular sized plastic DVD case. It has been released again more recently in thinner plastic cases to reduce space. Despite taking up so much space this design is convenient as far as DVD access and is much more preferable than some designs.

Each case has unique cover art on the front, episode list and summaries with images on the back, and an insert that has the cover art on one side, and a chapters list and episode credits on the other. There is a symbol on each case with a different section marked to designate the disc number. The symbol is different for each season. Each cover is also shaded with a different color. The DVD itself has an image of the stargate shaded with the same color as the case.

The whole thing fits in a big box with plenty of Stargate images all over it and an episode and extras list on the spine. Different seasons have different color boxes and similar but different images.

So as far as physical appearance this set is full of artwork for your viewing enjoyment. If you have a scanner and a slideshow program you can make yourself quite a nice SG1 screensaver. There was a lot of effort put into the images used, and few releases have done this fine a job with their art.

Put the disc in and you get an MGM logo then a Stargate screen. The first disc has some extra fun animation and sound effects here. For the others this is where you select episodes or special features. From there you select the episode, then the chapter, you get another logo and you're into the episode. Some extra logos and stuff play after each episode, but you can hit the menu button to get by those.

Video is 1.78 widescreen. This means you get black bars at the top and bottom but they aren't large bars. My one real complaint of the set is that the video quality is weaker than I would like. I would have preferred a 6 disc set with higher video quality. The sound is 2.0.

Chapter division could be better. Most have 5 chapters which is fine, but chapter 1 ends somewhere well into the story meaning that if you don t want to watch the opening you have to scan rather than using a chapter skip. It s my one gripe about the design.

While we don t get a bevy of extras, there s some good stuff here. A behind the scenes feature looks at the cast and their views on the show. It looks like a TV promo, but it s pretty good though maybe a little short.

Another one looks at the costumes. It s quick but interesting. And a third looks at the producers. This one is really about getting the series started from the producers point of view.

Character profiles look at specific characters and the actors that play them. There s one for Captain Carter and one for General Hammond.

There are a couple of SG1 trailers (strung together into one long trailer).

And, finally, there s an Easter Egg which is the real-life history of Ra for you to read. To find it go to the Enemy Within chapters menu and highlight the staff weapon. Do not press Enter, just let it sit.

Now to the episodes. There are 20 episodes at almost exactly 44 minutes each. The pilot episode is a little over an hour and a half. There s no Play All function, but I don t miss it as much with a longer show like this as I do with half-hour shows. The episode list doesn t match some of the ones on the internet, so mine follows the TVD listing. You should note that although I will do my best to avoid unnecessary spoilers, the very premise of an episode may give away what came before it.

1:01 Children Of The Gods: The pilot (you probably guessed that already). You can take a good guess at the content of the episode, too. This is a where-are-they-now along with the setup of the basis of the series. It picks up some time after the events of the movie but ties directly in so that there s a continuity. Kasuf and Skaara are played by the movie actors. Sha re and Kawalsky return but are played by different actors. Apophis, the SG1 Goa uld nemesis, Hammond, and the rest of the SG1 team are introduced. We begin to get a feel for how the Goa uld universe works though it s just scratching the surface.

1:02 The Enemy Within: The Goa uld are attacking the Earth s stargate iris nonstop after what SG1 did. Teal c is a prisoner of the government, and Kawalsky is infected by a Goa uld and killing people at SG Command. Teal c revels that Earth is the home planet for humans throughout the universe, and our Goa uld-free advancements make us the greatest hope for the ridding of the tyrants.

1:03 Emancipation: SG1 arrives on a new planet and promptly saves a boy from wild animals. It s the only reason Sam is spared by the Mongrel people who do not hold women highly. When she is kidnapped in the night Jack is ready to screw all diplomatic pretense and do whatever it takes to get his teammate back.

1:04 The Broca Divide: Sam may have figured out where Apophis fled so they go after him. Once there they are attacked by savages, but also find a civilized group of humans. Once SG1 returns they begin acting as the savages - all except Teal c and Daniel who must return to the world and figure out what s going on. But survival doesn t look good for Daniel. RD Anderson does a really good job of portraying Jack as a savage. It s fun to watch.

1:05 The First Commandment: SG9 is attacked by tribal-like natives lead by a military officer who is also Sam s former man. SG1 sets out to stop him lunacy and bring him to justice. When their one ally is kidnapped success becomes even more important.

1:06 Brief Candle: SG1 steps through the stargate to find a woman giving birth. Daniel helps out, and the team is invited to take part in the people s hospitality. Jack gets special treatment and starts acting weird. When the infant turns up the next day as a young boy SG1 realizes that there is something very strange about these people, and it s gotten into Jack. It s a race against age to stop the process before Jack dies. This time RD Anderson plays an old man, and once again it s fun to watch.

1:07 Cold Lazarus: On a strange yellow planet SG1 finds a field of broken crystals. A blast from one of them knocks Jack out cold and takes his form to return to Earth without anyone being the wiser. This one s slower than the others, but it does have a pretty good emotional payoff.

1:08 Thor's Hammer: Teal c takes SG1 to a forbidden planet and promptly discovers why the goa uld never come here. He and Jack vanish upon arrival, struck down by Thor s Hammer. The people of this planet are protected from the Goa uld by the Asgard Norse gods who appear to have good intentions. Hope exists here for the Goa uld inflicted, such as Daniel s wife and Skaara, but it means only bad things for Teal c. And it doesn t help that there s a monster here, either. James Earl Jones plays the voice of the monster.

1:09 The Torment Of Tantalus: Guess what. (If you didn't say, "What?" you're disqualified). Daniel wasn't the first person to make the stargate work nor his and Jack's team the first to pass through. Remember Catherine? Her fiance vanished though the gate and the incident covered up. Catherine doesn't know what happened to him. SG1 sets out to figure it out and find much, much more. In any other series this would be in the pilot because there is so much here that affects everything later on - the knowledge of the alliance of the four races, the knowledge repository, the stargate "address book;" this episode is the foundation for many key elements. What I find interesting is that it looks like it should be a boring show. There's very little action, there's very little conflict, it's all about SG1 taking in the information and then getting home (which does pose its challenges since the stargate is about to fall into the ocean). Yet it is a fascinating episode, probably one of my favorites from this season.

1:10 Bloodlines: Dr. Fraiser is looking for a way to sever the bond between Teal'c and his symbiote. The team goes off in search for a larval Goa'uld for her to study. Meanwhile, Teal'c wants to prevent his son from becoming a Jaffa. This provides us the opportunity to see his homeworld and the culture of the people that become servants of the gods. Master Bra'tac is introduced. He's the person that trained Teal'c. He becomes one of my favorite recurring characters.

1:11 Fire And Water: SG1 stumbles out of the stargate to somberly report the death of Daniel. As they try to recount the events they realize that something is wrong with them, and it's not just grief.

1:12 The Nox: SG1 travels to a world said to have creatures with impressive stealth capabilities. It s a pretty simple reconnaissance mission until Apophis shows up and the stargate vanishes into thin air. Only the seemingly primitive people have any answers, but they aren t saying much.

1:13 Hathor: Archaeologists discover an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus where there shouldn't be one. Recalling Daniels' laughable theories they realize he may be the only one with any clue to this. In their ignorance they release Hathor. Is she the friend of humanity she claims to be or just tricky-evil? Sam seems to be the only one uneasy about her presence.

1:14 Cor Ai: A group of villagers wants justice for Teal'c murder of one of their own. He's arrested and put on trial. Taking him back by force would be a fairly easy task, but Teal'c won't allow it ready to face his punishment partially to easy his own aching conscience. Wow. This is an amazing episode. The emotion and conflict are so well done it may put a lump in your throat. Chris Judge really shines here doing a fabulous job with Teal'c's tumult.

1:15 Singularity: SG Command is setting up an off-world station for viewing a black hole singularity. SG1 arrives to find everyone, natives and SG personnel alike, dead except for one little girl. She gives them a singularity of a different kind, and a bomb and attack vessel are about to make life miserable for everyone.

1:16 Enigma: SG1 rescues a number of people from a volcanic eruption. Command is impressed with their technology, but the survivors are not grateful enough to share. They are hesitant in involving themselves with a primitive society and convey that with the least amount of respect possible. They actually have a valid stance, but it sure makes helping them while keeping them from being a security risk extremely difficult. When Maybourne (the guy you love to hate) shows up, Jack realizes he may have to save these people from his own allies. Their off-world allies may be their only hope. Tobin Bell guest stars.

1:17 Tin Man: SG1 is struck down investigating a new location. They awaken to find themselves in strange clothes. They meet a man full of strange customs and maybe a little off his rocker. They are, in fact, robots now, and when they go home they are promptly put under lock and key until their batteries start to die. If that wasn't bad enough they find they can never leave their base of creation nor return to their own bodies. Worse still is that Teal'c is malfunctioning.

1:18 Solitudes: SG1 makes an emergency return to base, but an energy surge kills the wormhole with Jack and Sam still in it. They aren't dead, but they might as well be because they are stuck in an ice cavern in an unknown location. If only it were as simple as dialing home. As they struggle to survive Daniel searches for them frantically.

1:19 There But For The Grace Of God: There's always a connected progression between episodes, but the next four (counting the season premier of season 2) might as well be one long episode. Only one actually says "to be continued," but they might as well all say it. Well, maybe not the last one. It starts with Daniel losing contact with his team. He returns home through the stargate to find the world completely different from the one he knows. It's a world under siege with Teal'c leading the opposing force. The best Daniel can hope for is convincing this group to trust him enough to try to get back to his real home.

1:20 Politics: Daniel is convinced that his previous experience means Earth is in immediate jeopardy. And what timing because the senator Kenzie is putting the whole stargate program on trial. Kenzie actually has some valid points against the program, but he's a snake with intentions of shutting the whole thing down. Not even Daniel's team really believes him much less Kenzie so the fact that this command is Earth's one and only hope of fending off a Goa'uld attack is lost on them. This is actually a clip show revisiting the previous year of episodes. It might have been a good catch-up episode before the finale for those that missed some of the airings, but for the TVD it's not much more than a rehash. Fortunately the frame story is gripping.

1:21 Within The Serpent's Grasp: As SG Command is being shut down everyone but Daniel is ready to give up. He's willing to defy orders and sacrifice himself to save Earth, he just has to convince the others. If they fail the Earth is toast.

Final thoughts:
This is a great show. You don't even need to necessarily be a sci-fi fan to enjoy it. There is so much more here than strange aliens and space battles. Still, the writing is not what it will become later on, and the extras aren't quite enough to push it over the edge so it will only get 4*.