Deutsche Version | Stargate: The Arc of Truth Synopsis: SG-1 takes part in the ceremony where the last Ba’al clone gets his symbiont removed. The…
SG-1 Marathon
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Deutsche Version | Season 10 | Stargate: Continuum Synopsis: The Ori themselves are most likely dead. But their followers continue to fight. Daniel is now…
Stargate SG-1: Season 10
Deutsche Version | Season 9 | The Ark of Truth
I have bought the first nine seasons of Stargate SG-1 here in Germany. Each one had an average price of 80-90€. Back in the days that were simply the prices for season boxes, Star Trek boxes had cost a similar amount. But times change and I was no more willing to pay 77€ for the 10. season in Germany. Thus I bought the complete box in the US for 135€. And it does look nice. I will chip the first nine seasons on eBay.
Disc 1
Flesh and Blood
Synopsis: The defence of the Supergate ended in a slaughter of the defenders. The four Ori ships had no problems with breaking through. Aboard one of these ships Vala has just given birth to her daughter. But she is growing very fast and she is supposed to become the leader of all Ori troops in this galaxy.
My Opinion: The more often I encounter the story it the less interesting it gets: chosen childs. Offhand I can recall: Gabrielle’s daughter Hope (Xena: Warrior Princess), Xena’s daughter Eve/Livia (Xena: Warrior Princess) and of course Angel’s son Connor (Angel). If we add movies, we can also add Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars).
I was also a bit disappointed that Bra’tac has learned very few since he first encountered G_1 over eight years ago. Back then he also wanted to prepare for death after they had successfully sabotaged Apophis’s ship.
Morpheus
Synopsis: SG-1 visits one of the planets where they hope to find Merlin’s weapon. But there isn’t a single living being, not even animals. But the inhabitants of the village seem to have died peacefully in their beds.
In the meantime Vala has to undergo a psychiatric examination before she can join the Stargate program.
My Opinion: This episode was literally soporific.
The Pegasus Project
Synopsis: Daniel hopes to find more information about the location of the weapon in Atlantis. And Carter has developed a plan to render the Supergate useless with the help of a black hole in the Pegasus galaxy.
My Opinion: This episode I liked again. McKay was great and the way Daniel and Vala blew the cover of the Ancient “Morgan le Fay” was also good. While there are significant difference the Ancients and the Ori strongly reminded me of the Vorlons and the Shadows (Babylon 5) in this episode. All four are far superior to the normal Humans and within their universe they have a mutual exclusive point of view on how to interact with the Humans. Although the Ancients are the only ones of the four that don’t intervene at all (with the usual exceptions to that rule).
The “phone bill” of this episode could be interesting. Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy calls the SGC who in turn call Teal’c at the Supergate and he relays the message through the open wormhole to the Odyssey in the Pegasus galaxy. 😉
Insiders
Synopsis: The allegedly real Ba’al comes to Earth and offers his help to find the weapon. But for this, SG-1 would have to kill all his clones who have uprisen against him. But every clone insits on being the real Ba’al and soon the SGC is swarmed with Ba’als.
My Opinion: Oh Sam, come on! Have you learned nothing from the RepliCarter disaster? I am annoyed that this highly intelligent woman falls for such plans. Yes, granted, she was in a hostage situation but how many lives will it cost when Ba’al is successful?
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Stargate SG-1: Season 9
Deutsche Version| Season 8| Season 10
Disc 1
Avalon
Synopsis: Lt. Colonel Mitchell has taken over the command of SG-1. The problem is: There is no SG-1 anymore. Teal’c is council member on Dakara, Sam has been reassigned to Area 51 and Daniel is about to leave to Atlantis.
But then Vala Mal Doran comes to Earth and brings an enrycpted tablet, written in Ancient. It points to a secret location on Earth that is supposed to contain treasures. Vala binds Daniel to herself with a special set of “hand cuffs” and they go off on the search for Avalon, the resting place of King Arthur.
My Opinion: In an early episode of the eight season Sam asked how people like her are ever going to have a family. If she would become pregnant could she simply take maternity leave? The absence of Sam in this and the following episodes is exactly for this reason: Amanda Tapping is on maternity leave.
But the chemistry between Daniel and Vala works very well again. The attempts of Mitchell (Ben Browder, John Crichton in Farscape) “to bring the band back together” are honourable but (so far) in vain.
O’Neill was promoted to Major General and has turned the command over to Major General Landry (Beau Bridges). This marks the end of Richard Dean Anderson as regular cast.
Avalon, Part 2
Synopsis: After they’ve successfully solved the puzzles in the cave, Daniel discovers a device of the Ancient’s that stands in relation to the stones Joe Spencer and Jack have been using for years. They suspect that it is a means of communication. Since Daniel and Vala are still “bound” to each other they try it together – and land in a remote place in foreign bodies. They don’t find the Ancients there but worshippers of the Ori.
In the meantime the situation in the newly found Jaffa council develops differently than Bra’tac and Teal’c had hoped.
My Opinion: I liked the fact that they’ve established a permanent doctor again (Lexa Doig, “Rommie” in Andromeda). They haven’t had one since the death of Dr. Frasier.
But I didn’t understand how the First Prime of a backwater Goa’uld could gather that many followers. A Jaffa (it hadn’t to be the First Prime) of a System Lord would have been more believable.
Origin
Synopsis: Daniel and Vala have been brought to the “City of the Gods” by the Prior. There he meets the leader of the Priors and he learns that the Ori are Ancients, too. But the Ori believe that the mortals should worship them. Anyone who doesn’t follow the “path of enlightenment” will be destroyed. Through the arrival of Daniel and Vala the Ori have learned of our galaxy and they have sent their first Priors.
My Opinion: As if by magic a new enemy emerges that is more powerful than Anubis or the Replicators. The fact that the Ori cannot come here themselves makes this war winnable. In terms of Dragonball, we have reached the Buu Saga.
The Ties That Bind
Synopsis: Although the “hand cuffs” have been removed, Daniel and Vala still cannot part without collapsing. They try to find out why that is and how to undo it. But for this they have to “retrieve” a few items.
My Opinion: The story and the looks of this episode felt like a mixture of Farscape and Firefly. This is no critizism, since Mitchell shouldn’t be a simple copy of Jack and Vala isn’t an ordinary SG team member. I liked it a lot.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 8
Deutsche Version | Stargate SG-1: Season 7 | Stargate SG-1: Season 9
Disc 1
New Order
Synopsis: Jack is still in stasis and SG-1 has no means of contacting the Asgard because the Stargate project is still undergoing an “evaluation process”. But Sam can convince Dr. Weir to borrow the Tel’tak that Jack had refitted. As soon as Sam and Teal’c arrive in Asgard space they meet Thor and together they encounter escape Replicators. In the meantime Dr. Weir and Daniel meet representatives of the System Lords. Ba’al has “obtained” the Kull warriors and a great many of Anubis’s Jaffa. This poses a potential threat to both the System Lords and Earth.
My Opinion: This two-parter was also presented as feature-length film on the DVD. But this episode showed one of the problems of the series: The 30 Ha’taks that attacked Earth were only a small part of Anubis’s fleet. Considering the size of our galaxy that sounds logical. But it doesn’t explain why Apophis’s position amongst the System Lords was weakened a few years ago, just because he had lost 2 ships in the attack on Earth. This is getting out of proportion and it’s getting worse in the next season and I will come back to this topic then.
(On the other hand only 39 Federation ships engaged the Borg cube at Wolf 359, but later 650 ships tried to re-take DS9 [the Klingons not included].)
After this episode the spin-off Stargate Atlantis starts and Dr. Weir becomes the project’s leader. The newly promoted Brigadier General Jack O’Neill becomes the CO of the SGC and the newly promoted Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter becomes the leader of SG-1. One also sees Replicator-Carter for the first time who is called RepliCarter by the fans.
Lockdown
Synopsis: The newly arrived russian Colonel Vaselov would like to become the fourth member of SG-1. At least he wants to go off-world as soon as possible. But then he collapses and has to be brought to the infirmary. After Daniel has shot two soldiers, Jack seals off the mountain to prevent Anubis (who is responsible for all this) from escaping.
My Opinion: A nice hide-and-seek episode but nothing more.
Zero Hour
Synopsis: In five days the president will visit the SGC but Jack’s problems are mounting: An alien plant overgrows the entire base and is hard to defeat. And Ba’al is holding SG-1 hostage and wants the System Lord Camulus who has sought asylum in the SGC.
My Opinion: I am quite sure that this was supposed to be an homage to M*A*S*H because Sgt. Walter Harriman always answered before Jack had asked his question and he had always everything prepared. That makes him similar to his namesake Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly. I thought that they matched it very well. And Jack actually reminded me of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake.
I also liked the rest of this Jack episode. Jack hasn’t changed much after all.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 7
Deutsche Version | Season 6 | Season 8
Disc 1
Fallen
Synopsis: SG-1 is still searching for the “Lost City” or – as Jonas translates it now – “City of the Lost”, a city of the Ancients that wasn’t fully completed. They try to find the city with the help of the Gate addresses Jack entered into the computer when he had the knowledge of the Ancients. But they find something different – someone, to be precise.
My Opinion: The attack on Anubis’s ship was a nice homage to the battle above Yavin in Star Wars IV, including Jack’s comment that his F-302 (it’s obviously not eXperimental anymore) should have the call sign “Red Leader”. Michael Shanks has re-joined the main cast and returns to his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson. And while I liked Jonas, Daniel is somehow better. Jack and Daniel know each other for over seven years and even in the end Jonas was still “the new guy”. The chemistry between Jack and Daniel worked instantaneously again in terms of: they like each other but are totally different.
Homecoming
Synopsis: Daniel and Jonas are still aboard Anubis’s ship which hovers now over the capitol of Kelowna. Anubis wants to have the Naqahdriah and the knowledge of how to create a stable reaction.
My Opinion: On one hand it’s understandable that Jonas returns home. Daniel is back and all three countries on his home planet know about the Stargate now. It’s a bit sad, though. But since Daniel and he had basically the same role within SG-1 it would be hard to acknowledge this fact in future scripts.
Fragile Balance
Synopsis: When Jack awakes one morning, he is a teenanger of fifteen years. No one believes that he is Colonel Jack O’Neill. After his DNA has been confirmed they try to find out what happened and how to reverse it.
My Opinion: This time I even looked on the clock. The first appearance of RDA was in the 31st minute of this 42 minute episode. On the other hand one has to get used to it since his screen time will drop considerably from the 8th season on.
But it was good to see that not all Asgard are good and perfect, that even they have black sheeps.
Orpheus
Synopsis: After T’ealc has been wounded on a mission, he begins to doubt himself. Since he has lost “Junior” and has begun to inject Tretonin he doesn’t feel as a full-fledged Jaffa anymore. But then there’s a new crisis arising, Bra’tac and Rya’c are prisoners in a work camp that one only leaves dead.
My Opinion: A very good episode to show that something has changed for Teal’c. A symbiote has been part of his body for about 90 years (Teal’c is approximately 104 years old at this time) and now this part is missing. I can imagine that this is hard to get used to. I also liked the scene where his son helped im through the crisis by letting Teal’c kill the other Jaffa with his bare hands.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 6
Deutsche Version | Stargate SG-1: Season 5 | Stargate SG-1: Season 7
Disc 1
Redemption
Synopsis: For three months Jonas Quinn has been on Earth and in the SGC. Now he is allowed to leave for the first time, SG-1 takes him with them to Area 51, where the X-302 has been completed. After the X-301 disaster the X-302 is completely man-made and with the help of the Naqahdriah it even has an hyperlight drive – the Death Gliders don’t have one.
But then Teal’c has to return to Chulak because his wife is dying and his son blames him for that. While he’s there someone opens the Stargate to Earth but it doesn’t close again.
My Opinion: As predicted, Anubis now turns his attention to Earth but obviously he doesn’t dare to trike openly – yet. The X-302 has its charme because she really looks like a mixture of stealth bomber and Death Glider. I also like Jack’s question if it has Phasers when Sam enumerated all the features.
Redemption, Part 2
Synopsis: A little more than 50 hours until the Stargate overloads and will blow up the state of Colorado and poison the atmosphere. The Stargate can’t be disabled and ths SGC has no way to contact the Asgard. But then Jonas has an idea and Bra’tac, Teal’c and Rya’c do their best to save Earth.
My Opinion: A good conclusion to this two-parter, especially because they didn’t find a technobabble solution to close the Gate but really had to dispose it. And the second Gate didn’t come out of nowhere thus it was no miracle solution. Ironically the now installed Gate is the original one and the blown up one is the Antarctica Gate.
BTW: This was the fourth time a Battlestar Galactica cast member made an appearance: Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol in BSG) played of of Anubis’s Jaffa.
Descent
Synopsis: A Ha’tak has entered orbit around Earth but it doesn’t attack. SG-1 – whose most recent addition has been Jonas Quinn – and Jacob/Selmak fly to the ship in a Tel’tak. The ship has been abandoned and it is the same ship in which Thor was held prisoner.
My Opinion: I like Jonas. He has an innocent, curious nature. He hasn’t yet seen what SG-1 has seen and one really believes that he wants to become a part of it.
A really good effect was when the ring transporter “beamed” Jonas and the water pillar.
Frozen
Synopsis: Four years after the Antarctica Gate has been discovered a young woman is found – but she is not Jaffa but instead several million years old. She is one of the Ancients but she looks like a human. That means today’s humans are only the second evolution of this form on this planet and that can’t be a coincedence.
My Opinion: I don’t know why but Ayiana always reminded me of Leeloo from The Fifth Element. We also see that Jonas has the same talent Daniel had when it comes to connecting with other beings. Apart from that the episode wasn’t that interesting.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 5
Deutsche Version | Season 4 | Season 6
Disc 1
Enemies
Synopsis: Caused by the explosion of the sun and the activated Hyperdrive SG-1s Ha’tak has been catapulted into another galaxy. But Apophis is also there with his huge motherhip. But as soon as they have arrived another ship is apporaching that attacks Apophis’s ship. It is the Replicators.
My Opinion: Nothing against a good deus ex machina now and then, but this time they’ve overdone it. First they land in a remote galaxy, then the Replicators arrive, then Teal’c has been brainwashed somehow and in the end the Replicators kindly bring SG-1 back home. Honestly! At least Apophis has breathed his last breath.
Threshold
Synopsis: Teal’c is still brainwashed. According to Bra’tac, the only way to get him out of this, is to remove the larva and bring him to the brink of death.
My Opinion: Even though the events that led to this were rubbish, this was a very good compensation. It showed us how Teal’c became the man he is and how Bra’tac tought him all this. A great character drawing.
Ascension
Synopsis: SG-1 discovers a device that could be a powerful weapon. But then Sam faints and has to be brought back to the SGC. When she is put on leave and comes home, she is awaited by a non-corporeal being. It declares that it comes from the planet Sam has just been to.
My Opinion: The most important information in this episode was the fact, that Teal’c has watched Star Wars nine times while Jack has never watched it. 😉 That aside this episode was a goof examply why in Star Trek a Prime Directive exists: Because it is not predictable, what happens if one interfers with the developement of a culture. But the extinction of that entire planet was also over the top, they simply could have taken the Stargate away.
The appearance of John de Lancie (Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation) was also nice, especially because it won’t be the last.
The Fifth Man
Synopsis: Sam, Teal’c and Daniel return to the SGC under heavy fire while Jack and Lieutenant Tyler are grounded. But the real problem is: In the SGC no one knows this “Lieutenant Tyler”. Only SG-1 can remember this man.
My Opinion: I liked this episode, too. Another fact has cought my eye here: Stargate SG-1 has found a good balance regarding the number of alien races. The universe isn’t as crowded with non-humans as the Star Trek universe. But it is also not as empty as the Battlestar Galactica universe. While most of the aliens are still humanoid they aren’t simply knobbly-nose-aliens but really alien-aliens.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 4
Deutsche Version | Stargate SG-1: Season 3 | Stargate SG-1: Season 5
Disc 1
Small Victories
Synopsis: Thor’s ship has been successfully destroyed during the re-entrance into the atmosphere but one of the Replicators did survive. It manages to rescue itself to a russian submarine. There it kills the entire crew and begins to replicate. In Thor’s home galaxy things aren’t good either, the Asgard have no weapon to defeat the Replicators and they close in on one of the Asgard planets.
My Opinion: It was cool how Thor tried to explain that the Asgard are to intelligent to find a primitive way to destroy the Replicators. 🙂 I also liked the fact the russians actually spoke russian without being subtitled. It wasn’t necessary for the understanding to know what they said – I understood it nonetheless. 😉 (The one asks what is making that noise and the other one actually replies that it could be the bugs from the previous episode!)
The Other Side
Synopsis: It’s one of the rare moments when someone “calls” Earth and not the other way around. The people of the planet Euronda ask for help since there is a world war on their planet. If Earth gives them all the heavy water they need, they would give all their technology in exchange.
My Opinion: What bothered me about this was the initial behaviour of Jack’s. He behaved more like in Shades of Grey as I would expect of him. He only comes around when René Auberjonois’s (Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) character turns against Teal’c. I didn’t like it much.
Upgrades
Synopsis: The Tok’ra Freya/Anise (Freya is the host) brings an ancient technology to Earth. But she only does it because it doesn’t work on Goa’uld/Tok’ra/Jaffa. After SG-1 (except for Teal’c) has put the armbands on many of their abilities enhance by several degrees: strength, speed, sight. Unfortunately the armbands can’t be removed and the human body isn’t able to cope with these changes over a longer period of time.
My Opinion: This episode and the behaviour of SG-1 was funny, especially the entire scene in the restaurant. But it also showed again that the team will be there for one another, no matter the price.
Crossroads
Synopsis: A friend of Teal’c’s, the high priestess Shan’auc, did manage to communicate with her Goa’uld larva. She convinced it that it should join the Tok’ra. But this must happen soon since the larva is fully grown and cannot remain in Shan’auc much longer.
My Opinion: It was somehow predictable that the Goa’uld would betray Shan’auc but I liked to see Peter Wingfield (Methos in Highlander) again. And I could understand Jack’s disappointment that they’ve fleeced by the Tok’ra again.
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Stargate SG-1: Season 3
Deutsche Version | Season 2 | Season 4
Disc 1
Into the Fire
Synopsis: Hathor has set up a quite good copy of the SGC. She wants that one of the three (Jack, Sam & Daniel) becomes a host to a Goa’uld. And General Hammond has no authority to send reinforcements to free SG-1.
My Opinion: This was a far better continuation than the first part could promise. As far as I know it was for the first time that we’ve seen a Gao’uld Death Glider (although a dated model) flying through a Stargate and it looked really cool. I also liked the fact that Teal’c tried to convince his brothers and sisters to join his path.
Seth
Synopsis: The biblical figure Seth is also a Goa’uld but he has disappeared for thousands of years. He is on the run from both the System Lords and the Tok’ra. As it turns out, Seth keeps himself hidden on Earth and is a leader of a cult. There have been “Cults of Seth” before and they always ended in the collective suicide of the worshippers.
My Opinion: I like the idea that a Goa’uld could be a cult leader and is using Goa’uld technology for this. But this episode had many logic holes and I don’t like them. For one, how Seth is able to build new ring transporters on Earth. Or where he got himself a personal forcefield, a technology that was new to Teal’c in the first season. Even the ear device with the electrical shock was implausible because it couldn’t possibly be as strong as a Zat Gun.
Interesting is the fact that the humans have increased their Goa’uld killing rate, first Hathor and now Seth.
Fair Game
Synopsis: Sam gets promoted to Major but in the moment Jack wants to congratulate her he gets beamed up to an Asgard mothership. Thor is in the orbit of Earth and he brings a warning: The Goa’uld see the Tau’ri now as a serious threat, after they rid themselves from three System Lords (Ra, Apophis & Hathor).
The Asgards plan to include Earth into the Protected Planets Treaty and for this three System Lords come to the SGC: Cronus, Nirrti and Yu.
My Opinion: One should neither poker with Jack nor with Thor. 😉 I again liked the fact that they took elements from former episodes and continued them: The protected planets from Thor’s Hammer, Nirrti from Singularity and the Re’tu from Show and Tell. Ironically the Re’tu will be mentioned again but we’ve never seen them again since Show and Tell.
Legacy
Synopsis: SG-1 finds nine death Goa’uld from the “minor league” but they can’t explain how they died. But then Daniel starts to hallicinate and hears voices. He has to go to a mental facility.
My Opinion: Again a great acting of Michael Shanks. I loved the trip to the nuthouse.
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