Categories: Episodes

Episode of the Week: Marina Sirtis In ‘Watergate’

JULY IS STAR TREK MONTH!

WATERGATE

SG-1: Season Four
First Aired: August 11, 2000

The Russians recover a Stargate from the bottom of the ocean, and turn to the S.G.C. for help when their experiments go awry.

Our rewatch of favorite moments in Stargate history continues! Each month we’ll pick a theme, and feature a key episode every week. Join us by watching the episode this week, and then head to GateWorld Forum (or posting below) to talk about it!

“To Boldly Go …”

Main cast members from four out of the five Star Trek TV series guest starred on Stargate. Only actors from the Original Series cast didn’t make an appearance.
This month we’re celebrating Trek on Stargate to mark the theatrical release of Star Trek Beyond, opening July 22! Which were your favorite Trek actor guest spots?

“Watergate” Facts:

Actress Marina Sirtis (“Deanna Troi” on The Next Generation) guest stars as Dr. Svetlana Markov, a scientist formerly employed by the Russians’ top-secret and short-lived Stargate program. She’s the only member of the TNG cast to appear on Stargate.
Sirtis was uncertain if she could pull off a Russian accent when she went in to audition, only to find herself up against a room full of Russian speakers. She joked that she got the part because she nailed the technobabble.
The idea that eventually became “Watergate” was pitched out by writer Robert C. Cooper back in Season Two, but was evidently shelved because at the time the visual effects for an underwater story of its kind was deemed technically impossible on the show’s budget.
The Enkarans get a shout-out at the episode’s opening as a race that is desperately in need of resettlement. We wouldn’t actually meet them for a few more weeks, in “Scorched Earth.”
“Watergate” kicks off the show’s on-going sub-plot of Russia’s involvement in the Stargate program. It would eventually bring on Colonel Chekov (recurring guest star Garry Chalk), see Russia get its own S.G. team (“The Tomb”), lend its Stargate to the U.S. (“Redemption, Part 2”), get its own deep space carrier (the also short-lived Korolev), and play a major role in the I.O.A.

“Watergate” on GateWorld:

Download “Watergate” now from Amazon or iTunes!

Rewatch “Watergate” this week! Then post your comments below, or head over to the “Watergate” discussion thread and see what people were saying back in the day. What are your favorite moments?

Every month we’re featuring a new theme from Stargate’s 17 seasons. Watch the weekly episode with us join in the fun!

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View Comments

Mollymouse says:

July 11, 2016 at 11:03 am

I enjoyed this episode, although I could live without the underwater peril. Going through the Russian Stargate had some of the wonder of the first venture into the Stargate for some reason. Marina's accent was just as odd as her one as Deanna Troi, but it was good to see her.