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Stargate SG-1: Unending (series finale)
(S10E20) So, here we are. After ten seasons as the longest-running, first-run American science fiction program Stargate SG-1 is finally coming to end. Well, at least as a first-run series since there are a number of direct-to-DVD movies in the works. Also, technically, it's the official end for only us late-as-usual Americans, since the finale aired already in other parts of the world. And, hey, while it hasn't been as hyped up as the series finale of The Sopranos, there are still many, many people who are extremely sad to see it go. Including myself.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, we're going to have a chatroom live for all of you to join in on as the show goes on and share your theories, reactions, and opinions in real-time. Shortly after the finale you'll be able to read a review of the show here. You can read the review after the jump. And, the chatroom is still open to express your opinions and feelings on the series finale.
You can enter the chatroom here.
I have one word to describe this Stargate SG-1 series finale: predictable. Okay, really I have two words: extremely predictable. Except for the little twist in the end involving Teal'c (more on that later), you could pretty much chart the direction that this story line was going towards. The most likely reason for that is the premise of the episode has been done to death in nearly every single science-fiction series ever made (well, for the exception of the new Battlestar Galactica, perhaps).
In fact, to take it one step further, the entire plot seemed extraordinarily similar in tone to a two-part episode of Star Trek: Voyager named 'Year of Hell'. In that episode the crew of the Voyager spent a year battling a powerful enemy only to be returned to the point that it all began once Captain Janeway collided with a temporal ship that started all of the problems in the first place. As history repeated itself the decisions that were made previously were reversed, sending Voyager in a different path. Didn't the same happen in this episode to the SG-1 team?
It just wasn't original enough. You would think that the producers would have had something bigger up their sleeves to close out a show that has been very important to a lot of people. Heck, even Seinfeld did something drastic in its series finale. Granted, it sucked, but at least they tried. I would have even accepted ties into the direct-to-DVD movies coming out. Instead, the finale of SG-1, which should have been stunning, turned out to be a bit bland.
There were some good points to the show. I liked how the team was shown reacting to their, basically, imprisonment on the ship. Mitchell had the hardest time because, as an Air Force pilot, he was used to plenty of open space. I also enjoyed the scene where Daniel and Vala have it out about their relationship. I didn't like the way Daniel reacted to Vala's feelings (frankly, he pissed me off . . . wanted to reach into the screen and slap him upside his head), but I found Vala's emotional response interesting. With this episode you could tell that she had really grown as a character.
Another good part, even though it was predictable, was when Teal'c decided to sacrifice himself for the cause. Here he was, fifty years older like the rest of the team, and he was going to remain that way in order for him to reach his past counterparts and prevent the time fluctuation from occurring. Now, he has 50 years of secrets (and a bright shock of white hair) to keep with him and not anyone else know about.
It could have been better, I've got to tell you. Stargate SG-1 has so much history and such a fanbase that something a bit stronger should have been put on the screen. Instead, we got a mediocre finale that sort of plodded along to its conclusion. One can only hope that the DVD movies pick up the pace a bit in the storytelling field.
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