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Amazon.co.uk Review
The 1994 film Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Since neither Kurt Russell nor James Spader would be able to commit, it gave the producers licence to tinker with the cast and the universe they'd explore. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG 1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaoh-like Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are not too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot-thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi.
This peculiar chronological cut and paste from the opening year at least starts sensibly with the pilot "Children of the Gods". A year on from Stargate the motion picture, Earth's military have assembled crack units to protect against whatever might follow from planet Abydos. So naturally they make things worse discovering a new enemy on Chulak. In "There But for the Grace of God" Daniel plays out Star Trek's "Mirror Mirror" scenario in an alternate dimension. Then in "Politics" no one believes his warnings of an impending attack, instead rationalising the Gate's closure. The season's stunning cliffhanger--"Within the Serpent's Grasp"--lands the team aboard the Goa'uld flag attack ship headed to destroy Earth. This episode features some truly inspired one-liners: "We can't just upload a virus to the Mothership!" --Paul Tonks
Amazon.co.uk Review
Like the very best of SF TV, Stargate SG-1 began very simply. Of course it had the benefit of a movie preceding it--in which the alternate universe, its rules and its characters were largely established--so this premiere season was therefore able to concentrate on good storytelling.
In 1997 not every new show was obsessed with securing a syndication-guaranteed franchise (same goes for Buffy debuting the same year), instead one-off episodes were the way of things, exploring interesting scenarios and conundrums. Naturally there were allusions to the feature film, but most were subtle and inspired. For example, a trip to retrieve the trapped professor who'd worked on the Gate decades ago was an unusual way of tying up loose ends. Some groundwork was laid for continuation should the show be renewed into an ongoing series. Knowing that these elements were pure wishful thinking at the time makes the tapestry of System Lords and the interlinks with our history and mythology all the more enjoyable in revisiting the show from its beginnings. With Richard Dean Anderson, leading the team in a far more charismatic and empathetic way than Kurt Russell in the movie, the series also benefited from some spot-on casting that instantly won audiences over. Special effects and use of studio sets may be less dazzling in these initial shows, but its solid grounding in old-fashioned SF won for the show a loyal audience. --Paul Tonks
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, the complete series one....,
By Jackal (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stargate SG-1 - Season 1 [DVD] (DVD)
As a big fan of Stargate SG-1, I was really pleased to see that finally, the good people at MGM decided on producing this set which includes all of season 1, and not just the best bits. Many times i was tempted to buy the complete set from America, which ofcourse would have meant getting a region 1 dvd player, but its here....and its great! The first season after the film is in my mind, one of the best, it allows us to understand the characters and there development, and does very well in following on where the film left off. I would really love to give this set 5 stars but unfortunaely i can't. The epipsodes themselves are great, presented in dolby digital and widescreen, but there is a real lack of extras, well to be frank, there is none. Despite this, its a must for any Stargate fan, buy it now....!!!
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
To call this the 'best of' Season 1 seriously undersells S1,
By
This review is from: Stargate SG-1 - The Best of Series 1 [DVD] (DVD)
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.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great start, Great Finish!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stargate SG-1 - The Best of Series 1 [DVD] (DVD)
Although this DVD only has 4 of the episodes from Season 1, it does make up for this by including the special uncut version of the pilot. This alone makes it worth buying as the video release was different. There are many extra scenes, including a touching scene at Jack's home where Jack and Daniel talk about the recently captured Sha're. Another scene included shows Sha're's possession in it's entirety. Putting aside the graphic, full-frontal nudity, this scene is so shocking, it's great. I feel that this version is the definitive version as without the extra scenes, the episode doesn't work. As for the other episodes, they are great and action-packed too.
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