Visit GateWorld every Friday for a new installment of the Friday Five, a countdown of our favorite episodes, characters, technology and more from 15 years of Stargate history! Use trackbacks to post your own Friday Five for this week’s topic on your blog, or post a comment below to let us know how your picks compare.
This Week: Star Trekking …
In its 12 years on the small screen, Stargate has frequently paid homage to the grand-daddy of science fiction television, Star Trek. The adventures of Kirk and Spock changed the way sci-fi was done in this medium, and left an indelible mark on Western culture. Stargate’s appreciation for Star Trek culminated in SG-1’s Trekish spoof in the show’s 200th episode — which, as funny as it was to see the characters dressed like that, actually doesn’t make our list of Top 5 Trek references …
#5: “We might as well be wearing red shirts!”SG-1 Season Six’s “The Other Guys”
A pair of nerds from Stargate Command’s “lower decks” set off on a mission to rescue SG-1 when the team is captured by the Goa’uld … only to discover that it was all part of a plan to go behind enemy lines. Now, Jay Felger and Simon Coombs (Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox) are in way over their heads! The Trek references fly in this episode, as Simon talks about “worshiping at the altar of Roddenberry!”
But the funniest Trek reference of the episode: Simon fears that death is immanent when they reach the alien mothership. Felger tries to reassure him, to which an exasperated Simon responds, “We might as well be wearing red shirts!” Touché, disposable guest star. Touché.
#4: “Captain James T. Kirk.”SG-1 Season Two’s “1969”
Jack O’Neill and his team are thrown back in time by a fluke accident involving the Stargate’s wormhole, where they are taken into custody by the U.S. military operating secret rocket testing inside Cheyenne Mountain. Jack is interrogated, and rather than give the officer his real name (for fear of affecting the timeline) he tells him his name is “Captain James T. Kirk, of the starship Enterprise.”
The reference is lost on the interrogator, despite the fact that the original Star Trek had by that time just completed its three-year run on NBC. It’s more understandable that he doesn’t catch the “Luke Skywalker” reference, since Star Wars won’t be out for another eight years.
#3: “Phasers?”SG-1 Season Six’s “Redemption, Part 1”
With the survival of Earth on the line, Jack and Sam climb into Earth’s first man-made space craft capable of entering hyperspace (theoretically): the X-302. Their mission is to reach Abydos, to use the Stargate to find help against Anubis’s attack on the Earth gate. Jack gets to know the capabilities of the new fighter craft as he and Carter run down the systems checklist:
Carter: “Navigation.”
O’Neill: “Check.”
Carter: “Oxygen, pressure, temperature control.”
O’Neill: “All check.”
Carter: “Inertial dampeners.”
O’Neill: “Cool. … And check.”
Carter: “Engines.”
O’Neill: “All check. … Phasers?”
Carter: “Sorry, sir.”
#2: “What am I, Scotty?”SG-1 Season Four’s “Tangent”
A recall device that slimy snakehead Apophis installed in his Death Gliders sends Jack and Teal’c hurtling out of Earth’s atmosphere and into deep space with no power. The only way to rescue them is for Daniel and Sam to track down Jacob Carter, a Tok’ra ally (and Sam’s dad, of course) who has a cargo ship close enough to reach them in time. As they rush to the rescue, they talk about how they are going to get their two friends out of the Glider’s cockpit. Daniel tells Jacob that they were hoping he could just … “beam” them out.
Jacob replies with a wry smile, “Beam them out? What am I, Scotty?” Clearly, Daniel doesn’t quite understand the way Goa’uld ring platforms work.
#1: “We can’t call it the Enterprise“SG-1 Season Six’s “Unnatural Selection”
Earth’s first battlecruiser is almost complete, codenamed Project Prometheus … now stolen by the rogue N.I.D. and launched into space, only to be commandeered by the Asgard for a mission to stop the Replicators. En route to what was once the Asgard’s home planet, Jack and Sam debate what to name Earth’s first, shiny new ship.
Colonel O’Neill informs Carter that the brass didn’t go for the name he suggested for the vessel. Sam replies, “Sir, we can’t call it the Enterprise.”
That’s gold, baby. Gold! And here after his little remark in Season Five’s “Ascension,” we thought Jack wasn’t a sci-fi fan!
Three out of these five were from SG-1 Season Six, apparently a year when the show’s writers had Trek on the brain! We’ve probably forgotten some of the great lines from Stargate‘s past. What other Star Trek references would make your Top 5 list?
NEXT WEEK ON THE FIVE: Best Character Intros. Blog about your top five picks next Friday, and trackback to our post.
I’m totally agreed to the #1..! I was actually thinking of it as the best one when I saw, but before I clicked the link on the homepage! lol.
I actually loved the way Carter predicted Jacks thoughts on calling it the Enterprise! Frackin’ Priceless! lolz! :D
Anyhoo… Great Top 5..! :)
Oh… I just read the end of the above again and saw that other “Trek Moments” were called for etc… lol.
One that cannot be forgotten is the Trek parody during the episode “200”! Pure Class Right There! lolz! :D
Oh Geez! I should stop commenting when drinking! I just realized the “200” episode trek parody was mentioned above but didn’t make the 5! :(
Only one thing I can say right now…. “Doh!” XD
Not one SGA mention, huh?
I would put the TAngent quote (“What am I, Scotty?” at #1. Move up the 1969 quote (“Who are you?”, “CAptain Kirk”) to #2. I would repplace the phasers refernce with another one. #3 Prodigy, Season 4. When arguing for her solution to the attacking energy “bugs” Haley says “We could hold them off with those pahser things”, a reference to the Pahser-like zats.FOr #4 I would pick Mithcell :”Good job BOnes” from Babllyon,. season 9. Both Mitchell and CAptian Kirk fake their deaths to escape a ritual duel to the death (Amok Time, origional Series). Finally for #5 I… Read more »
On the lack of SGA referneces, Dr. Becket, who does not like being taken apart by GAte Travel is compared to Dr. Mcoy who does not like being taken apart by transporting (Poisoning the well, season 1?)
Also, in what episode is Shepherd refered to as “Captian Kirk”.
Best character intros: Sheppard in SGA’s “Rising” and Ronon in “Runner”.
flip flop 1 & 2 and it’s gold :P
Your thinking of 2 episodes, the first is when they meet the ancient in sancuary i beleive and the other is the first time he meets micays sister
Oh they are just classic! Couldn’t agree more with you when you said…”And here after his little remark in Season Five’s “Ascension,” we thought Jack wasn’t a sci-fi fan!”…but it all started back when they went back in time to 1969 and he referenced 2 sci fi shows…Star Wars and Star Trek. I think my fave Star Trek reference would have to be the one made by Jacob in Tangent…”What am I, Scotty?” Great Friday 5 this week!! :) Thank you!!!!!!!
Hmm.. could’ve included something from Atlantis ;) Sheppard in Inferno: “And we’re not calling it the Enterprise either!” (in reference to the Hippaforalkus later known as the Orion)
Just a thought. ;)
Best ST moment in SGA – when Rodney introduced his sister to Sheppard and then he all bristled and called Sheppard Cpt. Kirk when Sheppard smiled at her. Ha!
Best intro? I agree with Sheppard in “Rising” – the helicopter flight, the chair… simply priceless! And Ronon in Runner.
You have to wonder, in reference to Jack saying his name is Luke Skywalker. What do you think went through the officer’s head a few years later when Star Wars came out?
I was thinking the whole thing when Sheppard meets McKay’s sister for the first time and McKay says something like “yeah she’s sister and she’s married…Kirk”
I loved the reference to the Las Vegas ST attraction in SG Atlantis when they gave the line about the Wraith on the run: “What is he going to do – get a job as a Klingon at the Star Trek Experience?” To which Woolsey replies that sadly it has been closed and Zelenka gives the punchline: “Damn, I wanted to see that.” The great part about that gag is that Robert Picardo was the main star in the Vegas attraction playing the Doctor from ST Voyager in the Borg 4D ride. I heard it was a suggestion of Picardo… Read more »
I also agree the best character intro was the combination of Shep flying the helicopter and sitting in the chair with the stars revolving around his head in Rising. Brilliant!
Also loved Ronon capturing Shep and Teyla when he was introduced.
As a “Star Trekking of SG-1”, its a pretty good list. Might have slipped Babylon in there myself, but I guess that was more of a covert reference than the usual overt ones. Suppose you could consider the Asgard “phasers” (and shields, even) as a niche reference… although they’re perhaps as much a self-reference back to O’Neill’s “Phasers?” question from Redemption as anything else. Gotta agree with the comments above about the distinct absense of Atlantis ones. You’ve got McKay’s frequent comparisons between Sheppard and Kirk – as mentioned, Sanctuary, and McKay and Mrs Miller spring to mind there; there’s… Read more »
Character introduction-wise… I know it isn’t the first appearence, but I was quite impressed with the way they handled Mitchell being incorporated into the series, establishing his backstory over the course of Avalon and Collateral Damage. McKay’s SG-1 episodes were fantastic as well, so that’d better make it onto your list somewhere!!
My #1 fave character introduction has to be for Colonel Dave Dixon from SG-13 in Heroes though; I think its a testament to that introduction that, after only appearing on-screen for – what, ten minutes? – he managed to become a fan favourite as a replacement for O’Neill.
i wonder if they’ll do favorite Simpsons references. #1 would probably be SG-1’s CITIZEN JOE b/c it has the guy that does the voice of Homer in it. BENEATH THE SURFACE (also SG-1) would probably make it b/c of what O’Neil said (“I remember something. There’s a man. He’s bald and he wears a short sleeved shirt and somehow he’s very important to me. I think his name is … Homer.”)
or have they done that already? i forgot.