Full Alert

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S8 (Full Alert)

We're back to the political skullduggery of past seasons of the series, except in this case ex-Vice President Kinsey actually ends up working for the SGC in an undercover capacity. Just as in the previous episode where they brought back Mayborn to kind of finish off his story, they do the same for the ageing, slimy, thorn in the side that was the SGC's most political opponent. And it appears he went out with a bang, presumably still aboard the alkesh belonging to The Trust, that group of ex-NID agents that were bent on destroying the Goa'uld through the use of poison, and the use of Osiris' old ship. Still with me? Actually, it's not too difficult to keep track as they do a better job of filling us in with the flashbacks than they used to, so the lore is a lot less impenetrable, especially if you've been watching along, in order. I was a bit confused about members of The Trust, which appeared to have been taken over by Goa'uld, just as they do to Kinsey, unless I missed something. Their big plan (whether that's The Trust's or some Goa'ulds'), is to start nuclear war between Russia and the US through ramping up suspicion on both sides that the other is compromised by Goa'uld intervention, all so they can wipe out humanity and nab the Ancient weapon in Antarctica (which keeps getting mentioned, in case you forgot it was the genesis for a spinoff series!). Of course, our heroes save the day and stop that from happening.

Although… how much did they really do? I liked the briefing scene where O'Neill sends Teal'c off on patrol aboard the Prometheus, Carter to work on a plan to detect the cloaked alkesh, and Daniel… well, he has to go and pick up his dry cleaning. It's a funny moment, but so true, because you have to remember that beyond being one of the leads in the TV series, he's just a mere archeologist, so he's not really the sort of person governments are going to send off on diplomatic assignments, and yet he's always been probably the most diplomatic of the gang and he gets to try out his skills on feisty Russian Captain Voronkova who he liaises with in Moscow, O'Neill sending him there to find out what's going on. It's good to see Dr. Jackson getting out and about, and doing something for the cause because it's easy to sideline him as some recent episodes have done. It's also encouraging that Richard Dean Anderson was fully featured, since O'Neill has a lot of pull with the President, and some on the Russian side: we get Colonel Chekov back again to help with the situation, which rapidly escalates to Defcon 3, then 2, meaning imminent global warfare is likely. I'm not sure the tension of the situation is all that strong, mainly because you know they're not going to actually have at it and release nuclear warheads. Not unless they were going to turn it into a very different series from what it was, with the SGC a survivor organisation trying to carry on after mutually assured destruction had ripped the world apart. They're probably in the best location for such an eventuality as they can hop through the Stargate for pastures new!

It's always nice to see Jack's house, which is where the episode begins, Kinsey having invited himself in to relay the message of what The Trust want him to do, and of course his own vengeful nature is aroused by their betrayal of him, losing him the Vice-Presidency, as Jack notes. I was never a big fan of the character, he was always nothing but trouble, and he was never going to be self-aware enough to redeem himself for his selfish, power-hungry actions, so I don't mind if this is the last we see of him, but they don't usually leave it so vague. There are, after all, rings on the alkesh, so it's possible he transported himself away to Earth before its destruction. The episode has one of those unsatisfying endings where there's barely time for them even to say it's over and things are okay, where I prefer an epilogue, perhaps a briefing scene to confirm Kinsey's destruction in their belief, and what the ramifications of near nuclear war are. It was a simple case of a rogue Russian general controlled by a Goa'uld, so it's not like it was anyone's fault, but in the real world even an incident like that would breed suspicion, doubt and distrust, sowing the seeds for breakup between the superpowers, so it'll be interesting to see if there are any aftereffects of the events of this episode, or if it's all glossed over and forgotten. The politics had never been a favourite of mine, I much prefer the alien politics and discoveries, but at least this is a four-man team episode. O'Neill isn't out in the field, but he's heavily involved throughout, and we get to see Kinsey work for the SGC (much to his disgust and irritation),  and some espionage stuff going on, which was fun, as well as all the main cast making a worthwhile contribution.

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