Revisiting Stargate SG1...
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
Finally got through Seasons 9 and 10. 10 has it's moments. but it felt like they were just trying to wrap things up. I felt much of it was just going through the motions. It's also the season with the worst Stargate episode I've ever seen, the one with Valla's father. that was just plain bad. 
Season 10 didn't end with a real finale, though, because I know what is to come: The Ark Of Truth and Continuum.
The Ark Of Truth was okay. It wasn't bad, but it didn't bowl me over either. Continuum was better although the franchise has done alternate timelines enough before.
Presently I'm two thirds of the way through 1st season of Stargate: Atlantis. I like it. Like the better SG1 episodes it feels rather like a fresh take on Trek, but without all the Trek franchise baggage.
One thing I loved in Continuum: when Bal comes through the gate near the end of the film Mitchell is waiting and puts a clean shot right into Bal's head---perfect! Now if any of SG1's chatacters had thought of doing this throughout the previous seasons they'd have had fewer bad guys to contend with. Of course then they'd also have had less adventure for us to enjoy...
Season 10 didn't end with a real finale, though, because I know what is to come: The Ark Of Truth and Continuum.
The Ark Of Truth was okay. It wasn't bad, but it didn't bowl me over either. Continuum was better although the franchise has done alternate timelines enough before.
Presently I'm two thirds of the way through 1st season of Stargate: Atlantis. I like it. Like the better SG1 episodes it feels rather like a fresh take on Trek, but without all the Trek franchise baggage.
One thing I loved in Continuum: when Bal comes through the gate near the end of the film Mitchell is waiting and puts a clean shot right into Bal's head---perfect! Now if any of SG1's chatacters had thought of doing this throughout the previous seasons they'd have had fewer bad guys to contend with. Of course then they'd also have had less adventure for us to enjoy...
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This was a fun little thread to read through. I've been on GateWorld for years, as I seem to remember pointing out in another thread earlier for some reason. But anyway, everything has been discussed to death over there, much in the same way that everything Trek probably has been here. It was nice to read a greener glance through the 'Gate.
Too bad you didn't enjoy 9/10 as much as I did. I thought they were two of the better years, up there with 3-8. (That's right, eight of the ten seasons are my favorites, so sue me.)
I rewatched all of SG-1 last year as my girlfriend had never seen it, and we watched SGA Seasons 1-3 alongside SG-1 Seasons 8-10. I had been watching those shows since the former started its tenure on SyFy with Season 6 and they're almost up there with Star Trek in terms of how much time I've committed to watching them and discussing them. Great fun. Good fandom, too. Usually.
Daniel's my favorite character, but there isn't a single cast member on the SG-1 side I disliked even remotely. They all brought their strengths to the show.
Too bad you didn't enjoy 9/10 as much as I did. I thought they were two of the better years, up there with 3-8. (That's right, eight of the ten seasons are my favorites, so sue me.)
I rewatched all of SG-1 last year as my girlfriend had never seen it, and we watched SGA Seasons 1-3 alongside SG-1 Seasons 8-10. I had been watching those shows since the former started its tenure on SyFy with Season 6 and they're almost up there with Star Trek in terms of how much time I've committed to watching them and discussing them. Great fun. Good fandom, too. Usually.
Daniel's my favorite character, but there isn't a single cast member on the SG-1 side I disliked even remotely. They all brought their strengths to the show.
Stargate was one of those shows that I kinda watched semi regularly in its initial run yet I really got into later, in this case through DVD. I love being able to watch a show without commercials or any other kind of interference.
Now I really like the series and its characters and now I include it in my little gallery of first rate SF shows. I often find myself whistling or humming the main title themes.
Candidly though, after watching SGA, I'm not really drawn to watching SGU.
Now I really like the series and its characters and now I include it in my little gallery of first rate SF shows. I often find myself whistling or humming the main title themes.
Candidly though, after watching SGA, I'm not really drawn to watching SGU.
While I might be inclined to agree with you about SGU, I'm not totally sure what you mean. Do you mean SGA has a style that just confirms you like the older approach to Stargate more than the 'new, fresh' take on it? If so, I completely agree.
I feel like this new series has a couple of worthwhile characters that evoke some thought of the older shows, and then Rush who's well-performed and rather original, but as a whole it's just not the kind of take on the ol' 'Gate I'm inclined to fall head-over-heels for.
I feel like this new series has a couple of worthwhile characters that evoke some thought of the older shows, and then Rush who's well-performed and rather original, but as a whole it's just not the kind of take on the ol' 'Gate I'm inclined to fall head-over-heels for.
More pointedly I watched the SGU pilot when it first aired and it did nothing for me. After O'Neill's brief appearance I just couldn't get interested anymore.
I like how SG1 and SGA can have standalone stories as well as continuing story arcs mixed in. It's a nice variety. In SGA McCay just kills me. He's such a goof and can even be a bit of an asshole, but he's a riot. And as a Canadian I appreciate the against type he portrays---McCay is anything but quiet natured, friendly and self-effacing.
I must admit I also love the occasional Trek references in the two series. It's obviously a heartfelt tip-of-the hat, most particularly to TOS. Always makes me smile. I love McCay's remark about Sheppard: "Oh, God, he is Kirk."
I like how SG1 and SGA can have standalone stories as well as continuing story arcs mixed in. It's a nice variety. In SGA McCay just kills me. He's such a goof and can even be a bit of an asshole, but he's a riot. And as a Canadian I appreciate the against type he portrays---McCay is anything but quiet natured, friendly and self-effacing.
I must admit I also love the occasional Trek references in the two series. It's obviously a heartfelt tip-of-the hat, most particularly to TOS. Always makes me smile. I love McCay's remark about Sheppard: "Oh, God, he is Kirk."
I just got my hands on SGA S1 on DVD and rewatched Rising and it totally beats Air, Part 1 & 2 on every level. If you compared the SGA and SGU casts, the SGA characters are usually a lot more interesting and likable, compared to the SGU crew. Rising's writing is also a lot better, since it introduces the characters a lot more gradually and gives us time to get to know them, unlike SGU, where the cast was tossed at you in the first five minutes and then you followed Eli and Rush for most of the pilot. Not to mention the fact that it established the overarching story of the season, which was the Wraith finding Atlantis (culminating in the Siege three parter), while SGU's pilot was basically getting the crew on the ship and having problems.
In SG1 O'Neill's makes a reference to going home to watch his favourite show. I gotta wonder what it is. Thinking of his occasional reference to Star Trek I'm inclined to think his favourite show may well be TOS.I must admit I also love the occasional Trek references in the two series. It's obviously a heartfelt tip-of-the hat, most particularly to TOS. Always makes me smile. I love McCay's remark about Sheppard: "Oh, God, he is Kirk."
If so it's nicely poetic that he explores other worlds in his profession and his favourite TV show may be about characters exploring other worlds. In SG1 O'Neill's makes a reference to going home to watch his favourite show. I gotta wonder what it is. Thinking of his occasional reference to Star Trek I'm inclined to think his favourite show may well be TOS.I must admit I also love the occasional Trek references in the two series. It's obviously a heartfelt tip-of-the hat, most particularly to TOS. Always makes me smile. I love McCay's remark about Sheppard: "Oh, God, he is Kirk."
O'Neill is a very big Simpsons fan too, remember.
^^ Right! I forgot about that.
This is one of the things I love about SG1 and SGA, we see our heroes' off-duty side with their interests and hobbies and whatever. We also see their personalities beyond their professionalism and their duties. It really helps ground the series and makes the whole setting and situations more accessible and credible because we feel these characters are similar to us.
This is one of the things I love about SG1 and SGA, we see our heroes' off-duty side with their interests and hobbies and whatever. We also see their personalities beyond their professionalism and their duties. It really helps ground the series and makes the whole setting and situations more accessible and credible because we feel these characters are similar to us.
I absolutely love Stargate for giving us sci-fi fans the chance to see 'Star Trek if it were somehow happening right now, in current times' and that's one of the reasons I hate the notion of the Stargate franchise eventually, inevitably ending. The ability to imagine these things going on right now is something really quite cool.
Moreover, though, it's not even about the fact that it's an attractive notion so much as it is that it gives the characters a chance to connect with us on levels that the hundreds-of-years-of-separation we see in Trek often prevents. It's not just the loud references to modern day that get me in Stargate. I recall seeing a poster of Johnny Cash in John Sheppard's quarters a few times. That's just too cool. And I'm not saying that because I'm a big-time Cash fan -- I'm saying it because it's a connection to our world that makes these characters all the more close to me, even despite the rather unlikely scenario that this whole shebang is actually happening.
In fact, I would say that's my favorite aspect of this franchise, and I've said that to people on GateWorld an unfathomable number of times over the years: its setting parallel to our own somehow brings it close to my heart. I can believe that Daniel Jackson was considered a crackpot archaeologist in 1996 and his theories were so farfetched, but then he learned he was right in an astonishing way and got caught up in all this. I can believe that Jack O'Neill is a veteran Air Force soldier who gets wrapped up in those same tides by the government. It's thus easier for me to believe, even, that Teal'c is a conflicted alien from another world, you know?
Moreover, though, it's not even about the fact that it's an attractive notion so much as it is that it gives the characters a chance to connect with us on levels that the hundreds-of-years-of-separation we see in Trek often prevents. It's not just the loud references to modern day that get me in Stargate. I recall seeing a poster of Johnny Cash in John Sheppard's quarters a few times. That's just too cool. And I'm not saying that because I'm a big-time Cash fan -- I'm saying it because it's a connection to our world that makes these characters all the more close to me, even despite the rather unlikely scenario that this whole shebang is actually happening.
In fact, I would say that's my favorite aspect of this franchise, and I've said that to people on GateWorld an unfathomable number of times over the years: its setting parallel to our own somehow brings it close to my heart. I can believe that Daniel Jackson was considered a crackpot archaeologist in 1996 and his theories were so farfetched, but then he learned he was right in an astonishing way and got caught up in all this. I can believe that Jack O'Neill is a veteran Air Force soldier who gets wrapped up in those same tides by the government. It's thus easier for me to believe, even, that Teal'c is a conflicted alien from another world, you know?
I absolutely love Stargate for giving us sci-fi fans the chance to see 'Star Trek if it were somehow happening right now, in current times' and that's one of the reasons I hate the notion of the Stargate franchise eventually, inevitably ending. The ability to imagine these things going on right now is something really quite cool.
Moreover, though, it's not even about the fact that it's an attractive notion so much as it is that it gives the characters a chance to connect with us on levels that the hundreds-of-years-of-separation we see in Trek often prevents. It's not just the loud references to modern day that get me in Stargate. I recall seeing a poster of Johnny Cash in John Sheppard's quarters a few times. That's just too cool. And I'm not saying that because I'm a big-time Cash fan -- I'm saying it because it's a connection to our world that makes these characters all the more close to me, even despite the rather unlikely scenario that this whole shebang is actually happening.
In fact, I would say that's my favorite aspect of this franchise, and I've said that to people on GateWorld an unfathomable number of times over the years: its setting parallel to our own somehow brings it close to my heart. I can believe that Daniel Jackson was considered a crackpot archaeologist in 1996 and his theories were so farfetched, but then he learned he was right in an astonishing way and got caught up in all this. I can believe that Jack O'Neill is a veteran Air Force soldier who gets wrapped up in those same tides by the government. It's thus easier for me to believe, even, that Teal'c is a conflicted alien from another world, you know?
Moreover, though, it's not even about the fact that it's an attractive notion so much as it is that it gives the characters a chance to connect with us on levels that the hundreds-of-years-of-separation we see in Trek often prevents. It's not just the loud references to modern day that get me in Stargate. I recall seeing a poster of Johnny Cash in John Sheppard's quarters a few times. That's just too cool. And I'm not saying that because I'm a big-time Cash fan -- I'm saying it because it's a connection to our world that makes these characters all the more close to me, even despite the rather unlikely scenario that this whole shebang is actually happening.
In fact, I would say that's my favorite aspect of this franchise, and I've said that to people on GateWorld an unfathomable number of times over the years: its setting parallel to our own somehow brings it close to my heart. I can believe that Daniel Jackson was considered a crackpot archaeologist in 1996 and his theories were so farfetched, but then he learned he was right in an astonishing way and got caught up in all this. I can believe that Jack O'Neill is a veteran Air Force soldier who gets wrapped up in those same tides by the government. It's thus easier for me to believe, even, that Teal'c is a conflicted alien from another world, you know?
A very good point and I agree wholeheartedly. Don't get me wrong, I love far future space adventure, but Stargate manages to make that seem more accessible.
I've just finished watching Season 1 of SGA and I quite liked it. It's flavoured a bit differently than SG1, but in a good way. It also feels just a touch more Trek like in its stories, but not in a bad way.
One aspect that initially I was critical of with the SG universe was its predominance of humans on other worlds. But the basic idea of the show that humans had been seeded all over the galaxy does address that. I would like to have seen a few more truly alien races, but that would have been more expensive to show. I still do sometimes chafe at seeing so many renaissance or middle ages era societies. Mind you if the populations of those worlds remained small then there likely wouldn't be much competition for resources and thus perhaps less pressure and impetus to be inventive and advance technologically.
Another thing is, a lot of those worlds were enslaved by the Goa'uld for a much longer period of time and that stunted their development. I mean, yes, all these human societies do get a bit drab and the first season is particularly bad about it. But the historian and archaeologist in me remain motivated, heh.
And yes, SG-1 never had the budget that Trek did, nor the notoriety to achieve such a budget. When it moved from Showtime to SyFy, it generated more interest and much higher ratings than ever before by virtue of being on a cable network rather than a premium cable network. But it never achieved close to Star Trek fame, so the budget to make consistently-interesting, 21st-century takes on prosthetic aliens wasn't really there. (Still, on the occasions they did it, I usually found they did a damn fine job overall.)
I don't wish to spoil your appetite for further SGA, but I will say that I find its first season to be its strongest. There is a steady build-up involved that I quite enjoy, and the entire cast interests me. I'll leave it at that and hope that you find its remaining four years solid.
And yes, SG-1 never had the budget that Trek did, nor the notoriety to achieve such a budget. When it moved from Showtime to SyFy, it generated more interest and much higher ratings than ever before by virtue of being on a cable network rather than a premium cable network. But it never achieved close to Star Trek fame, so the budget to make consistently-interesting, 21st-century takes on prosthetic aliens wasn't really there. (Still, on the occasions they did it, I usually found they did a damn fine job overall.)
I don't wish to spoil your appetite for further SGA, but I will say that I find its first season to be its strongest. There is a steady build-up involved that I quite enjoy, and the entire cast interests me. I'll leave it at that and hope that you find its remaining four years solid.
For me SG1 never got outright bad except for "Family," a Season 10 episode. The rest ranged from OK to really good. And so I don't think SGA has a high bar to clear, and so far so good.
I will say that I haven't got a real emotional connection with the SGA characters yet as I do with SG1's characters, but that may just be a matter of time and familiarity. That said the weakest main character for me in SG1 was Landry---I just kept waiting/wishing that Hammond would return. In SGA's case it's Weir that I don't really care for. She just does nothing for me except be a connection to some earlier episodes of SG1 to maintain some measure of continuity.
I will say that I haven't got a real emotional connection with the SGA characters yet as I do with SG1's characters, but that may just be a matter of time and familiarity. That said the weakest main character for me in SG1 was Landry---I just kept waiting/wishing that Hammond would return. In SGA's case it's Weir that I don't really care for. She just does nothing for me except be a connection to some earlier episodes of SG1 to maintain some measure of continuity.
I've been called quite odd by some folks at GateWorld over the years for my opinions on the worst SG-1 episodes. For me, I have a personal aversion to things I consider particularly campy. I'm also a big fan of relative subtlety. I never watched an episode of Stargate on the whole which I disliked more than "Emancipation", which many people have vehemently defended as a powerful message-oriented episode but I saw as painfully predictable and embarrassing in its narrative.
"Family Ties" is the name of the Season Ten episode you're referencing, and it's important that I correct you simply because "Family" is a Season Two episode. (This is what happens when you have 214 episodes, eh?) I actually don't care for either, and I find the earliest Teal'c-centric episode like "Family" to suffer that overly campy nonsense that I dislike about "Emancipation", albeit to a lesser degree. But I will give you this: "Family Ties" from Season Ten is definitely one of the very worst episodes the series cranked out. It's in my bottom three, if not bottom two. What a horrible episode from start to finish.
Don't get me started on the idiotic waste of time that opening was, with Carter and Vala returning to the SGC from a trip to Victoria's Secret. It was like a disclaimer in the first thirty seconds advising those of us hoping for at least a below-average episode to go take a walk and come back next Friday at 8.
I quite liked Landry, myself. I felt like Beau Bridges brought what the show needed -- a different kind of leader. Don S. David (Hammond's actor, of course) departed the series because of health issues, not a lack of love for it. In actuality, he quite enjoyed his time there and didn't want to go, but real-life issues are obviously top priorities. He was told by his physician he really couldn't afford to keep going like he was on a demanding show like SG-1, so he left. General O'Neill was all well and dandy in Season Eight, but with RDA deciding he was going since he had put aside so much time with his family for eight years, too, what SG-1 needed (in my mind) was someone who was unique from both previous leaders.
I also liked Elizabeth Weir, but I think the real problem there was that SGA's writers ran out of thoughts on what to do with her alarmingly fast. That's not good and it lends some credence to your feelings that she does nothing, though I beg to differ. I tend to think the writers were just clueless when it came to her, because I loved Torri Higginson's acting style and sighed whenever I realized she was going to have five lines in an episode again.
"Family Ties" is the name of the Season Ten episode you're referencing, and it's important that I correct you simply because "Family" is a Season Two episode. (This is what happens when you have 214 episodes, eh?) I actually don't care for either, and I find the earliest Teal'c-centric episode like "Family" to suffer that overly campy nonsense that I dislike about "Emancipation", albeit to a lesser degree. But I will give you this: "Family Ties" from Season Ten is definitely one of the very worst episodes the series cranked out. It's in my bottom three, if not bottom two. What a horrible episode from start to finish.
Don't get me started on the idiotic waste of time that opening was, with Carter and Vala returning to the SGC from a trip to Victoria's Secret. It was like a disclaimer in the first thirty seconds advising those of us hoping for at least a below-average episode to go take a walk and come back next Friday at 8.
I quite liked Landry, myself. I felt like Beau Bridges brought what the show needed -- a different kind of leader. Don S. David (Hammond's actor, of course) departed the series because of health issues, not a lack of love for it. In actuality, he quite enjoyed his time there and didn't want to go, but real-life issues are obviously top priorities. He was told by his physician he really couldn't afford to keep going like he was on a demanding show like SG-1, so he left. General O'Neill was all well and dandy in Season Eight, but with RDA deciding he was going since he had put aside so much time with his family for eight years, too, what SG-1 needed (in my mind) was someone who was unique from both previous leaders.
I also liked Elizabeth Weir, but I think the real problem there was that SGA's writers ran out of thoughts on what to do with her alarmingly fast. That's not good and it lends some credence to your feelings that she does nothing, though I beg to differ. I tend to think the writers were just clueless when it came to her, because I loved Torri Higginson's acting style and sighed whenever I realized she was going to have five lines in an episode again.
I'm 3/4 of the way through SGA Season 2 and I'm quite liking it. I didn't think so at one time, but now after becoming more familiar with SG1 and SGA I feel they're more like original Star Trek in tone and overall approach to telling a story than any of the official Trek spinoffs. Of course there are also big differences, but I see that more in setting and background.
So far it's fun. They don't overdo it with the technobabble and they generally get on with the story. I also find it rather neat that not only is some of the advanced tech they encounter more advanced relative to Earth technology, but some of it is more advanced than a lot of what we've seen in Trek. Cool. And because of how they handle it it comes across more credibly than a lot of what Trek pulls out of its ass.
This is fun space adventure.
So far it's fun. They don't overdo it with the technobabble and they generally get on with the story. I also find it rather neat that not only is some of the advanced tech they encounter more advanced relative to Earth technology, but some of it is more advanced than a lot of what we've seen in Trek. Cool. And because of how they handle it it comes across more credibly than a lot of what Trek pulls out of its ass.
This is fun space adventure.
While I hear you, I loved Siler walking into a door. That was priceless. I HATED Vala's father, however. So Siler's injury was pretty much the single redeeming feature of the episode.
I don't mind the Cam and Vala Show as much as some do, but it definitely wasn't as good as the first 8 seasons. Mitchell is Crichton-Lite, Vala makes me laugh, and Landry was great. I can't remember the episode but I love the scene where Mitchell says something about Landry not understanding Carter and Landry opens the door he just closed and says, "Actually, yes I did." And closes the door. Sums up the new flavor added with Mitchell and Landry coming on board to me. My single largest complaint with Season 9 and 10 is how quickly the story was wrapped up. It took eight years to defeat the Goa'uld but an evil version of the Ancients takes two years? Granted, the Tau'ri learned quite a bit in those 8 years but that's a bit silly. I guess nobody's immune to Villain Decay.
Atlantis is pretty good. I prefer SG-1 but Atlantis really does have it's moments. The McKay-Sheppard-Teyla-Ronon-Beckett team rivals the other great teams sci fi has given us, from Moya's Crew to SG-1 to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. And the mixture of Atlantis, Puddle Jumpers, and the Daedalus give it a nice Trek-flavored twist but it still remains Stargate as it should be.
All in all, SG-1 and SGA were quite satisfying. I have my doubts that SGU will make it as far or achieve that greatness.
darkwing_duck1
Vice Admiral
Valla was annoying right from her very first ep when she hijacked Prometheus.
She has a nice figure, but her face is too harsh. At best she could be described as a "handsome" woman.
