Note that this will spoil the ending of the Stargate movie.

 

Who knew that when the movie "Stargate" came out that it would eventually spawn one of the longest running sci-fi series ever? The movie wrapped everything up pretty nicely, Ra is dead, Daniel is on Abydos with his wife, the team makes it home, Jack is no longer suicidal. If there were no additions to the story it would be a fine ending. However, finding an extension to the story really isn’t that difficult: make the stargate open to other worlds and put some more aliens out there. Executing that may not be so easy, but SG-1 pulls it off almost perfectly.

 

The Stargate program has been shut down. With the threat gone and the gate on the other side shut down there’s not much more to do. What Earth doesn’t know is that there is another god out there who is now able to access the Earth gate. Apophis is looking for a queen and takes an Air Force soldier from Earth as well as Daniel’s wife from Abydos. Daniel and Jack reunite to fight this new threat and are joined by the beautiful Captain Samantha Carter and later by the tank Teal’c, a soldier of Apophis who wishes freedom for his people.

 

As Earth learns of the immense number of alien races on the many worlds out there and the threat of Goa’uld attack from space they begin an exploratory commission to make allies and retrieve helpful technology. SG-1 is the most experienced team, but there are many others exploring also.

 

Part of what makes this show so fun is the immensity of it. There is so much in the Stargate universe to explore. The possible stories are endless. SG-1 has its flaws, but it does such a fantastic job of creating an epic-scale mythology that fans are able to immerse themselves in it. We get to revisit or at least reference what came before so there is a strong feeling of progression which really feels rewarding for the faithful viewer.

 

Another important element is the core set of characters and the fantastic portrayals of them. Michael Shanks does such a good job of filling the shoes of James Spader that transitioning from the movie to the show version of the character is almost seamless. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it’s still easy to swallow. Richard Dean Anderson as Jack is a bigger change, but it helps that he went through such a big transition at the end of the movie. Jack is surprisingly funny now, but still very serious about his job. He’s not book smart compared to others on his team, but he’s an impeccable leader, dealing with pressure with the resolve of a super hero. I used to watch MacGyver some, but I never knew how good an actor Richard is until I saw some of the very out of character positions his character gets into. Sometimes I think the writers try to come up with the most outrageous things to happen to Jack just because it’s so much fun to watch Richard portray them.

 

There are some guest appearances by other movie characters with some of the movie actors returning and some not, but all of the other main characters are new. Teal’c is a human-like alien that carries around a larval parasite in his gut. It provides him with a stronger than normal physique including resistance to disease and injury. Teal’c was in the service of Apophis until he saw in SG1 the chance to free his people from slavery to the Goa’uld. Christopher Judge does a phenomenal job portraying the noble and powerful character showing emotion only subtly beneath his stone face but getting it across nonetheless. Teal’c often has the funniest lines which are all the more so because of the seriousness of the character.

 

Amanda Tapping is the drop-dead gorgeous, freakishly brilliant Sam Carter. While that combination sounds like it should be corny Amanda plays it with the attitude of a soldier scientist not a beauty queen and makes the character seem real.

 

There are many other recurring characters, but two of the most important are the staunch General Hammond and the lovely Dr. Fraiser. Once again, though, despite Fraiser’s looks her portrayal is not built upon that. A lot of times female roles like this can feel like they were created for no greater purpose than having beautiful women on screen. Perhaps if Carter and Fraiser had more of a supermodel air to them or showed up in tight and revealing clothing that might seem like the case here, but I think part of what makes them so attractive is that they don’t try to be beautiful, they just are, like that girl next door you just can’t take your eyes off of.

 

To have a successful series you have to have characters that the viewer wants to spend time with and SG1 does this as well as any show I can think of. These people fight for justice and honor often facing off against the corruption of their allies on Earth as much as the evils of the universe. But you have to have good villains as well. Part of the strength of SG1 is that it doesn't rely on any single villain, for that matter in the long haul it doesn't rely on any one race or idea. Sometimes there isn't a villain at all but a problem to be conquered.

 

Therein lies the interest, the viewer has no idea what's coming. It might be a Goa'uld attack, it might be a bug, it might be a misunderstanding or disagreement with another sovereign race. The variety of stories keep the series from being repetitive. I said the same thing about X Files, and SG1 is the only sci-fi show I can think of to surpass it in the length of its run.

 

Even with great ideas sometimes the execution can stink. One thing that keeps SG1 from falling into that is that it often takes the more difficult road in its solutions (although I do think the healing sarcophagus is over-used for a while). Generally this keeps the endings from being as predictable as many shows. You can't be sure that every problem will be solved, you can't even be sure that anyone but the people in the title sequence will survive (and occasionally not them, either, but that comes later). Even if a problem is solved in the short-term that doesn't mean there aren't more consequences down the road, and vice-versa; an unresolved issue may well be revisited in the future. The point is that the stories continually feel fresh and worth the time to watch.

 

There's generally a lot of fast paced action, but there are also many dramatic and suspenseful moments. Some episodes are slower than others, but they tend to remain interesting, sometimes even more so that the adrenaline-laden moments.

 

Downfalls: there aren't many, and they aren't big. I mentioned the sarcophagus use already. Others include some too off-the-wall characters, sometimes they can just be wild and crazy to the point of being unbelievable. General Hammond occasionally gives into demands from the team too easily, but this is partially alleviated by his obvious high respect for Jack's judgment and improves later on with stronger rebukes for Jack's more emotionally driven rebellious moments and a better setup for the offering of ideas from the team. The phrase "with all due respect" is overused. Some guest actors aren't that great, and sometimes the special effects don't quite look realistic although in most cases you really have to look hard to notice it.

 

One big loss is the language barrier. If you read my Stargate movie review you know that one element I really liked was the realism of a communications barrier. How likely is it that these people would speak our language when many people on our own planet don't? On the other hand, how good can a TV series be if every episode is about learning a new language? It's a sacrifice necessary for a series of 40 minute plots. We do occasionally get a race incapable of linguistic communication and differences in the English that cause confusion. This helps drive home the fact that we're dealing with aliens at times.

 

There are few shows out there worth your precious time as much or more than SG1. It shows the difficulties of life as well as the hope. Much emphasis is put on doing the right thing even when commanded to do otherwise by superiors or captors. It casts much hope on the potential of the human race.