The series “Stargate SG-1” was based on director Roland Emmerich’s summer blockbuster film, “Stargate.” The premise of the film surrounded an ancient Egyptian artifact. The artifact turns out to be the Stargate, an inter-planetary portal capable of sending travelers almost anywhere in the galaxy, if they know the ‘address.’ The main character, Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), goes through the Stargate, along with a team of soldiers led by Colonel Jack O’Neill (Kurt Russell). On the other side they find what they believe to be descendants of our own Egyptian ancestors. What they discover is far more shocking, with ramifications which could lead to the enslavement, if not the total annihilation, of the people of Earth. I was a nut for the film when it first came out and got totally into the mythology it presented. The idea that the ancient Egyptian Gods were a race of aliens known as the Goa’uld, has some basis in real life theories that have been presented in books such as “Chariots of the Gods.”

Whether or not there is any truth to these theories, I’m sure one day we’ll find out. In the meantime, the possibility alone is enough to sustain my interest in the movie and subsequent series.

Like many other series that have their start on cable networks, I missed a lot of “Stargate SG-1” during its initial run on Showtime, which started back in 1997. I had read all about it, and was familiar with some of the problems it had getting off the ground. Most notably, there was the fact that Emmerich didn’t want anything to do with it, and certainly didn’t want anyone else doing it. He lost the battle, and series’ producers Brad Wright and Jonathon Glassner won. As did legions of fans.

A couple of years ago my wife and I finally got to watch the first season of “Stargate SG-1” when it was released on DVD. And even then we didn’t see it right away because I’m a cheapskate and had to wait to buy it second hand. I was a bit hesitant to watch it, not because I was worried that it might not be any good, but for the necessary casting changes. There was no way anyone could have convinced Kurt Russell and James Spader to do a TV series (at least at the time in Spader’s case), so the choice that had to be made was to either write whole new characters to base the stories around, or re-cast the roles. They chose to re-cast the roles. They made the right decision.

Taking over the role of Colonel Jack O’Neill was none other than Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”), with relative newcomer Michael Shanks cast in the role of Dr. Daniel Jackson. In watching the series, both actors took the characters and made them completely their own. They were able to keep enough of their predecessor’s characteristics to make them instantly recognizable, yet expand them into newer, and quite acceptable, directions.

The series took up pretty much from where the movie ended, which again was a wise move on the part of the producers. It became a continuation as opposed to a whole new direction. They addressed problems that were left over from the movie and left nothing out. Dr. Jackson had a good reason to come back, and O’Neill was allowed to finally confront his own personal demon, the death of his son.

Watching the first season, I was surprised to find that the series appeared to have its legs from the first episode. The character’s interaction clicked immediately, with all of them playing off of each other beautifully. Usually not one to sit for hours watching TV (though it seems so at times), I found myself working through the first season in a matter of days. There was nothing about the series I didn’t like. Even though they had a smaller effects budget than the film, everything looked great.

What really made the series work for me was the writing. Taking a series like this, where the general plot involves moving through space with the use of this Stargate, is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great that you have an unlimited amount of places you can go and adventures you can have, but you have to have a team of writers that are creative enough to keep the stories original and fresh. Once again, “Stargate SG-1” scores high. There was even a time travel episode in season two, and how many times have you seen time travel episodes in Sci Fi shows? I almost rolled my eyes, thinking that “Stargate SG-1” had finally ‘jumped the shark’, but was humbled by the time the episode ended. It was a great episode, and oddly original to boot.

As for the acting, there’s not a weak link in the bunch. Richard Dean Anderson leads the pack and is terrific in his role as O’Neill. His character is so natural and likable, and his humor kills me. He’s the smart aleck of the group, and he gets the best lines. Going beyond the individual performances, the interaction between the characters is amongst the best of any series. More so than most series I can think of, the way they play off each other often offers wonderful ‘moments.’ I would get into each of the other characters in detail, but I think I’ve already gone on long enough.

The series is now in the middle of its 10th season, which almost didn’t happen. After ending its run on Showtime it was thankfully picked up by the Sci Fi Channel. The stories are compelling and offer up just enough variation in tone to keep the show interesting. Unlike a lot of series, this one has found just the right balance of humor, drama and action, and very rarely goes overboard in any area. This 10th season makes it the longest running science fiction series ever. As it is, the series was still popular enough to warrant its first spin-off, “Stargate: Atlantis”, which is now in its 3rd highly rated season.

My wife and I have now worked our way through the first nine seasons of the series, and surprisingly, each season just got better and better. We haven’t caught any kind of loss in quality or creativity, and are completely hooked on the show.

(Spoilers ahead if you have not seen Seasons 5, 6, 7, or 8)

There was a bit of an upset at the end of the 5th season with the loss of Dr. Daniel Jackson. It seems Michael Shanks wanted to pursue some other projects, so Jackson was ‘killed’ off at the end of the season. Of course, whether or not his ‘death’ was to be permanent remained to be seen. Taking his place in the 6th season was Jonas Quinn, played by Corin Nemec. The character of Quinn is a human from the planet Kelowna, who was present at the death of Jackson. As the 6th season started, the original team members balked at the thought of adding anyone onto their team. They had already unsuccessfully tried out a few candidates, and they sure as shootin’ didn’t want Quinn. Finally, they relented, and I gotta tell you he did a great job. I really missed Jackson’s character, but Quinn brought a new dynamic to the team that allowed the writers to try out new ideas while taking the original characters into new directions.

When we settled down to watch the new 7th season set, we kind of wondered what direction the series would go. We had heard rumors that Shanks was coming back, but how? And would that affect Nemec’s character being on the show. We quickly found it to be true that Dr. Daniel Jackson was indeed coming back. His gift of having ‘ascended’ was… well… rescinded, and I for one was glad. I mentioned that I missed the character on the show, and the few episodes he was on during the 6th season (in spirit anyway) made for some very welcome and emotional appearances. My only disappointment was in losing Jonas Quinn. He ends up going back to his home planet and off the show (though he does show up in one more episode later in the season). He was a great character, and I only hope the decision was a mutual one.

As season 7 moved ahead, there were a great number of standout episodes. Of course, the war with the G’oauld continued to heat up. The false God Anubis devised a plan to create an army of nearly unstoppable G’oauld’s, who first showed their really, really ugly faces in the 2-part episode “Evolution.” In the 2-part episode “Heroes”, the SG-1 team finds themselves in front of the camera in an effort to document their work in preparation for an eventual disclosure to the public. Needless to say, it doesn’t go over well with any of the team. Initially meant to be more of a fun episode, the story arc took a turn for the worse, making it one of the series best episodes ever. A very popular character dies, and it is heartbreaking beyond belief.

Of course we have the season finale “Lost City” (yet another 2-parter), the way is paved for the new series “Stargate: Atlantis” as the SG-1 team struggle to find the fabled city in the hopes of fending off Anubis’s attack on Earth. It offers a great set-up, and one hell of a finale. Looking back, I do want to also mention the episode “Grace”, where we find Carter trapped on the Prometheus (which is the Earth built ship based on G’oauld technology). The crew disappears after being attacked and she is forced to find a way to move the ship out of a nebula before it is destroyed. Fighting off the effects of a head injury, Carter has to mentally battle her inner voices (which take the form of her teammates) in order to save herself, the crew, and the ship. It is a very powerful episode, which was a little slow getting started but ended up offering a tour-de-force acting turn by Amanda Tapping.

As we get into the 8th season, there are a number of major changes. General Hammond (Don Davis) has been promoted to head up all of the SG operations worldwide. Colonel O’Neill is now Brigadier General O’Neill, and is in charge of the main SG location. It is a role he doesn’t take to well, commenting that after so many years of fighting ‘the man’, he’s not sure he’s ready to BE ‘the man.’

Those who were familiar with the look of the characters also had to prepare them selves for T’ealc’s newfound hairdo. Which I have to say that after 7 seasons of baldness, he finally decided to grow some. The look is somewhat jarring, and in some ways actually makes him look shorter.

(End of Spoilers)

The 8th season also marked the final regular appearances by Anderson. He opted to spend a more time with his family and back away from the series a little bit. He only appears in a handful of the 9th season episodes. At first I was kind of shocked at the thought of him leaving, but the producers found the perfect replacement. Stepping into the lead role is sci-fi favorite, Ben Browder. I had no doubt that those of us who loved him as John Crichton on “Farscape”, would just as easily enjoy his role in “Stargate SG-1.” He has the same kind of ‘devil-may-care attitude that endeared O’Neill to us, and I figured there was a good chance he would infuse that same attitude into his role as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell.

Browder wasn't the only addition, however as the series needed a new replacement for the project's Commanding Officer. Noted actor Beau Bridges fills the role admirably as Major General Hank Landry. He has an old world charm that is quite similar to Don Davis' General Hammond. But the best addition, in my mind, was that of Claudia Black in the role of an intergalactic thief by the name of Vala. Browder and Black starred together on "Farscape" and had a terrific chemistry there. Casting them together again was a great idea on the part of the producers. After watching about half of the episodes available in the new 9th season DVD release, there was no doubt in my mind that all three actors found a perfect home on "Stargate SG-1."

This new season brought with it a lot more changes than just actors however. There was a huge shift away from the war with the G'oauld, and a new threat was found with the discovery of the Ori. They are an even older race, whose powers challenge that of even the G'oauld. With the freeing of the Jaffa from G'oauld stranglehold, there is also the treachery of politics that must be faced in the form of Garek (Louis Gossett, Jr.), who is fighting for the commanding position in the High Council. There was also an addition to the mix of Earth's mythological past and SG-1's future with the locating of the very real Camelot.

Once again, the powers that be at MGM, who have teamed with Fox with their home entertainment releases, have really gone all out as far as adding extra features to these box sets. The first couple of sets really didn’t have much, but as each subsequent set was released the amount of features grew exponentially. The DVD set for the 9th season is nothing short of amazing in this area. Once again, a good portion of the creative team from both behind and in front of the camera, took the time and effort to record audio commentaries for every single one of the 20 episodes that make up the season. Some are better than others, with those by director Peter DeLuise being the best, but I would not suggest missing a one if you’re at all a fan of the series.

I’ve mentioned DeLuise’s input to the series in earlier reviews, but again I have to mention his work. In the 2nd season, DeLuise (son of Dom DeLuise) came on board to direct a couple of episodes. Over the 3rd and 4th seasons, he moved up to being a creative consultant on the show and has gotten the opportunity to write and direct more and more episodes each season. I don’t want to sell short the work of some of the other writers and directors, but every time we saw DeLuise’s name in the credits, we knew we are in for an especially good episode. In the 8th season, we’ve noticed his credits had been bumped up again to Supervising Producer. Way to go!!

As good as the commentaries are, the features just get better. Where most TV series DVD releases usually just do a couple of ‘behind the scenes’ featurettes that fill us in on the entire season, here the creative team went all out to produce something a little extra special. Spread out over the 5 discs that make up the set are several separate featurettes, each one focusing on a particular episode. You’ll find them on “Avalon”, “The Powers that Be”, “Prototype", "Ethon" and "Crusade." Initially my thought was that these would be short 2-3 minute featurettes. However, they didn’t skimp at all on these. They vary in length but mostly run between 10 minutes to upwards of 30 minutes. Each featurette gives quite an in-depth look at whatever episode is its focus, from special effects to behind the scenes footage. They are labeled as the “SG-1 Director’s Series.” Along with this series are the “SG-1: Inside the Stargate" featurettes, each one focusing on a separate part of the production. One features the special effects department, while another looks at the amazing array of props built for the series. You'll also find a featurette introducing Ben Browder and another one on executive producer Brad Wright. All together these features add a tremendous amount of entertainment value to the DVD set.

Say what you will, about “Stargate SG-1”, but it has proven itself over the years to be a series that delivers the goods season after season, with little or no signs of slowing down in terms of quality. The actors that make up the ensemble cast make a great team, and the fun they have making the show is evident and infectious. If you’ve never seen so much as a single episode, you really don’t know what you’re missing.

The bad news is that the Sci-fi Channel has announced that the current 10th season will be the last. "Stargate: Atlantis" will continue (thankfully), but I cannot condone the network's decision to cancel one of its most entertaining series. Part of me thinks they have something against Browder. After all, the same idiots cancelled "Farscape" (which at the time was it's strongest show) during its 4th season. The guys might have money, but they certainly don’t have the smarts.

Episodes:
Avalon, Part 2
Avalon, Part 2
Origin
The Ties That Bind
The Powers That Be
Beachhead
Ex Deus Machina
Babylon
Prototype
The Fourth Horseman, Part 1
The Fourth Horseman, Part 2
Collateral Damage
Ripple Effect
Stronghold
Ethon
Off the Grid
The Scourge
Arthur's Mantle
Crusade
Camelot

Starring: Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Beau Bridges
Extras: Audio Commentary for Every Episode, It Takes a Crew to Raise a Village Featurette, Director's Series - Avalon featuring Andy Mikita, Inside the Stargate Props Department Featurette, Director's Series - The Powers that Be featuring Will Waring, Inside the Stargate Special Effects Department Featurette, Director's Series - Prototype featuring Peter DeLuise, An Introduction to Ben Browder Featurette, Director's Series - Ethon featuring Ken Girotti, Profile of Executive Producer Brad Wright, Director's Series - Crusade featuring Roger Cooper, Photo and Production Design Galleries
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM / Fox
Release Date: 10/3/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Stargate SG-1: Season 9 an A.