Can I enjoy Stargate: Atlantis w/o watching Stargate: SG-1?
 

I have a few friends who have encouraged me to rent the Stargate SG-1 series on DVD, and I've heard Stargate: Atlantis is much better. But would I enjoy/understand Stargate: Atlantis without ever watching Stargate: SG-1?

I just don't think I'll want to watch nine seasons of SG-1 unless it's spankin' spectacular.

SG-1 is a guilty pleasure; it's like a plate of baked beans - fun to eat but no nutritional value. My one complaint is that too many times the team or Earth get resuced by some deus ex machina ending. There are good eps and bad eps, like any other show. I think somewhere in the forum is a list of episodes that you would need to watch to get caught up - not every show focuses on the big story (Earth vs. the System Lords). However, the writers have a habit of going back into the show's history and using something obscure in a later, more important episode. YMMV.

You probably would need to watch - or at least know what's going on in - SG-1 to fully understand and enjoy Atlantis. Check out www.gateworld.net to get good synopses of the episodes, and how they might link back to an earlier one. I haven't watched every episode of SG-1 - my wife is the bigger fan, so sometimes I have to ask her where "that thing" came from on certain episodes.

Yes you can. I watched Atlantis S1 without having seen a single episode of SG1 and I did just fine. I did start watching SG1 right before the S2 premiere of Atlantis and so far it's pretty good (I'm about halfway through S7). Like most shows there are some great episodes and some clunkers with most of them hovering somwhere in-between.

I dont' know. As was said above, you could probably go with SG-A without having seen SG-1, but I think you'd be doing yourself a diservice by doing so. There is so much critical background that sets up the SG universe that leads you to SG-A. That inandofitself is a journey worth taking IMO. Would be nice if they came out with a "Mythology" set(s) like X-Files, etc.

I've never watched SG-1 and watch Atlantis. Mainly because I never watched the start of SG-1 and I'd rather start at the beginning than just jumping into the middle of the series. But 8 seasons is hard to get caught up with, so I haven't even tried. So I just keep happily watching Atlantis instead since I started watching from the beginning.

There are a few parts of Atlantis where I am guessing they are bringing in SG-1 stuff in, like when they introduced the Daedalus and the asguard on board - I was kind of confused what was going on there. But other than that and a few other perhaps minor things, I think it stands well on its own.

You probably could just watch SG-1 reruns on tv and be fine.

Some people say atlantis is better than sg-1 and sg-1 better than atlantis, but I don't know. For me, both shows have its high and low points. Both shows have some episodes that are really good, but others can be just painful to sit through.

I'm not quite ready to get the stargate dvds yet but I do plan to go with atlantis first, then maybe the last couple seasons of sg-1.

That is probably due to the fact that Atlantis jumped right into the action bypassing the exploring and adventure part of SG-1, most notably the first 3 seasons.

I think you are fine just watching Atlantis. They have their own thing going with new characters and enemies unrelated to the SG-1 world.

Don't read the first spoiler unless you've seen all of Atlantis S2, don't read the second if you don't want a S3 casting spoiler!

Having seen the finale of Atlantis S2,

Especially since:

I know they try to keep the arcs more-or-less seperate, so I guess so, sure you can. But there'll always be lots of things you're missing.

And with both shows being created at the same time, in the same studios, by the same producing/directing/writing staff, there will always be lots of crossovers and bleed-through, and I'd be skeptical of anyone who tells you one is very superior over the other.

I have to say I'm a total convert when it comes to them bringing in ringers from other sci-fi shows. Why not? If SG1 and SGA want to be the "landing spot" for all old sci-fi regulars, I'm all for it! I found myself wanting them to *keep* Connor Trineer around after last week, and I'm pleased to hear that Claudia's coming back to stay...