Covenant

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S8 (Covenant)

Another Earth-bound episode, and another surprisingly good one, at that. It's all about the question of whether the general populace of the planet we call Earth deserves to know the truth of the SGC and the wider Universe, whether they have the right to, or whether it's for the best to continue keeping them in the dark. All because a billionaire decides the people should know. Alec Colson isn't insufferable, but he is driven and ruthlessly righteous as only a ridiculously wealthy man could be. He shouldn't have been so naive as to think he could get away with challenging the authorities of the world without consequence, even though it wasn't they who were responsible for an attempt on his life, probably the first of many, something his best friend and assistant, Brian Vogler, couldn't live with. The question itself is really the meat of the episode, even though, as the audience, we're naturally rooting for the worldview of our heroes to prevail, which, as it stands, is to keep things under wraps to prevent mass panic and keep control of things, with help from their allies.

It's a typically American thing that they should put their own government as the ultimate authority for global safety, but being an American TV series it's fair enough - if it were made in England we'd have the English as humanity's last, best, hope for peace, wouldn't we? For once, that idea of who decides and protects, is at the heart of the discussion - even though Sam doesn't want to discredit Colson, having known him previously, she remains staunchly against opening the floodgates of information and truth because she genuinely believes it could cause personal distress and worldwide chaos if the Stargate became a known entity, she's a realist that can imagine countries warring against each other for control of the technology, exceeding the existing distrust and general Cold War many nations exist in, and causing more problems. However, it's not entirely a revelation that would be new to all nations, as several do have limited access, in largest part the Russians, then the English and French, and some others, as we've seen before in committee (Season 6's 'Disclosure'). At least this examination of the issue wasn't a clips episode as that one was!

Colson is more of an idealist, not exactly a modern Gene Roddenberry, but someone who stubbornly refuses to believe humanity would destroy itself as some planets have at the Stargate's reveal. He's definitely a humanist, thinking well of his race, even though the evidence points otherwise; after all, if The Trust, a group of rich high-ups who've banded together to exploit alien technology, and whose goal may be to take the 'gate for themselves, tried to kill him, and they're some of the few that are in the know, what would it be like if such possibilities and wonders were recklessly uncovered to everyone? On the other hand, his analogy to living with cancer is a good one, whether it's better to know and take steps to focus on living, or to go on blissfully unaware until you drop dead. Personally, I prefer to know the worst as it means you can mentally prepare, but the cases are two different kinds - in this dilemma it's the very knowledge that could cause preemptive action to endanger the fragile state the world lies in, and far from giving people the chance to enjoy their 'last days,' it would inflate their desires. Everyone would demand trips to other planets, the use of all technology, amping up the martial capabilities would cause a new arms race, and every country would believe it knows best how to handle the situation. The fact that there is no one world government means the US can pretty much speak for everyone in its own way.

Maybe that's a bad thing, but if you look at history, America's involvement usually means a positive end: World War II might not have ended with the Allies beating Hitler, and where would we be now? Not to say America is perfect, or knows all the answers, but an engaged America is better for the world (or at least, the West), than an isolationist one. I've gone a bit off topic, but it just shows that an episode of a sci-fi series can engage the brain, and provide food for thought. It could even be a commentary on America's position in the world, I don't know. But for the series, it's an important moment because it reassures us that the mythology isn't going to be thrown under the bus, because as interesting as the concept of the Stargate no longer being a secret operation, it would lose much of its charm and mystery if it became so open. This way we can still imagine that it is (or was), happening in some mountain somewhere in America. I have the feeling that it does come out eventually this season, but I hope I'm wrong. Although… it's amazing in the modern age that so many alien encounters, ships and technology hadn't been spotted by the billions on our planet: photos from satellites, telescopes, so much that can see so far makes it hard to believe that the secret had never come out. I suppose the conceit is that, like Colson, people are always undermined or disbelieved, and that all talk of UFOs, etc, in real life was 'really true.'

What works about the episode for me is that although it's a subject that shouldn't be very interesting, whether people will learn the truth or if the SGC will succeed in preventing that from happening, the various struggles with personal and military guilt and reality concerns is at work. It's mainly Sam, but the people around Colson are also conflicted, and it does justice to the central idea. It's also a magical moment when someone is shown the Stargate for the first time, and given an out of this world experience. I should have seen the solution coming: Colson was a marked man, his whole company collapsing, he only had that to replace the deaths of his wife and daughter years before, which had spurred him to create the global company after all, and to top it all, best friend Brian topped himself, so what ties did he have left to the planet of his people's birth? None, which makes him the perfect person to travel off world and begin a new life on some other planet where his tenacity and skills can thrive on new challenges and a new reason to live in the full knowledge of the achievements that have been won. The ultimate happy ending, really! I thought the actor who played Brian did an excellent job as the collapsing support, and though it was fun to see the reporter, Julia Donovan, again, I didn't remember her, so it didn't twig until they mentioned she had been part of the Prometheus incident (another Season 6 episode, 'Prometheus'). A better episode than I originally gave it credit, in spite of its Earth-based politicking.

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