Entertainment
Sci-Fi's Best Ever Anniversary Episode Mocks Its Own Series
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Comedy is hard to do right. Miss the mark and the audience is laughing at you, not with you, or even worse, not laughing at all. Stargate SG-1 is one of the rare long-running sci-fi shows that managed to find a balance between the comedic and dramatic.
“Wormhole X-Treme!” celebrated 100 episodes on September 8, 2001, by making fun of the show itself, with the backstage crew getting a chance to be on camera as Stargate Command investigates a new show that’s a little too close to the Stargate Program. It’s a fun, light-hearted celebration of everything that fans loved about the series, and it was crammed with jokes and inside references,s resulting in one of the all-time greatest episodes of any sci-fi series.
Wormhole X-Treme Is Everything Great About Sci-Fi
The actual plot of “Wormhole X-Treme!” centers on the returning Martin Lloyd (played perfectly by the late Willie Garson), a humanoid alien who stayed behind on Earth following the events of Season 4’s “Point of No Return,” and again, he’s lost his memory. Martin is seemingly trying to piece together his missing memories by working as a consultant for the low-budget series Wormhole X-Treme.
Jack O’Neil (Richard Dean Anderson) is sent to the Vancouver studio to investigate what’s going on when a ship appears near Earth bearing the same energy signature as Martin’s species. That’s the loose plot excuse of Stargate SG-1’s 100th episode celebration, which was elevated to greatness by everything else going on.
“Wormhole X-Treme” is a love letter to Stargate SG-1, even if, as the episode reminds fans, there’s a lot that never made sense and plotlines that ended up going nowhere. The best reference is to the phallic Zaknitel sidearm, or “Zat” which functioned as follows: One shot stuns, two shots kill, three shots make it go away. Finally, thanks to the crew of “Wormhole X-Treme” someone gets to say, “that’s stupid.” It was. No one knew how long a victim would be stunned; no one knew the timeframe that “reset” the counter. It was a stupid weapon, and thankfully, someone finally said it.
One of the best meta jokes comes from the studio president providing a note that Wormhole X-Treme needs a sexy female alien. It’s delivered by Hank Cohen, the actual president of MGM Television at the time, and the same person who made that suggestion. Thanks to him, Stargate SG-1 added Anise (played by Vanessa Angel) to the cast, and just as quickly, the Tok’ra archaeologist was removed when the show’s ratings remained unchanged.
The end of the episode featured the cast of Wormhole X-Treme, and includes what may be the best line in the entire franchise, thanks to the many layers it includes: “I’m Christian Bocher. I’m portraying the character of Raymond Gunne, who portrays the character of Dr. Levant, which is based on the character Daniel Jackson, portrayed by the actor Michael Shanks, originally portrayed by the actor James Spader…in the feature film.”
A Major Syndication Milestone
Making it to 100 episodes was a major milestone for shows back in the days of syndication. 100 was the minimum number of episodes required to qualify for syndication, which allowed the studio to make major profits. Stargate SG-1 started on syndication thanks to Showtime, but reaching 100 episodes proved it was a hit series, and no one could have imagined it would keep defying the odds and reach another 100.
“200” brought back Martin Lloyd and featured the crew pitching their ideas for a sci-fi movie, including Vala’s suggestion that sounds suspiciously like Farscape. By then, both Claudia Black and Ben Browder were part of the SG-1 cast, making it another brilliant meta joke and proving that even 200 episodes in, the writing room had more ideas than they knew what to do with.
Stargate SG-1 remains beloved by fans 25 years after “Wormhole X-Treme” first aired. Since then, there have been two well-received spin-offs, tv movies, and a new series in the works from Amazon. Will the new show make it to 100 episodes? No, no it won’t, but if it has even a fraction of the lasting impact of the original run, it will be another sci-fi success.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on February 9
Tonight marks the Third Quarter Moon, halfway between full and new. We see exactly half of the Moon lit up, with illumination on the left-hand side. So, there’s around a 50% chance of spotting some features on the Moon’s surface, what can you see?
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Monday, Feb. 9, the Moon phase is Third Quarter. According to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, 652% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
But what can you see? With no visual aids, you should be able to see the Mare Imbrium, Copernicus Crater, and the Aristarchus Plateau. With binoculars, you’ll also be able to see Clavius, and the Archimedes Craters, and the Grimaldi Basin. If you have a telescope, you’ll also be able to see the Apollo 14 landing spot, the Schiller Crater, and the Rima Ariadaeus.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will be on March 3.
What are Moon phases?
NASA says that a complete lunar cycle takes around 29.5 days. This is the time the Moon needs to orbit Earth once. During this cycle, it goes through eight phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, the visible portion that is illuminated changes as the Moon travels along its orbit. The varying amount of sunlight reflected off the Moon is what causes it to appear fully lit, partially lit, or nearly dark at different stages. The eight phases of the Moon are:
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Entertainment
Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac and PC gets smarter with AI, now 60% off
TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC is on sale for $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, offering 60% off Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.
$99.97
$249.99
Save $150.02
If your work revolves around documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email, Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings those core tools together with updated features designed to keep everyday tasks moving efficiently. The lifetime license for Mac or PC is priced at $99.97, representing a 60% discount off the regular price, and ends on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Included are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook — the familiar lineup, installed directly on your device for both online and offline use. Office 2024 brings performance improvements across the whole software. In Excel, for example, working with large datasets or handling multiple workbooks is quicker and more reliable. For anyone who routinely works with numbers or builds reports, this added speed can make daily tasks less tedious.
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Content creation tools have also been refreshed. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice narration, video, and closed captions, which is a plus for remote meetings, online classes, or sharing presentations after the fact. Word adds Focus Mode to help reduce distractions as you write, alongside AI-powered suggestions to sharpen up your prose. Built-in research features keep citations and references at your fingertips, so you can stay in the zone without switching tabs.
Microsoft’s Fluent Design system brings Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook a cohesive look and feel. Touch and pen support is now smoother on tablets and convertibles, and customizable templates and themes make it easy to create polished work without a designer’s eye.
Collaboration tools are built in as well. Real-time co-authoring allows multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously, with chat, comments, and version history helping track changes and feedback. Deeper integration with Microsoft Teams centralizes file sharing and communication within the Office environment.
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Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business is designed for users who already rely on Microsoft’s core apps and want updated features without changing how they work. For $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, the current deal makes it easier to step into the latest version at a lower cost, especially if those tools are already part of your daily routine.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Super Bowl LX performers: Who is singing the anthems
The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl pre-show featuring Green Day may be taking up all the attention when it comes to Super Bowl performances — and rightfully so! Everyone is looking forward to what the internationally known artists will do or say regarding President Trump and ICE.
However, other musical artists are performing at this year’s Super Bowl as well.
Charlie Puth to sing national anthem
Kicking the show off with the U.S. national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the Grammy-nominated singer Charlie Puth. Puth’s debut single, “Marvin Gaye,” featuring Meghan Trainor, was a Billboard chart hit upon its 2015 release. Puth has since had other hits, including “We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez),” “Attention,” and “Nothing But Trouble.”
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Brandi Carlile to perform patriotic song
Next up, singing “America the Beautiful” is singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Carlile has a whopping 11 Grammys and two Emmy awards. Her biggest hit was 2007’s “The Story,” but she is also known for songs like “Broken Horses” and “The Joke.”
Coco Jones to sing Black national anthem
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has become a Super Bowl staple since 2021, when Alicia Keys performed it at the event. Singer and actress Ledisi performed the song at last year’s game.
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on February 9
Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac and PC gets smarter with AI, now 60% off
