Stargate SG-1 The Illustrated Companion Seasons 1 and 2 [Paperback]

Thomasina Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stargate Sg1 | Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Taking up from where the blockbuster Stargate movie left off, Stargate SG-1 has quickly become a sci-fi phenomenon in its own right. The hit series continues the story of Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his elite military team as they probe the secrets of the Stargate: the mysterious, ancient portal that allows instantaneous travel to remote planets throughout the universe. Here, at last, is the authorised guide to the show. Stargate SG-1: The Illustrated Companion Volume 1 is an in-depth look at the first two seasons, packed with behind-the-scenes interviews, many previously unpublished pictures, and a comprehensive episode guide. EXCLUSIVE! Featuring contributions written by the cast, including Richard Dean Anderson, giving their own unique take on the character they play!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Featuring more exclusive new interviews with all the cast and crew, giving the in-depth, inside story ..." -- Sci FI channel UK Website June 2003

"Stargate SG-1 fans will go mad for this fact-packed volume..." -- Total DVD January 2004

"Thomasina Gibson's official season guides have become required reading for Stargate fans, and the latest offering is no exception." -- Dreamwatch (UK) Issue 108 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Thomasina Gibson has been covering Stargate SG-1 for the genre press since her first visit to the set of the show in Vancouver, during the filming of the pilot episode five years ago. Since then, she's been back many times, and has unrivalled access to the production.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840233540
• ISBN-13: 978-1840233544
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,600,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Lightweight, March 16, 2003

By 

Rodney Meek (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stargate SG-1 The Illustrated Companion Seasons 1 and 2 (Paperback)

This is the first in set of episode guides to the TV science fiction series "Stargate SG-1", which formerly ran on Showtime in original release and now debuts new episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel. The existence of these guides is not too well known from what I gather, which may be because they're produced out of the UK by one of the genre specialists on that side of the pond.

Readers spoiled by the hefty and image-packed guides typical of "Star Trek", "The X-Files", or "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will most definitely be very disappointed here. (For my money, the definitive ep guide is the one for "Deep Space Nine".) Other guides have dozens of photos (including color plates), large sections dedicated to set and costume design, cinematography, casting, and special effects, detailed actor and character biographies, cast and crew credits, and episode synopses, reviews, and ratings, usually with frank behind-the-scenes discussions from the writers, actors, and directors.

Here? Not so much. The entire two first seasons are jammed into one very small book, and each episode is addressed quite fleetingly. There's a fair bit of input from the actors, mostly Christopher Judge and Amanda Tapping, and a few pages at the end about the production side of the show, but on the whole, the material is thin and not at all revelatory. Far greater detail can be found at fan websites.

I'm discouraged to say that the hightest praise I can offer for this guide is a lukewarm "Well, it's better than nothing." So unless you're a hardcore fan who collects the action figures and everything else, give this one a pass.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun little guide in some areas, needs more info in others, February 24, 2003

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stargate SG-1 The Illustrated Companion Seasons 1 and 2 (Paperback)

I bought this guide in hopes of learning a lot of background information about each episode. I was disappointed in what I found although it can be useful and interesting.
Covering the first two seasons the guide gives each episode a single B/W photo, a guest cast list, the writer and director (and sometimes who did the teleplay). This is followed by a quote from one of the characters in each episode, a one paragraph synopsis and a paragraph or two about the episode by a cast member or someone behind the scenes. A gray box with information about a character or race in some episodes.
The forward, the character profiles at the books end, and a couple of other short sections on episode production actually gave the most information. It seems obvious to me that the cast seem to like each other and generally enjoy doing the show, I just wish I'd gotten more information about how it's all done.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Much like the previous volumes in series, very interesting, November 15, 2003

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stargate SG-1 The Illustrated Companion Seasons 5 and 6 (Paperback)

If you've gotten the first two books in Ms. Gibson's series you'll find this book to be very similar in nature. This time she visits the 5th and 6th seasons giving you a picture and quote from each episode and a paragraph about each. You are also informed of the guest cast and writer/directors and several paragraphs about each episode, this is actually the most informative part about each story.
I thought the charactor/ actor profiles at the end of this edition were very interesting (some very nice photos too)as were the chapters about various aspects of producing the series. It's a good bok ofr a fan of the series to own but if you're new to StarGate you'll be sort of lost as it assumes you know what's going on.