This came out this week, and it's basically the pilot episode of SG-1 re-edited to remove the nudity that Showtime demanded, re-done effects, and ALL of Teal'c's dialog redone.
Gateworld has a huge review detailing everything added/removed/changed:
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2009/07/review-stargate-sg-1-children-of-the-gods-final-cut/The process consisted of several steps. The Brads returned to archival footage of original dailies, choosing some different takes, trimming some scenes, and restoring material previously cut. With advances in technology, it was then time to revisit the show’s visual effects — such as making the Stargate puddles look like the bluer, more polished version that emerged as the series went on. There were also audio issues to revisit, including some dialogue in need of replacement. And finally, the original episode’s somewhat awkward use of score from the 1994 “Stargate” movie had to be stripped out, and SG-1 composer Joel Goldsmith’s original work allowed to shine.
The result? Final Cut is a much better movie. The episode and its story are very much the same, so the nostalgia factor has not been paved over with a new super-highway. No, this is still the “Children of the Gods” that we know and love — but now it is better. All those points at which many fans would roll their eyes and think, “Well, it was the first episode — they got better as the show progressed” have been fixed or taken out.
It’s a great example of how a different cut of an episode can dramatically improve the overall quality. Much of what there is to like here is not just in the new material or improved visual effects — its in those differences that casual viewers (and even long-time fans) wouldn’t notice. Scenes shift placement; awkward dialogue is excised; and the pace drives the story forward in a more engaging way.
They removed one of the best lines in the series history, which was parodied in "200" in the puppet scene:
Samantha Carter’s introduction into the Stargate universe stands out like a bit of a sore thumb compared to her characterization later in the series. In particular, that infamous line — “Just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of on the outside doesn’t mean I can’t handle anything you can” — is loved by some and hated by others. I think it was bad dialogue, and doesn’t fit with the personality of the Sam Carter we know and love. Thankfully, it’s gone now. Final Cut still presents a strong scene where the character still defends herself to a group of pig-headed male officers, but she doesn’t come across as harsh and snide any more.
Perhaps most controversial is the removal of the original episode’s full-frontal nudity, as Sha’re is stripped naked before Apophis. This was not merely gratuitous nudity for a 10 p.m. premium cable show; it served the story in depicting the Goa’uld’s grotesque violation of the character. When the symbiote examines Sha’re and then takes her as its host, it is nothing short of rape. Fortunately, all of that is retained and appropriately conveyed without the use of nudity.
Stargate would quickly establish itself as a family show, and I have to agree with Wright — the nudity just didn’t belong there. Whether or not you think Americans are prudish, that’s the culture of North America, and Stargate fans should be able to watch the first episode with their kids.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the story ends on a different note. As a series pilot, the original dovetailed into the following episode by revealing that Kawalsky had been infected by an immature Goa’uld symbiote, who escaped the pouch of a fallen Jaffa. To keep the Final Cut a self-contained movie, both that implantation shot and Kawalsky’s glowing eyes are appropriately removed. Now the story has a satisfying conclusion that focuses on the SG-1 team.
For years we’ve dealt with a major Stargate inconsistency in the opening sequence: Apophis and his Jaffa come through the gate to Earth, grab a girl and shoot up the place, then turn around and go back through. “But wait,” you say! “Wormholes are one-way. How did Apophis redial the gate (off-screen), especially without access to the base dialing computer?” Maybe he possessed a device like the Nox woman Lya used in “Enigma,” or the future Cassandra in “1969.” Maybe the Jaffa physically turned the gate’s inner track, as we would see Teal’c do many times over the years (e.g. “Prisoners”). That’s all plausible — but since none of these were shown, it was a big, fat inconsistency.
This problem, as old as Stargate itself, has been fixed…ish. However he did it, now we see Apophis shouting an order (in Goa’uld), evidently ordering his men to redial the gate manually; then we hear the deliberate, off-screen sound of the gate redialing.
One of the tricks of television production is ADR (automated dialogue replacement), or “looping,” in which an actor stands in front of a microphone and re-records certain lines of dialogue (usually due to poor sound conditions on the set). For the Final Cut, Michael Shanks (“Daniel Jackson”) and Amanda Tapping (“Samantha Carter”) were brought in to record new dialogue for one scene. But even more significantly, Christopher Judge (“Teal’c”) looped his entire performance. The difference is astounding, and the new version is vastly better (and not at all jarring). Teal’c now sounds more like the Teal’c of “Threshold,” and less like a chilled actor still trying to find his character’s voice.
Effects comparison:
Most of the Stargate puddles in the show have been replaced, though strangely it is a few close-ups — where Jaffa are walking through the gate in the opening — that were not replaced, and now appear antiquated. In 1997 the show was using three different effects houses to get the work done, resulting in three subtly different looks to the Stargate’s event horizon. It took years to reach the crisp, rippling blue that fans are used to now.
No Blu-Ray release yet, but they generally do the Stargate HD discs later than the DVDs.
