For those of you who aren’t familiar with the series “Stargate SG-1”, allow me to give you the Reader’s Digest version of the history. (If you would like to read a more detailed background, check out my review of Season 3 from June 2003.) The series was based on the blockbuster film of the same name. The Stargate is an alien transporter of sorts that allows travelers to go from planet to planet, pretty much anywhere another Stargate is located. “Stargate SG-1” starts Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) as Col. Jack O’Neill, the leader of the SG-1 team. The rest of the team is comprised of Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), and Teal’c (Christopher Judge). The Stargate is located in an underground military facility, and from within various SG teams embark on missions of exploration. The SG-1 team is the most experienced and so they are called on for the more dangerous missions.

The Stargates were believed to be created by the Goa’uld, who are an ancient race of symbiotic, or more so parasitic creatures that enslaved the people of many worlds. Turns out that the Stargates were created by a much older and wiser race. The Goa’uld believe they are Gods, and in the movie and series are the basis for many of the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. As we go into Season Four of “Stargate SG-1”, Earth is still in danger of being taken over or destroyed by the Goa’uld, but fortunately we have made an alliance with the Asguard, and even older and stronger race.

My wife and I first caught “Stargate SG-1” after the release of the 1st season on DVD last year. We both loved the film, but hadn’t caught the show on TV, since we had our doubts that it would live up to the movie. We couldn’t have been more wrong. By the first few episodes we could tell that it was not only as good as, but also in many ways surpassed the original film. It has, in fact become one of our favorite Science Fiction series.

When the 4th season DVD set found its way to our house we couldn’t wait to see what was in store for the characters. We had snuck a look at a couple of episodes as they were airing a few weeks ago on the Sci-Fi Channel, but tried really hard to stay away. We needed to wait for the DVDs. Fortunately they were not long in coming. MGM seems to be speeding up the release of the series and we couldn’t be happier.

The 3rd Season left off with a cliffhanger of sorts where the Asguard were in need of help from us. They were waging a battle with the Replicators, which were basically robots that were created for use in doing work. They were able to replicate themselves by using whatever raw materials were at their disposal, and they soon were out of control and threatening to destroy the Asguard. At the end of the final episode of the season, the Replicators were on a ship headed towards Earth, and though the ship was destroyed during entry into the atmosphere, the final shot was of a single Replicator crawling out of the ocean wreckage.

I have to tell you that if you are at all a fan of the series, the 4th season is every bit as good as the previous seasons. The shows are so incredibly well written, and the way the show’s creators work old Egyptian and Norse mythology into the Alien cultures is really cool. But beyond that, I honestly have to say the main ingredient that really makes the show tick is the rapport between the major characters. The camaraderie is extremely well played, and each individual character is fleshed out to the fullest. A tremendous amount of credit has to be given to he actors for making the show so darn entertaining to watch. Everything from O’Neill’s one-liners in the face of danger to Teal’c’s ‘Spock-like’ raised eyebrow facial expressions come together to make the dynamic of the characters so believable.

I would like to point out another item that seems to make the show as good as it is. In the 2nd season, Peter DeLuise (son of Dom DeLuise) directed a couple of episodes. Over the 3rd and 4th seasons, he has moved up to being a creative consultant on the show and has written and directed more and more episodes each season. As good as the rest of the creative team is, every time we see DeLuise’s name in the credits, we know we are in for an especially good episode.

MGM went way overboard with the extras on this new 4th season set. In the past they included some really good featurettes, and this set has its share. However, they also added commentary, not just to 1 or 2 episodes, but all 22! I have yet to listen to all of the commentaries, but so far they are pretty good. Most of them feature the various directors or writers, and most seem to include James Tichenor, the visual effects guy for the series. He’s got a pretty wicked sense of humor. One that I did find particularly funny though, was by writer/director DeLuise on the episode “The First Ones.”

As far as the features go, fans of the series will find more than they bargained for on this set. There are three featurettes, all of which offer up some terrific behind the scenes information on the making of the series. The best one, however, was on the last disc. The ‘Timeline to the Future – Legacy of the Gate Documentary’ is just the first part of a three part series that I’m assuming is going to be continued on the following season box sets. It runs 25 minutes, and covers a lot of ground as far as the background of the show and the characters.

I’m sure there are some Sci-Fi purists out there who think that “Stargate SG-1” is ‘Sci-Fi Light’ and scoff at the very idea that it is anything more than popcorn fodder. To those purists I’d like to respond with an enthusiastic raspberry (‘PHTHBBBTBBBT). As far as my wife and I are concerned (and let me tell you, she is NEVER wrong), “Stargate SG-1” is one of the best Sci-fi shows available. It ranks up there with “Babylon 5” with its imaginative plotlines and powerfully creative story arcs. If you’re going to get hooked on any sci-fi series, these two are the ones to go for.

Episodes:
Small Victories
The Other Side
Upgrades
Crossroads
Divide and Conquer
Window of Opportunity
Watergate
The First Ones
Scorched Earth
Beneath the Surface
Point of No Return
Tangent
The Curse
The Serpent’s Venom
Chain Reaction
2010
Absolute Power
The Light
Prodigy
Entity
Double Jeopardy
Exodus

Starring: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Amanda Tapping, and Don Davis
Extras: Secret Files of the SGC: Enhanced Visual Effects, Secret Files of the SGC: Alien Species Friend or Foe, Stargate SG-1: Timeline to the Future – Legacy of the Gate Documentary (Part 1 of a 3 Part Documentary), Audio Commentary for Each Episode
Specifications: Widescreen 1.78:1 Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 9/2/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Stargate: SG1 - Season 4 an A.