STARGATE SG-1 - Beachhead

By: Jason Davis
Review Date: Monday, August 22, 2005

Well, to borrow from X-MEN-lore, the all new, all different SG-1 has bid adieu to its Thunderbird. Vala's departure from the regular cast, and Colonel Carter's return will certainly change the shape of things to come. On that note, the Priors of the Ori continue their slow build up to ominousness with even lesser Goa'ulds doing their bidding as they attempt to establish, via their extraordinary technology, a permanent presence in the galaxy. A number of readers have commented on the seemingly tedious nature of the Ori and their priors, but the gradual revelation of their nature seems more like a boon to the series. It allows the audience an ongoing narrative element to shore up the background while they adapt to the new line-up of regulars.

Surely, the display of power offered in this installment presented some idea of the scope that thing will take as the series continues. The Ori are clearly a formidable opponent for Stargate Command and their existence creates many unanswered questions to explore as the series progresses. Notably, why have they waited this long to make their move on the galaxy? Clearly, the Goa'uld offer little danger to them as Nerus clearly recognizes their superiority, but the opportunistic nature of their appearance suggests that there's more to their origins than meets the eye. Their ability to engineer a black hole and harness it for power, reminiscent of DOCTOR WHO's Time Lords and their Eye of Harmony, continues the contradiction of godlike powers versus the lack of their previous application.

As always, Claudia Black does a stunning turn as Vala and her humor will be missed, but viewers may now look forward to Samantha Carter's reintegration to the cast. The revelation of Colonel Mitchell's callsign is a comedic high point while Ben Browder's lecture on wormhole physics is a nice nod to his time as FARSCAPE's John Crichton. Maury Chaykin is a highlight of the episode arriving in the wake of his dietary requirements and cutting quite the Bacchanalian figure. His disappointment in finding that, "This isn't at all the way [he] imagined it," upon meeting the new SG-1 team is another example of the show preemptively dealing with cast alterations that could easily cost the network viewers by sending up the changes before critics can. His interest in chicken, a rare Earth delicacy, is a wonderful character defining moment and General Landry is finally able to exercise some strength in strongarming the treacherous Goa'uld for information.

Though Vala's innuendo-laden humor is gone, the growing power of the Ori seems fit to take the season into darker territory and the score for "Beachhead," particularly the teaser, proves that the composer is up for the challenge. Speaking of music, now might be a good moment to consider the abbreviation of the opening titles. A bold alteration of format, it suggest that the show is a well-known commodity no longer needing a weekly introduction while simultaneously salvaging a few extra minutes in which to tell the week's story.