I’m a big fan of science fiction and I love the TV series Stargate SG1. For those who don’t know SG1 was a spin off from the surprise box office hit Stargate starring James Spader and Kurt Russell. In the TV series their roles are reprised by Michael Shanks and Richard Dean Anderson. They are joined by Amanda Tapping and Christopher Judge and these four make up a team called SG1. In addition they are regularly joined by Don S Davis as the General and Teryl Rothery as Dr Janet Fraiser.
L to R - Dr Daniel Jackson, Captain Samantha Carter, Jack O'Neill, Teal'c |
In the episode 2010, which was released in 2000 as part of the fourth season, our heroes find themselves in an alternate timeline. In their new world order the space programme and the existence of aliens has been made public.
(As has the Pentagon this year.)
In 2010 the Earth has formed an alliance with the Aschen who helped wipe out the eternal enemies the Goa’uld and provided to the people of Earth numerous advanced technologies. However, it soon turns into a dystopia.
The episode opens with Sam Carter’s ambassador husband waiting for Sam. He is reading a newspaper and the headline is promising the roll out of an anti-aging vaccine. When Sam arrives they have a terse conversation about their lack of reproductive success.
We follow Sam as she meets up with Teal’c, Dr Daniel Jackson and Dr Janet Fraiser. They are disappointed Jack hasn’t shown up, and drink a toast to the dead General Hammond. After Teal’c and Daniel leave Sam and Janet talk about life. Janet complains she has been made obsolete by Aschen medical technology, anti-cancer vaccines, anti-aging vaccines, and that she is bored. Sam talks about the difficulties trying to conceive.
Janet convinces Sam to let her take a look at her and they are both shocked when Janet shows Sam the image that show her ovaries have been clearly damaged. She tells Sam she can never have children. Distraught Sam asks “Why did they lie to me?”. Sam has an ally now though, as Janet agrees to help Sam get to the bottom of it.
Sam uses her position to access the off limits central Aschen database where they discover that in two years the birth rate had collapsed about 90%. They are in shock that they didn’t know.
Later at the dinner arranged earlier Sam and Janet share their thoughts and discoveries with the others. Perhaps because they are aliens, or perhaps because they are heroes – but they are quick to accept that they had been “completely taken in”. Sam compares it to the threat from the Goa’uld by countering that the Aschen method is just slower, more methodical and painless.
Janet now shares her previously unvoiced concerns about the General’s death. Believing that now he had discovered something but killed before he could share it. Sam has the terrible realisation - “we don’t even control the Stargate, what have we done!”
Obviously our heroes come up with a plan that involves everyone’s sacrifice to deliver a note to the past warning them. As an episode it’s very satisfying to watch your whole cast die due to the nature of heroics where usually they rarely even get injured.
Sam needs her husband’s help and discovers he knew about the plan all along. He explains - “If we didn’t limit growth the Aschen didn’t think we were worth investing in.” When Sam is with her Aschen scientist boss he is coolly surprised that “you humans not considered colonising space with your population problem”.
Sam also turns to Jack for help who is peacefully sitting back fishing in a lake with no fish in it! Despite the fact that he can turn around and say I told you so – you know he will still turn out to help the old gang.
As the troops face down a hail of bullets the alarms ring out “Terrorist Attack in Progress”. One by one they fall until finally Sam runs to help and manages to throw the note into the Stargate to a point in the past before they met the Aschen.
In a TV show the aliens are clearly discernible from us – they are the other. In this show the Aschen are clearly arrogant, superior types. They are shown as fragile (not liking the 21 gun salute) and willing to share. However, behind this facade (?) they are cold calculating killers. They are narcissists who have dressed up harm/evil as good.
Fancy living in a dystopia where “superior” people are insisting on worldwide vaccinations. Now imagine if that vaccination was being found to have some worrying effects on female menstrual systems. Like here,here or here
We won’t be able to throw a message back in time warning ourselves. We don't need for aliens to turn up stating an ideology that overpopulation is a problem that needs intervention. We have to be on our guard now. Or shall we just wait for the good aliens to turn up?
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