Stargate SG-1: The Complete Ninth Season

After several seasons of floundering, the longest consecutively running science-fiction series in TV history was totally reinvigorated in its ninth season with daring major changes that could have spelled certain doom: star Richard Dean Anderson's gradual withdrawal from the series was acknowledged as permanent with the casting of Ben Browder as Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, and new enemy aliens—the aggressive religionist Ori—were introduced in the wake of the defeat of the galaxy-ruling Goa'uld. But the series' writers rose to the occasion, producing engaging stories about fundamentalism, societal oppression, and civil chaos in the newly balkanized galaxy that provided exciting adventures for our band of explorers, diplomats, and—when necessary—warriors from contemporary America who travel via wormholes connected by “stargates” (some of the stories also worked well as powerful metaphors for the current state of Earth's global politics). If Battlestar Galactica raised the bar for TV sci-fi, these 20 episodes from 2005-06 not only recognized the challenge but met it (and may well be the series' best ever). Even the stunt of bringing on board Browder's former Farscape costar, Claudia Black, as a regular member of the team paid off better than anyone could have imagined: the dynamics between their characters here are completely different than on the previous show, but they still carry an electrifying spark. Presented in a fan-friendly five-disc package, DVD extras here include audio commentaries on every episode, 10 production featurettes, and photo galleries. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)