SG-1 Season 6 At a Glance

My rating for each episode in season six.

Episode 1: Redemption: Part 1 -- Excellent
Episode 2: Redemption: Part 2 -- Good
Episode 3: Descent -- Very Good
Episode 4: Frozen -- Good
Episode 5: Nightwalkers -- Very Good
Episode 6: Abyss -- Excellent
Episode 7: Shadow Play -- Very Good
Episode 8: The Other Guys -- Very Good
Episode 9: Allegiance -- Very Good
Episode 10: Cure -- Very Good
Episode 11: Prometheus -- Good
Episode 12: Unnatural Selection -- Very Good
Episode 13: Sight Unseen -- Fair
Episode 14: Smoke & Mirrors -- Good
Episode 15: Paradise Lost -- Good
Episode 16: Metamorphosis -- Good
Episode 17: Disclosure -- Good
Episode 18: Forsaken -- Good
Episode 19: The Changeling -- Excellent
Episode 20: Memento -- Good
Episode 21: Prophecy -- Good
Episode 22: Full Circle -- Excellent

Daniel Jackson being gone from the show at the start of season 6 meant there was a void in the SG-1 team that needed immediate filling.  Both as a warm body, and as someone with Daniel Jackson's skill set, but who was not a Daniel Jackson clone.  Jonas Quinn was a nice fit.  I think both Micheal Shanks and Corin Nemec are talented, and both did a great job with their respective Stargate SG-1 characters.  I think praise is due for how Quinn did not become Daniel Jackson 2.0.  There was some handwavium to explain Quinn's encyclopedic knowledge, something lost with Daniel Jackson's departure.  Otherwise, Quinn had his own voice that wasn't a full on copy of Jackson.

I enjoyed Corin Nemec's portrayal of Jonas Quinn.  The one issue I have with the character is that Quinn is perfect in every way.  I think Quinn's biggest fault is that he has no faults.  The character was boxed in by perfection.  Stronger than most humans.  Incredible intelligence supplemented by being able to absorb and remember anything he read or saw.  Jonas Quinn is too good, and kind, and true.  He would be a lovely sort of person in real life.  In a television series, not so much.  A flawless “good guy” character, like a villain with no redeeming qualities, is not all that interesting.

The SciFi Channel's initial decision to cancel Stargate SG-1 after this season meant no new, long term plots that couldn't be resolved being introduced in season 6.  I think the show runners did a good job with this situation.  There was the intention to make Stargate SG-1 movies.  Ongoing plots from previous seasons remained, simmering on a back burner, waiting for future movies.  The late timing of the SciFi Channel's renewal of Stargate SG-1 meant that season 6 episodes were a done deal at that point.

The result for me is that season 6 is what it is: mostly a compilation of stand alone episodes that respect the ongoing Stargate SG-1 storylines without doing much to expand on them.  This is a good thing for a series that knows it will be cancelled.  There are important facets of Stargate SG-1 canon introduced in season 6: tretonin modified by the Tok'ra ("The Changeling"), countries other than just the U.S.A. and Russia being made aware of the stargate ("Disclosure"); and completion and testing of the Prometheus spaceship ("Memento").

While I enjoy many season 6 episodes, it is not my favorite season to rewatch.  As mentioned, the over-arching story doesn't advance much at all this season.  And, while there aren't that many Quinn-centric episodes, it feels as though there are too many Quinn-centric episodes.  Quinn and the Ancient ("Frozen").  Quinn and the Kelownans ("Shadow Play").  Quinn and Nirrti ("Metamorphosis").  Quinn and his psychic abilities ("Prophecy").  In addition to just being a part of the SG-1 team in other episodes, this season felt very Quinn heavy to me.

SciFi channel ended up renewing Stargate SG-1 for two additional seasons (and another two seasons later, for a total of 10 seasons of the show). This dramatically changes the stories and flow of story arcs in seasons 7 and onward.  I think season 6 is good on its own, and very good in the context at the time of being written as the series' final season.