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My first time watching SG1, a few thoughts.

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    My first time watching SG1, a few thoughts.

    I am just now starting season 7 and my biggest takeaway so far is how much of a change in tone there seems to be.

    A lot of the early seasons were seemed to be all about optimism and had a really nice positive feeling to most of the episodes. Now it seems the show is much darker and more sarcastic, especially the character of Sam Carter.

    Her character was my favorite and she used to be very optimistic. Now it seems like everyone is sassy or angry

    #2
    Yeah there was a huge tonal shift when Jack started to distance himself from the show, by the way this is due to the fact that at the time he wanted to spend time with his newborn daughter... The trademark O'Neill humor just made the show an overall better unit... I think he was kind of the glue that held the team together.. and him not being there kind of made things a little out of whack... But don't worry they introduce two new characters coming soon... And it gets more lighthearted again, 1 character replaces Jack leader skills... And the other Jack's comic relief... It's season 9 and 10 I believe.. so hang in there it kind of goes back to what you're referring to.

    Enjoy the rest of the show, and welcome to the forums!
    -Frank
    sigpic

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      #3
      Yeah, the tone started to change through the seasons. My favorite time is still season 1-2-3, the "Glassner era". Somehow those episodes really felt like mini movies. Even if there were less special effects, I have just simply enjoyed the discoveries, the adventures as they have gone through the gate by foot. Then the focus started to change with the introduction of Russians, NID, what was even changed by the arrival of Prometheus. Then as Anubis expanded they tried to make a dramatic end for every seasons, so the Full Circle could have been a series finale as I am guessing Anubis would have killed all the Systemlords above Abydos and then the whole show would have ended with Abydos where it has started with COTG. Then the finding of Atlantis was postponed, then it was postponed again at the end of season 7. And you can feel how much RDA lost his motivation as an actor / producer there, while Daniel turned into an annoying, saddened character in comparsion to pre-ascended Daniel. Then the real SG-1 has ended with Threads and Moebius was like a mini-DVD movie, like an epilogue to support Atlantis. Then season 9 should have been renamed to "Stargate : Command" as they wanted it as well, but the tv channel didn't let them do it.

      I really hope if we ever get a new next-gen Stargate then the focus goes back to the Stargate. I would like to see discoveries, to visit new alien races, to see wild alien landscapes. But if they bem or jump on and off from space ships, it slightly kills this gate related feeling. Other sciifi shows have got plenty of spaceships, but Stargate should be about stargates, how they use the gate network for different reasons. And it shouldn't be about stronger shields, faster engines and huge budget eating space battles.
      "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

      "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

      "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

      Comment


        #4
        The tone changed in part (IMO), in pursuit of "realism." Same reason they gave for killing off one of the most popular recurring characters.

        Seaboe
        If you're going to allow yourself to be offended by a cat, you might as well just pack it in -- Steven Brust

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Seaboe Muffinchucker View Post
          The tone changed in part (IMO), in pursuit of "realism." Same reason they gave for killing off one of the most popular recurring characters.

          Seaboe
          I disagree. was far more true to life and realistic in the early seasons. Pursuit of “realism” was part of what the show was based around. It was when they started abandoning that premise that the tone shifted and it started to get silly. Particularly with how SG-1 in seasons 1-7 really gave a sense of feeling in jeopardy when a emergency came up. And yeah they built up technology like Naquadah generators and Zats but it was all scavanged technology or relatively low-tier for the rest of the setting. And then suddenly from season 8 onwards the whole team swaggered about like they were invincible. I was always most struck by their interactions with Baal or the Lucian Alliance, who never came across as a sufficient threat because SG1 just treated them like another day in the office.
          Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

          Comment


            #6
            I agree with P-90_177. The whole show started to be a parody of itself. They could beam them out from any situation. I know they were joking about it in "200", so even the writers knew they have written them a too easy escape in lots of situation.

            Last "Undending" scene :
            Harriman: Chevron Seven is locked.
            Landry: Good luck, SG-1.
            Mitchell: Just another everyday mission to save the galaxy, sir.
            Everyone: Indeed.
            Landry: God speed.
            You know it is a good scene, but also felt a bit wrong that they take it too easy. Sometimes heroes must make mistakes, they must fall so the audience could feel their struggle to achieve victory. Such lines as Mitchell's won't help the situation.


            Lots of Hungarians complained about redshirts. SG-1 was written completly insensitive in a few situation (like at the end of "The Scourge"). Too many people died because of them and if I remember they have never showed any deeper regret scenes... I mean the complete crew of Korolev have gone, hudnreds have died on Earth because of the plague, hosts have died because of the stone communication, Jaffa planets were butchered by deadly toxins etc. Similar things happened in Atlantis. I know they didn't want to setup the tones too dark, so I was happy to see a story like "Inquisition". They have saved both of the galaxies, but they could have written the shows with a bit more respect for the fallen unknown Jaffas, Wraith or humans. I know I should not think about the enemies in a war scenario, but even a hostile noname soldier had family, past, dreams, goals. Maybe they could have been turned to our side instead of shooting them, but I believe the audience won't think about such things.
            Last edited by Platschu; 11 March 2019, 02:21 PM.
            "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

            "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

            "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Platschu View Post
              Lots of Hungarians complained about redshirts. SG-1 was written completly insensitive in a few situation (like at the end of "The Scourge"). Too many people died because of them and if I remember they have never showed any deeper regret scenes... I mean the complete crew of Korolev have gone, hudnreds have died on Earth because of the plague, hosts have died because of the stone communication, Jaffa planets were butchered by deadly toxins etc. Similar things happened in Atlantis. I know they didn't want to setup the tones too dark, so I was happy to see a story like "Inquisition". They have saved both of the galaxies, but they could have written the shows with a bit more respect for the fallen unknown Jaffas, Wraith or humans. I know I should not think about the enemies in a war scenario, but even a hostile noname soldier had family, past, dreams, goals. Maybe they could have been turned to our side instead of shooting them, but I believe the audience won't think about such things.
              I've had an issue with this since season 1. It starts with "The First Commandment." They come upon the remnants of another Sg-1 team, join together with them, and by the end of the episode everyone ends up dead but Sg-1. When I first did a marathon of the show, I just kept thinking; "Just this time, can one of these other people you come upon make it to the end of the episode with you?" It highlights how plot protected the main characters are when everyone around them dies all the time.

              Speaking of season 5 presenting a bit of change to the established norm, for me I was happy that they at least let two members of the all the female team in "Whispers" make it way with their lives.

              I also like that you mentioned the Korolev. They at one point said a half dozen of the crew made it off with beaming technology, so Mitchell and Jackson weren't technically the only ones who made it off, but wow was watching them save themselves cringe worthy.

              Here's Mitchell doing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_yrkBmzG74

              He's running to the hanger bay, and a nearby explosion occurs, knocking the guy right next to him to the ground. He stops to look behind him, and then goes on running with a look of fear in his eyes. Was that guy down for the count? Could Mitchell have helped him to his feet and brought him along to the 302? I don't know because Mitchell didn't even check. He just barely made it out of there, so had he done that they both would have died, but he didn't know that he wouldn't have had an an extra 10-30 seconds and the only reason he didn't was because the writers wanted it to look like he was flying out of the hanger bay as everything was exploding around him. They could have easily had him at least check the guy's pulse and still given Mitchell time to make it out, and they chose not to.

              Now here's Daniel doing it: https://youtu.be/N_yrkBmzG74?t=123

              Same bloody thing! There's an explosion and Daniel responds by immediately activating the rings and throwing himself on the platform. Maybe try to drag one of the two people nearby onto it first? Yes, we saw the ship blow up right after, but that's just how it was cut. Mitchell had time to run to the 302 and start it up after first recognizing they were doomed. Daniel's part of the ship might have went up first, but really the writers are just not interested in writing around the idea of an unknown Russian or two running around an Ori ship with Daniel.

              And because of that they don't care about making their main characters look indifferent to the lives of background characters.
              Last edited by Xaeden; 12 March 2019, 03:01 AM.

              Comment


                #8
                Yep. I am glad you have made this comment as I have felt the same. Their heroic escape was heroic rather selfish. Later they introduced the mass emergency Asgard beam (like in SG:A season 4 finale), so we have say they were not prepared for it. By the way there was an Asgard ship in that battle and the writers completly ignored its fate in season 10.

                The worst one was still The Scourge when they decided to go to watch a movie like nothing happened. Unrealistic.

                SGC is an organization. So it would have been nice to see more episodes about teamwork between SG teams. It has felt that everybody is expandable to save or to rescue our main heroes.

                Not to mention that massacred Jaffas who could have been their allies. Tok'Ra were dieing like flies in early seasons while all of the Tok'Ra characters must have had hundreds of years of experience, knowledge, individual history. But nothing, they were also expandable.

                Later at least they have realised this comic tone, so it was interesting to hear the lamentation and sadness of Carter about her crew loss over the Icarus base. We could have had more scenes like that on SG-1 and Atlantis to make it feel that every life matters. Hopefully they will fix the tone of the shows in the next SG projects. Not too dark, but also not too comical. I would like to see negative and positive skills for our heroes, so it is not a shame to introduce weaknesses as they will be more believable characters.
                "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

                "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

                "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Platschu View Post
                  Yep. I am glad you have made this comment as I have felt the same. Their heroic escape was heroic rather selfish. Later they introduced the mass emergency Asgard beam (like in SG:A season 4 finale), so we have say they were not prepared for it. By the way there was an Asgard ship in that battle and the writers completly ignored its fate in season 10.

                  The worst one was still The Scourge when they decided to go to watch a movie like nothing happened. Unrealistic.

                  SGC is an organization. So it would have been nice to see more episodes about teamwork between SG teams. It has felt that everybody is expandable to save or to rescue our main heroes.

                  Not to mention that massacred Jaffas who could have been their allies. Tok'Ra were dieing like flies in early seasons while all of the Tok'Ra characters must have had hundreds of years of experience, knowledge, individual history. But nothing, they were also expandable.

                  Later at least they have realised this comic tone, so it was interesting to hear the lamentation and sadness of Carter about her crew loss over the Icarus base. We could have had more scenes like that on SG-1 and Atlantis to make it feel that every life matters. Hopefully they will fix the tone of the shows in the next SG projects. Not too dark, but also not too comical. I would like to see negative and positive skills for our heroes, so it is not a shame to introduce weaknesses as they will be more believable characters.
                  They got it right so often in the early season too. From the first two episode you saw the whole team worrying about Ferreti and Kawolski. In Matter of Time we see O’Neill grieving at the loss of the SG team being sucked into the black hole and it really got across to the audience that this was a big loss despite us never knowing those characters beyond the opening teaser.
                  “We are watching good men die in slow motion, Captain!”
                  Even as late as Heroes we see how much the other teams matter. SG1 is the focus but they are just one team in an organisation that doesn’t leave anyone behind.

                  By the time we get to season 8 and beyond it felt like they were the big heroes that were way more important than all the little people. I don’t think this was helped by O’Neill once he was base commander and SG1 was essentially just a team of three, which just seemed ridiculous. And certainly wasn’t helped when Mitchell came along and treated SG1 like it was this uber team that he HAD to be on, despite as he admitted to Landry, having no authority over them due to him being the same rank as Carter and Daniel and Teal’c not being within the command structure. They went from being a millitary unit to a superhero team.
                  Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I'm not saying it was realistic, I'm saying the the reason TPTB gave for some of the changes (particularly the darkness) was pursuit of realism.

                    Seaboe
                    If you're going to allow yourself to be offended by a cat, you might as well just pack it in -- Steven Brust

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Platschu View Post
                      Yep. I am glad you have made this comment as I have felt the same. Their heroic escape was heroic rather selfish. Later they introduced the mass emergency Asgard beam (like in SG:A season 4 finale), so we have say they were not prepared for it. By the way there was an Asgard ship in that battle and the writers completly ignored its fate in season 10.

                      The worst one was still The Scourge when they decided to go to watch a movie like nothing happened. Unrealistic.
                      This is mainly why I like to pretend these last seasons never existed, well the whole Ori arc for the most part.

                      To take a quote from The Godfather

                      ''Look what they did to my boy!''
                      Spoiler:
                      I don’t want to be human. I want to see gamma rays, I want to hear X-rays, and I want to smell dark matter. Do you see the absurdity of what I am? I can’t even express these things properly, because I have to—I have to conceptualize complex ideas in this stupid, limiting spoken language, but I know I want to reach out with something other than these prehensile paws, and feel the solar wind of a supernova flowing over me. I’m a machine, and I can know much more.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Consider it as a spin-off. I hope they won't write the next generation SG heroes like them. Most of the scenes were alright, just this superhero thing was a bit too much occasionally.

                        By the way. Just because Mitchell crashed on the Antarctic, why have they promised a position on SG-1? I know he was noble, he suffered a lot with his physiotherapy, but we are talking about SG-1. Why would they accept a random airforce guy on their team? Maybe he was a good pilot and a good squad leader, but it doesn't mean he had those skills what Earth's frontline team needed. They have also missed to make a connection between him and Sheppard. Maybe they knew each other or he was the one who suspended him before. But I am guessing they didn't want to make a clash between the two main character. Just it could have been mentioned or something.
                        "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

                        "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

                        "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I was guessing yes, but we are talking about the representative of Earth, the first line of explorer and diplomatic team. Jack shouldn't have offered this position without the authorization of the President, I believe. But it doesn't matter now, he is part of the canon and I like Cameron.
                          "I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it."

                          "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."

                          "Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all."

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Platschu View Post
                            I was guessing yes, but we are talking about the representative of Earth, the first line of explorer and diplomatic team. Jack shouldn't have offered this position without the authorization of the President, I believe. But it doesn't matter now, he is part of the canon and I like Cameron.
                            Well yeah but SG-1 is still a millitary team, and honestly their role could have just been filled by another team hence why they seemed to drag their feet at replacing it until Mitchell arrived and Landry dumped a load of personnel files on his desk.
                            Please do me a huge favour and help me be with the love of my life.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              mmm I guess I haven't really paid too much attention to that, I just go with the flow and enjoy every season, I don't pay too much attention to the changes in tone or direction as the seasons progressed, but I'm sure those changes were there since the show has changed producers & writers during the course of its time on air. I'm just not the sort to nitpick, even with the changes, as long as I still find the episodes & seasons interesting and enjoyable to watch I don't mind the changes.

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