Does Stargate SG-1 hold up in 2025?
That’s what I’m here to find out. This is the start of a new series where I revisit every episode of SG-1 — one of the most iconic sci-fi shows ever made — and see how it stands today.
I recently rewatched the 1994 movie and was surprised by how well it still works. The practical effects, the sense of mystery — it’s all still there.
Episode Synopsis
Children of the Gods picks up a few months after the movie. The Stargate has been gathering dust… until it suddenly activates and a squad of armored aliens storms through, killing soldiers and kidnapping one of them. General Hammond calls Colonel O’Neill out of retirement to deal with the crisis, and before long, the Gate opens again — this time for a rescue mission that will change everything.
And with that, let’s step through the Gate and see what made this pilot such an explosive start to the series.
The Gate Was Gathering Dust — Until Apophis Arrived
We begin this episode in a chill guarding shift. The Stargate is covered in a tarp and hasn't been used in months. The banter across the table is that people have been transferred away from the base for a while now and nobody comes down there.
The woman in the group starts hearing noises from the Stargate but nobody listens to her. So, in true horror movie fashion, the white person goes towards the threat, not away from it. I found that hilarious.
The Stargate then activates, and lo and behold, a new enemy which we'll later identify as Apophis, is coming through and orders his soldiers to start shooting everyone.
General Hammond witnesses two crucial things at the end of that invasion, Apophis's glowing eyes and the woman he kidnapped. He proceeds to work on a response to the threat by calling on the one man he knows can get the job done.
Gathering the Team (Under a Nuke Threat)
We discover Col. O'Neill's report of the events in the movie was not entirely truthful. The reason was to conceal the existence of the Abydonians and Dr. Jackson's reason for staying with them.
O'Neill finally admits this to General Hammond as he's preparing a new bomb to be sent to Abydon. General Hammond is convinced to let him assemble a team to go find Daniel and bring him on to help with the new threat.
And every time O'Neill is doing something, the carrot is dangled in front of him - "if you're not here on time, we'll send the bomb through" which is a bit much but it's the military so I guess that's fine.
Captain Carter joins the team and that's where the series does show its age a bit with all the talk of her being a woman. Kawalsky and Ferreti have a problem with her being on the team. and she assures Kawalsky that, "don't worry I played with dolls when I was a kid" which is dialogue that won't fly well in 2025. But that's part of the charm in this show. It's the military and people are rough.
O'Neill, on the other hand, has a problem with her being a scientist which is an interesting perspective to have.
The team heads back to Abydon (with the same gate travel animation from the movie even!) and finds a group of abydonians guarding it with Daniel and Skaara present too. With the team reunited with Daniel and Skaara, it's time to learn new things about the gates and our foes which is exactly what Daniel and Carter figure out next.
Surprise: The Stargate Goes to More Than One Place!
Imagine the amount of ignorance you need to assume the Stargate only goes to one place: from Earth to Abydon and from Abydon to Earth. This is what the SGC assumed and why Hammond wants to bomb the gate on the other side.
Fortunately, our ignorance is taken care of when Daniel leads the team to a new cave recently discovered that lists hundreds of addresses that Ra and the other gods used in the past.
With Carter's brain power combined with Daniel's they realize the addresses need to be updated after planets drifted apart over millennia.
While they make this discovery that yes, the Stargate is part of a network, Apophis strikes again. This time on Abydon and besides hurting everyone, he also kidnaps Sha're (originally named Sha'uri in the movie).
Ferreti, who stayed behind in the gate room memorized the address Apophis was dialing and remembered it upon waking up.
Again, O'Neill persuades Hammond to give the go for a rescue mission. If they don't return within 24 hours, their access codes will be revoked.
Now it's personal.
Meet the Goa’uld: Snakes, Gods, and Body Horror
When the team visits the world Ferreti memorized - which is also the first for the newly appointed SG teams with O'Neill commanding SG1 and Kawalsky commanding SG2 - they find a peculiar gathering.
As they sit down, Apophis arrives to introduce his new wife, Sha're, who has been possessed by the Goa'uld in a previous, very intimate scene. Daniel Jackson can't stop himself and tries to see if she would recognize him, but Apophis attacks him and the team is captured.
Later we are confronted with a ritual where the Goa'uld choose their "children of the Gods" - other Goa'uld lords who are Apophis's guests roam the prisoners and choose the ones they like best. Daniel Jackson wants to be taken not to bear the pain of losing Sha're. Instead of choosing him, the Goa'uld lord chooses Skaara.
With that, Apophis orders Teal'c to kill everyone that remained. O'Neill noticed Teal'c's disgust and decides to speak up, Teal'c believes him, and together they kill all of the guards and escape.
Skaara and his "parents" are the last to go through the Stargate and when O'Neill call to him, the Goa'uld attacks him with the hand weapon (which I still don't know the name of) and his eyes glow, breaking O'Neill's heart.
A lot has happened in this episode, and one more thing happens right in the escape from this planet. Kawalsky, who kills a Jaffa, is bit by the Goa'uld he was carrying and returns to the SGC with it. Looks like Kawalsky's new owner is up to something.
Open Threads That Set Up the Season Ahead
By the end of this episode we have three main paths forward:
- Save Skaara - Find where Skaara was taken and try to save him somehow
- Save Sha're - Same.
- Follow Kawalsky's storyline - Kawalsky's little companion will make a move and we'll follow that thread.
Is saving someone from a Goa'uld even possible? SG1 will need to learn more about them to figure that out.
In addition, we have a new friend on the team - Teal'c - who can provide more context about the Goa'uld as their servant.
A Stellar Opener — What Did You Think?
This episode opens up the system by not only teaching us more about the Stargates and our new foes, but also gives us new story beats to follow.
For a pilot, this one really knew how to grab you by the gate crystals. I’m excited to dive into Episode 2 next — what did you think of the premiere? Let me know in the comments below.
Read my review of the movie here.