One of the Four Greatest TV Series Ever Made...BUT!!!

As the title suggests, it is my opinion that `Stargate SG-1' was one of the four greatest television programmes ever made. Because unlike it's illegitimate offspring `Stargate Atlantis,' SG-1 was that rarest of Television jewels; a science-fiction series with depth, soul, originality, intelligence, emotion, wonderful writing, great acting, and which didn't rely on action and CGI to hold the viewers' interest.

Indeed, whilst some science-fiction fans attempt to ridicule the first series' low budget special effects, I applaud them as being realistic and point out the fact that the stories are truly excellent, regardless of the lack of CGI.

If you are looking for an engrossing, thrilling and intelligent story that lasts for eight whole series and which is followed by a second story which lasts for two more, then this is almost definitely for you. And the mere fact that the `Powers That Be' didn't cancel SG-1 after two or three series in order to make way for high-budget schlock proves that we are hungry for this kind of in-depth and original story telling.

THE BEST BITS:

First of all, the Goa'uld are almost certainly the most original villains of any science fiction series ever made; villains who were most memorably brought to life by the actors who played Apophis, Chronus, Lord Yu, Baal and Moloch.

Furthermore, the simple fact that there were so many Goa'uld meant that unlike the replicators, the Ori, the Wraith and countless other `villains,' the writers didn't have to avoid killing them off for fear that it would end the series.

Secondly, although he very rarely said anything, the Character of Teal'c brought SG-1 to life and had the most memorable lines in the entire series:

"Many have said that, but you are the first who I believed could do it!"

"For our father."

And of course, the epoch making line,

"Tal Shaka Mell! I Die Free!"

Indeed, the episodes written by Christopher Judge (the actor who played Teal'c) are amongst the best of the series, but please do not assume from this that he alone carried the story.

Dr Daniel Jackson was SG-1's conscience, the only member of the team who wasn't a soldier or a warrior and who always viewed violence as the last resort.

In the episodes `Scorched Earth' and `Enemy Mine' when the soldiers' insisted that violence was the solution, he risked his own life in order to ensure that reason and diplomacy saved the day. And in the episode `Cor-ai,' one of the best episodes of series one, he and Teal'c both shared the spotlight whilst arguing the complex ethical issues that arose when Teal'c was charged with murder.

`The First Commandment' was another wonderful episode which helped to explain how the Goa'uld, a race of parasites with stolen technology could have come to view themselves as Gods. Because believing the insane Airforce Captain's weapons to be supernatural power, a race of humans on a primitive planet believe that he is a God. And growing drunk on the power and worship that they offer him, the Captain also starts to believe that he is one as well.

Moving back to the characters and story lines however, I also believe that the `Tok'ra' in this series deserved an Emmy in their own right. Because although they were of the same species as the Goa'uld and shared the same genetic memory, the Tok'ra simply refused to be evil.

Instead, they chose to sacrifice their own lives in their ongoing war to overthrow the Goa'uld. And whilst the Asgard were prevented from destroying the Goa'uld because they were battling the replicators, (and besides, the moment that the Goa'uld were defeated then the story would be over) they were also true heroes who deserved our love and respect.

There are so many wonderful episodes of SG-1 and so many great story lines that it would be almost impossible for me to list all of them here. Indeed, even after the defeat of the Goa'uld and the departure of O'Neill at the end of series eight, the SG-1 writers still managed to create new characters, a new enemy and a new story line that were all at least as good as the originals. But no matter how good a series might be however, there are always going to be some things which you truly cannot help but despise.

THE WORST BITS:

As with any science fiction series, there are many episodes of SG-1 which you only need to watch once; the half-baked, clichéd, filler material that doesn't add anything to the overall story and which can easily be forgotten. But whilst I can forgive the writers, actors and directors for taking the occasional breather, there are several episodes which are so atrocious that the very thought of watching them makes me want to smash the Television!

The 100th and 200th episodes of SG-1 are both unmitigated rubbish; a self-indulgent opportunity for the writers, actors and producers to cheer the fact that they'd reached these magic numbers. But considering that a US series can be syndicated once it has 100 episodes in the can, earning hundreds of millions of dollars for the companies and money-men involved, I don't think it's coincidence that the number of rubbish and filler episodes began to grow after series five.

Despite the `Death' of Daniel Jackson at the end of series five however, series six of SG-1 was actually pretty okay.

Dr Jackson's replacement Jonas Quinn was fairly good as the smiling rookie. His character development gave the writers a little more material to work with, and Dr Jackson's special appearances as an `Ascended Being' kept us going until he was returned to human form at the beginning of series seven. But of course, in spite of Dr Jackson's glorious return, I'm sad to say this was also the point when the real `filling' began.

Episodes 13, 14 and 15 of series seven were an offensive waste of time. The two-part episode `Heroes' was just as bad, and `Inauguration' was yet another bleeding clip-show. But to top it all off, `Resurrection' has got to be the worst episode ever made!

Never mind the fact that the story is a shameless rip-off of `Alien Resurrection,' the clichés are SO blatant (they even resurrected the old Nazi stereotypes for God's sake) and the script is SO one-dimensional that I can hardly believe I watched it at all.

We were supposed to feel sympathy for the genetically engineered girl. But by the end, I was just glad that she was dead so that I could get on with my life!

Believe it or not, series eight, nine and ten of SG-1 have even more rubbish and filler episodes than series seven. And after the defeat of the Goa'uld and the replicators, the last three episodes of series eight were just designed to kill time until the next series of `Atlantis.' But even throughout the episodes which I love with all my heart, there are several story lines and character traits that still fill me with rage.

At the very top of list of this list of course, it has got to be the bigotry of Colonel Jack O'Neill; not just towards the Russians and to people he doesn't know, but especially towards the Tok'ra because he believes that `A Snake is a Snake.'

The plot scenario in `Abyss' for example was based upon the flimsy premise that a Tok'ra symbiote had stolen O'Neill's body and then abandoned him when he was captured. In fact, the symbiote had committed this crime to try and save the woman he loved and then sacrificed himself to protect the secrets of the Tok'ra. But for the rest of the series, O'Neill clings to this experience as `proof' that the Tok'ra are just as bad as the Goa'uld.

"Canaan has fought the Goa'uld longer than any of you have lived, and yet you spit the word `Symbiote' as though you spoke of vermin."

Sometimes whilst I'm watching SG-1, I physically have to hold my nose because the stench of bigotry emanating from the Television is just too much for me to bare. And during the episode `Memento' when O'Neill was supposed to be diplomatic, I still find it hilarious that the writers needed to make his adversary even more bigoted by comparison.

Although it only lasted until the 13th episode of series one however, Captain Carter's `Feminist' character trait also makes me grind my teeth; accusing O'Neill of sexism when in fact he just doesn't like anyone who he doesn't already know.

After the episode `Hathor' of course, Carter's gender was never raised as an issue because it was utterly irrelevant. But the one story line that makes me want to scream has got to be the immortal NID.

Having first been introduced as a rival military organisation who wanted to acquire technology at any cost; a group of unethical megalomaniacs who behaved much more like the US military that we all know and revile, SG-1 exposed their operations, but the organisation survived. They exposed their operations again, but the organisation survived again.

Even at the end of series 10, an NID Shadow Group called `The Trust,' was still alive and kicking. But for God's sake! This was supposed to be a science fiction series, not a remake of the bleeding X-Files!

The Episodes in which SG-1 battled `The Lucian Alliance' in series nine and ten were also a total waste of time. The Galaxy was being invaded by the Ori, and yet we were supposed to give a damn about a group of mercenaries and smugglers who controlled most of the galaxy's black market?

But whilst these story lines were 100% pure filler however, I will always reserve a special place in Hell for the Nox, the Tolans and the Ancients; the three unbelievably advanced races who just sat back and watched the slaughter.

In each case, these three races were driven by their own arrogance, hypocrisy and smug self-satisfaction, believing that as well as being technologically advanced, they had also developed to the point where they could decide who lived and died; declaring that the slaughter and enslavement of millions had `nothing to do with them.'

As I have already mentioned, the Asgard were prevented from destroying the Goa'uld by their ongoing war with the replicators. But although these three other races had the power to eliminate the Goa'uld with a wave of their hands, doing so would have ended the series, and so the writers cooked up some infuriating guff about `Non-Interference' and the belief that the Goa'uld also had the right to live.

As if to prove their self-serving hypocrisy however, when faced with a Goa'uld mother ship which was immune to their technology, the Tolan government agreed to build weapons for the Goa'uld to use against other worlds. And having first attempted to portray the Ancients as `Angels;' beings of pure good who we should all worship as Gods, by the end of series eight we also knew the truth

The Ancients were an arrogant race of hypocrites who didn't flinch from allowing a malevolent creature to enslave and slaughter hundreds of millions of innocent people, simply to punish one of their own who was breaking their petty little rules. Indeed, when the Ancient in question finally steps in to stop the malevolent being (which she created) from annihilating all life in the Galaxy, all you can say is `IT'S ABOUT BLEEDING TIME!!!'

And finally, whilst it is more of a philosophy than a story line, I do feel the need to point out my hatred for the fact that `The general public could never know the truth about the Stargate because it would incite anarchy.'

Leaving aside the insane conspiracy theorists who believe that something like this is actually happening, the writers knew that if the truth was ever revealed to the general public in the series, it would shatter `the fourth wall,' dispelling the illusion that it was really happening and distancing the viewers from the programme.

Think about it. Part of the joy of watching science fiction is either pretending that it's really happening or imagining that it will happen one day. But instead of just ignoring the whole issue of whether the public would ever learn about it or not, SG-1 has devoted two whole episodes to the idea that `The truth would destroy the world.'

In `Covenant,' (another bleeding NID episode) a `Richard Branson' character tries to reveal the truth about the Stargate and life on other planets but is utterly destroyed for his trouble. And as the final insult to our intelligence because she is the heroine, instead of shooting him in the head as a `National Security Risk,' Carter bottles out at the last minute and offers him a new life through the Stargate. Whilst in `The Road Not Taken,' Carter is transported to an alternate reality in which, yes, you've guessed it, `The truth about the Stargate has incited anarchy, and an oppressive government is struggling to maintain order.'

In spite of this myriad of flaws, mistakes and crimes against the viewing public however, I still stand by my original statement that this is one of the four greatest Television series ever made.

I have been watching the programme on an almost perpetual loop since I bought the first six series back in 2003. Stargate Atlantis, the cash-in carbon copy isn't fit to be mentioned in the same sentence. And whenever I'm stuck thinking about an atrocious episode or an infuriating story line, I just have to remember that immortal quote;

"Tal Shaka Mell! I Die Free!"

brilliant mid season 2 parter

this is one of the best collection of episodes i have seen on a stargate dvd. eventhough there are only 3 episodes on this dvd, they are crackers. it shows the 2 parter mid-season cliff hanger and it also brings back one of the best vilans, Anubis. there is also a good british actor in it, which makes the character bold. this is a must have for your dvd collection, and you wont be dissapointed.

it contains all the best parts of the series. action, drama, the ori and amanda tapping. its one of the best dvds i have bought. its brilliant!!!

A decent group of episodes

The episodes in this volume are honestly what really counts, unlike the previous reviewer's rants about money. If you can be bothered to spend money on volumes instead of waiting for the entire season to come out (which is alot cheaper) then do so.

200 is possibly the most hilarious episode in SG1 to my recollection since the infamous Window of Opportunity and will guarentee laughs and a nice calm before the storm of the rest of the volume and the battling with the Ori

Excellent Start

I have to admit to being nervous as to how they kicked off Season 7 after the shaky Season 6 and the slow decline of core team interaction that charactised Seasons 1-3. But I'm glad to say the four episodes here delivered the old team dynamic.

"Fallen" picks up where Season 6 leaves off. Time has passed but we don't know how much as SG-1 pursue the clues left by the tablet Daniel found on Abydos at the end of Season 6 and, of course, run straight into two problems - Anubis being one, the consequences of Daniel's actions in"Full Circle" being the other."Homecoming" as the second part to"Fallen" concludes the actions and events begun in"Fallen" with very personal consequences for Jonas Quinn, who replaced Daniel Jackson for Season 6.

Everything from Daniel coping with his insecurities, to the SGC trying to cope with his return and Jonas' having to handle the threat facing his planet - acting and scripting was on the ball and excellent. These two episodes don't feel like later seasons of Stargate, the team interaction is strong and the overall feel harkens right back to the original film, with a few direct references too if you know what to look for.

"Fragile Balance"... where did they get the boy who plays Jack O'Neill from? His ability to adapt to the mannerisms of Richard Dean Anderson is what makes this episode work and his rapport with established members of the cast is excellent. This is a worthwhile episode with good characterisation and plot. It's a slower pace than the packed events of the previous two episodes but the tension and team interaction keeps the plot moving and the audience engaged.

"Orpheus" has to be the best episode on the tape. A powerful Teal'c and Daniel centered episode. The consequences of both Daniel's Ascension and the loss of Teal'c's symbiote are dealt with in depth. You need to have seen the Season 6 episode"Changeling" to understand just how good this episode is. Minor nitpick - the character growth displayed by Rya'c in Season 6's"Redemption" is somewhat neglected.

My one complaint with this DVD is the quality of Subtitling. Not up to the standard of earlier seasons, those fans who are hard-of-hearing like myself, and therefore dependent on subtitles, are going to suffer at points where the subtitles fall far below the par of the dialogue."Fragile Balance" is the worst offender for this problem but there are moments in other episodes where the subtitles detract from the quality of the scene and this is why I haven't given this DVD the full 5-stars.

Still good fun

I admit, I was wary about season nine. Richard Dean Anderson was unquestionably the main draw of SG-1 for me, and the promotion of cast changes as 'a breath of fresh air' tends to turn me off when I liked the old air just fine. But I bought this first disk to give it a chance, and was thrilled to still find I enjoyed it.

The show retains its charm and sense of humour, and that really helps the changes go down easier. Instead of having things like the Farscape connection or the resemblance between Browder and Shanks be a distracting elephant in the room, they're given cheerful nods as in-jokes and moved on from.

The opening episodes are loaded with new characters (especially given Amanda Tapping's temporary absence) but I didn't feel like any of them were jammed in for no reason or taking over. I didn't find Cameron Mitchell very interesting, but he didn't rub me the wrong way either, and that seems fair enough this early on in the season. I was worried about the return of Vala, but in episodes that aren't quite so slapstick as the one that introduced her, she fits in more smoothly. All in all, I'm far happier with the changes than I thought I'd be.

Jack O'Neill leaves a pretty big hole, but for me, at least, it's more a case of"this would be even better with RDA" than"this really stinks without him". No, it's not the same show as the old SG-1, but it still feels like it belongs in the Stargate universe. If you got on with seasons seven and eight, I think that you'll probably like this one. Give it a try.

So wrong

The last couple of episodes to this series are quite annoying but funny. You pretty much hate the characters (especially the accents) Its not a bad story line though.
The team go back in time and mess up the timeline but have film edthemselves and left the Camcorda where it’ll be found with the time ship so if the timeline has been severly altered, people would know once they found the camcorda.
Dr Jackson has never joined star gate, T’ is still ’Evil’, Sam (is soooo annoying) never joined the airforce - couldn’t figure out how they’d changed that - and good old O’Neil fishes alot and takes people out in his boat.
Its a good giggle and does distract you from the fact that O’Neils character is being fased out. Star Gate without O’ Neil, - Shake of head -
All in all not a bad buy if you are looking for a non serious end to the series and you can pick holes in the timeline plot!! Joy all round

To call this the 'best of' Season 1 seriously undersells S1

Season One of Stargate SG-1 was undoubtedly a mixed bag. I think many if not most fans would agree that S2 and S3 were better. However, mixed bag or not, to call this tiny selection the 'best of' S1 seriously undersells S1. There are only four episodes on this DVD: Children of the Gods (the excellent sequel to the 1994 movie and pilot for the series); There But For The Grace of God (another excellent episode); Politics (a pretty weak clip-show that nevertheless has to be included as it is part of a 4-episode arc) and the outstanding Within The Serpent's Grasp. However, there were many excellent episodes in S1 that are *not* included on this DVD and anyone trying to get a flavour of the first season from this DVD is going to end up feeling a little baffled and short-changed.

For a start, important themes from Children of the Gods are concluded in The Enemy Within which is not included on this disc. Also many episodes which begin far-reaching story arcs continued in later seasons (which are available on DVD) are not included here, leading to more bafflement for the viewer. Quite apart from their value as conveyers of important information about the team, there can be no excuse for not including such excellent episodes as The Nox, The Torment of Tantalus, Bloodlines, Fire & Water, Cor-Ai, Enigma, and Solitudes.

It's true that not every S1 episode was a winner. Some, like Emancipation are downright embarrassing, and Broca Divide, Brief Candle, and The First Commandment also have their less than stellar moments. However, with the exception of Emancipation, there isn't a single S1 episode that doesn't have *some* merit; something that can't be necessarily be said about some S4 and S5 episodes which are being granted a DVD release.

What is even more galling is that the far more 'patchy' fourth season of Stargate has been released in its entirety by MGM simply because it was filmed on 35mm and S1 wasn't. The film quality of S1 may not be quite as high as later seasons but there are scripts and stories in this season which are equal to anything produced since (Solitudes for one) and in some cases superior to almost every Stargate episode produced later (The Torment of Tantalus) in fidelity to the original themes of the Stargate feature film and originality of storyline.

So, great to have some S1 episodes on DVD, but how much more satisfying if MGM had released them all in a boxset for Region 2 viewers as well as for Region 1 viewers.

Not quite as much energy

After a cracking start to season nine, the episodes on this second disc don't have quite the energy levels or the intensity of the first four episodes. We lose one main character and another returns, but the chemistry between the main cast just isn't the same. And the writing of these episodes doesn't have the coherent and cohesive feeling that the first four gave us.

Having said that, there are definitely reasons to watch this disc as there are some steps in the SG universe's mythology that will just confuse those who skip these episodes. Best ep here? The Powers That Be - not classic SG-1 but a good laugh all the same.

NOT UPDATED ACTORS INFO :(

I only want to say that Richard Dean Anderson and Don S. Davis are not main cast actors of SG-1 for TWO YEARS!!! I want to see Ben Browder and Claudia Black's names in the Actors line. They are the main stars of season 10 of Stargate SG-1. I had better opinion of Amazon, sorry to see you're not updating your info.

Regarding the Other Review

You are correct in the spelling of"General" no disagreements there. However, at the end of Season 7 was the Finale of the Ancient weapon fired with the help in defense of the X-303 and X-302. Jack is not General there and is put in Stasis... Unless of course you meant after series 8 (Series 9)

Just Read it

With the unexpected hit of the movie 'Stargate' the series lives up to the high expectations with brilliant graphics and excellent screen story lines this 4th series is a must see, i thourghally enjoyed it and im sure you will to if your a fan of Sci-fi.

Sixth Season of Stargate SG-1

I was a little disappointed with this season, it seemed to have lost something of the humour of the previous seasons... Still some good story telling, but not the best season...

Excellent contribution to the SG1 series

Being an SG1 fan it's hard to be too objective but I have to say although the first season had the odd not so good episode, since then it's come on leaps and bounds. The first episode on this DVD 'A Hundred Days' is not an action packed episode but more of an O'Neill character build but does give insights in to Carter's feelings towards him. The second 'Shades of Grey' is one of my all time favoutites where O'Neill turns traitor - won't spoil it for you. Next up is 'new Ground' which is where SG1 get captured and have to deal with how they impact the beliefs of humans on another planet. Finally we have 'Maternal Extinct' which sees the return of Braytac to assist SG1 is finding the Harsesis child. Daniel wants to get him to Earth before Apophis gets his hands on him. Frankly even if the episodes were totally rubbish, they'd still be good - with scripts, stories and acting like this, roll over Star Trek and play dead because your time is up.

Stargate SG-1 - Volume 31

A huge dissapointment in that there are only two episodes in this volume. .

In the first -"PROPHECY" - Jonas fans get their value for money when he gets ill on a planet wanting to be free from the Goa'uld. His illness enables him to see into the future where, while he is sick Jack O'Neill and the rest of the SG team are 'walking into a trap'!

In the second"FULL CIRCLE" - Daniel Jackson returns again!!! He appears to Jack O'Neill and warns him that Abydos and the Abydonians are in danger from Anubis who is looking for The Eye of Ra. Once more through the Stargate for Jack and the SG-1 team to save the day and get the Eye of Ra before Anubis arrives and threatens death and destruction to Abydos if the Eye is not handed over to him......you'll have to watch this to see how it ends :)

Finally, in"THE LOWDOWN" you get a 60 minute preview of what is to come in Season 7 which includes 15 minutes of unseen footage.

Start of Season 4

This DVD is great!

Small Victories: Continues the storyline from finale of season 3 what happens to Thor's ship and that one remaining replicator that made it too earth.

The Other Side: Guest Stars the guy who plays Odo in Star Trek Deep Space Nine. But not even he can pull this episode up as it gets tedious at some points, although there are some good CG point in this episode.

Upgrades: Is a funny episode as Carter, Jack and Daniel get Goa'uld strength arm bands but they turn out to be more toble than there worth when SG-1 find out that they could die if they use them any longer

Crossroads: Is it something to do with the name 'Crossroads' that makes things rubbish, as this is by far one of the worst episodes in Season 4. This episode is about Teal'c learning how to control his Goa'uld ('Junior' as named by O'Neill)

Buy this DVD I know I will.

No Longer Value For Money

Sadly, the Stargate DVDs have fallen on hard times. For the last several years I have happily paid to import these DVDs, one at a time from the UK since they are released there much earlier than in the US -- in fact, for some time, we couldn't even get most of the episodes on DVD. Up until this particular DVD, I have continued to purchase every single one as they have been issued, usually pre-ordering them.

What a monumental disappointment as DVD after DVD has featured less and less in the way of added features as well as *shorter* features. Furthermore, the focus of the features, especially at the end of Season 7 and now with the Season 8 disks has been weighted towards advertising for Atlantis rather than providing the buyers of Season 8 disks their money's worth, in my opinion! I certainly don't mind a little cross promotion between SG-1 and Atlantis (although the Atlantis disks did not seem to return the favor with massive amounts -- or any amount, for that matter -- of SG-1 promotion). But listing as features Atlantis bits or free Atlantis disks and then providing little else quickly becomes frustrating for the *SG-1* fan. Constant focus on Amanda Tapping to the exclusion of the other actors also has gone way beyond frustrating for this particular fan (who much prefers Michael Shanks and Chris Judge and Richard Dean Anderson and could care less about Ms. Tapping or her"doe eyes," as the producers like to sigh over).

To add absolute insult to injury, however, the studio has released these DVDs in the UK now with only three episodes per disk (at the same prices!) and with *no* episode commentaries. This is not because the episode commentaries don't exist, mind you. The German DVDs have been issued already and the commentaries *are on them*. No doubt the commentaries will also be on any upcoming box sets that are issued. So those of us who have already purchased the DVDs, such as myself, at the higher price have received less special features for more money. That's a good deal?

Short on episodes but big on entertainment

Marking the end of Season 3 of the series, this disc contains the final two episodes.

Crystal Skull becomes more remarkable when one realises it was acted out on an entirely virtual set.

Nemesis sees Jack selected for a suicide mission by ailing Asgard Thor. In this this story we see elements of many previous sf stories, so it doesn't score well for originality. The Replicators appear to be similar to the space spiders in Lost in Space, there are drippy acid scenes akin to the Alien(s) series of movies, and even 2001 looks to have been ripped off to an extent with a tense scene in space. Of course, as it is the end of the season, we have to wait for the finale.

The compensatory documentary content is excellent and really makes this disc. In three parts, the Timeline to the Future shows us more of the making of our favourite show and the people who bring it to us. If you are a gater who goes to cons, you may even see yourself on the footage of fan life.

One of the best

I can say Stargate is one of the best scifi shows ever and that all episodes are excellent but if I would have to rank them, these episodes would go on the top of my list. The caracters are great and the storyline holds a lot of unexpected twists to keep you occupied till the gripping final of season two. Well worth seeing over and over again.