Stargate SG-1: Season 08 (2004-05)

SG-1: Season 08 (2004-05)

Dirs. Various | 20 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Most of the science-fiction television series that I'm a fan of ended either before or at their seventh season. In fact, I think now might be the first time that I've featured an eighth season of something sci-fi on the blog. In that respect, if nothing else, SG-1 Series 08 is an exception to me. It was reduced to just 20 episodes, but eight years is still a heck of an achievement.

As if to mark the occasion, it has another new opening credits sequence. I don't know if what I write next will be considered spoiler by many folks, but I'll give a warning now, just in case.

Amid the action scenes in the opening sequence, the most notable thing is that Carter isn't the only one with a new hairstyle - Teal'c has one, or rather Teal'c now has some actual hair!

It's a little odd at first, but he's the same dependable ex-Jaffa as he always was, and it even plays a role, of sorts, in one of the episodes.

Career advancement in the military can mean different things to different people. While it can often require an actual relocation, sometimes it means staying put but taking on a new rank and role; filling someone else's shoes; accepting more responsibility, more combat duty, or more desk time, etc; and perhaps even becoming a thing that you may have grown to admire or hate. There's some of that in Season 08, for more than one of the core team. It could've allowed for Jonas (Corin Nemec) to return as a fourth active member, but that didn't happen.

- Claudia Black, as the unpredictable Vala Mal Doran, is the season's best guest star. -

Conceptually, events herein run parallel with the first season of Stargate Atlantis, but there are no major crossovers requiring a viewer to watch both series, thankfully.

The alliance of Goa'uld System Lords, as they were previously, aren't the dominant antagonists anymore, but they do feature in a fragmented form.

Before I list the episodes that I feel are crucial to the arc this season, I'm giving an overdue shout out to the often seen technician in the Operations room at SGC (Gary Jones), who's been there since the Pilot episode! If you've watched the series from the beginning, you'll know who I mean.

Ep 01 + 02: New Order is presented as one double length episode on the UK R2 DVD. It's the season opener and therefore crucial if you want to know what happened after the battle that ended Season 07. It's a story involving more than just the Tau'ri, with changes that set the show back on a new(ish) track/direction while also respecting the past; e.g. Hammond gets a welcome mention, while his replacement proves herself to be more than just another puppet bureaucrat.

Ep 07: Affinity offers a pleasing look at Teal'c's life off the base, with a slight fish-out-water approach (and an occasional nod to blaxploitation cinema?). The episode features Erica Durance, perhaps better known to TV fans as Lois Lane in Smallville from 2004-11. Sam (Amanda Tapping) has a story thread, too, but it's pretty woeful. What makes the episode most relevant to the bigger picture is a scenario involving Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks).

Ep 09: Sacrifices has a clash of the sexes, with teen emotions and adult concerns, and enables Teal'c to prove his wisdom in tactical matters. It has a good speech by Bra'tac (Tony Amendola).

Ep 10: Endgame. The SGC lose something that's pretty damned important! Meanwhile, Teal'c has problems of his own at the Alpha site. Events reference Ep 07, which is why I included it above. It also includes a compound that harks back to Season 05, if I'm not mistaken.

Ep 11: Gemini has an evil doppelganger, and that's all I'm going to reveal.

Ep 12: Prometheus Unbound is the first appearance of Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black).

Put Ep 14: Full Alert on your list if you enjoy the Robert Kinsey (Ronny Cox) character.

Eps 16 + 17: Reckoning: Parts 1 + 2 is a packed two-parter! Again, I'm not going to mention anything specific because I feel it's best experienced first-hand, but expect to see allies and enemies in uncomfortable situations and a deadly battle of wills/minds. I can say that Isaac Hayes guest stars, but he's not at his best.

Ep 18: Threads presents challenging situations for both Sam and Daniel, separately. Sam's scenes are genuinely emotional, in contrast to the awful relationship scenes that she had previously. Daniel, on the other hand, spends time in a very special diner with a peculiar clientele and staff. Finally of note, Jack (Richard Dean Anderson) gets to go fishing.

Eps 19 + 20: Moebius: Parts 1 + 2 is the series finale, another two-parter, with a direct connection to the original Stargate (1994) film, which is something I enjoy seeing. It's a time travel story with some major consequences for the established timeline. Those kind of things can be rewarding or a waste of time; personally, I enjoyed it well-enough.

The few non-arc episodes that deserve a mention for one reason or another are Ep. 03: Lockdown for reasons that are very much spoiler, but alludes to something that I've mentioned above. The episode also features a new medical practitioner, a Dr. Brightman (Alisen Down); she has no proper introduction and only stays for one episode, but it's not the last time that the character appears in the Stargate universe, so will be worth noting for some folks.

On the flip side, the worst of them is Ep 15: Citizen Joe, another damned clips show. Ugghh.