Category: SG-1

An attempt to open the SGC gate is halted before transit can occur due to an unusual security concern – the ID code used to open the gate is Carter’s, but it’s also four months out of date. When a MALP is sent through to investigate, what it finds on the other side is Carter – a Replicator Carter created by Fifth. The Replicator Carter claims that she has escaped Fifth’s control and has come to warn her human counterpart of a new breed of Replicator immune to the disruptor, and Carter decides to let her through. Once on the base, the Replicator shares with Carter her memories of Fifth’s torturous indoctrination sessions, forcing the Carter clone to kill her teammates in holographic simulations. Carter warily trusts the Replicator to help find a way to destroy the almost-undetectable human Replicators, but Teal’c and O’Neill aren’t so confident. And while the Carter clone does help to fend off the Replicator ship on a heading for Earth, it turns out that the skepticism about her mission and motives wasn’t entirely unjustified.

written by Peter DeLuise
directed by William Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Patrick Currie (Fifth), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Dan Shea (Sgt. Siler)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Daniel has been ready to join the Prometheus mission to Atlantis for some time, but O’Neill flatly refuses to let him go, insisting that he needs Daniel at the SGC. But both of them are surprised when General Hammond pays a surprise visit and makes it very clear that the decision has been taken out of O’Neill’s hands: Daniel will be joining the Atlantis mission, at the insistence of the Prometheus’ commander…who just happens to be Hammond himself. Between the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, the Promtheus picks up a distress call, supposedly from a human, and responds, finding a Goa’uld ship instead. Once many of the crew are aboard the other ship as a landing party, Prometheus is ripe for a takeover. A single supersoldier takes the Prometheus easily, but Daniel manages to remain aboard, discovering that the armed hijacker is a con artist named Vala Mal Doran. Daniel retakes the Prometheus, but Vala has locked the ship’s controls on a heading of her own – she was hoping the Prometheus’ firepower would look convincing enough to help her conduct a shady deal for a shipment of naquadah. Even with Vala in the brig, Daniel is left with little choice but to conduct the deal himself. Vala insists that her help will be needed, and when the deal turns out to be a disastrous double-cross, even her help may not be enough.

written by Damian Kindler
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Claudia Black (Vala), Don S. Davis (General Hammond), Ellie Harvie (Dr. Novak), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Eric Breker (Colonel Reynolds), Morris Chapdelaine (Tenat), Christopher Pearce (Hayworth), Geoff Bidemap (Alien), Dan Payne (Super Soldier)

Notes: Claudia Black portrayed Officer Aeryn Sun for all four years of Farscape, as well as the concluding miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. The first broadcast of this episode came just a few weeks after the announcement that Black’s former Farscape co-star, Ben Browder, would be joining SG-1’s regular cast in the ninth season. Black also returned to the character of Vala in several episodes of season 9, eventually joining the regular cast in season 10. Ellie Harvie’s Dr. Novak resurfaces on Atlantis after joining the crew of the Daedalus full-time.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

As the influence of the System Lords spreads, the Tok’ra advise Earth to evacuate some of their least-defended planets. When SG-1 arrives at one of these worlds, however, they’re not exactly greeted with open arms – in fact, they’re captured and taken to the locals’ king. That king, however, turns out to be Harry Maybourne, the team’s old adversary from NID. Maybourne has achieved his new status by deciphering the runes on a nearby obelisk, which appear to predict future events – and naturally, after making a few accurate “predictions” based on his translations, Maybourne was elevated to royalty by the locals. Daniel does some deciphering of his own, and what he discovers leads the team to a timeship that once belonged to the Ancients. Even more troubling is a rune that Maybourne has already managed to read – a rune indicating that an imminent Goa’uld attack could overrun the planet and its people. O’Neill arrives to assess the situation, and decides that the timeship should be destroyed and the people – including their “king” – evacuated. But the Goa’uld arrive ahead of schedule, and they learn of the obelisk from one of Maybourne’s subjects, leading them to the timeship. O’Neill and Carter get the ship spaceborne in a hurry, forcing Daniel and Teal’c – and Maybourne – to fend for themselves.

story by Michael Greenburg & Peter DeLuise and Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
teleplay by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
directed by William Gereghty
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Wayne Brady (Trelak), Tom McBeath (Harry Maybourne), Melanie Blackwell (Servant), Robert Bruce (Local), Zak Church (Local)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Kinsey comes to O’Neill with a warning about two threats: the Trust, and the increasingly suspicious Russian government. He warns that Russia feels that the United States isn’t holding up its end of the technology and information-sharing agreement that brought a new stargate to the SGC after the destruction of the original. And the Trust wants to meet with Kinsey, which is suspicious at best after his hasty expulsion from the organization. O’Neill isn’t exactly receptive to Kinsey’s plea for help, and instead intends to send him to meet with the Trust – fully wired for surveillance. Moments into the meeting, the signal is jammed, and before Colonel Carter and the rest of SG-1 can intervene and save Kinsey, he and the agents of the Trust vanish. Colonel Chekov arrives from Russia to try to negotiate with O’Neill, bringing news that the Russians believe the senior officials of America’s government have become Goa’uld hosts. Teal’c is assigned to the Promtheus, which lifts off to patrol near-Earth space for any sign of an imminent attack, while Daniel is sent to Russia to try to negotiate with their government. But when Daniel uncovers signs that the Russian President may be a Goa’uld host, mutual distrust escalates dangerously between the two countries – along with the level of military alert on both sides.

written by Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Francoise Robertson (Captain Veronakova), Garry Chalk (Colonel Chekov), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Ronny Cox (Kinsey), Lucas Wolf (Jennings), Barclay Hope (Colonel Pendergrast), Chelah Horsdal (Comm. Officer), Mike Dopud (Colonel Chernovshev), Joey Aresco (Mr. Parker), Hiro Kanagawa (Mr. Wayne), Allan Gray (Mr. Kent), Dmitry Chepovetsky (Russian Soldier)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

An armed man barges into O’Neill’s home, accusing him of ruining his life. Seven years ago, this small-town barber picked up a mysterious object at a yard sale, an item which gave him vivid, recurring visions of SG-1’s exploits. Joe tells his son bedtime stories about Colonel Jack O’Neill, Teal’c and their comrades, and tells his customers at the barber shop an endless series of tales too. Finally, at his wife’s somewhat irritated urging, he begins writing these stories down and submitting them to science fiction magazines. When he sees the premiere of a new TV show called “Wormhole X-Treme,” Joe sues the show’s producers for stealing his ideas, but nothing comes of it and the show is cancelled after one episode. Joe continues his compulsive writing until his family leaves him and he loses his shop and his home. Now Joe wants his life back – not that anyone can figure out how to do this without blowing the SGC’s cover.

teleplay by Damian Kindler
story by Robert C. Cooper
excerpts written by Robert C. Cooper, James Crocker, Peter DeLuise, Jonathan Glassner, V.C. James, Damian Kindler, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie and Brad Wright
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Dan Castellaneta (Joe Spencer), Deborah Theaker (Charlene), Eric Keenleyside (?), Louis Chirillo (Bert Simmons), Chad Krowchuk (Gordie Lowe), Alex Ferris (Andy), Mark Hansen (older Andy), Andy Thompson (Calvin), Beatrice Zeilinger (Cindy)

Note: Dan Castellaneta is best known for providing the voice of Homer Simpson, patriarch of the animated series “The Simpsons,” of which O’Neill is apparently a fan.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

In deep space, Baal makes a power play for dominion of the entire Goa’uld race, offering the other System Lords their continued survival in exchange for their capitulation. Baal’s representative attempts to demonstrate his power by presenting the other System Lords with a prisoner – Captain Samantha Carter – but what they don’t know is that this is the Replicators’ clone of Carter, though she makes her true nature known quickly enough.

Aboard the flagship of the rebel Jaffa fleet, Daniel and Carter are acting as observers as Teal’c and Bra’tac prepare to launch their strike on the System Lords, but another Goa’uld ship emerges from hyperspace and fires on them. Replicators board the ship, and just as they prepare to abandon it to the boarding party, Daniel disappears in a flash of light, taken prisoner by the Replicators. Back on Earth, Carter begins working on a new way to disrupt the Replicators, with Thor’s help. Carter’s father reappears, with news from the Tok’ra: the Replicators have launched an all-out, galaxy-wide assault on the Goa’uld, and in the face of the overwhelming odds, rebel Jaffa are renouncing their quest for freedom and seeking the safety of the System Lords again.

Teal’c and Bra’tac convince O’Neill to give his blessing to a new strategy. With Baal’s forces spread thin, battling a Replicator-controlled fleet, the remaining rebel Jaffa will launch a new strike to take the Temple of Dakara, the symbolic seat of Goa’uld power. As Baal struggles to regain control of the situation, Anubis abandons his damaged body and takes on a new host, assuming control of the Goa’uld forces personally. And aboard a Replicator ship, the clone Carter begins her interrogation of Daniel Jackson, uncovering faint memories of an Ancient weapon that could still destroy the Replicators. And this weapon is buried on the Goa’uld world of Dakara.

written by Damian Kindler
directed by Peter DeLuise
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Tony Amendola (Bra’tac), Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter / Selmak), Cliff Simon (Baal), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Samantha Banton (Goa’ud Lieutenant), Mel Harris (Oma Desala), Isaac Hayes (Tolok), Jeff Judge (Aron), Dean Aylesworth (Old Anubis), Rik Kiviaho (New Anubis), Vince Crestejo (Yu), Kevan Ohtsji (Yu’s First Prime), Emy Aneke (Baal’s Jaffa)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The race is on to Dakara. Carter and her father join Teal’c and Bra’tac, where they make a shaky start on deciphering the writing on the temple that the Jaffa freedom fighters have taken over. Anubis has sent Baal and his fleet to retake the temple and end the Jaffa rebellion. And using the knowledge that the clone Carter has ripped from Daniel’s mind, the Replicators are converging on Dakara to destroy an Ancient weapon which could seal their doom. When Carter and her father manage to awaken the Ancient technology, they set about try to figure out how to make it do precisely that.

Replicators open the stargate at the SGC and quickly overrun the gate room. O’Neill seals the mountain and orders all hands to evacuate, and begins preparations to reduce Cheyenne Mountain to a smoking hole in the ground rather than allowing the Replicators to seize it. Over Dakara, three fleets engage in a pitched battle – the Jaffa rebel fleet, Baal’s forces, and Replicator-controlled Goa’uld ships. Carter manages to strike a brief truce with Baal, assuring him that the Jaffa and Goa’uld forces should join up to hold the Replicators away from Dakara. Just after a huge Replicator lander takes up a position just outside the Temple of Dakara, all of the Replicators across the galaxy freeze up: Daniel has managed to to turn his interrogation against his captors, turning the tide of battle even though it will cost him his life.

written by Damian Kindler
excerpt written by Robert C. Cooper
directed by Peter DeLuise
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter / Selmak), Tony Amendola (Bra’tac), Cliff Simon (Baal), Erik Breker (Colonel Reynolds), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Isaac Hayes (Tolok), Jeff Judge (Aron), Dan Shea (Sgt. Siler), Emy Aneke (Baal’s Jaffa)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

In the wake of the successful Jaffa revolution and the final destruction of the Replicators, Teal’c and Bra’tac are honored as heroes, but the Jaffa retain control of the Ancients’ weapon on Dakara. Teal’c and Bra’tac reluctantly contemplate their future as leaders of a new Jaffa government even as the rebel Jaffa fleet sets off to pursue Anubis’ forces. Daniel finds himself in a limbo that curiously resembles a diner, and Oma is there too, though she isn’t exactly forthcoming with any details of whether Daniel is closer to life or death. The only other person in the diner who will pay Daniel any heed is a garrolous patron who seems to be almost too eager to tell Daniel what’s happening – particularly with regard to a ruse that Anubis has used to lure the Jaffa into a trap. And at the SGC, Carter’s father reveals that his symbiont’s imminent death will mean his own – and urges Carter to seek out happiness before she, too, is facing down her own mortality.

written by Robert C. Cooper
excerpts written by Damian Kindler
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Isaac Hayes (Tolok), Mel Harris (Oma Desala), George Dzundza (Jim), Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter), Tony Amendola (Bra’tac), David DeLuise (Pete Shanahan), Clare Carey (Kerry Johnson), Gary Jones (Chief Sgt. Walter Harriman), Cliff Simon (Baal), Rik Kiviaho (Anubis)

Notes: Two versions of this episode exist, the 90-minute version originally broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel, and a one-hour version prepared for syndicated broadcast; the first copies of the Season 8 DVD boxed set mistakenly included the syndicated version rather than the full original episode.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

An English teacher named Daniel Jackson – fallen from favor in his career as a linguist and archaeologist – is summoned to a top-secret facility at Cheyenne Mountain, as is a junior government aeronautics employee named Samantha Carter. Once they sign confidentiality agreements, a man named General Hammond finally reveals why they’ve been brought there: an archaeological expedition in Egypt made an unusual discovery – an intact camcorder containing an intact tape. The tape shows Jackson and Carter, but radically different from the sheltered, routine lives they live now. On the videotape, Daniel Jackson claims to be a member of an elite team called SG-1 which travels through a device called the stargate; he also says that a timeship carried them into Earth’s past on a risky mission recover an alien artifact called a zero point module. Also on the tape is Jack O’Neill, a retired Air Force general, and a hulking humanoid alien named Teal’c. Apparently, the taped message was left in the event that the mission failed, resulting in radical changes to the timeline. The expedition also uncovered the time travel vehicle mentioned in the tape, which O’Neill supposedly has a unique ability to control. With no experience, and highly skeptical of what they’ve been told, it’s now up to this unlikely handful of adventurers to restore what may – or may not be – Earth’s real history.

teleplay by Jospeh Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
story by Jospeh Mallozzi & Paul Mullie & Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
directed by Peter Deluise
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: David Hewlett (Rodney McKay), Don S. Davis (General Hammond), Robert Wisden (Major Samuels), Colin Cunningham (Major Davis), David Lewis (Cameron Balinsky), James Purcell (Dr. Hersfield), Alessandro Juliani (Katep), Georgia Craig (Sabrina), Jay Williams (Ra), Benjamin Easterday (Ra’s Jaffa Commander), Neil Schell (Mr. Crandall)

Notes: Though he has appeared in Stargate SG-1 before, this was guest star Alessandro Juliani’s first appearance in the series since becoming a regular on Sci-Fi Channel’s new version of Battlestar Galactica.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Daniel solves the riddle contained in his chamber, allowing him to escape with Vala and provide Mitchell the hint that lets him solve his own puzzle. Having passed this test, Mitchell removes the sword from the stone – at which point an energy construct of a knight forms and begins dueling the colonel. Teal’c attempts to come to Mitchell’s aid, but the sword passes through his hands – no one else can wield it. The knight gets the best of Mitchell, but when Teal’c attempts to lift him up in order to evacuate him, Mitchell recalls his rehabilitation and refuses to surrender until his enemy is vanquished. The chamber itself then begins to crumble, until Mitchell returns everything to its rightful place and the treasure of Avalon appears.

In addition to the usual gold and buried loot, the vault includes an old text which suggests that the race that evolved into the Ancients was once called the Alterans, and traveled to Earth from a distant world. The team also finds an Ancient device which appears to work with the communication stones such as those that once linked Jack O’Neill’s consciousness with another man. Daniel theorizes that when used with the new device, the stones might allow someone to contact the original home world of the Ancients’ forebearers. He and Vala place the two stones into the device and quickly fall unconscious. Dr. Lam, the SGC’s new chief doctor, reports to General Landry that the two appear to be in something resembling a dream state. When Landry asks the doctor how she’s adjusting to her new position, she admits that it takes some getting used to – even moreso because it involves serving under Landry.

Teal’c returns to Dakara to find that a Jaffa named Gerak is close to cementing his hold on the High Council. Teal’c’s friend Rak’nor wonders why he continues to risk losing his influence by spending so much time with the humans. Teal’c responds that beyond his understanding that the humans played a major role in helping the Jaffa win their freedom, there is the strategic fact that knowledge of the Ancients proved vital in defeating the Goa’uld and the Replicators and will likely continue to be useful going forward. Whatever the merits of the argument might be, they aren’t enough to stop Gerak’s ascension to leadership.

In another galaxy, Daniel and Vala find that their consciousnesses now inhabit the bodies of a married couple, Harrid and Sallis, on a world whose technology and culture resemble medieval Earth – a far cry from their expectations. Their first instinct is to try to fit in to their surroundings, so they join their fellow villagers during a lengthy worship service to the native’s deities, the Ori. A fellow worshipper named Fannis invites them to a secret meeting in hushed tones – their first sign that their “hosts” are not ordinary villagers. Another comes when Vala finds two communications stones hidden in the bedroom. And yet another comes when Fannis shows up at their door, obviously worried about all their safety. Daniel and Vala explain the truth behind their strange behavior, and in turn Fannis explains that all three of them are members of a secret groups of researchers, looking for clues as to their people’s past and evidence that the sacred texts passed down by the Ori are not completely accurate. Daniel and Vala’s odd behavior has already begun to draw suspicion to them – and when Vala fails to observe the proper rituals, the situation quickly spirals out of control. Daniel must watch as Sallis is sentenced to trial by flames; as her body is consumed, the doctors at SGC are unable to save Vala’s physical body or retrieve her consciousness. But more powerful forces may yet intervene.

written by Robert C. Cooper
directed by Andy Mikita
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Claudia Black (Vala), Bill Dow (Dr. Lee), Lexa Doig (Dr. Lam), Obi Ndefo (Rak’nor), Stephen Park (Harrid), April Amber Telek (Sallis), Paul Moniz de Sa (Fannis), Greg Anderson (Administrator), Mark Houghton (Prior Or Ori), Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman), Silya Wiggens (Therapist), Brahm Taylor (Villager), Nick Harrison (Knight)

Notes: O’Neill and the SGC discovered the nature of the communications stones in the eighth-season episode Citizen Joe.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Vala’s rescuer reveals himself as a Prior of the Ori, and uses alabaster rings to bring her and Daniel to Celestis, a city in the sky. There Daniel has time to study the Book of Origin and attempt to convine the Prior that they’re explorers and not really in the market for a new belief system. The Prior appears to be more interested in the idea that there are more unbelievers where they came from. Daniel manages to arrange an audience with the Doci, the enahnced human who ranks above the Priors. There he realizes that like the Anicents, the Ori have ascended to a higher level of existance. Unlike the Ancients, they want to guide other races there. Rather forcefully, if necessary. The Ancients had apparently hidden the existence of life in our galaxy from the Ori. But thanks to Daniel and Vala’s visit, the veil has been lifted. And the Ori are determined that all will be rescued from evil and led to enlightenment – or destroyed, lest they corrupt others.

At Stargate Command, General Landry interrupts Mitchell’s vigil over Daniel and Vala to ask him to investigate a report from an Earth anthropologist of an unknown missionary appearing through the Stargate on another planet. Mitchell and Landry discuss their concerns that in the power vacuum left behind by the Goa’uld, unscrupulous individuals might try to take advantage of the situation. Similar concerns motivate Landry to invite Gerak to a conference on Earth. Teal’c agrees to relay the invitation and shares his misgivings about Gerak. The Jaffa asceneded to leadership of his troops after an ally of Bra’tac and Teal’c, who shared their vision of a democratic Jaffa nation, mysteriously disappeared. There is no evidence linking Gerak to the disappearance . . . but Teal’c can not help but wonder.

Mitchell assumes his best down-home manner and introduces himself to the missionary – another Prior. When he mentions Earth, the Prior responds with Daniel’s name, prompting Mitchell to bring the Prior back to SGC at the same time that Landry’s meeting with Gerak is going not altogether smoothly. The Jaffa requests the opportunity to meet and possibly challege this would-be prophet, as they are understandably leery of anyone claiming godhood.

Daniel and Vala are returned to their village, presumably to lead the Ori to other nonbelievers. Reluctant to do so, they must nonetheless try to find another Ancient communication device in order to warn Earth. They resolve to set off alone, but Fannis insits on helping them, despite the risks. They are able to make contact with Stargate Command, but only briefly – then the Prior and the townspeople arrive to recapture them. This time both Harrid and Sallis are sentenced to perish in the flames – and unless Mitchell and Teal’c can find a way to disrupt the connection, Daniel and Vala will share their fate.

written by Robert C. Cooper
directed by Brad Turner
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Claudia Black (Vala), Richard Dean Anderson (Maj. Gen. Jack O’Neill), Bill Dow (Dr. Lee), Lexa Doig (Dr. Lam), Louis Gossett, Jr. (Gerak); Gardiner Milla (Yat’yir), Mark Houghton (Prior Or Ori), Julian Sands (Doci), Larry Cedar (Prior #2), Paul Moniz De Sa (Fannis), Greg Anderson (Administrator), Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman), Stephen Park (Harrid), April Amber Telek (Sallis), Penelope Corrin (Dr. Lindsay)

Notes: This episode is considered the third part of a three-part episode, along with Avalon Parts 1 and 2.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Daniel sees Vala off from Stargate Command, relieved to be rid of a perpetual distraction. When he collapses soon after, Dr. Lam theorizes that he and Vala are still linked. With Dr. Lee unable to find a way to dissolve the bond, Daniel and Mitchell turn to Arlos Kadavam, the scientist from whom Vala originally stole the bracelets. He theorizes that a massive energy surge might have caused the link to persist even without the bracelets – such as that caused by the Ancient communications device. But he will only help break the link if Vala returns another item he stole – his mother’s necklace.

So begins a sequence of escalating deals. To get the necklace, Vala must return a power coil. To get the power coil, she must return a cargo vessel. To get the cargo vessel might be a bit trickier, as it’s in the hands of the Lucian Alliance, a group of smugglers attempting to make themselves a force to be reckoned with in the post-Goa’uld galaxy. Since Daniel and Vala ruined one deal with them, they’re not very likely to cooperate. In fact, they very much want Vala dead. And Gen. Landry is not inclined to provoke any kind of confrontation.

That is, until Vala sabotages a meeting with the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman that already wasn’t going well. With the Goa’uld and the Replicators no longer a threat, with the need to construct more ships like the Daedalus, and with the international community placing its full emphasis and backing on the civilian-led multinational Atlantis project, Stargate Command faces serious budget cuts and a curtailment of its exploration efforts. Frustrated by Vala’s impolitic comments, Landry permits Mitchell, Daniel, and a visiting Teal’c to try and steal the cargo ship right out from under the Alliance by offering them what they want – Daniel and Vala. It’s a plan just crazy enough to work – but will it get them the information they need?

written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
directed by Will Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Claudia Black (Vala), Bill Dow (Dr. Lee), Lexa Doig (Dr. Lam), Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman), Wallace Shawn (Arlos), Malcolm Scott (Caius), Michael P. Northey (Inago), Geoff Redknap (Jup), Eileen Peddy (Maj. Gibson), Bruce Gray (Sen. Fisher), Morris Chapdelaine (Tenat), Darren Moore (Vosh)

Notes: The prior deal with the Lucian Alliance referred to in this episode is Vala’s attempt to steal the Prometheus in season 8’s Prometheus Unbound.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer

Dozens of Priors have made contact with worlds across the galaxy, spreading the word of Origin. Vala urges Mitchell to take some kind of stand against the Ori, and has a particular planet in mind – a world where, she claims, the natives trust her. That gets Mitchell’s attention, and he gets Gen. Landry’s approval to bring Vala, Teal’c and Daniel with him to the planet. Once there, Vala impersonates Quetesh, the Goa’uld she once hosted. After the Tok’ra removed Quetesh from her, Vala used this planet as a base – it was sufficiently out of the way that it did not know Quetesh had been defeated, and continued to worship her as a god.

Vala’s real motive in returning to this world was to pick up some treasure she had been hoarding. But the others will not let her continue to dupe the natives – especially with the Ori already making inroads through displays of power and healing. Daniel convinces Vala to admit the truth, hoping that it will encourage skepticism. Instead, the betrayed natives sentence Vala to death. Mitchell is able to convince them to hold a maldoran instead – a judicial proceeding instituted by Vala herself. As Daniel mounts his defense and urges the natives to reject the Ori, a Prior enters the chamber. Daniel recognizes him as the town leader who oversaw Harrid and Sallis’s execution, now elevated by the Ori.

At Stargate Command, Landry and Lam have a tense exchange over lunch; Lam’s relationship with Landry, her father, has been strained for some time. She gets a distraction from her family problems when Mitchell reports that the natives have started to fall ill. Vala attempts to treat them with a Goa’uld healing device, but the villagers are falling faster than she can heal them. Lam brings a medical team to the planet, but is unable to find any way to stop the disease. Daniel and Teal’c note that it is similar to the plague that once afflicted the Ancients, and which the Stargate program encountered in Antarctica a few years ago. That knowledge, however, doesn’t stop villagers from dying, or Mitchell from becoming infected. Daniel and Vala use words and weapons to try and overcome the Prior, but it soon becomes clear that only a mass conversion will stem the tide of death.

written by Martin Gero
directed by Will Waring
music by Joel Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Claudia Black (Vala), Lexa Doig (Dr. Lam), Gary Jones (Sgt. Walter Harriman), Cam Chai (Azdak), Greg Anderson (Prior), Pablo Coffey (Vachna), Nicola Correia Damude (Play Vala), Matt Johnson (Play Warrior), Chad Hershler (Villager Aide), Michael Coleman (Med Tech)

Notes: The plague that afflicted the Ancients was discovered in season 6’s Frozen.

LogBook entry by Dave Thomer