Geekery, Inc.“Insert nerdy quote here”

As a die-hard SG-1 fan, I can honestly say that I have watched every single episode of Stargate SG-1, plus all of the bonus features… at least twice if not more. Seeing as there are ten seasons and over two hundred episodes, that is no mean feat. It’s taken a lot of time and effort… you know, lifting the remote.. switching discs, etc*… to finish the entire series more than once. But it’s a sacrifice someone had to make.

Also, Richard Dean Anderson is my hero. (See picture)

Anyway… I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how many great episodes there are in Stargate SG-1, but up until last night I didn’t have a clear concept of how much the word “many” entails. When I counted them out, I found 60.  And so, after being prodded by Dan to write in our fabulously geeky blog, I decided to figure out which really ARE the best. So starting with this post, I’m going to watch them all and narrow it down (as best I can).

Here are the best episodes of Stargate SG-1, by season/episode: (be aware that there are 60 episodes in this list… so by reading on, you are asking for it…)

Season 1

• Ep. 4: The Broca Divide. Chosen based on the stellar image of Carter as a neanderthal, attacking our beloved Colonel O’Neill.
• Ep. 15: Singularity. Enter Cassandra! Amanda Tapping is amazing in this episode, especially as she leads Cassandra deep below the earth’s surface and can’t find it in herself to leave Cassandra to die alone. Meanwhile, on the surface, O’Neill goes berserk.
• Ep. 19: Tin Man. It’s not everyday you leave an android copy of yourself on a deserted planet.

Season 2

• Ep. 6: Thor’s Chariot. Because the Asgard are awesome, and also little.
• Ep. 16: The Fifth Race. Jack speaks Ancient! Everyone is amazed.
• Ep. 18: Holiday. Michael Shanks is amazing as Daniel, Ma’chello, Ma’chello in Daniel’s body AND Daniel in Ma’chello’s body. God, I love Sci-Fi.
• Ep. 22: Out of Mind. Jack, Sam, and Daniel are tricked into thinking that they’ve been in a sort of cryo-stasis for 75 years. Wacky!

Season 3

• Ep. 1: Into the Fire.
• Ep. 6: Point of View. This may have been chosen out of the sheer enjoyment of Alternate-Carter being married to Alternate-O’Neill. Also, the whole alternate reality thing is endlessly amusing.
• Ep. 7: Deadman Switch. How often do you hear Jack say something like, “you can’t blame a girl for trying!”
• Ep. 16: Urgo. Dom DeLuise joins the cast as Urgo, and he is generally awesome.
• Ep. 17: A Hundred Days. I think insane displays of loyalty and friendship (aka Teal’c going through the gate into a tiny cavern where he could either run out of air or be swallowed up if the stargate was activated) are special.
• Ep. 18: Shades of Grey. I really thought O’Neill was going bad!

Season 4

• Ep. 3: Upgrades. Sam, Jack, and Daniel go out to dinner and have three steaks each. Also, there is angsty lurve going on here… and no I am NOT talking about Jack and Daniel.
• Ep. 5: Divide and Conquer. It’s a beautiful thing. I only regret the loss of a certain Tok’ra.
• Ep. 6: Window of Oppourtunity. This episode is hands-down the BEST Stargate SG-1 episode ever. I mean that.
• Ep. 10: Beneath the Surface. Somehow, amidst a large crowd of strangers working basically as slaves under a domed-city, Carter and O’Neill find each other and have lots of nice moments. “There’s a man… He’s bald and wears a short-sleeved shirt, and somehow he’s very important to me. I think his name is Homer” - Jack.
• Ep. 16: 2010.
• Ep. 21: Double Jeopardy.

Season 5

• Ep. 10: 2001. Similar to 2010, this episode is about the Aschen and their deviously destructive ways. I find it very intriguing that someone decided to look at this issue from another angle so quickly after 2010 aired, but I’m also glad… it’s great!
• Ep. 11: Desperate Measures. With Jack and Maybourne teaming up to save Carter? Classic.
• Ep. 12: Wormhole X-treme. “And yes… it DOES say Colonel on my uniform…”
• Ep. 17: Fail Safe. Funny, intense, interesting and heroic… this episode covers all the bases.
• Ep. 21: Meridian. Daniel tells Jack and the others to let him go. Don’t gooo Daniel!!!

Season 6

• Ep. 3: Descent. How many ways can you put the lives of SG-1 in danger? Should we count the ways? I really love the part where Carter and O’Neill almost drowned. It’s the moments where they want to say something but choose not to that say it all!
• Ep. 5: Nightwalkers. If only for the joy of watching Jonas and Teal’c drink ginger ale in a bar with a bunch of angry Goa’uld who are trying to pretend to be normal.
• Ep. 6: Abyss.
• Ep. 8: The Other Guys. Who can deny the hilarity of Felger and Coombs?
• Ep. 15: Paradise Lost. Maybourne and O’Neill hallucinate on a remote planet full of dead people.
• Ep. 20: Memento.

Season 7

• Ep. 1: Fallen. Jack, Carter and Teal’c find Daniel on a planet. Jack exchanges fables with a local story teller. Daniel asks Carter if they were an item (hah!) and eventually goes back to the SGC with the team….
• Ep. 3: Fragile Balance.
• Ep. 5: Revisions.
• Ep. 6. Lifeboat. Once again, Michael Shanks’ copious skills as an actor are extremely obvious. With something like 12 or more different personalities trapped in his brain… it’s just unbelieveable.
• Ep. 13: Grace. Hallucinations of Jacob Carter try to convince Sam that the only reason she loves Jack is because she knows she can’t have him. He convinces her to move on, but not before Sam and Hallucination Jack make out. Yay!
• Ep. 16: Death Knell. Carter somehow survives being chased by one of Anubis’s super soldiers.
• Ep. 17-18: Heroes, Pt. 1 & 2. All major character deaths notwithstanding… these two episodes are emotional, yet amusing.
• Ep. 21-22: Lost City, Pt 1 & 2. Once again with the Ancient’s repository of knowledge in his brain, Jack saves the day and also has a nice emo moment with Carter.

Season 8

• Ep. 1-2: New Order, Pt. 1 & 2. Personally, I think the Elizabeth Weir of these episodes far exceeds that of the Weir of Atlantis (Tori Higginson), but who am I to judge? These two episodes are crucial. I thought I’d have to give up Stargate when Richard Dean Anderson left, but starting with New Order, he leaves gradually (and visits often)… so it’s not too bad.
• Ep. 5: Icon. Daniel is Captain Kirk!!!
• Ep. 12: Prometheus Unbound. Vala Mal Doran takes over the Prometheus with only one captor… Captain Kirk I mean Daniel Jackson!! Hijinks ensue… a great intro to Vala, Vala’s relationship with Daniel, and the making out.
• Ep. 15: Citizen Joe. Jack always thought it was normal that he saw the life of a barber in his mind.
• Ep. 19-20 Moebius, Pt. 1 & 2. Aside from Window of Oppourtunity, and several season 4 episodes, these two are my very favorites. Time travel, Jack and Sam making out, Daniel and Carter as super nerds… who could ask for more?

Season 9

• Ep. 1-2: Avalon, Pt 1 & 2. Cameron Mitchell aka John Crichton aka Ben Browder is hilarious and endearing in these first episodes of season 9.
• Ep. 3: Origin. Daniel and Vala inflict the wrath of the Ori when they visit a distant galaxy to see what’s up.
• Ep. 4: The Ties That Bind. Wallace Shawn as Arlos graphically describes his love affair with Vala. It’s painful but hilarious. Also, Mitchell and Daniel wear a lot of leather, like John Crichton in Farscape. It’s good times…
• Ep. 13: Ripple Effect. Alternate SG-1’s… some with less than honorable intentions… arrive at the SGC. I love this episode, but especially the part where Dr. Frasier arrives, and her departure.
• Ep. 19: Crusade. Vala’s pregnant! It’s great.

Season 10

• Ep. 2: Morpheus.
• Ep. 3: The Pegasus Project. The team is in Atlantis, and Mitchell learns all about McKay’s citrus weakness.
• Ep. 6: 200. Parody abounds! I didn’t realize it until later, but the Farscape parody is just lots of alien swearing. Love it!
• Ep. 8: Memento Mori. Heartbreaking. I love the part where Vala remembers Daniel.
• Ep. 9-10: The Quest Pt. 1 & 2. I don’t love Morena Baccarin as Adria, but this episode is one of the better season 10 episodes… also, love Ba’al.
• Ep. 14: The  Shroud. Daniel is a Prior! Yikes… Jack yells at him. Vala just sits on his lap and asks silly questions. Love it…
• Ep. 20: Unending. As far as last episodes go, this one was awesome.

I have no clue how narrow I want to get with this list… but I’m working on it.

* I am not completely lazy. I was JUST joking. I lift the remote with great ease, I swear. Also I have a job, go to school, have friends, I get up off my couch often, and a forklift is not necessary to move me.