Plot: What’s it about?
As this is the fourth season of this series, a lot has happened within the show’s plot structure since it began. And of course, I think most people would watch the series in order, as intended, but of course, some are bound to skip around. Or perhaps they’ve heard this season has some excellent episodes and as such, moved straight to the episodes they’d been told about. And so while I could pick up the synopsis at this fourth season’s content, I am worried I might ruin some plot movements or some such. And in truth, I could only summarize the first couple of episodes, as additional discussion would reveal too much about later episodes in the season. So I will just give a quick overview of the show’s basic premise, which takes us back to the original first season, but ensures that nothing is spoiled for new audiences. I know most of us already know all this stuff, but bear with me and think of the uninitiated. Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) was involved in a secret project based on ancient artifacts, but with immense keys to the past, present, and future. He broke orders to destroy a device known as a Stargate, which allowed travel between dimensions. Now he has been recalled to investigate a map of sorts, which shows all of the various Stargates. But will he and his team discover in these other realms?
The movie Stargate was a hit and the premise had solid sequel potential, but a second feature film never materialized. Instead, new cast members were brought in and a television series was produced. I know, most modern sci/fi shows are miserable, but Stargate SG-1 is one of the rare exceptions. Richard Dean Anderson (Tv’s MacGyver) brings superb presence to the show, while a gifted supporting cast fleshes out the ensemble. The production values are good, with cool costumes, great visuals, and effective special effects, but this is not style over substance. This fourth season continues the high level of entertainment set by prior seasons, so expect more of the great sci/fi you’ve come to expect. This series has enjoyed immense success, but its path to DVD hasn’t been as smooth as you might think. The first season came, then an extensive wait until the second and then a shorter wait for the third season to arrive. But there was a minimal window between the third season and this fourth season, which could be a good sign for the show’s future release timeline. As with previous releases, the episodes are spread across five discs and in addition to anamorphic widescreen presentations, some cool supplements have been included. So if you’re even a casual fan of this series, you’ll want to rush out and nab Stargate SG-1: Season 4, as well as the other seasons, if you don’t have those yet.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The first couple seasons of this series showed some compression issues on DVD, but the kinks have been worked out for this fourth installment. A few hiccups still surface, but minor ones at worst and on the whole, these episodes look terrific. I do think the black levels get a tad dark at times, but detail remains solid and as such, I see no reason to complain much. In most scenes, contrast is smooth and well balanced, with no signs of trouble in the least. The colors look bright and bold also, with no oversaturation or other worries. So if you’re used to watching the series on normal cable, you’ll be thrilled with the much improved visuals.
Audio: How does it sound?
The video isn’t the sole improvement either, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks seem to be more refined & effective this time around. The audio potential of this series is high, so these mixes have ample chances to put your home theater into overdrive. Almost all the episodes have a lot of presence and power too, unlike previous season sets, in which only a few episodes seemed to have been primed for surround sound. The overall impact might not rival the latest action movie’s audio, but for the material, these soundtracks are excellent. All the sound effects, subtle or powerful, have proper placement and execution, but never come off as forced or overdone. As such, the dialogue never suffers and we never miss a single line. No subtitles or other language options are provided however, which is a real shame.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes a couple of behind the scenes featurettes, one on the various aliens from the show and the other on the series’ special effects. You can also watch the first installment of a new three part documentary on the Stargate legacy, which I can only assume will continue over future season releases. In a first for this series, you can also listen to some audio commentary tracks and not just a few of them. No, each episode has an audio commentary track and of course, fans will be delighted. You’ll hear from all sorts of cast & crew members, who discuss the production of each episode, as well as the series on the whole.
