One ANNOYING thing about SG1

[PaladinX]

I really am a fan of the show. At first I thought it was kind of cheesy and lame being a BG and firefly fan, but after awhile I liked SG1 just as much as the other two. It just had to grow on me a little.

I like the show, but there is one thing that always annoyed me. I am just curious if anyone feels the same. I know they did it to add a comical factor to the show, but when something happens to one of the SG1 members, everyone assumes they are crazy... especially Jack. Throughout the show they see the most crazy stuff and so many things are possible etc etc.. but as soon as something happens to a character out of the ordinary they always elude to them being insane. Its a little annoying to me not sure why. I mean they are aware of what is possible out there yet the first thing that comes to mind is .. OOO he must be crazy.. thats impossible! And its just a concept that goes on throughout the show that gets a little old and stale.

An example. Dr. Jackson gets thrown in a mental ward for being crazy, yet at the end they realize he was never crazy.. They encounter aliens who can become invisible, they have encountered aliens that can become pure energy.. After all of that , all of their encounters, Major carter says that an alien is visiting her home.. Whats the first thing they say... OH SHES CRAZY.. Like that couldn't possibly happen.. I know its trying to be funny but it ends up being lame.

[YceQueen]

I know what you mean, and I do agree with you on that. For a group of people running a stargate program, visiting other planets and battlleing aliens, they sure are narrow-minded sometimes. It seemed like it was always easier to assume one was crazy, than admitting something REAL was going on, i.e. with what you said about Daniel being thrown into a mental ward, or season 6 when Jonas is the first to see those glowing bugs from another dimension. They were almost condescending sometimes.

But I think it also has something to do with the fact they're airforce/military. It's just not the kinda stuff you learn about and train for, so despite it all, it's still easier to look for a more human explanation, than saying something alien-like is happening.

I've been bothered by it, but I guess I just try to ignore it

[Snowman37]

It wasn't a question of insanity, but rather of post traumatic stress or something akin to that. Also, the times where they were thought to be nuts, it was because the character had zero evidence to back up their claims. That was usually what made them look nuts.

[Gen. Chris]

To be fair, there was also a chance they could have been hallucinating due to some reason or another, so it's always fair to be a little skeptical

[blueray]

it bothered me a little bit but as said they are military narrow-minded people. it is interesting as the show goes on how sg-1 gets more used to weird things. like when cam and sam get put into the another demention. sam was just like this must be what happened, of course thats with the knowledge that it happened to daniel.

[Brother Freyr]

It's a fair criticism but not one that annoyed me. Much.

[Snowman37]

I always liked how most characters were straight up skeptics or believers. It mirrors real life, at least as I've experienced. Most people I've known were on one side of the fence, few on the fence itself.

[QuantumIguana]

That's where things get tricky. Events do take place on the show seem exceedingly unlikely at best. But that doesn't mean that skepticism gets thrown out the window. You just can't afford to do that, you'll start believing anything. Remember, the audience knows what is real, but the characters do not. The episodes could have just as easily been written with the characters actually being insane.

[The Dude]

I agree with the op, it's not a matter of being skeptical or throwing skepticism out the window, it's the opposite- they're throwing reason out the window. While it is possible that Daniel really is crazy, it's far more likely that he is simply experiencing some unknown phenomenon encountered during gate travel which, you know, is constantly occuring. The pattern of "something weird happening connected to gate travel" is clearly established so they shouldn't be at all surprised by Daniel's statements, or the lack of evidence to back his claims; the fact that he is making weird claims is evidence enough that something weird may once again be afoot. This is a weak story.

But then they did the same thing to Jonas. Maybe it's some kind of Stargate hazing of the geek?

[rushy]

It was kinda weird how Daniel thought there's a Goa'uld on Jack's neck and then like "1 day later", he's in a mental ward, crazy.

[jelgate]

I think that is a special circumstance. In that episode he was exhibiting textbook schziophrenia.

[rushy]

As for the one ANNOYING thing about SG-1, it's obviously the fact that Selmak died.

[Anoobian]

Totally agree

"He's seeing something we can't see, he must be nuts."

They did that in constant episodes to basically flesh out the episode. That's why one of the major flaws of SG-1 was the weak storyline (little one there was), the only thing that was kept consistent was the kill count of the Goa'uld and past planets they'd been to. There was little to no character development because the episodes were weakly connected. It was usually just "planet of the week". We get into peril in the first 10-15 minutes, someone arrives, we figure out how to contact Earth, by the last 5-10 minutes, we are gating back home safely, no one is dead. Or if they are dead (at least main character), there is magically a sarcophagus or a healing device or a symbiote or an alien ally who will save them. That is what made SG-1 lame for me. I don't mind main characters not dying, but when there is no continuity between the episodes, you don't worry about them ever being removed from the storyline. But then again, most series have this flaw. However the series I continue to enjoy have correlation between their episodes cause the next one is based on the last one. SG-1 usually has no reference at all to the last episode except in some 2 part cases.

[Dave2]

Anoobian, you make some valid points, but isn't it too much to say nothing in later episodes built on previous ones, especially technological and scientific areas as well as weakening and defeating enemies. Besides, SG1 are painted as heroes who save the day and save the world. That was a fundamental premise of the story. The later seasons seemed to weaken on some of the ethical and interpersonal matters, but overall there was continuity.

[Anoobian]

Anoobian, you make some valid points, but isn't it too much to say nothing in later episodes built on previous ones, especially technological and scientific areas as well as weakening and defeating enemies. Besides, SG1 are painted as heroes who save the day and save the world. That was a fundamental premise of the story. The later seasons seemed to weaken on some of the ethical and interpersonal matters, but overall there was continuity.

Oh, not at all, Dave2. There was a lot of continuity, but many episodes aren't related to one another. Sometimes the story would pop back up here or there, but nothing was really stretched out to more than one episode. They'd have a problem and somehow solve it in that hour time frame. If the story is told correctly, no one dying is very easily dismissed.

Like True Blood - Bill, Eric, Sookie, Alcide, Tara, Lafayette, Sam, etc are all the main characters. Tara died, but was resurrected for instance. I have no issue with this because each issue of True Blood picks up where the last one left off. The SG-1 episodes usually end in the infirmary, shaking hands with a new ally or in the proximity of the gate (leaving or in the gate room back in SGC). And definitely, the series seems to be getting worse as the seasons move along (just started watching, been a fan of the Stargate Universe [like the entire collection of it] for a long time now since seeing the 1994 movie, but I was a bit indignant at the changes to the story like the creators, I'm only Season 7 lol)

Definitely being continuity on a piece of technology or an artifact, but I think SG-1's problem was the huge universe (literally) that it had to encompass into its story. Some people are never heard from again, but are introduced. Like the Re-Tu or the Aschen or some of the other races introduced. It makes the iris a very convenient plot device as they don't have to worry about unexpected visitors showing up from other planets. But, it also makes it that they can open an arc and then ignore it and considered it closed. The story drifts a lot because many episodes aren't related to the last one. But MANY series are like that.

The prior episodes receive a nod at the most, but with the ones comparing it to Star Wars (which wasn't a TV series unless you count the clone wars, which I seem to remember having some of the same issues of some episodes being related to the last)

SG-1 reminds me of watching Cartoons sometimes. Its a bunch of little storylines trying to tie into a much bigger one, but they don't reference that big storyline enough. But I think that was trying to stretch out the storyline too much. But hey, what series isn't guilty of that?