The Overlooked Episode of Stargate SG-1 Is The Secret Reason For Its Success
Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Updated
Sci-fi shows take time. More than any other genre, sci-fi needs to take the first episodes to introduce viewers to the strange new world that has been introduced, and then, little by little, peel back the layers of the onion to show why our heroes are important, how they enter the world, and how it will be fun to see their journey. The atmosphere it starts like this, A Dark Story it needs a few to show the real stakes of the workers, too Stargate SG-1 it took time to find the necessary balance in its “Planet of the Week” episodes. Season 1 Episode 9, “A Short Candle,” is one of those filler episodes that is easily forgotten, yet it’s also the moment where it all comes together.
Stargate SG1 Goes to a Party Planet
“A Short Candle” sends the SG-1 team to the planet Argos, a planet of bliss where Daniel (Michael Shanks) quickly helps deliver a baby, before discovering that Pelops, a Greek hero, may have been a Gou’ald capable of promoting worship. For unknown reasons he took some of the Pelopasians to Argos, where they worship him to this day. The catch is that Argosians all go to bed at the same time, then wake up the next day, except that everyone is a full 1 year old.
Dan-el, the baby Daniel helped deliver, is still a baby the next day. O’Neil (Richard Dean Anderson) ate wedding cake and slept with an Argosian, but instead of one year, he wakes up as if something else had passed. Now the team is in a race against time to find out what is causing the aging that gives the Argosians less than 100 days to live, and how can they save O’Neil?
Team Together
Simple setup, low plot as in Argos, no active Goa’uld presence, only the legacy of their caustic influence on an unsuspecting foreign race. To find out what’s going on each team gets a moment to highlight their speciality, Daniel’s translation reveals the nature of the planet, Teal’c (Christopher Judge)’s knowledge of the Goa’uld fills in the blanks, Carter (Amanda Tapping) reveals the year he spent working with the Pentagon onchines as he and Dr. group…and one that might have been created by an alien.
It’s a simple episode, with a simple solution (nanomachines), that manages to find a way for everyone to contribute while highlighting the importance of SG1, not just fighting the Goa’uld threat directly, but spreading their influence across the galaxy. Nine episodes of the first season, and “A Short Candle” reinforces the flow of what fans can expect from all the future events of “Planet of the Week”, while giving character moments to the whole team, showing that although Jack O’Neil may be a “hero,” the collective show, and the real fun is seeing everyone work together.
A great episode of Stargate SG-1
“Short Candle” is another example of Stargate SG-1 showing how different it is from that 90s sci-fi franchise, Star Trek. Removing the Goa’uld transmitter that controlled the nanomachines meant that the Argosians could now age normally, leave the village, and live a normal life. It also flies in the face of the Prime Directive by elevating an entire culture that has evolved to the idea of living under 100 days. Kynthia, one of the Argosians, explains to O’Neil that their short lives mean they make the most of each moment they have. Now that they can live for thousands of days, or more, how will their culture change?
We never get an answer. “Planet of the Week” not “Planet of Repeating Letters.” The impact of the team’s sacrifice on the Argos doesn’t last, and O’Neil never learned how many days he lived to be 40, but for fans, this side story showed them what they can look forward to and, in time, change. Stargate SG-1 it has been a huge success with die-hard fans to this day.
You can stream everything Stargate SG-1 on Netflix.
