Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 17

"Disclosure"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Don S. Davis – “General Hammond”
Joseph Mallozzi – Supervising Producer
Paul Mullie – Supervising Producer

The commentary is very informative, and interesting. Lots of behind the scene information. The commentary stays on point with what is on screen.

 

Review: 

This is a clip show, with the framework being the U.S.A. and Russia finally telling a few (a very few) other countries about the Stargate program.  Representatives of Britain, France, and China are made aware of what has transpired for the past six years.

While I'm not a fan of clip shows, this is a good one.  Over the course of Stargate SG-1, the stakes for Earth have been very high.  SGC, and later Russia but still mostly SGC, determining actions that impact the entirety of Earth has always irked me about Stargate SG-1.  The addition of more countries being involved, or least being aware of, the stargate program is a good change, one that's long overdue.

Ronny Cox returns as Senator Kinsey (“Smoke & Mirrors”) and continues to be amazing as this character.  Kinsey still has no love for SGC (General Hammond and Jack O'Neill in particular), and does his darnedest to bring the representatives to his point of view.  Kinsey hasn't gone soft and caring.  Being who he is, Kinsey is trying to gain control of the stargate program.

Upon finding out about the advancements in technology and weaponry garnered from the stargate program, the representatives are unhappy with the U.S.A. and Russia having these advantages.  The anger and bluster of the representatives following this disclosure rings true.

There are weak points in the episode (outside of using clips).  The idea by some of the representatives to make the stargate program and the threat of the Goa'uld public is not believable.  There is no gentle way to share information about the stargate program, let alone the Goa'uld, with the general public.  Granted, at the start of “2010,” the general public is calm knowing about the existence of the stargate.  However, those folks also had the Aschen to smack down the Goa'uld or any other threats to Earth, except for the hidden threat of the Aschen themselves.  Go watch that episode.  In the Stargate SG-1 world of this episode -- the main timeline -- everyone knowing about the stargate program would, more likely than not, result in wide scale panic.

The finale of this episode holds up, but that is a spoiler.

Overall, this clip show has a decent support structure with the story.  And, the clips shown are very good.  Ronny Cox as Senator Kinsey, and Don S. Davis as General Hammond, provide strong performances that are a delight to behold.  Colin Cunningham as Major Davis is in Davis' balliwick as he makes points and counterpoints without backing down.  François Chau, Martin Evans, and Paul Batten are believable as other countries' representatives.  Garry Chalk is strong as Colonel Chekov, supporting the U.S.A. running the stargate program, without being crass or a crony.  Always a pleasure to see him on Stargate SG-1.

Failures:

It is a clip show.  But, I think that failure is minor as the framework for the clips does advance the Stargate SG-1 story.  I'm still not a clip show fan, and never will be one, however this episode is worth viewing.