The Stargate Franchise - A First Timer's Watchthrough
- Thread starter tomalak301
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I would definitely recommend watching Atlantis. But you can watch it in parallel to SG-1 starting in Season 8 since the shows running concurrently. The two shows actually did a good job of syncing up. In fact, there are Atlantis episodes that actually feature scenes in the SGC. And there is one fantastic crossover episode in Season 10 of SG1 called "The Pegasus Project" where SG1 actually gets to visit Atlantis.
This season, there is an episode called Curse that features a bit of Daniel outside the SGC.
One thing the Anise episodes in season 4 tried to get at but didn't quite execute right was the nuance that even though To'kra liked humans and believed in human freedom, they didn't quite see humans as totally equal. Like they were friendly benevolent superiors instead of slave masters.
They were People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans.
They were People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans.
I think it is the Tokra two parter in season 2, but it might be a future episode, where a Tokra says that they are superior to humans because they have the combined knowledge and wisdom of two beings in one body, not to mention that the symbiote lives a very long life. So the symbiote has many life times worth of knowledge and wisdom.
A funny little injoke, at the start of Small Victories when the Russian sailors find the Replicator on board the sub, their Russian dialogue basically consists of "oh, look, it's one of those mechanical spiders from the previous episode." Indeed, I don't think I'm giving too much away by revealing the Russians will be getting a more prominent role in SG-1 from here on out, indeed, their next episode is coming up shortly after the Anise the Tok'ra story arc is finished up. Whenever Russian characters on SG-1 speak the Russian language, it usually involves a lot of injokes, meta references and tearing down the fourth wall. Good fun.
I like the ending of that episode, when they return to the SGC and O'Neill, Carter and Daniel all feel the need to apologize to Hammond. When they finish, they look at Teal'c who simply says "I have no need to apologize." To which Hammond adds "Teal'c actually was following my orders."
Essentially, yes. At the time, there was a belief among the studio suits that the ratings could be better, so they sat the producers down and said "that Seven of Nine character seems to be working out well on Star Trek. You should introduce a similar character on Stargate."
Honestly, if you want to watch all of SG-1 before you hit Atlantis, that should be fine. Although there is some overlap and crossover between the two shows, it never gets too involved, certainly not to the extent of the Arrowverse shows today. And it is perfectly possible to watch both shows on their own and follow their own story arcs without watching the other show. The most involved crossover is the season 10 SG-1 episode The Pegasus Project in which SG-1 does travel to Atlantis. The episode does feature several of the Atlantis main cast and supporting cast, but most of the ones with a siginificant role in the episode are characters who had already had several guest appearances on SG-1 up to that point. Think of it as a TNG episode where the Enterprise goes to DS9, but they spend the entire episode hanging out with Chief O'Brien.
But that's a retcon. Originally, Ark of Truth was supposed to end on a cliffhanger that would lead directly into Continuum, though they removed the cliffhanger when they learned there was going to be several months between the movie releases. The reference in the season 5 premiere of Atlantis setting up Continuum was added at the last minute when they learned the episode would air mere weeks prior to Continuum's release.
Hmm, not sure if I've seen that one.
I forgot when I did my other post that I still have some pretty big gaps it what I've seen. So I guess I should add the qualifier that I was only talking about the seasons I've seen.
I've still never seen a single episode with Quinn.
I forgot when I did my other post that I still have some pretty big gaps it what I've seen. So I guess I should add the qualifier that I was only talking about the seasons I've seen.
I've still never seen a single episode with Quinn.
Teal'c was the highlight of that episode for me. Sometimes his stoicism is hilarious.
Crossroads
For as much as humanity seems to help the Tok'ra, the Tok'ra don't seem to want to recipricate. We have another episode this season where it feels like the writers have written the Tok'ra to be as reluctant as possible, despite Sam giving them her father, helping them rescue Jacob from Sokar's planet, and various other favors. I agreed with Jack about his Anger towards Anise. Speaking of Aniese, yeah there was a lot more cleavage here than in the last episode, and then the whole shake hands and then give Jack a kiss? I think they might have been more subtle with Seven of Nine in her first few episodes, and I thank god every day that Seven became one of the most interesting characters in Star Trek not because of what she was wearing but because Jeri Ryan brought so much to the role.
As for the plot of this episode, that's an interesting storyline they just set up, knowing that Shon'ac's Goa'uld was tricking them and the Tok'ra believe that they can use it to their advantage in the war. I especially liked the ending scene between Tanith and Teal'c, and the close up on both faces were tension filled.
This episode was decent. Not quite as good as episodes 1 or 2, but better than the Superhero one.
For as much as humanity seems to help the Tok'ra, the Tok'ra don't seem to want to recipricate. We have another episode this season where it feels like the writers have written the Tok'ra to be as reluctant as possible, despite Sam giving them her father, helping them rescue Jacob from Sokar's planet, and various other favors. I agreed with Jack about his Anger towards Anise. Speaking of Aniese, yeah there was a lot more cleavage here than in the last episode, and then the whole shake hands and then give Jack a kiss? I think they might have been more subtle with Seven of Nine in her first few episodes, and I thank god every day that Seven became one of the most interesting characters in Star Trek not because of what she was wearing but because Jeri Ryan brought so much to the role.
As for the plot of this episode, that's an interesting storyline they just set up, knowing that Shon'ac's Goa'uld was tricking them and the Tok'ra believe that they can use it to their advantage in the war. I especially liked the ending scene between Tanith and Teal'c, and the close up on both faces were tension filled.
This episode was decent. Not quite as good as episodes 1 or 2, but better than the Superhero one.
Yeah, the Tok'ra are consistently portrayed as arrogant and unwilling to reciprocate, except for a few exceptions like Martouf and of course Jacob. Basically, the Tok'ra see themselves as superior but also stuck in their ways. They operate in secret, using espionage as their main weapon. They trust themselves and don't trust anyone else for fear of getting betrayed and getting wiped out. But the Tok'ra attitude does really piss off O'Neill. There are several instances in the series where O'Neill complains out loud about the Tok'ra "screwing them over" again.
Why should they? Humanity was barely on the galactic stage and upends several apple carts, upsetting the balance of power and generally being rather unpredictable.
I don't always like the Tok'ra but their attitude is very understandable.
Because based on the episodes I've seen, it seems like Humanity will not hesitate to work with them whenever they need help? It seems to me like they are owed something, even if it is small.
Divide and Conquer
I guess we're done with the Jolinar storyline because they killed Martouf in this episode. I also looked up Venessa Angel's IMDB and this was her last episode as well. That should be interesting in the future. I'm bummed they killed Martouf though. He seemed like such a good liaison to the team but maybe this means we will see more Jacob? I'm sure the shippers were happy with this episode, now that we know that Samantha and Jack care much more for each other than military allows.
I guess the next episode is the one that is highly regarded. My favorite episode of the series so far is The Fifth Race (Season 2) so my expectations for this one upcoming are pretty high. I think I'm as excited to see this episode for the first time like I was when I saw Buffy's Once More With Feeling (The Musical) for the first time.
I guess we're done with the Jolinar storyline because they killed Martouf in this episode. I also looked up Venessa Angel's IMDB and this was her last episode as well. That should be interesting in the future. I'm bummed they killed Martouf though. He seemed like such a good liaison to the team but maybe this means we will see more Jacob? I'm sure the shippers were happy with this episode, now that we know that Samantha and Jack care much more for each other than military allows.
I guess the next episode is the one that is highly regarded. My favorite episode of the series so far is The Fifth Race (Season 2) so my expectations for this one upcoming are pretty high. I think I'm as excited to see this episode for the first time like I was when I saw Buffy's Once More With Feeling (The Musical) for the first time.
Window of Opportunity
Well, that episode came as advertised. I freaking loved it. It was comedy done really well, and it had a ton of heart. We're all used to the time loop episodes, but when you have Richard Dean Anderson instilling some classic Jack wit into everything, it feels so much more fresh. We had Jack and Teal'c doodling in Daniel's office (The juggling was my favorite part), we had them golfing through the Stargate,
Hammond: (Angry) Colonel O'Neill, what the hell are you doing!?
O'Neill: (Shouting) In the middle of my back swing!?!?
We had fun with the Sam/Jack shippers, and just everything about this episode was comedic gold. Then the episode ended with a ton of heart with Maliki doing the time loop to be with his wife but Jack knowing exactly where he was coming from. I didn't tear up during this scene, but I did actually get emotional.
A few days ago, I complained about Urgo being annoying and kind of the forced comedy. WOO is comedy done really really well. I can see why this is a classic, and I think it just put Fifth Race number 2. That episode was awesome.
Well, that episode came as advertised. I freaking loved it. It was comedy done really well, and it had a ton of heart. We're all used to the time loop episodes, but when you have Richard Dean Anderson instilling some classic Jack wit into everything, it feels so much more fresh. We had Jack and Teal'c doodling in Daniel's office (The juggling was my favorite part), we had them golfing through the Stargate,
Hammond: (Angry) Colonel O'Neill, what the hell are you doing!?
O'Neill: (Shouting) In the middle of my back swing!?!?
We had fun with the Sam/Jack shippers, and just everything about this episode was comedic gold. Then the episode ended with a ton of heart with Maliki doing the time loop to be with his wife but Jack knowing exactly where he was coming from. I didn't tear up during this scene, but I did actually get emotional.
A few days ago, I complained about Urgo being annoying and kind of the forced comedy. WOO is comedy done really really well. I can see why this is a classic, and I think it just put Fifth Race number 2. That episode was awesome.
The Tok'ra explain their point of view on humanity, and they don't trust humanity's actions. It's a recurring tension throughout.
@tomalak301 In fact, I think the S4 finale Exodus, has an excellent little debate between Jack and Jacob on this issue of the Tok'ra approach versus the SG1 approach.
I can't give more details because it would revolve around a big spoiler. Suffice to say that both sides make good points. And while the Tok'ra are more experienced with fighting the Goauld, it is also true that SG1 is always trustworthy and dependable to be there and help the Tok'ra when they are in trouble.
In fact, I think there could be a good symbiotic relationship between the Tok'ra and the SGC. The Tok'ra could be their eyes and ears and provide valuable intel using their extensive spy network and the SGC could be the tip of the spear, providing the punch when force is needed.
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Thank you. I couldn't remember when that debate happened and was trying hard not to spoil it.
I have a theory, based on the season 1 finale where Teal'c says that Goa'uld ships travel at 10 times the speed of light (and is quickly shown to be wrong), that most of the upheaval we see in the series wasn't entirely SG-1's doing, and the big change to the five-thousand-year-old status quo was whatever breakthrough occurred off-screen that caused Goa'uld ships to increase their speed by something like a factor of 40. Prior to that, motherships would be essentially playing a giant, slow-motion chess game, moving to staging areas for attacks over a period of years, if not decades, while day-to-day travel would have to take place entirely via Stargate, putting a practical limit on the speed of war. What do the Goa'uld care? They're effectively immortal, and their Jaffa are in the prime of life for five to ten times as long as human soldiers would be. Send a fleet with a skeleton crew to the closest friendly planet to the one you want to attack, wait a few decades for it to get there, and then 'gate to your ships with your troops and spend another year or two flying the rest of the way.
But then ships become so much faster that the old balances of power fall apart, interstellar wars that used to take centuries can be won in weeks or months and, yes, some punks from the Tau'ri keep offing the big-deal System Lords who were powerful enough to keep the others in-line, and causing a land rush for their armies and holdings. Soon, the whole galaxy is in turmoil that hasn't been seen in thousands of years, if not millions. No wonder the Tok'ra were freaking out.
But then ships become so much faster that the old balances of power fall apart, interstellar wars that used to take centuries can be won in weeks or months and, yes, some punks from the Tau'ri keep offing the big-deal System Lords who were powerful enough to keep the others in-line, and causing a land rush for their armies and holdings. Soon, the whole galaxy is in turmoil that hasn't been seen in thousands of years, if not millions. No wonder the Tok'ra were freaking out.
That's a logical conclusion to what we see, but it would seem really odd that no one ever mentions it onscreen. The whole galaxy is in turmoil and no one bothers to mention the reasons, except to occasionally blame SG-1?
In my own head, I just prefer to believe that Teal'c wasn't particularly tech-savvy, possibly because Apophis kept him in the dark. (Didn't we see someplace that not all Jaffa were even literate? Not sure about that.) The ships were always that fast. Teal'c spouted the 10 times the speed of light thing because he thought it sounded impressive, but he didn't realize how misleading it was. I think that was my rationalization for a few other tech inconsistencies, though right now I can't remember them.
Anyway, I also figured he got better fast, once he had access to Carter, Daniel, and other educated folks.
In my own head, I just prefer to believe that Teal'c wasn't particularly tech-savvy, possibly because Apophis kept him in the dark. (Didn't we see someplace that not all Jaffa were even literate? Not sure about that.) The ships were always that fast. Teal'c spouted the 10 times the speed of light thing because he thought it sounded impressive, but he didn't realize how misleading it was. I think that was my rationalization for a few other tech inconsistencies, though right now I can't remember them.
Anyway, I also figured he got better fast, once he had access to Carter, Daniel, and other educated folks.
I think Tok'ra strategy is also informed by their lack of ability to make new Tok'ra. It's why they take a more risk averse approach, every Tok'ra who dies forever depletes the population. Because of that they're so sure of their approach that they dismiss any other more risky approach that makes more sense if you can replace the dead.
It's pretty clear the escalating threat level of the gu'ald is directly linked to the power vacuums created by SG1's actions. It's implied that the system lords generally respect each others' territory and have a frenemy style stalemate. Nobody can commit the resources to attack others' home system because it would leave their own home system vulnerable.
WOO is a great episode, a better approach to the time loop than Cause and Effect.
Though I wonder why they didn't consider to bury the gate until the time window passed. They made one attempt to block the connection, dialing out, which failed. But in other episodes they stated all they had to do was move the iris a few microns closer to block all incoming wormholes.
It's pretty clear the escalating threat level of the gu'ald is directly linked to the power vacuums created by SG1's actions. It's implied that the system lords generally respect each others' territory and have a frenemy style stalemate. Nobody can commit the resources to attack others' home system because it would leave their own home system vulnerable.
WOO is a great episode, a better approach to the time loop than Cause and Effect.
Though I wonder why they didn't consider to bury the gate until the time window passed. They made one attempt to block the connection, dialing out, which failed. But in other episodes they stated all they had to do was move the iris a few microns closer to block all incoming wormholes.
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