THE BEST EPISODE EVER?
When you ask the cast and crew of Stargate SG-1 what their finest single piece of work is, many will speak immediately of Season Seven’s “Heroes.” The two-parter offered an outsider’s perspective on the Stargate program, paid tribute to the unwavering and unselfish risks taken by military personnel … and said goodbye to Dr. Janet Fraiser (Teryl Rothery) in heart-breaking, dramatic fashion.
I’ve written 40 to 50 of the 200 episodes and drafts of 50 or so more with other writers’ names on them. In terms of the finished product “Heroes” I look back on most fondly. … It’s an episode that I’m proud of. I felt it had something to say without being too heavy-handed. The emotional impact came about organically. It wasn’t forced or melodramatic. It was an accomplishment from a production standpoint.
The episode was shot the over the course of three months, cobbled together as a second unit show simultaneous to the shooting of other episodes. We shot scenes that were months apart. It was a bit of a chemistry experiment. We were throwing things in there and hoping it all stuck and the fact that it all eventually came together is also a testament to Andy Mikita’s incredible single-minded devotion to that project. He directed it and I think he did a brilliant job.
- Robert C. Cooper, Multichannel News