Customer Reviews

Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Boxed Set

5 star:		(236)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The complete chronological release of season one of the highly-rated television series Stargate SG-1.

Saturn Sci-Fi Award Winner For Best Syndicated TV Series, 2000 Saturn Award Winner For Best Actor (Richard Dean Anderson) In A TV Sci-Fi Series, 1999

Episode Listing:

Disc 1: Children of the Gods (pilot), The Enemy Within, Emancipation

Disc 2: The Broca Divide, The First Commandment, Brief Candle, Cold Lazarus, Thor's Hammer

Disc 3: The Torment Of Tantalus, Bloodlines, Fire and Water, The Nox, Hathor

Disc 4: Cor-Ai, Singularity, Enigma, Tin Man, Solitudes

Disc 5: There But For The Grace Of God, Politics, Within The Serpent's Grasp

I fell in love with this series towards the end of Season 1, so I'm glad MGM decided to release this series on television. I can finally see the episodes I missed. This series is a great balence between action, science, and great storytelling. Richard Dean Anderson as O'Neil is a riot! Espically when he get's this blank look on his face after Daniel or Carter say something way over his head (Which happens a lot).

After seeing this set, there is something the buyer should know:

1. The series is shot in Canada, and to put it in a nice way, the cameras they used wern't exactly A+ equipment. That's why some scenes appear grainy. It's not the conversion to DVD, the grainyness was there on Showtime and when the show was syndicated on TV.

2. This show is presented in Dolby 2.0 Surround. To get the best experience, set your home theater to 2 Channel Dolby, and have the reciever send the two channels to both front and surround speakers. Some episodes of the series have some really neat surround effects if you listen carefully.

I put this series on par with X-Files, and Babylon 5, all great series in terms of storytelling.

This is a great series. And this boxed set covers the entire first season all in one fell swoop.

The writing for the episodes was excellent picking up on the threads that the movie Stargate had left off on in a logical manner. The transition between the movie and the series being nearly seamless with the return of the Goa'uld and the re-opening of the Stargate on Abydos and without any of those huge contraditions that so many tv series seem to have when based on movies.

And,I was immediately hooked on watching how the four characters, making up the team of SG-1, start out as strangers and then grow to be friends and fiercely loyal to one another.

The interplay between Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson and Richard Dean Anderson as Colonel Jack O'Neill is worth the DVD's price alone. Michael Shanks shows us an earnest Daniel Jackson who still has that sense of childlike wonder despite the way life keeps knocking him down. And Richard Dean Anderson creates a Jack O'Neill who is strongly military but with a wicked sense of humor. Also, the added talents of Amanda Tapping (who plays Samantha Carter, an airforce captain and scientist) and Christopher Judge (Teal'c, a former first prime, a.k.a. head soldier, of the enemy) play off of these two in such a way that it makes a good balance.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone who likes strong character development.

Although I liked all the episodes (with the possible exception of Emancipation), I particularly liked: Cold Lazarus, Hathor, Fire & Water, Solitudes, There But The Grace of God, and Within The Serpent's Grasp. My only objection is that Within The Serpent's Grasp is the first of two parts and I would really hope that MGM would hurry up and release the second season set so that I can buy the sequel to this episode to add it to my collection.

Overall, the film quality of the DVD's was good. The storylines were well written (the characters learn and change throughout, with each episode adding a little bit to the previously established material, and not simply being the "monster of the week" vignette). I also liked the fact that the series, like the movie, uses elements of different historical time periods, particularly egyptology, to form many of their premises. (If you're a history buff or amateur archeologist you'll run into a lot of familiar myths and legends and historical facts.) Also, the added bonus material of interviews and such was fun.

Would I recommend this to a friend to buy. Yes. Do I think it's worth the money? Yes. Will I buy the next set. Yes.

So, if you liked Stargate the movie. Or you like stories similar to the television show Farscape or books by such authors as Lois McMaster Bujold, where character development and witty dialogue are wrapped around adventures then I think you will enjoy this series too.

Definitely a thumbs up!

Not being a suscriber of Showtime, I've had to deal with absurd syndication scheduling (4 p.m on Saturday on week then 3 p.m. on Sunday the next.) to see this series. Before getting this DVD set, I hadn't a clue which episodes I'd seen or if I'd seen in the correct order. As it turns out, even as a current big fan, I hadn't seen at last 60% of the first season. So it was a true delight to watch them all in rapid successes, with perfect picture and sound, no commercials, and the widescreen format. I'm chopping at the bit waiting for the subsequent seasons to arrive on DVD. Besides the quality and convenience of the DVD set, this TV series is actually more like watching one-long 20 hour movie. I couldn't wait for the next episode and then was kind of sad when I reach the last disk.

In the spirit of Star Trek, our intrepid group of Stargate explorers go, in our time, where no one has gone before. They truly bring great depth and meaning to their adventures and touch on contemporary subjects, deal with real personal issues and emotions, and have a wild-time getting there.

Stargate SG1 is the best Sci-fi adventure series in years (well, since Babylon 5 anyway), and is closer in spirit to the original Star Trek series of the 60's than any of the recent Star Trek series. The show is a fun adventure series, and also has some good Science Fiction concepts. The scripts are well written, and the cast (led by Richard Dean Anderson) is excellent. The characters are well rounded, and the stories are exciting. The special effects are top notch as well. This box-set features all of Season 1 in anamporphic widescreen, and has some nice extra features as well (featurettes, promo trailers, etc), making it a "must-have" for any Science Fiction OR adventure fan. If you check the other reviews you can see the episodes on the 5 discs, but - trust me - this is a great set. BUY IT! MGM has already said that the release of Season 2 on DVD will be based on the sales of Season 1 - so BUY IT! The show seems to get better every year, so seasons 2 & 3 are must have's on DVD as well. They won't be released on DVD unless Season 1 does reasonably well - so BUY IT! (You will not regret it. This is a GREAT show!)

OK the maybe hate is too strong a word, I thought there were some good bits too it but plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. When it was announced that Richard Dean Anderson was making a TV version of it in Vancouver I thought " Eygpt in Canada, riiight..." But it at least MacGyver was working again.

Then I caught a marthon of the first season on a Showtime free Weekend. I subscribed to Showtime the next day.

Not the perfect show, but it is funny, exciting, doesnt take itself too seriously and the cast and SFX are very good. It is the best example of what is increasingly rare on TV, a good adventure show.

Season 1 sets the pace for the increasing better seasons, topping out at Season 4 I think. IT is still a fine show, better then 98% of the stuff out there ( and FAR the best thing on Sci-Fi Channel currently).

Besides, it has MAcGyver in it! How can you say no to that?

Just a note. According to the episode list at MGM's official SG-1 store, this DVD box set has only the Season One episodes, as follows: Episode Listing:

Disc 1: Children of the Gods (pilot), The Enemy Within, Emancipation Disc 2: The Broca Divide, The First Commandment, Brief Candle, Cold Lazarus, Thor's Hammer Disc 3: The Torment Of Tantalus, Bloodlines, Fire and Water, The Nox, Hathor Disc 4: Cor-Ai, Singularity, Enigma, Tin Man, Solitudes Disc 5: There But For The Grace Of God, Politics, Within The Serpent's Grasp

MGM, of all studios, shows Paramount how to release a TV series on DVD with their first, and hopefully not last, installment of the Stargate SG-1 series. Not all episodes on this disc will impress those unfamiliar with the series, but it remains an effective introduction to this sci-fi phenomenon. (Note: The show's second season won't be available on DVD in North America until September 02. MGM made the announcement in the January 02 issue of their online sci-fi newsletter.)

Fans of the show who have only seen Stargate SG-1 in syndication will notice certain added scenes in each episode -- especially the pilot. The episodes follow the less restrictive time frame in which they are first aired on the cable network Showtime. When the episodes are prepared to fit into a more restrictive time frame for airing in syndication, scenes are frequently removed.

Each episode on this disc is presented in its filmed 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio -- the disc has been incorrectly labeled as "standard." This will be an added bonus for fans as well, while filmed in anamorphic and aired in standard 1.33:1, the anamorphic presentation of each episode provides the show with a more film-like feel, but rarely does the wider aspect ratio add more to the content of the episode.

Meanwhile, the audio on the disc is about as good as can be expected from a TV series. Each episode contains its stereo surround track with which it is broadcast. The true highlight of the audio track is the sweeping score, based on the original score from the film Stargate, found in each episode. Composer Joel Goldsmith does a tremendous job incorporating David Arnold's original score with new elements to present a unique, but truly "Stargate," soundtrack for the series. Voice and sound effect placement is pretty general which keeps all three forward soundstage speakers in constant use during each episode.
Extra content is virtually non-existent on these discs. One can consider the two additional episodes (not found the VHS release) and the widescreen aspect ratio used on the disc as extra content, but most will agree multi-episodic discs should be standard releases from studios.

The video transfers from each episode suffer from an excessive amount of grain and picture noise, especially during scenes filmed in darker locations. Even with these image defects, the DVD looks better than the show does aired on television. Still, I can't help but think if MGM spent a little more time developing and mastering this disc, the image quality could have been vastly improved.
Also parents should note there is a scene, not aired in syndication, in the pilot episode containing full-frontal nudity. This is the only instance nudity found in any episode of the series, and does not involve sex, but was removed from the syndication version of the episode so it could be aired on non-cable television.

Closing Statement
In all fairness, MGM squeezed just about all the Stargate they could onto this disc collection. Fans of the series owe it to themselves to own a copy of this disc, while fans of the movie, and fans of science fiction in general, should give this disc a rental spin to see what they've been missing out on...

I'm a huge Stargate fan, more than any sane person should be. I know episode names and events by heard and I can almost recite all 5 Seasons in order. Sad huh?

Anyway, I got hold of this Boxed Set a while back (during Exams actually, a good idea... no study!) as it was the only way to get the Season 1 eps on DVD (I had most of Season 2, but wanted Season 1).

Anyway, these DVD's are excellent. A few of the eps are out of order (usually by one though ie. Ep 11 is really Ep 10 and so on) and there are a few that are totally out of order (Ep 12 is NOT The Nox, The Nox is Ep 7 in the series).

The quality is amazing, WIDE SCREEN RULES and the sound is great. Plus its every Ep, including the excellent Pilot.

I await the Season 3 box (as I've already got all of S2 separately).

BYE

The Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Box Set is a great introduction to this excellent sci-fi series. Although the first season had its share of clunkers (as is only normal with any new series trying to find its footing), SG-1 succeeded in quickly establishing its characters and unique plotlines, and definitely had a much better first year than most series.
While I do feel that the few aforementioned bad episodes were among the series' all-time worst (most notably, "Emancipation" and "Brief Candle"), these are easily excused since the high quality of most of the rest of the season more than makes up for it.

Among my personal favorites of the first season:

Children Of The Gods: A great follow-up to the movie, introducing us to characters both old and new. Lots of action and great special effects. My only complaint with the pilot episode is the inclusion of gratuitous and unnecessary nudity in the scene in which Sha're is possessed by the Goa'uld Amonet.

Thor's Hammer: The series' first mention of the Asgard, who will become a major ally for Earth in later seasons. Also introduces the first ones, the Unas.

The Torment Of Tantalus: A moving and awe-inspiring episode dealing with loneliness and the thirst for new scientific discoveries.

Enigma: SG-1 rescues a few members of the Tollan race, who are vastly technologically superior to Earth but refuse to share their knowledge. Also introduces SG-1's NID nemesis, Colonel Maybourne.

There But For The Grace Of God: Still one of my all-time favorite SG-1 episodes, this outing finds Daniel Jackson transported to a frightening alternate universe in which Earth is under attack from a devastating Goa'uld onslaught!

Within The Serpent's Grasp: One of the show's best season-ending cliffhangers, in which SG-1 defy orders and risk all to prevent a vicious attack on Earth by Apophis.

All in all, Stargate SG-1's first season did a great job in setting the tone and groundwork for the incredible years to follow. This box set is a great primer for this awesome science fiction series!