What a disappointing episode. Representatives from the Chinese, French, and British governments are told about the Stargate program in a secret Pentagon briefing. For some bizarre reason the Japanese (who, btw, still have the second largest economy in the world) were not on the list of governments invited. And why were the French invited? Supposedly to get their help in fighting the Goa'uld. What sort of help? The US would be able to afford to fund a secret large spacecraft building program on its own.
The $7 billion dollars per year that the Russian general says the US spends on the Stargate program is chump change to the real US government.
The United States government would not engage in a negotiation with foreign powers and show enormous divisions on its side. Senator Kinsey criticised every aspect of the Stargate program to the diplomats. A US Senator would not be in on such a negotiation. The Senator would not be allowed to put forth his own negotiating position. A US General and a US Senator would not be the senior level people on the US side. Someone from the White House or the Secretary of State would do it.
The Senator got to sit there and deliver a slanted critique of the Stargate program to a bunch of foreign diplomats who lacked the background to judge what was said. A US President and the US military wouldn't let something that stupid happen.
Another absurdity: The fictional Chinese ambassador claimed that the Chinese government doesn't keep secrets from its people. What a joke. I seriously doubt that it would ever occur to a real Chinese diplomat to say such a thing in a secret negotiation.
At the end General Hammond played the trump card with Thor of the Asgard popping in at the end to save the day for USAF control of the Stargate. Well, this end-of-episode deus ex machina was apparently the reason that the rest of the episode was done. A very implausible negotiation was done in order that Thor could save the day.
It was a cheap episode to make because the action scenes were all from previous episodes. It even provided some context to viewers who haven't seen all the episodes. But this should have been done with a more plausible pretext to motivate it. For instance, General Hammond could have gotten a new boss who wanted to review the status of the Stargate program. The boss could have previously had all sorts of bad things whispered in his ear by the Stargate program's enemies. That would have provided the pretext for a review.
Posted by Randall Parker at February 23, 2003 12:17 AMComplaining about how unrealistic it was that they didn't invite the japanese, and that there was a senator and a general representing the US... Thank god they at least god the realistic stargate and the all real aliens right... sheesh...
Posted by: Johnny Jonsson on September 8, 2003 09:42 AMJapan doens't have nukes much less a real army.
Posted by: Chris on January 17, 2004 08:51 AMDid it escape your informed selves that those present where the representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council?
Posted by: Sam on February 29, 2004 03:19 PMFor the US govt to be portrayed in a positive manner is very hard for Hollywood. The US Govt, the US Military, the CIA, NSA, etc are all the embodiment of faceless evil. Big Business also gets whacked regularly.
In TV/Movie Land America is good only when represented by those in flannel shirts who have seen the evil of big city and run to hide.
Logical Consistency is a handicap. In the near future we will have Chinese and Indian military forces working with us or against us to maintain economic stability around the world. Europe is increasingly irrelevant except for those who are hung up on New Yorker Magazine.
The Hollywood Filter removes most of the values and rewards that our society receives from work, corporations and govt. The only power that Hollywood does not examine is that of organized labor.
Posted by: Andy on July 25, 2004 03:33 PMWell, continuing the often tonge-in-cheek tradition of SG-1, that "we don't keep secrets" comment from the Chinese was clearly meant as a joke. The reactions from Hammond and the Russian general said it all.
Posted by: ΛορδΧηαοσ on March 17, 2005 08:44 PM