Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
When any show has been on the air for five years, it will begin to falter under its internal logic, history, and mythology. Stargate SG-1 has been on the air for ten years which means that those early episodes of Seasons 1-3 sometimes contradict what later becomes canon. In the story of Season 1's “Hathor”, it is unclear why the Goa'uld Queen needs male DNA to produce more larvae. Later episodes show it's not necessary, and can reproduce sexually, but that's the least of the problems with “Hathor.”
Stargate Goes Full Genres
“Hathor” centers on the unearthing of the Egyptian goddess of love, Hathor (Suanne Braun), who comes out of nowhere after 3000 years to speak English. Attracted by the Stargate, he appears at Cheyenne Mountain and immediately begins bringing men into the base on his race. Starting with Daniel (Michael Shanks), then General Hammond (Don S. Davis), O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is the next to be defeated, although Teal'c (Christopher Jaji) Goa'uld makes him resist his power.
That sets up a conflict between men and women (all five of them), led by Captain Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Dr. Frasier (Teryl Rothery) in the lobby where Hathor is preparing to use the hot tub to spawn a new generation of Goa'uld larvae using Daniel Jackson's juices. That's what the show says. It's as weird as it sounds.
The Writers Chose To Ignore The Episode
Stargate SG-1 he'll finally tease “Hathor” in the Season 8 episode, “Citizen Joe,” a clip that echoes the craziness of those first-season episodes. “Hathor” was the first episode in the series where the team did not go through the Stargate, and it was the only one written by David Bennett Carren and J. Larry Carroll. Hathor herself will return, two more times, as a terrifying (and better written) companion especially in Season 2's “Out of Mind.”
Ever since Homer introduced the concept of Sirens to The Odyssey“the mind of a beautiful woman rules all men” trope is used a lot in sci-fi and fantasy games. Stargate SG-1 had no problem recycling old tropes and often, doing them incredibly well, from time loops (“Windows of Opportunity”) to “that old man can kick everyone's ass” (Bra'tac), but “Hathor” was a mistake.
Teryl Rothery couldn't even deliver the line “there are five women here and we're very lonely” while keeping a straight face. If you rewatch most of the series, “Hathor” looks like one of the worst episodes of the series. Unlike “Emancipation,” which was so bad that the writers had to re-use Carter's character, “Hathor” has no silver lining, other than a self-proclaimed goddess with character, personality, and better lines in her later appearances. His first episode can be erased from the timeline, and you'll know everything about him within minutes of his second appearance.
They can't be all winners, and there's still a decade of episodes left, Stargate SG-1 there would be certain episodes that you don't have to bother watching.
