DVD Stargate SG-1 Season 1, Vol. 4: Episodes 14-18

The apex of the first season of "Stargate SG-1"

Episode 14, "Cor-ai" (Written by Tom J. Astle, Aired January 23, 1998) finds O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and the SG-1 team traveling to P3X1279, which Teal'c (Christopher Judge) announces is Chartago, one of the favorite worlds from which the Goa'ulds like to gather human hosts for their larvae. Unfortunately, one of the locals, Hanno (David McNally) recognizes Teal'c as the Jaffa who killed his father. For this crime Teal'c stands trial. O'Neill and Carter try to defend their friend, but Teal'c freely admits to having killed Hanno's father and seems resigned to his fate. The outcome is rather predictable, but the key conflict here ends up being not between Hanno and Teal'c but between Teal'c and O'Neill. 4 Stargates.

Episode 15, "Singularity (Written by Robert C. Cooper, Aired October 31, 1997) has the SG-1 team traveling to P8X987 where another SG team had been getting ready to observe a black hole. But when they get there a strange disease has killed everyone on the planet except for a little girl named Cassandra (Katie Stuart ). Carter (Amanda Tapping) brings Cassandra back to Earth and the two quickly establish a strong bond. That is why Carter is upset when they learn that Cassandra's chest pains are caused by a metallic device growing around the child's heart. The device was planted by the Goa'uld to destroy the Stargate on Earth and as the bomb counts down to detonation Carter has to make some tough choices. This is a gut wrenching episode that gives Tapping a chance to shine as her character's emotions and intellect come colliding together over a frightened little girl. The resolution of this episode does justice to both. 5 Stargates.

Episode 16, "Enigma" (Written by Katharyn Powers, Aired January 30, 1998) sends SG-1 to Tollan, a planet with an erupting volcano and dead bodies all around its Stargate. The team rescues the few survivors they can find but back on Earth the Tollans are not at all grateful. Omoc (Tobin Bell), their leader, dismisses Earth as a primitive society and wants to be sent to a suitably advanced world. He also refuses to say anything about his people's advanced technology, which is a constant source of pressure from above on General Hammond (Don S. Davis). It seems that once upon a time the Tollan shared their technology with a planet like Earth, which then destroyed itself. SG-1 has encountered relatively few advanced races on its trips to date, so dealing with the Tollan is a welcomed change of pace and underscore the pressures from up high that will set up the cliffhanger to the first season. "Enigma" offers up another satisfactory resolution and shows that the story editors are paying attention to what has been going on. 4.5 Stargates.

Episode 17, "Tin Man" (Written by Jeff King, Aired February 13, 1998) begins with the members of SG-1 being dropped by an electrical charge as soon as they arrive on PX3989. They wake up to find Harlan (Jay Brazeau), a strange little fellow who claims to be 11,000 years old and is the only one of his people left in this giant underground lab. SG-1 returns home, over Harlan's objections, and are stunned when Dr. Frasier (Teryl Rother) finds they are all machines. O'Neill finds this particularly hard to swallow because he still thinks he is himself. To make things worse, they have to return to Harlan's world before they run out of power or end up dead. Back on PX3989 they discover that Harlan is also an android (or robot or whatever) and that he has done this to help him take care of the lab and to ease his loneliness. This is another episode where I am impressed by Richard Dean Anderson, who brings some nice nuances to O'Neill as a robot (or android) that thinks he is human. The final scene on this one is a hoot. 4.5 Stargates.

Episode 18, "Solitudes" (Written by Brad Wright, Aired February 6, 1998) finds the Stargate malfunctioning when SG-1 is retreating from a shootout on a hostile planet. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c make it back home, but O'Neill and Carter end up in an icy cavern on an unknown planet. O'Neill has suffered a broken leg and punctured lung, which means it is up to Carter to find and repair the Stargate so they can get back to Stargate Command, where Dr. Jackson is trying to narrow the odds on where rescue teams should look to find their comrades. Another classic episode with Tapping and Anderson working off each other all alone somewhere out there. 5 Stargates.

The common denominator on these episodes is that with the exception of the first one they all over very impressive resolutions to the dilemmas confronting our band of adventurers. I especially liked the twist on the last one. If Volume 2 showcased the acting talents of Richard Dean Anderson, then Amanda Tapping is the one who has the two standout performances in this quintet (and we still have the cliffhanger for the first season left to go).