Stargate SG-1: Prototype / The Fourth Horseman
The SciFi Channel’s mid-season finale for Stargate SG-1 was a pretty blatant cramming together of two stand-alone episodes. They weren’t even related storywise so it seemed kind of silly really. However looked at simply as two episodes running back to back, they were both pretty decent.
Prototype didn’t really have anything to do with the season 9 storyarc, but it did call on some older Stargate SG-1 history. Think of it as SG-1’s version of a Hannibal Lecter story and I think you’ve got the general feel of things. No huge suprises really, but I liked the episode for what it was.
I don’t really have a lot to say about the episode though because it was full of elements we’ve seen many times before on Stargate SG-1.
The Fourth Horseman is a different sort of episode entirely. This one was all about the Stargate SG-1 season 9 storyarc. Lots of big things happen in this episode and we finally get some additional information on the Ori. Though unfortunately the person giving us this information is a child who can’t act very well.
The rest of the episode fares better though. The threat of a huge disaster looms and lends a real sense of urgency to the whole thing. By the end of this episode the threat to Earth is probably the biggest we’ve seen in the show’s run and its nature is particularly compelling given the events of the last few years.
My biggest criticism is that Gerak’s conversion to belief in Origin seemed a little abrupt. Up to now he’s seemed to be very stubborn and I’d have liked to see some more hints and build up before he suddenly converts.
So what did you think? Good? Bad? What were your favorite bits?
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Nathaniel davis
Nods, I am also glad that they revealed more about the Ori, and their Prior
missionaries in the Fourth Horseman episode. I was very curious as to why
these god-like beings had such a pressing need for mortal, human populations
ns to believe in them and to worship them. We finally were able to find out
that they need the life force of the humans , and each time a new group of
people are converted they are able to absorb more life force. The thing I
found curious is that the adolescent Ancient Colonel Carter once had a romance
with , said that the Ancients did not intervene in the affairs of those
un-ascended , but if you remember when SG-I first had physical contact with
the ASgard( at least Colonel O-neill) it was revealed that they were once
a member of an interstellar alliance against hte Goa-uld, or what was assumed
to be the goa-uld together with the nox, Asgard, Furlings, etc. Why did they stop?
It would be interesting to find out because by the current time in STargate,
they were so apathetic toward mortal affairs that they were willing to allow
Anubis to obtain the Ancient Machine one Dakara and wipe out all life in the
Galaxy. THere is much more that needs to be discussed in upcoming episodes.
I think the writers are doing a good job of finding substitute bad guys for
the Goa-uld, and you have to wonder if Earth will indeed be able to find
technologies to fight the Ori, who are many times more powerful than the
GOa’uld ,and there are not even many dissident people on ORi worlds with power enough
to undermine their Ancient Gods. Who is Earth going to turn to when it looks like
the Jaffa are going to take up the faith of the Ori?
Sep 22nd, 2005
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