Stargate Continuum

Stargate: Continuum is the second direct to DVD movie in the Stargate series. Yeah I know, direct to DVD movies usually suck. Usually when a film goes direct to DVD it means the studio lacks faith in the film to have any kind of pull at the box offices and they are hoping to make a return on DVD sales. Fortunately this is far from the case with Stargate: Continuum (as well as the first direct to DVD movie, The Ark of Truth.) This is hardly the disapointing movie you might expect from this type of release, and is an absolute must see for Stargate fans. Honestly I think this type of release works perfectly for the franchise. There is simply way to much backstory that would need to be explained in a wide-release, and it would dumb the film down and seem redundant to fans already familiar with the series. With a direct to DVD release, it is safe to assume your audience will have some level of familiarity with the universe and characters so you can get away with less explanation of the backstory.

Spoilers apply:

Unlike the first film which is the conclusion to the main Ori story arc established in seasons 9 and 10, Continuum is more of a stand alone film. The film takes place sometime after the defeat of the Ori. SG-1 and General O’Neill are invited by the Tok’ra to witness Ba’al’s extraction. One of the Ba’al clones had managed to escape capture and he goes back in time to prevent the Stargate from ever making it to the U.S. He intercepts it while en route to the US accross the Atlantic Ocean. He kills the crew and attempts to blow up the ship. The ships Captain, conviently the grandfather of Colonel Mitchell, is able to throw the bomb intended to destroy the Stargate overboard. The ship and the gate are saved but with the crew dead and captain fatally wouded the ship drifts off course into the Artic, which completely changes history.

Time travel is purely theoretical and there are many different ideas on how exactly it works. I’m certainly no expert in the field but I think the interpretation they chose is inaccurate. People and buildings  start disappearing and SG-1 has to run to Stargate before they too disappear, as the timeline is supposedly collapsing in on itself.  Sure it looks dramatic (which is probably the reason they picked it) but it doesn’t make sense. As soon as Ba’al goes back in time the timeline as they knew it would disappear. 

Other than my gripe with the timeline this really is a very solid movie and worth checking out. There are some great effects/scenes in the film that would never be seen in a regualr episode.  The U.S. Navy lent the use of one of their nuclear submarines to the production and the Air Force lent a pair of F-14’s. There are still some great character movements and plenty of classic SG-1 action. If you are into Stargate this movie is a must see.