Stargate SG-1: Season 06 (2002-03)

SG-1: Season 06 (2002-03)

Dirs. Various | 22 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

The redesigned opening credits sequence that kicks things off isn't the only change since Season 05; there's a personnel shake-up, too.

It'll be difficult to talk about what that means for the team without dropping spoilers. I'll keep them to a minimum, but be forewarned: there will be some for S5 + S6 below this paragraph.

With their Egyptologist gone, SG-1 are reduced to three members. I mentioned previously that the person in question often functioned as the conscience and moral compass, so without him they're diminished in more than just number.

And while the three remaining members have personalities strong enough to keep going as they are, there's something comfortable about having four primaries, least of all because it allows for a convenient equal split, such as when a military presence is needed in two places at once. Having a companion at those times gives each person someone to bounce ideas off; someone to rescue or be rescued by, etc.

To that end, a new fourth is added. It'll be no great leap of reasoning to anyone who watched S5 that Langaran scientist Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec) is the one who is eventually chosen.

Introduced in S5, Ep 21 (Meridian), Jonas fills the sympathetic gap but not from the same bleeding-heart angle. His compassionate nature is in part a product of his inexperience and lack of travel beyond his homeworld. He's not yet developed the balance of gut-instinct trust and second-guessing that the other members have, and at first is unable to shake the feeling that he must prove himself in their eyes, which can sometimes manifest as overenthusiasm or hesitancy.

- The long range weather forecast didn’t look good, but things turned out okay. -

A willingness to participate can be a kind of strength, but his primary talents are more clearly defined: while both personable and trustworthy in appearance, his most valuable trait is an ability to quickly learn and retain information. His race share the common ancestry of most of the Stargate universe peoples, but they're significantly more observant. For SG-1, a member who's more attuned to details and minutiae can give an advantage both on and off the field.

Joining a team that's been gate-hopping together for years is a solid example of being thrown in at the deep end, but Jonas' presence isn't forced into the ongoing narrative; he's eased in slowly over the first few episodes, allowing his character time to get placed and ultimately settle.

The episodes that I felt were noteworthy or important to the arc in S6 are as follows:

Ep 01 + 2: Redemption: Parts 1+2 is arguably better than the entirety of Season 05, with the exception of Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), who's like Quentin Tarantino at a science fair.

Ep 06: Abyss is a trying (but equally defining) time for Jack (Richard Dean Anderson). We see more of the System Lord Ba'al (Cliff Simon), and there's a surprise visit in a dark place.

Ep 10: Cure begins as a standard first-contact situation on a world that's not been visited by Earth before, but what's found there is potentially life-changing for many.

Ep 11 + 12: Prometheus + Unnatural Selection is a two-parter in which we see what the Tau'ri have been doing with the alien technology that the SG teams have been harvesting and/or acquiring in trades. Further afield an ally's attempt to save their race from extinction opens a door that not only ripples through S6 but lays foundations for something much bigger in S7.

Ep 19: The Changeling is a great Teal’c episode, written by the actor behind the role, Christopher Judge. It uses a dependable literary device that puts familiar faces in unfamiliar roles, prompting the primary focus of the story to evaluate certain things and uncover certain truths. 

Ep 22: Full Circle is a successful series finale, bringing together many previous threads and setting up some HUGE events for future seasons to build upon.

Less crucial to the whole but still worth mentioning are Ep. 03: Frozen, which picks up on something from the opening two-parter and lays the foundations for something that will be important again later. Ep 16: Metamorphosis features a System Lord that the team have had previous run-ins with; it also suggests something that because of more personnel changes didn't develop much further. And if you enjoy that one, then Ep. 21: Prophecy is a kind of follow-up.

The worst the season has to offer is Ep 17: Disclosure, another crappy clips-show that bores.