Made my humble contribution, for support and gratitude for the immense work you put into this. Thank you and Greetings from Arctic Lo-Ve Islands, Norway 👋✨✨✨🌟
My wife is American and served in the army as a linguist, she loves SG1 and O'Neill and has told me many times how his attitude toward the more nerdy people in the armed forces is accurate. That many times she was subjected to the wit of a more front line soldier, not in a bad way, not in a put you down sort of way, but just that they were trained to think of things in one very focused field of vision. Also I think O'Neill worked so well because we all saw that underneath his flippant attitude was a very serious and emotional man which made the times that emotion broke through all the more impactful.
The thing I loved about O'Niell was that he had a core element of darkness to his character. His sarcasm, tendency to self-sacrifice, and his almost intentional ignorance of technobabble were all fed by it.
Yeap. He didn’t want to be there, he didn’t even want to live anymore, but he was, because it was his duty, and eventually because he valued his team, and his sarcasm and even playing dumb was his way of trying to enjoy the journey
Very true, which made it more disappointing that later seasons used his ignorance more as actual stupidity for comedic effect. I loved that in early seasons he clearly knew what he was talking about with regard to technobabble.
@@keeskoenen2956 true, it became Flanderized over the seasons, but the best writing knew how to employ it. Some of my favorite writing for his character was the interrogation of Jackson in season 10, where he's become an Prior. It was a beautiful showcase of O'Niell's stubborn cynicism being used.
Indeed. That dark side, his no-nonsense military guy/soldier side, was in charge in the film. In the TV series, it occasionally came out, and when it did, you can tell things really are serious.
@@keeskoenen2956 I do kinda get it though. Maybe it went too far, but RDR said himself he wanted the character to have a bit more comedic range than in the film. And when you're talking about a multi-season narrative rather than an hour-and-a-half or so film, you kinda need that extra scope for a character to change or grow or develop.
I'm going to partially agree with you about O'Neil. On one hand, as a former military guy, I do like his portrayal of a military guy. On the other, in the black hole episode you mentioned, their explaining to him about something about the black hole and he basically says, "Yeah, yeah the accretion disk." and when everyone looks surprised he knows what that is he says, "Did you think the telescope on my deck was just decoration?" He was smart, he just wasn't quite as smart as the two scientists on the team and he was more focused on practical matters than theoretics. In later episodes he just became Zoolander. "The files are in the computer?"
Jack O'Neill, the fighting man, had photos from outer space on the walls of his home. Daniel Jackson, the philosophizing social scientist, hung swords and other ancient weapons around in his place.
Yeah, they should have reLly used the downplay while being comedic later. He just didnt really want to hear ot all the time i guess,bit he issmsrt, and wise, and the trauma iscore of his cjaracter. I dont mind he getsmore lightharted for real later but he could be smart just, not want to be asked about it.
@@Cheesusful I'm out of touch when it comes to modern hardware, I stopped actively looking into it 20 years ago. So, when I want to buy a new computer, for example, I want some real current-tech expertise to configure my system. When I go shopping, I play extra dumb. It helps to divide the honest salesperson from the scumbags, because the scumbags immediately try to take advantage of your (pretended) complete unfamiliarity. Works with all subjects where you have enough knowledge to see through obvious BS, but not enough to feel confident to make a qualified decision without external expertise.
It was despised internally immediately. Amanda Tapping has given interviews where she mentions hating the line immediately, but that she didn't have the confidence in her position that early to tell her bosses that this was a bad line. As time went on, Tapping reportedly would actually push back at times. Another thing from the pilot that the producers hated was that Showtime pressured them into including the gratuitous nudity scene where a woman is disrobed and implanted with a goa'uld.
@@brianmulholland2467 Yeah the visible stripping of Sha'rai not in such a usually light toned show always put me off. Doesn't help that a earlier yet similar seen but we don't the full view of the stripped woman. Such a drastic tone shift.
I'm pretty sure they also told Shari's actress that they weren't going to include full frontal nudity in the final product, but went behind her back about it
Yeah, when watching it with someone for their first time, you just have to turn to them and say, "Trust me, this was a set up to a hilarious joke that paid off eight years later."
What I loved about SG1 is that it combined so many great elements across the best Star Trek series. It had the adventure and character chemistry of TOS, the philosophy of TNG, and the moral struggle of DS9. And it could poke fun at itself in so many ways, including hilarious jumps through the fourth wall. And the Ori are some of the darkest antagonists in all of science fiction.
Nice to see a fellow Ori enjoyer. I get that the dissing of christianity/inquisition has been done to death, but I also thought the Ori was way more threatening than the Goa'ulds except Anubis. Much like Anubis, they were more of a cosmic threat due to their Ancient knowledge than simply a more advanced adversary. Their godhood was no joke, no cheap tricks, nor merely technology.
Imagine being me, who for many years thought that SG-1 ended without truly resolving the Ori dilemma, only to recently discover that a post-series movie apparently does it? Guess I need to watch Ark of Truth.
And the worst part of the Ori threat is that it was wrapped around an IDEA, and those don't die as easily. Origin is now a thing in the universe and will remain so. How that shakes out in any (hopefully?) future series is, of course, up for grabs, I hope that it is an aspect of what came before that will play into it. Granted, without the Ori and their power and missionaries to push the darker aspects, it may become something more tame there is /always/ the lingering threat that someone might just manage to spark the old crusade back up again. Yikes. THAT is the existential dread of the Ori storyline.
@@dannypoo3281 Imagine being me, where in my country apparently the TV network stopped airing at season9. And didnt finish s10, only a dedicated scifi channel did years later. So for years I thought the Ori came through, everyone died, and that was the end of the entire show. Imagine my shock when I learnt s10 and the movies exist. I'll note I didnt have internet access at the time, it was still new.
One of the moments when the 'US industrial military complex' shone through a bit less subtler than in most episodes. The staff weapon is elegant, can kill in one shot, and its crystal technology hardly ever depletes. Sure, there are instances where a gun can be more advantageous, but why SG command never replaced its weaponry for goa'uld weapons, at least partially, was in my humble opinion, a continuity error. Sure they can hardly mass produce or fix them, but they could pretty much scavenge them by the wagons on certain trips. Dont tell me having a Zat in the back pocket to stun people or disintegrate anything and anyone wouldnt come in handy in just about any situation. Sure they used them sometimes, but not as much as they could have. Im pretty sure they retroactively regretted giving a stun gun a disintegrate function, so they shied away from it. I suppose one could chalk it up to the Goa'uld-Asgard treaties which would prevent Earth being technologically too advanced, but even when those treaties became null and void it hardly happened. And by that point, Earth had spaceships, too. Another matter was that guns could fight replicators, I suppose. Although why a Zet's third shot wouldnt disintegrate a replicator, is a mystery as well. Maybe we can technobabble it away with 'if the first two shots werent effective, a third wouldnt be either."
@@Grivehn Look, SG is hardly a realistic show, but if you want to look at it realistically, staff weapons are not much better than a bow and arrow. You can literally dodge their blast with normal human reaction speed. You can't dodge a bullet. Also, "human weapons" have all kinds of optics allowing them to be precise and deadly to short-medium-long ranges while staff weapons are just "hip-fired" so it would be a miracle if they hit anything that's not directly in front of them. Guns are just better.
Me an intellectual "well achtshually" *pushes glasses up nose "the jaffa could paint the target with a laser that imparts a charge to guide a plasma bolt at the target ignoring any slow evasive maneuvers" is what I wish they did, but yeah it's just another stick to beat slaves with, not a weapon of war.
Stargate ignores the idea of cultural colonialism and whether it's right for the U.S. to impose its beliefs on every one they meet. By contrast startrek has a discussion about why they should for moral reasons take part in cultural colonization for the good of the aliens they meet. Just because you can parachute in and upend leoples cultures doesn't mean that's the right thing to do, especially given all the times we've seen indigenous tribes get wiped out by more established cultures.
Nicely done. Favorite line when thor corrects kinsey who calls him commander. And thor says, "Supreme Commander." And puts his little finger up. Still makes me smile.
I loved SG-1, but the lore consistency and generally successful humor are what truly sets it apart from most Sci-Fi of its era and put it among my favourites.
Whenever I watch other shows in the midst of an SG-1 binge, I find myself expecting them to be written like Stargate eps and being frustrated when they aren’t. "Wait, so they just solved the problem in one episode? They just….succeeded and didn’t continue the conflict into the next episode so their failure and uncertainty can be used as the basis for character development, introducing new technologies/species/recurring characters, and expanding the lore??? Well that sucks. 😐"
One of my favorite shows. My whole family would sit in the living room and watch it when it was on showtime. Also thought Shanks and Spader were the same until I was a teenager.
They do actually address the fact that all the planets they visit seem like Earth. In one episode, and I am paraphrasing here, O'Neill comes through the gate and sighs 'Trees, lots of trees' to which Samantha explains that because the Stargates were seeded on planets capable of supporting the human life form it makes sense they would have the same ecosystem. :)
Yeah, but even so it's still quite lame, because on the show it's almost always the same species of coniferous evergreen trees. AND, y'know, the planet Earth herself contains a whackload of diverse biomes that often look very dissimilar to one another. When SG1 began airing, I was only 13 years old and this already bugged me immensely. When the creators decided to make foliage on one of the visited planets purple instead of green, I almost experienced orgasm, because it was FINALLY 'alien'-looking.
@@subraxas To be fair, the only way they could realistically have represented more alien biomes than they did on the budget they had available would have been more soundstage work and ropey 1990s VFX. 'Every planet is a Canadian forest' is a little lame in terms of worldbuilding, but I think the fact they shot so much on location means the series as a whole has aged way better visually than a lot of its contemporaries.
My mother’s name is Janet Fraser….needless to say we were instant fans of Stargate SG1 😂 I was roughly 12 when SG1 first aired and it’s one of the first shows I can remember watching from beginning to end. I felt like a major part of my life had come to an end when the show finished its run. Still a great show to this day!
I grew up on OG Trek reruns in the 70’s, moved on to TNG and generally am a massive Trek fan. But, SG-1 will always hold a special place, if I ever need to escape reality a little bit and be guaranteed a feel good show, this is it.
I rewatched the series recently- that 1990s tv production value really hit that nostalgia vibe for me and wasn't any sort of drawback. It really brought me back to a time when a show like this was fun and just a general week to week experience where you knew you were about to receive something entertaining. It's kind of like Highlander- you know it's not high art, but god damn it fills a hole you dont know you have until season about 5.
I think the things I respect most about SG1 are..... 1) There is usually a status Quo, but it changes slowly over the course of the show (S9 notwithstanding) as a natural growth of the story. The development of the team from barely understanding the most basic tech, and seeing Goa'uld technology as the pinnacle, to having their own starships..... it feels earned. Piece by piece and never surprising us. 2) They stick to the rules they set up. The 38 minute window is meticulously stuck to for example, and any exceptions are a major plot point. They revisit solutions to previous issues when faced with similar ones. They reference past adventures in order to establish continuity. And they barely retcon anything. There are a handful such as with the Zats but they are so few it is barely noticed. Those are 2 things I love about Sci-Fi. Of all series we need adventure of the week, but background continuity and development, to make the show grow.
I was 13 or 14 years old when SG 1 premiered. I tuned in by chance. I recalled not liking the original movie back then, being disappointed by the underutilisation of the premise of the movie: the Stargate. The TV series got my immediate enthusiasm. After the first season, I rewatched the movie and grew more fond of it. From season two onward, Stargate became part of my childhood and growing up and was an escape from my own personal traumas. The characters were fascinating and admiring to watch with each his and her own journey of development, and antagonists to overcome who ultimately at times even grew into allies. The series radiated 'hope' and 'optimism' and a sense of 'what could be one day'. Stargate since accompanied me every week for the following 13 years. I never missed any episode in those years, waiting anxiously for the next episode - or rewatch the season repeats. The intro theme would sound in full blast in my room, making sure my mother and brother knew: It's the time! I would discuss the show and characters in school. I literally grew up with it. And when SGU concluded (too early), I felt like I completed a journey. Sad but content at the same time. This show like no other has left a mark on me. Can you imagine a show being done like this and this long in today's climate? I wish they would return to weekly shows that took their time 'to explore' instead of 6-10 episode binge-watch models that are forgotten as soon as another shows of some sort drops. PS: "Lucy, I'm home!", "I'm not Lucy."
I'm envious. I recently watched the entire main corpus (3 series and the movies) for the first time. SG1 truly is a gem in Sci-Fi and I also liked Atlantis (Universe not so much tbh)
I love that the entire SG-TV series is a direct continuation of the movie. The movie fascinated me, and the TV show explored what these characters could, and would be. Brilliant!
@37:00 Obviously you were going to discuss Hammond, who I think hands down is the greatest general in media. He's a smart, capable leader but most importantly he listens to his people. He SUPPORTS them rather than telling them how to do what they do. Truly one of the greatest characters in all of Sci-Fi IMHO.
He led among his troops, not removed from them. If you think about it, his office desk is just one floor away from the edge of the world and into the dangers of the galaxy.
God yes. I've been waiting for you to tackle Stargate since the Babylon 5 series. SG-1 and Atlantis are masterpieces, to me. Right up there with TNG, DS9, Babylon 5, and the early chunk of the BSG reboot.
14:20 Based on O'Neill having killed Ra, the most feared among the Goa'oulds at that time. I think Teal'C couldn't believe his luck (he already was a rebel at that point, a sleeper agent).
@@awesomedayz3465 the first primes knew they weren't gods, but thought rebellion was too risky, so better to save as many jaffa as they could by giving good counsel. Also without the Gou'ld their race would die out.
33:09 can you imagine the accountants trying to work that one out? "Hey why does Jack have two weeks of overtime this month?" "Oh that's not over time, that's time dilation, 2 weeks passed for him last tuesday?" "So is that overtime then or just regular pay?" "Ya know what, he saved the planet. Let's call it time and a half."
@@jacobturnerart No overtime for that or they'd have to interview him about all the "things" he got up to during those 3 months which I'm sure he'd rather avoid.
@@jacobturnerart They would just issue a "bonus" check. They'd probably use some generic reason or make it a commendation. It's all super top secret black ops level anyway, so it's not like they're getting audited.
The 1990s was the golden era for TV shows. SO many great and fun shows came out then. We were swimming in amazing stuff to watch. When networks took chances. Especially with sci fi and fantasy.
Such perfectly brilliant timing. I’ve just finished a binge watch of Stargate SG1 after not having seen a single episode in more than 12 years on the very day this drops. lol Well, almost. I’ve just watched Ark of Truth. I haven’t got to Continuum yet. Looking forward to this. I loved this show when I was growing up. From the age of 12 - 21 I think only missed 2 episodes on first broadcast. I was quite the fan. lol
Although it made them "samey", I really loved how O'Neill and Daniel rubbed off of each other to the point they had acquired parts of each other's personality. Daniel became a little more jaded and sarcastic but O'Neill comparatively did gain a better appreciation for other points of view and lost some of his military edge. Also how Teal'c as time went on losing his "alienness" as he spent more time on Earth was great.
12:53 My wife and I went to BC Canada for our honeymoon. We both adored many different television shows that were produced in Vancouver. We would point out PX275 in Psych or the infamous Vancouver mansion 3689 Selkirk St, Vancouver, BC V6H 2Y9 that pops up in every show. Other great locations are the opera house in BSG was also a weak point between the two universes in Fringe. So many great shows are a product of BC Canada.
This show, especially the 1-5 run, was integral to my childhood and helped me define what I want from my own writing. Specifically, the character chemistry. I have never seen another show before or after (barring Atlantis, they nailed the vibes better than most spin-offs) do character chemistry quite like Stargate SG-1, and it's wonderful. Obviously props go to the actors for bringing them to life, each with their own unique flair, but I think part of it is that each of the main four are characterized perfectly to synergize AND butt heads with the other three in pretty much equal measure. The entire show is just the main four foiling off of each other constantly, it's a difficult equilibrium to achieve, let alone maintain, but Stargate manages it beautifully. Not only that, but they manage to integrate new personalities into the dynamic without ruining it; regulars like Hammond or Frasier can slide in and out seamlessly, guests like Bra'tac or Jacob fit in well, and later on Mitchell and Vala make for (in my opinion at least) excellent replacements/additions to the crew while still maintaining that unique chemistry.
The thing that makes statgate SG-1 rise above many of its kind is that it never leaves the humanity of its characters behind. Most sci-fi forgets to show that its characters are fully fleshed out people with flaws that learn over time. Sci fi is at its best when it writes great characters. Star Trek Voyager could learn a thing or two.
One of the more fun or silly or minor or whatever things I appreciate more and more about Stargate SG1 is frankly, just how stunning, like almost unnaturally handsome and beautiful Michael Shanks is. There's a few seasons there where i don't know, his haircut, his face, I don't know. But by god, one of the best looking men I've ever seen hahaha I laugh because I don't really understand it, but I'm very serious. Honestly, that man should have been painted and carved into marble or something for appreciation by following generations lol
Agree completely that sokar was wasted. They tried to evoke the same mystery with Anubis in later seasons but I think sokar could have been even more menacing than Anubis had they given it a chance
while a lot of what you say about O'Neil is true, I find it refreshing for a character who for all that was happening was a rock, an absolute constant you could always depend on to both do the right thing and quib about it. In my opinion it is also implied that hes light-harted attitude is largely an attempt to conceal his trauma and not let it bring down morale of his team.
The very fact the O’Neill has many lacking qualities was all the more interesting to me - he’s not smart, not the best fighter etc but through his past trauma has a deep sense of loyalty - which is what makes him a great leader.
Correction, he is smart, very smart. He's not a scientifically educated as Jackson and Carter, but in most other situations, he would be one of the smartest people in the room. You don't get to his position by not being smart. However, he recognizes that he (we) doesn't need all the details and background. I'll also add to your list of good quality. He's determined. He doesn't give up unless there really is no other option. Sometimes he still doesn't give up. He's a good guy.
Only halfway thrugh the video & just having finished rewatching all of sg-1, sga & sgu a couple mos. ago. I now find myself irresistibly drawn towards another rewatch. A true testament to Rowan's ability as a content creator! Ty Rowan for always rekindling the fires of sci-fi fandom.
Thank you! One of the best Sci-fi channels out there finally covers my favorite show! And done so just as tactfully and skillfully as the show was done. I wish humanity can return to creating more awesome shows like this in the future sometimes... instead of current year's corporate sewage. Respect to the (far and few between) exceptions.
I'm a fan of both shows but t o s had a much worse batting ratio. It had some really good shows but about a third of it shows were bad to very bad. I don't remember Stargate SG-1 ever making me cringe.
You posted this 23 hours ago, and it's already got 35k views. Rowan, you are the MAN! Absolutely love your content and have been wanting a Stargate series retrospective for a while now. Thanks, man!
I just rewatched the Outer Limits and didn’t need to be told it was by the same people. The music sounds the same, so many overlapping SG1 actors, and of course, the same section of the British Columbia forest 🤣
Personally I never got the feeling O’Neill looked down on Sam and Daniel because of them being nerds rather I just thought he got annoyed by them because of his inability to understand their technobabble
Warrick: "Here is the ship's operating manual. I had it translated for you." Jack: _(looking over Sam's shoulder)_ "That's not our language!" Sam: "It's-- mine. Sir."
Just brilliant Rowan, absolutely brilliant. What a Trojan amount of work to bring to your fans, thank you. “O’Neill stands off to the side, looking like he’s been waiting for a bus for too long”….great line.
The fact that folks weren’t and still aren’t, crying “Mary Sue” at Carter shows both that Tapping is an excellent actress and the writing and direction was stellar.
That hasmore to do with that ots a recent thing to outrage. Theones that usually are cowards in the way that they dont want to mess with preexisting fanbases already existing. See sarah connor, xena , people outragibg are kinda cowards to not want to fight established fanbases. ok i dont wownplay tapping, but old enoughsucessful franchisaes never ger accused
Mary Sues are the center of the attention whom the other characters depend on to do anything meaningful, plot-wise or not. Being perfect is just a side-effect of that stage-hogging presence.
The theme tune is awesome, a great mix of the original wonder-of-space-exploration opera movie score with martial band instruments to signify the military aspect of the show. I never saw these early series when they were first aired in the UK as they were on the relatively new Sky satellite broadcasting channel, only when they began to air on terrestrial TV (Channel 4 i believe) did i start to see from the later series and then went back and caught-up. Now watching the re-runs ironically on 'Sky Mix' digital TV channel.
Your perspective on O'Neill (two L's) is very interesting. I do agree that the character doesnt get a lot of character development compared to the rest, but thats because he's such a great character to begin with and you definitely notice something missing when he's not there in later seasons (Though i do think the show suffers when trying to force him into episodes in later seasons too). I definitely prefer O'Neill's character staying the same to the way that Jackson "evolved" into an action hero in later seasons as you mentioned One thing i definiately do agree with though is the weird pacing of certain storylines. Particularly in the case of Dr Jackson's wife, the way that storyline is wrapped up is very strange. I can only assume there are behind the scenes reasons that it went down that way (actor availability maybe, she also did have Shanks's baby during production). The Skara storyline was definitely due to the actor being unavailable.
I think you misunderstood O'Neill: he knows he is just an ordinary soldier, he knows how important and smart Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson are. He is just like an ordinary American would be among smart people. He knows his own value as a soldier and officer, but also really appreciates the knowledge of Samantha and Daniel. He tries to be a leader who will help smart members of his team to shine. In The Lost City, it's clearly seen - O'Neill decides to sacrifice himself because others are more important. His character is also better standing on the ground, thus we have sometimes these discussions on what to do with Daniel and Samantha.
I always felt like this show stood out quite distinctly from its sci-fi counterparts largely because of its emphasis on human history. I loved how much the show runners were willing & able to explore just off the premise of Egyptian & Scandinavian mythos. It got me so much more interested in history than any class curriculum ever could.
I am with you. I want a revival, though I am a little bit afraid, given the realities of the TV industry at the moment, that a revival will only entail six episodes every 18 months or so, And will delve into the grim dark a little too much. As far as I can tell, nothing is in the works. Brad Wright was contacted a few years ago about the possibility of doing a revival, and he submitted all of his plans and notes on what he’d like to do, which MGM seemed interested in at the time, But that died on the line over the course of the next two years, and at present, there does not appear to be any real discussion of a revival or a reboot going on at MGM.
@mahatmarandy5977 yeah I have concerns too. I think the devs have been very active in the community post shows. It would depend on studio involvement that would make or break it.
I love this revisit. I hopped into Stargate SG-1 by season 5. Always missed the showings as VOD really wasn’t a thing at the time but saw the commercials and was captivated by the premise of SciFi but in the present day. When it came to the ScuFi channel in the states it became so accessible to me and a generation of audiences.
Absolute favourite favourite show! I know it wasn't perfect, but it was so self-aware that the minor things made it all the more endearing. I truly feel it is the most underrated sci-fi show ever!!!
The exchange: "Basically he was the original Satan" "Well isn't that special?" is a reference to Dana Carvey's character The Church Lady on Saturday Night Live. The second line is a direct quote, and she often said "Could it be.... SATAN?!" whose name would echo.
I never watched this show on tv or syndication. A used media chain would always have the dvd boxes sets quite cheap, so i scooped the first season on a whim and then was hooked. Even got my dad into the show. Sold the dvds when Netflix first seemed like a golden future that would remove the need to own physical media - i wish i had understood licensing and it's implications and kept my copies! Can't wait for you to get to Atlantis. My wife laughed at me when i saw Khal Drago and exclaimed, "Hey, that's that surfer guy from Stargate!"
I disagree with your take on O’Neill but you said yourself it was a controversial opinion. I do agree that they lean too heavily on his (seemingly feigned ) lack of understanding and specifically related to window of opportunity it always bothered me that they spent part of their loop learning to read and speak Ancient but never use that again. Both tealc and O’Neill should be able to read and understand ancient going forward but they defer to Daniel as if they never learned a word
Great review and retrospective on this entertaining show....I also hope you do a review/retrospective on the spin-off series 'Stargate Atlantis' as well (because I really enjoyed that series too)...
Oh man, that brought back memories. I used to love that show. Fell of with season 6 or 7 though. It is a little bit to pulpy for my liking nowadays but thats what they where going for and I have to respect these really strong early seasons. Well thought out storylines and charakters. There was a clear vision behind that project thats for sure. And there was a good mix out of stand alone and Main plot episodes. Something I miss sometimes in modern series. There is no stand alone anymore just cliffhangers it seems like.
Coincidentally I just started rewatching the series a couple weeks ago, and have bingewatched myself up to the Wormhole X-Treme episode today, so this video was way more entertaining and engaging than it would have been for me otherwise. I haven’t watched it in several years, so I decided to rewatch everything, even the episodes I generally skip (some of which I haven’t seen in a decade) and am pleasantly surprised at how even the sub-par episodes generally introduce at least one element that will be touched on again later on in the series. One element of the show that is completely unique is that it is able to play off of (then)contemporary society and make use of our real world understanding of how the world works. For instance, I just watched the episode where Carter gets kidnapped by a dying tech billionaire that wants to use a Go’a’uld to heal himself. We are treated to an untrustworthy element of the US government, a rogue spy, government interference, and a genuinely harrowing rush to rescue Carter before she’s dissected. It struck me that there is no other space based planet of the week science-fiction TV show that could possibly have done a story like that. Star Trek could never have a corrupt and trenched agency Starfleet because it is utopian. Nor could there be government figures pulling strings for self-aggrandizing purposes because, again, the federation is utopian. Now it might be possible to do something like that in Star Trek but you would need an insane amount of set up and info dumps to explain how these agencies are not the norm, and the federation is still heaven, blah blah blah, blah blah. And it wouldn’t work. Stargate, on the other hand, can get away with this because it is set right here, right now, in something very close to the real world. Our government is not perfect and it is not 100% trustworthy, and stories about government agencies working across purposes with each other and doing occasional despicable. Things are in the newspaper all the time. The episode is able to leverage our view of the real world to make use of all of these factors without really having to explain them. After all this time, we still really don’t know how the Federation works, but we do know how early 21st century America works, and that just streamline the storytelling. I think it also helps that Stargate command is set within an actual real military. The SGC is fictional, but those establishing shots it always shows of Cheyenne mountain? Those are real. And there is a base built into that mountain, the SGC is just a fictional one underneath the real one. That’s cool, right? And the US has a huge military. It can be taken for granted than many of the people watching the show were either in the military, or had personal experience with it. The characters in Stargate never act exactly the correct way they would in the actual USAF, it is close enough and taken seriously enough that we do understand what they’re doing and why, and it is pretty consistent. As opposed to Starfleet, which is a sensibly a military organization, but which frequently appears to be less consistent and disciplined down the Boy Scouts. (Seriously: if you’re American, and you ever watched Star Trek with somebody who was in the service, particularly the Navy, you will have at least one memory of that person, throwing up their hands and frustration and saying, ‘what the hell are they doing? This makes no sense whatsoever!’ Because that’s just not the way anybody’s military does things. So Stargate is able to make use of an actual real organization that many in the audience would already be familiar with an understand, and maintain consistent uniforms And decorum. Hell, if you’re a big enough military geek (which I am not, but I come from an Air Force family) you can even learn a lot about the characters back stories simply by the service ribbons they are wearing on their uniforms. They actually mean stuff - what they’re trained for, what they’ve done, etc. Hammond wears pilot wings, and has a Vietnam service ribbon, ergo he was a fighter pilot in Vietnam. Jack wears master paratrooper wings, which means his specialty is paratroop/covert operations, and that he’s done well over 50 jumps on missions. Yeah, just can’t do that on Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica or whatever .
I was looking forward to this so much and it delivered! I love your insight on the logical consistency of the storytelling across the TV versions of the Stargate universe.
Much like DS9, I saw SG1 in a limited and fractured form on UK TV (channel 4 on Sunday afternoons in the early 2000s). It's really cool to see a video covering the more overarching plot.
Thank you Rowan! I have been looking forward to this forever. Please do SGA, the other movies, and SGU(I never really understood the story line of SGU so it would be nice to see how it came together!
A great video! The subject matter sure doesn't hurt either; with the opening notes of SG1 automatically making me pay attention and harken back to a better time when I could sit in front of my parents telly watching Stargate without a worry in the world!
My childhood favorite. I first watched Children of the Gods when I rented the DVD then it kicked off. I would spend my holiday job money buying the DVDs and had great joy receiving it on my mail.
I loved all the earth episodes. A lot of people don’t but they keep forgetting like let’s say this was real I feel like this is exactly how it would go down.
i think there was a mention of 'every planet looks like a Canadian forest' in the show being explained by the fact that some alien seeded all the habitable planets in the galaxy with trees from Canada.
I will admit. It took me way longer than it should have for me to realize O’Neill and Daniel were played by different actors as well. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one.
I started watching SG1 before I saw the movie. I didn’t feel lost as I hadn’t seen the movie and I enjoyed the way it set up the characters and the story going forward. Once I saw the movie a lot of the things that the pilot referred to made more sense. I loved the series and how the movies relate to the series.
HELP THE CHANNEL GROW: www.patreon.com/rowanjcoleman
Made my humble contribution, for support and gratitude for the immense work you put into this.
Thank you and Greetings from Arctic Lo-Ve Islands, Norway 👋✨✨✨🌟
@@LeNaInLoVe
You really hail from the Lofoten Islands?
Learn to pronouce "Neumann" correctly.
@@videostoryanalyses8910 Which correctly lol? Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's wrong.
My wife is American and served in the army as a linguist, she loves SG1 and O'Neill and has told me many times how his attitude toward the more nerdy people in the armed forces is accurate. That many times she was subjected to the wit of a more front line soldier, not in a bad way, not in a put you down sort of way, but just that they were trained to think of things in one very focused field of vision.
Also I think O'Neill worked so well because we all saw that underneath his flippant attitude was a very serious and emotional man which made the times that emotion broke through all the more impactful.
The thing I loved about O'Niell was that he had a core element of darkness to his character. His sarcasm, tendency to self-sacrifice, and his almost intentional ignorance of technobabble were all fed by it.
Yeap. He didn’t want to be there, he didn’t even want to live anymore, but he was, because it was his duty, and eventually because he valued his team, and his sarcasm and even playing dumb was his way of trying to enjoy the journey
Very true, which made it more disappointing that later seasons used his ignorance more as actual stupidity for comedic effect. I loved that in early seasons he clearly knew what he was talking about with regard to technobabble.
@@keeskoenen2956 true, it became Flanderized over the seasons, but the best writing knew how to employ it. Some of my favorite writing for his character was the interrogation of Jackson in season 10, where he's become an Prior. It was a beautiful showcase of O'Niell's stubborn cynicism being used.
Indeed. That dark side, his no-nonsense military guy/soldier side, was in charge in the film. In the TV series, it occasionally came out, and when it did, you can tell things really are serious.
@@keeskoenen2956 I do kinda get it though. Maybe it went too far, but RDR said himself he wanted the character to have a bit more comedic range than in the film. And when you're talking about a multi-season narrative rather than an hour-and-a-half or so film, you kinda need that extra scope for a character to change or grow or develop.
I'm going to partially agree with you about O'Neil. On one hand, as a former military guy, I do like his portrayal of a military guy. On the other, in the black hole episode you mentioned, their explaining to him about something about the black hole and he basically says, "Yeah, yeah the accretion disk." and when everyone looks surprised he knows what that is he says, "Did you think the telescope on my deck was just decoration?" He was smart, he just wasn't quite as smart as the two scientists on the team and he was more focused on practical matters than theoretics.
In later episodes he just became Zoolander. "The files are in the computer?"
Jack O'Neill, the fighting man, had photos from outer space on the walls of his home.
Daniel Jackson, the philosophizing social scientist, hung swords and other ancient weapons around in his place.
Yeah, they should have reLly used the downplay while being comedic later. He just didnt really want to hear ot all the time i guess,bit he issmsrt, and wise, and the trauma iscore of his cjaracter.
I dont mind he getsmore lightharted for real later but he could be smart just, not want to be asked about it.
But that's the thing, he deliberately acts dumb so people will underestimate him... He also doesn't have the world's greatest attention span...
@@Cheesusful
I'm out of touch when it comes to modern hardware, I stopped actively looking into it 20 years ago. So, when I want to buy a new computer, for example, I want some real current-tech expertise to configure my system.
When I go shopping, I play extra dumb. It helps to divide the honest salesperson from the scumbags, because the scumbags immediately try to take advantage of your (pretended) complete unfamiliarity.
Works with all subjects where you have enough knowledge to see through obvious BS, but not enough to feel confident to make a qualified decision without external expertise.
@@michaelguth4007 just build your own
The show lasted so long that the "reproductive organs" line became a joke within the show itself before the end.
It was despised internally immediately. Amanda Tapping has given interviews where she mentions hating the line immediately, but that she didn't have the confidence in her position that early to tell her bosses that this was a bad line. As time went on, Tapping reportedly would actually push back at times.
Another thing from the pilot that the producers hated was that Showtime pressured them into including the gratuitous nudity scene where a woman is disrobed and implanted with a goa'uld.
@@brianmulholland2467 Now I love Tapping even more
@@brianmulholland2467
Yeah the visible stripping of Sha'rai not in such a usually light toned show always put me off. Doesn't help that a earlier yet similar seen but we don't the full view of the stripped woman. Such a drastic tone shift.
I'm pretty sure they also told Shari's actress that they weren't going to include full frontal nudity in the final product, but went behind her back about it
Yeah, when watching it with someone for their first time, you just have to turn to them and say, "Trust me, this was a set up to a hilarious joke that paid off eight years later."
What I loved about SG1 is that it combined so many great elements across the best Star Trek series. It had the adventure and character chemistry of TOS, the philosophy of TNG, and the moral struggle of DS9. And it could poke fun at itself in so many ways, including hilarious jumps through the fourth wall.
And the Ori are some of the darkest antagonists in all of science fiction.
Nice to see a fellow Ori enjoyer. I get that the dissing of christianity/inquisition has been done to death, but I also thought the Ori was way more threatening than the Goa'ulds except Anubis. Much like Anubis, they were more of a cosmic threat due to their Ancient knowledge than simply a more advanced adversary. Their godhood was no joke, no cheap tricks, nor merely technology.
Imagine being me, who for many years thought that SG-1 ended without truly resolving the Ori dilemma, only to recently discover that a post-series movie apparently does it? Guess I need to watch Ark of Truth.
And the worst part of the Ori threat is that it was wrapped around an IDEA, and those don't die as easily. Origin is now a thing in the universe and will remain so. How that shakes out in any (hopefully?) future series is, of course, up for grabs, I hope that it is an aspect of what came before that will play into it. Granted, without the Ori and their power and missionaries to push the darker aspects, it may become something more tame there is /always/ the lingering threat that someone might just manage to spark the old crusade back up again. Yikes. THAT is the existential dread of the Ori storyline.
@@dannypoo3281 Imagine being me, where in my country apparently the TV network stopped airing at season9. And didnt finish s10, only a dedicated scifi channel did years later. So for years I thought the Ori came through, everyone died, and that was the end of the entire show. Imagine my shock when I learnt s10 and the movies exist. I'll note I didnt have internet access at the time, it was still new.
@@Grivehn lol. Crazy!
this is a weapon of terror ,THIS is a weapon of war
One of the moments when the 'US industrial military complex' shone through a bit less subtler than in most episodes. The staff weapon is elegant, can kill in one shot, and its crystal technology hardly ever depletes. Sure, there are instances where a gun can be more advantageous, but why SG command never replaced its weaponry for goa'uld weapons, at least partially, was in my humble opinion, a continuity error. Sure they can hardly mass produce or fix them, but they could pretty much scavenge them by the wagons on certain trips.
Dont tell me having a Zat in the back pocket to stun people or disintegrate anything and anyone wouldnt come in handy in just about any situation. Sure they used them sometimes, but not as much as they could have. Im pretty sure they retroactively regretted giving a stun gun a disintegrate function, so they shied away from it.
I suppose one could chalk it up to the Goa'uld-Asgard treaties which would prevent Earth being technologically too advanced, but even when those treaties became null and void it hardly happened. And by that point, Earth had spaceships, too.
Another matter was that guns could fight replicators, I suppose. Although why a Zet's third shot wouldnt disintegrate a replicator, is a mystery as well. Maybe we can technobabble it away with 'if the first two shots werent effective, a third wouldnt be either."
@@Grivehn Look, SG is hardly a realistic show, but if you want to look at it realistically, staff weapons are not much better than a bow and arrow. You can literally dodge their blast with normal human reaction speed. You can't dodge a bullet. Also, "human weapons" have all kinds of optics allowing them to be precise and deadly to short-medium-long ranges while staff weapons are just "hip-fired" so it would be a miracle if they hit anything that's not directly in front of them. Guns are just better.
Yup.
And multiple hits on that log just made it swing around. The P90 cut it in two.
Me an intellectual "well achtshually" *pushes glasses up nose "the jaffa could paint the target with a laser that imparts a charge to guide a plasma bolt at the target ignoring any slow evasive maneuvers" is what I wish they did, but yeah it's just another stick to beat slaves with, not a weapon of war.
Stargate ignores the idea of cultural colonialism and whether it's right for the U.S. to impose its beliefs on every one they meet. By contrast startrek has a discussion about why they should for moral reasons take part in cultural colonization for the good of the aliens they meet. Just because you can parachute in and upend leoples cultures doesn't mean that's the right thing to do, especially given all the times we've seen indigenous tribes get wiped out by more established cultures.
I am a simple man. If I see Stargate on YT, I click on it!
Thank You Rowan!
Hahaha this gave me a good laugh, I can see myself in this statement. SG1 is my favorite tv series of all time.
SG1 is my neighbour's favourite tv show.
She's 96.
🙂 ❤
Those old biddies love Richard Dean Anderson.... And David Boreanaz from Angel and Bones ... They must get all the dusty groupies lol 😂
That made my day.
Nicely done. Favorite line when thor corrects kinsey who calls him commander. And thor says, "Supreme Commander." And puts his little finger up. Still makes me smile.
☝️ *SUPREME* Commander
That was kind of meta. I enjoyed that on many levels.
I loved SG-1, but the lore consistency and generally successful humor are what truly sets it apart from most Sci-Fi of its era and put it among my favourites.
Upon recent rewatch, the writing became leaps and bounds better than comparable shows. Really compelling stuff
Whenever I watch other shows in the midst of an SG-1 binge, I find myself expecting them to be written like Stargate eps and being frustrated when they aren’t.
"Wait, so they just solved the problem in one episode? They just….succeeded and didn’t continue the conflict into the next episode so their failure and uncertainty can be used as the basis for character development, introducing new technologies/species/recurring characters, and expanding the lore??? Well that sucks. 😐"
One of my favorite shows. My whole family would sit in the living room and watch it when it was on showtime. Also thought Shanks and Spader were the same until I was a teenager.
They do actually address the fact that all the planets they visit seem like Earth. In one episode, and I am paraphrasing here, O'Neill comes through the gate and sighs 'Trees, lots of trees' to which Samantha explains that because the Stargates were seeded on planets capable of supporting the human life form it makes sense they would have the same ecosystem. :)
Yeah, but even so it's still quite lame, because on the show it's almost always the same species of coniferous evergreen trees. AND, y'know, the planet Earth herself contains a whackload of diverse biomes that often look very dissimilar to one another.
When SG1 began airing, I was only 13 years old and this already bugged me immensely. When the creators decided to make foliage on one of the visited planets purple instead of green, I almost experienced orgasm, because it was FINALLY 'alien'-looking.
@@subraxas To be fair, the only way they could realistically have represented more alien biomes than they did on the budget they had available would have been more soundstage work and ropey 1990s VFX. 'Every planet is a Canadian forest' is a little lame in terms of worldbuilding, but I think the fact they shot so much on location means the series as a whole has aged way better visually than a lot of its contemporaries.
My mother’s name is Janet Fraser….needless to say we were instant fans of Stargate SG1 😂
I was roughly 12 when SG1 first aired and it’s one of the first shows I can remember watching from beginning to end. I felt like a major part of my life had come to an end when the show finished its run. Still a great show to this day!
I grew up on OG Trek reruns in the 70’s, moved on to TNG and generally am a massive Trek fan. But, SG-1 will always hold a special place, if I ever need to escape reality a little bit and be guaranteed a feel good show, this is it.
Undomesticated Equines could not drag me away from your YT channel.
❤
I rewatched the series recently- that 1990s tv production value really hit that nostalgia vibe for me and wasn't any sort of drawback. It really brought me back to a time when a show like this was fun and just a general week to week experience where you knew you were about to receive something entertaining. It's kind of like Highlander- you know it's not high art, but god damn it fills a hole you dont know you have until season about 5.
"All your gods are fake, here are machine guns" damn
Probably the most well written sci fi show I’ve ever seen and I’m a treker
then maybe give B5 or Cowboy Bebop (not the Netflix version) a watch ;)
Steins gate.
Ok honestly alot of anime are really good scifi.
A little bit of trivia: General Hammond was Scully's father for exactly 1 episode where he immediately died.
And in "Twin Peaks" he was an alien-listening Air Force Major!
Well, he did one other episode as a kinda ghost when Scully was near death
I think the things I respect most about SG1 are.....
1) There is usually a status Quo, but it changes slowly over the course of the show (S9 notwithstanding) as a natural growth of the story. The development of the team from barely understanding the most basic tech, and seeing Goa'uld technology as the pinnacle, to having their own starships..... it feels earned. Piece by piece and never surprising us.
2) They stick to the rules they set up. The 38 minute window is meticulously stuck to for example, and any exceptions are a major plot point. They revisit solutions to previous issues when faced with similar ones. They reference past adventures in order to establish continuity. And they barely retcon anything. There are a handful such as with the Zats but they are so few it is barely noticed.
Those are 2 things I love about Sci-Fi. Of all series we need adventure of the week, but background continuity and development, to make the show grow.
I was 13 or 14 years old when SG 1 premiered. I tuned in by chance. I recalled not liking the original movie back then, being disappointed by the underutilisation of the premise of the movie: the Stargate. The TV series got my immediate enthusiasm. After the first season, I rewatched the movie and grew more fond of it. From season two onward, Stargate became part of my childhood and growing up and was an escape from my own personal traumas. The characters were fascinating and admiring to watch with each his and her own journey of development, and antagonists to overcome who ultimately at times even grew into allies. The series radiated 'hope' and 'optimism' and a sense of 'what could be one day'. Stargate since accompanied me every week for the following 13 years. I never missed any episode in those years, waiting anxiously for the next episode - or rewatch the season repeats. The intro theme would sound in full blast in my room, making sure my mother and brother knew: It's the time! I would discuss the show and characters in school. I literally grew up with it. And when SGU concluded (too early), I felt like I completed a journey. Sad but content at the same time. This show like no other has left a mark on me. Can you imagine a show being done like this and this long in today's climate? I wish they would return to weekly shows that took their time 'to explore' instead of 6-10 episode binge-watch models that are forgotten as soon as another shows of some sort drops.
PS: "Lucy, I'm home!", "I'm not Lucy."
I'm envious. I recently watched the entire main corpus (3 series and the movies) for the first time. SG1 truly is a gem in Sci-Fi and I also liked Atlantis (Universe not so much tbh)
Glad you have discovered it
@@chrisdealemania me too
I love that the entire SG-TV series is a direct continuation of the movie. The movie fascinated me, and the TV show explored what these characters could, and would be. Brilliant!
@37:00 Obviously you were going to discuss Hammond, who I think hands down is the greatest general in media. He's a smart, capable leader but most importantly he listens to his people. He SUPPORTS them rather than telling them how to do what they do. Truly one of the greatest characters in all of Sci-Fi IMHO.
He led among his troops, not removed from them. If you think about it, his office desk is just one floor away from the edge of the world and into the dangers of the galaxy.
Hammond always struck me as firm but fatherly and as inspiring as an historical general.
God yes. I've been waiting for you to tackle Stargate since the Babylon 5 series. SG-1 and Atlantis are masterpieces, to me. Right up there with TNG, DS9, Babylon 5, and the early chunk of the BSG reboot.
Just have to say, Teryl Rothery is incredibly gorgeous and was always a favorite of mine on this show.
She is such a good actor and has great presence. She very quietly steels every scene she is in in Stargate.
I had the honor of being her security for three Stargate sci-fi conventions in the UK, she is a wonderfully warm and charming lady.
@@ukmediawarrior how very cool
As an anime geek, she has also played the 'english dub' version of several characters--she can play no-nonsense soldiers to japanese schoolgirls.
Yes !!!!! You just cured my boredom from work thank you again!!!
14:20 Based on O'Neill having killed Ra, the most feared among the Goa'oulds at that time. I think Teal'C couldn't believe his luck (he already was a rebel at that point, a sleeper agent).
Yeah. His mentor was Master Bra'tac. The seeds of doubt and rebellion were already in his head.
@@awesomedayz3465 the first primes knew they weren't gods, but thought rebellion was too risky, so better to save as many jaffa as they could by giving good counsel. Also without the Gou'ld their race would die out.
I think if they had just one scene with Tealc going 'omg! HE killed Ra!?' would have gone a long way.
Man in the early 2000’s, this show was inescapable on the sci-fi network… simpler times
And then one day sg1 would end and start would start on the same night. Mind blown.
The series casting was a continuing string of excellent choices
33:09 can you imagine the accountants trying to work that one out? "Hey why does Jack have two weeks of overtime this month?" "Oh that's not over time, that's time dilation, 2 weeks passed for him last tuesday?" "So is that overtime then or just regular pay?" "Ya know what, he saved the planet. Let's call it time and a half."
He spent two weeks' time doing one day of work.
I didn't know Cheyenne Mountain was a union shop.
How did they quantify pay and overtime when he was stuck in a time loop for 3 months?
@@jacobturnerart No overtime for that or they'd have to interview him about all the "things" he got up to during those 3 months which I'm sure he'd rather avoid.
@@jacobturnerart
They would just issue a "bonus" check. They'd probably use some generic reason or make it a commendation. It's all super top secret black ops level anyway, so it's not like they're getting audited.
The 1990s was the golden era for TV shows. SO many great and fun shows came out then. We were swimming in amazing stuff to watch. When networks took chances. Especially with sci fi and fantasy.
Such perfectly brilliant timing. I’ve just finished a binge watch of Stargate SG1 after not having seen a single episode in more than 12 years on the very day this drops. lol Well, almost. I’ve just watched Ark of Truth. I haven’t got to Continuum yet.
Looking forward to this.
I loved this show when I was growing up. From the age of 12 - 21 I think only missed 2 episodes on first broadcast. I was quite the fan. lol
Although it made them "samey", I really loved how O'Neill and Daniel rubbed off of each other to the point they had acquired parts of each other's personality. Daniel became a little more jaded and sarcastic but O'Neill comparatively did gain a better appreciation for other points of view and lost some of his military edge.
Also how Teal'c as time went on losing his "alienness" as he spent more time on Earth was great.
12:53 My wife and I went to BC Canada for our honeymoon. We both adored many different television shows that were produced in Vancouver. We would point out PX275 in Psych or the infamous Vancouver mansion 3689 Selkirk St, Vancouver, BC V6H 2Y9 that pops up in every show. Other great locations are the opera house in BSG was also a weak point between the two universes in Fringe. So many great shows are a product of BC Canada.
*stares at SG-1 boxset on my shelf* I should probably rewatch that, again. Great video Rowan.
VHS? 🙂
@@subraxas It's a bootleg one I got years ago. Got a really fancy case and then all the DVDs are just in slip-covers inside.
This show, especially the 1-5 run, was integral to my childhood and helped me define what I want from my own writing. Specifically, the character chemistry. I have never seen another show before or after (barring Atlantis, they nailed the vibes better than most spin-offs) do character chemistry quite like Stargate SG-1, and it's wonderful. Obviously props go to the actors for bringing them to life, each with their own unique flair, but I think part of it is that each of the main four are characterized perfectly to synergize AND butt heads with the other three in pretty much equal measure. The entire show is just the main four foiling off of each other constantly, it's a difficult equilibrium to achieve, let alone maintain, but Stargate manages it beautifully. Not only that, but they manage to integrate new personalities into the dynamic without ruining it; regulars like Hammond or Frasier can slide in and out seamlessly, guests like Bra'tac or Jacob fit in well, and later on Mitchell and Vala make for (in my opinion at least) excellent replacements/additions to the crew while still maintaining that unique chemistry.
Thanks Rowan. SG1 is one of my favorite shows ever
The thing that makes statgate SG-1 rise above many of its kind is that it never leaves the humanity of its characters behind. Most sci-fi forgets to show that its characters are fully fleshed out people with flaws that learn over time. Sci fi is at its best when it writes great characters. Star Trek Voyager could learn a thing or two.
One of the more fun or silly or minor or whatever things I appreciate more and more about Stargate SG1 is frankly, just how stunning, like almost unnaturally handsome and beautiful Michael Shanks is. There's a few seasons there where i don't know, his haircut, his face, I don't know. But by god, one of the best looking men I've ever seen hahaha I laugh because I don't really understand it, but I'm very serious. Honestly, that man should have been painted and carved into marble or something for appreciation by following generations lol
Never forget Hammond of Texas.
Agree completely that sokar was wasted. They tried to evoke the same mystery with Anubis in later seasons but I think sokar could have been even more menacing than Anubis had they given it a chance
Indeed. Sokar left quite an impression.
I’d agree Sokar was wasted but he’s not more menacing than Anubis
while a lot of what you say about O'Neil is true, I find it refreshing for a character who for all that was happening was a rock, an absolute constant you could always depend on to both do the right thing and quib about it. In my opinion it is also implied that hes light-harted attitude is largely an attempt to conceal his trauma and not let it bring down morale of his team.
This was an excellent look back, i even teared up a bit at Daniel ascending. Looking forward to the next part.
The very fact the O’Neill has many lacking qualities was all the more interesting to me - he’s not smart, not the best fighter etc but through his past trauma has a deep sense of loyalty - which is what makes him a great leader.
Correction, he is smart, very smart. He's not a scientifically educated as Jackson and Carter, but in most other situations, he would be one of the smartest people in the room. You don't get to his position by not being smart. However, he recognizes that he (we) doesn't need all the details and background.
I'll also add to your list of good quality. He's determined. He doesn't give up unless there really is no other option. Sometimes he still doesn't give up.
He's a good guy.
My mother dispaired at me and my stepfather taking over the only TV in the house to watch this every week-- "...Not 'Broach Head' Again!?"
😀
🤣🤣🤣
She sounds very supportive. Hope you got similar digs in about her favourite shows.
Best 70 mins I have wasted on TH-cam in a long time. Looking forward to Part 3.
If it was enjoyable. Was it truly a wasted 70 minutes?
Only on Earth. On Abbydos I think it was more like 33 minutes @@JobeStroud
Only halfway thrugh the video & just having finished rewatching all of sg-1, sga & sgu a couple mos. ago. I now find myself irresistibly drawn towards another rewatch. A true testament to Rowan's ability as a content creator! Ty Rowan for always rekindling the fires of sci-fi fandom.
Thank you! One of the best Sci-fi channels out there finally covers my favorite show! And done so just as tactfully and skillfully as the show was done. I wish humanity can return to creating more awesome shows like this in the future sometimes... instead of current year's corporate sewage. Respect to the (far and few between) exceptions.
"A Matter of Time" was the first episode of SG1 I saw on TV, and it certainly left quite the impression.
God I love and miss this show so much! They don’t make weekly episodic sci-fi like they used to 😭
Did you watch all 3 shows?
@@ANTIStraussian
I did , over and over ...
@@krixpop okay how about dark matter?
@@ANTIStraussian Dark Matter was decent but Killjoys was more fun.
@@agilemind6241 the expanse, Counterpart, Colony?
Outside of TOS, SG1 is easily the best introduction to scifi tv and one of my favorite shows of all time
TOS was a campy piece of trash
I'm a fan of both shows but t o s had a much worse batting ratio. It had some really good shows but about a third of it shows were bad to very bad. I don't remember Stargate SG-1 ever making me cringe.
You posted this 23 hours ago, and it's already got 35k views. Rowan, you are the MAN! Absolutely love your content and have been wanting a Stargate series retrospective for a while now. Thanks, man!
Love this show. @ the moment though I'm watching 'Babylon 5' :D
The two greats of the genre
i watch both yearly.
The effort you put into these videos really shines through, brilliant work.
These people were all in the X-Files too! I love how much crossover there is between sci fi show actors haha, Star Trek, Babylon 9, Star Gate, X-Files
Still is,ok iz might be just the canadian scifi fantasy scene, but they work in a lot there.
I just rewatched the Outer Limits and didn’t need to be told it was by the same people. The music sounds the same, so many overlapping SG1 actors, and of course, the same section of the British Columbia forest 🤣
That Don Lafontaine ad for the premiere episode really got me 🥺❤️
Great Video as always been a member for two and a half years.
Such a good show.
Personally I never got the feeling O’Neill looked down on Sam and Daniel because of them being nerds rather I just thought he got annoyed by them because of his inability to understand their technobabble
Warrick: "Here is the ship's operating manual. I had it translated for you."
Jack: _(looking over Sam's shoulder)_ "That's not our language!"
Sam: "It's-- mine. Sir."
Great Retrospective, thank you for this one hour travel into the past. Amazing work, keep it on.
I was just watching The Tomb episode, and here I find Rowan has a new video!
This show REALLY prepped Christopher Judge for when he got casted as Kratos.
Just brilliant Rowan, absolutely brilliant.
What a Trojan amount of work to bring to your fans, thank you.
“O’Neill stands off to the side, looking like he’s been waiting for a bus for too long”….great line.
The fact that folks weren’t and still aren’t, crying “Mary Sue” at Carter shows both that Tapping is an excellent actress and the writing and direction was stellar.
That hasmore to do with that ots a recent thing to outrage. Theones that usually are cowards in the way that they dont want to mess with preexisting fanbases already existing.
See sarah connor, xena , people outragibg are kinda cowards to not want to fight established fanbases.
ok i dont wownplay tapping, but old enoughsucessful franchisaes never ger accused
Mary Sues are characters who have no weaknesses or faults. This is not true of Carter.
@@phenom568 What are Carter's weaknesses or faults?
Mary Sues are the center of the attention whom the other characters depend on to do anything meaningful, plot-wise or not. Being perfect is just a side-effect of that stage-hogging presence.
@@phenom568 she has a few weaknesses in relationships, but especially in that pilot movie she is darn near perfect
The theme tune is awesome, a great mix of the original wonder-of-space-exploration opera movie score with martial band instruments to signify the military aspect of the show.
I never saw these early series when they were first aired in the UK as they were on the relatively new Sky satellite broadcasting channel, only when they began to air on terrestrial TV (Channel 4 i believe) did i start to see from the later series and then went back and caught-up. Now watching the re-runs ironically on 'Sky Mix' digital TV channel.
One of my favourite shows of all times watch them all through regularly
Love your channel ! Love your videos . I miss this show very much I’m glad it’s still on the brain for people .
Your perspective on O'Neill (two L's) is very interesting. I do agree that the character doesnt get a lot of character development compared to the rest, but thats because he's such a great character to begin with and you definitely notice something missing when he's not there in later seasons (Though i do think the show suffers when trying to force him into episodes in later seasons too). I definitely prefer O'Neill's character staying the same to the way that Jackson "evolved" into an action hero in later seasons as you mentioned
One thing i definiately do agree with though is the weird pacing of certain storylines. Particularly in the case of Dr Jackson's wife, the way that storyline is wrapped up is very strange. I can only assume there are behind the scenes reasons that it went down that way (actor availability maybe, she also did have Shanks's baby during production). The Skara storyline was definitely due to the actor being unavailable.
Got the notification of ur new video ...
In The Middle Of My Backswing ?!!!
Legitimately one of the best sci fi time travel episodes ever
Stargate is the OG of science fiction!
Just finished watching season 5... Perfect timing, Rowan!
I’ve just finished season 10 and Ark of Truth. Feels very serendipitous.
I think you misunderstood O'Neill: he knows he is just an ordinary soldier, he knows how important and smart Samantha Carter and Daniel Jackson are. He is just like an ordinary American would be among smart people. He knows his own value as a soldier and officer, but also really appreciates the knowledge of Samantha and Daniel. He tries to be a leader who will help smart members of his team to shine. In The Lost City, it's clearly seen - O'Neill decides to sacrifice himself because others are more important. His character is also better standing on the ground, thus we have sometimes these discussions on what to do with Daniel and Samantha.
I always felt like this show stood out quite distinctly from its sci-fi counterparts largely because of its emphasis on human history. I loved how much the show runners were willing & able to explore just off the premise of Egyptian & Scandinavian mythos. It got me so much more interested in history than any class curriculum ever could.
Love this show really enjoyed my rewatch last year when it's good it's great and Captain Carter 😍
I love this. I love this show just a bit less than Trek. I hope a decent revival is in the works. Not a reboot, but revival.
I'd be happy if they just gave SGU a finale.
I love SG1 a whole lot more than trek, it doesn't take itself seriously.
I am with you. I want a revival, though I am a little bit afraid, given the realities of the TV industry at the moment, that a revival will only entail six episodes every 18 months or so, And will delve into the grim dark a little too much.
As far as I can tell, nothing is in the works. Brad Wright was contacted a few years ago about the possibility of doing a revival, and he submitted all of his plans and notes on what he’d like to do, which MGM seemed interested in at the time, But that died on the line over the course of the next two years, and at present, there does not appear to be any real discussion of a revival or a reboot going on at MGM.
An old man oneil led one,? that has cameos. .
Also love it to indeed ig star trek hasmore meat to nerd into
@mahatmarandy5977 yeah I have concerns too. I think the devs have been very active in the community post shows. It would depend on studio involvement that would make or break it.
I love this revisit. I hopped into Stargate SG-1 by season 5. Always missed the showings as VOD really wasn’t a thing at the time but saw the commercials and was captivated by the premise of SciFi but in the present day. When it came to the ScuFi channel in the states it became so accessible to me and a generation of audiences.
Loved the movie since I was a kid, but the series is my favourite series of all time
My wife and I are watching SG-1 now. She has never seen it and I watched it when it was new. Such a fun series and great video about this first half
Absolute favourite favourite show! I know it wasn't perfect, but it was so self-aware that the minor things made it all the more endearing. I truly feel it is the most underrated sci-fi show ever!!!
The exchange:
"Basically he was the original Satan"
"Well isn't that special?"
is a reference to Dana Carvey's character The Church Lady on Saturday Night Live. The second line is a direct quote, and she often said "Could it be.... SATAN?!" whose name would echo.
I never watched this show on tv or syndication. A used media chain would always have the dvd boxes sets quite cheap, so i scooped the first season on a whim and then was hooked. Even got my dad into the show. Sold the dvds when Netflix first seemed like a golden future that would remove the need to own physical media - i wish i had understood licensing and it's implications and kept my copies!
Can't wait for you to get to Atlantis. My wife laughed at me when i saw Khal Drago and exclaimed, "Hey, that's that surfer guy from Stargate!"
The time loop episode and Wormhole Extreme are two of my favorites!
I disagree with your take on O’Neill but you said yourself it was a controversial opinion. I do agree that they lean too heavily on his (seemingly feigned ) lack of understanding and specifically related to window of opportunity it always bothered me that they spent part of their loop learning to read and speak Ancient but never use that again. Both tealc and O’Neill should be able to read and understand ancient going forward but they defer to Daniel as if they never learned a word
favorite show as a teenager. just started watching it again at 38
Great review and retrospective on this entertaining show....I also hope you do a review/retrospective on the spin-off series 'Stargate Atlantis' as well (because I really enjoyed that series too)...
Oh man, that brought back memories. I used to love that show. Fell of with season 6 or 7 though.
It is a little bit to pulpy for my liking nowadays but thats what they where going for and I have to respect these really strong early seasons.
Well thought out storylines and charakters. There was a clear vision behind that project thats for sure.
And there was a good mix out of stand alone and Main plot episodes. Something I miss sometimes in modern series. There is no stand alone anymore just cliffhangers it seems like.
Coincidentally I just started rewatching the series a couple weeks ago, and have bingewatched myself up to the Wormhole X-Treme episode today, so this video was way more entertaining and engaging than it would have been for me otherwise. I haven’t watched it in several years, so I decided to rewatch everything, even the episodes I generally skip (some of which I haven’t seen in a decade) and am pleasantly surprised at how even the sub-par episodes generally introduce at least one element that will be touched on again later on in the series.
One element of the show that is completely unique is that it is able to play off of (then)contemporary society and make use of our real world understanding of how the world works. For instance, I just watched the episode where Carter gets kidnapped by a dying tech billionaire that wants to use a Go’a’uld to heal himself. We are treated to an untrustworthy element of the US government, a rogue spy, government interference, and a genuinely harrowing rush to rescue Carter before she’s dissected.
It struck me that there is no other space based planet of the week science-fiction TV show that could possibly have done a story like that. Star Trek could never have a corrupt and trenched agency Starfleet because it is utopian. Nor could there be government figures pulling strings for self-aggrandizing purposes because, again, the federation is utopian. Now it might be possible to do something like that in Star Trek but you would need an insane amount of set up and info dumps to explain how these agencies are not the norm, and the federation is still heaven, blah blah blah, blah blah. And it wouldn’t work. Stargate, on the other hand, can get away with this because it is set right here, right now, in something very close to the real world. Our government is not perfect and it is not 100% trustworthy, and stories about government agencies working across purposes with each other and doing occasional despicable. Things are in the newspaper all the time. The episode is able to leverage our view of the real world to make use of all of these factors without really having to explain them.
After all this time, we still really don’t know how the Federation works, but we do know how early 21st century America works, and that just streamline the storytelling.
I think it also helps that Stargate command is set within an actual real military. The SGC is fictional, but those establishing shots it always shows of Cheyenne mountain? Those are real. And there is a base built into that mountain, the SGC is just a fictional one underneath the real one. That’s cool, right? And the US has a huge military. It can be taken for granted than many of the people watching the show were either in the military, or had personal experience with it. The characters in Stargate never act exactly the correct way they would in the actual USAF, it is close enough and taken seriously enough that we do understand what they’re doing and why, and it is pretty consistent. As opposed to Starfleet, which is a sensibly a military organization, but which frequently appears to be less consistent and disciplined down the Boy Scouts. (Seriously: if you’re American, and you ever watched Star Trek with somebody who was in the service, particularly the Navy, you will have at least one memory of that person, throwing up their hands and frustration and saying, ‘what the hell are they doing? This makes no sense whatsoever!’ Because that’s just not the way anybody’s military does things. So Stargate is able to make use of an actual real organization that many in the audience would already be familiar with an understand, and maintain consistent uniforms And decorum. Hell, if you’re a big enough military geek (which I am not, but I come from an Air Force family) you can even learn a lot about the characters back stories simply by the service ribbons they are wearing on their uniforms. They actually mean stuff - what they’re trained for, what they’ve done, etc. Hammond wears pilot wings, and has a Vietnam service ribbon, ergo he was a fighter pilot in Vietnam. Jack wears master paratrooper wings, which means his specialty is paratroop/covert operations, and that he’s done well over 50 jumps on missions.
Yeah, just can’t do that on Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica or whatever .
Absolutely amazing video and great information and insights!
For me SG1 was my first Sci-fi show that I actually like. Me and my best friend love this show.
I was looking forward to this so much and it delivered! I love your insight on the logical consistency of the storytelling across the TV versions of the Stargate universe.
Much like DS9, I saw SG1 in a limited and fractured form on UK TV (channel 4 on Sunday afternoons in the early 2000s). It's really cool to see a video covering the more overarching plot.
Thank you Rowan! I have been looking forward to this forever. Please do SGA, the other movies, and SGU(I never really understood the story line of SGU so it would be nice to see how it came together!
A great video! The subject matter sure doesn't hurt either; with the opening notes of SG1 automatically making me pay attention and harken back to a better time when I could sit in front of my parents telly watching Stargate without a worry in the world!
My childhood favorite. I first watched Children of the Gods when I rented the DVD then it kicked off. I would spend my holiday job money buying the DVDs and had great joy receiving it on my mail.
I loved all the earth episodes. A lot of people don’t but they keep forgetting like let’s say this was real I feel like this is exactly how it would go down.
i think there was a mention of 'every planet looks like a Canadian forest' in the show being explained by the fact that some alien seeded all the habitable planets in the galaxy with trees from Canada.
I was sorry to miss the live, but absolutely loved this trip down memory lane. Such a great show! Thanks for the hard work!
I will admit. It took me way longer than it should have for me to realize O’Neill and Daniel were played by different actors as well. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one.
I started watching SG1 before I saw the movie. I didn’t feel lost as I hadn’t seen the movie and I enjoyed the way it set up the characters and the story going forward. Once I saw the movie a lot of the things that the pilot referred to made more sense. I loved the series and how the movies relate to the series.