If you're a fan of Stargate SG-1, North America's longest running science fiction television series (if it wasn't for Dr Who we wouldn't have to make such a distinction), Thomasina Gibson has put together a book that should prove enjoyable. It's called Dialing Up: The Official Guide to Seasons 1-5.
It's an 8-1/2 x 11 sized book packed with photographs from the series. Some are of the episodes, some of the actors - in and out of character - some are drawings and conceptualizations of the sets. In fact, there's lots of talk about set design and costume design and special effects throughout the book. We'll come back to that later.
Each episode of the first five seasons is given a one page treatment in Gibson's tome. The book is laid out chronologically, beginning at the beginning, as they say, with the pilot episode "Children of the Gods." One page covers one episode. A still photo from the episode is provided, plus a choice quote from one of the characters in that episode, predominantly Jack O'Neill, the jaded and witty leader of the SG1 team, played by Richard Dean Anderson.
All right, the quotes aren't always that choice, but they are usually amusing. My favorite example is from the episode "The Fifth Race." Therein O'Neill gets the memories of the Ancients - the aliens who designed the stargates and seeded the galaxy with life - downloaded into his brain. Slowly, their knowledge and vocabulary begins to take over his puny brain and he begins to say things like, "I've lost the falatus to speak properly." (The word 'falatus' is, you know, not earthly). It was funny in the episode, speaks basically to what the episode was about and Stargate fans will appreciate it. After these quotes there's a three or four paragraph treatment of the episode.
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