Aphelion Issue 298, Volume 28
September 2024
 
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Digital Goldmine

Stargate SG-1
(DVD Box set)

by TaoPhoenix


One of the most important science fiction TV shows since Star Trek has finished its ten year run, and the distribution team has had time to bind it into a cohesive package for the holiday season. The Stargate SG1 Boxed Series Box Set is here.

Retail price is roughly in the $225-$250 range in retail stores, less with sales or from online sites.

Ten years was a long time ten years ago, and in this decade of weekly & even daily web updates, ten years is thematically even longer. I for one, no longer watch TV. For me, the age of 45 minutes of content padded with fifteen minutes of commercials, delivered once weekly, is over. For the few modern shows that have attracted my interest, I watched two online and bought a Season-DVD each of the other two.

As an example, USA network has a recent show called "Psych" which was worth a day's amusement. The lead character has an eidetic memory and a few home-schooled police skills, and parlays these modest resources into a position as a police consultant claiming to be psychic. The police department is too inept to dispense with him. I watched the first four episodes as a lark, and now I have had my fill.

The entire pantheon of Stargate is also at my fingers as well. But the difference in quality is beyond mortal comparison. Rushing this show would be a tragedy. I am hard pressed to think of any other SF show which put as much effort into cultural research into ancient mythology. Whoever planned the show correctly saw the utterly untapped resevoir of Egyptian lore which was deemed too difficult for any other long term show to delve into. The SG1 production & writing teams succeeded brilliantly. Every show has some bad scripts, but overall there is a phemonenal mix of education and entertainment in the show.

The production values on the box set seem solid enough. The disc numbering is a little odd, with interlocking Season/Volume/Disc numbering. I decided to reinforce the weak glue on the back info-label with a little tape. Otherwise, it's a sturdy dark gold cardboard box with a pleasant Gate replica on the front.

This series will be a benchmark for shows to come. For those of you who passed on the individual seasons, the series set rewards the patience.


© 2007 TaoPhoenix

TaoPhoenix is the Archives Editor of Aphelion, and a regular contributer to the forums.

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