If this five-disc, 20-episode, tenth season set really is the end
of Stargate SG-1--and considering the number of reprieves the
show has already had and the rumours of various movie spin-offs,
not to mention the fact that the final installment is entitled
"Unending," who knows?--then the folks responsible for this
durable sci-fi series can be proud that they finished it off in
style, with a run of episodes that are for the most part highly
entertaining, exciting, and fun, offering resolution if not
complete closure. And if sharks were jumped, at least they were
small ones. As was the case in Season 9, and to a large extent in
Season 8 as well, original series star Richard Dean Anderson is
little in evidence here. Portraying Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell,
Ben Browder, who came to Stargate SG-1 from the underrated
Farscape, is now entrenched as leader of SG-1, the Stargate
project's ace team in the field, joining series veterans Amanda
Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks (as Samantha
Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson, respectively). Most notably,
fellow Farscape alum Claudia Black has an ever-expanding role as
Vala, whose cheeky wit and irreverence bring a consistent spark
to the proceedings. The big, bad villains known as Ori are back
as well. We still can't see them--they are, after all, "ascended
beings," represented by the blind, monk-like Priors, who roam the
universe intoning "Hallowed are the Ori" and ensuring that all
will submit to their will (the element of y religious
fanaticism remains as relevant as ever). But the Ori are also
still the most implacable, irresistible force our heroes have
ever encountered; nothing less than the e of the entire galaxy
is at stake (again)! And now there's an added twist: the Ori have
a frontwoman, if you will, whose powers make the Priors look like
well, monks. Known as Adria (or "the Orici" to believers), this
beautiful young woman (played by Morena Baccarin) also happens to
be the daughter of Vala, whom the Ori chose to bring their demon
seed into the world; the uneasy (to say the least) Adria-Vala
relationship provides many intriguing moments. On the minus side,
the show tends to break its own rules (for instance, for a
character who's supposed to be invincible, Adria often seems
awfully, well, vincible), and the co-mingling of Arthurian
legend, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myth, magic, and other sources
is occasionally over-the-top, even for this franchise. Some
episodes are plot-heavy, bogged down by too many characters (past
bad guys like the Goa'uld, and Ba'al reappear, as do several
Stargate Atlantis leads in one episode) or excessive techno-rap
about time dilation fields, flux capacitors, and something called
the Clava Thessara Infinitas (don't ask). Episodes in which the
writers move away from the central Ori theme are less than
stellar; "200" exists mostly as an rtunity to make fun of the
TV business and is as irrelevant and silly as "Citizen Joe," the
worst episode from Season 8. And finally, without revealing
details, suffice to say that "Unending," which offers a possible
e for our heroes before totally pulling its punches, may
frustrate some longtime adherents. By and large, though, Stargate
SG-1 has all the elements--humour, action, great effects, good
story-telling and acting, characters you care about--to more than
justify its ten-year run. It will be missed. Special features are
again bountiful, including audio commentary on all episodes,
various featurettes, and five "directors series" entries devoted
to particular episodes. --Sam Graham, amazon.com