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(More customer reviews)Ten years after this series premiered, I am only now finally beginning to watch "Stargate SG-1." I had always liked the 1994 movie, but never really thought that it needed continuation, and beginning watching this season only after I promised a friend I would give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I have not seen any further "SG1" seasons yet, so forgive me if I don't know where stuff is going yet (I plan on starting Season Two soon).
The first episode is a direct sequel to the 1994 film. It turns out that Ra wasn't the only powerful alien out to enslave humanity, and another one (named Apophis) has arrived to kidnap humans to serve as hosts for this evil race (given the name of the Goa'uld). In the first episode, the Goa'uld kidnap loved ones of Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson from the first movie-- Jack's friend and Daniel's wife-- and possess them. The rest of the season concerns the "Stargate team" SG-1's attempts to track down Apophis so those two can rescue their loved ones, but of course, this being a TV series, this main plot is deviated from quite a bit (for better and worse). O'Neill and Jackson are joined on SG-1 by the brilliant Samantha Carter, and the alien Teal'c, a former Apophis servant who's betrayed his master to help the people of Earth.
Apparently this season has a bad reputation amongst "Stargate" fans who enjoy the better seasons to come, but I found this to be a very effective introduction. Since it's the first season, many episodes focus on developing the team, and make them more empathetic to the audience. For example, O'Neill has unfinished business with his dead son that haunts him (shown in "Cold Lazarus"), and Jackson continually laments the loss of his wife (most notably in "Thor's Hammer" and "Fire and Water"). We also get to see the soft sides of the normally hard-headed Carter (in "Singularity") and the normally emotionless Teal'c (in "Bloodlines" and "Cor-Ai"), and Teal'c in particular is haunted by the crimes he committed while serving Apophis.
Of course, character development aside, the show is best watched for the action and adventure, and this season often delivers. The first episode "Children of the Gods" serves as an effective bridge between the movie and show (although those with a weak stomach should take note-- the Goa'uld possession scenes are graphic from both a nudity sense and a grotesque sense). "Thor's Hammer" is probably the most vivid and satisfying episode of the season; not only does it have great character development, but it also introduces a cool new race (the Norse) and a terrifying villain in the form of Unas, who's voiced by no less than the God of movie villain voices, James Earl Jones. "The Torment of Tantalus" introduces cool arcs for both Jackson and Catherine, a minor character from the "Stargate" movie. "The Nox" and "Bloodlines" are first-rate action episodes. "There But For the Grace of God" is a cool new twist on the old "alternate universe" sci-fi cliché. And "Within the Serpent's Grasp" is a great cliffhanger that effectively sets up Season Two, which I can't wait to start.
Between these great episodes, we get the expected groaners as well. "Emancipation" is both pointless and an unfortunate throwback to the old "colored tribe demands white woman" stereotype. "Hathor"-- with its "sexy alien woman seduces the men and the women have to kick ass" plotline-- is silly fun, but also contains some unfortunate out-of-character moments and uncomfortable subtexts (why isn't Jackson more upset that he's helped to create more of the race that he wants to wipe out, even if he "wasn't himself" at the time?) "Politics" is a notorious "flashback" episode, although it introduces some delicious human villains into the series. "Tin Man" is an annoying play on Asimov, even if it has a cool twist at the end. Overall, the season borrows quite a bit from Star Trek (Examples: virus that ages people rapidly, aliens possessing humans, unstable body doubles being created, God-like aliens shaking their heads at the silly antics of humans and their enemies), although this can be forgiven with the argument that Star Trek's been around so long it's probably done everything possible in sci-fi. Apophis, although scary in the first episode, seems to get more campy as the season goes along. Finally, O'Neill makes a decision at the end of the final episode that's a bit head-scratching (wasn't there a way to disable that person without killing him?)
In spite of its flaws, the first season of "Stargate SG-1" is great fun, and recommended to all sci-fi fans. I can't wait to start Season Two, I feel so far behind everyone...
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