End of an Era

[Leon Kensington]

Tuesday, at 8PM EST the last episode of SG1 made it's flight.  To me that marks an end of an era for science fiction programming.

Before SG1 there was not much SF that didn't revolve around a ship, only Time Tunnel (yeah, that was really great) and Doctor Who (which I kind of in the middle between being with a ship or without one.)  Yes, there were some others on TV like the X-Files set in modern times, but nothing with a very SF feel (i.e. BIG spaceships).  But, Stargate SG1 showed that a show were you didn't need a ship to get around would work, and that low tech was okay.  Yes, as time went on it lost steam (I'm pointing at Season but got it back (thank you Orgin) and still it goes on in the form of at least two SG1 movies and an MMORPG.  But I just want to close this out by saying thank you.

Thank you to Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper, Martin Gero, and all the other writers of the series for bringing us ten years of great programing.

[SFEley]

Before SG1 there was not much SF that didn't revolve around a ship, only Time Tunnel (yeah, that was really great) and Doctor Who (which I kind of in the middle between being with a ship or without one.)  Yes, there were some others on TV like the X-Files set in modern times, but nothing with a very SF feel (i.e. BIG spaceships).  But, Stargate SG1 showed that a show were you didn't need a ship to get around would work, and that low tech was okay.

I respect that you're sad the show's gone, but I'm not sure about your premise here.  What about Sliders?  V?  (Those were some pretty damn big spaceships invading.)  >8->  And that short-lived Otherworld thing from the 80s?  When I saw the Stargate movie that's what it reminded me of, with the Egyptian motifs.

For that matter, while both Babylon 5 and Deep Space Nine had lots of spaceships, neither one "revolved" around a spaceship.  The main characters pretty much stayed in one place, and people came to them.

Yes, as time went on it lost steam (I'm pointing at Season but got it back (thank you Orgin) and still it goes on in the form of at least two SG1 movies and an MMORPG.  But I just want to close this out by saying thank you.

Cool.  Again, I'm not posting to criticize SG-1.  I never actually saw an episode (just because of time; I'll only let myself follow a couple of shows at once), but I know a lot of people who loved the show, so it must have had plenty going for it.

[contra]

You its sad its over; but you have the movies to look forward to...

And Atlantis *twitches*

But you have to love a series that 3 eps before its final showing opens with the line
"They canceled it, really?  I didn't even know the new season had started..."

[Michael]

I'm not sure about your premise here

Exactly... the "transporter" was a budget saving device Gene Rodenbury thought up for Star Trek when it was clear he didn't have the special effects budget to land the Enterprise's "flying saucer section" on a new planet every week.  SG1 was basically a Star Trek plot line, only cutting out the Enterprise completely and substituting a 100% transporter show.  Basically gang of guys go to new planet each week and interact witht he natives... not sure exactly how they get to the new planet each week is central?

[Startrekwiki]

Basically gang of guys go to new planet each week and interact witht he natives... not sure exactly how they get to the new planet each week is central?

I'm not sure that's accurate. After all, near the end of the season, humanity builds a big spaceship, whose captain imitates Star Trek shamelessly. Not that there's any shame in it. By the way:

Exactly... the "transporter" was a budget saving device Gene Rodenbury thought up for Star Trek when it was clear he didn't have the special effects budget to land the Enterprise's "flying saucer section" on a new planet every week.  SG1 was basically a Star Trek plot line, only cutting out the Enterprise completely and substituting a 100% transporter show.  Basically gang of guys go to new planet each week and interact witht he natives... not sure exactly how they get to the new planet each week is central?

There is at least a sort of transporter: a beaming device that allows people to travel into Goa'ould motherships, and later, the good guys acquire the same type of technology.

[clichekiller]

What I loved about SG1 was that it never took itself too seriously and was not beyond directly poking fun at itself.  Not that they did not have sweeping dramatic story arcs, they did, but they always found a little bit of humor, if not more, in every episode.  Sadly, toward the end, I no longer had access to Sci-Fi channel and haven't seen most of the last two seasons.  I anxiously await the box sets.