By Jeff Hidek
Poor Stargate SG-1.
For years, the long-running show - about Earth explorers travelling
through portals into other worlds - plugged along on Showtime, in
syndication and most recently on cable's Sci Fi channel, earning a
dedicated following, pulling solid ratings and launching a well-
received spin-off, Stargate Atlantis.
But it rarely got respect.
The respect always went to Farscape.
Launched on Sci Fi in 1999, the fantastical (and fantastic) Farscape
never had the mass appeal of Stargate, and low ratings forced the
show off the air in 2003.
But even after its cancellation, the witty and wonderful Farscape,
which chronicled the misadventures of a band of escaped prisoners
running from the law in a living ship, kept critics enthralled. A
2004 Farscape mini-series created more buzz than last year's entire
season of Stargate.
Of course, that didn't stop a record number of viewers (more than 3
million per episode) from tuning in to Stargate last year. As I
watched the show, I grumbled that while Stargate was good, it
couldn't measure up to Farscape's jaw-dropping glory.
You see, in the science fiction family, Farscape is the entertaining
wild child and Stargate is the dependable older brother.
So I don't really blame Stargate for its latest ploy to woo critics
(and a few more viewers): It's stealing Farscape's cast. When the
ninth season of Stargate SG-1 begins Friday night on Sci Fi, Ben
Browder (Farscape's John Crichton) joins the squad as Lt. Col.
Cameron Mitchell, an Air Force flyboy assigned to command the SG-1
team.
Except nobody told him the team disbanded. Lt. Col. Carter (Amanda
Tapping) left the team to do research. Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael
Shanks) is preparing to travel to another galaxy. And the alien
Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is off helping his Jaffa brethren launch a
new government.
It's up to Mitchell to get the old gang back together.
One team member he won't be getting back is Gen. Jack O'Neil (Richard
Dean Anderson). Mr. Anderson, who took a smaller role last season to
spend more time with his family, will appear in only a few episodes
this season. Replacing him as SG-1's boss is Beau Bridges (The
Fabulous Baker Boys, The Agency).
Also joining the cast (for at least six episodes) is Claudia Black,
who played Aeryn Sun, Crichton's love interest, on Farscape.
Ms. Black plays an alien thief named Vala who is quite taken with
Daniel Jackson.
Having Ms. Black and Mr. Browder together again is a delight. And the
Stargate writers play to the actors' strengths, giving Mr. Browder
enough weary wit and Ms. Black enough flirty sarcasm to remind us why
we fell in love with them on Farscape.
The pair also injects some new energy into Stargate, which has grown
too self-referential and lethargic in recent years.
Still, Stargate will never be Farscape. And stealing all the cast
members in the galaxy won't change that.
©2005 Wilmington Star-News
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com
Poor Stargate SG-1.
For years, the long-running show - about Earth explorers travelling
through portals into other worlds - plugged along on Showtime, in
syndication and most recently on cable's Sci Fi channel, earning a
dedicated following, pulling solid ratings and launching a well-
received spin-off, Stargate Atlantis.
But it rarely got respect.
The respect always went to Farscape.
Launched on Sci Fi in 1999, the fantastical (and fantastic) Farscape
never had the mass appeal of Stargate, and low ratings forced the
show off the air in 2003.
But even after its cancellation, the witty and wonderful Farscape,
which chronicled the misadventures of a band of escaped prisoners
running from the law in a living ship, kept critics enthralled. A
2004 Farscape mini-series created more buzz than last year's entire
season of Stargate.
Of course, that didn't stop a record number of viewers (more than 3
million per episode) from tuning in to Stargate last year. As I
watched the show, I grumbled that while Stargate was good, it
couldn't measure up to Farscape's jaw-dropping glory.
You see, in the science fiction family, Farscape is the entertaining
wild child and Stargate is the dependable older brother.
So I don't really blame Stargate for its latest ploy to woo critics
(and a few more viewers): It's stealing Farscape's cast. When the
ninth season of Stargate SG-1 begins Friday night on Sci Fi, Ben
Browder (Farscape's John Crichton) joins the squad as Lt. Col.
Cameron Mitchell, an Air Force flyboy assigned to command the SG-1
team.
Except nobody told him the team disbanded. Lt. Col. Carter (Amanda
Tapping) left the team to do research. Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael
Shanks) is preparing to travel to another galaxy. And the alien
Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is off helping his Jaffa brethren launch a
new government.
It's up to Mitchell to get the old gang back together.
One team member he won't be getting back is Gen. Jack O'Neil (Richard
Dean Anderson). Mr. Anderson, who took a smaller role last season to
spend more time with his family, will appear in only a few episodes
this season. Replacing him as SG-1's boss is Beau Bridges (The
Fabulous Baker Boys, The Agency).
Also joining the cast (for at least six episodes) is Claudia Black,
who played Aeryn Sun, Crichton's love interest, on Farscape.
Ms. Black plays an alien thief named Vala who is quite taken with
Daniel Jackson.
Having Ms. Black and Mr. Browder together again is a delight. And the
Stargate writers play to the actors' strengths, giving Mr. Browder
enough weary wit and Ms. Black enough flirty sarcasm to remind us why
we fell in love with them on Farscape.
The pair also injects some new energy into Stargate, which has grown
too self-referential and lethargic in recent years.
Still, Stargate will never be Farscape. And stealing all the cast
members in the galaxy won't change that.
©2005 Wilmington Star-News
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com