Title: Stargate SG-1: Season 6
Premiere: “Redemption: Part 1”
Stars: Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda
Tapping, Christopher Judge, Corin Nemic, Don S. Davis, and Teryl Rothery
Writer: Robert C. Cooper
Director: Marin Wood
Executive Producers: Brad Wright,
Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Greenburg, and Robert Cooper
Running Time: 45 minutes without
commercials, 1 hour with commercials
Media: Sci-Fi Channel TV Series
Premiere Episode (NTSC VHS Screener)
Premiere Friday, June 7, 2002, at 9pm
(ET/PT)
Network: Sci-Fi Channel (Check your
local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: PG
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
After five seasons, “Stargate
SG-1,” the number one syndicated action adventure hour on television is moving
exclusively to the Sci-Fi Channel as a part of Sci-Fi Prime beginning Friday,
June 7, 2002, at 9pm (ET/PT) with the sixth season premiere entitled
“Redemption – Part 1.”
Synopsis
In the fifth season finale episode of
“Stargate SG-1” Jonas Quinn, (Coren Nemic), a leader from another planet who
finds himself in direct contact with the SG-1 team while visiting Earth, and
subsequently becomes involved in the research Daniel Jackson had left behind.
Unable to return to Kelowana, Jonas sees an opportunity to join SG-1 when
controversy over the X-302, the first human-built spacecraft capable of
interstellar travel, places additional pressure upon General Hammond (Don S.
Davis) from a Russian military representative who insists that the replacement
for Dr. Jackson on Sg-1 should be from his country’s military service. Colonel
O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is adamant about not taking a new team member
from Russia to fill the space left by Dr. Jackson, but he has been purposefully
slow in choosing a qualified representative from the staff at the base. So as
old “Cold War” sentiments swell up in O’Neal, Hammond may be forced to go
with the representative’s demands unless a qualified candidate that no one
could deny comes along.
Meanwhile Teal’c (Christopher Judge)
returns through that gate see find his son extremely resentful of him because he
blames him for his mother’s death. Back on Earth, the Stargate mysteriously
malfunctions and Carter (Amanda Tapping) informs O’Neill that it could explode
and destroy all life on Earth unless a way can be found to avert the
catastrophe.
Review
“Redemption – Part 1” slowly
builds itself up as viewers get to see the new X-302 interstellar ship take
flight. The ship looks like a cross between the Goa’uld flyer and the stealth
bomber. It is one cool looking spaceship and the quality of the effects in this
episode are very impressive with very realistic CGI that looks better than some
theatrical release feature films. The subplot involving Teal’c and the
consequences of his actions helps to humanize the character more while giving
viewers who may find themselves tuning to the show for the first time when the
sixth season premieres on Sci-Fi, a quick understanding of exactly who Teal’c
is and what he has given up to join SG-1 without having to have seen the
previous five seasons.
The idea of having a Russian military
representative on the base is believable and helps to create the pressure and
tension needed for O’Neal to be forced to choose a new team member, but I have
to admit that while there is no doubt that cold war paranoia is bound to exist,
I am not sure how relevant the subplot really is given the current world
situation. Michael Shanks departure as Dr. Jackson is sorely missed when one
views Corin Nemic’s geek performance. Maybe he will grow on me, but he just
doesn’t appear to fit in with the rest of cast. Maybe this is intentional, but
I just do not buy him in this role as a human from another planet with superior
analytical and memory abilities. The episode closes with a decent cliffhanger
creating more intrigue to be delivered in the second part, but after the slow
build up I would have appreciated something more outrageous.
Sci-Fi is presenting “Stargate
SG-1” in the letterboxed (1.78:1) aspect ratio the series has been shot in so
viewers will see more on screen than they have in syndicated broadcasts.
Overall, “Stargate SG-1” has always worked well as a series because it mixes
action, human interest, and wonder that made the feature film that inspired the
series a surprise hit. The sixth season premiere episode retains those qualities
and when paired with “Farscape,” which will air after “Stargate SG-1”
with that series’ fourth season premiere, Friday Night Prime on Sci-Fi this
summer looks to be the best block of weekly series sci-fi programming since the
early seasons of “The X-Files,” which originally aired on Friday nights as
well.
“Stargate SG-1: Redemption – Part
1” will launch the sixth season of the popular series exclusively on the
Sci-Fi Channel beginning on Friday, June 7, 2002 at 9pm (ET/PT).
© Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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