Stargate SG-1 Season 9 Volume 6
This is the final instalment of the ninth season of SG-1 and features the beginning of the Ori invasion of the galaxy. The first episode on this disk features the demise of the Sodan, a group of rebel Jaffa who worship the Ancients, while the last two episodes build up to the Ori invasion.
Description:
This is the final instalment of the ninth season of SG-1 and features the beginning of the Ori invasion of the galaxy. The first episode on this disk features the demise of the Sodan, a group of rebel Jaffa who worship the Ancients, while the last two episodes build up to the Ori invasion.
9.18 Arthur’s Mantle
During experimentation on an unknown device, Carter and Mitchell are transported into a parallel dimension. Meanwhile the SGC receives a garbled message from the Sodan asking for help as it turns out they have been attacked and pretty much wiped out. As the team back at the SGC try and find out what happened to Carter and Mitchell work on a way to bring them back, Teal’c discovers the cause of the attacks. The attacker is Volnek, a Sodan transformed by the Ori into a killing machine and Teal’c must find a way to stop him. Back at base they discover that the device that transported Carter and Mitchell is a Ancient device used by Merlin and contains information about a weapon that could be used against the Ori.
9.19 Crusade
The SGC receive a visit from Vala, inhabiting Daniel’s body, where she brings them a message of an impending invasion by the Ori. She tells them of her time in the Ori galaxy, about how she had to fit in and her drafting into a rebel organisation in their society. She also tells them of her pregnancy which is apparently a ‘gift’ of the Ori, and which will play a part in the Ori’s plans. However the connection is severed and they are left wondering about Vala’s safety and the threat of invasion. Afterwards they learn that the Russians have pushed for technology in order to keep the Stargate at the SGC.
9.20 Camelot
SG-1 follows up a lead on an Ancient device, which takes them to the village of Camelot. There they find a sword like the one under Glastonbury Tor and a local legend about Merlin, which makes the townsfolk uneasy. They learn of a curse that is tied to Merlin’s library, which involves a black knight. Confident they can overcome it they decide to enter the library. However this unleashes the black knight who kills a member of the village, which casts a bad light on SG-1. They return to the library and Mitchell is forced to fight the black knight, which proves far more difficult than the first time. Instead Daniel manages to disable the Ancient device that powers it before it kills him. Inside the library they find further clues from Merlin about the San Graal, the Holy Grail.
Review:
These episodes set a somewhat darker tone than the earlier episodes as the series draws closer to the Ori invasion. In Arthur’s Mantle they introduce the idea of a weapon that can be used against ascended beings, but also another level the Ori will go to eliminate their enemies. In this case they turn Volnek into a seemingly unstoppable killer, which wipes out the Sodan who were legendary amongst the Jaffa. Meanwhile in Crusade it starts off lighter until the episode nears its conclusion and everything starts going bad. This episode offers a glimpse on how the other side lives, showing that they aren’t evil people, they are just fulfilling their beliefs of what is right and wrong. Camelot on the other hand starts off slow and builds up to the activation of a secret supergate and the Ori invasion, which is incredible to watch.
The episodes have been filmed in HD, which makes them look superb on DVD, and there are no noticeable grains or distortions from the transfer to DVD. The extra detail does show best in the CGI work, where detail is most important. The sound is played through the series’ usual 5.1 layout, with dialog playing from the centre speaker and the surrounding four being used for ambience and music. The base is left for the deeper more kinetic effects such as the ships engines and impacts. The sound is of a high quality and everything is clear and sharp.
Extras:
The extras included are the same as expected of Stargate SG-1 DVDs, featuring audio commentaries on each episode, some unrelated trailers and a small photo gallery. This disk features a Director’s Series featurette on the episode Crusade as well as a featurette on Brad Wright, who was the executive producer of Stargate SG-1.
The commentary for Arthur’s Mantle features the episodes writer and the director of photography. They just have general discussions about the sets and the end result as well as some minor problems they have to overcome when making the episode.
For Crusade it features the director and director of photography for this episode and discusses how they went about creating the episode. Mostly discussing the aspects of the episode they created.
The Camelot commentary features the director Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping. This is quite a light commentary and includes discussions on how they made the episode and some things that would probably go unnoticed during normal viewing.
Stargate SG-1: Director’s Series “Crusade” Featurette (15 mins):
This is a behind the scenes look at the episode Crusade and focuses on how they made the episode and the perspectives they wanted to explore in the episode.
“Profile on: Brad Wright” Featurette (21 Mins):
This is a series of interviews and comments on Brad Wright who is the executive producer for the show. It features interviews from members of the cast and crew about Brad as well as interviews with the man himself on how he got to where he is today. It finishes off with a series of fan questions he answers.
Overall:
This is a great end to the season and is well worth getting even if you aren’t a fan of the relatively slow build up to the final invasion.
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