Cold Lazarus

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S1 (Cold Lazarus)

It must have been so confusing for Sarah. This is set in the real world, where clones or aliens or bizarre phenomena aren't the accepted norm as they are in Starfleet, so the opportunity to show an alien interacting with our world, and for an even greater touch: to be doing it to try and heal a person, but misunderstanding the state of the past and that person. For me it was very much the journey Commander Sisko goes through in the first episode of 'DS9', where aliens that live differently to humans show him that he is stuck in the past because of his wife's death. This episode is more focused on the other side; his wife, who is bewildered when Jack supposedly just turns up.

It was a special episode, because it went a different route to most stories this season, with a heartfelt narrative that tells us as much as we need filled in on the way O'Neill is, without resorting to a quick bit of filler, and the Colonel moping around. The alien is a magical creature, like ET or some other benevolent being, and this raises the episode. It's not about hunting down an imposter, which could have been action-packed, but have no further meaning for the characters. The alien planet is the most alien we've seen so far, and very nice on the eye. Much better this and its crystalline entities, than wooded area no. 17 and human tribe no. 24!

The episode showcases the potential sci-fi can hold, and attains more value than a more complicated, political or action oriented episode would have, as most Earth-based episode seemed to be about. Most importantly it shows that the series doesn't have to be formulaic to create great stories and develop characters, making it one of the best of the season. My only regret is that it seems to tie off that side of Jack's personality, so that there's no need for Sarah and his history to be part of it again.

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