Stargate Universe

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[Season 4, Episode 1] Small Victories
Reviewed 13th November 2001 [Monday]
Reviewed 3rd April 2002 [Wednesday]

We get a flashback to the previous episode, where Earth (and Thor's starship) were attacked by a species of spider-robots called the Replicators. The Earth was saved, but Thor's ship and the original Stargate were destroyed in the process.

SG-1 return from an unknown planet where they were trapped for a week. There was a summer break between filming the episodes, so the actors have actually Carter's hair looks a bit longer and ruffled, while Teel'c now has some blonde chin-fluff.

Major Davis (Colin Cunningham - Falling Skies ) arrives from the Pentagon and briefs the team. Somehow, some Replicators survived destruction. They boarded a Russian submarine and attacked a couple of tech-nerds. Yes, the sailors may be in Russian naval uniforms but they have regulation thick-rimmed nerd glasses.

The Russian sub is now in an American port, having been towed there by the US Navy. O'Neill and Teel'c lead a team of redshirts in, equipped with semi-automatic shotguns and Aliens -style helmet-cameras. Daniel and Davis stay back and watch from outside.

Meanwhile, the Asgard themselves are under attack by the Replicators. Their anti-Replicator warship is named The O'Neill ... Carter goes to join them and advise them - their level of technology is too high, so they need someone dumber. The irony being, of course, that Carter is probably not dumb enough. However, all she has to do is ask What would Jack Do?

[Season 4, Episode 2] The Other Side
Reviewed 4th April 2002 [Thursday]

The SGC is contacted by a society ruled by Rene Auberjonais ( Star Trek: DS9 ). His world is torn by civil war, the surface is a toxic wasteland, but he wants nuclear weapons. Worse, O'Neill and Hammond are willing to trade the nukes to them. Yes, there is no Prime Directive!

[Season 4, Episode 3] Upgrades
Reviewed 14th November 2001 [Wednesday]
Reviewed 5th April 2002 [Friday]

The Tok'Ra send across one of their top scientists, Vanessa Angel . She issues SG-1 with newly-discovered alien artefacts that can boost the physical abilities of Ghoul-less humans

Hammond does not trust the Tok'Ra scientist, and Doc Frasier does not like what the implants do to the team. Their improved senses also mean that they have impaired judgement and are over-eager for combat.

The Tok'Ra have a secret agenda. Apophis is constructing a new warship, and the enhanced SG-1 are intent to destroy it before it becomes operational.

[Season 4, Episode 4] Crossroads
Reviewed 15th November 2001 [Thursday]
Reviewed 8th April 2002 [Monday]

A Jaffa priestess ( Musetta Vander ) arrives at the SGC, clad in a cleavage-boosting dress. She claims that her Ghoul parasite has decided to join the Tok'Ra. However unlikely this sounds, Teel'c believes her because he had a relationship with her when he was younger.

The Tok'Ra arrive, in the form of Vanessa Angel . Yes, you've guessed it, that gives the episode TWO great sets of cleavage.

Ms Vander's parasite is presented with a new host - Peter Wingfield ( Highlander ).

[Season 4, Episode 5] Divide And Conquer
Reviewed 16th November 2001 [Friday]
Reviewed 9th April 2002 [Tuesday]

An SGC team meets with a Tok'Ra delegation for a treaty signing. The Tok'Ra include a High Councillor and Vanessa Angel . For some reason Sarah Douglas and Carter's father are nowhere in sight. However, Martouf (JR Bourne - Teen Wolf ) - Carter's recurring former love interest - is among the delegation.

One of the SGC team tries to assassinate the Tok'Ra. He was brainwashed by the Ghouls, and other SG members are also under suspicion. Ms Angel runs SG-1 through a lie-detector, but Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter fail it. Apparently something happened when they were trapped together on Apophis' new warship in the episode Upgrades.

[Season 4, Episode 6] Window Of Opportunity
Reviewed 10th April 2002 [Wednesday]

The team visit a desolate planet, where a non-Terran archaeologist is working on a device constructed by the Gate-Builders. O'Neill and Teel'c end up in a time loop, living the same day over and over again. It takes more than half the episode for them to work out (thanks to Daniel) that they can do whatever they want without fear of consequences.

[Season 4, Episode 7] Watergate
Reviewed 19th November 2001 [Monday]
Reviewed 11th April 2002 [Thursday]

The SGC's stargate will not work. The reason is that the Russians have a Stargate of their own, salvaged from the seabed where Thor's ship crashed. Worse, something has gone wrong - the Stargate has jammed open and all communications with the base has been lost. The Russians call in SG-1, the world experts in Stargate disasters.

SG-1 team up with the Russians' physics expert, Dr Markov ( Marina Sirtis ), and parachute into the Siberian base. The Russians had discovered a waterworld, where the water itself spontaneously gave off heat. It seems the water somehow contaminated the Russian scientists.

Markov, Carter and Daniel take a Russian mini-sub through the gate in an effort to switch it off from the other side. Meanwhile, O'Neill and Teel'c explore the Russian base ... and discover who gave the Russians so much inside info about the SGC!

[Season 4, Episode 8] The First Ones
Reviewed 20th November 2001 [Tuesday]
Reviewed 12th April 2002 [Friday]

Daniel and SG-11 are performing an archaeological dig on the original Ghoul homeworld. They are attacked by an Unas, and Daniel is dragged off by the creature. Daniel's replacement, Rothman, returns through the Stargate to summon help.

SG-1 and Rothman arm themselves with P90s - for some reason they forsake their usual MP5s - and follow the beast's tracks. SG-11 have disappeared, and the lakes are teeming with Ghoul parasites!

Hammond sends along backup. They are commanded by Coburn (Steve Bacic - Andromeda ). O'Neill refers to him as Sergeant, but in the end credits he is listed as a Major.

The episode was directed by Peter Deluise.

[Season 4, Episode 9] Scorched Earth
Reviewed 21st November 2001 [Wednesday]
Reviewed 15th April 2002 [Monday]

SG-1 are settling in with a group of peaceful pre-industrial farmer types, the Innkerrans, after transporting them from a doomed world. They include Alessandro Juliani ( Battlestar Galactica (2003) ). However, they discover that the new world they have settled on is being un-terraformed by a two-mile-wide ship of sulphur-breathing aliens. The ship will reach the Stargate in less than 26 hours.

The Innkerrans may look human, but they apparently came from a different homeworld. Their sensitivity to UV radiation means they need to live on a planet with a thick ozone layer. Therefore they cannot relocate to a random planet. However, once the de-terraforming process has started it cannot be halted.

SG-1 have to choose between letting their Innkerran friends be destroyed, or destroying the ship and the advanced pacifist alien culture aboard it. O'Neill has Carter build a naquita bomb.

Meanwhile, Daniel tries to find a diplomatic solution. The sulphur-breathers' ship creates an AI ambassador named Lotan (Brian Markinson - Caprica ).

[Season 4, Episode 10] Beneath The Surface
Reviewed 22nd November 2001 [Thursday]
Reviewed 16th April 2002 [Tuesday]

SG-1 wake up in a dormitory, and spend their day performing manual labour in a power plant. Trapped underground, they believe that they are natives of a dome city on a ice world. Only Teel'c can remember who they really are, but he is dragged off for treatment.

O'Neill and Carter are a couple, while Daniel is shacked up with an African-Alien chick. O'Neill remembers a bald man who sits down a lot and wears a short-sleeved shirt. He is very important to me. I think he's called Homer ...

This is a nice update on Metropolis . The manual labourers are in fact supplying power to an idyllic city above. This is the ultimate in Social Class segregation. The rulers could easily automate the entire system, but the only way to ensure they have paradise is to keep the workers out of the picture. And speaking of workers, one of them is played by Bruce Campbell - no, not the one from Evil Dead ! The director is Peter Deluise.

[Season 4, Episode 11] Point of No Return
Reviewed 23rd November 2001 [Friday]
Reviewed 17th April 2002 [Wednesday]

SGC is phoned by a paranoid conspiracy theorist named Martin (Willie Garson - ) who knows about the Stargate and requests a meeting with Colonel O'Neill.

Jack attends the meeting, while the rest of SG-1 keep surveillance on him. However, Matthew Bennett ( Battlestar Galactica (2003) ) and his mysterious team are keeping them under tabs. Teelc's symbiote shows up under thermal scan, which begs the question - why breach security by allowing him out of the base?

This episode was sequelled in the 100th episode [Season 5, Episode 12] . Bennett also re-appears in a later episode, probably as a different character.

[Season 4, Episode 12] Tangent
Reviewed 26th November 2001 [Monday]
Reviewed 18th April 2002 [Thursday]

Teel'c test-flies the USAF's new space-superiority fighter, in a demonstration for a USAF Lt-General (Steve Williams - X-Files: Season 2 ).

Stage Two is for Teel'c and O'Neill to test-fly the ship together. However, it uses components from a Ghoul Death-glider. Apophis had a safety device installed that automatically flies the ship to his nearest world - at sublight speed. Yes, they will be there in 300 years time, but they only have enough oxygen for a few hours.

Carter and Daniel try to get help from the Tok'Ra. Carter's father guest-stars.

[Season 4, Episode 13] The Serpent's Venom
Reviewed 27th November 2001 [Tuesday]
Reviewed 19th April 2002 [Friday]

Teel'c attempts to stir up rebellion among the Jaffa. However, he is captured and tortured by an insane Ghoul who plans to hand him over to Apophis.

Carter's father pops up and asks for help sabotaging Apophis' meeting. SG-1 have to help him re-wire an alien space-mine.

This episode was written by Peter DeLuise.

[Season 4, Episode 14] The Curse
Reviewed 28th November 2001 [Wednesday]
Reviewed 22nd April 2002 [Monday]

Daniel's old Archaeology professor dies in a lab explosion. He gets leave to attend the funeral, and discovers some Ghoul ancient artefacts among the professor's stuff.

O'Neill wants to go fishing with Carter. She stands him up, so he goes with Teel'c instead.

Daniel, Carter and Dr Frasier track down a rogue Ghoul - in Egypt.

[Season 4, Episode 15] Chain Reaction
Reviewed 29th November 2001 [Thursday]
Reviewed 23rd April 2002 [Tuesday]

General Hammond resigns from the SGC, and his replacement makes a mess of things. Daniel is given a desk job. Teel'c is transferred to SG-3 and sent on a high-risk mission to capture a supply of Naquita. Carter is ordered to build a Naquita-enhanced Nuke, but when it is used the Stargate jams open. Yes, some people did not learn from the Black Hole episode.

O'Neill investigates, and discovers that the NID is up to no good. He teams up with Maitland, who has been convicted of Treason for his part in the NID's operation to help the Ruskies and is now on Death Row. They trace the NID interference back to the evil Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox - Total Recall ).

[Season 4, Episode 16] 2010
Reviewed 30th November 2001 [Friday]
Reviewed 24th April 2002 [Wednesday]

Yes, this episode takes place ten years in the future. SG-1 made contact with a powerful civilisation who helped defeat the Ghouls. Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox - Total Recall ) is now the President, and Earth is part of the off-worlders' alliance.

Samantha Carter, who still has short hair for some reason, has retired from the military and married the USA's Ambassador to off-world. They have tried unsuccessfully for years to conceive a child. Carter discovers that the off-worlders are responsible, and she uncovers their terrible plot. Only her SG-1 team-mates can help.

O'Neill, the only one who was sceptical about the off-worlders, lives in a cabin beside the fishing lake. General Hammond is dead, under mysterious circumstances that the off-worlders pass off as natural causes. Luckily, Dr Frasier is still around and she joins in as a team-member.

[Season 4, Episode 17] Absolute Power
Reviewed 3rd December 2001 [Monday]
Reviewed 25th April 2002 [Thursday]

The team finally rescue Apophis' child. He has been speed-grown and raised in such a way that he spurts cryptic philosophy at any opportunity.

Daniel tries to talk the boy into handing over the secrets of the Ghoul. However, Daniel is just as vulnerable to corruption as he was when he used the sarcophagus. He becomes an evil dictator whom SG-1 try to subvert.

Daniel briefs Major Davis (Colin Cunningham - Falling Skies ), and insists the USA double-cross the Russians on their deal. Later he tells the head of the Joint Chiefs, USAF Lt-General (Steve Williams - X-Files: Season 2 ), that they should obliterate Moscow in order to get their point across. Corrupt is one thing, but genocidal is another. Especially since there is the small issue of mutually assured destruction. Does Daniel have a repressed desire to exterminate the entire human species?

[Season 4, Episode 18] The Light
Reviewed 4th December 2001 [Tuesday]
Reviewed 26th April 2002 [Friday]

A member of SG-5, fresh back from a world Daniel Jackson is exploring, commits suicide. Daniel begins to act unusually, for the second time in as many episodes. Despite this, he is allowed off-base. Next day, O'Neill has to go looking for him. We get to see Daniel's apartment, somewhere in the big city rather than anywhere near the remote Military base.

SG-1 go to the world, carrying P90s for some reason, and discover that Daniel has become addicted to a strange light source. Well, they do not notice that the light display has dry ice.

A teenage boy is living on the planet, without an obvious supply of food or fresh water. Somehow he has remained immune to the addictive light. However, SG-1 all get addicted and thus cannot leave.

While in the SGC's sick-bay, Daniel flat-lines. Dr Frasier does not do anything to re-start his heart, she merely sends him through the stargate to the addictive light. Somehow, this is enough to make his heart spontaneously start beating again!

[Season 4, Episode 19] Prodigy
Reviewed 5th December 2001 [Wednesday]
Reviewed 29th April 2002 [Monday]

Daniel Jackson does not appear in the episode, apparently off-world with SG-11. General Ryan, Real-Life head of the USAF and the Pentagon Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a cameo appearance as himself. He drops by to brief O'Neill on his next mission.

O'Neill and Teel'c are sent to explore a planet with a trio of stereotypical scientists - bald four-eyed nerds with pacifist tendencies. The USAF wants to establish an off-planet base. They discover a species of tinkerbells that can pass through solid matter.

Meanwhile, Carter conducts a lecture at the USAF University. She discovers that Cadet Jennifer Haley is a Physics genius. Unfortunately, Haley is ill-disciplined and responds to words with physical violence. Carter decides to motivate Haley by taking her to visit O'Neill's off-world site.

The Episode's director was Peter DeLuise.

[Season 4, Episode 20] The Entity
Reviewed 6th December 2001 [Thursday]
Reviewed 30th April 2002 [Tuesday]

The SGC is taken over by an electromagnetic energy surge that is ... alive. First it takes over the central computer, then it takes over Sam Carter ...

[Season 4, Episode 21] Double Jeopardy
Reviewed 7th December 2001 [Friday]
Reviewed 1st May 2002 [Wednesday]

SG-1 arrive on a planet they have not visited before, and are captured by the locals. The locals tell them that SG-1 arrived previously, and led a rebellion against the Ghoul in residence. However, Kronos (Teel'c's arch-enemy) is now in charge.

Kronos holds SG-1 prisoner on his mothership. However, the other SG-1 tries to rescue them ...

[Season 4, Episode 22] Exodus
Reviewed 10th December 2001 [Monday]
Reviewed 2nd May 2002 [Thursday]

The Tok'Ra have to evacuate their world. SG-1, aboard their newly-captured mothership, turn up to help.

The evil Tanith (Peter Wingfield - Highlander ) is arrested, but escapes. Teel'c swears vengeance on the traitor.

Apophis and his entire armada are on their way. Major and General Carter decide to blow up the system's star. What could possibly go wrong?

Stargate SG-1 [Season 3, Episode ]
Shown
Reviewed th March 2006 [Tuesday]