I never saw the "Stargate" movie, never got hooked on the TV spinoff, "Stargate SG-1" -- or its spinoff, "Stargate Atlantis" -- but with "SG-1" undergoing a reset that includes the addition of "Farscape" stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black, I was willing to give it a shot.

		'Stargate SG-1' When: 8 p.m. Friday on Sci Fi Channel.

Friday's ninth season premiere features a cameo appearance by former series regular Richard Dean Anderson and also introduces Beau Bridges as the new head to Stargate Command.

To my pleasant surprise, "Stargate SG-1" proved to be a more lighthearted, jokier sci-fi/military-themed show than I expected with well-drawn characters. But the plots ... oh, the plots. The first two episodes featured goofy fantasy plots -- Treasure hunting in booby-trapped ruins! Discovering King Arthur's sword, Excalibur! -- the kind that make science fiction seem silly and immature.

Browder, who's introduced as new Stargate team leader Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, begins the episode playing a seemingly different character than his John Crichton on "Farscape," but by the end of the hour he's hamming it up, frat-boy style, yet again. Then he's virtually missing from next week's episode (so much for establishing a new character).

Black plays a much different role than she did on "Farscape" ("SG-1" offers two nods to fans familiar with "Farscape"), slinking around as Vala Mal Doran, a mischief-making thief who caught the eye of Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) in an episode last season.

"Stargate" fans may resent the presence of these newcomers, and "Farscape" fans are unlikely to be impressed by the show's weak stories. Save your time; watch the far superior "Battlestar Galactica" at 10 p.m. instead.