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DVD Stargate SG-1 Season 7 (Thinpak)
A gradual shift in overall style, character homecomings and departures, and evolving on- and off-screen roles for the major players are among the attractions of the seventh season of Stargate SG-1. Spread out over five discs, these 21 episodes are ample indication that changes notwithstanding--and admittedly, not all of them are for the better--the series remains arguably the best-made, most compelling sci-fi program on television.
Perhaps most noticeable is the reduced role of star Richard Dean Anderson, who opted to limit his number of trips to Vancouver, where Stargate SG-1 is filmed. But that's not a bad thing. The show's ability to poke fun at itself has always been a strong suit, and while Anderson still brings a welcome sense of humor to his portrayal of wiseacre and loose cannon Col. Jack O'Neill, his act is getting a little smug by now. What's more, the other principal cast members have taken up the slack, both behind and in front of the camera: Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson, who rejoins the cast in episode 1) wrote one episode and co-wrote another; Christopher Judge (Teal'c) wrote one as well; Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Samatha Carter) directed episode 19, "Resurrection"; and even Corin Nemec (Jonas Quinn, who appears in just a few episodes) contributed one story.
The seventh season also finds the series somewhat more earthbound than in the past; indeed, there are episodes in which the Stargate (the "wormhole" our heroes use to travel to different worlds) doesn't appear at all. On balance, the stories are more personal, and more political--especially the final two, with the newly elected U.S. President (William Devane) struggling to decide the fate of the Stargate program (and, of course, the fate of the entire known universe as well!). And then there's the ultimate villain, Anubis, who makes perennial nemeses the Goa'uld (of which Anubis is one... sort of) look tame. He's a combination of Star Wars' Darth Vader and evil Emperor, but hey, at least these guys borrow from the best.
Stargate SG-1's production values remain first-rate. The bonus DVD features are also much better than they once were, with audio commentary (mainly by directors and writers) for every episode, as well as director profiles and "Beyond the Gate" featurettes focusing on individual characters. --Sam Graham
It's stargate!!!! I am surprised how long this show has been arround especially when it first started. I had much trouble adjusting to the fact that different actors portray the roles of O'Neill and Jackson. But I have come accustomed to them and now could not imagine any other actors in their place. This 7th Season shows how much Stargate has improved over the last years not just effects wise but also story wise.
If you just started watching Stargate I suggest you buy season 1-6 before buying this one as it can be a bit confusing if you don't know how some of the episodes are related.
:)
A season that brings multiple major changes to Stargate Command
Seasons One through Five were remarkably uniform, each season introducing new characters and developing storylines, but not really bringing about much in the way of major changes. Season Six was different because of the single-season departure of Michael Shanks. But Season Seven is the season where things were, as Elvis would say, all shook up.
For many fans the most painful moment in the season was the shocking and unanticipated death of Dr. Janet Fraiser, played by Teryl Rothery. Along with Tony Amendola (Master Bra'tac) and Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter/Selmak), Rothery was the most important non-opening credits actor in the entire run of the show, appearing prominently in several dozen episodes. She has been an extraordinarily busy actress, showing up on virtually every show ever made in Vancouver (off the top of my head I remember her in episodes of DEAD LIKE ME, THE X-FILES, and SMALLVILLE), but the show she is most closely identified with is STARGATE SG-1. Her death outraged and disturbed a host of fans. The most I can say about her death is that it helped correct one of the great shortcomings of STARGATE: how safe the characters all were. One of the things that BUFFY brought to genre television was the practice of making the world unsafe for characters. The moment when Angelus breaks Jenny Calendar's neck was one of the most shocking scenes I had ever seen. Until then, all major characters on all shows were more or less protected and safe. There over a dozen major deaths in BUFFY and ANGEL, and many fantasy and Sci-fi shows followed its example. Shows are simply more compelling when there is a real threat that major characters will die, and the very best shows are not afraid to have a body count (witness Season Two of VERONICA MARS).
The death of Dr. Fraiser was hardly the only change. Michael Shanks's Daniel Jackson returned to the show, necessitating the departure of Corin Nemec. Plot wise, we witness a major change as General Hammond is relieved of his command of SGC (though he has never quite left the series entirely). Don Davis's departure is understandable. In fact, as the series headed into its 8th season it was remarkable that so few major characters had left the show. Filming a series is a grueling affair and it is astonishing that so few performers had burned out. Michael Shanks left for one year but returned. Don Davis left as a full time performer. And Richard Dean Anderson would start reducing his involvement in the show. In this way, Season Seven can be seen as part of a trend that has continued.
Personally, I think the changes have been great for the show. Though it never quite started to feel stale, there had been a bit of sameness to the show that didn't help make it as good as it could be. Compared to some of the very best shows on TV (BUFFY, FARSCAPE, LOST, ANGEL, 24, or even SMALLVILLE) STARGATE had far less character and narrative development. But Season Seven started changing that.
The season ended with some major narrative changes as well. The alliance between the SGC and the Tok'ra became strained and threatened to collapse. And after multiple hints through the season that there was a great city of the Ancients that contained technology that would help them defend earth, it was discovered that this city was none other than Atlantis, leading not just to a thrilling season finale but to a spin off series.
All in all, this was yet another strong season in one of the most consistently excellent Sci-fi series we have seen, and certainly the longest lived.
A season that brings multiple major changes to Stargate Command
Seasons One through Five were remarkably uniform, each season introducing new characters and developing storylines, but not really bringing about much in the way of major changes. Season Six was different because of the single-season departure of Michael Shanks. But Season Seven is the season where things were, as Elvis would say, all shook up.
For many fans the most painful moment in the season was the shocking and unanticipated death of Dr. Janet Fraiser, played by Teryl Rothery. Along with Tony Amendola (Master Bra'tac) and Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter/Selmak), Rothery was the most important non-opening credits actor in the entire run of the show, appearing prominently in several dozen episodes. She has been an extraordinarily busy actress, showing up on virtually every show ever made in Vancouver (off the top of my head I remember her in episodes of DEAD LIKE ME, THE X-FILES, and SMALLVILLE), but the show she is most closely identified with is STARGATE SG-1. Her death outraged and disturbed a host of fans. The most I can say about her death is that it helped correct one of the great shortcomings of STARGATE: how safe the characters all were. One of the things that BUFFY brought to genre television was the practice of making the world unsafe for characters. The moment when Angelus breaks Jenny Calendar's neck was one of the most shocking scenes I had ever seen. Until then, all major characters on all shows were more or less protected and safe. There over a dozen major deaths in BUFFY and ANGEL, and many fantasy and Sci-fi shows followed its example. Shows are simply more compelling when there is a real threat that major characters will die, and the very best shows are not afraid to have a body count (witness Season Two of VERONICA MARS).
The death of Dr. Fraiser was hardly the only change. Michael Shanks's Daniel Jackson returned to the show, necessitating the departure of Corin Nemec. Plot wise, we witness a major change as General Hammond is relieved of his command of SGC (though he has never quite left the series entirely). Don Davis's departure is understandable. In fact, as the series headed into its 8th season it was remarkable that so few major characters had left the show. Filming a series is a grueling affair and it is astonishing that so few performers had burned out. Michael Shanks left for one year but returned. Don Davis left as a full time performer. And Richard Dean Anderson would start reducing his involvement in the show. In this way, Season Seven can be seen as part of a trend that has continued.
Personally, I think the changes have been great for the show. Though it never quite started to feel stale, there had been a bit of sameness to the show that didn't help make it as good as it could be. Compared to some of the very best shows on TV (BUFFY, FARSCAPE, LOST, ANGEL, 24, or even SMALLVILLE) STARGATE had far less character and narrative development. But Season Seven started changing that.
The season ended with some major narrative changes as well. The alliance between the SGC and the Tok'ra became strained and threatened to collapse. And after multiple hints through the season that there was a great city of the Ancients that contained technology that would help them defend earth, it was discovered that this city was none other than Atlantis, leading not just to a thrilling season finale but to a spin off series.
All in all, this was yet another strong season in one of the most consistently excellent Sci-fi series we have seen, and certainly the longest lived.
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 DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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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!"
Most shows go through a run-around,... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 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).
There were quite a few... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 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 DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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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 DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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