Question on Stargate SG-1

**Ineti** · 03-21-2003, 12:02 PM

I know nothing about this series. Is it related in any way to the movie, other than by the title? I read the thread on the RPG, but naturally, little of it made sense since I never saw the show.

Can anyone give me some basic details? Does the TV show have any of the semi-Egyptian flavor the movie had?

**Don Mappin** · 03-21-2003, 12:44 PM

The official website has a pretty good introduction to the show.

http://www.stargate-sg1.com

**Ineti** · 03-21-2003, 01:40 PM

Thanks, Don, but I'm interested in hearing folks' opinions too. Is it a cool show? Are the stories solid? Are the effects decent or cheesy? How does it compare to Trek? Is it worthwhile viewing, or is it cheesy sci-fi?

That sort of stuff. For those of you who love the show, wax poetic about it. Convince me why I should watch a show you enjoy.

Sell me on SG-1, people!

**Owen E Oulton** · 03-21-2003, 01:58 PM

SG-1 is probably the best adaptation of a movie to series format I've ever seen. It begins a couple of years after the end of the movie rather than in the middle of things as with so many other series This means that they do not have to alter anything in the movie - they merely build on it. While the two main characters from the movie are played by different actors, most of the returning incidental characters are played by the same actors as in the feature - Sha'uri, Skaara, their father, Katherine... They definitely retain the pseudo-Egyptian motif for the Goa-uld.

It's a fun show. Of course, since O'Neill and Daniel are played by different actors, the characterisations are different, but hey, people change!

**Don Mappin** · 03-21-2003, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
While the two main characters from the movie are played by different actors, most of the returning incidental characters are played by the same actors as in the feature - Sha'uri, Skaara, their father, Katherine...

Sorry to be a pest, but a correction:

Neither Dr. Catherine Langford or Sha're (Sha'uri) are played by the same actors in the series.

SG-1's Dr. Langford was played by Elizabeth Hoffman; the movie version was played by Viveca Lindfors. Mili Avital played Sha'uri in the movie and in the series Sha're was played by Vaitiare Bandera. Both Alexis Cruz (Skaara) and Erick Avari (Kasuf) reprised their roles in the series on several occasions.

Kawalsky and Ferretti were also replaced with different actors.

Don

**Phantom** · 03-21-2003, 04:00 PM

Who's Ferretti?

All I can say is that it is the best Sci-Fi, currently, on the tube. IMNSVHO. If you can find a station running re runs I highly recommend it.

**VixenofVenus** · 03-21-2003, 05:30 PM

Stargate is awesome as far as story lines.

They are continually struggling with the Goa'uld, and their own government. There is time travel, and multi-universes ... but they don't overuse those plot devices.

The characters are what truly drew me in (but thats always why I like a movie or tv show) ... Samantha Carter and Tea'lk are awesome additions to the two previouslly created characters, and the psuedo-relationship between Carter and O'Neil is awesome ... especially when they're married in the other parallel universe!!

**Phantom** · 03-21-2003, 06:22 PM

You have to love a show that uses a force of nature, a black hole, as a 'villian.' 'Singularity' (I think it was called) is one of the best sci-fi eps I 've seen.

**Aldaron** · 03-21-2003, 09:37 PM

Ineti...

Definitely give it a go. I didn't for the whole first season because I hate McGuyver, and thus couldn't come at Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O'Neill.

When I did my back at work and was flat on the lounge-room floor for two weeks, my wife (who loved the series and had been trying to convince me to watch it) went and hired the whole second season on video.

With little else to do, I watched it. Then I promptly ordered her back out to get the first season - and I don't think I've skipped an episode since then!

Seriously...if it comes to a choice between Trek and SG-1, I don't know which I'd choose. If both were on at the same time, I'd probably tape one and watch the other...but if I didn't have a video? I'm not sure which way I'd go.

SG-1 is well-put together for a series: the visuals are great, cinematography is very high-quality, good writing, good acting, good direction. The plot-lines are occasionally a bit hammy (but never moreso than some of the cheesier Trek episodes - and certainly, the "worst" of SG-1 is nowhere near as bad as the "worst" of Trek), but I'd say 90% of the time, they're right on the money: interesting, intelligent, with a "wow!" factor that's been missing, IMO, from Trek for a long time now.

In general, science takes a good role in the show. Capt (later Major) Samantha Carter is not only a USAF officer, she's also an astrophysicist of high repute, and she and Daniel Jackson bring in many of the scientific threads. Moreover, as far as I can tell, the principles of the science are held true.

Someone mentioned the episode with the black hole. Now, I certainly know jack about just where a black hole's tidal forces would become powerful enough to cause apparent time distortions...but when a show takes into account the gravity-caused "slow-down" of time towards the event horizon, the fact that tidal forces mean that something closer to the EH is falling quicker, and doesn't create some "magical" way of "shutting down" the black hole or escaping it the way VOY did, you have to give it credit!

And I loved what they did to link back to it in Nemesis, I think (The SG-1 episode, not the Trek movie!).

All in all, Ineti, SG-1 is the best sci-fi show being currently produced, by far. I don't mind Farscape, I love Andromeda - but SG-1 is the one I can't bear to miss.

Watch it. Get it.

And, in a few months, hopefully...play it!.

I sure as hell will be!

**REG** · 03-22-2003, 06:22 AM

Oh, puh-lease! SG-1 is not that great!

Wormhole X-Treme! Now THAT is the best science fiction show this millenium.

**Aldaron** · 03-22-2003, 08:34 AM

Wormhole X-treme?
Oh, come on! Everyone knows WXT is just smoke-and-mirrors to confuse the public. For heavens' sake, it even has USAF backing - now doesn't that tell you something???

Oh...uh....hang on....*checks phone lines for taps...covers windows with foam-rubber to foil laser mikes*

**Phantom** · 03-22-2003, 01:22 PM

Originally posted by Aldaron
[B

Oh...uh....hang on....*checks phone lines for taps...covers windows with foam-rubber to foil laser mikes*

[/B]

Don't forget the tinfoil hats for the mind reading sats.

**aelius** · 03-22-2003, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
It's a fun show. Of course, since O'Neill and Daniel are played by different actors, the characterisations are different, but hey, people change!

While I agree that RDA play's O'Neill diferently I think that Michael Shanks does a very impressive job of duplicating James Spader's portrayal of Daniel Jackson right down to the gestures and speech patterns. Though I must admit he has made the part more his own as the series has gone on.
As to the difference in the character of O'Neill, he had over a year to recover from the loss of his son between the movie and the beginning of the series so I tend to view the wisecracking O'Neill as his normal attitude and the tormented O'Neill of the movie as the result of the recent tragedy in his life.
Overall however I recommend SG-1 highly. In addition to the praise heaped on it above I like the way the over arcing story is handled. Not every story is tide into the arc, but they take into account the things that have happened in previous eps.
When the show started I was worried that they would bring back all this alien tech and then it would just disappear into govt labs and never be seen again. I am happy that I was wrong. Though it was a while, several seasons in fact, this is a reasonable amount of time to begin to retroengineer advanced alien technology.
Now, in the sixth season they have developed a number of very advanced devices and made allies of a number of alien species.

**Gabriel** · 03-23-2003, 12:05 PM

Stargate SG-1 is my current favorite TV show. It's rather sad that no local station shows it anymore, and the only way for me to watch it is to buy the DVDs.

It's a bit of a shock to go from the movie to the TV show. The TV show is pretty much a reimagining of the key elements.

As for actors, I really don't like Anderson's O'Neill. While he has his moments, he is WAY too different from Russel's version of the character to be acceptable. Overall, this is a minor point. As a whole, the cast is good. Tealc' is an awesome character, executed perfectly.

I'd much rather watch Stargate than any Star Trek barring TOS or the TOS movies. In fact, Stargate has a greater Star Trek feel than DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise all combined have. Watching Stargate will graphically show you how far Trek has strayed from what made it good.

**Phantom** · 03-24-2003, 12:39 AM

In the Ep 'The Tomb' ,the one with the Russian team that got themselves killed in the Ziggurat, which Eastern God was buried in there?

Thread: Question on Stargate SG-1

Thread Tools

Question on Stargate SG-1

Posting Permissions