Tangent

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Tangent)

Not one of 'Stargate's finest hours, more like one of its dullest, but how exciting can being stuck in a death glider be, especially one that is apparently floating through space, rather than speeding along, as it's supposed to be! And while on the subject of nitpicking, how can a collision with a missile that leaves no visible damage, reduce the life support and power on board, apart from obviously attempting to add some tension to a remarkably tensionless situation (I had the constant feeling that the Asgaard could appear at any moment and save them). There are some nice shots of the glider flying past in a demonstration on Earth, but it shows up one of the flaws in the series: that they don't have their own ship, like most space/sci-fi series'.

Waiting around for them to try out each option before eventually coming up with a way to rescue Jack and Teal'c doesn't make for the most riveting story, although it picks up a little when Carter and Daniel head off to a Goa'uld world to find a nearby Tok'ra agent, but it's obviously a budget-saving episode since they spend about ten seconds there on a hilltop before being transported up by Jacob Carter. His presence is about the only thing that saves the episode from complete tedium, even getting off a 'Star Trek' reference when discussing the ring transporter ("Who do you think I am, Scotty?"), though it does draw attention to the fact that compared to that Transporter, the ring transporter is a bit feeble since it can't even grab people sitting in the glider!

It seems like a while since we last saw Jacob so it's great to have him back, and funny that he's so superior about the Tok'ra when talking about their technology compared with human's. Even Apophis is resurrected, if only in voice, spouting a message about the glider's special programming which will send it back to one of his bases. The other worthwhile moment is Teal'c's little speech before going into deep sleep, calling O'Neill a brother. It sounded like the ship which approaches Jacob's is owned by Heruer, someone we haven't seen in a long time, and a Tok'ra and another powerful ally get mentioned, though I can't recall the names. A few little bits to keep the mind active. I had seen this years before and remembered being underwhelmed the first time. Guess what, nothing's changed.

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