Stargate SG-1

[Cikomyr]

I started watching this series a few weeks ago. I get the feeling I am nearing the end of season 1, with..

Spoiler

Show

Jackson travelling to some alternate universe in probably the SINGLE COOLEST EPISODE EVARRRR!!

The atmosphere is freakkin' perfect for that episode!!

Seriously. Except for a few ticks and one element that really pissed me off, I am surprisingly satisfied at the quality of that show. The ticks is simply the budget limit of the sets which occasionally breaks suspension of disbelief (for example, they have the operation room in the same set as the Gate room. But they often put things in the Gate room for apparently no reason, like a brand-new sarcophagus found in Mexico).

The only thing that really, really, really pissed me off this season was in "Bloodline", with Teal'c's son. WHY DON'T YOU BRING HIM BACK TO EARTH?!?!

But otherwise, it's damn good! I look forward to 9 more seasons.. and maybe Atlantiss...

[Makensha]

You have 7 more seasons to look forward to, and Atlantis is pretty decent too.

You can safely ignore the last 2 seasons until after Atlantis. They're really only for those who can't stand the idea of stopping a show before it technically finished.

But yep. Fun Show.

Oh, and completely ignore Stargate Universe unless you are a glutton for pain.

[Prime32]

But yep. Fun Show.

And it gets better. They even make fun of the early episodes later on.

[Emmerask]

WORMHOLE EXTREME!

[Flickerdart]

Oh, and completely ignore Stargate Universe unless you are a glutton for pain.

I didn't mind Universe. Sure, they tried getting too serious, but it had its moments.

Haven't seen Atlantis, though. Is it any good? Kind of sounds like "SG-1 but with a different all-powerful enemy" from what I've heard.

Also, best part of SG-1.

[Emmerask]

Actually I think Atlantis is overall better then SG1... and I am a huge SG1 fan

[Cikomyr]

Actually I think Atlantis is overall better then SG1... and I am a huge SG1 fan

My girlfriend kind of leans the same way. So I certainly won't be skipping over that series.

No. I plan to watch the WHOLE shebang.

[Traab]

I started watching this series a few weeks ago. I get the feeling I am nearing the end of season 1, with..

Spoiler

Show

Jackson travelling to some alternate universe in probably the SINGLE COOLEST EPISODE EVARRRR!!

The atmosphere is freakkin' perfect for that episode!!

Seriously. Except for a few ticks and one element that really pissed me off, I am surprisingly satisfied at the quality of that show. The ticks is simply the budget limit of the sets which occasionally breaks suspension of disbelief (for example, they have the operation room in the same set as the Gate room. But they often put things in the Gate room for apparently no reason, like a brand-new sarcophagus found in Mexico).

The only thing that really, really, really pissed me off this season was in "Bloodline", with Teal'c's son. WHY DON'T YOU BRING HIM BACK TO EARTH?!?!

But otherwise, it's damn good! I look forward to 9 more seasons.. and maybe Atlantiss...

I think they left tealcs kid off earth because tealc has already had problems keeping himself from getting nabbed by the nid. As a member of the sgc he gets some limited protection, but his son would be just a random alien legally speaking, up for grabs.

[Iskandar]

Stargate Universe wasn't as bad as it is made out to be. Well, sort of. They tried to do something different with it, made it more about the interaction. Of the characters, rather than being more or less an action adventure like SG 1 and Atlantis. The problem is they over did it in the first season, pushed it into soap opera territory, more or less. This alienated the fans of the first two shows, and didn't attract enough new fans to carry the show.

That said, they realized their mistake after the truly awful first season and adjusted things enough where the second season was actually quite good. Different from SG 1and Atlantis, but it really was heading in the right direction to be a stand out show on its own. Unfortunately, all the fans had already given up on it by that point, and it just never recovered enough of an audience and was canceled.

[Prime32]

Actually I think Atlantis is overall better then SG1... and I am a huge SG1 fan

Spoiler

Show

I was kind of turned off by the protagonists' habit of killing/torturing their non-human allies for no reason...

Seriously, you're okay with Wraith killing each other because it means they feed on humans less... but you're not okay with the Wraith feeding on each other and leaving humans alone completely because they do it by giving their victims human DNA?

[HamHam]

Actually I think Atlantis is overall better then SG1... and I am a huge SG1 fan

Bwah?

Atlantis was terrible. Unless it was intentionally a parody of US foreign adventurism in which case it is brilliant but still terrible.

[Douglas]

I started watching this series a few weeks ago. I get the feeling I am nearing the end of season 1, with..

Spoiler

Show

Jackson travelling to some alternate universe in probably the SINGLE COOLEST EPISODE EVARRRR!!

The atmosphere is freakkin' perfect for that episode!!

There But For the Grace of God, right? Great episode, and the method by which the Stargate program acquires the information he brings home is perfect for what follows.

Oh, and prepare for the introduction of Senator Kinsey Jackass.

You have 7 more seasons to look forward to, and Atlantis is pretty decent too.

You can safely ignore the last 2 seasons until after Atlantis. They're really only for those who can't stand the idea of stopping a show before it technically finished.

I liked the last 2 seasons quite a bit, actually. Yes, there are some significant departures and separations from the previous 8, but they are well executed and maintain the show's spirit and identity, and still build on previously established lore.

Haven't seen Atlantis, though. Is it any good? Kind of sounds like "SG-1 but with a different all-powerful enemy" from what I've heard.

It is similar in many ways to SG-1, but also has a lot of major differences. There is a lot more high technology, both initially and as both series continue, there are some major differences in plot dynamics, and the primary protagonist team is very much not SG-1 with the serial numbers filed off. The same general set of roles is covered, but that's just a logical consequence of how the military would build their teams. The personalities filling those roles are very different.

Overall, Atlantis is excellent and a strong contender for "better than SG-1".

Also, best part of SG-1.

The two Wormhole Xtreme episodes (episodes 100 and 200, incidentally) are both hilarious sequences of self-lampooning.

[zimmerwald1915]

Atlantis was terrible. Unless it was intentionally a parody of US foreign adventurism in which case it is brilliant but still terrible.

What relationship with US foreign adventurism did Atlantis share that SG-1 did not?

[KillianHawkeye]

Don't forget the two movies, which were both pretty great! Too bad they never made an Atlantis movie, as there were still a few threads leftover that could have made a pretty decent story with.

[Douglas]

Don't forget the two movies, which were both pretty great! Too bad they never made an Atlantis movie, as there were still a few threads leftover that could have made a pretty decent story with.

Are you forgetting one, or pretending that one doesn't exist, and which one? There's Stargate, Ark of Truth, and Continuum.

[HamHam]

What relationship with US foreign adventurism did Atlantis share that SG-1 did not?

SG1 generally showed it as a positive thing, for all the criticism they get from the Tokra and others, in the end the Stargate program is a benefit to Earth's security and development and to the galaxy as a whole. We can't just pretend the rest of the galaxy isn't there, we have to go out there and engage it.

Atlantis involves us going out to a galaxy that has nothing to do with us, messing it up for everyone that was living there, and creating several new threats that almost destroy us. When the Pegasus natives get tired of us causing havoc in their galaxy and killing millions of people and try to do something about it, we bribe one of the judges to get out of it. Seriously. That actually happens and it is either horrendously self delusional or brilliantly insightful.

[Douglas]

Atlantis involves us going out to a galaxy that has nothing to do with us, messing it up for everyone that was living there, and creating several new threats that almost destroy us. When the Pegasus natives get tired of us causing havoc in their galaxy and killing millions of people and try to do something about it, we bribe one of the judges to get out of it. Seriously. That actually happens and it is either horrendously self delusional or brilliantly insightful.

Atlantis involves us searching for advanced technology to aid in our struggles at home, stumbling over a pre-existing bad situation and making an error of ignorance, and doing our best to fix things afterward. When a specific Machiavellian group of natives tries to get rid of the threat to their dominance posed by our existence, aided by selective knowledge of our activities by the other locals, we present the full story and counter their bribe to foil their scheme.

You appear to be placing excessive emphasis on short term consequences while ignoring intentions, the genuineness of mistakes, and the strong prospect for long term positive consequences (i.e. getting rid of the Wraith threat permanently rather than for one dormant cycle). Blaming us for stirring up the Wraith in Atlantis is very much akin to blaming us for stirring up the Goa'uld in SG-1, and I don't see you calling the Abydos expedition that kicked things off terrible.

[Anderlith]

Are you forgetting one, or pretending that one doesn't exist, and which one? There's Stargate, Ark of Truth, and Continuum.

He was probably discounting the original Stargate movie, since it's not a part of the TV series. (It did start the series yes but it isn't a part of it, technically it's a parallel world, hence why Jackson doesn't look like James Spader)

[Anderlith]

I started watching this series a few weeks ago. I get the feeling I am nearing the end of season 1, with..

Spoiler

Show

Jackson travelling to some alternate universe in probably the SINGLE COOLEST EPISODE EVARRRR!!

The atmosphere is freakkin' perfect for that episode!!

Seriously. Except for a few ticks and one element that really pissed me off, I am surprisingly satisfied at the quality of that show. The ticks is simply the budget limit of the sets which occasionally breaks suspension of disbelief (for example, they have the operation room in the same set as the Gate room. But they often put things in the Gate room for apparently no reason, like a brand-new sarcophagus found in Mexico).

The only thing that really, really, really pissed me off this season was in "Bloodline", with Teal'c's son. WHY DON'T YOU BRING HIM BACK TO EARTH?!?!

But otherwise, it's damn good! I look forward to 9 more seasons.. and maybe Atlantiss...

Atlantis is pretty great, it doesn't flounder as much as SG-1 with it's plotlines. It also has one of the best characters in it, Rodney McKay.

[Cikomyr]

Atlantis is pretty great, it doesn't flounder as much as SG-1 with it's plotlines. It also has one of the best characters in it, Rodney McKay.

My gf keeps telling me her favourite moment in Atlantiss is the "mad genius" of the team having a conservation with himself. Arguing over whether he's going mad or not.

[Chen]

Overall I think SG1 was better than Atlantis, but McKay is probably the best character in either series. He's pretty awkward in the SG1 episodes he's in and the early Atlantis ones, but he's MUCH better in the later seasons.

[Emmerask]

In sg1 he was basically an ******* in the earlier episodes but got better later on.
In Atlantis he was just awesome

The problem with sg1 is that there are quite a few bad episodes (mushroom "singing" alien episode anyone? ^^), a few friends and I are currently in the (long long) process of watching every stargate episode... with an avg of 4 episodes a month I think we will have finished 2016 or so

[Prime32]

Atlantis involves us searching for advanced technology to aid in our struggles at home, stumbling over a pre-existing bad situation and making an error of ignorance, and doing our best to fix things afterward.

Spoiler

Show

They brainwashed an entire race of pacifists into going to war with the Wraith, then said "oops" when they decided to pull a Halo and wipe out the Wraith's food supply. That's not a simple "error of ignorance" on the protagonists' part, that's a war crime on a scale so huge we don't even have laws for it.


They mindraped and genetically altered a Wraith into thinking he was human for a while, until he figured it out and ran away. Eventually he came back to Atlantis, saying his own people shunned him for his lingering human taint, and he no longer wanted to associate with them. He offered Atlantis his considerable intelligence and scientific knowledge, saying he would do everything in his power to help them fight his fellow Wraith; his only condition was that they not mindrape him again, calling it a fate worse than death. The protagonists acknowledged that he was telling the truth and would be a massive help... but ignored his offer and mindraped him anyway, because working with Wraith is icky.

Their mistake here was not mindraping him well enough, causing him to escape again and become a mad scientist who attacked them with an army of bugmen. Their crime was mindraping someone in the first place.

[Infernally Clay]

Actually I think Atlantis is overall better then SG1... and I am a huge SG1 fan

Atlantis is awesome. I liked SG-1 a lot, too, but they should've ended it earlier instead of having a Farscape reunion. Those last seasons were awful. Atlantis had a similar problem at the end, too, although not as dramatically. Why they thought it'd be a good idea to give the Doctor from Voyager a leading role is beyond me, but at least the core team didn't change.

[Douglas]

Spoiler

Show

They brainwashed an entire race of pacifists into going to war with the Wraith, then said "oops" when they decided to pull a Halo and wipe out the Wraith's food supply. That's not a simple "error of ignorance" on the protagonists' part, that's a war crime on a scale so huge we don't even have laws for it.

The error of ignorance I was referring to was waking the Wraith up in episode 1 or 2.

As for the replicator incident, you could just as easily argue that they removed an entire race's brainwashing - the behavior they activated had been built in by the Ancients in the original design, and the only reason it was not active was a virus designed and delivered by the Wraith. And then there's the whole issue of whether the replicators' status as machines disqualifies them from being people, which is a philosophical quagmire that goes far beyond the scope of the show.

They mindraped and genetically altered a Wraith into thinking he was human for a while, until he figured it out and ran away.

They had no idea what the effect on his mind would be, and were attempting to find an alternative to the existing options of genocide or allowing their own race to be a food source.

Eventually he came back to Atlantis, saying his own people shunned him for his lingering human taint, and he no longer wanted to associate with them. He offered Atlantis his considerable intelligence and scientific knowledge, saying he would do everything in his power to help them fight his fellow Wraith; his only condition was that they not mindrape him again, calling it a fate worse than death. The protagonists acknowledged that he was telling the truth and would be a massive help... but ignored his offer and mindraped him anyway, because working with Wraith is icky.

Their mistake here was not mindraping him well enough, causing him to escape again and become a mad scientist who attacked them with an army of bugmen. Their crime was mindraping someone in the first place.

The second time, yes, they shouldn't have done it. I still give them points for attempting to Find a Third Option, and file this one under the protagonists not being perfect. Yes, it was a bad idea, it was wrong, and they shouldn't have done it, but ultimately they were trying to find a good solution to a bad problem to the best of their ability, including their ability to judge what was right.

[Cikomyr]

Atlantis is awesome. I liked SG-1 a lot, too, but they should've ended it earlier instead of having a Farscape reunion. Those last seasons were awful. Atlantis had a similar problem at the end, too, although not as dramatically. Why they thought it'd be a good idea to give the Doctor from Voyager a leading role is beyond me, but at least the core team didn't change.

Speaking of Farscape, look a moment at this SG1-Season1 alien's chin

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Is it just me, or does he have a chin like D'Argo?

[Aotrs Commander]

SG-1 stands out as the second-best Sci-fi series of all time (loosing out only to Babylon 5).

Even despite the low starship battle count.



I still havent seen the back end of season 10 or the movies or much past about season 2 of Atlantis (we've got 'em all on DVD), since when they took Sky off Virgin originally, by the time wed got the DVDs I'd lost the flow.

That said, I think Ben Browder did a damn fine job, personally; given the phemonminal shoes he had to fill. Was he as good as RDA? Well, no, but then again, it's hardly fair to expect him to be.

Mckay made Atlantis. Without him (and to a lesser degree Shepard), it would have been very bland, and both alien characters were very meh (and sort of Teal'c-lite).

Also, as SG-1 completely took the urine out of itself on no less then two occasions (on the 100 and 200 episodes), it earns extra-special bonues points. (And I haven't seen the like of that since Hercules¹ and Xena.) 200 made me laugh so hard I was physically sick. Which is a freaking hard thing to achive for a Lich, I can tell you.

(I think it was the part where they actually went all out and did the Farscape parody scene.)



¹The scene in the gent's loo in Yes, Virgina, there is a Hercules was probably the funniest moment of the entire series.

[The Succubus]

Goddamn you all - are you *trying* to make me go out and buy the entire run of SG-1 on DVD? Because I will, if you don't behave.

[Cuaqchi]

Just wait until things get moving; seasons 1-4 sometimes follow more of Ga'uld of the week vibe and finish as everyone would hope. Personally my favourite episode was always Heroes (Season 6) it was so beautifully done that saying anything else is an unforgivable spoiler...

I also have to agree with the both the love for Wormhole Extreme and Atlantis. The fact that they were willing to spoof themselves on multiple occasions made up for the couple clip-show episodes in both series and overall Atlantis started with a better meta-plot which allowed it to accomplish in 4 seasons what SG1 did in 8 - if only that series was a single episode longer.

Also when you get to seasons 8-10 of SG1 it is as has been said almost like another series. The characters are the same but with a new bad guy, new kit, and a new motivation it doesn't have the same feel at all.

[Infernally Clay]

Goddamn you all - are you *trying* to make me go out and buy the entire run of SG-1 on DVD? Because I will, if you don't behave.

Then do it! I quadruple dare you! >:3