Shell Game

Vala is the narrator for this second SG-1 audio story, which is set during the TV show's final season. That was the only one in which she was a core character and, for myself at least, that makes her less memorable than some of the other characters whose actors presumably weren't available. (Whereas, of course, Black is very memorable in Farscape, so this is by no means a dig at her). The supporting actor is Michael Shanks but this is very much Vala's story, and, following the usual format of the series, it's Black who does the voices for all the other characters who appear.

It's probably fair to describe this as a comedy, something that wasn't too common on the TV series that I recall (with the obvious exception of ‘Wormhole X-Treme') and so perhaps feels a little out of place. Having said that, it's not slapstick or one-note, and there is more to the story than the humorous elements - some of which are due to the desperate situation into which she gets herself, but many to her unreliability as a narrator and her tendency to overstate her accomplishments. As a one-hour story, it's slightly longer than a TV episode would be, but it doesn't feel that way and fits its allotted time slot perfectly.

How well you like this may depend on how much you like Vala, since most of the story takes place before she met the Stargate team, and so doesn't have the feel of a typical TV episode, more of a slightly mad crime caper. Having said which, it works on that level, and if you are a fan of Vala, this gets her personality spot on, and brings it centre-stage, so there's likely plenty to enjoy.