RECLAIMING DEATH
How Stargate SG-1 made danger matter again
WARNING: This article includes spoilers for Season Seven's
"Heroes, Part 2," as well as numerous episodes in previous seasons.
Proceed at your own risk!
 |  Dr. Fraiser helplessly watches Daniel die in Season Five's "Meridian." |
Since the earliest days of the Stargate universe, its writers have not feared using death as the preferred tool for dramatic tension. Viewers are allowed to get to know a one-time guest character, or a recurring character -- or even a show regular. Then, in a blaze of emotional glory, his or her life is snuffed out. Now, in Season Seven's "Heroes," this dramatic device has hit very close to home. But is it a cheap tug at viewers' emotions, or something very important to the story of Stargate SG-1?
The dramatic merit of this very common writer's move shouldn't be surprising. Death is one of the most emotional subjects that a writer, a director and a group of actors can try to portray. Some face death with a brave face, even choosing it to save the lives of others; some face it trembling with fear. And those left behind deal with death differently, from tears of grief to stoic impassiveness.
Most viewers, at least adult viewers, are moved by the death of a character because we've seen death face-to-face, in the real world. We've lost brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and friends. Death quite simply resonates because it, along with taxes, is that great equalizer for all humankind. Television is about story-telling, and on television, death is that final climax for a character's story. Whether a character is loved or hated, whether he dies as a hero or a coward, it is the final statement to be made about his character. It's also, therefore, one of the most important.
 Teal'c conducts the funeral of his wife, Drey'auc, in Season Six's "Redemption, Part 1." | |
Stargate's writers have had no fear of killing off their characters, and have gotten so good at it that I once dubbed the phenomenon "The Kawalsky Effect" (after the brave Major Charles Kawalsky, who made the transition from the original film to the TV series only to be offed in the second episode). Since that article was written in mid-Season Four, three of its predictions have come true: Narim and Drey'auc have been killed, and Daniel wound up causing the death of someone close to him (Skaara and the entire population of Abydos, Daniel's former home) -- for which he has only begun to explore his guilt.
Consider the long list of recurring characters who have been killed off in Stargate's history to date: Kawalsky, Sha're, Martouf, Robert Rothman, Narim (and the entire Tollan race, presumably), Aldwin, Ren Al, Lieutenant Elliot, Drey'auc … the list goes on. Then there's the villains, of course, whom we expect not to survive any given episode: Ra, Apophis (two or three times over), Hathor, Sokar, Amonet, Heru-ur, Cronus, Tanith, Colonel Simmons, Nirrti. And let's not forget young Nabeh, an Abydonian freedom fighter killed in "Stargate" the movie.
Is Stargate really so glum? Not much, anymore; the show's writers have opted to escape death, rather than continue to put viewers through the wringer of watching yet another beloved personality bite the big one. "The Kawalsky Effect" has been put on the back burner. With the passing of series regular Dr. Daniel Jackson at the end of Season Five ("Meridian"), we were introduced to the idea that old favorites don't have to die -- they can "ascend" to a higher plane of existence, and even come back as themselves later on ("Fallen").
|  Skaara goes down, only to be ascended by Oma in Season Six's "Full Circle." |
(It's true that the ultimate death cheat, the sarcophagus -- or "resurrection machine," to put it coyly -- was introduced back in the original "Stargate" film. Seeing it for what it is, however, the SG-1 writing team quickly removed it from the field of play. It's addictive and dangerous; our allies the Tok'ra refuse to use it; and it's just plum difficult to get our hands on one. No magic boxes for the S.G.C.)
Ascension is "death with the safety on." It reached its apex in the Season Six finale ("Full Circle"), when all of Abydos -- including our old friends Skaara and Kasuf, from the original film -- is spared from a violent death by ascending. They're gone now … but not really "gone." Just semi-gone. Gone until a story needs them.
And with that, death lost its meaning on Stargate. The writers have created themselves the ultimate cheat. There is no longer any need to worry about a character, whether a regular or a recurring or a guest star. If they come too close to harm's way, our good buddies Oma Desala and the Ancients can swoop down and help them ascend.
It's an interesting development in Stargate's rich mythology, but as a writing device ascension risks cheapening the show's inherent dramatic tension: real life carries real risks, and anyone can die at any time. Although fans of the show still mourn the deaths of favorites like Martouf and Narim, death has been the show's dramatic bread and butter for seven years. What is needed to reclaim this? There must be an ultimate sacrifice: someone we love and know must die, and not ascend. He or she must face the enemy at the gate, and go down in the line of duty, never to return.
We come, then, to the death of Dr. Janet Fraiser, who has been an integral part of Stargate Command since its inception (her first appearance was in "The Broca Divide," the show's fourth episode). The lovely and talented actress Teryl Rothery has been with the series through its 150 episodes, mending broken bones, curing alien plagues and trying to get alien entities / symbiotes / consciousnesses out of her people. Now, she is gone.
 Janet Fraiser works to save a life in Season Seven's "Heroes, Part 2." | |
We will not debate Fraiser's profound contributions to the program here, nor should we presume to speak for the actress who has been written off the series -- which was originally expected to end just a handful of episodes after "Heroes." But what we can consider is that, in allowing Janet to not be saved, the writers of Stargate SG-1 have reclaimed something very powerful, which was very nearly lost: the ability to touch the hearts and minds of viewers with the power of emotion. There are no do-overs, no second chances -- just the grim reality that going through the Stargate is taking a massive personal risk, every time, for everybody.
Simply put, Stargate needs death. The show's hook is that it portrays fantastic science fiction stories in a real-world, military setting. To keep the show grounded in reality, the S.G.C. and its allies must have casualties. The death of Janet Fraiser may bring tears and anger to the show's loyal viewers, even rally some to petition The Powers That Be for her resurrection (for, as we all know, no one really dies for good in science fiction).
After 1,000 trips through the Stargate, crossing the galaxy to another world is no longer child's play, no longer a hop next door for another exciting adventure. Gate travel is serious, and deadly business. The show's natural dramatic tension has returned to its height, because viewers can no longer watch Stargate's weekly twists and turns secure in the belief that any one character is safe.
So fare thee well, Janet Fraiser. Your sacrifice has not been in vain, for either the S.G.C. or for Stargate SG-1. It has shown us once again what it means to face the great unknown, and be a hero.
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