Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 7

"Enemy Mine"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Peter DeLuise — Director
Gary Jones — Walter (on the DVD commentary menu as “actor”)

The commentary is informative, and at times stays on point with what is on screen.

Review:  

Off world, an SGC survey discovers a mother lode of naquadah.  Naquadah is a mineral not found on Earth, and used in a lot of alien technology by the Goa’ulds, the Asgard, and the Ancients.  Earth uses it in building powerful generators.  Usually SGC comes across planets depleted of naquadah by the Goa’uld.  With a chance to mine a rich source of the mineral, SGC says go for it.

But, the planet has a population of Unas (”Beast of Burden“) who aren’t happy with SGC’s mining efforts.  A fight ensues between SGC personnel and the Unas.  Daniel uses his knowledge of the Unas’ language, and gets them to stop attacking.  Back on Earth, SGC’s position is: get rid of the Unas.  Either by forced relocation or just force.  Chaka (”Beast of Burden”) gates to SGC to help Daniel parley with the Unas.  The Unas say nope to relocating.  SGC says don’t care, we want the naquadah.

World with a history of forcibly relocating native populations and taking their land’s resources tries to forcibly relocate an alien race on another planet in order to take that planet’s resources.  

The actor Dion Johnstone previously portrayed Chaka, but was unavailable for this episode.  Chaka is instead portrayed by Patrick Currie.  The change is noticeable, but not immersion breaking.  The title, “Enemy Mine,” is a reference to the novella by Barry B. Longyear and the 1985 film of the same title.  However, I think the episode “The First Ones" is closer to the spirit of the novella and film than this episode.  Parts of this episode remind me of the film Zulu (1964).  Michael Rooker guest stars as Colonel Edwards, and Steven Williams as General Vidrine.

Failures:

This isn’t the first episode where the powers that be of Stargate Command are willing to run rampant over a planet’s population in order to get what they want.  Pretty similar situation occurred in the episode, “Spirits.”  There is less (virtually no) self-reflection in this episode by Earth humans.  Making for a far less interesting story dynamic.  The focus is more about the differing command styles of O’Neill and Colonel Edwards.  The question of one society riding roughshod over another society to get what they want isn’t addressed from a moral standpoint.  At the least I would have liked for someone to point out the parallels between the intended treatment of the Unas on the planet by Earth humans, and how the Goa’uld treat, well, everyone who isn’t more powerful than them.  The end result is a story that doesn’t rise above okay, buoyed by the the good performances of the actors.