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DVD Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Boxed Set
Hollywood's film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal movies based on lame '60s and '70s television shows, a syndrome that shows no sign of abating. But here's evidence that the reverse effect, turning a movie into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive results. Indeed, based on the 21 episodes produced for the first season of Stargate SG-1, it could be argued that this show is significantly better than the 1994 feature it's derived from.
The central conceit of the original Stargate--the existence of an artificially created "wormhole" through which one can travel to different worlds light years away from Earth--was an intriguing one. In seizing on the obvious possibilities for expanding on that premise, series executive producers-writers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright have smartly retained some of the film's basic elements (its amalgam of myth and theoretical hokum, or the ongoing clash of wills between scientists and soldiers), while adding a variety of fresh ideas (including new characters, new locations, and a welcome dose of humor, much of it supplied by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver himself, who replaces Kurt Russell in the central role of Colonel Jack O'Neill). The result is a show with multidimensional heroes and villains and consistently compelling story lines (many of them introduced in the pilot and carried forward through subsequent episodes) balancing excellent special effects and production values. All this and full frontal nudity, too (at least in the aforementioned pilot). Who can resist?
The first season is spread out over five DVDs; the 100-minute pilot shares the first volume with two other episodes, while discs 2 to 5 contain anywhere from three to five shows each. Sound and visuals (in widescreen format) alike will take full advantage of any home system's capabilities. But aside from language and subtitle options, bonus features are limited to brief featurettes that play like commercials and provide little in the way of background information or insight (there are no features at all on the first disc). Then again, if you really want to know what that symbol on Teal'c's forehead means, or why the nasty, parasitic Goa'ulds look a lot like the fledgling stomach monsters in the Alien series, there is no doubt a Web site out there just for you. --Sam Graham
Expanding the story onward from a very underated feature film, this first season of the SG-1 team falls onto the same track as other ongoing series...basically, the best seasons are the 2nd or 3rd seasons, after the actors have settled into their characters, the primary backstories are told, and the writers know what to do with these fictional worlds. But naturally, season 1 sets are essential to the collector despite the growing pains associated with the format.
Overall, season 1 is good and worth watching, laying the groundwork for the later seasons. Continuity in the SG-1 series is incremental and grows as the series goes along...not as tight and well-crafted as Babylon 5 (nothing can match that!), but superior to the lethargic Star Trek universe. The season starts well with the fine pilot episode (some complained about brief nudity being shown in the episode, that it was not appropriate for family viewing; yet they complained nothing about the sometimes foul language and burning holes being blasted into people throughout the series...maybe they should stick to old John Woo movies and Sam Peckinpah films for their family viewing...don't let those kiddies see a bare breast or something, it could warp their minds!), bogs down a bit in the middle, and picks up near the end with an excellent cliffhanger going into season 2 (despite a lame clip-show leading up to it.) Overall the season is a bit fluffy and light, but not as juvenile as DS9's early seasons. The casting is very good...I never cared to watch McGyver, but Anderson is a superb actor, and breathes life into both his character and the show. Amanda Tapping seems a bit too perky at first, but is certainly more believable than B5's Tracy Scroggins. The rest of the cast is good too, and the characters grow as the series progresses.
Picture quality is so-so in the early episodes, being shot on 16mm, but thankfully MGM does a fine job with the enhanced 16x9 transfer (though somewhat grainy)...sound is not too bad considering it is not 5.1 in this first season. No extras to speak of, just a few short promos of the episodes. Packaging is good, separate boxes for each disk and a big slipcover to hold them all, much better than the insane and troublesome Star Trek boxes. Best of all, an excellent price for a complete season of a tv show!
Overall, quality stuff here. Not a futuristic, starships-dogfighting type series, but an enjoyable change of pace that most fans of the genre will enjoy, if they accept it for what it is. Give it a try, it's well worth the small price these sets are going for.
A must see
I discovered Stargate SG-1 a few years ago while watching late night TV. It turns out I was watching a syndicated episode. I was immediately hooked on this wonderful sci-fi show. I never had the chance to view seasons one or two, so I ordered the box sets of those seasons. I was thrilled to see the beginning of this show, that picked up where the feature film left off.
There are only a few limited special features in this box set but that doesn't matter. The story lines and production values of this show stand on their own. I never watched McGyver, but I'm now a big Richard Dean Anderson fan because of this box set. Anderson always has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek as he portrays Jack O'Neil. In fact, the entire cast, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis, is amazing and well cast.
If you're a sci-fi fan, buy this boxed set. If you're a fan of good stories, buy this box set. If you're a fan of good characters created by great actors and writers, buy this box set. Star Trek was never as deep, funny or good as Stargate SG-1.
stargate season 1
Enjoying watching the entire first season, and looking forward to purchasing seasons 2 and 3 for Christmas. Sure beats the tapes I made.
The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted with Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) are, respectively, Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaonic Goa'uld--the ancient... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Anderson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 September 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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To resolve the season 2 cliffhanger, General Hammond rounds up every conceivable ally to rescue the SG-1 team from Hathor's clutches and gets a much-needed field trip in the process. "Into the Fire " is actually a weak opening for the new year, but does boast some impressive visuals as Hammond and Brat'ac pilot a shuttle through an open Stargate (euphemistically called "threading the needle"). In subsequent episodes, Daniel Jackson is intrigued by the planet Orban's scientific advances over only a few years. An exchange of knowledge is agreed and the precise "Learning Curve" of their children is revealed. Still recalling the original movie, O'Neill is concerned for the siblings because of the loss of his son. In "Demons" some serious lambasting of organized religion occurs in a storyline... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Anderson DVD Release Date: Released the 17 June 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It wasn't until the beginning of Stargate SG-1's fourth season that fans knew to take the Replicator threat seriously. The spidery nasties had only seemed like one of many new enemies introduced in previous years. But when the one seemingly omnipotent backbone of the galaxy was asking Earth for help, clearly we were in real trouble! In fact, the team's list of enemies expanded and got far more complicated this year. Proving without a shadow of a doubt that this is science fiction, the Russians reveal they have their own Stargate program and ask the Americans for help. This twist allows for exploration of all the political machinations occurring behind the scenes of the SG-C, all of which appear to stem from the embittered Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox).
It now seems clear that season 5 of Stargate SG-1 will be remembered as the one in which something went awry with Daniel Jackson. Lots of behind-the-scenes rumors fueled the idea of cast tension, but whatever the problem, his sudden departure from the show was obviously through a quickly contrived scenario. In retrospect, there must have been a problem for some while before the weird penultimate episode ("Meridian"). Michael Shanks looks frequently bored in his rare moments of individual screen time as he infiltrates a Goa'uld meeting and even when making friends with a creature everyone else wants dead. In fact, there's only one point when everyone really seems to be having fun, and that's in the spoof 100th episode "Wormhole X-treme!"
The biggest change for Stargate SG-1's sixth season was its move to the Sci-Fi Channel. Financial rescue or genre haven from cancellation? Whatever the behind-the-scenes politics, the departure of Daniel Jackson (actor Michael Shanks) the previous year most certainly contributed to the need to run a tighter ship somewhere. With the addition of his replacement, Jonas Quinn, the new show dynamic (hinted at by the new title theme) meant far more convolutedly involved story arcs and less individual focus. One of very few solo spotlights came from Christopher Judge writing his own show, when "The Changeling" saw Teal'c act out a life as a fireman. One reason for its being a fan favorite was the cameo from still-alive-after-all Daniel Jackson. There'd be several more through the year,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Andersson DVD Release Date: Released the 02 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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