Follow the Leader
Stargate SG-1
(9 pm/ET, SCIFI)
Hey! Teal’c has hair!
Stargate SG-1’s resident alien (Christopher Judge) has outgrown his Kojak look and has opted for a hipper image in the two-hour eighth-season opener. And at the risk of incurring the wrath of its legion of fans, it’s a makeover that’s long overdue.
The Stargate devoted have littered the Web with tribute sites in French, Nordic, Russian, German — and even English. Criticizing the series could easily result in an international — or interstellar — incident. The fans’ loyalty may seem excessive, even obsessive, but I can relate. My friends can’t get me to shut up about the Yardbirds, let alone Monty Python. So who am I to judge the SG-1 faithful? This column is not about the fans; it’s about the show.
Tonight’s episode is titled “New Order” and it picks up where last season’s finale left off. O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) was cryogenically frozen in the aftermath of the team’s epic dust-up with Anubis over the fate of the Earth. Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) has replaced rock-steady Gen. Hammond (Don S. Davis) as head of Stargate Command. The absence of O’Neill reduces the team to Teal’c, archeologist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) and Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), who takes over as leader.
Obviously, the first order of business is to find O’Neill, but Weir does not want to risk SG-1 on what could turn out to be a wild goose chase. Carter’s determination quickly wins Weir over, but there’s a catch — Daniel must stay behind.
It turns out to be a shrewd move. Shortly after Carter and Teal’c embark on a quest to enlist the aid of an O’Neill ally, a party of Goa’uld System Lords contacts Stargate headquarters with an offer. Weir and Jackson are wary of their parasitical foes — particularly when they adopt a conciliatory tone and inject words like “deal” and “alliance” into the conversation.
In the meantime, Carter and Teal’c catch up with O’Neill’s friend Thor just in time to help defend his vessel from a swarm of Replicators — insect-like robots programmed to destroy Thor’s planet, Asgard. But their target isn’t Thor — it’s Carter.
The hallmark of Stargate SG-1 has always been consistency. Basically, the unit is made up of science-fiction archetypes. O’Neill is the irreverent leader, Teal’c the stoic alien, Jackson the romantic idealist and Carter the sexy, sensitive tomboy. But after seven years, consistency has morphed into tedium with the possible exception of the sudden death of Dr. Frazier (Teryl Rothery) in last year’s finale.
Happily, tonight’s show is full of surprises. The departure of Davis’s Gen. Hammond, coupled with the transfer of Higginson’s Weir to the spin-off Stargate Atlantis necessitates several changes within SG-1 that radically alter the dynamic among the characters. Although Davis’s departure could leave the gang without an anchor, a superior replacement isn’t out of the question.
However, the best part of this story is Tapping, who easily outclasses her castmates. She single-handedly elevates the episode from curious to riveting in a wrenching scene that puts Carter at the mercy of a vengeful captor.
There’s no denying that Stargate SG-1 has captured the hearts of millions, but let’s face facts: This cult series is, at best, an acquired taste. Now, I don’t begrudge anyone for wanting to gobble up this gumbo of stock characters, esoteric argot and escapism. At the same time, don’t hold it against me if I pass on the meal. — G.J. Donnelly