When I first heard that the Sci-Fi Channel had canceled
Stargate: SG-1, like many fans of the series, I was saddened. But my sadness was
tempered by the fact that Stargate had been on the air for so long--ten years,
making it one of the longest running science fiction series on TV (the BBC’s
Doctor Who still holds the title as the longest
running SF series). This fact is never more apparent than when you gaze at the
massive size of the box set containing the complete
Stargate SG-1 series on DVD. All ten seasons, 54
discs in all, are neatly packaged into two hefty fold out sections, with a
special episode guide that’s basically a mini-book into itself. The box even has
a stargate replica on the front, which makes me wonder how cool it would be if
you could pull the DVDs out through the gate itself?
But the set is pretty darn cool in and of itself. Just the fact that a viewer
can now reference each and every SG-1 episode at will makes this worth owning.
Want to see Lost City, with its spectacular climatic battle in the Antarctic?
It’s here. Want to see 2010, the mind-bending time travel episode which offers a
look at the SG-1 team in a possible future? Got it. Or how about 1969,
where the gang travel back 30 years in the past? Yep, that’s here, as well.
The entire Stargate: SG-1 library is here for you to pick and choose from. But if you’re feeling ambitious, you could
also watch the entire series from beginning to end, which would be an equally
rewarding experience. That’s because Stargate: SG-1 was ultimately very
well-written to the point where it remembered its own history, and the result of
watching it from the beginning to the end--all 212 episodes--is like getting
involved in a vast, truly epic adventure.
Based on the 1994 film starring Kurt Russell as Air Force Colonel Jack O’Neil
and James Spader as Egyptologist Dr. Daniel Jackson, Stargate SG-1 takes the
basic premise--interplanetary travel to an alien world via a stargate that was
uncovered in Egypt in the early part of the 20th century--and expands on it
magnificently. It’s established in the pilot--which serves as a sequel to the
original film--that there’s a vast network of stargates which span the galaxy,
all constructed by a long-gone ancient race, and now used by the malevolent
Goa’uld, parasitic aliens who take over their human hosts to create a multitude
of interstellar empires, with themselves worshipped as gods in a series of feudal
kingdoms. The fact that many of the names of these Goa’uld are the same as that
of the pantheon of gods whom were worshipped on ancient Earth--Ra, Anubis,
Apophis, Hathor--is no coincidence, for in the Stargate universe, ancient humans
worshipped these aliens as gods before they were overthrown here.
In the series, Colonel Jack O’Neill (spelled here with two ‘L’s) is well-played
by Richard Dean Anderson, who was previously best known as the lead in the action
series McGuyver. The major difference between his performance and that of
Russell’s is that Anderson plays O’Neill as being more of a laid-back, easy
going sort of guy who always famously laughed--sometimes literally--in the face
of danger. Unfortunately, there were many moments, especially in the show’s
later years, when Anderson played O’Neill’s outlandish humor so broadly and over
the top that the character often came off as being a buffoon. Still, Anderson’s
overall performance was largely responsible for bringing a level of coolness to
O’Neill (as well as to the show) that made him immensely watchable whenever he
was on screen.
Daniel Jackson was portrayed on the series by the extremely likeable Michael
Shanks, who at first played him very closely to Spader’s original performance,
but soon made Daniel his own creation. Shanks’ Daniel retained his wide-eyed
innocence, often marveling at the wonders of what he encountered--and through
his eyes, the audience would be awed, as well. Daniel also often served as the
heart, or moral center, of the SG-1 team of explorers. Being more of a dove in
his personal views (although he would defend himself if need be; he didn’t
hesitate to kill if it was called for), he would often find himself butting
heads with the hawkish, career military man O’Neill. And even though his
opinions often left him the odd man out on occasion, Daniel was always very
sympathetic, thanks to Shanks’ well-rounded acting. Shanks would go on to both
direct and write episodes for the series.
