Run Time: 16 Hours 6 Minutes with 22 Episodes each approximately 44 Minutes in length

The television series Stargate SG-1 was based upon the Hollywood film, Stargate [review]. After the initial debut of Stargate SG-1 it quickly became a success. This success is prominent as the series is currently airing in its seventh season and soon to be in its eighth season, during which there will be a concurrent introduction of a spin-off series entitled Stargate Atlantis. Stargate SG-1 introduces a riveting world for sci-fi fans to get lost in.

The World of Stargate SG-1

So just what the heck is a stargate? A stargate can be defined as a piece of alien technology created by the "ancients." Despite what the common individual believes, there are worlds whose inhabitants are just like us. They are humans who speak English and operate in life similarly to us. Long before there were Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner, the ancients ruled these worlds. The worlds that were held under control of the ancients were connected by stargates. These stargates are devices that can shape time and matter itself, essentially creating a doorway between any two worlds that are equipped with a stargate.

Through a single stargate one has the ability to instantly travel across the galaxy. This means of travel was used by the ancients. However after a great plague the ancients were nearly wiped out. The ancients who managed to survive the plague found a way to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Now of this higher plane, the ancients no longer existed in our mundane worlds. Without the ancients in place, various humanoid races that were once under their control were able to thrive, one being our own. Located on the planet called Earth the human race, which is known as the Tau'ri in the galaxy thrived. Earth also happened to be one Tau'ri colony of thousands.

During this time other races thrived throughout the galaxy, one being a power hungry race known as the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld are a parasitic species that use the humanoid races as hosts. The Goa'uld are for the most part pure evil, they wish nothing more than to control the galaxy in place of the ancients. One of the species they have conquered is known as the Jaffa, a humanoid race whose physiology overtime has evolved to require a Goa'uld symbiote to survive. However some of the Jaffa have broken from the dominance of their Goa'uld suppressors and now fight to maintain their independence and free their brethren. Allied with the Tau'ri they attempt to dislodge the galaxy of the Goa'uld. Besides the Goa'uld and Jaffa there are many other races in the galaxy. Some of which help the Tau'ri and Jaffa in their struggle, such as the Asgard, a highly technologically advanced race and the Tok'ra, former Goa'ulds who no longer wish to follow the dark path of the Goa'uld.

Back on Earth, deep under Cheyenne Mountains in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Air Force holds control of a stargate. This facility is referred to as Stargate Command (S.G.C.). From Stargate Command under the leadership of General Hammond (Don S. Davis), the Tau'ri launch stargate teams to explore new worlds and assist in the war effort against the Goa'uld. The very first team initiated was SG-1, which is led by Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) with his team of Dr. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tappings), a rather brilliant scientist, Teal'c (Christopher Judge), a Jaffa who dedicated his life to stopping Goa'uld suppression, and Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), another brilliant individual who was responsible for unlocking the secrets of the stargate.

Season 6

In season 6 of Stargate SG-1 a reoccurring supporting character Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec) from the world of Kelowna becomes a permanent member of the cast. Despite his "permanent" addition he is reverted back to a supporting character in season 7. In the end of season 5, Dr. Jackson chivalrously sacrificed his life to save a world known as Kelowna from utter destruction. At the so called loss of Dr. Jackson, Jonas Quinn attempts to fulfill Dr. Jackson's spot on the SG-1 team.

During season 6 the underlying plot of series is touched upon more, with the first appearance of the sinister Goa'uld known as Anubis. Anubis holds the greatest threat to galaxy as a Goa'uld, as he seems to have a great deal more power than the other system lords. He is revered with extreme fear. While the underlying story is touched upon, the majority of the shows focus upon sub-stories.

One of the most exciting sub-stories episodes of the season includes "Smoke & Mirrors." In this episode senator Kinsey, a man who in the past attempted to end the S.G.C. program is assassinated. After Kinsey's attempt to put an end to the S.G.C. program, there was a lot of bad blood between Kinsey and O'Neill. Needless to say when Kinsey is murdered, all evidence points to O'Neill as the only suspect. In this cloak and dagger episode Carter, Teal'c, and Jonas rush against the clock to prove O'Neill's innocence.

Another great episode "Prometheus" features the introduction of the X-303, dubbed Prometheus. An interstellar spacecraft created to be one of many ships to defend Earth from the Goa'uld. In this episode a group of rogue N.I.D. agents take control of Prometheus and as well as part of the SG-1 team hostage. Once in control the rogue N.I.D. agents take the untested spacecraft into space, where something goes terribly wrong and they find themselves lost in space. In continuation of the episode "Prometheus," in "Unnatural Selection" a friendly Asgard named Thor comes to the rescue, but not without a price. The SG-1 team must assist the Asgard in freeing their home world, which has fallen under control of the Replicators, a mechanical species whose only goal is to replicate. The mechanical species holds no regards for any who attempt to stop them from consuming anything and everything. O'Neill and crew travel to the infested Asgard home world only to find a surprise. There are humans among the Replicators who turn out to be much more.

The rest of the episodes in season 6 aren't extremely great in comparison to the three pre-mentioned, yet they do hold their entertainment value, enough to keep you in your seat wanting a little bit more. Well maybe not all the episodes, but the majority of them. For instance in the episode "Disclosure," General Hammond is forced to reveal knowledge about the S.G.C. program to other world leaders. The majority of this episode is a rehash of clips from the previous episodes in the series, which didn't equate to an extremely exciting episode. However this was the only "rehashed" episode, but there were a few others that tended to being pretty boring.

The DVD

Spoken Languages: English

Non-Spoken Languages: None

Video:
This feature was presented in 1.78:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. I was pretty disappointed with the picture quality. While the picture was very sharp and clear for the most part, there were noticeable color defects in the picture. However this wasn't my issue, as that is generally expected. Each disc was crammed full of "stuff", whether the episodes or extras, the video seemed to be heavily compressed. As a result we didn't necessarily forfeit in the clarity aspect, but rather there were several occasions in each episode when the picture was "choppy." In others words there was a highly noticeable drop in frame rate throughout each episode. I found this tiresome on the eyes and highly annoying. Again I was very disappointed with this.

Sound:
The audio in this feature is presented in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. The audio was very clear and crisp with no discrepancies with inaudible spoken dialogue or distortions in the audio track.

Subtitles:
There are no subtitles presented with this feature, however the feature is closed caption enabled.

Extras:
There are quite a bit of extras presented with this five disc set. The extras are of two types, being either audio commentary or director featurettes. Each episode contains an audio commentary track with cast and crew. The other major extras presented with season 6 are twelve director featurettes for the episodes "Redemption", "Descent", "Frozen", "Night Walkers", "Abyss", "Shadow Play", "The Other Guys", "Allegiance", "Cure", "Prometheus", "Metamorphosis", and "Full Circle". The extras alone will keep you busy for hours at end. From what I have read about previous season DVD releases, this is a significant step up. However this had its disadvantages. Packing in all the extras with 22 episodes over 5 DVD's seemed to result in a loss of video quality. See the section above for more detail.

Final Thoughts:
I couldn't help but think about the X-Files [review] and David Duchovny as I sat through season 6 of Stargate SG-1. As it plays out the two series have something in common. Both series have an underlying plot, which is far more intriguing than the somewhat random sub-stories aired throughout each season. While at first these sub-stories (in earlier seasons) were fairly good, they tend to get a bit dull. Despite how what I just said my have sounded, I really did enjoy season 6. Yes there were some episodes that were a task in itself to sit through, but the majority of the content was entertaining.

Now prior to my viewing of season 6 if Stargate SG-1, I had not sat through an entire season. I loved the original movie and the episodes I've caught on television have kept my attention, but I just never got around to checking out an entire season of Stargate SG-1. Well after my viewing of season 6, I am greatly intrigued with the crew of SG-1 and look forward to seeing more in the future. I am fairly excited to check out the new spin off series Stargate: Atlantis that airs next year.

For the casual viewer who enjoys a good sci-fi flick, season 6 of Stargate SG-1 is more than enough to keep you at bay. I recommend this title for purchase, as it's clearly worth the dollar. For those of you who are die hard SG-1 fans feel free to kick the recommendation up a notch.