ome television series are still shuffling about, trying to find a voice at the start of their sophomore season. Not so with Stargate SG-1. As will become clear when viewers make their way through this five-disc DVD box set, by the start of its second year, the producers and writers of Stargate SG-1 knew exactly what its mission was: to tell stories about the SG-1 team's explorations of different worlds and cultures via the Stargate, an ancient on-demand wormhole device that allows for travel between two points in the galaxy.
One of the nice things about season two is its pace: It starts out with "The Serpent's Lair," a fast-paced and clever episode that resolves the first season's cliffhanger, carries on through numerous stand-alone episodes, then picks up the evolving mythology with a two-part episode about "The Tok'ra" (who become allies of Earth) and another episode, "Serpent's Song," about the Goa'uld (the false gods who are our enemies) before returning to the stand-alone adventures again.
The season's finale, "Out of Mind," is a pleasant surprise, too: It starts out with hints that this is a clipfest—usually never a good sign for a series when the episode is a second-season finale (anybody remember Star Trek: The Next Generation's abomination, "Shades of Gray?"). However, the slow-arching story picks up pace when it becomes clear that the flashback clips are actually servicing the story to move it forward—and right into another cliffhanger ending.
Intriguing episodes could use more extras
There are enough intriguing and well-written episodes throughout the season to keep the rapt attention of devoted fans or someone who wants to catch up with Stargate SG-1, the early years. Sure, the pervasive and dry sense of humor of Col. Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is enticing, as is the sensitive, academic portrayal of Dr. Daniel Jackson (as offered by Michael Shanks). But more interesting about this season is how the SG-1 adventures—many of which are written by the show's original creators/producers, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner—still seemed fresh and new, and not bogged down in its own mythology. This is when the series dared to take on the unusual, as in the episode "One False Step" (the team visits a strange, pre-communicative humanoid species that suddenly becomes ill) or the time-travel paradox "1969" (which, conveniently for the writers, doesn't wrap everything up in a nice neat bow).
But there isn't much else to this five-disc box set—which, like its predecessor, conveniently gives each season its own plastic DVD box. The set's design may require more space on the bookshelf, but is ultimately easier to manage in the long term than the fold-out designs of box sets like Star Trek: The Next Generation or The X-Files. The episodes are again presented in widescreen 16:9 format (which the series filmed in from the outset, even though it never aired in the United States in letterbox form); the widescreen presentation provides added depth to the luxuriously shot episodes.
There's little added content, though, to whet the appetite of fans (although the bonus material is largely on a par with what was featured on the first season's set). Unlike last time, each disc contains the promotional trailers for the episodes contained therein. And there are three featurettes, which run about 10 minutes apiece, featuring interviews with production designer Richard Hudolin, and actors Shanks and Judge on their respective characters; all of the featurettes are glossily produced, and cross the line to sound heavy on promotion and light on supplemental information. When taken in context with season one's behind-the-scenes character profiles, though, it becomes clear that the DVD's producers are systematically working their way through the cast. However, we again wish there were more extras, and even commentaries or interviews with the series' core group of creative powers.
One more positive note: The video on the discs is of a higher-quality encoding than last time, with few hiccups in evidence and smooth, clear pictures on the two DVD players we tested the set on.
