This episode takes the rather bold decision to skip introductions (for now) and go straight to the long-term consequences -long-term being 2010, a few years from "now". At first, you keep waiting for an explanatory flashback or a return to reality, but as the episode goes on you have to accept that THIS is now, this is real. (And let me add that since I'm writing in 2010, it feels a bit odd).
The episode fortunately takes its time to show the current situation. To all outward appearances, everything is for the best on Earth, thanks to the help offered by the Aschen. However things are not going so well for our heroes personally (after all, who needs soldiers in such a safe, peaceful world?). Only Carter seems happy with her lot, until she discovers that she cannot have children. After this long but necessary prologue, things start for real as we discover a much bleaker situation, where the Aschen's medical skills have actually put humanity on the brink of annihilation. The problem is, it's already too late.
So this all begins to make sense as former SGC members (and I like it that it's not only SG1 here) set out not to solve the problem, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. One big complaint though: why the last scene? The general massacre feels contrived and over the top -it's as if, since the scriptwriters can't normally kill the main characters off to add drama, they were taking it out on "alternate" SG1 members every time they can.
Apart from that, this is a really good episode: it's original, with interesting things to say about how the characters might act in a different situation, and a rather fascinating conundrum (after all, what happens from now on will always be an "alternate" timeline.)
The episode fortunately takes its time to show the current situation. To all outward appearances, everything is for the best on Earth, thanks to the help offered by the Aschen. However things are not going so well for our heroes personally (after all, who needs soldiers in such a safe, peaceful world?). Only Carter seems happy with her lot, until she discovers that she cannot have children. After this long but necessary prologue, things start for real as we discover a much bleaker situation, where the Aschen's medical skills have actually put humanity on the brink of annihilation. The problem is, it's already too late.
So this all begins to make sense as former SGC members (and I like it that it's not only SG1 here) set out not to solve the problem, but to prevent it from happening in the first place. One big complaint though: why the last scene? The general massacre feels contrived and over the top -it's as if, since the scriptwriters can't normally kill the main characters off to add drama, they were taking it out on "alternate" SG1 members every time they can.
Apart from that, this is a really good episode: it's original, with interesting things to say about how the characters might act in a different situation, and a rather fascinating conundrum (after all, what happens from now on will always be an "alternate" timeline.)
