Full Circle

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S6 (Full Circle)

For a moment you might think you've accidentally put a Season 2 DVD in, the way it starts with a return to Abydos, Skaara, mentions of Kasuf and Catherine, and, best of all, Daniel Jackson, but it becomes a greatest hits package, wrapping up, continuing, reminding, playing up the story lines that have been part of the series since day one. I was surprised that Jonas was still with the team by the end of the episode as the previous story looked to be setting him up for a convenient exit. Likewise that Daniel wasn't back to his normal, human self by the end. I was going to say this was a rare example of a season ending with no cliffhanger, but I suppose the questions about Daniel are something, if not hanging threads, and we guess Anubis has his super weapon, not to mention the lost city to find. But for once none of the main characters are threatened, no one is trapped somewhere, there's no need for the Asgard or Thor to come swooping in to save the day, or an approaching threat left to make us wonder what happened next. I wish I knew the behind-the-scenes history of the series as I do for the various Trek series', as it leaves me wondering if they knew for sure they'd be coming back. In some ways it's the closest the series might have come to a finale (it's even called 'Full Circle' and has us returning to the scene of the original film and pilot episode), leaving us with questions, but also the SG-1 team intact, together, and heading off into the sunset (well, the Stargate, anyway), their minds (mostly), at rest.

First things first - I couldn't remember what had happened to Skaara. The most I could recall was that he went bad for a bit, after being taken over by a Goa'uld, and got beamed up to some ship. I thought he was long out of it, possibly even dead, so it was good to go back to his character. This season hasn't been too bad for digging back into the mythos without reminding you what the last development was, so it was a bit of a plunge to find we're in the midst of all that Goa'uld backstory without a helping hand. Daniel does explain a lot, but he does it very quickly and very softly so if you miss it, it's gone (yes, I do know about the rewind button, but I don't want to be zipping back and forth when I'm trying to concentrate on the story). Ah, Daniel. It's so good to have him back in it again, even though I knew he'd be returning to the fold in Season 7, having watched at least as far as that on original transmission. It was noticeable how they managed to straddle his all-powerful nature (not so all-powerful after all, but we already knew that), while making him more accessible. Clearly if they were planning to return him to the team they needed to stop him from being such a mythical, mysterious being as he'd become.

Those moments this season, where he appeared in that way to advise and encourage his teammates, were among the highlights, but this time they manage to have some of that awe and magic while also making him more real and grounded. So he can disappear and pop up on Anubis' ship to challenge him (and we were so close to seeing what he was capable of), but he also speaks more clearly about things and is much more in the moment compared with his earlier appearances (such as being mildly offended to find Jonas using his stuff!). It's a subtle shift away from the ascended apparition - now even Carter can see him! The first half was just full of great moments, from Jackson and O'Neill's conversation in the lift, to the way Hammond and the others don't seem surprised about Jack having seen Daniel (I kind of hoped that each of them would sheepishly admit that Daniel had appeared to them in their greatest need!), to the mission to Abydos and the search for the Eye of Ra. I was less enamoured with the traditional Goa'uld baddie, Her'ak, the spokesman for Anubis, so boring and predictable with his English accent and bad guy persona, though the siege wasn't bad.

The battle scenes where a small group of Abydonians and Teal'c hold position as a squadron of Death Gliders scream over head, and ground troops pour into the area, was another high point early in the episode, with the spectacular crash of a Glider not far behind the fleeing defenders, Teal'c the only one to survive the massive explosion. One thing that looked ludicrous, however, was that Teal'c and his followers were hiding out behind small, broken walls with canvas roofs which weren't going to do anything to prevent the attacking blasts! I suppose the emphasis was supposed to be that the Abydonians were weak and powerless, but wanted to fight anyway. While I'm noticing flaws, I'd also point to the burning braziers Skaara lights throughout the catacombs' entrance (I'll bet he was wary of that massive brand, wearing such a large and flammable wig!), when there are all these valuable papyrus' about that would surely burst into flame at the slightest proximity of heat! And Major Carter could have been a bit more careful when she and Jonas discover the hidden compartment in the secret room - she proceeds to send a salvo of bullets against it when she knows the important Eye of Ra is going to be behind! Just imagine if she'd shattered it!

These are small complaints in such a good episode which is full of fascinating revelations such as Daniel and the other ascended ones (ascendees?), are Ancients, the race that originally built the Stargates! Major fact ahoy, but that's not all we learn: they were originally human who ascended to escape a plague, and Anubis is actually a Goa'uld that partially ascended (who knows how?), and is sort of stuck somewhere between the two planes of existence, which somehow makes him more powerful. We also get Yu The Great (as he's credited at the end of the episode!), in what really must be his last appearance since his combined System Lord fleet is annihilated by the Death Star… sorry, no, Anubis' mighty warship. Because now he has the Eye of Ra! Okay, there didn't seem to be much explanation for the Eye, or for the fact that Anubis has become something of a collector of these antiques (he completed the set of all six, including Apophis', Osiris' and the rare Ra edition - worth a fortune on eBay, as long as it's in its original packaging!). They are some powerful blah blah blah, that's all that matters (if you want to rationalise it you could suggest they're a more high-tech and superior form of crystal technology than the Goa'uld already use). What it boils down to is that Daniel comes to realise he must cross the line of the rules that have kept him from making such interferences before, which is a brilliant and logical way for what I assume will be his return: being made a normal human again because of his disobedience, or that's what I hope happens.

All this and a reference to the Carter/O'Neill thing (when Skaara invites O'Neill and Carter to his wedding and asks if they'll come together)? It certainly packs in a lot, even if things scale back to a slower pace in the second half. I could criticise it for Jonas having less to do (and that you'd think he might have guessed the Eye of Ra might be behind the door with the… eye on the front), or Carter not being given time to assimilate the fact that Daniel isn't dead after all - she gets a backhanded greeting tossed over his shoulder. I appreciate they didn't necessarily have time to show wondrous reunions between each team member as they greet Daniel, but they could have given Sam better payoff than that after she was so distraught at Daniel's passing. And the big battle between Yu's fleet and Anubis' powered-up ship was more talked about than seen, a big mistake (look at 'DS9' for how to do space battles on TV). Even Skaara's demise was rather meaningless and cold, though it was made up for by the beautiful ending. It's certainly one of the better episodes in what has been a solid and enjoyable season, mainly thanks to Jonas turning out to be an ideal replacement for Jackson. If I had to choose it would be Daniel, but I'd have been very happy if Jonas had been allowed to stay, too. I wondered if the stone tablet and talk of a lost city of the Ancients that contains all kinds of new technology to help Earth against the Anubis threat might be early setup for the sequel series, 'Stargate Atlantis'? I look forward to experiencing the continuance of the story, wherever it goes.

***