10 reasons why SG-1 is better than SG:A, or vice versa

[Jack_Bauer]

Ok, ok, so we have Stargate SG-1 now going direct to dvd and Stargate Atlanits about to hit it's 5th season... so which one is better?

If someone can come up with 10 good reasons then there is definite green in it for that person or persons...

[Xiphias]

Should not one contribute to one's own thread?

[Jack_Bauer]

Lol indeed, but I've been tryng to get this essay done for Uni. I'll post something when I get home from work!

[Sly12]

erm... 10 reasons for SG1 being better than SGA...

1) Jack is funny all on his own, no need for a McKay side kick like Sheppard does to pull off a gag

2) Stargate SG1 was all about the gate, not the flashy flying city or the big warships

3) Mythology, SG1 had it by the barrel load even in the Ori story, Daniels character made people interested in all these culture we have in are past

4) SG1 felt like a real team, not just Sheppard + McKay + sub characters like Teyla

5) Asgard, everytime they showed up you knew you had a story that'd carry on entertaining through the seasons...

6) Intense... SGA always feels like they have so much technology that no matter what they'll come through with all guns blazing... SG1 was seat of your pants planning

7) SG1 never really had 'filler' episodes... it had some aweful ones ovr 10 years but it wasn't like they were episodes just made to fit the 20 episodes per season schedule

8) SG1 human civilisations were always more memorable... Tollans, Aschen etc. where as SGA you only have the Genii (which seem to be gettin weaker and weaker in each episode) and the Travelers

9) Distinctive bad guys... again except the odd villian in SGA (Michael) there's no focus on the real leaders like the Wraith queens... they die each episode they appear in

10) SG1's theme tune some how is just cooler, it gives it a good adventure feel for whats to come through the next 40 minutes or so...

I won't judge on the new movies as AoT was fairly lame... and although Continuum looks amazing so far, proof is in the pudding

[elwood]

SG-1 is better than Atlantis because...

1. Jack. No better leader in the SG world.
2. A little sexual tension goes a long way.
3. As the alien team member, Teal'c just offers more than either Ronan or Teyla. Ronan is very one-dimensional, Teyla...well, not much there either.
4. Ancient Egyptian (and other cultures) lore.
5. The transformation of Daniel Jackson from runny-nosed uber-nerd to what he is today...without ever sacrificing his integrity.
6. The subtle character interactions (eye contact, facial expressions) is much better in SG-1.
7. Recurring characters (Jacob, Bra'tac, Martouf, et. al.) and peripheral characters (such as Hammond and Janet) that you care about.
8. More original stories. Atlantis seems to rehash old SG-1 stories...Repli-Carter--->Repli-Weir e.g.)
9. Carter's B's...brains, beauty, bravery.
10. Better villains you love to hate (Apophis, Baal)...or even come to admire (Maybourne). Todd, Michael, Major Winchester, (even Ford)...just not quite the same.

[Briangate78]

Both shows are amazing, and I love them both. SG-1 continues through the DVD movies, and SGA is continuing through more TV seasons.

[Jack_Bauer]

Sorry it took me so long to post this up guys and girls, I was at work all night and didn't get home till late! I'm sure there are better reasons than these out there, these ones are just to get the ball rolling. BTW i'm saying that SG1 is better than SGA, but i'm sure there are many reasons to contrast that!

1. Spinning is so much cooler than not spinning!

2. Better alien allies (Tok’ra and Tollan) and enemies (bug replicators and Goa’uld), rather than the Genii and the Asurans, which were a complete rip off from SG1 anyway...

3. Mythology +++ in SG1, next to known in SGA, lets face it, the mythology made Stargate in the early days and then came right back into in S9 and 10.

4. Mythology again! It’s just sooooo absent in SGA that it s**ts me to tears. It was part of the reason I watched SG1. It gave you a feeling of “wow, this is our planet’s past you’re talking about here...”

5. The Jaffa! You never know where we stand with them, we are supposed to be Allies, but then half of them hate us and they turn the Dakara Superweapon on a human world! This of course being after years of killing them all aboard Goa’uld ships!

6. The Asgard. A truly Alien race with an immense back story and history and a true Ally. While they were always careful not to cross the line and give us weapons with which we would destroy ourselves, they would always help out where they could. Thor was an excellent liaison between us and them and was more human than Asgard in many respects, including his understanding of humans and our morals. SGA need an Ally like that, something permanent, not necessarily a race that interacted with the Ancients even. Perhaps a powerful race on the run from their own galaxy from an equally powerful race and while having good tech, cannot match the Wraith’s numbers.

7. The team cohesion and entertainment was much better in SG1, especially when Jack was there, but even afterwards Cam and Vala (although I hated her) always made the show interesting to watch.

8. You always felt a sense of unknowing in SG1, like you never knew if everyone would survive. I guess this was helped by Daniels shock departure at the end of Season 5, then Dr. Frasier’s death which came out of nowhere! I just don’t get that from SGA, I find myself saying, well as long as Sheppard and Rodney don’t get killed off that is alright. I mean I couldn’t care less if Weir or Teyla were killed.

9. Bit of a nitpick too: If you have found the Lost City of the Ancients, wouldn’t you have found a Lost Armoury of the Ancients... Even though SGA has the whole city of the Ancients, you still feel the tech in SG1 was way cooler while not going too over the top.

10. Teal’c!

[LostCityGuardian]

Both shows are amazing, and I love them both. SG-1 continues through the DVD movies, and SGA is continuing through more TV seasons.

That's exactly what I would have said. It's pretty easy to compare two episodes, but two series? There are too many factors to try to decide between them. Suffice it to say that they are both great.

[amconway]

I'm basically repeating what has been said previously, but here it goes!

1. It's about the stargate. Yes, it is a better gate, but the best part is the instant travel to other planets. Sure, they used ships, but the emphasis is on gate travel. Anytime you use a ship, there's time wasted while people futz with techno-bits, instead of meeting other civilizations and finding cool stuff.
Even the travel time is time that could be spent elsewhere.

2. Better team camaraderie, interaction and development of relationships. All the members of the team are equally important and have different relationships with each other which are cleverly acted.

3. Better individual character development. The characters in SG-1 learned, grew and developed. This was true of the more minor characters such as Hammond and Mayborne as well as the main characters. SGA, not so much.

4. More interesting and diverse contacts with other races and civilizations. Not the same rustic village on every planet. Any culture that might have been interesting to meet was destroyed. More interesting and developed allies (ie. Jaffa, Asgard) and troublemakers (ie. the Gatekeeper, Urgo).

5. Ancient Earth cultures, mythology and language. A direct link between what we know and what might be. It takes us out into the galaxy. Very fun and evocative.

6. Emphasis on exploration rather than large space battles. Everytime they went through the gate, you knew that they would find an interesting ruin, a new language or artifact, a unique culture or something wonderful/horrifying.

7. Ethical, moral and personal dilemas. These problems in episodes, as well as in larger story arcs, made SG-1 more than an adventure/action show. It gave the opportunity for much greater drama, conflict and consequences than is the case when less attention is paid to these aspects of the plot. It also made the characters more interesting.

8. Better villains. The wraith just don't cut it compared to the likes of Baal, Apophis, and the rest of the system lords. Say what you like about Goa'uld, you can't deny that they had style. Goa'uld were just as fully developed in terms of characterization as any of the good guys. And having a parasite wrap itself around your brainstem and force you to do unspeakable thing for millenia is a lot more disturbing than being dead, no matter how unpleasant the dying might be. Replicators are still creepy, but human replicators aren't as creepy as bug replicators. Kind of had enough of the replicators for a while, anyway.

9. Call me Earthcentric, but the fate of our planet and galaxy just seems more important than the fate of Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy. Not that Earth shouldn't try and save it, but c'mon, Earth is intrinsically more important to us. There was more of a threat.

10. Modern military feel to the base and command structure and units. The obvious (rather than implied) existance of multiple units. Reinforces the feeling that SG-1 is us, the people of Earth , at this time, exploring the unknown. SGA has a more general scifi space base feel. The battles in SGA are mostly in space, whereas SG-1 more often used strategy and subterfuge to go behind the lines.

[Sealurk]

I like SGA, but Stargate SG-1 is far superior to Atlantis for me. Here's why:

1. Realism. Now I know this sounds stupid given the premise and content of the series, but I always thought SG-1's strength was its being 'grounded' - set in the present day, on Earth, dealing with politics, funding and military and even legal issues and so on. Made the fantastic stuff even better. Atlantis just can't have this almost by definition.
2. SG-1 was about all four members of SG-1, not a smart arse spikey-haired pilot and a smart arse whiny uber-genius. I like McKay, and sometimes Shep, but the rest of the team may as well retire. SG-1 had an awesome, rounded team where each individual had unique skills, but the whole was greater. SGA is all about Shep and McKay.
3. I know everyone has said it, but for a reason - mythology! Stargate's entire premise from the film onwards, lost in SGA (yet the whole Wraith as inspiration for Vampires thing has never been touched!!).
4. Growth. At the start of SG-1, everyone is inexperienced and inferior to the forces out there, just barely surviving or understanding. By the end of the series, Earth is a major power and these people are experienced and skilled. Things haven't changed all that much in four years in SGA.
5. Personal Growth. Characters change, evolve, learn and remember more. Look at Daniel - ubernerd to kickass soldier, believable in context. Or Teal'c - total alien to near-native who likes and understands Earth culture. Compare with McKay, who still hasn't learnt a helluva lot, or Ronon who still just grunts and shoots things.
6. EARTH!!! We actually see it, a lot, stories are set there, recognisable things happen, and as a result, the whole series feels a lot more 'possible'. There just isn't any emotional attachment to an alien city millions of light years away.
7. Better Baddies. The Goa'uld, while they never quite achieved the potential they had for me, were much better villains, especially with the 'they could be anyone' aspect. Can't see Wraith infiltrating the Tau'ri. Menacing, powerful, and looked the part. And they had variety - compare Apophis, Anubis and Baal! With SGA its basically just Wraith...and more Wraith...and another lot of apparently identical...Wraith. Sigh.
8. Jaffa. From 'Generic Mass-Produced Hero Fodder' soldiers to a genuine, separate race with deep character and backstory, and a great story arc.
9. It's called STARGATE. SGA seems now to have an over-reliance on ships. Sure, SG-1 did frequently, but the gate was more important, and actually featured heavily almost as a character, not just a plot device. SGA has only had one gate-centric episode that I can think of off the top of my head - 38 minutes (one of my favourites).
10. Uniforms! I hate the Atlantis uniforms. Too sci-fi, too 'made up'. Why couldn't they just keep the SG-1 style uniforms for offworld, or have the civilians wearing normal clothes on base?

[maylet]

I can't believe you were able of doing, I can't even if I try I can't choose between SG-1 and Atlantis.

[Jack_Bauer]

I like SGA, but Stargate SG-1 is far superior to Atlantis for me. Here's why:
I know everyone has said it, but for a reason - mythology! Stargate's entire premise from the film onwards, lost in SGA (yet the whole Wraith as inspiration for Vampires thing has never been touched!!).

Thankyou! The Wraith as inspiration for vampire myths would be great! They should do a story of Ancients who returned from Earth introducing the myths after an attempt from the Wraith to reach the MW, where they find Earth.....

[YutheGreat]

To me SG1 has just one advatage storywise it came first. The spectations are way up and the Characters have become much stronger techwise. So now SGA is just blasting away at Hiveships at the time SG1 was struggling with lowly cargo ships.

SGA has some terrifying enemies of its own. MIchael is a threat to fight.

[huggins89]

i have to say i think both have equal value, i love sg-1 for its pulling me in on the basis that im addicited however ive seen the episondes already. for sg-a it could be worse at least the story gets me coming back for more. what im trying to say in to many words is i like them both alot

[amconway]

i have to say i think both have equal value, i love sg-1 for its pulling me in on the basis that im addicited however ive seen the episondes already. for sg-a it could be worse at least the story gets me coming back for more. what im trying to say in to many words is i like them both alot

Point taken. I'm not saying that I don't watch SGA; I do. I just find that much of the time, the writers play it safe and don't fully utilize the talents of the actors or the rich possibilities of the stargate.