Stargate SG-1, Season 5, on DVD
by Christina Gronow
Among its many fans, Star-Gate SG-1 rates up with Star Trek and the X-Files.
Suitable for all ages, it is an interesting combination of adventure, science
fiction, fantasy, history and, believe it or not, a heavy dash of ancient Egyptian
mythology.
In a nutshell, Earth is in a battle with a super race called the Goauld
who, many eons ago, spread out through the various galaxies (via transporters
called Star Gates) to dominate everything they found.
They helped create civilizations and societies and controlled them by whipping
a few Egyptian deities on the folks they found. That explains why we have pyramids.
SG-1, (number One Team in the SG hierarchy) is led by Colonel ONeil (Richard
Dean Anderson of McGyver fame), a solid, professional soldier who always contributes
witty comments that are guaranteed to lighten the mood. Major Carter (Amanda
Tapping) is the physicist who figured out how to make the Star Gate function
along with archaeologist Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks). The fourth member
of this eclectic team is Tealc, a legendary rebel Jaffa, ancient first
prime to Apophis (the prime Bad Guy) who has defected from the Goauld
to help mankind.
In this Season 5 package of 5 DVDs and 22 episodes, the team travels through
the Star-Gate and endeavors to retrieve technology and weapons to defend themselves
in the epic battle between Earth and its arch-enemy. During this particular
season, a well-known enemy system lord will be defeated, only to create a replacement
enemy by giving others the opportunity to fill his place. Along with the loss
of an old enemy, the team will endure a severe loss of its own; one of its members.
This twist is not altogether unpredictable, however, and it adds variety to
the types of episodes seen in previous seasons.
For each episode of the DVD, an audio commentary is available in the Special
Features. This provides an opportunity for the viewer to receive an in-depth
explanation of each episode, get background on many of the scenes and special
effects, and feedback from the cast and crew. These commentaries are usually
from the director and the visual effects designer with occasional additions
from Amanda Tapping (Carter) and Christopher Judge (Tealc). This was an
interesting feature, since the people featured often had humorous or unknown
information about certain scenes in various episodes.
An interesting twist on the SG-1 Video Diary feature includes Amanda Tapping,
Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks who were given cameras to record specific
backstage clips, encounters with the cast, and to follow the filming process.
The Inside the Tomb featurette allowed Peter DeLuise, writer and
director, to talk about the making of the episode The Tomb and how
certain special effects were created. This isnt the greatest feature on
the DVD; however, it provides insight into the amount of work required to create
each episode.
The Dr. Daniel Jackson Tribute is basically made up of clips from previous
seasons and interviews with the rest of the actors from the team. They each
provide their opinions of Dr. Daniel Jackson. This feature wasnt amazing,
but it was interesting to see how the cast interpreted Daniels role as
a member of the team. The obvious tension probably explains why
he became the team member who becomes fodder for the Gaould and will be
replaced in the next season
Overall, this season had some very memorable episodes, excellent acting and
great special effects. The unseen footage will be a treat for fans. This DVD
is a must-see for all die-hard Star-Gate fans.
This includes 5 DVDs shown in 1.78:1 widescreen (16x9) and Dolby Digital.
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