Stargate SG-1 Neophyte Guide (Season 3)

Hello, it's me again, seeking to indoctrinate you into the Stargate franchise.  I said I'd get around to posting this well over a month ago, so better late than never.

After getting through the first 2 seasons, you must either be getting hooked, or drifting into the hopeless realm of boredom.  This guide will hopefully drag you back toward the favorability side of things.  Also, if you skipped seasons 1 & 2, you can always try jumping into the thick of it with the 3^rd season.  This handy guide will help point you toward the more important stories.  If you haven't been completely drawn in by now, that Season 3 can do the trick!

Remember the color coded ratings:

Red –Major continuity episode:  This is a must-see episode, due to important story elements that impact the whole series in some way.

Green –Medium continuity episode:  These episodes have events with some impact on other, future episodes, but they can be skipped without totally losing focus on the storyline.  If you skip one of these, be sure to go back to it after the Red episodes get you hooked.

Blue –Minor continuity episode.  These may have some minor story elements that will impact something in the future of the series, but it's not that important.

Black –Non continuity episodes.  These stories are stand-alone episodes, which have no influence or bearing on the future of the series.

*Episodes I personally recommend, even if they aren't high priority for continuity.  These are ones I especially enjoyed.

Now, see what Season 3 has in store:

Into the Fire*

Seth*

Fair Game

Legacy

Learning Curve

Point of View*

Deadman Switch

Demons

Rules of Engagement

Forever in a Day

Past and Present

Jolinar's Memories

The Devil You Know

Foothold*

Pretense

Urgo

A Hundred Days*

Shades of Grey

New Ground

Maternal Instinct

Crystal Skull*

Nemesis

We had more stand-alone episodes this season, and a couple of them were really good in my opinion (as noted by the multiple asterisks).  We had a few major plot developments within the red episodes, as well.  If you're still not hooked after this, let's try season 4.

Stargate Universe (Season 2 DVD) -Review

I received the Stargate Universe Season 2 DVD set last week (Amazon Pre-Order), and have had the chance to watch all twenty episodes, and most of the bonus material.  After watching season 1, I wasn't sure how this next installment would fare, but I'm pleased to see it surpassed my greatest expectations.

The first season was a little drab compared to the other Stargate series.  Though it had some high points with episodes like "Space," and "Time," there were duds like "Life."  It wasn't as exciting as SG-1 and Atlantis were from the start, and the characters took longer to develop.  Other than that, there were times where I couldn't empathize with the lead characters.  Colonel Young wasn't a very good leader in the beginning, and Lieutenant Scott was too much of a horn dog to respect.  Chloe didn't have much of a purpose to begin with, and Rush was easy to hate until the revelations of "Human" gave him an understandable back story.  Yet, by the end of Season 1, the characters were fleshed out enough, and they were enjoyable to watch for the most part.

Where the first season may have come up short, the second season sought to make up for it, and I think they did a great job.  Though there were still a few slow episodes, most of them were stimulating, both from a cerebral viewpoint and a raw action/adventure stance.  The last 10 episodes were exceptional, bringing the show up to the same entertainment standards of SG-1 & Atlantis (or perhaps even higher).

I hate that Universe has been cancelled, and I really wish it would come back someday.  The way the second season ended, there is great potential for that to happen if anyone ever dares to try, though in these financially uncertain times I don't know if that will ever come to pass.  Who knows, in 3 years, maybe someone will revive the series and pick up where they left off.  I would do it if there was any possible way.  Hey, MGM, I can make you money, try me!  If given the chance, any number of creative people could save Stargate Universe, but will they ever be given that chance?

Overall, season 2 of SGU gets 4 out of 5 stars.  The back ten get a full five stars, but there were still a few weak points in the first half; nothing horrible, though there were other seasons of Stargate that I liked a little more.

Poll Results: Stargate & Your Life

We had 12 votes in our latest poll, so that's a good improvement.  It's double the number who voted in our Robin Hood poll, so I guess Stargate was a little more interesting for my readers.

The results came out thusly:

What is your favorite version of Stargate?

Stargate SG-1: 6 votes

Atlantis:  1 vote

Universe: 3 votes

The Original Movie: 2 votes

So with precisely 50% of the vote, it is clear that the 10-seasons of SG-1 captured more people's favor than the other choices.  Not surprising.

This week's poll takes on a more serious subject matter, namely, if you could pick one desirable attribute to add to your life, what would it be?  For the purposes of this question, imagine you're actually given a choice (unlike the real world).

Let's keep the poll running.  Invite your friends to vote!

Stargate SG-1 Neophyte Guide (Season 2)

Here we are again, resuming my quest to recruit new viewers to the Stargate franchise.  As a quick disclaimer, I am in no way associated with MGM Studios and receive no monetary compensation for this recruitment drive (though if they really wanted to make some money, they'd hire me as head writer for a new Stargate series... yeah, keep dreaming).

Next Wednesday, I promise to have a review of something (book, movie, etc...), but I plan to keep going with these Stargate guides, as well.  The Season 3 guide will likely be posted next Tuesday or Thursday.

Reminder of the color coded ratings:

Red –Major continuity episode:  This is a Must-see episode, due to important story elements that impact the whole series in some way.

Green –Medium continuity episode:  These episodes have events with some impact on other, future episodes, but they can be skipped without totally losing focus on the storyline.  If you skip one of these, be sure to go back to it after the Red episodes get you hooked.

Blue –Minor continuity episode.  These may have some minor story elements that will impact something in the future of the series, but it's not that important.

Black –Non continuity episodes.  These stories are stand-alone episodes, which have no influence or bearing on the future of the series.

*Episodes I personally recommend, even if they aren't high priority for continuity.  These are ones I especially enjoyed.

Now, on to season 2:

The Serpent's Lair

In the Line of Duty

Prisoners

The Gamekeeper

Need

Thor's Chariot

Message in a Bottle

Family

Secrets

Bane

The Tok'ra (Part 1)

The Tok'ra (Part 2)

Spirits

Touchstone

A Matter of Time*

The Fifth Race

Serpent's Song

Holiday*

One False Step

Show and Tell

1969*

Out of Mind*

There we have it, Season 2 listed.  This season had a lot of minor story elements mixed into a lot of episodes, so it was tricky to rate some of them.  There are a few stories which could be given higher or lesser priority, based on individual points of view, but this should help those of you who are still new to the series.

Now, onward to Season 3!

Thursday Poll Results: Robin Hood & Stargate

Due to a blogger error, this post was erased, so I'm reposting it.

Henceforth, Thursdays will be reserved for a recap of the previous week's poll.  New polls will appear every Wednesday.  Due to blogger erasing my most recent poll (and thereby deleting 3 days of votes), this week's poll will run longer, until the 25th.

The results are in from last week's "Favorite Robin Hood" poll.  Out of 6 people voting, 2 were for Errol Flynn, 2 for Kevin Costner, and 1 each for Richard Greene & Russell Crowe.  Interesting result.  It would have been nice to have more votes, and considering how many visitors the blog received last week I'm surprised it was so low.  I guess my readers don't really like the legendary hero of Sherwood Forest.

This week, the poll is all about Stargate.  Since Stargate: Universe aired its final episode this week, and I began my SG-1 Neophyte Guide yesterday, it seemed like a fair question to ask.  Be sure to vote, and invite friends to vote as well!  We can do better than 6 votes, for crying out loud!

Stargate SG-1 Neophyte Guide (Season 1)

It's not secret I'm a big Stargate fan. I've been watching since SG-1 first aired on Showtime, and have continued to watch the series whenever possible. It's certainly my favorite sci-fi television franchise. Recent news regarding the cancellation of its latest incarnation, Stargate Universe, and the shelving of all other Stargate projects, is very disappointing. It doesn't appear there will be any new Stargate material released in the near future (except for maybe a few books and fan fiction).

I know quite a few people who have never gotten into Stargate. For whatever reason, it hasn't caught their interest, and I believe much of this could be due to the length of the series as a whole. SG-1 aired for 10 seasons, with over 200 regular episodes. It's hard for people to take the plunge and watch all that stuff.

For those of you who haven't caught on to Stargate yet, I'll be producing my own semi-opinionated viewer's guide. This will consist of listing all the episodes from each season, and rating them for both importance and entertainment value.

The color-coded ratings are thus:

Red –Major continuity episode: This is a Must-see episode, due to important story elements that impact the whole series in some way.

Green –Medium continuity episode: These episodes have events with some impact on other, future episodes, but they can be skipped without totally losing focus on the storyline. If you skip one of these, be sure to go back to it after the Red episodes get you hooked.

Blue –Minor continuity episode. These may have some minor story elements that will impact something in the future of the series, but it's not that important.

White –Non continuity episodes. These stories are stand-alone episodes, which have no influence or bearing on the future of the series.

*Episodes I personally recommend, even if they aren't high priority for continuity. These are ones I especially enjoyed.

Okay, we are ready to look at Season 1:

Children of the Gods
The Enemy Within
Emancipation
The Broca Divide*
The First Commandment
Brief Candle*
Cold Lazarus
Thor's Hammer
The Torment of Tantalus*
Bloodlines
Fire and Water
The Nox
Hathor
Cor-ai
Singularity
Enigma
Tin Man*
Solitudes
There but for the Grace of God
Politics
Within The Serpent's Grasp

There we have it, all you need to pick through Season 1 of Stargate SG-1. If this helps you, check back for Season 2 next week.