Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

A Director’s Cut Movie of a TV pilot

It’s always a bit weird when someone recuts a very much loved film for the ‘Director’s’ version but much more weird to me when the recut is of a pilot episode with the intent to create a stand alone movie.  With Children of the Gods, both reasons are at the heart of the new Children of the Gods version.

I will admit that I love Children of the Gods in a sentimental way similar to the way I love my childhood teddy bear.  Sure, the fur is gone, he’s missing an ear and there is a certain smell embedded in him, but he’s familiar and loved – flaws and all.  So, it was with some trepidation that I watched the recut.  Would it work as a movie?  How different would the Brad Wright vision of Stargate be from what we got?

Generally, I think the recut works as a stand alone movie; the action is tighter and the pace is better. The characters are solidly placed and it’s even more evident in the recut that Jack is front and centre with his relationships with the other characters being the focus. Daniel and Sha’re form the B story as they did before and provide the ‘romance’ element of the film.  The story flow has been tightened to make it more compact and to work better as a film.  There are things taken out which are not needed for the set-up of the series which overall I can understand and some things are added to enhance the action and sharpen the pace.  So far so good.

In terms of vision, I think there are subtle differences; some for the better, some for the worse.  Most are around characterisation. 

Jack remains very much Jack.  He’s the central core of the film around which the other characters orbit.  All of the characters are pretty much viewed through the prism of Jack’s POV and that’s not a bad thing. Daniel is revised a little.  His Spader-esque mannerisms subtly reduced while his conflict with the military refocused on due to a new scene between Hammond and team post the Abydos debrief.  I’m not personally keen on the new scene (see specifics below).

Sam is the most revised with much of her feminist chip on her shoulder erased out.  The original scenes did make Sam inappropriately too snippy with a new CO and this is handled by a rather ruthless deletion of most of the original briefing scene.  She does come across as competent, professional and able to stand up for herself.  Unfortunately there are a couple of other moments which are lost to enhance the new Sam image and one of these, the exchange between Sam and Jack on the ramp of the wormhole, is missed as it gave meaning to the action of Jack pushing Sam through the wormhole.  She is very much more shown as a scientist and comes across slightly more bubbly and enthusiastic without some of her overt feminisim being shown.

Teal’c is also revised with scenes of his complicity in choosing a host for Ammonet taken out and longer shots of his disgust and unhappiness with Apophis added.  New dialogue hints at his longevity and the redubbing makes it more believable that he is older than his appearance.  He’s much more placed in the ‘good guy’ camp.  

Hammond also gets revised.  The focus is much more on his military side rather than on his compassion.  I was disappointed that the scenes where Hammond gives the team more time are taken out; and overall, there is less of a build to the need to get home before the iris is sealed than in the original.   

There are more overt looks between Sam and Jack (possibly to balance the reduced dialogue between them); a subtle nod to Sam/Jack attraction in the shot placements without any major highlighting of it (as in the original).  Overall, as a shipper, it balances out to really give us exactly what we got originally. 

The competency of the military is played up more overall; the excision of the nudity bringing it more in line with the subsequent series.

Some specifics:

What I hoped they wouldn’t change but did

Hammond and Jack’s first meeting: They did cut the memoirs exchange and Hammond’s own admission he was about to retire which is a shame but I think the scene is tighter for the changes and adds subtly adds more tension between Jack and Hammond.

Sam and Jack’s first meeting: I did have the proviso that I really didn’t mind if they removed the ‘reproductive organs’ line but would be upset if the whole scene was deleted. Overall, I think the scene works better. Sam comes across as much more professional and with much less of a chip on her shoulder. Love the new extended looks between the two of them which very much sets up a nice flirty attraction. I might have wanted the opening shot back and a few more lines of dialogue (esp on Sam’s background with the gate) to have remained, and the jump to Jack’s ‘oh this isn’t because you’re a woman’ line does appear to be a little bit of random without the lines of dialogue preceding it but I can live with it.

The Sam/Jack push through the wormhole: So, they didn’t actually change the push through the wormhole that still happens but they did lose the dialogue of ‘you’ll like me when you get to know me’/’oh I adore you already’ as they walk up which I think is a real shame. Not only does it underline Sam’s want to impress Jack, her CO, but it is just a really nice beat between them and makes the subsequent push through the wormhole less about Jack being annoyed with her geekiness and more of a teasing/playful gesture. Without the run-up, that push through the wormhole is more about Jack being impatient with Sam without any of the softening effect.

Sam fangirling over the DHD (and the MacGyver line!): The fangurling they increased (lots more shots) which is great but they lost the MacGyver line! *sobs* I can understand why (cultural references can seem dated) but seriously??

Sha’re kissing Daniel goodbye: So they did change this – they extended it! But for me it doesn’t work so well. The original always made it seem Sha’re had managed to make Daniel forget about everything in that instance; his audience, his intent to show Jack something, everything. Whereas the new recut has a moment where Daniel looks sideways to see his audience and that rather spoils it for me. I do like the new reaction shots to Sam and Jack and the look they exchange after the kiss.

Teal’c handing Sam his Staff Weapon: They lost that too shifting back to the action on the planet so Teal’c is confusingly left without his Staff Weapon when they cut back to Earth. I can understand why (probably to keep the action tighter) but it’s a shame to lose that moment.

What I hoped they would change and did

Kawalsky’s line about never knowing Jack had a son: It just never fit with the old team-mates/friends gig they went with in Enemy Within and later in the show but I will say that they lose telling the audience explicitly that Jack’s son is dead.

We get something added about Teal’c: While I didn’t get completely what I wanted here, the extended number of shots showing Teal’c’s unhappiness with Apophis’s actions and his disgust at the implantation is much better. It’s also nice to get the info that the Goa’uld he carries is his twelfth as this certainly hints at his longevity in terms of age as does the redubbing – Teal’c no longer *sounds* young.

What I hoped they would change but didn’t

Sam, an astrophysicist, having to have it pointed out by Daniel the expanding universe theory so the coordinates may have changed: Still happens but the recut of that scene makes it less objectionable somehow.

The whole laying of the landmines scene between Kawalsky, Jack and Sam: Still there and without the reproductive stuff previously it kind of doesn’t fit anymore. I’m guessing it was kept to foreshadow them actually blowing the claymores at the end. I’ve always been ‘meh’ about this scene and will continue to be.

Other Stuff that Changed that I feel the need to comment on

The female Jaffa in the morgue: Huh? Doesn’t this directly contradict Birthright where Teal’c states the System Lords would not have females in their armies? Isn’t that the reason why Ishta and her merry band of women warriors are an anathema? Hmmm.

The Harem shots: Gone. Which works better for the flow of the story (where the Ammonet-choosing scenes are reordered) but reduces, IMO, Teal’c’s own culpability both real and felt by him in events. For me, it does take away some of the angst of Teal’c’s emotional journey that we then see later. However, as a stand alone, this probably does work better in placing Teal’c as one of the good guys.

Ammonet Choosing Scenes: These are reordered for the story flow. And the full frontal nudity shot is gone replaced by strategic shots to suggest nudity but not show it. I like the changes (having rewatched the original alongside the recut the nudity does seem gratutious) although the new emphasis on the close up/highlights of the priestess with her ‘orgasmic’ moans and face is a bit disconcerting.

Hammond with Daniel in the new debrief after Abydos scene: Not sure this adds anything to the story and Hammond’s treatment of Daniel here seems harshly OC. The previous scene where Hammond dismisses Daniel’s greeting is understandable; the archaeologist has lied, he’s lost people retrieving him…it’s the same upset Hammond had with Jack before the recall to duty. But as a continuation of that…it just seems too much to me.

Hammond Back at the Base during the Countdown: The shots are different and while I think the new shots are OK, I think its a shame they lost the ones where the deadline had passed and Hammond gave the team that bit longer.

Extended prison scenes: The Jack/Skaara one does make it more poignant when Skaara is taken. The revised Sam and Daniel scene is OK but IMO doesn’t really add anything to the story.

Showing the set-up for Kawalsky/SG2 taking down the glider: Rather spoils the whole surprise element.

Daniel not being such a prat at the DHD: Works better and makes Daniel less of a dweeb.

The Kawalsky getting Goa’ulded: Not fussed they took this out and understand why they did. They didn’t need the set-up and in a stand alone movie it would have been confusing.

The One thing I would add back that they took out: It’s a hard decision between Teal’c handing Sam his weapon, the MacGyver line and the Jack/Sam exchange in the run-up to the push through the wormhole. I’m going to go for the latter as I do think that whole scene works better with it.

The One thing I would take out that they put in: The debrief scene with Hammond and his comment about smelly Daniel. So unnecessary.

In conclusion

Would this be a vision I would have been interested in watching more of?  Hmmm.  Probably but I feel the revisionist history of the characters in the same way as though someone just washed my teddy-bear.  That sense of ‘why did you touch it!’  I liked it fine as it was: flaws and all.