Amanda Tapping Movie:

		List Price: $14.95		Label: MGM Domestic Television Distribution Salesrank: 63566 Released: February 29, 2000
		Our Price: $3.53
		Used Price: $0.15
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Episode #8.1: New Order Part 1 - When Carter and TealÂ'c fly to the Asgard world of Hala in hopes of finding a way to revive OÂ'Neill, they are attacked by Replicators, who take Carter prisoner. Meanwhile, Dr. Weir and Daniel Jackson attempt to negotiate a treaty with GoaÂ'uld System Lords who wish to unite against a common enemy. Episode #8.2: New Order Part 2 - The GoaÂ'uld send a mothership to Earth, demanding that it prove its superior defenses. As Dr. Weir applies her most expert diplomatic tactics, Daniel and the still unconscious body of Colonel O'Neill are unexpectedly beamed aboard ThorÂ's ship, where Thor tries to access the knowledge of the Ancients. Episode #8.3: Lock Down - When Jackson contracts a mysterious illness from a Russian colonel, OÂ'Neill is convinced that a contagion has infected the base and orders a lockdown. But when Jackson reveals that he was actually possessed by Anubis, who is now loose on the base, OÂ'Neill must discover the identity of the new host! Episode #8.4: Zero Hour - OÂ'Neill finds his plate full with a visit from the president and negotiations between two warring tribes from the planet Amra. But when SG-1 is captured by a GoaÂ'uld System Lord and heÂ's forced to choose between the safety of the team and the fate of an entire planet, OÂ'Neill begins to question his competency!

Description of Stargate SG-1 Season 1, Vol. 1: Episodes 1-3:
The Showtime cable series Stargate SG-1 turns the premise of Stargate into a surprisingly viable formula, with former MacGyver star Richard Dean Anderson assuming Kurt Russell's role as Air Force hero Jack O'Neill. Michael Shanks inherits James Spader's role as archeologist Daniel Jackson, and the series' 1997 pilot, "Children of the Gods," reunites the adventurers when the Air Force's Stargate facility on Earth is attacked by sentries from Abydos, the distant planet on the other side of the space-warping Stargate. Faced with a new nemesis from Abydos, O'Neill and the fresh recruits of Unit SG-1 must return to the planet and close off the Stargate to prevent further attacks on Earth. It's a pretty standard adventure, with brief, gratuitous R-rated nudity not seen in the original cablecast, but Anderson's an appealing leader of the well-chosen cast (including Alexis Cruz, reprising his role from the film), and the show's production values are consistently high. Taking logical steps from Stargate, series developers Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner have managed an admirable feat, creating a spin-off that doesn't feel like a rip-off.

Episode One, "The Enemy Within," continues the SG-1 pilot, with the discovery that officer Kawalsky (Jay Acavone) is now the enslaved host of a Goa'uld larvae--a snakelike parasite from Abydos that has seized control of Kawalski's nervous system. Only an elaborate surgical procedure can save Kawalski's life, and the SG-1 loyalty of Teal'c (Christopher Judge)--a former enemy from Abydos who is also a Goa'uld host--is put to the test.

Episode Two, "Emancipation," guest-stars Soon-Tek Oh as the leader of the Shavadai, a Mongolian-like tribe on the planet Simarka, where the SG-1 Unit has arrived via the Stargate to begin their first expedition. The Shavadai view women as subservient and submissive, so the presence of SG-1 Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) causes an instant--and, for Carter, potentially deadly--uproar. This episode offers an enjoyable balance of humor and suspense, and establishes Tapping as a witty sparring partner for Anderson. --Jeff Shannon

Stargate SG-1 Season 1, Vol. 1: Episodes 1-3 Reviews:
When fair movies become great TV
2006-08-19 - Most TV shows spun off from movies are uninvolving and uninteresting ("Blade," anyone?), and hopefully die and are forgotten.

That wasn't the case with the spinoff of the 1995 movie "Stargate," an okay science fiction movie that spawned an excellent television series. The first volume of the first season -- a TV movie and two more episodes -- shows that it wasn't quite on even ground yet, but had more promise than most sci-fi shows.

The Stargate has been inactive for a year -- until it is activated, and a bunch of Egyptian-styled warriors come through and kidnap a young officer. General Hammond (Don S. Davis) pulls Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) out of retirement to learn what really happened on the planet of Abydos, and where these mysterious aliens have come from.

O'Neill and a small team go to Abydos and encounter Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) who has been learning about a vast network of Stargates over the past year. But when Daniel's wife Sha're and brother-in-law Skaara are abducted by the same warriors, O'Neill, Jackson and Air Force scientist Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping) use the Stargate to venture to where they're being kept.

What they find is an alien race who inhabits human hosts, the Goa'uld, and their ruthless slave warriors, the Jaffa. Carter, O'Neill and Jackson are captured by the powerful Apophis -- but to escape, they must have the help of an unlikely ally: Teal'c (Christopher Judge), one of the Jaffa.

"The Enemy Within" strikes when Major Kawalsky (Jay Acovone) starts acting oddly, and they find that he's been infected by a Goa'uld symbiote in the previous battle. O'Neill is busy defending the prisoner Teal'c, and trying to support his buddy as scientists try to extract the symbiote. But to free Kawalsky, they may have to destroy him...

"Emancipation" was the first standalone episode, when the newly-formed SG-1 team arrives on a planet of Mongol descendents, where women are treated as chattel. Sam is understandably peeved by this, especially when she is captured and traded as part of a Romeo-and-Juliet situation. Now the guys have to get Sam back without sparking off a little war.

The first volume of this series is kind of awkward -- the characters are still at arm's length, Teal'c is an enigma, and everybody gets overly worried whenever the SG-1 team doesn't show up on time. But it shows the seeds of what would become an excellent TV series, both in the overall arc storyline and the standalone episodes.

One of the best things about this show is the snappy dialogue, mostly provided by the cynical, tart-tongued O'Neill -- after sending a "message" box of tissues through the Stargate, he says sarcastically, "Well sir, they could be blowing their noses right now!"

The Egyptian-styled sets and effects have a slightly low-budget style, but the script adds some brilliant twists to the original idea, such as hundreds of Stargates scattered through the cosmos. And the makers add some warm scenes, such as the eager Abydonian teenagers celebrating with O'Neill and his pals, which really makes the characters seem human.

The cast is also quite good -- Michael Shanks and Richard Dean Anderson have excellent chemistry as the cynical military man and the enthusiastic geek. Tapping is also quite good, although her character takes awhile to fit in, but Judge sadly doesn't get to show much of his formidable range as Teal'c, and O'Neill's demand that he be part of SG-1 seems very forced.

The premiere episodes "Stargate SG-1" are solid ones, although they have flaws that the succeeding seasons have since smoothed out. A solid, interesting beginning to a good series.

stargate sg1
2005-08-04 - In a deep planet faith is waiting for them to save there world. But now they have to stop aboydos the sun godes of egypt from forcing people to work for him

KEEP IN MIND THE DESCRIPTION IS FOR THE DVD
2005-02-02 - This version-the VHS-DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SECOND EPISODE. It only includes the pilot, Children of the Gods.


This pilot is a great viewing experience, as are most of the SG1 series. It combines action, aliens, great acting and great writing to make it a must see show for almost all sci-fi fans.

A decent movie is turned into a pretty good TV series
2003-07-19 - I have stumbled across "Stargate SG-1" on cable television from time to time and so it was a real treat to go back to the beginning and see how Showtime was able to turn a moderately successful science fiction film into a very good science fiction television series. There is a special edition version of the 1995 theatrical film starring Kurt Russell and James Spader so even if you have seen it before you can refresh your memory as to what happened and get some added scenes as well.

The pilot movie, "Children of the Gods" (Written by Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright, Aired July 1997) has General Hammond (Don S. Davis from "Twin Peaks") dragging Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson in the Russell role) back for one "last" mission through the Stargate. Since the huge, shimmering ring of glowing matter that allows instant transportation between different worlds could be used by the evil Egyptian-like aliens to use to Earth, it was supposedly destroyed. But there is now evidence that Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks in the Spader role) might still be alive (a great use of Kleenex by the way). The pilot takes O'Neill and his team back to Abydos, where they have a confrontation with the Goa'ulds, who are now led by Apophis (Peter Williams), a Ra-wannabee. What makes this a good pilot is that not only does it assemble what will be the SG-1 team, adding Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), a theoretical astrophysicist, and Teal'c (Christopher Judge), a high-ranking Jaffa for Apophis who defects to the humans, but it establishes several elements for the series that can be exploited down the line. 5 Stargates.

Consequently, the first season of "Stargate SG-1" offers a blend of episodes that have the quartet visiting new worlds through the Stargate and those that deal with the continuing evil efforts of Apophis and the Goa'ulds. Many times, even if the Jaffa are not running around, the have had an impact on the planet being visited.

Episode 1, "The Enemy Within" (Written by Brad Wright, Aired August 1, 1997) is basically a continuation of the pilot with one of O'Neill's officers and friends, Major Charles Kawalksy (Jay Acavone), the host of one of the Goa'uld larvae. The contrast here is between a friend being turned into a traitor against his will by one parasite while Teal'c has to prove his loyalty. The attempt to get the larvae out of Kawalsky continues the theme in the pilot of making the conflict with the Goa'uld extremely personal for O'Neill. 5 Stargates.

Episode 2, "Emancipation" (Written by Kathryn Powers, Aired August 8, 1997) sends the SG-1 crew back out through the Stargate and makes it clear that each trip to a new planet is usually going to confront them with a people who are not as technologically advanced (there are a couple of key exceptions in season one). This episode also establishes that most of the people they are going to encounter come form Earth stock, such as the Shavadai, a tribe related to the Mongols, on the planet Simarka. The Shavadai consider women to be inferior, which means Carter is in for a series of rude shocks. The plot is rather predictable, but the episode does have its comic aspects and shows that Carter can hold her own with the boys both in terms of cracking jokes and fighting her way out of duel to the death. 4 Stargates.

Even if you never saw or were not overly enamored of the original "Stargate" film, if you make it through these first three episodes (keeping in mind the pilot is basically a movie) you will be impressed enough to move on to the next volume. I would encourage you to keep going because you should get seriously hooked on this series by the time you get to the fourth volume, let along the season-ending cliffhanger in volume five.

Let me put it to you this way. The first season of "Stargate SG-1" is a lot better than the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and you know how good that series got. It is also helping me avoiding suffering serious withdrawl from the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

a must
2003-05-31 - If you love stargate, you must own this DVD with the pilot. What more is there to say?