"Children of the Gods" is the first episode of the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. It was written by producers Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright and was directed by Mario Azzopardi. The episode first aired on July 27, 1997, on Showtime. Originally presented as a television movie, the episode would later be split into two parts for repeats and syndicated viewings. A new, updated cut, which is entitled "Children of the Gods – The Final Cut" was released on DVD on July 21, 2009 by MGM Home Entertainment.
The story follows retired United States Air Force Colonel Jack O'Neill (portrayed by Richard Dean Anderson) who is recalled by General George Hammond (portrayed by Don S. Davis) to Stargate Command after it is attacked by an alien force. After being reunited with Dr. Daniel Jackson (portrayed by Michael Shanks) who has been living in secret on the alien world of Abydos, Daniel explains to O'Neill and Captain Samantha Carter (portrayed by Amanda Tapping) that the Stargate network traverses the entire galaxy. After retrieving Daniel and discovering where the attackers came from, the team travel to a new world where they encounter a race of beings posing as Gods, called the Goa'uld and find an unlikely ally named Teal'c (portrayed by Christopher Judge).
Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright developed the series to follow on from the events of 1994 film by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, incorporating a number of elements such as settings and characters. The pilot was filmed in an around Vancouver, British Columbia and had a budget of $7.5 million. Whilst the episode originally received mixed reviews, it gained a sizable following which would see the show last for 10 seasons, 214 episodes and lead to various spinoff shows.
Background
One year previously, as depicted in the movie Stargate, Colonel Jack O'Neill (originally spelt O'Neil, portrayed by Kurt Russell) led a team through the Stargate to the planet Abydos, tasked with destroying any potential threat to Earth. After killing the Goa'uld System Lord Ra with a nuclear bomb, O'Neill returned to Earth with two survivors of his team, Charles Kawalsky (originally portrayed by John Diehl) and Louis Ferretti (originally portrayed by French Stewart). They leave behind Dr. Daniel Jackson (originally portrayed by James Spader), with his new love Sha're (originally spelt Sha'uri, portrayed by Mili Avital) and her brother Skaara (portrayed by Alexis Cruz), falsely reporting that Dr. Jackson was killed on the mission along with the inhabitants of Abydos.
Plot
In an underground United States Air Force military base (Stargate Command in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex), five airmen are sat around a table playing poker in front of the covered Stargate which stands dormant. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, one of the Airmen, Carol Weterings (Rachel Hayward) expresses her concerns that an officer will catch them, to which she's reminded that nobody ever comes down to this level of the base since the program shut down. Moments later the room begins to shake and the Stargate activates. Warriors in metal armour with serpent helmets (Jaffa) appear through the gate and grab Weterings. Teal'c (Christopher Judge) presents her to their leader (the Goa'uld Apophis) to examine, before ordering his men to open fire. The other airmen are killed in the ensuring firefight. As the attackers head back through the Stargate, Major General George Hammond (Don S. Davis) and his soldiers arrive to witness Weterings being carried away through the Stargate. Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is brought to Cheyenne Mountain where he's questioned along with his former teammates Charles Kawalsky (Jay Acovone) and Louis Ferretti (Brent Stait) about his first mission through the Stargate to Abydos.