SG-1 Season Eight DVD Set -- Content

I will rate each season’s DVD set before reviewing the season’s individual episodes.  My rating in this post solely reflects the DVD content, options, & extras (or lack thereof), not episodes.

Overall Rating for the Set:  Good

No audio commentary on episode 18,  “Threads.”
Audio commentary on the rest of the episodes.

There is not a “play all” option.

English and French audio.

Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish.

The episodes are close captioned.

This is a five-disc set, with 20 episodes.
Each episode is approximately 44 minutes long.

All episodes are anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1.

Sound:

English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
French: Stereo Surround

The special features are not rated.

The special features are neither closed-captioned nor subtitled.

Special Features:

SG-1 Beyond the Gate: An Air Force Experience with Richard Dean Anderson
SG-1 Beyond the Gate: A Convention Experience with Christopher Judge
SG-1 Directors Series: “Avatar”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Covenant”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Reckoning”
Super Soldier: The Making of a Monster featurette
Photo and Production Design Galleries

All episodes in their entirety, some featurettes, and there are audio commentaries for all episodes except one.  Episodes finally have subtitles, and in three languages.  Audio is available in English and French.  Slim cases, and nice artwork.

With TV series on DVD, there are two quality of life options (meaning non-essential perks) that I enjoy.  First, a “play all” option for the episodes on a disk.  Main menu to episode menu to “play episode,” and then from the episode menu to the main menu to the next episode menu to “play episode” gets old, fast.  Second, putting a scene break on the DVD at the end of every episode's opening credit, where the theme music plays.  I love Stargate SG-1's opening credit theme music (I love all of Stargate SG-1's music), but sometimes I want to get straight to the episode after the opening scene.  In this season 8 DVD set, neither of those two quality of life options are available.

By having subtitles on episodes, and more than just English as a language option, this DVD set is a step up from previous seasons DVD sets.  On the flip side, there are fewer special features in this season’s DVD set, and for the first time since commentary was added there is an episode without commentary.

I rate this season’s DVD set as  a solid Good.

Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 18

"Heroes: Part 2"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Andy Mikita — Director
Robert C. Cooper — Writer and Executive Producer
Andy Wilson — Director of Photography

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

Review:  

Continuing immediately after the events of “Heroes: Part 1,” SG teams are sent off world to help SG-13 with their wounded.  The documentary filming is still going on, although they are not allowed to travel through the stargate.  Back at SGC, it’s revealed that one of the regularly appearing Stargate SG-1 characters is dead, killed off world.

Failures:

A regular character is gone, from what I understand in order to see how the other characters deal with loss.  Thing is, there have been SGC characters killed off on Stargate SG-1 before.  And, the surviving characters had to deal with those losses.  Sometimes, background characters, starting within the first few minutes of Stargate SG-1’s initial episode, “Children of the Gods.”  “Meridian” was meant to be, and treated like, Daniel Jackson’s swan song.  O’Neill was ready to let an entire planet’s population starve because some SG personnel were killed in “Red Sky.”  We've seen Stargate SG-1 characters sacrifice, and grieve for lives lost, before.  Nothing was added to Stargate SG-1 by the events of “Heroes: Parts 1 and 2.”  I rate this episode as good based solely on the actors performances, the effects, and the sets.

Stargate SG-1, Season 7, Episode 17

"Heroes: Part 1"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Andy Mikita — Director
Andy Wilson — Director of Photography

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

Review:  

A documentary about the stargate program is commissioned by the President of the United States of America.   A film crew is allowed in SGC to get their story.  The reaction by SGC staff to being interviewed is a mixed bag, with some taking the requirement to participate better than others.  Meanwhile, off world, an SG team comes under attack by Jaffa forces.

Failures:

I have a difficult time not mentally tuning out during this episode, despite excellent performances by the regular cast and guest stars.  Primarily due to my lack of interest in watching stargate personnel being interviewed, even by the admittedly charismatic Emmett Bregman as portrayed by the talented Saul Rubinek, a favorite actor of mine.  As far as the story, I’m never sold on the premise of a civilian as part of a documentary team and being allowed so much access to SGC and its past missions.

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.

SG-1 Season Seven DVD Set -- Content

I will rate each season’s DVD set before reviewing the season’s individual episodes.  My rating in this post solely reflects the DVD content, options, & extras (or lack thereof), not episodes.

Overall Rating for the Set:  Good

Audio commentary on each episode.

There is not a “play all” option.
The only audio language is English.

Subtitles: None

Although there are no subtitles, the episodes are close captioned. You can use the close caption option on your television to view the dialog in English.

This is a five-disc set, with 21 episodes.
Each episode is approximately 44 minutes long, except for “Lost City” (episode 21) which is approximately 1 hour 24 minutes long.

All episodes are anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1.

Sound: 5.1 (Dolby Digital)

The special features are not rated.

The special features are not closed-captioned.

Special Features:

SG-1 Directors Series: “Fragile Balance”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Space Race”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Avenger 2.0”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Death Knell”
SG-1 Directors Series: “Lost City”
Stargate Fan Club Spot
Photo and Production Design Galleries
SG-1 Beyond the Gate: Michael Shanks
SG-1 Beyond the Gate: Christopher Judge
SG-1 Beyond the Gate: Richard Dean Anderson
SG-1 Beyond the Gate: Amanda Tapping
Photo Galleries

I rate this set Good because it has all of the season’s episodes in their entirety, and in broadcast order, and there is audio commentary for each episode, along with a variety of featurettes. Slim cases, and nice artwork.

With TV series on DVD, there are two quality of life options (meaning non-essential perks) that I enjoy.  First, a “play all” option for the episodes on a disk.  Main menu to episode menu to “play episode,” and then from the episode menu to the main menu to the next episode menu to “play episode” gets old, fast.  Second, putting a scene break on the DVD at the end of every episode's opening credit, where the theme music plays.  I love Stargate SG-1's opening credit theme music (I love all of Stargate SG-1's music), but sometimes I want to get straight to the episode after the opening scene.  In this season 7 DVD set, neither of those two quality of life options are available.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 21

"Prophecy"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

William Waring – Director
Peter F. Woeste – Director of Photography
Rick Dean – Chief Lighting Technician

The commentary is interesting, and stays with what is on screen.

 

Review: 

SG-1 is off-world on P4S-237 sharing a meal with the folks living there.  Their leader, named Ellori, states that they live a hardscrabble life, working in mines for Ba'al (“Abyss”).  Carter says that they thought Ba'al abandoned P4S-237 about 100 years ago because there wasn't any more naquadah.  There isn't much, but Ellori's people scratch out what they can and give it to Ba'al's emissary, a Goa'uld named Mot.  Ellori seems to doubt that Mot is a god, but Chazen, another resident of the planet, pipes up that of course Mot is a god.  He says that at the very least, Mot has god-like destructive powers.  Very po-tay-toe, pa-tah-toe is Chazen.

During this chat, Jonas Quinn is looking a bit ill and wobbly.  Then, Jonas has a prophetic vision, which is proven true a few moments later.  Unaware of Jonas' vision, Ellari mentions that his people have an ancient prophecy that one day someone will travel to their world via the stargate and save the people of P4S-237 from their lot.  Roll credits on the episode title.  Things are getting a bit tense between pro-Mot Chazen and pro-not being enslaved Ellari when Jonas keels over and passes out.

Back at the SGC, Dr. Frasier cannot find anything conclusive that might be the source of Jonas' ailment.  There's mention of the possibility of it being related to naquadria, as in the past being around improperly shielded naquadria is shown to cause brain damage (“Shadow Play”).  More medical testing is needed, but for now Jonas seems to have recovered.

At a briefing, Carter shares the Tok'ra confirming Ba'al's abandonment of P4S-237 about 100 years ago, and he is not receiving naquadah shipments from there.  The general thought is Ba'al defeated Mot at some point in the past, and demoted Mot to lackey.  Mot is likely keeping P4S-237's naquadah for himself in hopes of overthrowing Ba'al one day.  SG-1 sees the situation as a chance to take down Mot, and free the people of P4S-237.  Since Ba'al and the other System Lords have the planet on their “not worth my time” list, there shouldn't be a problem with more Goa'ulds moving in after deposing Mot.  During the briefing, Jonas has another vision that later comes true.

This all happens before the opening credits finish rolling.

Dr. Frasier and other medical staff try to learn what is physiologically happening to Jonas, as his physical condition deteriorates with each vision.  Jonas thinks that whatever Nirrti did to him in “Metamorphosis” is the cause.  Considering that this episode's “previously on” is all about “Metamorphosis,” that seems likely.  Dr. Frasier discovers some sort of non-cancerous growth in Jonas' brain, and wants to operate.  Jonas wants to wait and see what his prophecies provide.  General Hammond agrees to let Jonas wait 24 hours before having the surgery, but does not clear Jonas for going off-world.

So, ¾ of SG-1 head to the gateroom, ready to go back to P4S-237 and see about taking down Mot. But, Jonas has another vision just before they gate out.  This time of a severely injured Carter.  General Hammond takes Carter off of the P4S-237 mission, just in case.  Teal'c, O'Neill, and SG-15 head off-world.  Jonas continues having periodic visions that he hopes will be of good use.  Until something happens that brings in to question the usefulness of Jonas' visions.  The first time he tried to change the future based on his visions didn't end well.  Things aren't going well for SG-15 and the ½ of SG-1 on P4S-237, either.

Everyone's acting performances are fine.  Victor Talmadge is very good as Mot, exuding a nice level of Goa'uld menace.  The regular cast performs well, with Corin Nemec's portrayal of an increasingly ill Jonas being the best.  The story is all right.  Jonas' prophetic ability overrode the other story in this episode, the situation on  P4S-237.  Carter and Jonas' discussions about seeing the future are mildly interesting.

Failures:

Nothing major.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 20

"Memento"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Peter DeLuise – Director
Damian Kindler – Producer/Writer

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

 

Review: 

The Earth ship Prometheus is on a shakedown run in space, with SG-1 riding along.  But, the Prometheus breaks down, and the Asgard don't show up like a space faring AAA this time (bright spot – O'Neill commenting on the Asgard not showing up).  The ship can't get back to Earth.  But, hark!  There's a planet nearby that should have a stargate.  Uh, oh.  The ship's naquadria reactor malfunctions and is jettisoned before it explodes.  The reactor is spewed into space, near a planet.  One that the Prometheus crew doesn't know whether or not is populated.  Turns out it is, and the planet is called Tagrea by its inhabitants.

From the Tagrean perspective, Prometheus introduced itself by throwing an explosive brick through a window. So Tagreans launch an attack on the Prometheus with missiles capable of reaching and destroying the Earth ship.  Prometheus tries to convince the Tagreans that the big boom was an oops, not an act of war, and somehow that works.

The two sides meet, with Prometheus/SG-1 wanting to use Tagrea's stargate.  Except, Tagreans say they don't have a stargate.  But, there's a gate address for Tagrea. So, aha!  There must be a stargate on the planet that the Tagreans don't know about.  Or (I thought), whatever Goa'uld brought humans to Tagrea took the stargate with them when they abandoned the planet.  But, it looks like we're going with an unknown stargate.

After establishing that the Tagrean Commander Kalfas (military leader) and Chairman Ashwan (political leader) have different visions of first contact protocol after a seeming attack, SG-1 gets some historical information that doesn't shed light on where Tagrea's stargate is  located.  The information only covers the last 300 years of Tagrean history.  Turns out Tagreans would rather forget everything that happened more than 300 years before.  A statement which causes the Earthlings to clutch their pearls at the willful destruction and erasure of history.  Which happens on Earth, too, although not always with the vigor of the Tagreans.

With the Tagreans permission Teal'c and Jonas root around in Tagrea's archives.  There Teal'c and Jonas meet the charmingly squirrely Tarek.  Tarek says that he can help them find Tagrea's stargate.  Tarek is part of a secret sect that still worships Heru'ur (“The Serpent's Venom” and the Goa'uld who brought humans to Tagrea long ago) as a god.  In secret, because keeping the history of anything before the time Heru'ur left their world is frowned on.  Turns out that some digging with hand shovels uncovers the stargate.  Tagreans are really bad at hiding their past.

After Teal'c, Jonas, and some Tagreans successfully test the newly uncovered stargate, Kalfas rolls up on them in an armored vehicle, firing warning shots and backed by a lot of Tagrean military personnel and equipment.  SG-1 finds themselves in the midst of another world's two-sided internal conflict.  Again.  This time with the Prometheus' crew along. 

I give this episode a rating of Good because while the story had me sighing -- a lot -- everything else about the episode is done well.  The acting is very good.  John Novak (Ronson) and Miguel Fernandes (Kalfas) performances keep their respective characters from being one note.  There's more going on within those individual characters, even though their dialog isn't inspired.  Robert Foxworth as Ashwan shows a mature delight that there are not only others in the galaxy, but that those others don't to seem to want to fight.  Alex Diakun is quite a talent, and gives the character of Tarek Solamon a wonderful balance of twichiness mixed with certitude, without falling into caricature.  The special effects are very well done throughout.

One of my favorite parts: the glimpse of Ashwan's assistant messing around with the unfamiliar Earth food of mashed potatoes, while Kalfas' assistant doesn't even pretend to eat the Earth food because he's too busy glaring at the Earth folks during a meal on the Prometheus.  Nicely done.

Failures:

First impressions are lasting.  There are a lot of bad first impressions with this episode.  O'Neill's public snit fit over justified drills.  Dumping a naquadria generator near a planet without knowing anything about the planet's possible population.  Then there is various Prometheus bridge crew members, and SG-1, having to lay some very basic truths on Ronson, things he should have known on his own.  Colonel Ronson and Commander Kalfas – who is so hawkish at times I'm surprised when words instead of bird of prey screeches come out of his mouth – have a round of literal, “my guns are bigger than yours.”  Prometheus' uninspired “my bad” to Tagrea, and it being accepted (although not by Commander Kalfas).  When not bumping heads with Ronson, I thought that Kalfas was not wrong.  The well done effects and acting performances save this episode.

 

I think not focusing on the Tagreans purposely attempting to eradicate a chunk of their history is a missed opportunity, and had the makings of a more interesting story.  That was one thing where Ashwan and Kalfas were in complete agreement. I wonder, did another religion(s) replace the forced worship of Heur'ur, or do the Tagreans refuse to worship anything, or at least not worship anything that isn't tangible?  Juxtaposing the Tagreans willful erasure of history with some on Earth willfully re-writing, and at times trying to erase, history could've made for insightful dialog.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 18

"Forsaken"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Andy Mikita – Director/Producer
Damian Kindler – Producer/Writer

The commentary is interesting, and stays with what is on screen.

 

Review: 

SG-1 is off-world, on a planet never visited before by SGC because … reasons.  Carter has set up a small telescope to view a nebula.  The Goa'uld are still a threat, but somehow SGC's foremost SG team has time for this.  But, wait!  Jonas finds a crashed spaceship of an unknown design nearby.  Jonas comments that the markings on the ship resemble ancient Celtic.  And then, up pops three human survivors of the crash.

Everyone points weapons at everyone else.  Talking starts before the shooting.  The survivors are Aden, Tanis, and Lyle from a world (not the one the ship crashed on) they call Hebridan.  O'Neill is in top notch form, not too aggressively suspicious, with a definite “don't start nothing, won't be nothing” attitude.  Carter follows his lead.  Teal'c is ready for anything, always.  Jonas wants to be friends.  Things are moving along as a first contact, when the camera pans to two technologically advanced humanoid, very not human, beings spying on the chatting group.

A gun battle erupts with SG-1 and the Hebridans on one side, and the two humanoids on the other side.  Aden has said that the humanoids are vicious and murderous.  One of the humanoids is killed by Lyle, to O'Neill's annoyance because he can't question them.  Tanis is injured in the fight, and taken back to Stargate Command for medical treatment.

At SGC, Carter and Jonas report to General Hammond.  Carter wants to study the more advanced than Earth's Hebridian technology by helping to repair the crashed ship.  Carter has got a little sneaky in her, and I approve.  Carter heads back off-world to work on the ship, and Jonas heads to sick bay to seemingly tell everything he knows about everything to Tanis.  How Jonas ever got any kind of security clearance with SGC is a mystery.

By now, the three Hebridans are coming across as being less than truthful.  Aden is creeping on Carter so hard that his "flirting" attempts are painful to watch.  Back on Earth, Tanis flirts with Jonas a bit, but that proves unnecessary to get information from Jonas the blabbermouth.  Lyle likes to hit on folks too, but he uses weapons not words. 

Off-world, O'Neill and Teal'c catch one of the humanoids before Lyle can indulge his “kill 'em all” proclivity.  The humanoid's name is Warrick, and his story about the situation is quite a bit different from what Aden and company told.  SG-1 has to wend through conflicting stories to uncover the truth, and then survive the consequences of their discovery.

Martin Cummins does a great job as Aden, keeping the character's sleaziness from going over-the-top.  David Paetkau is good as Lyle, aptly sort of reigning in Lyle's kill any- and everyone who gets in his way tendency.  Sarah Deakins is okay as Tanis, which isn't a reflection on her acting abilities as it is that Tanis doesn't get to do or be much in this episode.  Dion Johnstone once again shines in a Stargate SG-1 episode, emoting through layers of prosthetics and make-up to bring the character of one of the humanoids to life.  The regular cast is very good.

Failures:

O'Neill seemingly lost interest in, and basic knowledge about, astronomy since “Children of the Gods” as he comments on not being able to see a nebula through a small telescope during bright daylight.  If this was an attempt at being humorous, it's a miss.

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.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 16

"Metamorphosis"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Peter DeLuise – Director
James Tichenor – Visual Effects 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: 

The Russians have their own teams out on offworld missions.  That team returns to SGC from P3X-367 with an unannounced visitor.  SGC is firmly against bringing unknown beings back to Earth without permission.  The alien – who is human in appearance and named Aldebran – says that the Goa'uld Nirrti (“Rite of Passage”) is experimenting with his people on P3X-367.  The Russian team's leader, Colonel Evanov, wrongly brought Aldebran back to SGC for the right reason.  Well, the right reason with a side of petty.  Evanov pointedly points out that SGC allowed Nirrti to go free after helping Cassandra.  Unsurprisingly, Nirrti didn't give up on engineering the perfect host for herself after departing SGC.  Leading to the current situation with Aldebran and his people.  Turning back to old habits, Nirrti is using the population of a little traveled planet for experimentation.  Again (“Singularity”).  This time it is Aldebran and his people.

Aldebran spectacularly demonstrates that SGC needs to address the situation on his planet.  General Hammond gives a go for SG-1 and Colonel Evanov's team to deal with Nirrti.  SG-1 and Evanov take down the Jaffa guarding the stargate on P3X-367, and then SG-1 heads to the location of Nirrti's lair with the Russians guarding the stargate.  At the lair, SG-1 meets those of Aldebran's people who still live.  Instead of a warm welcome, SG-1 is met with resistance by Alderan's people.  Nirrti stuck with the Goa'uld playbook by presenting herself as a god, and made some striking physiological changes to Aldebran's people.  Changes that include extraordinary powers, powers they use against SG-1 and Evanov.

Captured, SG-1 and Evanov are new test subjects for Nirrti's experiments.  In her search for crafting the ultimate host, Nirrti intends to get what she wants, even if the cost is the deaths of SG-1 and Evanov.

Jacqueline Samuda returns as Nirrti, and does a good job in her performance.  Everyone's acting is fine.  There are some nice special effects.  Kudos to the effects and make-up teams.

Failures:

Nirrti is up to no good, manipulating the physiology of humans.  All with Nirrti having the moral compass of, well, a Goa'uld.  Why wouldn't SGC immediately check Aldebran to see if he had a bomb inside of him like Cassandra did in “Singularity?”

 

This is an episode well worth viewing.  However, there is no clear message to the story, other than "Nirrti is up to her old tricks."  There are touching moments, due to the expertise of the actors.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 15

"Paradise Lost"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Robert C. Cooper – Executive Producer

Michael Greenburg – Executive 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: 

Harry Maybourne, (“48 Hours”) suddenly shows up in Jack O'Neill's backyard.  This is surprising on two counts.  One: Harry is still guilty of being a traitor and faces a return to prison.  Two: Jack has insinuated, and flat out stated, a number of times that he would be okay with shooting Harry.    Before any gunplay ensues, Maybourne tells Jack that he knows why Frank Simmons stole the X-303 (“Prometheus”) – to plunder a stockpile of advanced alien weaponry.  Harry knows the stargate address where the weapons are located, and will provide it if he is allowed to go offworld to the location with the team.  On one hand, what Harry's saying doesn't have more than a whiff of believability.  On the other hand, Harry Maybourne has come through for SG-1 in the past.  The mission is approved by SGC.

So, Harry Maybourne provides the gate address to the alien weapons stash.  He and SG-1 head offworld.  Will they find the treasure trove, and return to Earth with their loot?  Of course not.  Maybourne is involved and (unsurprisingly) perfidy is afoot.  Maybourne's treachery takes SG-1 and SGC by surprise.  However, his plan doesn't pan out the way he thought it would, and instead places himself and O'Neill in a deadly situation.

Tom McBeath again excels as Maybourne.  Richard Dean Anderson provides a strong performance as well.  The two actors mesh their characters together perfectly.

Failures:

Carter gets utterly, totally, and completely defied and shut down by Dr. Lee (“Prodigy”.)  Granted, the Dr. Lee character is not yet as meek as he will be in future episodes.  Still, their exchange made Carter seem like an ineffective leader.  I think it could have been handled better.  What Dr. Lee said to Carter should have been delivered to her by General Hammond.  Getting verbally owned by the mild-mannered Dr. Lee totally undercuts Carter as an authority figure.

Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 14

 "Smoke & Mirrors"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:

Peter DeLuise – Director
James Tichenor – Visual Effect Producer
Gary Jones – “Walter”

The commentary drifts away from what is on screen at times, but it is interesting.

 

Review: 

Events start fast, with Senator Kinsey (“2001”) being assassinated before the opening credits role. Considering Senator Kinsey's behavior in past episodes, the list of potential suspects for the assassination should be very long.

 

Jack O'Neill rolls into SGC, freshly back from his vacation, unaware of Kinsey's demise. Minutes later, MPs arrive at SGC to arrest O'Neill for killing Kinsey. The evidence against Jack is damning, but he insists that he is innocent. Does the rest of SG-1 believe that Jack is guilty? No way! Does General Hammond believe that Jack is guilty? Highly unlikely! Then there is Major Davis who, after looking at the mountain of evidence against Jack, seems a bit inclined to scratch O'Neill off of his holiday card list.  Major Davis is just being pragmatic.

 

There is a mystery afoot, and SG-1 is on the case, working to prove that Jack did not kill Kinsey. They have knowledge that is not widely known outside of SGC, and pursue leads to determine the true culprit. Carter connects with an N.I.D. contact, while Teal'c and Jonas pursue another lead.

 

This is an aptly titled mystery-based episode, and most anything I write about it would be a spoiler. It is a straight line mystery, not one full of twists and turns. So, I think it's best on the first viewing. Still, a good episode for subsequent viewings. A couple of the more entertaining parts of this episode are watching Teal'c trying to absorb the concept of due process, and then Teal'c's spin on interrogating a prisoner without physically attacking said prisoner. Christopher Judge is amazing as Teal'c.

 

All of the actors provide very good performances.

Failures:

Nothing egregious.

 

Stargate SG-1, Season 6, Episode 11

"Prometheus"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Peter F. Woeste – Director
Andrew D. Wilson – Director of Photography
Rick Dean – Chief Lighting Technician

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

Review:
On Earth, a news reporter named Julia Donovan stops Carter on the street asking her about a project named Prometheus, where over two billion dollars of tax payer money is going. No big. Except the money was funneled to the project without Congressional oversight. That reporter is just fishing. Donovan also has a small sample of a shiny metal, saying it’s trinium, and she asks Carter about it. Whoa. Things just got real. Trinium is an off world metal (“Spirits”) obtained through the Stargate program. No way should Donovan know about it.

After blowing off the reporter, Carter meets with General Hammond at SGC to discuss the encounter. Even if the sample Donovan had was not actually trinium, just knowing the name of the material indicates a security breach. The Pentagon begins an investigation of Julia Donovan in an attempt to find out what she knows, and who she learned it from. Donovan’s report will go live in four days. Major Davis (“Descent”) is sent to talk Donovan out of running the story. She is so not intimidated by Major Davis.

Donovan thinks Prometheus is a fusion reactor (it isn’t). The possibility remains that she could find out more about Prometheus, and as a result learns about the Stargate program. The President (of the United States of America) phones the reporter’s boss’ boss’ boss, and the story is dead. SGC allows Donovan and a small news crew to document the Prometheus, with an understanding – and no doubt a ton of paperwork – to not disclose what they’re shown until the U. S. Air Force gives the okay. Which will be on the calendar date of never gonna happen. However, this buys time to find out how Donovan learns about things she shouldn’t know.

Carter and Quinn take Donovan, her editor, and a small tech crew on a tour of Prometheus. Prometheus is a huge space ship, Earth - built but incorporating off world tech. It’s the X-303 (the X-302 is in “Redemption, Part 2”). Unfinished, but flight capable, the Prometheus is the future of space flight for Earth. Everything is going smoothly, until an old adversary makes their presence known. Carter and Quinn use their knowledge and abilities to thwart their old foe, while O’Neill and Teal’c come at the problem from another vantage point.

The actors provide respectable performances. The Prometheus sets and effects look amazing.

Failures:
The end of this episode sets up the beginning of the next episode, “Unnatural Selection,”  but there’s not much else to it. It’s okay for a one time viewing, but if this episode didn’t exist, the beginning of the next episode wouldn't need much of a rewrite.  I rated this episode Good, but it’s a weak Good. The effects and sets are great; the acting is good; but the story is meh.

I like the Major Davis character, but he is terrible at trying to bluff others. He attempted to do this twice, and got owned both times, neither person buying Major Davis’ bluff for a second.

Stargate SG-1, Season 6, Episode 4

"Frozen"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Martin Wood – Director
James Tichenor – Visual Effects 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:
Scientists at an Antarctic research station find a body, one frozen in ice a few million years ago. SG-1 and Dr. Fraiser travel to the research station to investigate. They discover that the body appears to be a human female, caught in the ice long before human beings evolved on Earth. Then, the ice woman slowly becomes conscious. Apparently SG-1 and company never read John W. Campbell’s novella Who Goes There or saw the movies Thing from Another World or The Thing. Because everyone reacts with wonder and surprise at the awakening, rather than immediately cobbling together flamethrowers.

Named Ayiana by one of the scientists, the no longer on ice woman is ... remarkably calm considering the circumstance.  She doesn't speak at first.  Quinn spends time with Ayiana, trying to communicate with her, but having limited success. Carter, Fraiser, and the research station scientists marvel at the possibilities of this new discovery. From finding out where she came from, to possibly rewriting the history of human evolution on Earth. But, the humans at the research station come down with a potentially fatal disease. Dr. Fraiser declares a quarantine at the station, and the group tries to find out what is causing their illness before everyone succumbs.

As if that isn’t enough, Tok’ra come into the picture this episode. Always long on the condescension, and short on the good news, things rarely look up when Tok’ra come calling. But, Dorian Harewood – an amazing actor with a voice that is a joy to hear, plays this Tok’ra. A chance to see Mr. Harewood act, and hear his voice, makes it all okay.

I prefer my science fiction adventures with a lot of action. Space ships! Ray guns! Epic battles! There is none of that in this episode, but I enjoyed it. The writing is well done. While exposition heavy, the flow of story doesn’t falter. The acting is good, with every one providing solid performances. The sets and exterior shots are fantastic. I’ve never been to an Antarctic research station. But, watching this episode I felt as though I was looking at an Antarctic research station.

Failures:
One of the things I’ve come to learn is outside of print stories aliens will often look humanoid or completely human. There are exceptions, some quite phenomenally well done, but for the most part portrayed aliens tend look human or human-ish. Sometimes, an explanation of this fits the narrative, like the Goa’ulds snatching humans from Earth, and using humans as hosts.  There is an attempt to rationalize why Ayiana looks so human, but I think it would have been better to leave it in the same place as why almost every culture encountered on other worlds speak English.  Pretty much, "Don't ask.  Just go with it."

With the exception of Jacob/Selmak, when it comes to the Tok’ra I don’t understand why SGC doesn’t approach any contact with them as coming from a place of, “they do not have our best interests at heart.” Tok’ra don’t use humans like the Goa’uld do, but the Tok’ra often don’t seem to respect humans any more than the Goa’uld do.

Stargate SG-1, Season 6, Episode 2

"Redemption, Part 2"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Martin Wood -- Director
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects 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:
Continuing the events from “Redemption, Part 1,” with the failure of the X-302 as a means to contact the Asgard, the clock is ticking for Earth.  The energy build-up in the stargate continues.  Dr. Rodney McKay (“48 Hours”) is at SGC, working with (and against) Carter, and other scientists, to find a way to stop the impending explosion of the stargate.  Anubis revealed himself as the perpetrator of the latest attempt to destroy Earth.

Unknown to SGC, Teal’c and Bra’tac learn about Anubis’ attack on Earth, and they attempt to find, and stop, that Goa’uld.  Just two Free Jaffa against the might of Anubis’ Jaffa forces?  Of course not.  That would be silly.  Rya’c is going with them, so it is three Free Jaffa against the might of Anubis’ Jaffa forces.

Continuing the theme of redemption, Rya’c wants to prove himself a warrior to his father by accompanying him to stop Anubis.  Back at SGC, Jonas Quinn wants to redeem himself in O’Neill’s eyes, and work on his survivor’s guilt about Daniel.  After pushing a plan into action to stop the energy build-up in the stargate that fails, and leads to Carter being injured, Rodney McKay wants to redeem himself to Carter, sort of.  O’Neill does not have jack to redeem himself for, and is taking heroic measures to help save Earth.

While “Redemption, Part 2” is rife with adventure and suspense, it fails to maintain the quality level of the characters interactions and motivations in part one.  This episode lacks smooth transitions as individuals strive to redeem themselves for their real, or perceived, failings.  Instead, their redemptions take the form of grand acts whose successful completion is sketchy, or by pointing out the obvious to those folks around them.

All of the actors’ performances are fine.

Failures:
“Redemption Part 1” mixed character development with exciting action, and suspense.  In this episode, the character development is a distant second to the action.  I enjoy the action, and the special effects are phenomenal.  I think the handling of the characters seeking redemption in this episode is too glib, especially when compared to part one.

SG-1 Season Six DVD Set -- Content

I will rate each season’s DVD set before reviewing the season’s individual episodes.  My rating in this post solely reflects the DVD content, options, & extras (or lack thereof), not episodes.

Overall Rating for the Set:  Good

Audio commentary on each episode.

No "play all" option.
The only audio language is English.

Subtitles: None

This is a five-disc set, with 22 episodes.
Each episode is approximately 44 minutes long.

All episodes are anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1.

Sound: 5.1 (Dolby Digital)

The special features are not rated.

Although there are no subtitles, the episodes are close captioned. You can use the close caption option on your television to view the dialog in English.

The special features are not closed-captioned.

There is not a “play all” option.  Episodes have to be accessed for viewing one at a time.

Special Features -- A “SG-1 Directors Series” Featurette for:

Episodes 1 through 11
Episode 16
Episode 22

I rate this set Good because it has all of the season’s episodes in their entirety, and in broadcast order, and there is audio commentary for each episode.  Slim cases, and nice artwork.

Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 21

"Meridian"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
William Waring -- Director
Jim Menard -- Director of Photography

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

Review:
SG-1 gates back to SGC.  Daniel rushes to the infirmary.  While off world, he was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.  How Daniel came to be exposed to radiation is covered in flashbacks, as he receives medical treatment in the SGC infirmary.

Flashback:  SG-1 gates to a planet with three major countries, arriving in the country of Kelowna.  The Kelownan society is technologically comparable to the United States in the 1940s.  The Kelownans discovered the stargate only 15 years ago.  In the spirit of forming an alliance, SGC offers information about the stargate system; Kelowna offers information about naquadria -- a more powerful, but less stable, version of naquadah.

A Kelownan named Jonas Quinn takes SG-1 on a tour of Kelownan research facilities.  One of the projects is a naquadria-fueled bomb, something potentially more powerful than the bomb used on the asteroid in “Fail Safe.”  Daniel is very vocal in expressing his disapproval of the naquadria bomb.  Something happened to the bomb, causing the release of radiation.  Daniel, and Jonas Quinn, are two of the people present when the bomb experiment fails.  The Kelownan leaders blame the accident on Daniel, accusing him of sabotage.  SGC, and SG-1, do not believe that, however Daniel will not talk about the accident.

Present Day: The truth about the accident on Kelowna is revealed.  Daniel is rapidly succumbing to the effects of the radiation.  SGC tries to contact some of their off world allies, hoping to gain access to more advanced treatment options, while Dr. Frasier and her medical staff work to save Daniel’s life.

The Pentagon really wants some naquadria, and does not have a problem throwing the dying Daniel under the bus for the sake of diplomacy.  Even though Daniel’s death is eminent, O’Neill refuses to accept the sacrifice of Daniel as a way to placate the Kelownans.  Jack strives to uncover the truth about the incident.

Corin Nemec is Jonas Quinn.  Everyone performs well.  The end of the episode is very touching.

Failures:
This episode contains a lot of exposition, and retrospection.  It is a turning point for the Stargate SG-1 saga.  Take away that one aspect, and what's left is an okay story.

Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 13

"Proving Ground"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Andy Mikita -- Director
Jim Menard -- Director of Photography
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects Supervisor/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:
SG-1 runs training exercises with four potential SG team recruits.  O’Neill rides the recruit team’s leader, Lieutenant Elliot, hard.  The recruits fail a training exercise, and the blame is placed on Elliot’s shoulders.  O’Neill is unimpressed with the trainees, especially as far as Lt. Elliot’s ability to lead a SG team.

The training continues.  During a practice, the scenario of Goa’uld infiltration of SGC turns real.  The recruits face down enemies on base, not knowing who to trust.  The fate of SGC depends upon the actions of Lt. Elliot, and his team.

Courtenay J. Stevens is very good as Lt. Elliot.  The character’s turmoil between doubting his qualifications as a SG team leader, and the impetus to do what is necessary, is vividly portrayed.  Kudos to Mr. Stevens.  Elisabeth Rosen returns as Hailey (“Prodigy”), and Hailey is still not particularly likable.  Granted, Hailey is less surly this time.  However, she shows a streak of passive-aggressiveness, and periodically throws her teammates under the bus.  The regular cast members provide strong, enjoyable performances, with Anderson as the standout.

Failures:
The plot is a peek at how potential SG team members are screened.  That is interesting, but not engrossing.

Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 11

"Desperate Measures"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Bill Gereghty -- Director
Jim Menard -- Director of Photography
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects 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:
In a country other than the United States, a Jaffa prisoner on Earth is taken by force from his escort of Russian soldiers.  No one at SGC is aware of the Jaffa's situation.  Carter is kidnapped near her home by a group of masked men.  Suspecting N.I.D. involvement with Carter’s abduction, O’Neill enlists the aid of the fugitive Harry Maybourne (“Chain Reaction”).  Maybourne suggests O’Neill start his investigation with Colonel Frank Simmons (“The Fifth Man”) of the N.I.D.  When confronted by O'Neill, Simmons points his finger back at Maybourne.

While others search for her, Carter is a prisoner at a secret location, undergoing mysterious medical testing.

Realizing there is a possible tie between his illegal activities, and Carter’s disappearance, Maybourne does some investigating of his own.  O’Neill contacts Harry again, and together they suss out the mystery.  They uncover ties between the people who took Carter, and the ones who took the Jaffa.  All paths lead to a reclusive multi-millionaire named Adrian Conrad.

O’Neill, Maybourne, and Simmons strive to find Carter, for different reasons -- rescue, redemption, and acquiring power, respectively.  Carter’s rescue is only a part of the mystery, which if left unsolved will result in her death, and a monster being unleashed on Earth.

Tom McBeath returns as Maybourne, and is still delightful as the morally ambiguous traitor.  Maybourne is not a static character.  Instead, he changes over the episodes, as each experience has an impact on his viewpoint.  Kudos to Mr. McBeath.  John de Lancie returns as Simmons, the N.I.D. agent with a disdain for SGC, and an enigmatic agenda.  Everyone performs very well.  The story is interesting, providing numerous touchstones for future Stargate SG-1 episodes.

Failures:
The plot is heavy with intrigue, and takes place solely on Earth.  This episode of Stargate SG-1 which lacks much adventure, and any off world travel, is okay, but not outstanding.

Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 6

"Rite of Passage"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
Peter DeLuise -- Director
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects 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:
Cassandra, the charming child from “Singularity” is now a petulant teenager.  Dr. Frasier adopted her about four years ago.  At home, after giving Dr. Frasier some attitude, Cassandra heads to the front porch, and her awaiting honey-bunny.  She and her boyfriend smooch.  The porch light shatters and Cassandra falls unconscious.  Frasier takes her to the SGC infirmary.   Along with severe flu-like symptoms, Cassandra is also producing a fluctuating electro-magnetic field, which increases in strength over time.

The Goa’uld Nirrti (“Fair Game”) wiped out everyone in the girl’s village, and implanted a bomb inside Cassandra that would have destroyed Earth’s stargate, and much of the western United States.  Considering her past actions, Nirrti is considered a likely source of the retrovirus causing Cassandra’s current illness.  Without a cure, she will die.

Video of the girl’s people taken by SG folks documents other children exhibiting the same symptoms as Cassandra now experiences.  The children would go into a nearby forest while they were ill, and return to the village a few days later, suddenly healthy.  Cassandra wants to go to the forest, located on her home world.  Instead, SG-1 goes to the planet, and into the forest.  There, they discover a secret laboratory, apparently belonging to Nirrti.  Dr. Frasier and the team try to determine the cause of Cassandra’s illness before she dies.

Colleen Rennison portrays Cassandra.  Ms. Rennison portrayed the plucky ‘tween in “Bane.”  The part in this episode calls for a sullen teen, and Ms. Rennison delivers.  Another actor, Katie Stuart, was Cassandra in “Singularity.”  Everyone’s performances were nice.

Failures:
Years have passed since Cassandra’s last appearance on Stargate SG-1.  The character is different now, and rightly so.  However, not being a party to the changes in Cassandra as she grew up makes it difficult for me to embrace the new, snippy, antagonistic, cranky, smart-mouth version of her present in most of this episode.