What has kept me coming back week after week for the eight years I’ve been watching the show is the chemistry, interaction, and interesting characters amongst the main cast. Regular people from Earth dealing with science fiction scenarios with an irreverent twist turned my curious interest in what “MacGyver” was doing now into full fan love for a great ensemble. Stargate SG-1 makes a nice blend of angst, humor, action and drama; perhaps not as “dark” as other sci-fi, but that can be a strength. It’s wonderful, fantasy light entertainment for an hour or two with characters you’d feel comfortable inviting into your home (mostly... perhaps it’s best to hide the silver if Vala stops by).

In any case, this is the relatively non-spoilery hopes and wishes regarding characters and arcs for the record breaking tenth season of Stargate: SG-1.

The Ori. This new enemy had great potential in Season Nine. Scary, ominous, mysterious. There was some personal animosity with Daniel as former ascended and the interaction between Daniel and Vala and that Ver Ager Administrator. Even the dry humor of the Prior who interacted with Mitchell in “Origin” created a personal and creepy face to the new enemy. Then the mystery and distance of the Ori created a detachment. The “souls” fueling them took a bit of the “fire” out of them as an enemy, made them more mundane. Even the Priors, the “face” of the Ori, are mere pawns. Perhaps the baby storyline in the works will breathe a personal connection into the enemy once again, and will be the exception to baby storylines not working well for tv.

Other Enemies: The Lucian Alliance could be an interesting new enemy, but their menace has been pretty much muted to date. It’s hard to get too upset about a mafia with addictive maize. And they’ve been pretty much buffoons in every appearance. Give them a bit more menace, and they can be an entertaining occasional thorn in SG-1’s side. Vala’s connection helps create a grey in the SG-1 world of black and white. Interactions with the Lucian Alliance or other newly freed populations would help fuel that. And of course, there’s still a few Goa’uld kicking around to create lots of mischief for the new season.

The Allies. Are we going to see the Tok’ra anymore? Their annoying, self-serving alliance makes a complicated relationship. (And if it’s possible for Jacob to return, there are a lot of people perfectly willing to forget that whole “death” thing of “Threads”). The new Asgard are cute, but like Daniel, “I miss Thor.” Kvasir is great for the snark, but he doesn’t have the panache of Hermiod or the annoyance of Freyr. It would be great to hear what Thor and the other favorite Asgard, Heimdall, have been up to “in another galaxy”, preferably firsthand. At least one of the voice actors is easily available, and the other is much missed in every role she played.

Daniel Jackson. Daniel’s character has several unanswered questions, like how much does he remember of his time with RepliCarter (including the Ancient knowledge), and does he remember anything about the Astral Diner? Did he ascend/descend again, or was this some sort of concession by the Others because of what happened between Oma and Anubis? Daniel has a very personal stake in these new villains that will hopefully be explored. What kind of impact has all of this past year had on him? He’s always looked for alternatives, unless he hits the full force of evil, originally with the Goa’uld, then with Anubis, and now with the Ori. He’s a bit short-tempered and more snarky than usual as of late (poor Bill Lee). Some is understandable, some a bit more surprising. His character has a lot of potential for the upcoming season based on this past history. How all of these developments will play out in Season Ten will be an interesting dynamic.

Samantha Carter. Missed during the early episodes of the season, Sam often gets caught in the necessary plot device of technobabble exposition of the show (as Daniel’s is in culture/translations), but there were times in Season Nine that it’s shown as a personality trait…like teasing Lee about the anti-Prior weapon or working through the night on Arthur’s Mantle. Her rarely seen humor was also apparent with the Gate technicians in that same episode. It’s good to see the soldier and the person of Carter, rather than just the necessary science exposition or the girl with a really, really bad romance record *cough*black widow*cough*. Hopefully, Season Ten will allow more of the character and personality of Sam, including having her interact with “new girl” Vala; they were both former hosts. Heck, have her interact with everyone. THAT was lacking somewhat upon her initial return to the show.

Teal’c. Teal’c had so much potential for storyline this past season. His eight year struggle for freedom for Jaffa had finally borne fruit. Bids for power, intrigues, conspiracies, the dueling allegiances, disillusionment by Teal’c all were excellent fodder. And some of these ideas were dealt with, but for the most part it fell flat. The Jaffa are warriors, characters of action…what happened in Season Nine was often Jaffa C-SPAN, a telling, not a showing. There were some exceptions to the dullness, like when Bra’tac was on screen (Bra’tac rocks…hopefully the Powers that Be WON’T KILL HIM!), or Teal’c’s showdown with Gerak on Chulak in Fourth Horseman Part Two, which was one of Mr. Judge’s finest performances as that character. That said, there is a sense of peace and satisfaction, almost a relaxation in Teal’c’s nature. He also seems more comfortable with Tau’ri culture without losing his alien perspective. Hopefully more of this interesting figure will appear in Season Ten…and much more “action” from the Jaffa.

Vala Mal Doran. Ms. Black created a nuanced performance of what could have been a stock personality. Vala is very much like Harry Maybourne (the untrustworthy, non-evil, rogue later version, not smarmy early Harry). But Vala’s character, by its very nature, is over the top and scene stealing, and after six episodes in a row, personally, I was very tired of her. (Since they sometimes film out of order, it would’ve been nice to see Vala episodes more interspersed in airing order). When being introduced (or reintroduced) to other characters, it was difficult to get to know them between the entire new mythology and Vala’s strong presence. However, if Vala is toned down to make her full-time cast, hopefully the character doesn’t get too washed out. It’s not an impossible task. The balance of seriousness and humor was excellent in “The Powers That Be” last season, so there is a skeptical optimism that Vala can become incorporated effectively.

Hank Landry. Mr. Bridges has filled in the slot nicely as the gruff General Landry, who always seems to know a bit more than he lets on…except for Walter “Radar” Harriman. I still miss Hammond; Don S. Davis’s character was THE General of Stargate, but Landry is different enough to be respected and enjoyed as a different dynamic. The strained relationship with Lam has great potential, but the execution to date has been awkward. Even the nature of her being his daughter was an unnecessary surprise reveal. It would’ve been better to get that backstory knocked out first to show a progression or at least a background to the animosity. Perhaps this will be played out more in season ten, if Ms. Doig reprises her role. The oddly blocked scene in The Fourth Horseman Part 2 was a disappointing resolution to that arc otherwise.

Last, but certainly not least, Cameron Mitchell. “Shaft” overall has been a good addition to the team. It’s great that there is someone there to whom all of this is new. His impetuosity, tenacity and homespun humor are great character quirks; a joie de vivre after so much darkness in his past brings potential complexity to his role. Hopefully, there will be more consistent development of Mitchell’s character in Season Ten…and by development, that does not mean backstory. We’ve learned more about Mitchell’s background in half a season than was revealed about Sam or Daniel in over a year. And what has been learned has been inconsistent, and at times, a turnoff. Mitchell has been a respected squadron leader of Earth’s most powerful space fighters. He’s dealt with a lot of life changing stuff while maintaining “an impeccable service record” and earning the United States military’s highest honor (Avalon). Later, he’s been described as a hotheaded maverick that goes off on his own at a moment’s notice and never learns from his mistakes (Stronghold). Although a flawed hero is a good thing, ones that are inconsistent and worse, unreliable, are not. It’s hard to believe the same guy who tore through Jaffa lines in ‘’Stronghold” is the same guy who convinced the Sodan the Ori were not gods. Hopefully, Season Ten will show a more consistent and likable, if perhaps flawed, character.

Of course, the inconsistent reactions of the veteran characters to Mitchell was also confusing. At times there is a close camaraderie between Teal’c, Sam, and/or Daniel with Mitchell, at other times, it’s barely concealed annoyance. And there’s no progression or context for sudden switches in these reactions sometimes. Do they like him, hate him, find him bemusing, tolerate him? It’s hard to tell. Different scenarios elicit different responses; obviously, it should not be a static interaction. However, so far, it’s been hard to get the right vibe on SG-1’s relationship with each other as a whole.

Getting the “band back together” was an interesting subplot for the first six episodes of Season Nine, but then a quick patch scene in “Ex Deus Machina” was the only resolution to the matter–immediately followed by each character going off and doing separate things, Seattle, Washington, Earth orbit, the SGC. The very next episode, Mitchell was separated from the team, and I felt no more concern by the rest of SG-1 for him than for any “redshirt” character. Things were slightly better in “Collateral Damage”. For that matter, the relationship between the three veterans is assumed, but past closeness can only carry so far. New moments need to be shown. Being told they’re a team is not the same as seeing them interact as a team. This was accomplished by the end of Season Nine, such as in “the Scourge”, the General’s office scene in “Ethon” and somewhat in “Arthur’s Mantle”, but it was a bumpy ride for a while. Hopefully, this interplay will be smoother in Season Ten.

As much as I love each of the characters and want to see them interact with each other, I don’t want to see Jack/Sam, Daniel/Vala, Teal’c/Cameron, or ANY OTHER romantic combination of the main cast. The team has gone through that much together and is that close without the distraction of romantic entanglements. I’m a romantic, but that’s not why I watch Stargate: SG-1. It’s for the friendships, for the team, not for the pairings. These moments appeared more in the later episodes, but they are an important element throughout. If we as an audience don’t care about these characters, then we’re not going to care about whatever fantastic science fiction scenario they’ve gotten into, and will be less likely to suspend disbelief, a large obstacle, especially in this genre. The original team gelled relatively quickly, even through some pretty cheesy episodes; we need those gelling moments again, amongst the veteran cast, and between the new cast and old. They’re cheaper than F/X shots, but the payoff is huge.

Speaking of which, hopefully there will be less of the “beam up” to get SG-1 out of a jam. When Thor did it, it was cute, now it’s just getting overused. The ships are okay, but the show has “Stargate” in the title. Every once in a while, a classic, “SG-1 goes through the gate, gets into trouble, gets out of it, and goes home” would be nice. It’s what’s helped keep the show going for over nine years. If Hammond and/or Jack stop by often (with an onscreen explanation of what their jobs are now), that can only be a wonderful bonus.

In any event, congratulations to the writers, directors, producers, cast, and crew for ten wonderful years of an entertaining program and wishes for continued success for many more.