cast: Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda
Tapping, Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge, Don S.
Davis
Our rating:
4 out of 5
Rated: TV14
reviewed by Charity Bishop
Most long-running television shows start to crumble
in their later years, but SG-1 was one franchise
that kept on going. This season set up the story arc
for the spin-off series Atlantis, but
continued in the trend fans had come to expect of
adventure in the skies.... err, Stargate.
Having recently emerged from yet another close call
in saving the world as we know it, the SG-1 team are
astounded to discover the unexpected return of
Daniel Jackson (Shanks) from the netherworld. Devoid
of his memory and with no comprehension of his
former life or experience in the program, Daniel has
made a home among a tribe of local nomads on a
distant planet but agrees to return to the base to
explore his past. Gradually, he comes to remember
various aspects of his former life as the team
rallies around him. The team has discovered that
their greatest enemy among the Gou'ald system lords
is Anubis. Ruthless and with vast armies at his
disposal, he threatens not only the safety of Earth
but the other planets as well. Fortunately, he is in
constant conflict with his fellow Goul'ald and this
allows them to evade and sabotague forces where they
can, but it is only a matter of time before Anubis
strikes their home planet.
Daniel's team members are experiencing their own
troubles... Jack O'Neill (Anderson) turns up at the
base in a fourteen year old body, Teal'c (Judge)
takes a staff blast to the stomach, and Sam contends
with her inner doubts and demons when stranded alone
on a spaceship. The seventh season has the
distinction of being one of the few in which
Stargate travel is somewhat limited, as it explores
other plot lines and character arcs at home. There
is the departure and subsequent re-emerging of Jonas
Quinn and the development of Daniel as he approaches
a new and different state of being, but for the most
part the season doesn't travel through the Stargate
as much as explore the world around it. This doesn't
make it any less entertaining and there are some
truly magnificent episodes -- such as "Fragile
Balance," in which a talented young actor depicts a
much-younger, pimpled Jack O'Neill. Christopher
Judge wrote the next episode, about Teal'c, in which
a lot of soul-searching transpires. It also
introduces us to the most terrifying villain yet --
Anubis' army of virtually unstoppable warriors. Not
even a warhead can take these things down.
Admittedly, there were a few less interesting
contributions to the season. I wasn't very fond of
"Grace" since Sam had almost no interaction with
other cast members, and found the first half of
"Heroes" rather tedious, but its second installment
removes another beloved character from the series
and is likely to leave you in tears.
Stargate
SG-1: Season Seven (2004)
