Stargate SG-1 (TV Series) Prodigy (2001) User Reviews

A bit of a guilty pleasure

[Tom-91 · 8/10 · 10 June 2011]

If this makes sense: "Prodigy" is not one of the better episodes of this great series, but it is one of my favorites.

Cadet Hailey may very well have not been written realistically as an air force cadet with a bit of an independent streak (though I think people expecting military personnel to be conformist robots are being equally unrealistic) ... but is she any less realistic than:

1. A PhD in astrophysics, who also logged several hours in combat during the Gulf War, being led by:

2. A colonel who is recruited back to a project after admitting that he disobeyed orders in contravention of the use of nuclear weapons.

Given this, the cadet is far closer to being the most realistic person in the show. I argue that her character is not too bad a fit.

The point of this episode:

1. The cool idea of the world's biggest secret being revealed to someone ... the Stargate project is regarded as the biggest secret in the world, and it is a cool plot point when someone who is outside (like the audience), gets let in on it. Part of the enjoyment of the episode is sharing the experience of a new character experiencing the gate for the first time.

2. There is also the idea that all people have moments of great decision, and often times, especially someone with gifts, needs that moment of inspiration to keep going. It is a special moment in a person's life when they are inspired to go one way instead of another. For most people, it isn't as dramatic as is shown here, but then again, it is a work of fiction; things do get magnified, but that doesn't make it wholly bad.

I mean, in the end ... who wouldn't want Sam Carter as their mentor?

The Cadet and the Lights

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 23 August 2016]

Jack and Teal'c are assigned to go to the moon of a planet to protect a group of scientists that are researching the place. Meanwhile Daniel is in another assignment in another planet and Sam is giving a lecture at the Air Force academy. When the cadet Jennifer Hailey shows a mistake in a formula developed by Sam, she is impressed with Hailey. Soon Sam learns that Hailey is a brilliant but rebel student and is about to be expelled from the Academy. Sam decides to give a chance to Hailey and convince Hammond to let the cadet have a training period at the Stargate to be motivated to conclude the Academy. Soon they join the bored Jack and Teal'c in the planet. When they find blinking lights life form, the scientists believe they are harmless. But soon they learn how dangerous the lights are. How will Jack, Teal'c and Sam protect the scientists and Hailey?

"Prodigy" is a good episode of Stargate SG-1 with two story lines that merge into one. The segment with Sam is more attractive that the other and the plot is well-resolved. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Prodigy"

Angry lights

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 22 February 2022]

An interesting episode with two storylines that converge in an unexpected way. The acting was decent and the cast had good chemistry, though the cadet was a snoot.

Hrothgar Matthews, Elisabeth Rosen, Bill Dow

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 26 August 2014]

Honestly, my enjoyment of this episode largely rests on the characters played by these three actors who bounce off the rest of the cast perfectly.

Bill Dow a.k.a. Dr. Lee, became a regular fixture on not only this show but on Stargate Atlantis and Stargate universe.

And sadly, Elizabeth Rosen only appears in one other episode, Hrothgar Matthews (who had a cameo as an "Observer" in "Fringe") was never given any other episodes- actually in this episode he is the most irritating character, but that's what makes the show great, the realism of these idiots- like Sen. Kenzie, Col. Mayborn, even Col. Telford in Stargate universe.

Sometimes the characters are complete idiots: dangerous buffoons, and sometimes they have a change of heart like Col. Mayborn and Col. Telford, both of which had remarkable character reversals in the shows that they have been in.

The character of cadet Haley could have been made into something very interesting if she had been given a more reoccurring role in this show, but that did not happen so we have to enjoy the two episodes she did appear in.

As far Carter's Pseudoscience and Technobabble in this episode, it is not any worse than any star trek episode, sometimes very humorous actually.

And, it is good to show that even Samantha Carter can be wrong sometimes, and that she does not have the correct answer all of the time.

One of the most annoying Stargate Episodes

[Diarmada · 5/10 · 3 August 2006]

Do not misunderstand me; I love Stargate and the bulk of the episodes. For some strange reason Cadet Hailey annoys me to no possible end. First, the Air Force would never tolerate such obvious insubordination. Second, why would the SGC want to recruit such an obvious liability; she may be very intelligent, but raw intelligence without regard for protocol or the chain-of-command is useless when working as a team.

It may also be me, but how many times has SG-1 saved the earth from imminent destruction? You would think that they would be impervious to "baby-sitting" missions & the scientist would give them the respect that they deserve. I know all of these are plot devices, but it still irks me to no end.

The episode has some good moments though, albeit small; the absence of Daniel Jackson is a weakness as well as the prominence of the character Hailey. Dr. Lee is always a welcome addition to the cast, but this acts as a basic introduction of his character to the series.