Stargate SG-1: The Ultimate Visual Guide

“The initial kawoosh forms an event horizon of quantum particles.” [page 11]

Now, I may be reading more into this book than Kate (as in the author Kathleen Ritter) had intended, but I feel that she has channeled the spirit of General Jack O’Neill, and to a point Richard Dean Anderson. She filled these pages with humor, sarcasm, and information.

The informational content was informative and given in a manner that wasn’t slow and drawn out. You easily went from page to page looking for something new to learn, not because you were bored. The editing was nearly perfect (the only printing error I could find was on page 55 in the Tagrea box). And from what I can recall from watching the show the past ten years, the accuracy was spot on.

The illustrations were few, but as well produced as the photographs. Clear and concise, they conveyed information that directly related to the words in each sidebar. The layout was easy to follow and decently organized and while there were a few occasions when some of the data felt repeated, it was no where near as bad as the Star Wars Complete Visual Dictionary. In fact, I wouldn’t even put them in the same category or on the same shelf. But the overall outline was well done. Starting with the introduction of the Stargate SG-1 team, it moved to Stargate Command and the details of everything from the support personnel to the badges and insignia they wore.

The missions over the past nine years were covered next. While I was disappointed that the tenth (and current) year was not present, I doubt there was too much lost to the reader (but I still wanted to see the shark-jumping episode “200” covered). The Missions section was quite large and did jump from planet to species to mission, but it was organized in a way that made it feel more natural than say, a book report. No droning of “after the third year we had the fourth year then the fifth year blah blah blah…..” And of course at the end there’s the Index and Acknowledgements/Title Page.

“…it took 15 years and three super computers to MacGyver an alternate system to control the gate on Earth.” [page 13]

Attached to the front of the book is a bonus DVD. I was a little hesitant to take it out of the protective flap inset into the front cover, but I was surprised at how well the holder did at keeping the disc safe and scratch free. I’m sure over time the adhesive dot holding the flap will lose its stickiness, but the flap actually snaps into place, so all should be good. The DVD itself was mostly a rehash of existing material from the previous seasons on DVD. Those features that were repeated included the Beyond The Gate series (with Christopher Judge, Amanda Tapping, and Richard Dean Anderson), the SG-1 Video Diary (with Michael Shanks), and the extended trailer for the show. What was new (to me at least, I don’t recall seeing it on the other DVDs) was the Art of James C. D. Robbins. And most exciting of all was the Trivia. It was only 20 questions that, when you answered at least 15 correctly, unlocked more artwork. But I liked the challenge as the questions were quite hard. And for those wanting to cheat a bit, I received some intelligence from the NID with the answers encoded. A little brain power will allow you to decipher the code. A 11 IF 1 HE HA 3 I 1 ED 11 DICE.

This is an ideal book for anyone new to the show or a regular Gater on Friday nights. Even the fans that have been with the show since its debut on Showtime will enjoy the material. At no time did I feel bored and only once was I suddenly taken out of my reading “moment” by an editing error. It was an easy and fast read and kept me moving from page to page while filling my head with facts.

This will be one book I’m keeping on my shelf.

Neil@tk42one.com
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