Stargate SG-1: Emancipation Rewatch
August 14, 2024 9:10 AM - Season 1, Episode 3 - Subscribe
While exploring a world populated by Mongol descendants, Capt. Carter is abducted for a wife of a local warlord.
On the seemingly-peaceful planet of Simarka, the team encounter a race of Mongol-like Humans whose women have no rights whatsoever. Things turn bad when the team realizes Captain Samantha Carter has been kidnapped and sold to an enemy tribe led by Turghan, and as her teammates search for her, Carter fights to dismantle a series of ground rules on a planet where women are seen as objects instead of human beings.
On the seemingly-peaceful planet of Simarka, the team encounter a race of Mongol-like Humans whose women have no rights whatsoever. Things turn bad when the team realizes Captain Samantha Carter has been kidnapped and sold to an enemy tribe led by Turghan, and as her teammates search for her, Carter fights to dismantle a series of ground rules on a planet where women are seen as objects instead of human beings.
Yeah, this one is always kind of oof for me. I don't think it's as bad as TNG's Code of Honor, but it always sort of feels clunky.
posted by Kyol at 9:19 AM on August 14 [2 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 9:19 AM on August 14 [2 favorites]
The fact that the third episode of the show rams female empowerment and personhood through the storyline is interesting, and not a bad thing, either. '
But while this has its heart in the right place, it doesn't work very well.
Right on. It's a bit clunky and very on the nose, what with Carter defeating Tagawa's character in one on one combat at the end. I will say, I felt the fight scene was kinda well choreographed and edited for a television fight?
The show also continued the whole aspect of "We're just going to hand wave that everyone speaks English and not bother with finding a Universal Translator device like Trek" that goes on for its length...and that's 100% fine. For the team stepping into a situation that was very much warrior culture, Teal'c was just kinda there for most of it. Granted, it wasn't intended for him, so much as for Carter.
Another element that separated the show from Trek, while clearly showing a philosophical connection of using engagements with different worlds/cultures to express view points, was the willingness of Jack to just trade off his pistol. I'm not sure if the SGC ever concerns itself about the impact of technology on other people and cultures (does that come up later?).
On previous, jinx with Kyol on the clunkiness.
posted by Atreides at 9:24 AM on August 14
But while this has its heart in the right place, it doesn't work very well.
Right on. It's a bit clunky and very on the nose, what with Carter defeating Tagawa's character in one on one combat at the end. I will say, I felt the fight scene was kinda well choreographed and edited for a television fight?
The show also continued the whole aspect of "We're just going to hand wave that everyone speaks English and not bother with finding a Universal Translator device like Trek" that goes on for its length...and that's 100% fine. For the team stepping into a situation that was very much warrior culture, Teal'c was just kinda there for most of it. Granted, it wasn't intended for him, so much as for Carter.
Another element that separated the show from Trek, while clearly showing a philosophical connection of using engagements with different worlds/cultures to express view points, was the willingness of Jack to just trade off his pistol. I'm not sure if the SGC ever concerns itself about the impact of technology on other people and cultures (does that come up later?).
On previous, jinx with Kyol on the clunkiness.
posted by Atreides at 9:24 AM on August 14
Code of Honor reminds you of this episode because they were both written by the same person, Katharyn Powers. I don't think she managed to pull the same trick again, but twice was enough.
posted by Snijglau at 11:58 AM on August 14 [5 favorites]
posted by Snijglau at 11:58 AM on August 14 [5 favorites]
Everyone speaks English now? I can accept it, I guess there was a butterfly at sometime got stomped or something.
Feels a little racist-ey with the accents and subject matter. Ahistorical, too. Women in steppe Mongol society had much higher status.
posted by porpoise at 5:08 PM on August 14
Feels a little racist-ey with the accents and subject matter. Ahistorical, too. Women in steppe Mongol society had much higher status.
posted by porpoise at 5:08 PM on August 14
Code of Honor reminds you of this episode because they were both written by the same person, Katharyn Powers. I don't think she managed to pull the same trick again, but twice was enough.
Not that the writing for Code of Honor was blameless, but by all accounts the most blatantly racist parts of that episode were not Powers’ doing. From Wikipedia:
Writer Katharyn Powers was invited to pitch a story for The Next Generation as she was friends with Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana. Alongside her writing partner Michael Baron, Powers pitched a story involving a reptilian race called the "Tellisians" who followed a code of honor similar to that of the samurai. However, the script and the aliens went through several changes before making it to the screen. Powers would go on to write the Season 1 episode "Emancipation" for Stargate SG-1, which held similar themes to "Code of Honor". The African theme of the episode was brought in by director Russ Mayberry, who had the Ligonians race cast entirely from African-American actors. Mayberry was fired during production by the show's creator Gene Roddenberry, and First Assistant Director Les Landau completed the episode.
posted by Pryde at 9:48 PM on August 14 [3 favorites]
Not that the writing for Code of Honor was blameless, but by all accounts the most blatantly racist parts of that episode were not Powers’ doing. From Wikipedia:
Writer Katharyn Powers was invited to pitch a story for The Next Generation as she was friends with Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana. Alongside her writing partner Michael Baron, Powers pitched a story involving a reptilian race called the "Tellisians" who followed a code of honor similar to that of the samurai. However, the script and the aliens went through several changes before making it to the screen. Powers would go on to write the Season 1 episode "Emancipation" for Stargate SG-1, which held similar themes to "Code of Honor". The African theme of the episode was brought in by director Russ Mayberry, who had the Ligonians race cast entirely from African-American actors. Mayberry was fired during production by the show's creator Gene Roddenberry, and First Assistant Director Les Landau completed the episode.
posted by Pryde at 9:48 PM on August 14 [3 favorites]
"Should we really? This particular topic, I mean. It's only like our third episode. Is it a good idea? Are you sure about this?"
"Oh yeah, sure, it'll be fine. Why not? Go ahead and just wade right in there."
I am definitely getting first season TNG vibes off some of these early episodes. So far it feels very planet of the week, except we walk there instead of taking our starship. And yes, Code of Honor is exactly where I went with this episode. Amazing that they're actually the same writer! And yeah, it's very on the nose and awkward.
I don't think I would have risked getting into that kind of subject area so immediately, before I'd had time to give the audience a stronger sense of the characters. At this point it mostly felt like they were looking for opportunities to make Carter into sexy eye candy.
She'll get the short of that particular stick next episode too. (Yes, I'm watching ahead. One a week is too slow. I'm not sure I'll live long enough to get through 10 seasons at that rate!)
posted by Naberius at 6:36 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
"Oh yeah, sure, it'll be fine. Why not? Go ahead and just wade right in there."
I am definitely getting first season TNG vibes off some of these early episodes. So far it feels very planet of the week, except we walk there instead of taking our starship. And yes, Code of Honor is exactly where I went with this episode. Amazing that they're actually the same writer! And yeah, it's very on the nose and awkward.
I don't think I would have risked getting into that kind of subject area so immediately, before I'd had time to give the audience a stronger sense of the characters. At this point it mostly felt like they were looking for opportunities to make Carter into sexy eye candy.
She'll get the short of that particular stick next episode too. (Yes, I'm watching ahead. One a week is too slow. I'm not sure I'll live long enough to get through 10 seasons at that rate!)
posted by Naberius at 6:36 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
They do mostly get over it afterwards, tho. Carter turns into a full person character.
posted by janell at 10:21 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 10:21 AM on August 15 [1 favorite]
With boyfriends and a life outside of work and a kindasorta shared stepdaughter. If there's one thing I can say about SG-1 that I don't think many other shows from that era quite managed, it's that the characters evolve over time and become different people from where they started.
Ok, some of them become demigods BUT STILL.
posted by Kyol at 11:10 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]
Ok, some of them become demigods BUT STILL.
posted by Kyol at 11:10 AM on August 15 [2 favorites]
Apparently there was an episode where Amanda Tapping broke down crying in her trailer and considered quitting the show because Carter was written so badly. I'm not sure if it was this one. But they pulled up their socks pretty quickly.
If you think this is bad, wait until Hathor! *cackles* But the series DOES improve massively in quality after that.
posted by rednikki at 1:50 PM on August 15 [1 favorite]
If you think this is bad, wait until Hathor! *cackles* But the series DOES improve massively in quality after that.
posted by rednikki at 1:50 PM on August 15 [1 favorite]
Oh sure, I'm fully prepared to believe that. I mean if they're following the TNG model, they won't get really good until toward the end of season 3! And over time they'll build up the characters and they'll be able to have more depth in their stories. Right now, they need to be focused more on how the Stargate program works, the implications of its existence for the world, our efforts to deal with those implications, etc. etc.
It's fine to go to other planets at this point, but so far they're falling into the TOS trap where they land on some planet where one single element's been dialed up to 11, like everybody eats nothing but jam because the whole planet is ruled by a super intelligent AI originally designed to operate a jam factory, but now it's breaking down and isn't making enough jam to go around, so they're all starving. Then Captain Kirk comes along, blows up the jam factory, and teaches the locals how to eat a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins and fiber. The locals all thank him for completely reworking their civilization in an hour, and then they leave and never return.
But yes, I'm very familiar with a series being kind of clunky when they get started and gradually getting better and better and I'm happy to give this one time to do that. Especially since I already know it goes on for 10 seasons, generated spin off shows and movies, and is widely loved.
posted by Naberius at 2:39 PM on August 15 [1 favorite]
It's fine to go to other planets at this point, but so far they're falling into the TOS trap where they land on some planet where one single element's been dialed up to 11, like everybody eats nothing but jam because the whole planet is ruled by a super intelligent AI originally designed to operate a jam factory, but now it's breaking down and isn't making enough jam to go around, so they're all starving. Then Captain Kirk comes along, blows up the jam factory, and teaches the locals how to eat a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins and fiber. The locals all thank him for completely reworking their civilization in an hour, and then they leave and never return.
But yes, I'm very familiar with a series being kind of clunky when they get started and gradually getting better and better and I'm happy to give this one time to do that. Especially since I already know it goes on for 10 seasons, generated spin off shows and movies, and is widely loved.
posted by Naberius at 2:39 PM on August 15 [1 favorite]
And there are times where I wonder how much of the first couple of seasons' scattered goofiness was because I guess it got a double order for two 22 episode seasons right up front, and a renewal for another 44 episodes pretty early on. I mean, it doesn't mean they had to knock out a ton of scripts immediately, but there's a distinct sense of the writers having less pressure to keep it tight, either. For better or worse - for every goofy and ultimately dead-ended early episode, there's a great episode that the show kept coming back to.
posted by Kyol at 2:52 PM on August 15 [3 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 2:52 PM on August 15 [3 favorites]
Right now, they need to be focused more on how the Stargate program works, the implications of its existence for the world, our efforts to deal with those implications, etc. etc.
Ah, see, the Stargate Program essentially stays top secret for virtually the entire run of the show...and its spin offs. There's one show, I think titled, "2010" in which they run with the idea the program was revealed based on having so much awesome tech given to us by an alien species and well, I won't spoil that one. It's a fun one.
This really is one of the drags of the show, it doesn't really address the implications for our world of gaining this medicine or that technology outside of the US military updating its military (and in the future, UN/global power) to protect against the Goa'uld and other alien threats. When the show does lean into real world implications, it goes kind of Section 31/Men in Black/etc.., with dark ops threatening the program and other stuff ...and to be honest, those episodes drag a bit. Some part of me wants to say there's an in-show reference to the need to slowly release our new tech/science stuff so as not to expose the program and/or start global hysteria over aliens. At the same time, I wonder if the writers didn't want to worry about essentially creating an alternate time line of scientific advancement that would need to be tracked and could also affect the budget for what were probably inexpensive outside of Cheyenne Mountain shots.
posted by Atreides at 7:27 AM on August 16
Ah, see, the Stargate Program essentially stays top secret for virtually the entire run of the show...and its spin offs. There's one show, I think titled, "2010" in which they run with the idea the program was revealed based on having so much awesome tech given to us by an alien species and well, I won't spoil that one. It's a fun one.
This really is one of the drags of the show, it doesn't really address the implications for our world of gaining this medicine or that technology outside of the US military updating its military (and in the future, UN/global power) to protect against the Goa'uld and other alien threats. When the show does lean into real world implications, it goes kind of Section 31/Men in Black/etc.., with dark ops threatening the program and other stuff ...and to be honest, those episodes drag a bit. Some part of me wants to say there's an in-show reference to the need to slowly release our new tech/science stuff so as not to expose the program and/or start global hysteria over aliens. At the same time, I wonder if the writers didn't want to worry about essentially creating an alternate time line of scientific advancement that would need to be tracked and could also affect the budget for what were probably inexpensive outside of Cheyenne Mountain shots.
posted by Atreides at 7:27 AM on August 16
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This did lead me to google a bit about Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa though, and that's why I posted Johnny Tsumani, but also, apparently he converted to Russian Orthodox Christianity in the mid 2010's' which I didn't' realize. He has had an interesting life.
posted by Carillon at 9:15 AM on August 14 [1 favorite]