Daniel Jackson finds an Ancient Repository that could reveal to the location of the Lost City of the Ancients. SG-1 is so close to finding it now, but new trouble is on the horizon: Anubis is coming to invade Earth. With the most powerful Goa’uld System Lord in the galaxy approaching their home planet, SG-1 must race against the clock to locate the Lost City before it’s too late.
In no other Stargate SG-1 episode are the stakes higher than in “Lost City”. The straightforward simplicity of its scenario makes it easier for the tension, conflict, and depth to all shine. In terms of scale, it uses a similar premise to that of “Within the Serpent’s Grasp”, and then ups the ante entirely. A lot of this rests on two aspects: Anubis has proven himself to be even more dangerous than Apophis, and SG-1 is constantly working against a ticking clock to locate the Lost City before Anubis’s arrival. “Lost City” really does punctuate just how much of a threat Anubis poses. Throughout both Seasons 6 & 7, we’ve seen that this guy is more powerful than not only all other System Lords but also almost all of SG-1’s allies. Having already seen him destroy Abydos at the end of last season, it is easy to grasp how much in grave danger Earth really is this time around.
While the old saying is “bigger is better,” an equally important writing advice is that deeper is better, too. The episode’s two-part runtime allows for the character relationships to be delved more into. This makes the conflict more dramatic, engaging, and all around compelling, right up to the end. With this balance of depth and scope, “Lost City” succeeds at firing on all cylinders. It is, after all, the climax of the Anubis arc. Co-writers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper threw in all their cards on this one—and they did not pull any punches.
Notably, this is Stargate SG-1’s final episode to star the classic cast (Col. Jack O’Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Maj. Samantha Carter, Teal’c, & General George Hammond). As such, the episode makes the most of how it humanizes the main characters. Take the scene where SG-1 is relaxing at Jack’s house, for instance. In a series that is mainly about space travel and mostly action-packed, this scene grounds SG-1 back down to their most personal levels. Little tidbits, like Jack fanboying over The Simpsons or Sam noting how few of gated worlds’ stars are actually visible in the night sky, sell the members of SG-1 as real people in consistency with their core personalities. When put together, the whole scene demonstrates just how closely these characters have grown together over seven seasons.
It also serves to establish the character relationships for all the drama that ensues during the action. And I don’t mean “drama” as in friction between the characters—I mean, how the characters are emotionally affected by the conflict. One example is how Sam is the one member of the team who’s really worried for Jack’s safety in the grand scheme of things, which highlights just how closely the two have bonded since Season 1. Another example is Master Bra’tac, who once again shows his allegiance by providing the SGC with a very good asset on the grander conflict. His loyalty proves once again why he has been such a reliable ally of Stargate Command for so long.
In an episode this ambitious, there is also plenty of scenes where the United States Government is discussing the impending alien invasion. None of it feels like exposition; it all feels like actual human beings trying to assess the situation based on their personal objectives and agendas on how to run this country. On one side is President Henry Hayes, who is the exact U.S. President that America needs in such a grave crisis. Confident in his role but also understanding the grave urgency of the situation, he also knows how to keep a leveled head in the face of danger. For instance, just watch how casually he greets Anubis—the leader of the alien invaders—when negotiating with him, as if he has nothing to fear.
On the other side is Vice President Robert Kinsey, always the snide and saucy corrupt politician the fans had all grown to love to hate over seven seasons. His insistence on shutting down the Stargate Program to secure and protect the planet Earth made the most sense seven years ago, back in Season 1. But by this point, Stargate Command is long past the point of no return—action has to be taken, now. Nonetheless, he makes for a perfect devil on Dr. Weir’s shoulder, tempting her to follow his political agenda on what is best for protecting Earth.
And standing in the middle is Dr. Elizabeth Weir. In concept, her character fits with the idea of a civilian politician controlling a top-secret military operation. Appointed the new head of Stargate Command, she already has to make a difficult choice on global security with the fate of the world in the balance. With her core personality as a steadfast and adequate diplomat, her development from a fish out of water to assertive leader worthy of succeeding General Hammond is very satisfying. Actress Jessica Steen does a great job establishing these core aspects about Dr. Weir in her performance. Now, Torri Higginson was very good, too, and arguably the defining Weir. But I do wonder what Ms. Steen could’ve brought to the role had she stayed for Stargate Atlantis.
“Lost City” has some of the best production values of any Stargate SG-1 episode. With all the different locations SG-1 visits, it is clear the scenes had to be filmed at various sets in-studio and different locations around the Vancouver area to bring these different worlds to life. They include familiar locations, such as another British Columbia-like planet or an Ancient outpost under the Antarctic ice, or another Ancient outpost on an alien volcanic planet. Speaking of which, the Ancients’ geometric architecture remains consistent at both outposts, even as their different color schemes signify totally different environments (red for lava, blue for ice).
Even more so, CGI visual effects had to be utilized in several ways. The larger CGI effects render planetary landscapes like the alien lava planet or the polar ice caps of Antarctica, and starships such as Anubis’s mothership and Prometheus. While starting to show their age in 2020, they are still so convincing that it’s impressive. Smaller digital effects blend in naturally with the practical sets, as always. The holographic projection of Earth’s solar system at one of the two Ancient outposts is just beautiful, and the fading effect of Anubis’s holograms when communicating with the Tau’ri is a nice touch reminding the viewer he is not physically there. These were excellent high-quality visual effects for cable television in 2004, and most of them hold up as great eye candy in 2020.
Moreover, “Lost City” also features several of the best action sequences in the Stargate franchise. The action in this episode is a perfectly seamless blend of military war combat with space opera shoot-‘em-ups. In particular, the Battle of Antarctica at the end is basically aerial combat on Earth with an alien invasion touch, clearly influenced by space battle sequences common in other space opera movies and TV shows. In retrospect, it kind of serves as a rough prototype for the space battles that would become common in SG-1’s last three seasons and throughout Atlantis’s run.
While not the series finale, “Lost City” serves as a perfect beginning of the end to the Goa’uld storyline, SG-1’s definitive era. In scope, it represents Stargate SG-1 at its most epic, delivering at 110% on all fronts. On its own, it is an incredible piece of television that strikes the balance between drama and spectacle so spectacularly. In the context of the series, it is the climax of an over-arching narrative seven years in the making, executed so perfectly it is cathartic to watch. “Lost City” comprises both of Stargate SG-1’s finest hours.
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