This episode is a lot of fun from the opening scene that brought a chill down my spine in an X-Files kind of way, to the ending that screams "to be continued" at the same volume as the ending of Empire Strikes Back. Along the way we are taken on a journey that is, at times, even more exciting and adventure filled than the originating movie. Plot developments feel like they stem from character choices, rather than the forced feel from some of the plot points in the movie.

This episode neatly sets up the premise of continuing adventures through the Stargate with the introduction of a room full of gates addresses; while also negating some of the more wild claims of the movie (a gate on the other side of the universe!), and grounding it all with a bit of science fact (a gate least affected by astral drift). Even Daniel Jackson's sneezing (a trait inherited from the movie) is put to good use as an identifier, and I'm glad that his sneezing disappears in subsequent episodes.

Children of the Gods opens with an electrifying scene that sets the tone of the series. It also sublimely introduces us to Apophis—my favourite villain in the Stargate universe—the threat and opportunity the Stargate presents, and the start of Teal'c's moral journey. The episode continues with the introduction of the new characters in the series, and a reintroduction of Jack O'Neill; giving us the gist of what he's been up to in the year or so between the movie and the TV show. While informing us on the whereabouts of his wife (or why she won't be appearing in the series), it also helps explain away the differences in the way Kurt Russel and Richard Dean Anderson portrayed the character (if the former was in deep depression just after his son died, the later is more or less back to normal).

Then the team is off to Abydos to find Daniel Jackson, in a quest to solve the mystery of where Apophis and his Jaffa guards came from. While there, we're reintroduced to some of the breathtaking visuals from the movie, and the way O'Neill outright ignores Jackson and shoves his way past to greet Skaara is amusingly spot on for the character.

We're then treated to a huge room full of gate addresses, hinting at the potentially huge scope of this series. Kudos for the writer who came up with the line of "2 to 3 gate addresses per month." Concurrently, Apophis shows up, and after a brief skirmish that shows us what the Goa'uld and the Jaffa must be like for the rest of the people in the galaxy, he abducts Skaara and Sha're—Jackson's wife.

Returning to Earth to lick their wounds, the team discovers that the people back on Earth have been busy—having installed an iris over the Stargate to prevent any other unwanted things from coming out of it. They also conclude that Ra is not the last of his race, and are assigned to the newly formed SG-1.

In hopes of rescuing Skaara and Sha're, SG-1 gates to Chulak (a name that always reminds me of Chilliwack—was the episode filmed there?), and we're given a glimpse of what life must be like for people under the Goa'uld. Before we know it, SG-1 is captured and thrown into prison with all the other people that Apophis abducted as potential hosts for the children of the Goa'uld subservient to him.

It is here that Teal'c makes his moral choice, and helps SG-1 rescue the abductees, while also killing the Jaffa under his command. I really liked the subtle development up to this point as it fits Teal'c's situation well (showing any signs of second thoughts would be a fatal career choice). However, the signs can be so subtle—especially if you're primed on the more breezy presentation of later episodes—they may be overlooked. It's also incongruous with the in-your-face presentation of Daniel's relationship with his wife Sha're.

While the episode frustratingly asks more questions than it answers, it does an excellent job of both reminding us of where it is coming from (the movie) and setting up the TV series. The show has aged well, as the only parts that feel dated are the cars in the outside establishing shots. As those are few and far between, it gives the episode a timeless feeling. I was also surprised at how technical the pseudo-scientific explanations of the hows and whys of the Stargate and its network were.

Alas, this episode is also notorious for a certain scene... we'll call it the Showcase Channel's creative addition to the series. As a young adult, it adds to the entertainment value of the episode, ramping up the tension in a way that is unachievable with fully clothed characters. However, as a parent, it—and the subsequent depiction of how a Goa'uld takes over a host—put this episode into the red zone. SG-1, especially the later episodes, and Atlantis, are great entertainment that a family can watch together. But this episode is not.

The episode's A story is about what happens to Major Kawalsky after being infected by a Goa'uld, and the B story is about how Teal'c is perceived and treated before being accepted into the SG-1 team. Along the way, we are introduced to the support staff at Stargate Command, get our first taste of the political confrontations that play a large part in the later developments of the series, and the broad strokes of who and what the Goa'uld and Jaffa are—making this episode a must see!

The emotional tension in this episode is strong, and genuinely earned. One highlight is the continuing attacks by the Gua'uld. While the iris over the gate blocks them all, the constant tension and continuous activation of the base self-destruct system greatly intensifies the claustrophobia of the episode. Not only is Teal'c incarceration causing frustration among all his new friends and allies, the entire base is also effectively trapped—with an alien saboteur in their midst—with no obvious way out of their current situation.

Also, by hiding the surgery on Kawalsky in a box and illustrating the basics of it with rudimentary graphics, they leave it up to the viewer's imagination—which is almost always better than any depiction with special effects. That has the added bonus of keeping the gore down, making this episode much more family friendly.

The title of the episode is also thought provoking. I got the impression that it has multiple meanings, like the title of the first "Alien" movie. Interestingly, the Japanese title for the episode is just that: Alien.

Despite the dark places that this episode hints at and the tragedy that it depicts, it is actually quite hopeful; giving us hope for the humans throughout the galaxy. And at the personal level, hope that Jackson can rescue Sha're (his wife), in all senses of the word.

The episode starts with the SG-1 team rescuing a boy from the warriors of a rival tribe. Before long, the SG-1 team is invited back to the boy's tribe. There, we get our first glimpse of the SG teams exploring the galaxy, the cultural barriers they have to overcome (thankfully the series completely ignores the language barrier), and how far the SG teams will go to overcome cultural differences. We also get the suggestion that even supposedly backwards people will have something worthwhile to offer in trade (in this case, new types of medicine). However, Carter is soon kidnapped and traded to a rival tribal leader.

I'd like to say that this is when the show takes off and really gets into exploring its great theme (refer to the title), however, the way it goes about itself is rather lacklustre. The episode just seems to take its time getting to where it's going, and doesn't ever really succeed in building tension. It also feels a bit too much like Star Trek; we got a classic Kirk knife fight against the villain of the week, and a debate about the Prime Directive. At least the SG-1 team is much quicker at pulling out their guns, and I don't think we ever saw attack dogs in Trek.

The theme of women's rights is respectable... but why did they decide to portray it as the clash between an "enlightened" North American Anglophone culture vs. a "backwards" East Asian nomadic culture? Why not grab the bull by the horns, and depict a white European culture repressing its women? I'm sure there are plenty of historical examples they could have mined for that. On the other hand, I did appreciate that the episode attempted to present perspectives from men on both sides of the spectrum in the supposedly backwards culture. ...and the boys in the SG-1 team ogling Carter when she is first dressed as a local does bring pause—was that a character building moment, or to show that our culture isn't as enlightened as we'd like to think? Or a little of both?

Nevertheless, Carter's actions are the highlight of the episode—if there was any doubt at this point in the series, it confirms that she can kick butt. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa also does a good job scenery chewing with what the script gives him. Alas, his character is only vilified, and isn't really given the opportunity to show more than the one side of his personality. Ultimately, this episode had plenty of missed opportunities for greatness, or for at least asking more thought provoking questions.

The SG-1 team joins forces with SG-3, and they gate to an address that is a partial match for the one that Apophis used when he fled Chulak in "Children of the Gods". They go in search of their missing loved ones (Sha're and Skaara), but are attacked by cave men (the Touched) living in a perpetually dark forest. They are helped by Bronze aged inhabitants (the Untouched) and taken to the perpetually light side of the planet.

Here, the episode starts asking intriguing questions (what does the bull symbolize in Minoan culture), but it frustratingly doesn't even attempt to answer them. Shortly after learning that the Gua'uld haven't been to the planet in ages, they return to Stargate Command (SGC). In the mission debriefing, we learn that the President has decided that the SG teams are to evaluate the scientific and cultural value of each planet they visit. Alas, it comes too late for the Minoan culture they just visited, as they soon learn that they've brought a "parasitic virus" back with them, and more and more people in the SGC are devolving into cavemen and women.

"Broca Divide" is a surprisingly thought provoking episode, full of interesting character nuggets, and has quite a few great scenes. The most surprising part was how logically constructed the pseudo-science behind the virus is. The de-evolution aspect of it is a nutty addition—but seeing most of the main characters go caveman at one point or another is a great payoff. Jackson's is probably the most silly, but Carter's mono-brow is right up there.

Even though there is some action in this episode, it is a quieter one, showing the SG teams exploring new worlds, and working together to solve problems. In the process, it does raise some ethical questions, as well as making some downright Trekkian observations on humanity. This episode also shows how much each team member relies on the others: we have Daniel Jackson being accosted by cavemen without Carter and O'Neill watching his back, and Teal'c failing at diplomacy without the other three. This in contrast to an earlier scene where Jackson and Teal'c are so mentally attuned that they basically complete each other's sentence.

This episode also marks the first appearance of Dr. Fraiser (named after the Fraser River?) The highlights of the episode are the performances by Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis. While Judge's impressive physical performance is used for laughs ("General, I'd prefer to not hurt this man."), Davis's serious performance has a gravitas that brings chills down the spine in addition to conveying the seriousness of the situation ("Well, sir, my recommendation is that anyone attempting to leave the mountain...").

The episode begins with two SG team members fleeing a group of armed primitives chasing them in a thick forest at night. One is incapacitated by a poison dart, and the other, Lt. Conner, activates the Stargate home. His incapacitated teammate implores Lt. Conner to go through the gate before being captured by the primitives. It turns out that the primitives are led by another pair of SG team members, and the leader, Captain Hanson, punishes the prisoner for attempting to run away. The SG-1 team subsequently embarks on a mission to the planet to investigate the missing SG team, and stop the renegade SG team leader.

The pre-credits sequence is definitely in the classic Robert C. Cooper style—it doesn't quite bring goosebumps like the opening sequence in "Children Of The Gods", but in its own way, it is much, much creepier. Oddly, the more primitive mud masks are more alarming than the "high-tech" snake masks of Apophis (perhaps due to the effects on the suspension of disbelieve between what is possible, and what looks... low budget.)

Alas, the pacing slows down considerably for the remainder of the episode. Nevertheless, it does provide some good visuals, and has one of the first creative non-travel uses of the Stargate.

The episode explores the stresses from the unique situations that the SG teams are put into—namely being treated as gods wherever they go—and the adverse affects that can have on a person. It underlines how heroic the SG-1 team members are, in that they remain mentally balanced despite the situations they're thrown into and the treatment they receive.

Highlights of the episode are the characters, and its nice to find out a bit more of Carter's back story. It's a shame that there wasn't any chemistry between Amanda Tapping and William Russ (Captain Hanson), despite the script calling for them to have been engaged at one point. Nevertheless, the episode also continues the indirect development of the Goa'uld, this time using a force field to block out the harsh UV that the planet is bombarded with—in itself an intriguing idea—and that they callously deactivated it when they lost interest in the planet's resources and abandoned their slaves there. And despite it being essentially a throwaway line, I really enjoyed the explanation for why almost every planet they visit looks like the Greater Vancouver environs!

The SG-1 arrives on a new planet, and are immediately confronted by perhaps their greatest challenge: a woman giving birth! After overcoming that challenge with both humour and seriousness, they get down to exploring. They meet a village of attractive—and young—people (the Chosen), who are more interested in partying then anything else. However, they all mysteriously fall asleep (and wake up) in unison at sunset (and sunrise), and age rapidly. In due order, the same thing begins happening to O'neill.

The background of the episode is that the villagers are part of an ongoing Goa'uld experiment on humans, to see where evolution takes us. However, the episode isn't about the results, but the tragedy of the people being experimented on, whose lives have been shortened to a mere 100 days! With that, Brief Candle is able to underscore how great the Goa'uld are as the villains of the series: they don't even show up, yet they still inspire revulsion and loathing with their callously inhumane treatment of their human 'worshippers'!

However, coming on the heels of The Broca Divide, the rapid aging of O'Neill makes this episode seem repetitive (didn't we just watch the team undergo a rapid physical change a couple of episodes back?). In many ways, Brief Candle has better pathos, a more sympathetic story, and a better emotional payoff. Though the extremely aged O'Neill grows a bit tiresome the more he appears—perhaps because Richard Dean Anderson plays it as a caricature of old people, as opposed to O'neill, old (compare to The Broca Divide, where he played it as O'neill struggling to overcome the caveman that he had changed into).

The best part of the episode is the banter between Jackson and Teal'c while talking about the writing on the monument during their investigation of the temple. I also liked how this episode gives everyone something to do, with good reasons why. Even the protests toward General Hammond when the team is ordered not to return to help O'neill is handled quite well. The location shooting on the beach is also extremely nostalgic for me (I spent many summers camping near similar beaches on the East coast of Vancouver Island), and it is a refreshingly unique vista in SG-1 and its sequels—I don't think they ever return there for filming.

Addendum: I'm reviewing this at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Due to that, there is a heightened awareness of virus control efforts. The actions of SGC, and especially General Hammond's strict response to contain and eliminate the virus despite the personal cost, rings true. I'm tempted to add 1/2 a star for the production team getting the disease prevention aspects right.

The SG-1 team investigate a yellow desert around a stargate and come across a group of broken blue crystals. Out of sight of the others, O'Neill touches a large crystal, and is sent flying backwards. Moments later, a doppelganger of O'Neill appears over O'Neill's unconscious body. This doppelganger responds to the calls of the others, and returns to Earth with them.

Back on Earth, the doppelganger goes through O'Neill's personal belongings and recalls O'Neill's memories of his life before the stargate—when he was happily married, with a son. The doppelganger than goes off to find O'Neill's ex-wife and son. In short order, the real O'Neill wakes up and returns through the stargate, to the surprise of the SGC.

This is the episode that delves into O'Neill's back story, informing us of his relationship with his now ex-wife, and how he still feels about her, and their son—who died after accidentally shooting himself with O'Neill's sidearm just before the events of the Stargate movie. While this episode is needed to complete O'Neill's story, its serious tone is oddly out of place in the SG1 TV series. While the topic is fascinating, the pacing of the show is also off; with slow, dramatic scenes between O'Neill and his ex-wife and her family; and light, humorous scenes of the rest of the SG1 team investigating the crystals that they brought back with them. Also, the musical score for this episode calls attention to itself in an unflattering way, instead of enhancing the emotional mood in many scenes.

I really liked the reaction of the SGC to the real O'Neill's return. The Stargate SG1 show has always struck the right balance between the cavalier joking of the main characters, and the seriousness of SGC. Don S. Davis really nails his performance as General Hammond, and gets the right balance between caution and confusion. Richard Dean Anderson also does an amazing performance, contrasting the visibly confused doppelganger as it processes O'Neill's memories and searches for his son—while not realizing he's dead because it doesn't understand what death is—with the no-nonsense yet cavalier real O'Neill. Through it, we get a sense that O'Neill is using humour to cover over and hide the deep emotional scars he carries.

I was disappointed with the lack of chemistry between Richard Dean Anderson and Harley Jane Kozak—who plays his ex-wife Sara in this episode. On the other hand, her reaction to the alien entity's final persona at the end of the episode is emotionally powerful.

Nevertheless, the yellow desert sequences are filmed in the giant sulphur piles in North Vancouver. So, seeing the SG1 team walking over them answered a childhood daydream of what it would be like. Now I just wonder about the smell...

It starts with Jackson suggesting that in myth, there are two types of gods: ones that cause trouble, and others who help people. He illustrates his theory with pictures of Thor wielding his hammer in battle. Teal'c says that he knows the hammer symbol—having been trained specifically to avoid the gate address where it is found. The SG-1 team is sent to investigate that address and search for potential allies.

Upon arriving, they are confronted with a stone obelisk with a hammer-shaped top, which hums to life and emits a beam of light that scans each team member. It ends on Teal'c, who starts yelling in pain. O'Neill leaps to push Teal'c out of the beam, but they both disappear.

Carter and Jackson meet the local villagers, who's leader—Gairwyn—takes them to Kendra. Kendra is the former host of a Goa'uld, who was freed when she arrived on the planet and was beamed into the maze where Teal'c and O'Neill are now trapped. While the host can escape the maze, any Goa'uld who attempts to, dies. Thus, Jackson is keenly interested in it, as it gives him the best hope he has of freeing his wife. However, they eventually learn that there is another monstrous Goa'uld living in that maze. One that even brings fear to Teal'c...

This episode was firing on all cylinders from the get go! All the characters were spot on, and I especially liked Galyn Görg's portrayal of Kendra. She gives the performance a lot of nuance—from the heavy burden of her actions while possessed by a Goa'uld, to her disdain of the Jaffa. And while Teal'c earns her trust and respect by the end of the episode, she still projects a cautious wariness towards him.

However, this episode is a must see for a whole other set of reasons: it sets up a lot of the themes, concepts, and races that come to define the Stargate TV shows in subsequent years. [spoiler warning] While the title gives away that it is about Thor, the episode reveals that his race is the Asgard, and that Thor is the "supreme commander of the Asgard fleet". In addition, the Asgard have negotiated some kind of treaty with the Goa'uld 'System Lords' to protect planets from the Goa'uld. On top of that, we get the assertion that the Goa'uld are just using the Stargates but they didn't make the network (thereby laying the foundation for the Ancients), AND that the first Goa'uld hosts weren't humans, but the Unas. And, none other than James Earl Jones is doing the voice of the Unas!

Perhaps the most powerful moment in the episode is when Jackson fires Teal'c's staff weapon to disable Thor's Hammer to save Teal'c—as disabling it means that he loses the way to safely free his wife from Goa'uld possession. Poweful stuff.

The episode starts with Jackson reviewing footage of recently declassified experiments with the stargate in 1945. Much to his surprise, the gate was activated, and someone went through. He sneaks off the base to talk with Catherine (the daughter of the archaeologist who discovered the stargate and person who brought Jackson into the Stargate Program) about the experiments. She reveals that she didn't know about the successful activation, and that she was told by her father that her fiance—Earnest—had died in an accident during an experiment (he was the person who went through it in 1945).

Jackson returns to the base with Catherine, much to General Hammond's chagrin. A mission to the gate address is quickly arranged to investigate what happened to Earnest.

While this episode is a little bit light on specifics, it answers some big questions, and starts filling out the background of the Stargate universe. For starters, we get a conclusion to Catherine's story—answering questions like what happened to her after the Stargate movie, and how she's involved with the new Stargate Program (she's not). We also get a glimpse into what happened between the discovery of the stargate in Egypt in 1928 and 'now' (1997).

Perhaps the biggest reveal is the confirmation that the Goa'uld are not the creators of the stargate network AND that there were four races working together in the distant past—and that we've already been introduced to one of them ("Thor's race").

However, that's not really what this episode is about. It's focused on the characters, and gives everyone something important to do. Perhaps the best part is how the mystery document (written in holographic atoms from the periodic table) sparked such a strong interest in Jackson that he was willing to risk his life to learn just a little bit of its secrets. In the process, the dialogue explains the meaning of the episode's title (something that should've also happened in "Cold Lazarus"), and a considerable amount of tension is introduced (will he or won't he listen to reason and leave before it's too late?)

What I really liked about this episode is the focus on the characters, and the little character reactions. E.g. Earnest's "More" reaction to Jackson's "I mean this could take a lifetime." Or Carter's, "Oh boy!" at a key moment. That's in addition to giving the characters a chance to explore and make new discoveries—one of the main elements in the Stargate series (the others being action and humour).

During experiments on Teal'c to test if a drug can replicate the health benefits the Goa'uld symbiote gives him, he has a fever dream about Rya'c—his son. The SG-1 team strongly urge General Hammond to authorize a mission to Chulak on the pretext of capturing a Goa'uld hatchling for Earth scientists to study, but Hammond refuses. Teal'c begins an attempt to forcibly make his way through the stargate, but it is resolved diplomatically during a tense standoff by Hammond, who authorizes the mission after learning about Teal'c having family there.

Upon arriving (and after sneaking past the guards at the gate), the SG-1 team go to Teal'c's former house, and find a burned ruin. On top of not knowing the fate of his wife and son, the symbol for traitor is graffitied on the remaining wall of the house. Here, we see Teal'c break down in grief, and we truly appreciate the scale of his sacrifice when he joined the humans in "Children of the Gods". Christopher Judge gets the performance just right—conveying depths in Teal'c's emotions that we haven't seen before, without going overboard into the melodramatic.

They meet Bra'tac—Teal'c's former teacher—who provokes and prods the fighting skills and tact of Teal'c's human friends, in a scene that underscores how wily and strategically minded Bra'tac is. There are also a few well-earned laughs when Teal'c and Bra'tac react literally to O'Neill's Earth-specific expressions. While the TV series forgoes the process of learning to speak the local language each week, this is a nice reminder that even though they speak the same language, they don't speak the same language.

The rest of the episode delves into the society and religion of the people living under Goa'uld control. The social hierarchy is intriguing, the Faustian bargain the Jaffa make is thought provoking, and it's fascinating that the episode starts from the very bottom—the social outcasts.

Two things stand out in this episode: the first being Bra'tac's total support of Teal'c—no matter what they may entail or end up costing. The second is the role reversal between O'Neill and Jackson. Usually Jackson is the one advocating for the preservation of life, diplomacy, and so on, but in this episode O'Neill is the preserver and Jackson is the life taker. Perhaps it is a reflection of how far Jackson will go to help Teal'c, and how much Jackson despises the Goa'uld?

SG-1 returns from a mission—soaking wet and missing 1 person—less than 4 hours after departing, claiming that Jackson died on the planet. Hammond starts ordering a mission to search for him, but the remaining SG-1 team members strenuously protest, claiming "ground instability" in the area were he was lost.

The SG-1 team is put into medical, where they display some odd signs. Initially it is described as shock, but as time passes, it seems that something else is going on. Before long, there is a full honour military funeral—the most fascinating part of the episode, as the producers apparently were able to arrange for a real US Air Force honour guard to perform the ceremony!

It's then revealed that Jackson isn't dead, and is in fact a prisoner of a squid man, erm, an alien named Nem, in an underwater base. Here we see Jackson and Nem learning each others' languages, in a kind of interrogation. Concurrently, the SG-1 team holds a wake at O'Neill's house (the highlight of the episode), were cracks in their story about Jackson's death begin to appear. Eventually Hammond orders the remaining team members to investigate the planet.

This episode is the low point in the season; perhaps the entire series. While the circumstances are probably as realistically portrayed as possible, it makes for some extremely dry TV. The episode never really builds any tension, and because of that, it is rather tedious to watch. In fact, it's the one episode that I remembered years and years later as the challenging one to sit through. While a lot of the practical effects are good, and there's a decent visual effect of Nem walking underwater, I wish they had used a different setup for the establishing shot of Nem's planet—something about it just highlights the episode's low budget.

The only intriguing angle is how the story ties mythical events—in this case Babylonian—into the SG world However, it's not enough to compensate for the lack of exposition on Nem's race. Perhaps it's for the better that we never meet Nem or his race again in any Stargate series.

A senior politician is being shown around Stargate Command, and he not so subtly warns that if the SG teams don't start bringing back advanced technology, their funding will get cut. Teal'c wisely suggests a planet that may have an invisibility technology—something that even the Goa'uld don't possess, and are actively trying to acquire.

They head to the planet and the Stargate promptly disappears on them, along with most of their equipment and—most importantly—their device to locate the Stargate again. As they spread out in search of the Stargate, they encounter a Jaffa scout team, led by none other than Apophis himself!

An ambush is hastily arranged, as they want to capture him for questioning. In the ensuing firefight, not only is it revealed that Apophis has some unexpected tricks up his sleeves, all of the human SG-1 team members are killed AND Teal'c mysteriously disappears moments before his final showdown with Apophis!

The dead team members wake up in what appears to be a prehistoric hut, and meet strange people that look like they have plants growing in their hair. They turn out to be the Nox, perhaps the most mysterious, and under-explored race in the entire run of the SG-1 TV series. The Nox are much more than they initially appear to be—as in addition to learning to speak English within minutes of first hearing it, they also have the power to restore life to the recently dead. On top of that, they also recovered one of Apophis's dead Jaffa guards, mistaking him as a brother of the SG-1 team, and he is in the process of reviving. Not to mention that Apophis is still on the planet, and the Stargate is still lost.

I liked the unexpected twists, turns, and revelations to this episode. I also think the nicest touch is that the Nox always pause before replying. Is it due to unfamiliarity with English (as they just learned it)? Are they carefully considering their words to not reveal too much? Or a bit of both?

While the episode ends up posing more questions then it answers, it does satisfyingly answer why the Nox have continued to allow the Goa'uld to keep coming to their planet, and why they basically disappear from the SG-1 TV series in later episodes and seasons. There are a number of standout sequences—Teal'c meeting a former protégé being one of the better ones. However, it's probably more than worth it just to see Armin Shimerman without any makeup prosthetics and in a role that is pretty much the opposite of Quark in Deep Space Nine.

Archaeologists excavating a pyramid in Central America open an unexplored room, and find an Egyptian sarcophagus. In the midst of their excitement gushing about Jackson's unorthodox theories (last seen in the initial movie), they open the sarcophagus, which revives the being inside. She calls herself Hathor, and immediately kills the archaeologists when she learns that they are not Goa'uld.

Flash forward however long it takes to send the sarcophagus to Stargate Command, and we see the SG-1 team examining the sarcophagus and pondering why it was sent to them. Shortly afterwards, Hathor arrives at the base's front gate, and is taken inside under the assumption that she is a 'crazy' person—as she claims that she was 'drawn to the stargate'.

The SG-1 team question her, and she begins taking control of the men one by one with some kind of mind-altering pheromone. It's soon revealed that she is a Gua'old queen (in the sense of queen bee), and intends to enslave the entire population of the Earth with her larval Goa'uld offspring. However, her drug only works on males, and it's up to the few women in Stargate Command to save the day. I do mean very few—while they don't go out and say it, it's implied that there aren't more than the 5 we see on camera!

Probably the best thing about this episode is that it gives everyone something meaty to do, and they all stay firmly in-character despite the nuttiness of what's happening around or to them. Even the male characters—who are all under the influence of a "libidinous" cocktail of drugs—still seem to be hesitant to respond to Hathor's orders or, in the case of Jackson, become catatonic because he appears to be full of regret and self disgust after having succumbed to one of Hathor's more pleasurable demands.

On the female side, we get to see scientific warrior Carter at a complete loss at how to get out of their predicament (especially after a military-style attack on Hathor fails), and Dr. Fraser being the one who suggests that they fight fire with fire. Note too, that while Carter goes along with the plan, she never plays the temptress, playing the muscle instead.

All in all, a fun episode with big stakes, a surprisingly believable way to incapacitate the men, and quite thought provoking about the gender balance (or the lack thereof) in the armed forces ("When was the last time you saw a new woman get assigned here?") This episode also appears to be the first instance of what becomes a running gag in the series: losing advanced technology minutes after acquiring it!

The SG-1 team gates to a world that is obviously inhabited—a large stone building and several food stalls are right in front of the gate—but there are no inhabitants. As they investigate, they are suddenly surrounded by crossbow-armed villagers. It's a tense filled moment until cooler heads can prevail, and O'Neill gets everyone to lower their weapons. That is until the villagers spot Teal'c, and their leader Hanno claims that Teal'c killed his father. Teal'c doesn't resist when he is taken prisoner, much to O'Neill's consternation.

What follows is an anything-but-typical courtroom drama. While we learn about the locals customs—and by extension, Earth's former customs (guilty until proven innocent)—the episode really digs deep into Teal'c's background as Apophis's First Prime, the guilt that he carries, and to what extremes his SG-1 teammates will go to get him out of trouble.

While the appearance of Apophis's Serpent Guards near the end may be a little too convenient for Hanno's inevitable change of heart, it gives us a chance to see just how much Teal'c has changed since joining the Earthlings. In addition, there's a neat tie-in to "The Nox", and a conclusion to Teal'c's rivalry with Shak'l—his replacement as Apophis's First Prime.

This episode has two stand-out scenes: O'Neill and Hammond arguing about the justifications both for and against sending military units to free Teal'c, and Teal'c's reaction when Hanno ultimately absolves him of his past nefarious deeds as First Prime.

Intriguingly is it Hanno's son who gives Teal'c the knife to free himself—both from his physical bonds, and from the Cor-ai punishment? I mention it because while the script and dialogue don't make it clear ("a child"), I doubt Hanno would entrust his sentencing wishes to anyone but family.

The SG-1 team head to a planet to watch a once-in-a-lifetime stellar eclipse by a black hole. Upon arrival, they discover that everyone—all the local villagers and the SG-7 team—have been killed by a mysterious infection. The sequence is macabre and quite disconcerting.

After reporting back to SG Command, getting reinforcements, and decontaminating, they discover a sole survivor—a young girl. She has been so traumatized that she is unable to speak, but immediately latches onto Carter. They take her back to SG Command, and from there the episode takes some very unexpected twists and turns that lead up to a situation that could wipe SG Command off the face of the Earth!

This episode cuts to the heart of what little regard the Goa'uld have for humans (wiping out over a thousand people just to send a single bomb—inside a little girl!), as well as the moral courage of Carter (turning back to face certain death to protect the innocent). Highlights are an exploration of Carter's maternal side, the growing bond between Carter and Dr. Fraiser, and Teal'c smiling in a scene reminiscent of that cut scene in "Terminator 2" where the Terminator attempts a smile.

This is another time that the series gets virus safety protocols right. Note O'Neill immediately scrubbing down his hands after ordering everyone into MOPP gear. The episode is also one of the few times we see O'Neill speak technical jargon. His ensuing response to the reactions of Jackson and Teal'c are also hilarious. It is one of the better examples of Richard Dean Anderson's excellent sense of comic timing, as just when you think all the humour is used up, out pops another joke!

The only drawback is the music—particularly in the scenes where Carter and Cassandra (the young girl) are together and Cassandra won't let Carter go. For some reason, the music (themes reused from earlier episodes like "Cold Lazarus") make the scenes seem to drag on and on.

I do have a quibble about the bomb: why didn't the bomb start to go off when it was still forming? Weren't the apparently super destructive-when-mixed-together elements mixing in Cassandra's blood, and why didn't they react then? Or is this an example of Robert C. Cooper's excellent writing—setting up a plausible scientific reason for Carter's "instinct" later on?

The SG-1 team arrive at a planet with a volcano erupting right next to the stargate! O'Neill orders Jackson to immediately dial home, however the team discovers a group of people buried in the ash, having succumbed to the toxic volcanic fumes.

The SG-1 team rescues the people, who are from Tollan, a highly advanced planet. After recovering back on Earth, their gruff leader, Omoc, demands that their gear be returned and they be allowed to return to their homeworld—something that has now become an impossibility, because of the continuing volcanic eruptions!

The Tollans are soon released from the infirmary and given temporary guest quarters in Stargate Command. While they're not prisoners, they are essentially kept under guard for everyone's "safety". While SG Command struggles to find a solution for these refugees—who would like to do anything but share their advanced knowledge with Earth—Col. Maybourne arrives to take them away for "questioning". It's here where the episode changes gear from a thoughtful examination of what it is like for the less advanced planets that the SG teams meet off-world, to a race against the clock to get the Tollans safely home.

This episode gives good reason why the Tollans don't want to share their knowledge (we gave it to our neighbours, and they used it to completely destroy themselves). And while it's frustrating to hear Earthlings referred to as 'primitives', it is also refreshing to see what it's like for the technological have-nots that the SG teams visit off world. There are a lot of humorous moments when the Tollan's start introducing what sounds like a familiar theoretical physics concept, and immediately say we're wrong when one of the SG-1 team members mentions what appears to be the equivalent advanced physics concept! On the same token, the Tollan's reaction to seeing live animals is also equally bemusing.

I also really liked the chance to revisit (in the episode's own way) a couple of the places that the SG-1 team has visited in the preceding episodes. Nevertheless, the highlight of the episode is when Lya from the Nox arrives to rescue the trapped Tollans—it gives us a chance to see a bit more of the width and breadth of the Nox's capabilities, while also satisfyingly smacking down Maybourne.

This episode is also the first appearance of Col. Maybourne—O'Neill's foil and one of the SG-1 team's greatest Earthbound threats. While Tom McBeath's scenery chewing is a bit over the top in the final confrontation with the Tollan, considering that Maybourne has to compete with Peter William's Apophis as a villain in the series, it's understandable.

The SG-1 team gates to a world where the stargate is in a really old and worn down underground facility. While investigating, they trip an alarm, and are rendered unconscious by an energy wave as they make their retreat. They awaken in an unfamiliar room in unfamiliar clothes—without their weapons and equipment—and soon meet Harlen, the sole caretaker of the facility.

As Harlen shows them around the facility, he tells the SG-1 team members that he made them "better". Soon, the team discovers they have abilities that they didn't have before. When they press Harlen for answers ("Better? How?") and he isn't forthcoming, the SG-1 team leaves and returns to Earth.

Back on Earth, things take a quick dive from an encounter with a nutty alien into the fairly nightmarish scenario of having one's mind transferred into a robotic copy of your real body. It's here that the episode comes alive with an examination of what it would be like to be unwilling turned into an artificial copy of yourself.

When I was younger, I didn't like this episode for its lack of variety (the episode is set only in SG Command and Harlen's underground facility). However, now I can appreciate that the claustrophobic atmosphere adds to the 'trapped' feeling of our heroes.

This episode is a little hit and miss. Scenes with Harlen tend to drag (probably because he avoids answering questions), however scenes in Stargate Command or when the duplicates meet their real selves really flow with dynamic—and in some cases, nightmarish—energy. The high point of the episode is the reactions of Carter, Jackson, and O'Neill when the copies meet the originals. While Carter and Jackson are ever the scientists and explorers, O'Neill's discussion with himself—while bemusing—also reveals a chilling side to his character.

The appearances of Don S. Davis's General Hammond and Teryl Rothery's Chief Medical Officer Fraiser are especially good, and their actions and reactions give this episode a lot of gravitas. It's also noteworthy that the usual way in other sci-fi shows where the heroes prove that they are who they say they are falls on deaf ears here.

The SG1 team returns just after embarking to a new world. Jackson and Teal'c come literally flying out of the gate, before the stargate itself overloads, the wormhole collapses, and the devices used to power the stargate explode! Jackson is knocked unconscious by the force of his landing, and Teal'c is well enough to ask about Carter and O'Neill—stating that they were less than 2 m behind him!

Miraculously, Carter and O'Neill didn't perish. However, they're stuck inside of a glacier in an unknown place next to an unfamiliar stargate. O'Neill is very, very badly hurt. The episode turns into a slow burn with the two halves of the team either trying to find the other half or to self rescue—with the steadily worsening condition of O'Neill standing in for the countdown clock.

This episode is a great vehicle to delve into Carter and O'Neill, and their respective responses to their situation is quite telling. O'Neill's "you think too much" is especially insightful.

Nevertheless, seeing the two sides of the team working the problem from both ends is a real joy, and Carter and O'Neill's rescue at the end is well earned and doesn't feel forced at all. However, knowing the conclusion during this rewatch, I found myself (mentally) yelling at Carter, "Why don't you try dialing ...!" Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.

This episode also serves to setup many great storylines in the future seasons, not to mention establishing the foundation of what eventually becomes the "Stargate Atlantis" series.

Riveting. The series hits its stride with this "Twilight Zone"-esque episode where Jackson steps through the looking glass into an alternate reality that is so much like our own, but is deliciously different in small but significant ways. The episode also gives us a parade through some of the characters and events that appeared this season.

What's fun about this episode is spotting what's different. While most of the characters' behaviours are unchanged, things like their jobs and ranks are all shuffled about. As the reality's Jackson rejected Catherine's offer to join the program, it is her—not him—who discovered how to open the gate, and is currently in charge of the stargate program. It's arguable that that's the main difference in this new reality, but it is fascinating exploring how much did or did not happen because Jackson didn't participate in the stargate program. It also highlights how much better Stargate Command is with Jackson's presence acting as both a diplomat and a brake on some of the more aggressive military policies and decisions.

Growing up on Star Trek, on my first viewing I thought this was going to be an episode with a big reset button at the end. However, the subsequent two episodes proved just how wrong that assumption was. There's no reset at the end of this episode, and even though the action happens in an alternate reality, we know that something similar is in store for Earth. What great foreshadowing of the impending threat!

Picking up right where "There But For The Grace Of God" ends, we are treated to the SG-1 discussing the implications of Jackson's experiences in the alternate reality while Jackson is being bandaged for the staff weapon blast he took as he made his escape. When Jackson describes the differences between the realities, O'Neill becomes fixated on his alternate self being engaged to Carter, and how it's against regulations—which suggests quite a lot of things.

Before anything can be resolved, Gen. Hammond and Lt. Col. Samuels—an internal rival to SGC—enter, and inform SG1 about a hearing with Senator Kinsey about the future of the Stargate Program in a couple of hours.

The rest of the episode isn't exactly nail-biting—as parts of it turn into a clip show—however, with the impending doom depicted in the preceding episode, there is a palpable tension. Ronny Cox's scenery chewing portrayal of Kinsey is excellent, and it's great that the series continued to bring him back to cause headaches and other complications for the SG1 team in later seasons.

The first time I saw this episode, it had an edge-of-your-seat tension. However, as the series' writers have returned to this particular plot device many times in later seasons, it has lost a lot of its punch in rewatches. Nevertheless, the plot device does add a lot of realism to the SG-1 series—especially if you know how the US government runs—and while delaying the inevitable fireworks until next week, this episode does serve to increase the payoff in the season finale.

The episode picks up where the last one ends, with SGC being permanently closed down by Senator Kinsey's decision to cut off its funding. There's a powerful scene where Gen. Hammond illustrates how hard he has tried to prevent it—and the scene is more than welcome, as Hammond was mostly a spectator in the preceding episode.

However, it is the next scene—with the SG1 team quietly discussing what they can do to stop the impending Goa'uld invasion—that shows us how heroic they truly are. While it is a bit of a given that they'd be the ones to rescue Earth (the show is named after them), the scene underscores the risks they are taking: going to an unknown location with no backup or support, no hope of rescue if things go sour, and a guaranteed court martial if they survive and make it back to Earth!

The SG1 team break into the decommissioned gate control room, and narrowly make it through the gate before they are stopped by base personnel. On the other side, they find themselves in one of Apophis's attack ships, and it's headed to Earth to start the invasion!

The rest of the episode has a lot of unexpected twists and turns as the SG1 team sneaks around the ship, gathering intel and avoiding Jaffa patrols. This episode fleshes out the Goa'uld a bit more—giving us glimpses of their society and culture, as well as what other technologies they possess. While there are many standout scenes and sequences, perhaps the highlight is Teal'c's wordless reaction to O'Neill's nickname for the Zat'N'ktel.