"Actor: Vincent Hammond"

• Stargate SG-1: Season 1 | DVD | (21/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Like the very best of SF TV, Stargate SG-1 began very simply. Of course it had the benefit of a movie preceding it--in which the alternate universe, its rules and its characters were largely established--so this premiere season was therefore able to concentrate on good storytelling. In 1997 not every new show was obsessed with securing a syndication-guaranteed franchise (same goes for Buffy debuting the same year), instead one-off episodes were the way of things, exploring interesting scenarios and conundrums. Naturally there were allusions to the feature film, but most were subtle and inspired. For example, a trip to retrieve the trapped professor who'd worked on the Gate decades ago was an unusual way of tying up loose ends. Some groundwork was laid for continuation should the show be renewed into an ongoing series. Knowing that these elements were pure wishful thinking at the time makes the tapestry of System Lords and the interlinks with our history and mythology all the more enjoyable in revisiting the show from its beginnings. With Richard Dean Anderson, leading the team in a far more charismatic and empathetic way than Kurt Russell in the movie, the series also benefited from some spot-on casting that instantly won audiences over. Special effects and use of studio sets may be less dazzling in these initial shows, but its solid grounding in old-fashioned SF won for the show a loyal audience. --Paul Tonks

• Stargate SG-1: Season 5 (Vol. 21) | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £4.99

  Stargate SG-1 is the TV spin-off from the 1994 big-screen movie. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Episodes on this DVD:"Red Sky". A picturesque location shoot and a questioning of faiths distinguishes this episode. After an unavoidable accident initiates a global catastrophe on planet K'Tau, Sam forces Jack and the others to decide between technology or primitive faith. Naturally, Daniel is for the latter, and ultimately the show stands tall by leaving its resolution up to the interpretation of the viewer. "The Rite of Passage". Some Stargate guest stars just don't get a break. Cassandra, the poor little girl turned into a human bomb four years ago ("Singularity") is now a teenager experiencing a far more problematic "Rite of Passage" than she deserves. Infected with a secretly dormant retro-virus, she also seems to be seeing a ghostly form no one else can see. And for once, there's an opportunity for Dr Fraiser to do more than jab needles too! "Beast of Burden". An interesting mix of the movie Enemy Mine and the Biblical tale of Daniel and the Lion. Here it's Daniel Jackson who had previously befriended the Unas "Beast" Chaka (Dion Johnstone) in "The First Ones". There's an agreeable political stance taken on slave labour and animal captivity too, aided enormously by the star calibre cameo of Larry Drake."The Tomb". Paired up with their on/off adversaries the Russians(!), SG-1 enjoys a spot of Indiana Jonesing around "The Tomb". Throw in a little Alien-style hunt and seek with an unseen predator, and you have a terrific movie mish-mash in which Jack manages an all-time high in sarcastic barbs. --Paul Tonks