Teal’c: “Where is the rest of your team, Col. Mitchell?”
Allow me to say up front that I was predisposed to like SG-1 Season 9 for all the same reasons that I have liked the other seasons,( as well as the original movie) and I was not disappointed. Stargate always delivers a good story, with characters one cares about, in settings that vary from high tech laboratories and spacecraft, to exotic off worlds.
This is good science fiction. Even the excellent special effects are so much a part of the story, that those in my house who tend to grab the remote to watch something blow up over and over are satisfied to view the episode to the end before analyzing the technical aspects.
I found myself as excited over those possibilities as I was with the first missions of SG-1 way back when. Yet the show retains its stylish storytelling, and enough familiar faces to make us watch to see what happens, rather than wish that missing characters were still on the show. Brief appearances by General Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) don’t hurt things either! Add to this a group of fine guest stars such as Claudia Black as Vala, Lou Gosset, Jr. as Gerak and Julian Sands as the Head Prior of the Ori who give convincing performances and the overall effect is satisfying and thought provoking.
The Season 9 set is attractively boxed, with the familiar SG-1 Team group shot on the front. There are five discs in three plastic slim cases with screen captures, episode synopses and special features listed. The featurettes are informative and fun.
Disc One has It takes a Crew to Raise a Village, which illustrates the enormous amount of work required in planning and building a huge set, and having it look real. Disc Two offers Inside the Stargate Props Department, in a lighthearted but informative tour setting. I enjoyed seeing props from past shows as well as inner workings and new designs. Disc Three has Inside the Stargate Special Effects Department which was immensely popular with the above mentioned remote control manager and Disc Four has An Introduction to Ben Browder, which was entertaining, even though we already know him from Farscape series, and Disc Five has Profile on Executive Producer Brad Wright. There is an audio commentary for every episode, a Directors Series: featurette for a selected episode on each disc, and a photo and production design gallery again on each disc.
Disc One episode 1: “Avalon” - Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the newest member of the SG-1 Team, sets out on a mission with Daniel Jackson, Teal’c and Vala to uncover a stash of ancient riches. Directors Series Avalon, featuring Andy Mitka. Episode 2: “Avalon, Part 2” - Still bound together by the Jaffa bracelets, Daniel Jackson and Vala are transported to a distant galaxy populated by worshippers of a strange and potentially threatening authority. Episode 3: “Origin” - Daniel and Vala learn that their reactivation of an ancient communications device has inadvertently exposed Earth to the wroth of a group of unforgiving deities. Episode 4: “The Ties That Bind” - Daniel and Vala embark on a series of missions in their quest to unlock the Jaffa device that seems to have bound them together.
Disc Two episode 5: “The Powers That Be” - When Daniel and Vala attempt to undo the teachings of the Ori on a distant planet, they and the planet’s inhabitants find themselves subject to their foe’s vengeful wrath. Directors Series, “The Powers That Be” featuring Will Waring. Episode 6: “Beachead” - Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) returns to SG-1 to join the team on a mission to free a distant planet from the Ori’s control. Episode 7: “Ex Deus Machina” - The team intervenes when an ongoing conflict between Gerak and Ba’al puts the United States at risk. Episode 8: “Babylon” - Lt. Col. Mitchell disappears while trying to contact a band of legendary Jaffa warriors.
The episodes are presented in widescreen anamorphic 1.78.1, with choice of English or French audio in 5.1 Dolby surround. There is also a closed captioned choice, and the film is subtitled in English and Spanish. There are 872 minutes of material.
As I said before this is good science fiction!
Stargate SG-1 – Season 9 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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