Avalon

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S9 (Avalon)

It's so nice to come back to this series after being away for some time, but things are not as they were at the end of Season 8, and this is my first encounter with the series after that point, so it's a true voyage of discovery for me. It was a wise move to open the episode and carry it along for much of the time from the point of view of our new main star, Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, played by Ben Browder. I didn't realise he was going to be the lead, although I knew he'd be joining. I assumed he'd be just another soldier, but I hadn't really thought through who was going to replace the departing General O'Neill. His position has been taken by Beau Bridges as a new General (though we are treated to a Richard Dean Anderson cameo as is only right and proper), so it's two new characters joining the team. Actually, SG-1 has been reduced to 'SG-me' in the words of Mitchell, himself a hero of the battle of Antarctica when the Goa'uld forces attacked Earth at the  end of Season 7, I think. So we get some spectacle from clips of that battle with some new footage (a bit like how the 'DS9' pilot showed part of the battle of Wolf 359 that occurred in 'TNG'), flashbacks to Mitchell's role that prompted decoration and visits from SG-1 to his hospital bed for his valiant efforts. I like that he's already part of the series' history and so has his foot in the door rather than being completely unconnected and having to do the old 'revealing the Stargate' stuff that's usual with new human characters.

Mitchell starts off rather disappointed, since the great SG-1 whom he chose to join after he was offered any assignment he wanted, has disbanded, Dr. Jackson packing his stuff for a trip to Atlantis, Lieutenant Colonel Carter off at Area 51 to dig into some research and development, and Teal'c getting into politics in the new Jaffa government. It looks like it would be a backward step for any of them to just return to being part of the famous SG-1 team again. But fortunately for Mitchell, (and Browder), Vala shows up (Claudia Black was of course his costar on 'Farscape' so it's a great reunion, bending the laws of TV and time), wanting to go on some quest for treasure, pops some old tech bracelet on her and Daniel, meaning they can't be separated or they'll die, and we're off on a mission again. Teal'c's there to assist after his concern for Daniel, but Carter's too busy (charming!), and Mitchell's newly formed, though likely temporary, team, heads for Glastonbury in England to go beneath some hill there and locate a 'door to the underworld.' There's shades of the past when we get a hologram of Merlin, who may have been an Ancient, appearing to give them a message, just as one of the Asgard did in the early seasons, and we've probably seen it on more than one occasion, so it definitely feels like the same series.

Not that any aspect of it doesn't, there's still the same sets, the ships, the corny humour and general jolly japes, it's just that things aren't quite as they were. Which is always a bit weird. But if you don't change anything it could begin to feel stale, especially when you consider this is the almost unprecedented ninth season, when so few series' last half as long, so I can understand their wish to shake things up, and this does have the impression of almost a pilot for a new spinoff series, just as the start of Season 8 had that flavour, except that time it was setting up for an actual spinoff in 'Stargate Atlantis.' This season would run in parallel with 'SGA' Season 2 (another season I haven't yet seen), so I wonder if there'll be any crossovers - Jackson has already been wanting to visit. For now, it's less about getting the band back together and more getting everyone singing on the same hymn sheet, something that goes awry when they all end up trapped in the underground caves having failed to beat the 'Indiana Jones' traps that will unlock the way to the 'underworld.' They're going for a more modern mythical approach this time, with the English lore of King Arthur and the fabled Knights of The Round Table, even down to a sword in a stone. Nothing wrong with that, and I do wonder what this is all leading to as they can't just keep bringing back the old Goa'uld foes, or Anubis' warriors, so no doubt there's going to be a new threat to face, aside from the innuendo-laden Vala tagging along and getting on everyone's nerves.

Too early to tell whether the new setup will work, bringing in new characters to an established and long-running series is always tricky, so changing half the cast is going to be tough. But the important thing is, I remembered how much I love watching these guys, and it's so lovely to be back with them again. Familiar recurring characters such as Dr. Lee and 'Chief Master Sergeant' Walter Harriman (as well as Siler, I think, and Obi Ndefo's Jaffa character), bring some comfortable recognition and the episode has plenty of the usual wry amusements to enjoy. If you've already seen 'Farscape' it's easier to accept Browder, rather than see him as a usurper, especially as the cast was in flux the last couple of seasons when General Hammond left and O'Neill became essentially a part-timer. So they must have realised there was room for one or two new faces to bolster the numbers, and as much as I'd have loved to see it, they'd have had to change the recurring characters too much to fit into the series as a regular, so it's probably for the best that new people were brought in. I'm not sure why Claudia Black isn't in the cast officially, only a Special Guest Star, but maybe she joins further down the line, or in the final season, it's all so exciting not to know what's going to happen from here on in. Can't say I favoured the new title sequence, something else that made it feel like a pilot for a new series, the CGI made it look a little lightweight rather than the solid and chunky film of the 'gate in previous iterations (or the pharaoh's sarcophagus), but I'm sure I'll get used to it and I was too busy seeing who was actually credited this season to worry too much. The main thing is that SG-1 are back, hurrah!

***