Does the style change at some point?

[Cil]

Hi there

I’ve got really REALLY late into the whole Stargate franchise (like sometime this year). I’ve started with Stargate Atlantis and loved it very much! Now I thought I could try to watch Stargate SG-1 and I kind of expected more of the same. I mean yes, I do see the parallels but unfortunately the episodes all seem to be simliar to the SGA episodes I didn’t much enjoy. So I’m a bit disappointed.

I guess I should explain my problem: The thing I enjoyed most about SGA was the space opera kind of feeling (and of course also the characters!). I admit there also were some stand-alone episodes which I liked very much and I’d even consider to be my favorite. But overall I prefer a bit of continuity. My favorite seasons of SGA were the third and the fourth with the replicators storyline. I thought it had a very nice continuity to it. I also liked the wraith storyline a lot, especially once Michael and Todd were part of the picture and it got more personal and morally ambiguous. The typical „planet of the week“-episodes are generally not really my cup of tea and so far SG-1 doesn’t seem to offer anything else.

I’ve just finished the 17th episode of the first season and frankly I’m wondering if I should keep bothering. I think the only episode I really enjoyed was „The torment of Tantalus“, which I guess was a standalone episode as well, but I really liked the idea and the tone of it. I guess I like the darker kind of episodes…

So I’d be really glad for your opinion. Is the tone going to change a lot? Or is it more or less continuing like this? Some people told me it’s supposed to get better in later seasons, but what exactly does that mean? I do realize that taste can vary quite a lot. So is it going to stay in the mostly „planet of the week“-episode format? And in which season are spaceships entering the picture? (I guess they do at some point, since the spaceships in SGA are originally from Earth...)

Also would it be possible to skip right to the point where it’s supposed to get better? Or would I miss too much? I so wanted to like SG-1 and I haven’t completely given up on it yet. But at the moment it’s just really difficult to bring up the needed enthusiasm to sit through all the episodes until it’s finally getting better…

I hope someone here can help me and maybe relate to my problem. Thanks in advance!

[P-90_177]

SG-1 becomes less episodic as it progresses. Torment of Tantalus for example becomes a very important episode in the grand scheme and will be referenced again. You are presently right at the start of the whole franchise when it was still finding its feet and you'll find some of the best episodes occur in season 2 and 3. That's where they discover more about the mythology of the show as well as discover new allies and enemies that will be long term fixtures.

[thekillman]

SG-1 becomes less episodic as it progresses. Torment of Tantalus for example becomes a very important episode in the grand scheme and will be referenced again. You are presently right at the start of the whole franchise when it was still finding its feet and you'll find some of the best episodes occur in season 2 and 3. That's where they discover more about the mythology of the show as well as discover new allies and enemies that will be long term fixtures.

I just wanted to add that the style of SG1 changes a couple of times. S3-ish massively increases the scope of Stargate, Season 6 changes it again and Seasons 8 and 9 change the series once more.

So yea, there are plenty of changes, as can be expected of a 10-seasons series

[Cil]

SG-1 becomes less episodic as it progresses. Torment of Tantalus for example becomes a very important episode in the grand scheme and will be referenced again. You are presently right at the start of the whole franchise when it was still finding its feet and you'll find some of the best episodes occur in season 2 and 3. That's where they discover more about the mythology of the show as well as discover new allies and enemies that will be long term fixtures.

Thanks a lot for your answer. That does sound promising. So I'm gonna hang in there for a while longer. Are there any earlier episodes I could safely skip without missing anything important?

I just wanted to add that the style of SG1 changes a couple of times. S3-ish massively increases the scope of Stargate, Season 6 changes it again and Seasons 8 and 9 change the series once more.

So yea, there are plenty of changes, as can be expected of a 10-seasons series

Thank you. That sounds interesting. Could you please elaborate on that a little? What kind of changes are you talking about?

So I'll know what to look forward to. At the moment I really need that, because I'm having problems to keep watching. So I guess knowing a little bit what awaits me, could help with that.

Don't worry about spoilering me a little. I usually spoil myself all the time anyway. (It's probably difficult not to with a series that ended almost a decade ago. ) Just please no major plot twists that are supposed to be a big surprise and wouldn't work very effectively otherwise.

[sueKay]

The big changes are IMO in S6/7 and again in S8/9. I got into SG-1 at the end of S7 but I really feel SG-1 hit its stride in S4. S1 was for me a bit of a mixed bag but I did enjoy it. S2 was a step up and S3 was quite good too.

For the record, while I don't feel that The Torment of Tantalus was the best executed episode, it is one of the most important episodes in the entire mythos of the TV franchise.

[thekillman]

Thank you. That sounds interesting. Could you please elaborate on that a little? What kind of changes are you talking about?

IIRC in season 3 we meet the Tok'ra and Asgard, which add a much-needed depth to the series. Season 6-7 changes the Goa'uld and introduces us to Ba'al i believe, who is a great character all around. Season 8/9 changes some characters and story lines.

[hedwig]

"Thor's Hammer" in Season 1 is a prelude to meeting the actual Asgard in Season 2, "Thor's Chariot" and "The Fifth Race".

[ESESEL]

Well, the biggest change is S9 when some new characters come in, a new enemy is introduced and so on, before S8 too is quite focused on one enemy and their spreading over the galaxy, before S6 when we're slowly starting to build our own space vehicles - they change the pace a little too. And even before, the universe is just getting bigger with every episode and the pieces just slowly start to fit - which is actually what I love about the series.
I think you'll like Ba'al - he's more in the grey area than other goa'ulds.
And there might be a few episodes you can skip, but they're often the most fun (I mean, WoO is probably the least important episode in the great scheme but skipping it would be... wrong).

[thekillman]

So yea, the thing fans love most (asgard, Tok'ra and charismatic Goa'uld) are yet to come.

[Cil]

Thank you all very much for your kind explanations! That really does sound good and in that case I will hang in there. I've just watched "Solitudes" and I really liked that one, even though it probably wasn't important either in the grand scheme.

Well, the biggest change is S9 when some new characters come in, a new enemy is introduced and so on, before S8 too is quite focused on one enemy and their spreading over the galaxy, before S6 when we're slowly starting to build our own space vehicles - they change the pace a little too. And even before, the universe is just getting bigger with every episode and the pieces just slowly start to fit - which is actually what I love about the series.
I think you'll like Ba'al - he's more in the grey area than other goa'ulds.
And there might be a few episodes you can skip, but they're often the most fun (I mean, WoO is probably the least important episode in the great scheme but skipping it would be... wrong).

I'll look forward to meeting Ba'al then. That does sound like an interesting character. I like grey area characters.
I'm also looking forward to the more space oriented episodes. I like those kind of things.

Ah yeah, accidentally I've seen the WoO episode already while it was running on TV. I loved it very much because it was so much fun. It actually was the reason why I've decided to give SG-1 a chance. So yes, of course I also love some stand-alone episodes if they're especially thrilling or funny or anything. It was the same with SGA.

[McAvoy]

You are supposed to see SG-1 first and then Atlantis. SG-1 in its first two seasons were still trying to figure out where to go with itself and didn't figure it out until season 4 and then hit its stride by season 5.

Also, Seasons 8, 9, 10 happened during Atlantis Season 1, 2 and 3. Season 7 is the season where they set up for Atlantis.

[Cil]

You are supposed to see SG-1 first and then Atlantis. SG-1 in its first two seasons were still trying to figure out where to go with itself and didn't figure it out until season 4 and then hit its stride by season 5.

Also, Seasons 8, 9, 10 happened during Atlantis Season 1, 2 and 3. Season 7 is the season where they set up for Atlantis.

Thanks for the timeline, that's helpful. Although it's a bit discouraging that I'll have to wait till season 4 or 5 until it turns really good...

Yeah, I know, I was supposed to watch SG-1 first. The thing is, I was more interested in the premise of Atlantis and it was the only one available on Netflix. So of course I've started with that one.

On the other hand, I'm kinda glad I did. Because if I wouldn't know Atlantis and know how good it is, I'd probably have given up on SG-1 after a few episodes. So yes, I guess it's good the way it is.

[sueKay]

@Cili - Solitudes is actually a quite important episode as well! It introduces the Antarctica angle for the first time

[Cil]

@Cili - Solitudes is actually a quite important episode as well! It introduces the Antarctica angle for the first time

Ah it is? I wouldn't have thought that. Seems like I instinctively tend to like the important episodes.

By the way, I've just seen "There but for the grace of God". Now THAT was a really good episode! I love alternate realities! If there are a lot more episodes of that quality I don't see any problems to wait until the show "really finds its stride".

[ESESEL]

Ah it is? I wouldn't have thought that.

They found a second stargate on Earth. Nah, that won't be important at all. I'm sure they'll never even mention it again.