"Actor: Ben Browder"

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 3 (Vol. 10) | DVD | (26/03/2001) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. --Paul TonksOn this DVD: This volume begins in confusion when the S.G.1 team discover a military camp training for "Rules of Engagement". All is not what it seems however. The same is true of "Forever in a Day", when Daniel's wife Sha're is killed by Teal'c. This episode begins an important storyline about her stolen child who is a "Harcesis", an illegal breeding between Goa'uld hosts. Then an earlier thread is picked up in "Past and Present" on planet Vyus whose people all suffer amnesia. Their leader Ke'ra (played by Megan Leitch who's portrayed Mulder's missing sister in The X-Files) is a link to the earlier "Prisoners" episode and the dangerous "destroyer of worlds". Closing the volume is a cliffhanger in which Sam must attempt to rescue her father, face Satan himself on a prison moon, and resurrect "Jolinar's Memories" from the Goa'uld she was briefly possessed by. Trapped in Hell, the team's escape seems impossible. As well as trailers for the next volume, the disc includes a 10-minute interview with Christopher Judge on his 97-year-old character Teal'c. He spends much of the time recalling plot points, but his philosophy of the show as a social allegory is refreshing. --Paul Tonks END

• Farscape 1.1 | DVD | (28/02/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  An international co-production of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Australia's Channel 9 and Hallmark Entertainment, Farscape is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of Babylon 5 and the continuing success of the Star Trek franchise. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, Farscape takes a visual leap beyond previous shows. Admittedly, the basic premise may be borrowed from Buck Rogers (American astronaut catapulted to far-flung galaxy populated by strange aliens), while the crew have something of Blake's 7 about them (a motley bunch of escaped convicts pursued by a relentless foe), and ideas like the living ship are borrowed from Babylon 5, but the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script never takes itself too seriously (fart jokes and double-entendres pop up when you least expect them). It must have been expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds--in Dolby Digital 5.1) like every penny made it to the screen. In this handsome box set, two discs contain the first four episodes of the first season, completely uncut. In "Premiere", astronaut John Crichton is inadvertently catapulted into a parallel universe where he is taken on board the bio-mechanical ship Moya and meets the inhabitants: D'Argo, a seven-foot-tall Luxan warrior, Zhaan, a blue-skinned Delvian priestess, and the diminutive slug-like Rygel, the Henson Creature Shop's proudest creation. Another humanoid (and potential love interest), formidable-yet-sexy Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun, joins soon after. In true Buck Rogers style, Ben Browder plays Crichton as an all-American astronaut, although with a more believable sense of bewilderment; the supporting cast is a mixture of Australian and British actors, mostly disguised under heavy make-up. In episode 2, "Throne for a Loss", Rygel's devious side is developed further as he gets the crew into trouble when he "borrows" a crystal crucial to the operation of the ship and is kidnapped by some unpleasant characters. Disc Two opens with the wittily titled "Back and Back and Back to the Future", the obligatory time-travel episode, followed by "I, E.T.", in which Crichton feels the force of his earlier comment: "Boy did Spielberg get it wrong. Close Encounters, my ass." On the DVD: Disc One includes a "making of" documentary, with comments from the cast, Brian Henson and producer Rockne S. O'Bannon (the man also responsible for Alien Nation and SeaQuest), plus a profile of principal character John Crichton. Disc Two profiles Aeryn Sun and has the original trailer and DVD-ROM extras (screensaver and weblinks). --Mark Walker

• Farscape - The Complete Season 4 (Blu Ray) | Blu Ray | (08/10/2012) from £53.98   |  Saving you £-13.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Farscape is a groundbreaking science-fiction series that blends liveaction, CGI graphics and sophisticated puppetry to create a uniquely absorbing universe of action, adventure and comedy.

• Farscape: Complete Season 1 (Box Set) | DVD | (28/10/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  The first series of Farscape was a revitalising tonic for TV SF. An ambitious coproduction of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Australia's Channel 9 and Hallmark Entertainment, Farscape launched itself with a refreshing mix of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry to take a visual leap beyond other genre shows. The witty scripts, too, peppered with double-entendres and pop-culture references, are light years away from the staid style of Star Trek. Admittedly, the first season's basic premise is simply Buck Rogers updated (American astronaut John Crichton, played by Ben Browder, is catapulted to a far-flung galaxy populated by strange aliens), while the crew initially have something of Blake's 7 about them (a motley bunch of escaped convicts pursued by a relentless foe), and ideas like the living ship are borrowed from Babylon 5, but the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it all look and feel completely original. --Mark Walker

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 4 (Vol. 18) | DVD | (26/12/2001) from £6.54   |  Saving you £13.45 (67.30%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On the DVD: Episodes: Absolute Power, The Light, Prodigy, Entity. The Harcesis child Shifu (an excellent young Lane Gates) decides Earth needs a lesson in what would happen if it acquired the "Absolute Power" its powers-that-be are greedily after. Daniel is the unwitting test subject, and by the time we see him unflinchingly destroy Moscow it's apparent just what this lesson is. Seeing "The Light" in another way, SG-1 find themselves like moths to a flame on a seemingly abandoned planet. After the shocking suicide of another team member, it takes everyone's individual talents (including the under-used Dr. Fraser) to crack the mystery of the pillar of energy from which all the trouble clearly emanates. In a rare glimpse of ordinary military life, Sam is presented with a "Prodigy" of sorts. The brilliant young Cadet Jennifer Hailey (Elisabeth Rosen) is precocious about her talents to the point of being obnoxious in the eyes of her tutors and peers. She naturally experiences quite a humbling come down when taken through the Stargate to assist on a science mission dealing with a pesky new life form. This episode is all about identifying personal flaws and what it takes to acknowledge them. In another strong show for Carter, a particularly elusive "Entity" imprints itself upon her consciousness as well as the base's computer systems. While every conceivable method of extraction is undertaken, the situation is made more complicated by the possibility that it's all been an enormous misunderstanding. Definitely the most heart-warming presentation of the life of a computer virus you'll ever see!

• Stargate SG-1 - The Best of Series 1 | DVD | (20/03/2000) from £5.38   |  Saving you £14.61 (73.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 film Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Since neither Kurt Russell nor James Spader would be able to commit, it gave the producers licence to tinker with the cast and the universe they'd explore. Replacing the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG 1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" pharaoh-like Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian Gods who are not too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot-thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi.This peculiar chronological cut and paste from the opening year at least starts sensibly with the pilot "Children of the Gods". A year on from Stargate the motion picture, Earth's military have assembled crack units to protect against whatever might follow from planet Abydos. So naturally they make things worse discovering a new enemy on Chulak. In "There But for the Grace of God" Daniel plays out Star Trek's "Mirror Mirror" scenario in an alternate dimension. Then in "Politics" no one believes his warnings of an impending attack, instead rationalising the Gate's closure. The season's stunning cliffhanger--"Within the Serpent's Grasp"--lands the team aboard the Goa'uld flag attack ship headed to destroy Earth. This episode features some truly inspired one-liners: "We can't just upload a virus to the Mothership!" --Paul Tonks

• Farscape - The Complete Season 3 | DVD | (25/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  It's clear right from the opening episodes of its third series that Farscape has finally developed into a grown-up show. There's a new self-confidence and a new maturity here that's entirely welcome after the often wildly erratic tone of the second series. The production design and high-quality effects work remain true to the show's original quirky style, although both the look and the more adult-themed scripts have become progressively darker. Season 3 is the year when the Wormhole story arc takes precedence, as the interactions between John Crichton and his nemesis Scorpius become ever more complicated (involving various different clones, real or "neural", of both antagonists). It's also the year that some major characters die, new ones are introduced and Crichton (well, one version of him anyway) and Aeryn finally consummate their relationship. Moya's crew endure a vertiginous emotional roller-coaster ride when powerful issues of love, loyalty and sacrifice loom large. They must also face their sternest challenge yet as the series' biggest story arc reaches an explosive climax aboard Scorpius' Command Carrier. Anyone who has not followed Farscape extremely closely from the very beginning of Series 1 will be utterly baffled by the convoluted plotting and complex character interactions. But for fans, this is the show's most rewarding year. --Mark Walker

• Farscape 1.2 | DVD | (17/04/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  An international co-production of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Australia's Channel 9 and Hallmark Entertainment, Farscape is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of Babylon 5 and the continuing success of the Star Trek franchise. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, Farscape takes a visual leap beyond previous shows. Admittedly, the basic premise may be borrowed from Buck Rogers (American astronaut catapulted to far-flung galaxy populated by strange aliens), while the crew have something of Blake's 7 about them (a motley bunch of escaped convicts pursued by a relentless foe), and ideas like the living ship are borrowed from Babylon 5, but the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script never takes itself too seriously (fart jokes and double-entendres pop up when you least expect them). It must have been expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds in Dolby Digital 5.1) like every penny made it to the screen. In true Buck Rogers style, Ben Browder plays leading man John Crichton as an all-American astronaut, although with a more believable sense of bewilderment; the supporting cast is a mixture of Australian and British actors, mostly disguised under heavy make-up.In this second box set there are five episodes spread across two discs. Although the generic Star Trek-style storylines seem a little over-familiar, the witty and fast-paced scripts help to keep things fresh. In "Exodus from Genesis" the crew of Moya are invaded by space cockroaches, who, in a suprising twist then help them fend off the Peacekeepers. "Thank God it's Friday Again" shows D'Argo finding happiness in a hippy commune where all is not what it seems; Crichton has a Matrix-style worm inserted in his navel before Rygel's bodily functions prove to be instrumental in rescuing the crew. Crichton finds love with the "PK Tech Girl", much to the consternation of Aeryn Sun, who goes into full Lt. Ripley mode and spends the episode running around with a pulse rifle under flickering strobe lighting. In "That Old Black Magic", a malevolent magician forces a confrontation between Crichton and his nemesis, Crais; Zhaan must revive her bad old ways in order to save the day. "DNA Mad Scientist" is the most original episode, with a neat twist on the Frankenstein scenario thanks to the splendid villain, Namtar; a distinctly unpleasant side to some of the characters is revealed as they bargain body parts in exchange for a map home. On the DVD: Because the first disc contains three episodes instead of the usual two, special features are limited to a trailer and some conceptual art. The second disc also has a profile of Zhaan. --Mark Walker

• Farscape: Complete Season 4 (Boxset) | DVD | (10/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  The final series of sci-fi extravaganza, Farscape, this 10-disc Box Set contains all 22 episodes, presented as widescreen and uncut features with Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio. Also included are more than 2½hrs of never before seen features.

• Farscape Season 4 | DVD | (11/04/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Season Four features some of the most imaginative science-fiction seen in the series so far while always remaining true to the extraordinary characters passionate chemistry and whip-crack dialogue that have become Farscape signatures. A great deal of time passes between Seasons Three and Four which helps develop the show's extraordinary characters even more fully. More recent additions to the crew including Noranti and Sikozu - as well as a shocking former enemy - play major roles in a series of thrilling surreal and nearly lethal adventures. As each season has raised the stakes for the crew this season raises the stakes for the universe itself with a series of escalating dangers that threaten not only the Farscape galaxy but Crichton's home galaxy as well.

• Bad Kids Go To Hell | DVD | (03/11/2014) from £6.55   |  Saving you £9.44 (144.12%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Breakfast Club meets The Grudge in this sexy dark comedy-thriller! Six prep school kids from Crestview Academy home to the spoiled offspring of society's elite find themselves stuck in detention on a frightfully dark and stormy Saturday afternoon. During their 8 hour incarceration each of the six kids fall victim to a horrible accident until only one of them remains. As each of these spoiled rich kids bite the dust the story takes on a series of humorous and frantic twists and turns. Is one of the kids secretly evening out the school's social playing field? Or have the ghosts of prestigious Crestview Academy finally come to punish the school's worst (and seemingly untouchable) brats? One thing is for sure...Daddy's money can't save them now. Based on the best-selling graphic novel of the same name.

• Roborex | DVD | (16/06/2014) from £20.23   |  Saving you £-5.24 (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  When a robot dog from the future pops up in their backyard on a mission to help them, 11-year-old James and his beloved golden retriever, Rex, learn that it is up to them to save the world from Dr. Apocalypse, an evil scientist, and a robotic Destructo-Cat.

• Nevada | DVD | (05/05/2003) from £4.99   |  Saving you £1.00 (20.04%)   |  RRP £5.99

  A beautiful and mysterious woman comes into a miss-if-blink Nevada town with a secret that threatens the status quo of the tightly knit group of women who run the town Monday through to Friday. Their men work at a dam a few hours away and can only return on the weekends for rowdy fun and raucous love. Her beauty and demeanour make Christy the obvious scapegoat for several of the women's frustrations and loneliness. Several others see her as a beacon of hope in an otherwise downtrodden existence. The ensuing conflicts sends their normally placid lives into a state of chaos. 'Nevada' is an insightful and witty exploration of the choices women must make in their lives as mothers lovers wives and as individuals.

• Farscape - The Complete Season 2 (Blu Ray) | Blu Ray | (08/10/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  The second series of Farscape expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first series. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais, who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. The writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development, while the CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry--courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop--continue to make Farscape the most original-looking SF show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with postmodern pop-culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. Despite some wildly erratic shifts in tone, this is exceptional TV science fiction that continually pushes the accepted boundaries of the genre. --Mark Walker

• Farscape: Complete Season 2 (Box Set) | DVD | (03/11/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £99.99

  The second series of Farscape expands upon and develops the characters introduced in the ambitious first series. John Crichton's new nemesis is the deadly Scorpius, replacing Crais, who has taken the living ship Moya's offspring on a voyage into the unknown. Moya's regular crew--Aeryn, Zhaan, Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel--remain as divided and suspicious of each other as ever, yet somehow manage to pull together at times of crisis. The writers continue to exploit the show's gift for surprising as well as emotionally convincing character development, while the CGI effects, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry--courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop--continue to make Farscape the most original-looking SF show on TV. The witty scripts, peppered with postmodern pop-culture references and movie in-jokes, are also a breath of fresh air. Despite some wildly erratic shifts in tone, this is exceptional TV science fiction that continually pushes the accepted boundaries of the genre. --Mark Walker

• Stargate SG-1 :Series 8 - Vol. 43 | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £17.97   |  Saving you £5.01 (33.44%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Join Colonel Jack O'Neill and the SG-1 team as they return for the latest exciting season of Stargate SG-1. Continuing it's blend of sharp wit and cool adventure with award winning special effects Stargate delivers all the action adventure you desire as the crew battle against old foes and face new dangers in amazing but ever more hostile worlds. Episodes comprise: 1. Citizen Joe 2. Moebius (Part 1) 3. Moebius (Part 2)

• Farscape : The Ultimate Complete Collection | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £249.99

  The fantastic Farscape universe is available as a complete four season box set for the very first time on DVD! Five years ago astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) attempted to use the Earth's atmosphere to propel his ship Farscape 1 at great speeds across the solar system. He went much further though and was sucked down a wormhole to a distant part of the galaxy and into the middle of a battle. He was rescued by a group of escaping prisoners and taken aboard their ship a living ship known as Moya... Imaginative daring and fun the award-winning Farscape blows other Sci-Fi shows out of the water! Season 1: 1. Premiere 2. I E.T. 3. Exodus From Genesis 4. Throne For A Loss 5. Back And Back And Back To The Future 6. Thank God It's Friday. Again. 7. PK Tech Girl 8. That Old Black Magic 9. DNA Mad Scientist 10. They've Got A Secret 11. Till All The Blood Runs Clear 12. Rhapsody In Blue 13. The Flax 14. Jeremiah Crichton 15. Durka Returns 16. A Human Reaction 17. Through The Looking Glass 18. A Bug's life 19. Nerve 20. The Hidden Memory 21. Bone To Be Wild 22. Family Ties Season 2: 1. Mind The Baby 2. Vitas Mortis 3. Taking The Stone 4. Crackers Don't Matter 5. The Way We Weren't 6. Picture If You Will 7. Home On The Remains 8. Dream A Little Dream 9. Out Of Their Minds 10. A Kiss Is But A Kiss 11. I Do I Think 12. The Maltese Crichton 13. My Three Crichtons 14. Beware of Dog 15. Won't Get Fooled Again 16. The Locket 17. The Ugly Truth 18. A Clockwork Nebari 19. A Not So Simple Plan 20. With Friends Like These... 21. Plan B 22. Die Me Dichotomy Season 3: 1. Season of Death 2. Suns and Lovers 3. Self-Inflicted Wounds (Part 1): Could'a Would'a Should'a 4. Self-Inflicted Wounds (Part 2): Wait for the Wheel 5. Different Destinations 6. Eat Me 7. Thanks for Sharing 8. Green Eyed Monster 9. Losing Time 10. Relativity 11. Incubator 12. Meltdown 13. Scratch n' Sniff 14. Infinite Possibilities (Part 1): Daedalus Demands 15. Infinite Possibilities (Part 2): Icarus Abides 16. Revenging Angel 17. The Choice 18. Fractures 19. I-Yensch You-Yensch 20. Into the Lion's Den (Part 1): Lambs to the Slaughter 21. Into the Lion's Den (Part 2): Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 22. Dog with Two Bones Season 4: 1. Crichton Kicks 2. What Was Lost (Part 1) 3. What Was Lost (Part 2) 4. Lava's A Many Splendored Thing 5. Promises 6. Natural Election 7. John Quixote 8. I Shrink Therefore I Am 9. A Prefect Murder 10. Coup By Clam 11. Unrealised Reality 12. Kansas 13. Terra Firma 14. Twice Shy 15. Mental As Anything 16. Bringing Home The Beacon 17. A Constellation Of Doubt 18. Prayer 19. We're So Screwed (Part 1) 20. We're So Screwed (Part 2) 21. We're So Screwed (Part 3) 22. Bad Timing Peackeeper Wars: The Farscape saga continues with this brand new multi-million dollar mini series. When a full-scale war is engaged by the evil Scarran Empire the Peacekeeper Alliance has but one hope: reassemble human astronaut John Crichton once sucked onto the Peacekeeper galaxy through a wormhole. Crichton's task: get the entire Peacekeeper race to safety before the last war of an era brings an end to the universe....

• Stargate S.G. 1 - Series 9 - Vol. 1 | DVD | (27/03/2006) from £5.99   |  Saving you £14.00 (233.72%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Step through the Stargate with SG-1 a team of soldiers and scientists as they travel instantaneously to other planets to explore forge alliances defuse crises establish trade investigate ancient mysteries and defend Earth from such hostile forces as the Goa'uld and the Replicators.

• Stargate SG-1 :Series 8 - Vol. 42 | DVD | (27/06/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Join Colonel Jack O'Neill and the SG-1 team as they return for the latest exciting season of Stargate SG-1. Continuing it's blend of sharp wit and cool adventure with award winning special effects Stargate delivers all the action adventure you desire as the crew battle against old foes and face new dangers in amazing but ever more hostile worlds.... Reckoning: Part 1 & Part 2: The mighty Jaffa resistance assembles an army to retake a holy city while the system Lord Baal desperately seeks help from earth when faced with their common enemy. Threads: In Threads the whole galaxy faces a new threat from the Gau'uld. Dr. Daniel must once again decide to face death or ascend when Oma Desala gives him a second chance. O'Neill and Carter struggle with their respective personal relationships.

• Stargate S.G -1: Season 4 (Vol. 14) | DVD | (03/09/2001) from £3.00   |  Saving you £18.25 (1,048.85%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The 1994 film Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1 With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative lookalikes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On this DVD: Picking up a week after the Season Three cliff-hanger "Nemesis", the Fourth Season finds the SG team split apart to win a few "Small Victories". Providing a nice change of scenery for the show, O'Neill and Teal'c are trapped aboard a Russian submarine fending off the remaining Replicator threat. Carter meanwhile is whisked away by Thor to come up with her best "stupid idea" to save the Asgard homeworld. Then the show respectfully broaches the subject of racial tolerance found on a planet at war on "The Other Side". The material is handled superbly by guest star Rene Auberjonois (formerly Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Odo). A little comic relief is provided in "Upgrades". When Tok'ra scientist Anise/Freya (Vanessa Angel) shows off some fabled technology the team are initially cautious. But the armbands give the wearer increased strength and speed, and in no time at all Jack, Sam and Daniel are abusing them. The fun of seeing them at a local restaurant ordering multiple rare steaks gives way to practical use when it's revealed that arch-enemy Apophis is constructing a new battleship. If the Tok'ra's duplicity is off-putting to the SGC this time, it's nothing compared to seeing Anise/Freya again in "Crossroads". O'Neill notices the "sparkage" between Teal 'c and visiting Jaffa-babe Sho'nac. When she states she has a way for the Tok'ra to obtain information about the Goa'uld from her placid symbiote, it's just bound to go bad. --Paul Tonks