When When Stargate: Continuum begins, SG-1 is called to the
Tok’ra home world witness the extraction of the symbiote from the last captured
clone of the system lord Ba’al--and if all of that doesn’t make any sense to you,
then you’re not a fan of Stargate: SG-1, the SF series which ran for ten
years--first on the Showtime pay cable channel, and then on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Continuum is the second of two made for DVD movies that seeks to give a proper
ending to the series as a whole, which was cancelled before most of its storylines
were completed. The first movie, Ark Of Truth, dealt with the end of the
Ori threat. Here, Continuum unveils the end of another era in the Stargate
Command’s history, as the last of the Goa’uld system lords, who comprised SG-1’s
worst enemies, is finally brought to justice.
However, it turns out that Ba’al is not going quietly into the night. Once he’s been defrosted from his popsicle prison, Ba’al gloats to SG-1 about what a mistake they made, and--in the best evil movie villain tradition--swears that they have not heard the last of him. And sure enough, people start disappearing from the extraction ceremony, starting with Vala (Claudia Black), and then Teal’c (Christopher Judge), as well as all the Tok’ra. Mitchell (Ben Browder) Daniel (Michael Shanks) and Sam (Amanda Tapping) manage to escape through the wormhole before they, too, are rubbed out--but instead of Stargate Command, when they emerge on the other side of the wormhole, they find themselves trapped aboard an abandoned freighter that’s lost in the artic.
The very timeline itself has been corrupted by Ba’al, who went back to the year
1939 and sabotaged the ship that carried the original stargate to the U.S. from
Egypt. Since the stargate program was never formed, Mitchell, Daniel and Sam
find themselves trapped on an earth that lacks any of the advancements it had,
such as a fleet of its own starships. I’ve seen my fair share of time travel
stories where the travelers end up in the "wrong" timeline and then try to "fix"
it, usually with the help of sympathetic people who live in the "wrong"
timeline. But one of the major twists here is that, while the government
believes SG-1’s story, they have no desire to help them to essentially
wipe out the very same entire timeline they live within.
Although the plot feels very derivative--time travel storylines have been done
countless times (and much better) on SG-1--Brad Wright’s script is still
filled with smart moments, and veteran SG-1 director Martin Wood ensures that
Continuum has a bigger, more epic scope, thanks to filming on location in the
artic, as well on aboard a real U.S. Navy submarine. The film is also rife with
cameos from just about every Stargate character from the series, living and dead
(sadly, the exception being Dr. Janet Fraiser). At it’s best, Stargate: SG-1 was
a fun popcorn ride, and Continuum wisely does not disappoint. The DVD comes
complete with a commentary, and the usual behind the scenes documentaries. As
stated before, if you’ve never seen an episode of Stargate: SG-1, then this
might not be for you. But for die-hard fans of the long-running series,
Continuum is yet another enjoyable visit from a bunch of old friends.
--SF
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