"Please Watch SG Atlantis! Please! PLEASE!"

SG-1 was, to my mind, one of the four greatest Television Series ever made. It had bad episodes like every other programme. But ever since the series was syndicated half-way through series five, the sheer number of half-baked, cliched and 'Filler' episodes per series has grown beyond all belief.

This trend has peaked with series ten and left me feeling bitterly disappointed. I loved the previous series so much that I wish I could give it five stars. But remember, a TV series is not a work of art, it is a cash-cow designed to earn revenue through syndication, advertising and merchandising fees.

One minor story line during the ninth and tenth series of SG-1 was that Stargate Command's funding had been cut by 70% in order to free up more resources for the Atlantis project. And having sat through the vast number of 'Filler' episodes in this series, I am almost completely convinced that this storyline was based on fact.

All of the writer's and producer's attention was entirely focused on SG Atlantis, because they'll need good ratings to push the programme to series five and beyond. The cross-over episode was yet another attempt to 'Net' the hardcore SG-1 fans. And so whilst the six or seven episodes that actually followed the Ori plotline ran the gammit from great to incredible, the rest of the series is mediocre at best, and there was no 'Ending' of any kind.

Don't get me wrong. The final episode of series ten was very good indeed. But having spent the whole series longing for another Grand Finale, the storyline simply tailed off and left me feeling very disappointed. And so whilst"The Ark of Truth" was an incredible film that rounded off the storyline very nicely, in the end, the tenth series only really deserves three stars.

All change at the SGC

With the majority of the Goa'uld defeated during the previous season this ninth season sees the rise of a new threat to the galaxy in the form of the godlike Ori. This season also sees changes to the main cast with Richard Dean Anderson leaving the main cast and new faces in the shape of Ben Bowder, Claudia Black (both from the excellent Farscape) and Lexa Doig (from Andromeda) joining the show on a regular or semi-regular basis. This change in cast could have been quite terrible but thankfully Ben Bowder more than fills Anderson's shoes as Lt. Col. Mitchell, the new leader of SG-1, and all the other new additions to the cast also fit in very well.

The storyline of this season is good, with the defeat of the Goa'uld last season it was inevitable that a new galactic threat was going to be introduced and the Ori are an interesting addition to the Stargate universe, even if they are a rather thinly veiled critic of religious extremism.

There are many good episodes from this season and as a whole it has a many more good episodes than many of the previous seasons. The Ori plot arc is present to a greater or lesser degree in virtually all of the episodes and this gives the season a nice sense of continuity. My favourite episode from this season has to be the excellent `Babylon' which sees Mitchell captured by mysterious Jaffa isolationists and has a nice Last Samurai fell to it.

Despite it continuing for more than nine years by this point, this season of Stargate still feels fresh and I think that much of this has to do with the new cast that have been added this year. The writing and acting are all still above the average for a genre show and Stargate as a whole only gets better and better. I can only hope that the tenth and final series continues this trend.

awsome

i bought this about a week ago and watched the whole seaon in 2 days :) and i must say i think that it was amazing. a bit grainy but this is due to the fact the the early seasons of sg1 did not have a very high budget but is still good all the same. i definatly recommend this. buy it now!!!

Search for the Lost City

Season seven of Stargate SG-1 sees the return of Daniel Jackson to the team after having his memory erased and returned to human form, as well as the leaving of Jonas Quinn and a somewhat reduced role for Jack O'Neill. The season itself is somewhat random in its episode quality with some terrible episodes, such as Avenger 2.0, but the season finally makes up for all the bad episodes with a greatly cinematic and exciting episode. Although altogether season seven is not the greatest Stargate season ever but the many good episodes outweigh the dire ones.

Another Great Series

SG-1 are back! And this time they ’ ve brought Special Features. Jack (Two L ’ s) O ’ Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) and Teal ’ c (Christopher Judge) return for a third action packed series.

From the end of Season 2 we find SG-1 trapped on Hathor ’ s home planet seeking a way home. Through the ending of this particular storyline in the episode ‘ Into the Fire ’ we get a good idea of how the series will continue. The humour is more free flowing and the team seems more united than ever.

Season 1 saw SG-1 encounter new enemies within the Goa ’ uld while Season 2 provided them with some willing allies. Now, in Season 3 the story takes centre stage. Episodes like ‘ Legacy ’ (304), ‘ Point of View ’ (306), ‘ The Devil You Know ’ (313), ‘ Maternal Instinct ’ (320) and ‘ Nemesis ’ (322) show just how great the writing is on the show as well as showing off the special effects that the producers have to offer.

For the third series running we are left on a cliffhanger on in the final episode with the introduction of the greatest threat to the Asgard – the replicators. These little guys just mean business and are a great addition to the Stargate universe.

As for Special Features, the Season Three Box-Set has some tricks up its sleeve (no pun intended). With profiles for Samantha Carter, Teal ’ c, George Hammond and Daniel Jackson, along with very insightful mini-documentaries about certain aspects of the Stargate universe, we are given great insight into how the show is made.

All in all the Season 3 Box-Set is a well compiled piece of work and should be in any true Stargate fan ’ s wishlist. All twenty-two episodes have enough action to sate even the most hardcore action fan and the background team, who are shown in one of the special feature mini-documentaries, have done more great work on creating the world which the SG-1 team visit.

I love linking stories

This is season 5, and it is a bit different from season 1-4. The reason for this is that this season links various previous episodes together. I happen to love this, I love it when old characters are returned to us, and that seemingly unimportant episode that you watched a few years ago suddenly becomes oh so important.
However, from reading the reviews on here I see that this isnt everyones cup of tea. So, for me I give it 5 stars because I would like to see much much more of this sort of thing, the story lines are strong, they dont let the previous seasons stories down whilst extending them.
Just so you really get the picture, you can go about 5 or 6 episodes in a row with the words"previously on Stargate SG1" although they are all continued from different episodes/seasons.

odd volumn numbers

Just a quick note, odd numbering of volumes
This box set contains Volumes 2 - 7,
which is odd, dont know what volumes the first season contains
Season Three which I also have contains volumes 8 - 13

Stop fretting and buy it!

I may be taking a bit of a chance with the title of my review, as"luck of the draw" can sometimes enter into things, but I have to say that after dithering over my choice of versions of the Stargate series, I'm very pleased with my eventual-purchase!

So far I'm halfway through Series 3 - and no problems. Picture and sound quality is fine, and there's little fuss in getting into each episode (I usually choose my own, instead of just going into"play"). The packaging is fine, too - quite compact, and each disc is securely held in it's own folder, easy to remove and return without damage. The price is, in my view, a fair one too.

What more can a person ask of a DVD set? Hope it helps if you are in the boat I was, a few weeks ago!

season 4, stargate sg1

exellent story lines....
i watched the whole box set over 2 days !
loved it.

This is where it all started to go downhill

When actor Michael Shanks first 'ascended' and was replaced, I didn't have a problem with that. I had no problem when he returned except for thinking that they should also have kept his replacement. However that return preceeded bringing his real-life girlfriend into the latest two series of Stargate SG-1, a refugee from the series Andromeda. If you now add on two refugees from the series Farscape, and a General with the weakest chin ever seen then all I can say is"Enjoy this last series of Stargate SG-1, and then move on to Stargate Atlantis". It's all downhill from here on.

The low point

Like all great series SG-1 has had it’s highs and lows, series 6 was, unfortunatly, the worst series to date.
With the depature of Danieal Jackson the group had to have a new member, in the shape of Jonnas Quin. Unfortunatly Jonnas was never truly explored as a character, he failed to appear in 2-3 of the episodes and in the episodes he did appear he often had next to nothing to do. Because of this he never realy managed to feel like anything other than a rushed replacment for Daniel and the series suffered for it.

If you are a SG-1 fan then this is a worthy buy to complete the set, otherwise it’s best left ignored

One of the Four Greatest TV Series Ever Made...BUT!!!

As the title states, it's my opinion that `Stargate SG-1' was one of the four greatest television programmes ever made. Because unlike its illegitimate offspring `Stargate Atlantis,' SG-1 was that rarest of Television jewels; a science-fiction series with depth, soul, originality, intelligence, emotion, wonderful writing, great acting, and which didn't rely on action and CGI to hold the viewers' interest.

In fact, whilst some science-fiction fans attempt to ridicule the first series' low budget special effects, I applaud them as being realistic and point out that the stories are truly excellent, regardless of the lack of CGI.

If you are looking for an engrossing, thrilling and intelligent story that lasts for eight whole series, which is followed by a second story which lasts for two more, then this is almost definitely for you. And the mere fact that the `Powers That Be' didn't cancel SG-1 after two or three series to make way for high-budget schlock proves that we are hungry for this kind of in-depth and original story telling.

THE BEST BITS:

First of all, the Goa'uld are almost certainly the most original villains of any science fiction series ever made; villains who were most memorably brought to life by the actors who played Apophis, Chronus, Lord Yu, Baal and Moloch.

Furthermore, the simple fact that there were so many Goa'uld meant that unlike the replicators, the Ori, the Wraith and countless other `villains,' the writers didn't have to avoid killing them off for fear that it would end the programme.

Secondly, although he very rarely said anything, the Character of Teal'c brought SG-1 to life and had the most memorable lines in the entire series:

"Many have said that, but you are the first who I believed could do it!"

"For our father."

And of course, the epoch making line,

"Tal Shaka Mell! I Die Free!"

The episodes written by Christopher Judge (the actor who played Teal'c) are amongst the best of the series, but please do not assume from this that he alone carried the story.

Dr Daniel Jackson was SG-1's conscience, the only member of the team who wasn't a soldier or a warrior and who always viewed violence as the last resort.

In the episodes `Scorched Earth' and `Enemy Mine' when the soldiers' insisted that violence was the solution, he risked his own life to ensure that reason and diplomacy saved the day. And in the episode `Cor-ai,' one of the best episodes of series one, he and Teal'c both shared the spotlight whilst arguing the complex ethical issues that arose when Teal'c was convicted of murder.

`The First Commandment' was another wonderful episode which helped to explain how the Goa'uld, a race of parasites with stolen technology could have come to view themselves as Gods. Because believing the insane Airforce Captain's weapons to be supernatural power, a race of humans on a primitive planet believe that he is a God. And growing drunk on the power and worship that they offer him, the Captain also starts to believe that he is one as well.

Moving back to the characters and storylines however, I also believe that the `Tok'ra' in this series deserved an Emmy in their own right. Because although they were of the same species as the Goa'uld and shared the same genetic memory, the Tok'ra simply refused to be evil.

Instead, they chose to sacrifice their own lives in their ongoing war to overthrow the Goa'uld. And whilst the Asgard were prevented from destroying the Goa'uld because they were battling the replicators, (and besides, the moment that the Goa'uld were defeated then the story would be over) they were also true heroes who deserved our love and respect.

There are so many wonderful episodes of SG-1 and so many great storylines that it would be almost impossible for me to list all of them here.

Even after the defeat of the Goa'uld and the departure of O'Neill at the end of series eight, the SG-1 writers still managed to create new characters, a new enemy and a new storyline that were all at least as good as the originals. But no matter how good a series might be however, there are always going to be some things which you truly cannot help but despise.

THE WORST BITS:

As with any science fiction series, there are many episodes of SG-1 which you only need to watch once; the half-baked, clichéd, filler material that doesn't add anything to the overall story and which can easily be forgotten. But whilst I can forgive the writers, actors and directors for taking the occasional breather, there are several episodes which are so atrocious that the very thought of watching them makes me want to smash the Television!

The 100th and 200th episodes of SG-1 are both unmitigated rubbish; a self-indulgent opportunity for the writers, actors and producers to cheer the fact that they'd reached these magic numbers. But considering that a US series can be syndicated once it has 100 episodes in the can, earning hundreds of millions of dollars for the companies and money-men involved, I don't think it's coincidence that the number of rubbish and filler episodes began to grow after series five.

Despite the `Death' of Daniel Jackson at the end of series five however, series six of SG-1 was actually pretty okay.

Dr Jackson's replacement Jonas Quinn was fairly good as the smiling rookie. His character development gave the writers a little more material to work with, and Dr Jackson's special appearances as an `Ascended Being' kept us going until he was returned to human form at the beginning of series seven. But of course, in spite of Dr Jackson's glorious return, I'm sad to say this was also the point when the real `filling' began.

Episodes 13, 14 and 15 of series seven were an offensive waste of time. The two-part episode `Heroes' was just as bad, and `Inauguration' was yet another bleeding clip-show. But to top it all off, `Resurrection' has got to be the worst episode ever made!

Never mind the fact that the story is a shameless rip-off of `Alien Resurrection,' the clichés are SO blatant (they even resurrected the old Nazi stereotypes for God's sake) and the script is SO one-dimensional that I can hardly believe I watched it at all.

We were supposed to feel sympathy for the genetically engineered girl. But by the end, I was just glad that she was dead so that I could get on with my life!

Believe it or not, series eight, nine and ten of SG-1 have even more rubbish and filler episodes than series seven. And after the defeat of the Goa'uld and the replicators, the last three episodes of series eight were just designed to kill time until the next series of `Atlantis.' But even throughout the episodes which I love with all my heart, there are several storylines and character traits that still fill me with rage.

At the very top of this list of course, it has got to be the bigotry of Colonel Jack O'Neill; not just towards the Russians and to people he doesn't know, but especially towards the Tok'ra because he believes that `A Snake is a Snake.'

The plot scenario in `Abyss' for example was based upon the flimsy premise that a Tok'ra symbiote had stolen O'Neill's body and then abandoned him when he was captured. In fact, the symbiote had committed this crime to try and save the woman he loved and then sacrificed himself to protect the secrets of the Tok'ra. But for the rest of the series, O'Neill clings to this experience as `proof' that the Tok'ra are just as bad as the Goa'uld.

"Canaan has fought the Goa'uld longer than any of you have lived, and yet you spit the word `Symbiote' as though you spoke of vermin."

Sometimes whilst I'm watching SG-1, I physically have to hold my nose because the stench of bigotry emanating from the Television is just too much for me to bare. And during the episode `Memento' when O'Neill was supposed to be diplomatic, I still find it hilarious that the writers needed to make his adversary even more bigoted by comparison.

Although it only lasted until the 13th episode of series one however, Captain Carter's `Feminist' character trait also makes me grind my teeth; accusing O'Neill of sexism when in fact he just doesn't like anyone who he doesn't already know.

After the episode `Hathor' of course, Carter's gender was never raised as an issue because it was utterly irrelevant. But the one storyline that makes me want to scream has got to be the immortal NID.

Having first been introduced as a rival military organisation who wanted to acquire technology at any cost; a group of unethical megalomaniacs who behaved much more like the US military that we all know and revile, SG-1 exposed their operations, but the organisation survived. They exposed their operations again, but the organisation survived again.

Even at the end of series 10, an NID Shadow Group called `The Trust,' was still alive and kicking under Goa'uld control. But for God's sake! This was supposed to be a science fiction series, not a remake of the bleeding X-Files!

The Episodes in which SG-1 battled `The Lucian Alliance' in series nine and ten were also a total waste of time. The Galaxy was being invaded by the Ori, and yet we were supposed to give a damn about a group of mercenaries and smugglers who controlled most of the galaxy's black market?

But whilst these storylines were 100% pure filler, I will always reserve a special place in Hell for the Nox, the Tolans and the Ancients; the three unbelievably advanced races who just sat back and watched the slaughter.

In each case, these three races were driven by their own arrogance, hypocrisy and smug self-satisfaction, believing that as well as being technologically advanced, they had also developed to the point where they could decide who lived and died; declaring that the slaughter and enslavement of millions had `nothing to do with them.'

As I've already mentioned, the Asgard were prevented from destroying the Goa'uld by their ongoing war with the replicators. But although these three other races had the power to eliminate the Goa'uld with a wave of their hands, doing so would have ended the series, and so the writers cooked up some infuriating guff about `Non-Interference' and the belief that the Goa'uld also had the right to live.

As if to prove their self-serving hypocrisy however, when faced with a Goa'uld mother ship which was immune to their technology, the Tolan government agreed to build weapons for the Goa'uld to use against other worlds. And having first attempted to portray the Ancients as `Angels;' beings of pure good who we should all worship as Gods, by the end of series eight we also knew the truth

The Ancients were an arrogant race of hypocrites who didn't flinch from allowing a malevolent creature to enslave and slaughter hundreds of millions of innocent people, simply to punish one of their own who was breaking their petty little rules. And when the Ancient in question finally steps in to stop the malevolent being (which she created) from annihilating all life in the Galaxy, all you can say is `IT'S ABOUT BLEEDING TIME!!!'

And finally, whilst it is more of a philosophy than a storyline, I do feel the need to point out my hatred for the fact that `The general public could never know the truth about the Stargate because it would incite anarchy.'

Leaving aside the insane conspiracy theorists who believe that something like this is actually happening, the writers knew that if the truth was ever revealed to the general public in the series, it would shatter `the fourth wall,' dispelling the illusion that it was really happening and distancing the viewers from the programme.

Think about it. Part of the joy of watching science fiction is either pretending that it's really happening or imagining that it will happen one day. But instead of just ignoring the whole issue of whether the public would ever learn about it or not, SG-1 has devoted two whole episodes to the idea that `The truth would destroy the world.'

In `Covenant,' (another bleeding NID episode) a `Richard Branson' character tries to reveal the truth about the Stargate and life on other planets but is utterly destroyed for his trouble. And as the final insult to our intelligence because she is the heroine, instead of shooting him in the head as a `National Security Risk,' Carter bottles out at the last minute and offers him a new life through the Stargate. And in `The Road Not Taken,' Carter is transported to an alternate reality in which, yes, you've guessed it, `The truth about the Stargate has incited anarchy, and an oppressive government is struggling to maintain order.'

In spite of this myriad of flaws, mistakes and crimes against the viewing public however, I still stand by my original statement that this is one of the four greatest Television series ever made.

I have been watching the programme on an almost perpetual loop since I bought the first six series back in 2003. Stargate Atlantis, the cash-in carbon copy isn't fit to be mentioned in the same sentence. And whenever I'm stuck thinking about an atrocious episode or an infuriating storyline, I just have to remember that immortal quote;

"Tal Shaka Mell! I Die Free!"

touching

this is one of my favourite SG videos. Both, as well as being quite touching are also very intriguing and held my attention untill the end. The 'tormet of tantalus' sees the teem travel to a world where it seems a man has been trapped alone for 50 years. They arrive with his ageing fiancee. But as usual things dont go exactly to plan and its Daniel (facinated by ancient technology again) who may jepardize their safety.
'Cold lazarus' is where this video gets my 5 stars. It is a showcase for the tallent and versatility of Richard Dean Anderson. An alien force who injures O'Neil takes on his form and trys to heal him by taveling back through the stargate with SG-1. The alien energy discovers that the mental scars of his sons tragic death are beyond any physical that can be healed.
Its not all sentimentality though. There's the usual humour injected by the 'real' O'Neil. Especialy when he's locked up and talking to (or shouting at) the security camera.
A must have

A great DVD

This is a fantastic DVD and well worth buying. My favourite episode has to be Death Knell because it is action packed and one of the few episodes where you get to see Anubis's new super-soldiers.

stargate vol.36

More adventures with the SG1 crew. Featuring the four thrilling episodes:

Heroes (Part 1): The Air Force sends a documentary crew to capture the historical importance of the Stargate programme. Members of the Stargate Command greet the crew with resistance. Tensions rise when an off world emergency forces General Hammond to restrict the crews access to SGC.

Heroes (part 2): The documentary crew is given a true look at the heroic nature and bond between the soldiers of SGC when a key member of the Stargate Crew is killed in action.

Resurrection: The team are sent to investigate the murder of a group of rogue NID scientists. Whilst piecing together the events of the crime SG-1 discover the scientists may have experimented and combined DNA to create the ultimate evil: a human being that possesses the conscience of a Goa'uld.

Inauguration: On his first day in office, the newly elected President of the United States is told about the Stargate programme and must be brought up to speed on the past seven years of it's existence.

Special Features
Commentaries on each episode
SG-1 Director's Series: Heroes with Andy Mikita
SG-1 Beyond The Gate: Amanda Tapping
SG-1 Director's Series: Resurrection with Amanda Tapping
Production design
Photo gallery

Great show, shame about the extras

I've been a long time fan of SG1 for many years now and usually I'm first out the starting block to pre-order the DVDs.

However, I cannot express how disappointed I am with the decision not to include the usual commentaries for every episode with this season (I understand that we may get a few commentaries on later disks).

The impression persists that SG1 fans have been short-changed so that the production can concentrate on promoting the new spin-off Stargate: Atlantis (which does have commentaries on its DVDs).

This is a slap in the face to SG1 fans, who have given the show their support for so long. Suddenly, the production staff seem to be saying, we don't matter any longer and can put up with less quality than Atlantis fans. It's also annoying to see the SG1 disks littered not with extras about SG1, but extras promoting Atlantis.

I hope this decision is reversed for S9. I know I'm not the only SG1 fan who looks forward to the DVD releases, mostly for the commentaries. Getting pristine copies of the episodes is fine and dandy, but its the commentaries which make the difference for many of us as to whether we rush out and pre-order these...or wait and 'get them at some point'.

The annoying lack of commentaries aside - this was a great season for the show, which shows no signs of flagging. It contains some of the funniest, most dramatic and intense episodes SG1 has ever seen, particularly in the latter half of the season. The episodes on this disk were a terrific start to an exciting rollarcoaster year of entertainment.

Volume 22 ,,Another great Stargate offering

This DVD brings us comedy, tradedgy and devilishly evil bad guys.Sounds run-of-the-mill ? Not realy.
Within these episodes bosts the return of my favourite'you love to hate'bad guy Maybourne.
The interaction between him and O'Niell is allways a pleasure to watch.
We also see the return of a Goa'uld with whom Teal'c has 'that Jaffa revenge thing' with.
Its all good stuff.
The highlight for me thou was the fantastic 100th Episode-Wormhole Extreme.
What can i say,i sat with a smile on my face all the way through.
Offbeat and light hearted without a Goa'uld insight.
Full of crew cameos and a rather oddly familiar story line.Comedy genius.
All thou these four Episodes where a little lacking in the speical effects department-'Goa'uld bashing' style'-The preveiws for the next volume (23)show that it more than makes up.
Bonus materialis allways an extra treat and a facinating video diary by Christopher Judge was cherry on the top.

Stargate SG-1 Season 7 Volume 33

Volume 33 continues the excellent introduction to Season 7, with thoughtful, engaging episodes, stunning visual and audio quality and worthwhile bonus features that add an extra dimension to the series.

705 Revisions

Beautifully directed by Martin Wood, this standalone episode sees the SG-1 team endeavouring to assist a small, apparently idyllic community with a sinister secret.

^^A good episode for someone new to Stargate to be introduced to at this late stage. Why? Because it requires no previous knowledge of story arcs or other cultures previously featured in SG-1. This is a true"standalone" episode, which, while nothing new, features some good character interaction (we see each team member doing what they do best), fantastic direction, good storytelling, convincing guest cast and subtle, seamless visual effects.

706 Lifeboat

Discovering a crashed ship on P2A-347, SG-1 are attacked by an unknown assailant, rendering them unconscious. Teal'c, being the first to recover, ensures the safe return of the team to the SGC, but not without some drastic effects upon Daniel Jackson.

^^Lifeboat provides some good, old fashioned, moral dilemmas and tells a compelling story that leaves the viewer really questioning what was the right thing to do.The episode features some superb performances from actors Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) and Teryl Rothery (Dr Janet Frasier). Both give such convincing and emotional deliveries and Shank's characterisations really help to drive the story and make Jackson's - and his"passengers" - situation very believable. I immediately had an emotional investment and this helped to keep things interesting.

707 Enemy Mine

While surveying for Naquadah on P3X-403, a member of the SG team disappears. SG-1 are called in to investigate the disappearance. O'Neill and Teal'c investigate the missing member's last position, Jackson inspects some artefacts discovered by the survey team. What he finds alerts him to the possible dangers faced by all on the planet...

^^Enemy Mine is a thoughtful story, drawing much from our own history of putting needs of many ahead of the rights of a smaller minority. This episode had a"cowboy and Indians make peace" feel to it, but it was well executed. Direction was excellent as usual and the prosthetics and sheer numbers of Unas were fantastic. I thought the 5.1 surround sound was put to good use in this episode, particularly the surrounding roars of the angry Unas and made for an excellent and tense climax to the episode.

707 Space Race

The Serakkin Warrick, previously rescued by SG-1 requests the help of Carter in a race in exchange for technology that Earth can study in their fight against the Goa'uld. Carter agrees and helps to integrate a Naquadah generator into Warrick's ship, the Seberus.

^^I enjoyed this episode. This is definitely a Sam-centric one, but entertains all the way. We get to see a different side to her character and you can tell that Amanda Tapping enjoyed every minute! It is good to see continuity with Warrick appearing in the Space Race, while not requiring the viewer to be fully aware of previous events. One of the real pluses of this episode is the Visual Effects. The production team really went to town on this one and the results put some feature films to shame. This, coupled with well mixed sound, makes for an exhilarating and slightly lighter story.

Bonus Features

Continuing documentary series: SG-1 - Directors Series
Audio commentaries featuring directors, cast and crew
Production Stills Gallery
WWW Featurette

I enjoyed the features on this disc and there were plenty of them, although there is no"Beyond the Gate" section as there was on Volume 32. Instead, there are two directors series features for this disc feature Martin Wood and his work on Revisions and Andy Mikita's work on Space Race. Both give a different insight into what goes into making an episode, although I felt they were both a little short.

Directors Series

The Martin Wood commentary affords us some heartwarming interaction between the principle cast members (in this case, Christopher Judge, Amanda Tapping and Michael Shanks) and the crew. Having worked on amateur productions and semi professional shoots in the past, it is always interesting to see the rigs and shots they choose - it also helps you to appreciate what is involved in a shot that we hardly notice. This feature last just under 8 minutes.

In just over 4 minutes, Andy Mikita also shows us how things such as choice and composition of film can affect the way a director shoots and lights a scene and the results of both. We see some great and amusing moments from actors Alex Zahara & Patrick Currie (Warrick and Eamon in Space Race) as well as some shots of the construction of the Seberus set - complete with moving platform. Star Trek eat your heart out.

Commentaries

Commentaries again offer sometimes anecdotal views of what goes into making each episode and the challenges of such.

Production Stills Gallery

There is also a production stills gallery which further adds to the value of this DVD. There are 56 images here, taken from all the episodes, either screencaps, design sketches or photographs of set construction. Most interesting were the ship and insignia designs from Space Race.

Again, an interesting and worthwhile bonus feature, particularly for those interested in how the concepts and finished product we come to see on the screen are arrived at and the sheer amount of work involved in the design elements for one episode.

WWW

The WWW feature on this volume is a 30 second plug for the Stargate Fan Club. If you are not aware of it, this little data blast may be of interest to you.

Conclusion

Another quality product from the MGM stable. Volume 33 impresses in technical quality and in bonus features. Some of the episodes on this release are fairly standard compared to Stargate SG-1's best moments, but they are entertaining and far better than most other sci-fi currently available nonetheless. They also afford an opportunity for those not familiar with the ongoing story arcs to enjoy SG-1 without having to watch the last 6 Seasons or so.

It's a shame not to have a"Beyond the Gate" feature on this disc, but the two Directors Series material are a good substitute. Overall this release represents good value for money and plenty of features - a must for all diehard fans and probably those new to the show too.

Further review and DVD information at www.stargatesgc.com