The 1990s gave a new life to the science fiction genre. There were sequels from great sci-fi movies released in the ’80s and there were new concepts brought along by the ever-changing technology of the time. Some great television shows were also started in the ’90s, such as The X-Files and 3rd Rock From the Sun. One of the best shows released was the series Stargate: SG-1. The television expansion of the 1994 film Stargate became one of the sci-fi genre’s greatest shows, ranked alongside Star Trek.
The show premiered in 1997 on Showtime. Following the events of the film, Colonel Jack O’Neill, played by Richard Dean Anderson, is coaxed out of retirement as the Goa’uld threaten Earth. He finds that the Stargate, a device that allows interplanetary travel, is fully operational thanks to a secret special operations section of the United States Air Force. O’Neill assumes command of the team SG-1 that includes Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), a brilliant astrophysicist, as they investigate the threats. They go to the alien world of Abydos to recruit Daniel Jackson, played by Michael Shanks, after his wife is kidnapped by the Goa’uld system lord Apophis. Teal’c (Christopher Judge), the First Prime of Apophis, defects and saves the team from being taken as well. Back on Earth, Teal’c swears his allegiance and is welcomed onto the team. After the events on Abydos, the team focuses on using the Stargate to study the universe in hopes of defeating the Goa’uld.
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Guest Appearances
MGM Domestic Television
The show was centered on exploring new worlds and cultures on planets never seen before. This gave a great opportunity to bring in a variety of amazing actors for guest appearances. Many guest stars are familiar faces of great 90s actors. In the season one episode The Gamekeeper, Dwight Schultz played The Keeper on a world with an alien civilization that lives trapped in a simulation of life. Not only is Schultz a great actor, but fans of the science fiction genre recognized him from playing Reginald Barclay in the Star Trek franchise.
Another great appearance was in the season three episode Urgo. Playing Urgo, the artificial intelligence that literally gets into the team’s head, Dom DeLuise did an amazing job. The famous comedic actor is considered one of the best guests on the show. The episode has been labeled one of the best of the series for DeLuise’s performance.
Sarcasm and Humor
MGM Domestic Televisiion
The show had some of the best one-liners and sarcastic comebacks on-screen. This show helped form an entire generation’s sense of humor. It even helped shape the way comedy was written in realistic situations. Peter DeLuise, son of Dom DeLuise, was a writer on the show, beginning in 2000. He was a great comedic voice that elevated the comedy set up through the first couple seasons.
Another reason the show had a great sense of humor was due to the characters just being themselves. O’Neill (Anderson) is a retired Colonel that has seen the best and worst of what life has to offer. His dry sarcastic quips make for some of the funniest parts of the show. This, paired with Teal’c and his lack of earthly understanding, makes for pure comedy gold. The entire cast made the series feel like a crazy family that included every member of the audience.
Magical Science
The show featured a lot of alien and futuristic technology. There was a great emphasis on showing the fine line between something perceived as magic and a scientific reason behind it. There were Goa’uld weapons that may not be able to be reconstructed with Earth’s technology, but they were able to study how the energy was stored and converted into a rapid blast. There were some technologies that they were never able to fully understand. They were merely able to trace its origins and the basis of its power. The Stargate, a prime example of an ancient alien technology, was studied extensively. It was explained to be similar to the way a computer works mixed with the way a telephone dials to create a transporter. Then, the way the wormhole was explained in such detail was an incredible application of accurate scientific models.
Historical Lessons
The premise of the show is that the Goa’uld had come to Earth throughout history and taken hundreds of humans from different cultures. Then, they dropped them off on different planets for an array of reasons. Some, like Abydos, were kept as if they were from Ancient Egypt and used as slaves. Another world was full of people from Greece that were used in an experiment for developing new technologies. This gave an excellent opportunity to show different cultures and time eras at an educational level.
The Goa’uld had details accurately taken from Egyptian mythology. If you take away the alien parasite part of the story, most of the relationships between them were taken directly from the gods they were named after. In the season one episode Emancipation, it shows a Mongol-like tribe. It depicts what could have happened if a traditional Mongolian tribe was secluded and changed through hundreds of years. While it still could be wrong, it had a spectacular realism that made audiences learn about different culture’s set of rules.
Stargate: SG-1 was a spectacular sci-fi series. It took real historic details and incorporated them expertly into a fascinating concept that kept audiences coming back for more. The realism of the scientific possibilities was something that kept audiences engaged and intrigued by what lays beyond current knowledge. The authentic portrayal of genuine and funny characters was engaging and built a sense of familiarity that made way for amazing guest appearances to shake up the team. This is what made SG-1 one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time.
