98 Minutes, Color, USA/Canada, 2008
Written By: Brad Wright
Directed By: Martin Wood
Dramatis Personae:
Ben
Browder is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, tough-guy fighter pilot
and leader of SG-1. He is also the Captain of the Achilles, 1930s Merchant Marine
sailor.
Amanda
Tapping is Colonel Samantha Carter, brilliant astrophysicist, and senior
member of SG-1.
Christopher
Judge is Teal'c, bad-ass Jaffa , and
member of SG-1.
Michael Shanks is Doctor Daniel
Jackson, linguist, archaeologist, and nebbish civilian member of SG-1.
Claudia Black is Vala Mal
Doran, former host to the GoaĠuld Qetesh, and current member of
SG-1.
Beau Bridges is General Hank
Landry, warm and witty commanding officer of Stargate Command.
Richard Dean Anderson is General Jack
OĠNeill, former member of SG-1 back for one last go-round.
William Devane is Henry Hayes, President of the
United States in the Stargate universe.
Don S Davis is General
George Hammond, former commander officer of Stargate Command, also back for
one last go-round (truly the last in Don S DavisĠs case, alasÉ)
Cliff Simon is BaĠal, last of the GoaĠuld
System Lords, cunning and crafty opponent, and our villain.
Commentary:
Well, here we are again, in the world of Stargate
SG-1, looking at the second Direct-to-Video feature film chronicling the
further adventures of SG-1, Continuum. The second, and to
date, the last movie, and it was clearly made with the belief that it would be.
Whereas Ark of Truth served to wrap up the Ori storyline, Continuum seeks to wrap up the
GoaĠuld storyline, and by extension, the entire Stargate series. Does it
succeed? Again, only just. Like the previous Stargate movie, this one raises a
host of interesting philosophical ideas, and fails to do anything interesting
with them. It succeeds in finally resolving the fate of BaĠal, SG-1Ġs most
resilient foe, but ultimately leaves you wanting more.
For those of you unfamiliar with Stargate (and
what you doing reading this review, anyway?), here is a brief rundown on BaĠal.
BaĠal is a GoaĠuld, which is to say, a parasitic alien living inside a human
host and posing as a god to his human and Jaffa minions. As a System Lord,
BaĠal was a member of a loose federation of interplanetary warlords who
endlessly squabbled with one another for absolute dominance of the galaxy.
While not the most powerful System Lord, BaĠal was the smartest, able to work
behind the scenes and play one petty god against another until he was in a
position of power. And when our heroes finally overthrew the System Lords at
the end of the 8th Season, BaĠal was naturally the last one
standing. He reemerged in the 9th Season on Earth, posing as the one
thing more evil than a galactic overlord: a high-powered businessman. With
great wealth and a seemingly endless supply of clones at his disposal, BaĠal
managed to be a thorn in SG-1Ġs side for a good bit of the last two seasons;
even when they did manage to kill him, it was just another clone, and BaĠal
would be back.
By the time of Continuum, however, BaĠalĠs
clones have been whittled down to the point where the final one has been
caught. The TokĠra – a benevolent offshoot of the GoaĠuld – have
taken custody of him, and are preparing an Òextraction ceremony.Ó The ceremony
is basically a formal execution of the GoaĠuld, by removing it from its human
host and allowing the host to live free once again. SG-1 and General OĠNeill
have been invited to the ceremony, to witness the end of their arch nemesis.
When asked if he has any last words, BaĠal is predictably unrepentant. But he
does make one troubling statement: he may be the last of the clones, but the
original BaĠal is still out there. And as they speak, that original BaĠal is
putting into motion one final plan, to ensure his survival and dominance.
Everyone is naturally skeptical that this is just typical GoaĠuld posturing,
and they strap BaĠal in for his last ride.
Then, abruptly, we switch time periods. A
helpful caption tells us we are now in the year 1939, watching the freighter Achilles cross the Atlantic.
The crew are tense, fearful of German submarines, so when the ship starts to
vibrate mysteriously, the Captain sends his Bosun to check on the cargo hold.
Down in the hold is a very large box marked ÒLangford,Ó and coming from within
it is a familiar sound. Yes, the Stargate is in the box, and it activates,
killing the Bosun and blowing a hole in the side of the Achilles. The Captain calls
emergency stations and scrambles the crew, while down in the cargo hold a very
smug BaĠal and a team of Jaffa step out of the Gate. The Jaffa immediately set
about securing the ship, killing the crew and morally wounding the Captain.
Back in the present day, chaos promptly breaks
loose at the extraction ceremony, as people – including TealĠc and Vala
– begin to vanish into thin air. OĠNeill confronts BaĠal about this, and
he is stabbed in the heart for his trouble. Mitchell manages to shoot BaĠalÉand
the clone also promptly vanishes. Unable to save OĠNeill, all SG-1 can do is
run for the Gate.
Back in 1939, having killed all the crew, BaĠal
and his men prepare to depart, first planting a bomb to make sure that the Achilles and its cargo are
destroyed. Unfortunately for his evil plan, the Captain is not quite dead, and
after BaĠal departs, he uses his last bit of strength to toss the bomb
overboard before it goes off.
Back in the present day, SG-1 reaches the
Stargate as the TokĠra city dissolves behind them. They dial Earth, but when
they come out the other side, itĠs not the Earth they remember. They are in the
hold of a ship, and judging by the amount of ice and cold to be found, they are
somewhere in Arctic. When Daniel realizes that the ship is the Achilles, he seems to
understand what has happened, but he has no time to exposit, as itĠs simply too
cold for them to stay put. An attempt to blast their way out backfires, and
instead causes the ship to start sinking. They scramble to escape, and in the
process Daniel sticks his leg in ice-cold water. Overcome with frostbite, he
volunteers to stay behind while the others go for help.
As Mitchell and Carter travel in search of
rescue, they speculate as to what must have happened. The Achilles was the ship that
brought the Stargate from Egypt to America just before the outbreak of World
War II. Somehow, BaĠal must have managed to go back in time and intercept it.
As a consequence, the Stargate Program never happenedÉand who knows what else
might have changed?
That question is about to be answered, as they
are rescuedÉby none other than Jack OĠNeill. Still just a Colonel in this
reality, OĠNeill is a Special Forces commander who had been leading a training
exercise in the Arctic. When a spy satellite detected a mysterious energy
discharge – this being the Stargate going off – he and a Navy
submarine were dispatched to investigate. They take Carter and Mitchell aboard,
and there they are reunited with Daniel. The sub had gone to the location of
the discharge first and picked him up some time before. Although he has lost
his leg to frostbite, he is otherwise in good spirits and glad to see everyone.
OĠNeill is not so happy, however; he is disturbed by these three strangers who
seem to know him well, and he is angered when Daniel mentions his sonĠs
accidental death (in this reality, Charlie OĠNeill is still alive. Oops).
The submarine drops off SG-1 at an Alaskan Air
Force base, where they are fiercely interrogated by some skeptical personnel.
The interrogation goes on for days, and SG-1 grows increasingly agitated, until
finally retired General Hank Landry shows up. SG-1 had requested to talk to
Landry, since they believed him to be the kind of person who would believe
them. This, at least, is as true in this reality as it was in the one they came
from, because he calls an end to the interrogation and speaks with them
privately to explain a few things. The absence of a Stargate Program had some
serious repercussions for SG-1Ġs counterparts in this reality. Samantha Carter
became an astronaut, and died four years ago in a space shuttle explosion.
Daniel Jackson, without a Stargate to prove his wild claims true, is still a
fringe nutjob living somewhere in Egypt. And Cameron Mitchell never existed;
the Captain of the Achilles was his grandfather, and with his death
Mitchell was never born. SG-1 is gratified to hear that Landry believes them,
but they are discouraged to learn that they will not be allowed to undo what
BaĠal has done to the timeline. As Landry rightly points out, BaĠal is nowhere
to be seen. Carter speculates that he must be consolidating his power base
among the System Lords, a necessary step before attempting to conquer Earth. At
any rate, BaĠal does not seem to be an immediate threat, and this coupled with
SG-1Ġs obvious determination to fix the timeline is enough to convince all the
higher-ups in the government to shut the whole thing down. The members of SG-1
will sign a nondisclosure agreement, will be given new identities, and will
never, ever be allowed near a Stargate again.
A year passes. The former members of SG-1 have
settled into quiet unassuming civilian lives. But that comes to an abrupt end
one day, when an alien spacecraft enters EarthĠs atmosphere. It is an AlĠkesh,
an advance GoaĠuld scout ship. It turns out that Carter was right: BaĠal has
spent the last 70 years building his empire. Using the knowledge he had gained
from the previous timeline, BaĠal was able to quickly rise to power, exploiting
the weaknesses of enemies and pushing all the right buttons to win allies. In
this reality, TealĠc is his First Prime, having been swayed to BaĠalĠs service
by promises of freedom for the Jaffa once power is consolidated. Qetesh, still
inhabiting the body of Vala, is BaĠalĠs queen. And the mightiest System Lords
are now underlords in BaĠalĠs empire. We catch up with BaĠal just as he is
dispatching the last System Lord to oppose him: Apophis. His power now
undisputed, BaĠal is free to turn his energies to EarthÉand his scouting party
has just found it.
Back on Earth, SG-1 is brought together again
to meet with President Henry Hayes, as they are the closest things to experts
that they have on these aliens. SG-1 warns Hayes that the GoaĠuld will bring
only death and conquest, and they must be opposed. Hayes reveals that the
military has managed to locate the Antarctic Stargate, and are currently
looking for the Ancient weapons platform located there. With the weapon, and
with SG-1Ġs knowledge of how to get it to work, Earth should be able to mount a
defense against an invasion fleet. SG-1 gears up and prepares to be flown to
Antarctica.
But they may be too late, as at this exact
moment, BaĠalĠs fleet reaches Earth orbit, and BaĠal introduces his allies to
the homeworld of the TauĠri. Without access to a working Stargate, the TauĠri
have been largely ignored by the GoaĠuld, and their society has developed on
its own to a level and a population unseen on any GoaĠuld-controlled planets.
The other GoaĠuld – including Qetesh – are disgusted that the
humans have been allowed to reach such numbers, and favor decimating the
population and plundering the planet. But BaĠal overrules them. He knows these
people, he claims. They have lived without GoaĠuld control for so long that
they have become strong-willed and independent. Their spirits will not be
crushed by brute force. BaĠal intends to win them over with kindness; he will
promise them peace and prosperity under his benevolent overlordship. The other
System Lords are resistant to this, but BaĠal pulls rank and orders everyone
back to their ships. He intends to contact the leaders of Earth personallyÉand
he sends TealĠc on a secret mission to guarantee that the Stargate is not
accessible.
As SG-1 races to Antarctica, BaĠal prepares to
contact President Hayes. But something happens that BaĠal did not foresee:
Qetesh, suspicious of BaĠal seemingly infinite knowledge about the TauĠri, and
annoyed at his decidedly non-GoaĠuld attitudes toward them, betrays him. Before
killing him, she forces him to tell her how he managed to learn so much. Once
she learns about the time machine, Qetesh kills BaĠal and takes control of the
fleet. She orders a full-scale attack on Earth, and she orders that TealĠc be
killed on sight (TealĠc, having witnessed the death of BaĠal at QeteshĠs hand,
is determined to avenge him). Then she takes the flagship into hyperspace,
heading for the planet Praxyon, where BaĠal had built his time machine. ÒThis
world is not enough,Ó she says as they take off; she wants absolute power over
time and space, just as BaĠal had. With everything now going off the rails, and
this reality pretty much doomed, SG-1 must now find a way to restore the
timeline to what it should be.
David X Cohen, one of the executive producers
of Futurama and self-professed Sci-Fi Nerd, once talked about time
travel stories in sci-fi shows, and why Futurama deliberately avoided
making use of time travel for most of its run. Simply put, time travel makes
fans angry. When our characters mess with the space-time continuum, something
invariably happens that just annoys fans of the show. David X Cohen was right;
whether itĠs Star Trek at its smartest or Andromeda at its most
confusingly inept, time travel stories make a big mess. TheyĠre annoying,
theyĠre difficult to follow, and inevitably end with some unsatisfying
conclusion that raises more questions than it answers (and itĠs perhaps a grand
irony that the plot of the first Futurama movie, BenderĠs
Big Score, relied heavily on time travelÉand things happened that made a lot of
fans angry). Stargate SG-1 avoided time travel for a large part of its
run, but when it did go there, it blundered there with all limbs flailing, and
made messes that even Doctor Who would have a hard time cleaning up. And Continuum is, sadly, no
exception. ThereĠs a good idea behind it – BaĠal finds a way to hit the
Cosmic Reset Button and rearrange the universe as he sees fit – and it
goes in some interesting directions before it finally falls apart, but fall
apart it does. Resolving temporal paradoxes (paradocii?) in the Stargate
universe is a sloppy affair, and when something is properly restored thereĠs
still a whole lot of loose ends that never get tied up.
Continuum does start out on a
promising note, though, when our heroes first realize what has happened. When
they attempt to enlist aid to restore the timeline to its proper state, they
are stopped, and stopped but good. No one in this altered timeline is willing
to allow SG-1 to go back and change the world that they consider the proper
one. In a wonderful confrontation between SG-1 and the Landry of this timelime,
Landry calls their goal arrogant, and says they have no right to do it. And
heĠs absolutely right to say so. After all, this is not some dystopian vision
that SG-1 finds themselves in the middle of; things arenĠt so bad in this
reality. In fact, in some little ways this reality is BETTER than theirs. Never
mind the fact that this Earth has not spent the last decade fighting a costly
and devastating series of intergalactic wars. In this reality, Jack OĠNeillĠs
son is still alive. Hank Landry is happily married and peacefully retired. And
presumably Janet Fraiser – and in the absence of an Atlantis Expedition,
Elizabeth Weir, Carson Beckett, and Aiden Ford – are all still alive
somewhere. Even GoaĠuld society seems kinder and gentler under BaĠalĠs devious
manipulative hand. Granted, nobody who knows BaĠal is going to buy his
Òbenevolent overlordÓ act for a second, but he does have the advantage of a
decadeĠs worth of experience fighting Earth, and so has an insight his fellow
GoaĠuld do not into the best way to rule this scrappy little planet. Plus
which, BaĠal genuinely seems to LIKE Earth, having lived there in secret for
the last few seasons of the show, and would be loathe to rain death and
destruction down on them unless he absolutely had to. So this reality is not so
bad. Sure, itĠs not great for our heroes, what with their counterparts either
discredited, dead, or never having existed at all, but itĠs pretty good for
everyone else. Landry is right; it IS arrogant of them to call this reality
Òwrong.Ó Who are they to say that theirs is the ÒproperÓ reality, and must be
Òrestored?Ó ItĠs a great little science-fiction meditation, and one that
doesnĠt happen very often any more in sci-fi. It honestly could have carried an
entire movie, making a thoughtful little morality play.
But this being Stargate, it all falls apart
quickly. Qetesh goes all old-school GoaĠuld, overthrowing BaĠal and ordering a
genocidal cleansing of Earth. So it looks like SG-1Ġs reality WAS the proper
one. WeĠre now given permission to abandon this alternative timeline, and all
the fascinating ideas it opened up, so that our heroes can foil the bad guy and
save the universe. Again. And once they figure out what to do, SG-1 manages to save
the day in a way that wraps up things a little too well. It leaves one
fascinating loose end that it never bothers to explore, and weĠre encouraged to
just get out with our lives as if this whole thing never happened. ItĠs a
disappointing resolution to an interesting storyÉand yet, as is often the case
with these time-travel episodes, there really isnĠt any other way to wrap it
up.
ThatĠs not to say Continuum is an UTTER
disappointment. There is much to like here. Martin Wood and Brad Wright have
written or directed a considerable number of episodes of Stargate SG-1, so they understand
perhaps better than anyone else the characters they have created. And here
there are opportunities for introspective moments with our characters, to see
how they deal with this new and uncertain situation. WeĠre treated to a few
fascinating glimpses of our heroesĠ lives as they settle into new quiet
civilian existences. Cameron Mitchell, suburban homeowner, spending his
weekends working on classic cars and fending off the advances of the hot single
mom next door. Daniel Jackson, reaching out to his reclusive counterpart in
this reality and trying, unsuccessfully, to offer encouragement (this Daniel
Jackson hasnĠt been engaged in mortal combat with the proof of his wild theories
every day for the last decade, after all; youĠre bound to lose some enthusiasm
for your work that way). Samantha Carter, forced to keep a lower profile than
the others, as anyone who looks at her too closely will realize that sheĠs a
famous dead astronaut. Quiet moments like these were rarely allowed to happen
on the show, like these moments where we see our heroes struggling to put aside
who they once were and just trying to move on with their lives. ItĠs
fascinating to watchÉbut again, over too quickly, as the GoaĠuld finally show
up and SG-1 has to go save the world again.
Like Ark of Truth, Continuum suffers from that
Stargate malady of NEAR brilliance. It touches upon some great ideas, has some
inspired flashes of genius, but then it remembers what itĠs supposed to be
doing and then withdraws. It can be frustrating to watch, to see the glimmer of
something truly great lying just out of reach. But then, IĠve been dealing with
that for ten years, and I can say that Continuum is a worth addition to
the SG-1 saga, and if not the BEST way for the series to go out, at least itĠs
consistent. So, farewell, SG-1. You were enjoyed.
Things To Look For:
- Speaking of flashes of
brilliance, Continuum opens with a neat little montage of daily operations
at Stargate Command, and features cameos by nearly every recurring character
weĠve come to know and love over the course of the series: we see Siler and
Harriman, and we even see Major Davis show up (which immediately made me worry
about what blew up this time). Hammond shows up later in the movie (Don S
DavisĠs last on-screen role, alas), and the GoaĠuld who serve BaĠal are all
well-known enemies. Besides Apophis, who is dispatched early on with
wonderfully ironic ease, we also see Nirrti, Cronus, Yu, and even Camulus
(whoever the hell HE was supposed to be), as underlords in BaĠalĠs empire.
TheyĠre little more than glorified cameos – some of them donĠt even get a
line – but itĠs great to see all these characters again. ItĠs like a little
gift to the fans who have been watching all this time.
- While weĠre on the
subject of cameos, it should be pointed out that the submarine that rescues
SG-1 from the Arctic was an actual US Navy submarine, the Alexandria, and its actual crew played
the crew of the ship. Now, IĠm all for authenticity, and Stargate SG-1 does have a precedent
of using actual Air Force officers, including some former Chiefs of Staff, in
crucial episodes. But I find myself wondering why they went through all the trouble
of getting an actual sub and crew to use. I mean, itĠs not like the Alexandria plays a crucial role
in the plot, and itĠs not likeÉokay, donĠt get me wrong, I love the Navy. I
love the Armed Forces, out there, doing their jobs, keeping the world safe for
democracy and all that. But as actors, Commander Norwood and his men
areÉadequate. They donĠt make grand impressions, but theyĠre not blocks of
wood. To be expected, I suppose, of Naval officers playing themselves. But why
go through the trouble, honestly? Why not just use a set and hire actors?
Especially if youĠre not really going to do anything INTERESTING with your
real-life Navy Men?
- Ah, the TokĠra. TheyĠre
back, at least for this movie. The TokĠra were introduced way back in the 2nd
Season of SG-1, as potential allies to Earth. They were an offshoot of the
GoaĠuld who disagreed with the way the System Lords treated their hosts; rather
than take over a hostĠs body, a TokĠra would SHARE the body with the host. The
TokĠra would pop up now and then throughout the showĠs glory years, fighting a
war of insurgency against the System Lords and occasionally helping out SG-1,
but they stopped being really relevant to the showĠs storyline by about the 6th
Season. After that they just sort of dropped out of the picture. Until now, in Continuum, where theyĠre not
only back, but theyĠve apparently been busy since the last time we saw them.
Not only have they built themselves a nice little capital city (this after
thousands of years of living in secret underground bases scattered throughout
the galaxy), but theyĠve also apparently got enough military and political
muscle to take custody of BaĠal and try him for his crimes. Alas, one again, an
unfortunate tendency in the Stargate universe: to suddenly just drop a storyline
or an entire alien race, and then just have them pop up when convenient. Would
it be too much to ask to see what theyĠve been up to? Would it be too much to
ask to even have had someone MENTION the TokĠra after the 6th
Season, so it wouldnĠt feel like they just popped back in? Lazy writing, manÉ
- So Continuum was clearly meant to
be the last hurrah for Stargate SG-1, as there are no
concrete plans for a third movie (though rumors circulate constantly). And so
this was the movie that wrapped up the GoaĠuld once and for all, by wrapping up
the fate of BaĠal, last of the System Lords. ItĠs bittersweet for me. BaĠal was
always my favorite villain. As I said, BaĠal was always the schemer, not the
conqueror, able to push an agenda from behind the scenes, and able to get out
of the way when the shooting started. And when the 9th Season rolled
around, and BaĠal slipped into his new role as Earth businessman, things just
got BETTER. BaĠal became a supervillain in the vein of Lex Luthor or Doctor
Doom, with ridiculous amounts of money, charisma, and style. He was always smug
and well-groomed, always ready with a witty put-down or an elaborate evil plot
for world domination. And most of all, you could tell he was really enjoying
himself. It might have been largely due to Cliff SimonĠs performance, as he was
able to infuse BaĠal with an easygoing charm and a quiet understated menace at
the same time. You never forgot how dangerous BaĠal could be, but at the same
time you really liked him. BaĠal just seemed to relish his new role as evil
industrialist, looking at it as a retirement or a vacation from being a
galactic overlord, and his struggles against SG-1 in this new capacity were
almost FUN. Such a compelling villain was he, that itĠs a terrible shame to see
him go. But at least he went out with a bang. And who knows? Maybe there IS
another clone out there somewhereÉ
Written words (c) 2008-2010 Tim o'Brien. Not to be used without
permission. Other content, including images, is intended as a Fair Use pursuant
to 17 U.S.C. sec. 107.
Date Posted: November 13th, 2008
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