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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • German: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    Spanish, English - Hearing Impaired, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German - Hearing Impaired
  Extras
  • 2 Teaser trailer - Episode Previews
  • 2 Featurette
  • Animated menus

Stargate SG-1 Volume 12

20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox . R4 . COLOR . 169 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Following the mediocre success of the film Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, the telemovie and television series Stargate SG-1 was born, far outweighing the success of its predecessor.

The story of the Stargate is that many teams are formed to explore other worlds in an effort to further the development of humanity, the primary team being SG-1. Teams navigate their way to other worlds by means of a circular device, known as the Stargate. The teams are under the control of General Hammond who heads SGC, Stargate Control. Lead by Colonel Jack O’Neill, SG-1 consists of scientist Samantha Carter, historian and linguistic specialist Daniel Jackson, and alien Jaffa Teal’c. They are a strange combination of brain and brawn that work remarkably well together.

Most viewers are familiar with the show to some extent, however there are a few that were put off ever watching, primarily because of the star Richard Dean Anderson and his previous exploits as McGyver. I myself was in this category until I stumbled across the show one day when there was nothing else of note to watch and I was pleasantly surprised. Anderson is a driving force behind this series and his humour shines through, as does his perfect casting in the role.

Stargate SG-1 - Volume 12 contains four episodes from the third season of the hit television series. Each episode runs for approximately 42 minutes and can be watched independently or continuously. A brief synopsis of each episode follows.

A Hundred Days
The SG-1 crew is on the planet Edora in an effort to acquire the mineral Naqahdah, which is found in abundance on this planet and is crucial to the operation of the Stargate. Laira, One of the locals, who has taken a liking to O’Neill, shows the crew the annual skyshow, in essence a meteor shower. Every year it occurs and every year it gets closer, dumping debris on the planet.

The SG-1 team is forced to evacuate the locals back to Earth until the danger has passed, those that will go that is. During the evacuation, Laira realises her son is missing and races off to look for him. O’Neill follows her and orders the rest of the team back to SGC, leaving him trapped on Edora. The gate is now buried and the likelihood of O’Neill ever seeing Earth again is remote.

Shades Of Grey
The SG-1 team travel to the planet Tollana to negotiate a trade with the people that they had earlier saved from the Goa’uld, in an effort to exchange technology. When the Tollans refuse to give them technology to make advanced weaponry, they decide to leave and end negotiations. The others team members are stunned at O’Neill’s aggressive and agitated behaviour, especially when he steals a device on the way out.

For his earlier indiscretions, General Hammond forces O’Neill into early retirement, due to pressure put on by the Tollans who threaten to severe ties with Earth.

The SG-1 team is put under the command of Colonel Makepeace and upon hearing of his earlier theft, Colonel Maybourne visits O’Neill to make him an offer he can’t refuse.

New Ground
While digging through rubble, two locals on planet P2X-416 uncover a Stargate. The computer program back at SGC picks up the new Stargate and locks in on its location, SG-1 is of course sent to investigate this new planet.

Upon their arrival, they discover there is a war raging between the Bedrosians and the Optricans, based on their beliefs as to how their planet was created. The Oprticans believe that aliens brought them there via the Stargate as slaves, whereas the Bedrosians believe that their God Nefertum was their creator.

The SG-1 team are captured by Bedrosian law enforcers and held for questioning. Teal’c manages to escape but is injured, becoming blind in the process. Local scientist Nyan, helps Teal’c to recover with the goal of an attempted rescue of the SG-1 team.

Maternal Instinct
Bra’tac arrives at SGC after Chulak, home planet of himself and Teal’c has been attacked by Apophis. Apophis had been there looking for something, it is said that something was in the form of the child Harsesis. The child is said to be the son of Apophis and holds the knowledge of the Goa’uld. In the wrong hands he could be the undoing of the Goa’uld empire.

The SGC deduct the most likely location of the planet Kheb, said to be the place where Harsesis is being kept. The SG-1 team heads for Kheb and hope they get there before Apophis.

Overall these four episodes are very enjoyable ones. The varying stories are pretty much what this show is all about, showing terrific diversity and adaptability. This disc is possibly not the best place for newcomers to start viewing this series, as the established theme lines may baffle some. The presentation is of a very high standard compared to most shows on television and a nice although small package of extras make this well worth a look.

  Video
Contract

All episodes are presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and are 16x9 enhanced for those that have it. The most obvious fault of the transfer is grain, which is quite common in many television shows. There is also the standard edge enhancement used on special effects in Sci-fi shows, such as blue screen effects, but overall this looks terrific. I certainly don’t expect perfection from such effects and find the visual effects used on SG-1 to be of exceptionally high standards, especially for a television series. Picture is mostly sharp throughout and colours are generally true. This is not overly that much better than what is shown on TV, but the picture shown on TV is already of such a high standard that it’s hard to complain.

Basically, if you admire the quality of this series when it's shown on TV then you will be more than happy with the transfer. There are a multitude of subtitles available and I can only speak for the English ones, but these are very accurate to what transpires on screen.

  Audio
Contract

Audio is supplied in English, German and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, the track of choice for review was the English one. The sound is pretty much faultless while not being spectacular. Dialogue is clear at all times and synch is never a problem. Separation is used well, with dialogue kept across the front and only selective use of the rear speakers for directional effects and to build the musical score. In many cases, the rear speakers get so much over-use that when they are needed, the sound gets a little lost, but this is not the case here. The minimal use of the rears really adds to the feel when they do kick in.

The subwoofer gets quite a bit of action during explosions and special effects sequences, but again the use is subtle. A highlight of the separation is during the meteor shower and when spacecraft are flying past. Overall this is terrific audio and does the wonderful visual action justice.

  Extras
Contract

This disc is a bit light on in the extras department, but compared to previous releases it's a definite improvement.

Profile on Dr Jackson
Presented in full frame and Dolby Digital 2.0, this featurette looks at primary SG-1 team member Dr Daniel Jackson. Through the use of interviews with the actor Michael Shanks and footage of his character from varying episodes, this is an informative feature. Running for 9:32, this is a nice behind the scenes look at the actor and how he came to play this role. With other cast members being covered on previous and forthcoming releases, the need to purchase those is there to complete the set.

Production Design Richard Hudolin
Featuring an interview with production designer Richard Hudolin, this featurette gives a terrific insight into the creation of effects and scenery for the show. Running for 7:15 and again in full frame and DD 2.0, this is a terrific addition to this release.

Volume 13 – Episode Previews
Previews run for 44 and 48 seconds respectively and give a look at the episodes available on Stargate SG-1 - Volume 13, the final two episodes in season three. There is also a text page here with a brief blurb about the behind the scenes featurette that is also available on Volume 13.

  Overall  
Contract

Fans of Stargate SG-1 will no doubt buy this regardless of what anyone tells them, others that may only have a passing interest in the series will simply have to make the choice as to their preferred episodes. The four episodes available on this release are all very good ones and I found it truly enjoyable to watch them again. Having these episodes in 1.78:1 and 16x9 enhanced, plus the DD 5.1 track makes this a great DVD for me. The only down side to this release is whether to buy it now or wait in case they put out a box set later on. Although the fourth episode here is not a “to be continued” one, the need is there to purchase Volume 13 to finish off season three.

Overall, for fans of the show this is a great buy or at least rental. For others, it may not be best to start watching this show from the end of season three, but the good thing about Stargate SG-1 is that each episode is a mini film in its own right, you just may get confused with the references to aliens from earlier episodes. The strong elements for this show are the wonderful humour, the chemistry between the main characters and, most importantly, how good it looks. This assortment of episodes is definitely worthy of any collection.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1647
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      And I quote...
    "A quality release of a quality series, this DVD contains four episodes from series three and a couple of nice extras."
    - Adrian Turvey
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai DV-P2000
    • TV:
          AKAI CT-29S55AT 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Akai AM-SS1500
    • Speakers:
          Akai
    • Centre Speaker:
          Akai
    • Surrounds:
          Akai
    • Subwoofer:
          Akai
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