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200 (Stargate SG-1)

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"200 (Stargate SG-1)"

"200" is the sixth episode of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1's tenth season, and the two-hundredth episode of the series overall. It is the first time original SG-1 member Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) has been seen since the beginning of Season 9 in the episode Template:Sgcite. The episode won the 2007 Constellation Award for Best Overall 2006 Science Fiction Film or Television Script,[1] and was nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.[2]

Unlike the more serious nature of the season's story arc, "200" is a light-hearted parody of both SG-1 and other sci-fi shows, as well as pop culture like The Wizard of Oz. The episode received a 1.9 average household rating, one of the few episodes of the season which surpassed the average rating of SG-1's previous season.[3] "200" also received near-universal praise for its humor and writing. Despite the strong performance of the episode, the Sci Fi Channel announced soon after the episode's airing it would not be renewing the series for another season.[4]

Plot

Martin Lloyd (Willie Garson), an extraterrestrial turned writer, returns to Stargate Command looking for assistance from SG-1 with his script for the movie adaptation of the television show Wormhole X-Treme,[5] mentioned earlier in the series during Template:Sgcite. The team is reluctant, especially Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder), who is excited about his next off-world mission; the upcoming trip marks his 200th trip through the Stargate. However, when technical glitches prevent the team from setting off on their mission, they are stuck in the briefing room under the orders of General Landry (Beau Bridges), because the Pentagon believes a successful science fiction film about intergalactic wormhole travel will serve as a good cover story to keep the real Stargate program a secret.

The notes session, however, quickly devolves into the team members pitching their own versions of a successful sci-fi film, including: a zombie invasion (from Mitchell); a previously unseen mission where O'Neill became invisible (from Carter); "tributes" to The Wizard of Oz and Farscape (from Vala); and Teal'c as a private investigator (from Teal'c himself). Additionally featured are a vignette of the team's mental image of a "younger and edgier" SG-1 (sparked by the studio's suggestion to replace the original Wormhole X-Treme cast), a suggested scene by Martin that turns out to be both scientifically inaccurate and highly derivative of Star Trek, a re-imagined version of the original movie where all the characters are marionettes, and an imagined wedding that features the return of General Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson). However, the planning session is all for naught, since the studio ultimately decides to cancel the movie in favor of renewing the series. At the end of the episode, the focus shifts ten years into the future, where the Wormhole X-Treme cast and crew are celebrating their 200th episode, as well as renewed plans for a movie.

Production

Executive producer Robert C. Cooper noted that despite the markedly different content of the episode, "200" took no longer to shoot – mainly because much of the filming took place on the briefing room set.[6] On the other hand, the episode was much more expensive than a typical one, due to the unusual sequences. For example, the marionettes used in an elaborate spoof of the series were created by Chiodo Bros, who also made the puppets for Team America: World Police; each puppet cost about US$25,000, and the wires pulling each puppet had to be readded by CGI in post production as they didn't show up well enough.[7] Several existing sets were used as stand-ins; for example, the bridge of the Daedalus was used for a Star Trek: The Original Series spoof, while a set from the sister production Stargate: Atlantis was used as the chamber of the Wizard of Oz.[7]

The producers made sure that the episode was well-publicized, dropping hints that Richard Dean Anderson's character O'Neill would return for the episode.[7] Joe Mallozzi, executive producer for the series, also hinted that series fans would finally meet the Furlings, an enigmatic race referenced in the second season episode Template:Sgcite but never seen.[7][8] Despite the outlandish scenes filmed for the episode, many of the writers' favorite moments did not make it to production due to time constraints; Cooper noted that a Gilligan's Island skit was cut from the script.[7]

Cultural references

Most of the entire episode is devoted to references and allusions to other works, including the show itself. The titles sequence is deliberately shorter than most other episodes, poking fun at shows like Lost as well as the SCI-FI Channel itself,[9] which had shortened SG-1's Season 9 opening but changed it back after fan response.[10] When Lloyd learns that his main actor has backed out of the movie, the SG-1 team offers various suggestions about how to replace him or work around the lack of the actor, referencing Richard Dean Anderson's lack of appearances in the eighth season of SG-1.[9] Anderson himself also pokes fun at the ending of the eighth season's Template:Sgcite, which was intended to be the series finale before the ninth season was announced.[7] The final scene, which features interviews with the Wormhole X-Treme cast, were added as an afterthought,[7] and contain comments of the real cast which were taken out of context as an inside joke.[7]

File:Sg1-s10e06-1.jpg
The SG-1 Team as the Star Trek Crew

The episode also riffs on other science fiction shows. Early in the episode, Dr. Jackson asks who would make a movie out of a series that only lasted three episodes, to which Teal'c replies that it had strong DVD sales. This is a reference to the series Firefly,[11] which was cancelled after airing only 11 episodes, but whose high DVD sales allowed the creation of the feature film Serenity. One sequence is a parody of the original Star Trek series, with SG-1 standing in for the crew of the Enterprise.[9] Brad Wright, the co-creator of the series, fills in as the engineer Montgomery Scott.[7] The episode also takes the series Farscape to task, including its habit of inventing swear words.[9] Several other shows and movies are parodied, including telling the story of the The Wizard of Oz with the SG-1 team – the writers based the scene on a fan painting they had hanging in their office.[9] Other elements make fun of 24's "ticking clock of jeopardy",[9] and an entire sequence with all the characters played by marionettes, in the style of Thunderbirds and Team America: World Police.

Reception

The episode won the 2007 Constellation Award for Best Overall 2006 Science Fiction Film or Television Script,[1] and was nominated for the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.[2] Richard Dean Anderson also won a SyFy Genre Award for his guest appearance in the episode.

The episode was generally well-received. IGN declared the episode "one of the smartest and funniest hours of television to grace the small screen yet this season."[12] They went on to applaud the decision not only to parody other works but the show itself.[12] Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune agreed, but also noted that "you don’t need to be a longtime fan of the long-running program to enjoy its jibes at sci-fi clichés or expedient writing."[6] Eclipse Magazine noted that although the episode was "not a work of comic genius", "200" was the best comedy episode of the series.[13]

The highly publicized debut of the episode garnered a 1.9 average household rating, a 36% jump from the previous episode, and the first episode of the tenth season to reach or exceed the previous season's rating of 1.8;[3] SG-1 at that point was averaging about 3.3 million viewers per regular episode.[14]

Cancellation

Shortly after this episode was aired, Gateworld announced the Sci Fi Channel's decision to not renew their order of Stargate SG-1 for the coming year.[4] This was later confirmed by the Channel, along with an announcement that Stargate Atlantis had been picked up for another season.[15] Many fans denounced the timing of the announcement, as it was apparently made while the cast and crew were celebrating the episode's airing.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Constellation Awards 2007 Winners". constellations.tcon.ca. Archived from the original on 2008-01-20. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  2. ^ a b "Nippon 2007 Hugo Nominees". nippon2007.us. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
  3. ^ a b Sumner, Darren (2006-08-21). "'200' ratings give Stargate needed boost". GateWorld. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  4. ^ a b c McNamara, Mary (2006-08-21). "Sci Fi's Stargate SG-1 Said to Be Axed". multichannel.com. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  5. ^ O'Hare, Kate (2006-08-17). "'Stargate SG-1' Gets Spacey at 200". Zap2It. Retrieved 2007-12-26.
  6. ^ a b Rayn, Maureen (2006-08-16). "200 laughs in a memorable 'Stargate SG-1' episode". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wood, Martin. Audio Commentary for "200" (DVD). {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Mallozzi, Joe (2005-12-22). "Ask Joe Mallozzi". GateWorld. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Cooper, Robert C., Wright, Brad. Audio Commentary for "200" (DVD). {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Sumner, Darren (2005-09-01). "SCI FI to reinstate full-length openings". GateWorld. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  11. ^ Szymanski, Mike (2006-04-03). "SG-1 Winks At Serenity". SciFi Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  12. ^ a b Van Horn, Jason (2006-08-16). tv.ign.com "Stargate SG-1: "200" Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  13. ^ Wiebe, Sheldon (2006-08-17). "Stargate SG-1 Hits 200 With Riotous Romp!". Eclipse Magazine. Archived from the original on 2006-08-20. Retrieved 2007-12-06. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2006-08-21 suggested (help)
  14. ^ McNamara, Mary (2006-05-08). "Science-Fiction Series 'SG-1' Is Cable's First to Reach Historic Milestone". multichannel.com. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  15. ^ "SG-1 Ends Run; Atlantis Back". SCI FI Channel. 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
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Template:2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

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