Amazon.co.uk Review
The 1994 movie
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. Replacing the Kurt Russell and James Spader roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They are 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" pharaohnic Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none 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 literally 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. The episodes are not always properly sequenced on the tapes, making the order of events potentially confusing, something that ought to be taken into account when viewing.
We get an early sign that the higher echelons of the military are not so pure of thought as the SGC in "Enigma". Survivors of a volcanic eruption on planet Tollan could offer massive technological advances, but Earth's top brass only seem interested in weaponry. Then "Solitudes" ranks as amongst the very best of the series, exploring further the notion of the Gates operating like a telephone exchange. O'Neill and Carter effectively encounter an engaged signal and are deposited seemingly at random in an icy cave. The plot, Wizard of Oz banter and performances are simply outstanding. --Paul Tonks
Synopsis
In 'Enigma' the SG 1 team rescue survivors from the planet Tollan. In 'Solitudes' O'Neill and Carter are left stranded and freezing on wasteland. No-one knows where they are...
See all Product Description
(1 customer review)