Stargate In Significantly Fewer Seasons, Season 6: Ripple Effect

While I was living in the intolerable flesh oven of Mesa, Arizona, I worked for a family who obsessively watched Stargate. I liked the family, and I liked the episodes, but it was the  fifth or sixth season, and things were constantly being explained to  me. Things I probably didn't need to know.

I'm not sure what possessed me to trackdown the movie, and start to watch the series it inspired, but I've decided to do another condensed series chronology a la my Star Trek and Doctor Who recommendations. I'm aiming for ten seasons of ten episodes each, but there's always some wriggle room.

Stargate is basically Star Trek where Earth is the ship most episodes originate from. There's a ton of classic sci-fi tropes, conspiracy theories, and completely incorrect science. For this chronology, I'm focused on interesting character studies, cool (even if technically incorrect) science, and drama that isn't quite melodrama (despite the swelling Stargate theme). I've left out some major episodes that introduce characters and plots that come up later because I care more about where a story goes than when it  begins. But each of these episodes should be easy to follow,even if you've never seen any previous episode.

Season five began what I think is the best era of the show. Instead of bunch of loosely connected threads with one major enemy, the seasons became focused mainly on one story. In this season, the Ori war gets severe, and Atlantis sees the return of an SG1 threat that was believed eradicated.

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Season Six:
​Ripple Effect

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 Episode 1: Ripple Effect
(Jackson, Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Frasier, Martouf, Harriman, Landry, Lam, Lee, Ksavir)

My favorite episode ever. That whole black hole suctioning the Stargate from season one is still causing problems. This time, it's allowing SG1 teams from multiple dimensions to end up in the main universe. So many Carters, Jacksons, Tealcs, Mitchells, and even some familiar faces who died in previous seasons. 


Episode 2: Sateda
(Weir, McKay, Sheppard, Teyla, Dex, Beckett, Caldwell, Chuck)

Khal Drogo's tragic backstory is revealed when he is recaptured by the Wraith and returned to his life as a runner.


Episode 3: Crusade
(Jackson, Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Vala, Landry, Harriman, Chekov)

I've avoided some of the tropiest of episodes, even though they are often fan favorites. This episode features a good old fashioned Freaky Friday body switch between Vala and Jackson, as we learn more about the Ori's plans. Oh, and the Russians want their Stargate back.


Episode 4: Camelot
(Jackson, Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Vala, Landry, Harriman, Chekov, Merlin, Ba'al, Adria)

We're Knights of the Round Table,
We dance when ere we're able,
We do routines and chorus scenes
With footwork impeccable.
We dine well here in Camelot,
We eat ham and jam and spam a lot. 

The team find the planet of Merlyn
They send his defenses swirlin'
Mitchell has to fight
The Damned Black Knight
before the plot starts unfurlin'.


Episode 5: Flesh & Blood
(Jackson, Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Vala, Bra'tac, Landry, Harriman, Woolsey, Chekov, Adria)

It's a baby shower for Vala's rapidly aging Orichrist! And there's a whole fleet of Ori ships in our galaxy to help us celebrate!


Episode 6: Progeny
(Weir, McKay, Sheppard, Teyla, Dex,  Zelenka, Chuck, Oberoth)

Wraith wraith wraith. Wraith wraith wraith. Wraith Genii Wraith. Wraith wraith rut. Atlantis needs a new enemy. SG1 had a really cool backup alien race for when the Goa'uld saga got boring. Atlantis decides to visit the Ancients to get cool new enemies of their own.


Episode 7: Common Ground
(Weir, McKay, Sheppard, Teyla, Dex,  Beckett, Chuck, Kolya, Radim, Todd)

Those damned Genii rebels capture Sheppard and put him in a cell with his new prison buddy, Todd The Wraith. 


Episode 8: McKay & Mrs Miller
(Carter, Weir, McKay, Sheppard, Teyla, Dex,  Zelenka, Chuck)

I tend to skip episodes that focus on Rodney McKay, as he's easily the most annoying main character in Stargate history, but the story about his sister's achievements is fun, as it includes a less annoying alternate version of Rodney McKay because Stargate loooooooooooves alternate versions of main characters.


Episode 9: Pegasus Project
(Jackson, Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Vala, Weir, Mckay, Harriman, Woolsey, Zelenka, Merlin, Emerson, Chuck)

The first full crossover of the two Stargate shows! (Carter helped McKay in the last episode.) Daniel Jackson finally gets to Atlantis while searching for Merlyn's weapon. Both the Ori and the Wraith wreak havoc on opposite sides of the supergate.


Episode 10: Return 
(O'Neill, Harriman, Woolsey, Weir, McKay, Sheppard, Teyla, Lee, Dex, Beckett, Zelenka, Chuck, Radim, Todd)​

The Ancients return to reclaim Atlantis, and they want Stargate Command gone. This episode also serves as a crossover as a long unseen SG1 character returns to end the season.