The 10 best Stargate SG-1 episodes, ranked

10. There But For The Grace of God

Original air date: February 20, 1998 | Season: One | Episode: 20

Some shows take several years to find their footing, but Stargate seemed to hit the ground running, with excellent episodes like ‘There But For The Grace of God’ in Season 1.

Daniel Jackson is transported to an alternate Earth, where he finds that the Stargate program is completely exposed to the public, the Goa’uld have invaded Earth, and SG-1 is no more. It’s a great ‘mirror’ episode — similar to those seen in Star Trek — introducing the concept of alternate realities to the SG-1 team, which lays the foundation for future arcs and raises the stakes with the Goa’uld.

It’s also an unrelentingly bleak episode — something it gets away with because it’s not happening in reality — but there is some fantastic character work and acting on display here.

9. Camelot

Original air date: March 10, 2006 | Season: Nine | Episode: 20

Season 9’s Camelot starts as a run-of-the-mill SG-1 episode, but things escalate quickly. The team finds themselves offworld in a village called Camelot. Yes, that Camelot, complete with all the story tropes of the era: King Arthur, the Sword in the Stone, the Holy Grail — it’s all here.

Everything is not as it seems, and eventually, the team finds an Ori supergate — a stargate big enough to transport entire fleets of spaceships. The combined forces of our galaxy amass a fleet to stop the Ori invasion, and promptly get their asses handed to them in a massive space battle that ends on a tense cliffhanger.

For a finale, Camelot ticked all the boxes by raising the stakes and leaving you clamouring for the resolution. With Carter left floating in space and a pregnant Vala carrying ‘the will of the Ori’, viewers were left on the edge of their seats, wondering how any of this could be resolved.

8. Lost City

Original air date: March 2, 2004/March 9, 2004 | Season: Seven | Episode: 21/22

By the time Stargate SG-1 reached Season 4, it was cooking. In the two-part story, ‘Lost City’, the newest antagonist, Anubis, decides to invade Earth with a massive fleet. O’Neill, meanwhile, had absorbed the knowledge of the Ancients to find their Lost City, which is rumoured to contain powerful weapons that could save the planet.

It was originally envisaged as a movie, and you can tell. The stakes, the action, and the effects budget — this is Stargate swinging for the fences. The opening episode hits all the right notes to set up the drama, but it’s the second part that makes ‘The Lost City’ an all-timer thanks to exceptional pacing and a climactic final battle.

It’s also the origin of the spin-off show, Stargate: Atlantis, which went on to have five seasons of its own. It’s a stunning watch, culminating O’Neill’s finale words to Sam, Teal’c, and Daniel: “Ave, amicus” (Goodbye, friends in Latin/Ancient). It’s a heartbreaking finale after the emotional high of Anubis’ defeat, and a bold choice to close out a season.

7. Abyss

Original air date: July 19, 2002 | Season: Six | Episode: 6

While spaceship battles and firefights are cool, it’s often the quieter, smaller episodes of shows that end up standing out, and season six’s ‘Abyss’ is proof of that.

With O’Neill captured by the Ba’al, we see him tortured and helpless, being killed and revived over and over again as the Goa’uld seeks to break his will. You can almost feel the walls closing in as we experience O’Neill’s suffering. Daniel Jackson — who has himself died and ascended to a higher plane of existence — returns to the show to console Jack, offering him his own path to ascension.

The vast majority of the episode is set in claustrophobic rooms, as O’Neill bounces between his ordeal with Ba’al and the tender moments with Jackson, and these intimate pairings really elevate ‘Abyss’ to all-timer status.

Musings on pain, morality, and mortality elevate the dynamic of these two odd-couple characters, showing the depth of their relationship and the respect they have for each other. Cliff Simon is tremendous as Ba’al, too, with this episode propelling him from background character to primary antagonist for seasons to come.

‘Abyss’ is very much Stargate’s take on TNG’s ‘Chain of Command’, and it stands proudly alongside its Trekkie counterpart, stepping away from sci-fi plots and arcs to reflect on relationships, suffering, and sacrifice.

6. Heroes

Original air date: February 3, 2004/February 10, 2004 | Season: Seven | Episode: 17/18

Season Seven’s ‘Heroes’ is a wonderful piece of sleight of hand. From the outset, it has the vibe of a light-hearted mockumentary. A documentary crew is given access to the SGC and starts bothering SG-1 as they go about their day-to-day, and the vast majority of it is shot from the film crew’s perspective. It’s somewhere between Stargate meets The Office, This is Spinal Tap, and the crew in Spice World: The Movie.

Emmett Bregman, played by Saul Rubinek, is given access to mission reports and team interviews, and he’s largely brushed off as an annoying hack. The two-parter takes a turn, though, when SG-3 and SH-13 start taking heavy losses on a mission, and reality hits Bregman — and everyone else — like a freight train.

It could have been a fourth-wall take by Bregman into the media and its intrusions around the time of the airing of ‘Heroes’, but instead, we get an impassioned revelation that the documentary showcases the rawness of loss, rescue, and hope. Without giving away too much (we really don’t want to spoil this one), the episode has one final deception to unveil, and it’s a real gut punch.

The show ends with Jackson, who has been avoiding Bregman, finally deciding to share footage and talk to him. It’s a tacit acknowledgement of the importance of independent journalism, the role it serves in showcasing the horrors of war, and honoring the sacrifices that have been made. It was a fantastic watch when it aired, and perhaps even more so now through the lens in the global landscape in 2026.

5. Meridian

Original air date: January 30, 2002 | Season: Five | Episode: 21

Killing off a major character is always a bold choice, and Meridian is a perfect example of how to approach it with restraint. Airing in 2002, Jackson is exposed to lethal radiation after diving into a reactor to shut it down and prevent a meltdown.

It’s a somber watch as we see Jackson deteriorating in a hospital bed. As he drifts in and out of consciousness, he converses with Oma Desala, an ascended being who offers to guide him to a higher plane. Jackson ultimately chooses to accept his death, and his friends watch him eventually succumb to the radiation.

When the heart monitor flatlines, with his friends gathered around him, it’s impossible not to shed a tear. We’re lifted out of the darkness this time, though, as a blinding light appears and Daniel ascends. O’Neill and Jackson share a final (ish) farewell before Jackson disappears through the gate. Jackson’s final line, ‘Thank you for everything’, isn’t just the character speaking; it’s actor Michael Shanks expressing his gratitude to his castmates, and to the audience.

You could argue that Jackson’s eventual resurrection in the season six finale ‘Full Circle’ undercuts this one a bit, but at the time, it was a massive deal, and his death went on to define season six, as the team struggled to deal with the loss.

4. 1969

Original air date: February 3, 1999 | Season: Two | Episode: 21

A sudden solar flare accidentally transports the SG-1 team back in time to 1969, where they must find a way back home, but also adjust to the world around them.

Season 2 was a chance for the show to take some risks and see where the Stargate could go beyond the off-world planets and battling major antagonists. The team meets a younger Hammond, and they try to convince him to help them. Hijinks ensue as the team butts heads with the US military of the time, while also hitching a ride in a van from some friendly hippies.

The ending is a nice touch, bringing everything full circle with the reveal that Hammond had been waiting for this moment ever since SG-1 was formed, giving the General some much-needed depth.

Other shows, like Star Trek: Voyager, would use this narrative device across two-episode double bills, but SG-1 managed to do it in one, covering the important beats without ever losing the viewer. It’s a great watch that blends the show’s sci-fi elements with an emotional warmth to great effect.

3. Threads

Original air date: February 8, 2005 | Season: Eight | Episode: 18

The penultimate episode of Season 8, Threads, manages to do a lot in its 63-minute extended run time. From Jackson’s struggles with ascending (again), to the rise of Anubis, and the relationship between Carter and O’Neill, the episode manages to tie up a lot of loose ends, allowing Moebius, the season finale, to breathe.

The usual fate of the galaxy stakes take a backseat, as Threads is mostly about the SG-1 team itself and their personal struggles, and it’s a smart move. There’s plenty of closure here, and it all feels earned.

The closing scene of the team celebrating Daniel’s return from the Ascended Realm by going on a fishing trip exemplifies this, ending on a high note ahead of the dramatic season finale.

2. Nemesis

Original air date: March 8, 2000 | Season: Three | Episode: 22

Nemesis’s opening is deceptively tranquil. Carter is on vacation visiting family, Teal’c is off world, Jackson is recovering from an appendicitis operation, and O’Neill is predictably on a fishing trip.

But before you know it, the calm is shattered when the Replicators board Thor’s ship. This highly advanced race of insectoid machines is built from tiny blocks and is capable of — as the name suggests — replicating itself by eating technology. O’Neill finds himself allying with the Asgard, fighting against this seemingly unstoppable enemy.

The tense battle culminates in the Beliskner being destroyed, in turn killing all the Replicators, except for one, which is seen crawling out of the ocean, setting up future battles with this duplicating menace. The team, meanwhile, escapes by beaming the Stargate aboard to gate out before returning via the second gate.

Nemesis achieves a lot, introducing a dangerous new villain that even the mighty Asgard fear, while ramping up the tension for a suitably dramatic season finale. Add the memorable cliffhanger, and Nemesis is one of Stargate’s strongest finales.

1. Window of Opportunity

Original air date: August 4, 2000 | Season: Four | Episode: 6

Airing in August 2000 as part of Season Four, ‘Window of Opportunity’ sees O’Neill and Teal’c relive the same day over and over, Groundhog Day style.

It’s more whimsical than a lot of the entries on this list, with O’Neill and Teal’c engaging in some hilarious, consequence-free shenanigans. The duo learns to juggle, learn pottery, and play golf through the Stargate. Teal’c takes out some frustrations on an unlucky grunt who bangs him with a door at the start of every time loop, and O’Neill gets to (temporarily) sample the will-they side of his will-they-won’t-they relationship with Carter.

Beyond the hijinks, though, there are emotional stakes that make this episode one to remember. The cause of the time loop is suitably tragic, and forces O’Neill to relive some of his own trauma. By the finale, the comedy has drained away, leaving only raw emotion and vulnerability from O’Neill. The whole thing is perfectly paced and well written. It’s a fantastic episode that only gets better on a rewatch.

Just don’t rewatch it too many times, or you might start to lose it. You know, lose it. It means go crazy, nuts, insane, bonzo, no longer in possession of one’s faculties, three fries short of a Happy Meal… WACKO!!