Every good TV series has a bad episode, and Stargate SG-1 demonstrated that it was very aware of its own weakest link. The science fiction series is a cult classic and has inspired several spinoff series and films since it concluded in 2006. It contains all the campy charm of the genre. Parasitic aliens, logic-missing instantaneous space travel, and several instances of characters dying and coming back to life again are all just part of the allure. However, just like any cheesy sci-fi, Stargate SG-1‘s premise could hit or miss, and one particular episode is notorious among fans as a solid miss—and the series knew it.
Stargate SG-1 first aired on the Showtime network (before it moved to the Syfy Channel), so early episodes had a significantly higher maturity rating than those that came later. This resulted in some of the most criticized episodes of the series, including season 1, episode 14, “Hathor.” In this episode, the titular Goa’uld was revealed to be a seductress who could enslave men (including the central Stargate SG-1 characters) with pheromones she emitted through her mouth. She used this skill for various purposes—most disturbingly, to have sex with them. It was truly terrible, and later episodes of Stargate SG-1 revealed that the writers knew they had gone wrong.
Stargate SG-1 Season 7 Mocked Season 1’s Worst Episode
Thankfully, Stargate SG-1 got much better after “Hathor,” and though it embraced all the cheesy features that have always drawn audiences to science fiction, it did so in a far less problematic way. Years later, Hathor’s moment in season 1 has become something that fans can collectively roll their eyes over—and as it turns out, Stargate SG-1‘s writers felt the same.
In Stargate SG-1‘s season 7, episode 17, “Heroes, Part 1,” Dr. Janet Fraiser mentioned the “whole Hathor incident, which we were never supposed to speak of again.” The characters quickly moved past this mention of the series’ worst-ever villain and episode, but to audiences who remembered, this was a hilarious callout of Stargate‘s biggest mistake. Frasier acknowledged that “Hathor” hadn’t been Stargate SG-1‘s best moment.
Why Stargate SG-1’s “Hathor” Episode Was So Bad
As one of the few female villains throughout Stargate SG-1‘s 10 seasons, Hathor could have been something special. Instead, she was a bizarre and problematic monster who left everyone—characters and audiences alike—wondering what in the universe had just happened. The ‘goddess’ placed Jack and Daniel under her will, sexually assaulted the former and turned the latter into a Jaffa, and then gave birth to a bubbling pool full of wriggling Goa’uld larvae. Altogether, it was just disgusting and deeply disturbing.
Though many TV series and movies from the ’90s and early 2000s are labeled as problematic by modern society, Stargate SG-1‘s “Hathor” is an episode that clearly deserves it. By the end of the episode, the characters acted as if an alien taking control of a man and having sex with him was comical and something Daniel deserved to be teased for. Needless to say, this concept wouldn’t fly for today’s audiences. Ultimately, the fact that this is still considered Stargate SG-1‘s worst episode—even by the series itself—proves that it was barely acceptable back in the day.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
