Overlooked Stargate SG-1 Episode Is Secretly The Reason For Its Success

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated 15 seconds ago

Sci-fi shows need time. More so than any other genre, sci-fi needs to take the early episodes to introduce the strange new world viewers have been dropped into and then, gradually, peel back the layers of the onion to show why our heroes are important, how they fit into the world, and how cool it’s going to be see their journey. The Expanse starts this way, Dark Matter needs a few to show the real stakes for the crew, and Stargate SG-1 took some time to find the balance required in its “Planet of the Week” episodes. Season 1 Episode 9, “Brief Candle,” is one of those filler episodes that’s easily forgettable, yet it’s also the moment where everything comes together. 

Stargate SG1 Heads To The Party Planet

“Brief Candle” sends the SG-1 team to the planet Argos, a gorgeous pleasure planet where Daniel (Michael Shanks) immediately helps deliver a baby, before figuring out that Pelops, the Greek hero, was likely a Gou’ald capable of inspiring worship. For reasons unknown he took some of the Pelopasians to Argos, where they worship him to this day. The catch is that the Argosians all fall asleep at the exact same time, then wake up the next day, except everyone has aged one full year over night. 

Dan-el, the baby Daniel helped deliver, is a toddler the next day. O’Neil (Richard Dean Anderson) ate a marriage cake and slept with an Argosian, but instead of one year, he wakes up as if more had passed. Now the team runs against the clock to figure out what’s causing the aging that’s giving Argosians a lifespan of under a 100 days, and how can they save O’Neil?

The Team Comes Together

It’s a simple setup, low-stakes episode as on Argos, there’s no active Goa’uld presence, only the legacy of their caustic influence on an unsuspecting alien race. To figure out what’s going on each of the team gets a moment to highlight their speciality, Daniel’s translating shows the nature of the planet, Teal’c’s (Christopher Judge) knowledge of the Goa’uld fills in the gaps, Carter (Amanda Tapping) reveals her year spent working with the Pentagon on nanomachines as she and Dr. Fraiser (Teryl Rothery) get to work, while O’Neil is shown to be the heart of the team…and the one most likely to be seduced by an alien. 

It’s a simple episode, with a simple solution (nanomachines), that manages to find a way for everyone to contribute while highlighting the importance of SG1, not only to combat the Goa’uld threat directly, but to dismantle their influence across the galaxy. Nine episodes into the first season, and “Brief Candle” cements the flow of what fans can expect from all future “Planet of the Week” adventures, while giving character moments to the entire team, showing that while Jack O’Neil may be the “hero,” it’s an ensemble show, and the real fun is watching everyone work together. 

The Ideal Stargate SG-1 Episode

“Brief Candle” is another example of Stargate SG-1 showing how it’s different from that other 90s sci-fi franchise, Star Trek. Removing the Goa’uld transmitter that was controlling the nanomachines means that the Argosians can now age normally, leave the village, and experience normal lives. It also flies in the face of the Prime Directive by upending an entire culture that had developed around the notion of living under 100 days. Kynthia, one of the Argosians, explains to O’Neil that their short lives mean they make the most of every moment they have. Now that they can live for thousands of days, or more, how will their culture adjust? 

We never get the answer. It’s “Planet of the Week” not “Planet of the Recurring Characters.” The impact of the team’s adventure on Argos doesn’t last, and O’Neil never does learn how many days you’ve lived at the age of 40, but for fans, this side story showed them what they can look forward to and, in the process, turned Stargate SG-1 into a massive success with die-hard fans to this day.

You can stream all of Stargate SG-1 on Netflix.