Stargate Rewatch: SG-1 Season One!

Good Morning, Campers!

Today GateWorld kicks off the Stargate Rewatch, an epic, 17-month return to three of the greatest science fiction television series of all time: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe.  We’re watching the entire franchise in order, one season each month, along with community discussion and special features here at GateWorld.

Thousands of fans from around the world have already told us they’re participating, and we want you along for the journey! Read more about the Rewatch and how you can participate. Get creative with your Rewatch plans! Blog it. Tweet it. One group of fans at SparkPeople is tying their Stargate viewing with a regular fitness challenge!

For your viewing pleasure all this month is SG-1 Season One, which first aired on Showtime in the U.S. all the way back in 1997-98. Two of MGM’s producers for its Outer Limits series approached them about making a television series based on the 1994 Kurt Russell movie, to which the studio had acquired the rights. Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright were given the go-ahead, with a remarkable 2-year upfront commitment from Showtime. The network liked what it saw in those first episodes, and soon upped their order to 88 episodes — a full four years.

To take over the role of Kurt Russell’s dour and chiseled Colonel Jack O’Neill, the producers hired TV veteran Richard Dean Anderson — who brought a legion of his own fans from MacGyver (and the short-lived UPN series Legend). He would soften the character and add his own trademark humor, and also offered many connections with production crew and actors in the Vancouver film and television industry. Michael Shanks was signed to take over James Spader’s Dr. Daniel Jackson after delivering a solid impression of the sneezy, awkward archaeologist.

And the writers added three new regular characters to the mix: a brilliant astrophysicist named Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), who had already been working on the Stargate project for two years before the events of the feature film; Teal’c (Christopher Judge), a stoic Jaffa warrior who joins the fight against his people’s oppressors; and Major General George Hammond (Don S. Davis), the no-nonsense base commander who would later soften and grow into a fatherly figure.

Stargate SG-1 was off and running.

Things to watch for:

• One character from the movie gets not only an actor change, but a full-on name change, as well. (We can only guess that it was to make her name easier to remember and pronounce.)
• Several supporting characters are introduced in the first episodes and would last through all 10 seasons of the show, though early on they didn’t even have on-screen names yet.
• How far into the series is it before another beloved character, Janet Fraiser, makes her debut?
• The Nox get a full episode, but would play a minor part in the rest of the series. The Asgard, on the other hand, get a couple of mentions but don’t even appear on screen — and would play a major part in what’s to come.
• Look closely at the TV news broadcaster seen briefly in “There But For the Grace of God.” Recognize him from a later, much larger role?
• How in the world did SG-1 manage to make it so long without zat guns?! Don’t worry … they’ll show up before the end of the season.

On GateWorld:

• Forum: Official discussion threads for every episode! (The main thread for the Rewatch project is here.)
• Podcast: Darren and David discuss all of Season One. (If this is your first time watching SG-1, watch out for plenty of spoilers!)
• Episode Guide: Our handy guide to every episode of Season One
• Gallery: Production photos
• Gallery: Thousands of high-quality screen captures

Where to Watch?

• Amazon: Buy Season One on DVD (and support GateWorld)!
• Amazon: Download Season One episodes
• iTunes: Download Season One episodes
• Netflix: Online viewing for $7.99 per month
• Hulu: Stargate SG-1 is no longer available on Hulu. Sorry!

Nominations, Please!

For the next week we’re taking your nominations for the following poll categories.  Use this forum thread if you want your nominations to count.  One nomination for each category per person, please. (All nominations must be from Season One and Season One only!)

• Best Episode (Season One)
• Best Jack Moment
• Best Daniel Moment
• Best Sam Moment
• Best Teal’c Moment
• Best Team Moment
• Best Guest Star (based on one specific episode)

Those “moments” can be a single moment, a line of dialogue, a scene, or even a full episode’s storyline.

Which version of “Children of the Gods” should I watch?  Whichever you prefer! If you haven’t seen 2009’s Final Cut, do check it out. With the nudity removed (Showtime insisted on it, over executive producer Brad Wright’s objections), it’s also more family-friendly.

Remember: The point of the Rewatch is not just to watch everything again, but to watch it together as a fan community! So post your thoughts on your blog, on Twitter (hastag: #SGRewatch), Facebook, or over at GateWorld Forum. Write a new piece of fanfic to go along with what you’re watching, create a new piece of art, chat it up on your podcast — whatever your creative outlet is! Be sure to post a link so we can see it and share it with other Stargate fans.

Come back next week to vote in the Season One polls!