SG-1: Inauguration

[Fianna]

I think SG-1 can justify not using their advanced technology to improve the Earth on the grounds that the whole series takes place over the course of ten years, and for the first few of those years, the alien technology they acquired was stuff they knew how to use but didn't actually know how to build more of. It makes sense that the really advanced stuff is still in the experimental/prototype/working-out-the-kinks stage.

[Mabus]

Also, between this and "24", William Devane carved out a niche playing a "President for whom things go horribly wrong" on television.

Don't forget "The Dark Knight Rises".

[G-Man]

I always thought of William Devane as "straight, masculine Paul Lynde." Make of that what you will.

[Jonathan101]

Also, between this and "24", William Devane carved out a niche playing a "President for whom things go horribly wrong" on television.

Don't forget "The Dark Knight Rises".

Dude can't catch a break.

I wonder what the record is for playing a fictional US President though...?

[clearspira]

Also, between this and "24", William Devane carved out a niche playing a "President for whom things go horribly wrong" on television.

Don't forget "The Dark Knight Rises".

Dude can't catch a break.

I wonder what the record is for playing a fictional US President though...?

Morgan Freeman definitely has the ''playing a black president'' record.

[Durandal_1707]

As someone who is a Christian and a fan of the genre and the show I found it very annoying that with only two exceptions off the top of my head (the medieval world with the Unas serving as a demon, and an episode in early season 9 where a reference was made to a belief that just because the Ori were powerful it didn't mean there wasn't someone even more powerful than them), the only overtly religious people with a Christian or hypothetically Christian view / Christian-like religion such as the Asgard protect planet which has a star they damaged when forcing a gate connection, are hypocrites or zealots. Kinsey started off as a plausible, reasonable antagonist, who was arguably right, or making decent arguments with what he knew. By the end he was an amoral hypocrite who invoked God to justify his self serving desires, and was the only character to openly refer to God while being obviously willing to do objectively evil things. I really wish there was more science fiction in a modern setting where the religious are given a fair portrayal, with heroes and villains who are religious and intelligent, not just hypocrites using religion as a fig leaf.

Well, as a non-Christian, I found it really annoying how the show was willing to take the piss out of pretty much any religion except for the Abrahamic faiths. I kept waiting for Yahweh to show up as a Goa'uld, but apparently he's the one deity in the entire human pantheon who wasn't one. That comment about his being too "loving" in that one episode was a major to me... Yahweh, especially as depicted in the Old Testament, would make an excellent Goa'uld. But the writers weren't willing to go there, even though they were willing to make pretty much every other religion out there just the result of people being duped by ancient aliens.

[Fianna]

It's possible we did meet a Go'auld who was the inspiration for the Abrahamic God, but since his ancient worshippers refused to speak or write down his name, we've got no way to identify him.

[Nealithi]

One thing that kind of bugs me (and is only occasionally addressed) is the dissemination of technology to the public. It strikes me that, no matter how well-intentioned they might be, it's a pretty massive display of hubris on the part of the SGC to withhold potentially world-saving technology from the world on the grounds of "people aren't ready for it." I mean, think about what they've got access to. Naquadah is a clean source of power that they can actually mine on OTHER PLANETS. And they actually get good enough at designing naquadah generators that they can use it to power an ancient drone weapon. These things could end the energy crisis and climate change overnight without causing ANY environmental damage to any part of the Earth. And speaking of mining, effective sub-light engines opens the door to large-scale asteroid mining! No more relying on conflict minerals or methods that poison local air and water supplies to sustain the consumer electronics industry. And that's just the big stuff. Think about smaller things, like the "Zat Guns" or Wraith Stunners. These are perfect, non-lethal weapons that can incapacitate people without hurting them in any measurable way! Think about what a boon that would be for policing and home defense. The sheer volume of social problems that could solve in the USA alone is insane. But no, they hold it all back because they, a handful of un-elected military officials have decided, entirely on their own, that the societal status-quo is best for everyone. Does that not seem just a little nefarious to anyone else?

Really what extra technology has the team really reverse engineered? They don't build staff weapons or Zat guns. The only thing we know of that they do specifically build are Naqueda generators and that was after finding a planet that had high tech and was willing to share. But used nanites to gather and then disseminate the information. So first a small boy then a little girl had to give up their minds to teach their people.
Naqueda is worse than antimatter. They had yet another episode with a young girl who had a bunch of it in her veins and a potassium deficiency. Give her potassium and nuclear boom. Now lets put these things out there for civilians to play with? Sounds like asking for the end of life.

[Ixthos]

As someone who is a Christian and a fan of the genre and the show I found it very annoying that with only two exceptions off the top of my head (the medieval world with the Unas serving as a demon, and an episode in early season 9 where a reference was made to a belief that just because the Ori were powerful it didn't mean there wasn't someone even more powerful than them), the only overtly religious people with a Christian or hypothetically Christian view / Christian-like religion such as the Asgard protect planet which has a star they damaged when forcing a gate connection, are hypocrites or zealots. Kinsey started off as a plausible, reasonable antagonist, who was arguably right, or making decent arguments with what he knew. By the end he was an amoral hypocrite who invoked God to justify his self serving desires, and was the only character to openly refer to God while being obviously willing to do objectively evil things. I really wish there was more science fiction in a modern setting where the religious are given a fair portrayal, with heroes and villains who are religious and intelligent, not just hypocrites using religion as a fig leaf.

Well, as a non-Christian, I found it really annoying how the show was willing to take the piss out of pretty much any religion except for the Abrahamic faiths. I kept waiting for Yahweh to show up as a Goa'uld, but apparently he's the one deity in the entire human pantheon who wasn't one. That comment about his being too "loving" in that one episode was a major to me... Yahweh, especially as depicted in the Old Testament, would make an excellent Goa'uld. But the writers weren't willing to go there, even though they were willing to make pretty much every other religion out there just the result of people being duped by ancient aliens.

I'd be happy debating that point with you as I believe there is lots of evidence that God is both loving and sacrificing in both the Old and New Testament - indeed, both are fully consistent with each other, in patience and mercy and forestalling judgement even for hundreds of years, including the uniqueness of Jesus as the only God with scars he chose to bare for us, the only God to step down into the world to suffer with us - so if you would like to discuss this in another thread I'd be happy for us to reason together on this.

The showrunners were very careful to, with one exception in Nirrti, avoid having any gods who are currently worshipped show up as Goa'uld or other aliens, and mainly used ancient pantheons such as Egyptian, Greek, Canaanite, etc., with the Norse pantheon given a very positive portrayal as benevolent aliens, Native American, Buddism in the form of Oma, etc. all portrayed positively. Indeed, if your problem is Christianity not being shown negatively then the Ori were a blatant attempt to subtly reference Christianity as an evil belief system, with how closely it was supposed to match Christianity.

It's possible we did meet a Go'auld who was the inspiration for the Abrahamic God, but since his ancient worshippers refused to speak or write down his name, we've got no way to identify him.

This also ties into the point above, but the gods the Goa'uld were pretending to be - and possibly the Asgard - were always presented as independent of the Goa'uld, so they always phrased it to be seen as the Goa'uld not starting religions, but rather looked at existing beliefs and then said "No, that's me. I'm the one you worshipped as Ra, or Kronos, etc." So the Goa'uld didn't inspire the beliefs, but rather saw them as useful personas to take.

[Wargriffin]

I mean if the Ori Weren't suppose to be the Medieval Catholic Church in space ...

and thats not going into the Ancients themselves