Tags: stargate continum

08/04/08

Netflix Review: Stargate Continuum: Keep them coming!

a grade clipart

Along with the rest of the civilized humanity, I reacted to the canceling of Stargate SG1 with great lamentation and gnashing of teeth (4 out of 5 dentists agree that this is not a good idea no matter how exceptional the show.). Fortunately, the producers of the Stargate franchise forge ahead with the equally excellent Stargate Atlantis and the strait-to-DVD SG1 movies. The first of these, Ark of Truth, is serviceable- its service being to close the controversial Ori story arc begun in season nine.

In Continuum, we return to the Goa’uld, the original parasitic bad guys from the Stargate movie (hinted at) and beginning of the TV series. SG1, having captured Ba’al, the last of the system lords, gives Ba'al up to the Tok’ra who plan an extraction ceremony to remove Ba’al from his host.

It’s all part of Ba’al’s plan. Ba’al’s real last surviving clone had built a time machine, and we see him board the ship transporting the stargate from Egypt to the United States. He disables the ship, thereby preventing the Stargate Program from ever having been started (A dystopian alternative for all sci-fi fans.). The heroism of the ship’s captain prevents the ships total destruction which allows Daniel Jackson, Mitchell, Carter (O’Neill dies in the Tok’ra city.) to go through the stargate and reappear in the North Pole-stranded ship.

Mitchell was never born, Carter died saving her crew on a Space Shuttle, O’Neill stayed in the US Air Force Special Forces, and General Hammond isn't retired(!) in this alternative time line.

The surviving trio minus one limb agrees that not attempting to change the time line is reasonable and accept new identities and my own personal fantasy, a guaranteed allowance- if they don’t mention the stargate to anyone and avoid each other.

Ba’al uses his foreknowledge to gain the upper hand against the other system lords. His queen, Qetesh, is the Goa’uld who made Vala her host.

When Ba’al is ready to attack Earth, the government presses the out-of-time trio into action. SG1 heads for the Ancient base in the Antarctic, but a quick counter move from Ba'al prevents them from using it.

Continuum is a triumph of the genre and amongst the top 300, of 12,000 or so, minutes in the Stargate franchise. Instead of the unexciting profundity of the Ori arc and the absurdity of the too-profound Battlestar Galactica, we have a clear Star Wars-like battle between good and evil. There’s no doubt that the Goa’uld must be destroyed.

We know from the episodes 1968, There But for the Grace of God, and Moebius, Stargate that Stargate writers have done well in those most tricky of sci-fi story lines for their many logical pitfalls- time travel and alternate reality.

The writers do a marvelous job with the time travel story here. It mostly makes sense, and the events are quite plausible given that such machines can exist in the first place. Going for the Ancient weapons platform is an obvious choice, and I would have been happy had the writers just had SG1 use it to engage the Goa’uld. The writers decide to use the platform as a pre-ending instead, and this feint adds a nice ladle of suspense to an already interesting plot pot.

Motivations as well are justified and reasonable- it is a bit too much to ask an alternative civilization to change everything around on a hunch.

Continuum has natural, non-cheap, and unforced fan delights aplenty: In the mid-movie calm, still exciting, we see Jackson pick up a book from his frustrated and scorned alternate self and then calls him to offer encouragement.

O’Neill is present. I’ve found his increasing goofiness over the years distracting at times (The low point is where O’Neill, an avid lay astronomer, doesn’t remember to take the cap off of a telescope.). He’s goofy here, but we also see his serious side when Jackson mentions O'Neill's son.

The action scenes aren’t of BG quality, but I liked them: I found the appearance of the Russian fighter planes especially exciting.

I hope this DVD does well and the producers continue releasing more at this quality level.

Message/Politics:

In Moebius, Carter is a nerdy scientist whereas alternate Carter in Continuum is as heroic as “real” Continuum Carter. Stargate, therefore, adopts the view that mathematical ability is natural while personality is more nurtured. That society evolves similarly in both realities suggests a belief in the inevitability of “social progress.”

Bravery and sacrifice, as always, although Carter and Mitchell uncharacteristically leave O’Neill and Jackson behind on separate occasions.

Image from Amazon
Stargate (Ultimate Edition)