This was one of the first times Stargate SG-1 made me truly think about what Earth could become if we keep destroying our own planet in the name of consumerism.

The Tollans’ planet has become uninhabitable even though they’re technologically far more advanced than us, and unlike the Nox, they don’t mind hurting our feelings by reminding us of that.

With the introduction of the NID and Colonel Maybourne, we see the kind of people who look at a crisis and immediately start thinking about how they can exploit it. Clearly, the NID need to sort out their priorities, and in doing so they force the SGC — and SG-1 in particular — to decide which path to honor.

Though Enigma first aired in 1998, its themes still hit far too close to home — climate collapse, forced displacement, and governments causing and exploiting suffering instead of easing it. Watching it now, it’s hard not to be reminded just how much still needs to change if we actually want to leave future generations a livable world.

👉 When doing the right thing means standing up to authority, would you take the risk — or follow orders?

🎵 credit goes to “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

In Part 2 of my Cor-ai review, we see Teal’c’s sentence handed down, and I return to the episode’s ableist framing. I unpack why the resolution frustrated me even more because the disability angle ultimately had nothing to do with it — and somehow that made it sting all the more.

This is also where the Stargate SG-1 episode undercuts its own earlier justification. Teal’c’s survival has nothing to do with Hanno’s father’s disability, Teal’c’s presumed act of mercy or him “doing someone a favor.” It has everything to do with his integrity, honor, and willingness to sacrifice his life for the Byrsa people. That contradiction matters, and this is where I dig into why.

❤️ Christopher Judge’s performance, and those final moments of forgiveness, are powerful and a big part of why this story still hits, even decades later.

🎵 credit goes to “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

“Cor-ai” unexpectedly hit closer to home than I remembered. This episode frustrated and moved me in almost equal measure.

In this Stargate SG-1 episode, Teal’c comes face to face with the people he harmed while serving the Goa’uld, and that alone makes it one of the more powerful early episodes. But the disability angle? That hit wrong in a way I couldn’t ignore. Once I started unraveling that thread, I couldn’t unsee what it revealed — and I had to talk about it.

This review is a heavy one. I stay with the discomfort, but rest assured, I still make plenty of space for what the episode gets very right, because “Cor-ai” is a powerhouse of cinematic performance. Kudos to Christopher Judge for sure ❤️

👉 Where do you land on Teal’c’s redemption? What does accountability look like to you here?

🎵 credit goes to “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

Some Stargate SG-1 episodes confront danger head-on. “Singularity” forces us to look at the damage left behind.

What begins as a seemingly quiet mission quickly raises uncomfortable questions about exploration and unintended consequences. Cassandra’s survival becomes a focal point for fears Stargate Command has already been circling: that even with good intentions, they might still leave devastation in their wake.

In this review, I spend a lot of time wrestling with what jumped out to me on rewatch — particularly the colonial echoes in how worlds are entered, renamed, and culturally appropriated. We also unpack the introduction of Nirrti, a Goa’uld who takes cruelty even further by weaponizing a child as a Trojan horse — and how the genocide was engineered rather than accidentally caused by Stargate Command. Still, the fact that these questions arise within Stargate Command matters, and I find myself oddly reassured that the show allows them to grapple, even imperfectly, with the weight of exploration.

This is one of those episodes where I’m openly critical, occasionally nitpicky, and clearly wrestling with the material — especially given how relevant its themes feel in a world still reckoning with real-world genocides and colonial violence. And yet, even here, there are moments of unmistakable Stargate magic that remind me why I keep coming back.

👉 Be honest: how did Singularity land for you on rewatch? And… was anyone else a little annoyed with Daniel in this one, or was that just me?

🎵 credit goes to "Emotional Mess" by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

This is one of those episodes where I kept going: …what is happening right now?!

In this review, I get into why Hathor just does not work for me, as it casually brushes past repeated male assault and undercuts its own female characters right when they should be allowed to shine. Not cool. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable, so yeah — I call it out.

And as I always do when an episode loses me a bit, I grab onto the thing I do appreciate and go on a full mythology deep dive — because if nothing else, ancient Egypt will always have my heart 🥰

And to be clear: this is not a critique of the actress playing Hathor. The discomfort of this episode doesn’t come from her performance. For me, it’s all in the writing.

And yet, there are still those moments that made me laugh. Because of course there are. It’s Stargate. Even when they derail a bit, the Stargate magic is still there underneath it all.

🎵 credit goes to “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

Only halfway into the season and this is already the second time Stargate SG-1 asks us to sit with grief — and this time, it got under my skin for a very different reason.

What stayed with me most on rewatch wasn’t Daniel being presumed dead, but the forced closure and total lack of trauma care from the SGC. Throw Nem’s grief-stricken desperation into the mix, and we are right back in that all-too-familiar mess: hurt people hurting people, maybe meaning well, but still causing harm.

So in this review, I talk about trauma and why “Oh, but they mean well” has never been a good enough excuse for causing pain. And I’d know, because I lived it.

And through all of it, Daniel reminds us why we love him by trying to help Nem find answers while also fighting for his own survival. Because he probably understands Nem’s pain more than most: he too has lost his mate and still doesn’t know her fate.

🎵 credit goes to “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

Oh, how the time does fly

A Let's Review 2024 series will NOT be happening. As to why, this EXTRA episode sheds some light on that.

Despite that don't despair. DO hold out hope for other things to be published soon. I still got plenty to share & review 😉

The Stargate review episodes WILL continue & on Instagram @ 🎤Let’s Review with Layla & You🎧 2 Broke girls ThrowbackThursdays will continue as well.

So please, do continue to join in for some celebratory SHARING🔹 & 🔹CARING🔹 and help do some much needed poking to all things in need of a stiff one 👉😏

Hope to see you back here soon🔥

📆APRIL 2023 prt 2

Welcome back my lovelies for another & also the last review episode of 2023 as we have since landed in 2024. Oh, how the time does fly

A Let's Review 2024 series will NOT be happening due to reasons; listen to episode for the tea. Holding out hope for other things to publish soon though, so don't despair

✨Shoutouts to people, celebs & other franchises referenced: once again the great #HannahGadsby, #Nanette, the movie Ten Inch Hero #JensenAckles teaching men how to MEN and is fkn funny while he does it (as always💚), as well as the educational Your Body Is Your Own special by Nizar El Manouzi (it has EN subbies) on how to talk to your kids about #BOUNDARIES

Once again, ⚠WARNING for war crimes, (child) sexual abuse, discrimination & #ableism #disability where #exploitation seems to be encouraged & enabled.

VIVA LA REVOLUTION my peepz! The Age of Aquarius is upon is with Pluto moving into Aquarius, so prepare to be entertained!

Go to our Linktree https://linktr.ee/lets.review.with.layla.and.you @letsreview.withlayla.andyou for the discussed links & Instagram https://www.instagram.com/letsreview.withlayla.andyou/ for the created content surrounding all the things we talk about here.

👉For more review episodes come find us on Instagram, Spotify, or RSS community @ 🎤Let’s Review with Layla & You🎧

NOTE: @ RSS community all #podcast episodes include a #transcript! 📃

Join in for some CELEBRATORY SHARING🔹 & 🔹CARING🔹 and to help do some much needed poking to all things in need of a stiff one 👉😏

Hope to see you there🔥

“Bloodlines” is another one of those Teal’c-centered Stargate SG-1 episodes that cuts straight to the bone.

In this review, I revisit the episode that takes Teal’c back to Chulak, showing us the life he left behind and the cost of walking away from the belief systems he was raised in. We meet the family he left behind: his son Rya’c, his wife Drey’auc, and his mentor Bra’tac. This is where his story stops being just about turning on Apophis and becomes something much more raw; fatherhood, legacy, and confronting generational trauma head-on.

Along the way, I get into family trauma, cycle-breaking, and why this episode still hits so hard, especially for people like me who have had to walk away from the people and patterns that shaped us, knowing that walking away is only the beginning of the healing journey.

🎵 credit goes to "Emotional Mess" by Amy Lynn & the Honey Men

Hi my lovelies,

Brief update to share what we're up to and what to expect in the upcoming weeks.

Keep close eye on our Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/letsreview.withlayla.andyou/ as well for additional content & updates

Hope to see y'all soon!