In the 3 months since his arrival on Earth, Jonas Quinn has spent his time studying and memorizing all of Jackson's library. He has also taken up Jackson's quest to fight the Goa'uld. But he is growing restless as he is confined to SGC. Teal'c sympathizes with him, however O'Neill and Carter don't want Quinn on the SG-1 team. Instead, they are cycling through potential replacements that O'Neill rejects for one reason or another—to the extent that it is starting to stretch Hammond's patience to the limit. Bra'tac comes to Earth with the grim news that Teal'c's wife Drey'auc is near death as she refused to take a new larval Goa'uld after hers reached maturity. Teal'c and Bra'tac rush back to the rebel Jaffa camp, but it's too late. His son Rya'c blames Teal'c for his mother's death, and attacks him before fleeing in grief. Concurrently, the stargate in SGC opens, but nothing comes through. It also doesn't close after passing the 38 minute maximum limit for a wormhole connection. Carter soon discovers that someone is sending minute amounts of radiation through the gate, which is accumulating within the gate's buffers... which will explode with enough fallout to destroy the Earth if they can't close the wormhole within time!

Redemption Part 1 picks up where Revelations ends. However, it doesn't have the sense of urgency that that episode had. Redemption Part 1 also tends to wander, with no firm goals. Perhaps the only thing that it does resolutely is establish Quinn—it's a shame that the episode sidelines him with what seems to be unnecessary drama. While Teal'c is sympathetic, Carter's refusal to allow Quinn to join the SG-1 team is baffling, especially because she doesn't offer an explanation. The episode also doesn't even let O'Neill and Quinn have a conversation! That said, Corin Nemec does an outstanding job of suggesting that Quinn understands a heck of a lot more than the others think he does, and that he is often biting his tongue during critical moments.

We also have Teal'c facing a dual family tragedy: the death of his wife, and the estrangement of his son. This is made all the more poignant as his wife died because of Teal'c's beliefs, and the son, having misunderstood the significance of those beliefs for his people, blames Teal'c solely for his mother's death—his youth and grief blinding him to the real reason: the enslavement of the Jaffa by the Goa'uld.

The A-plot sees SGC working the problem and trying to figure out a way to stop the wormhole connection. This leads to the revelation of the X-302—a completely Earth-built hyperspace-capable fighter jet. While it's a given that Carter and O'Neill won't be able to use it to resolve the crisis by the end of the episode, it's neat to see that despite the great strides forward that SGC has made in reverse engineering Goa'uld technology, they haven't perfected it yet, and there are still bugs to be worked out. This leads to the episode's conclusion with Anubis holographically appearing in the gate room to gloat about the fate of the Earth. It is a troubling development, as it implies that he successfully extracted an unclear amount of advanced Asgard technology from the mind probe he used on Thor in the preceding episode!

Carter and Dr. McKay bicker about how to stop the steady steam of radiation that Anubis is sending through the stargate turning it into a bomb that will destroy the Earth. McKay suggests SGC fire a massive electromagnetic pulse at the stargate to attempt to knock out Anubis's weapon. Carter doubts it'll be effective, and is concerned that it'll only reduce the limited time they have left even further. As SGC makes preparations, Bra'tac has discovered the stargate that Anubis is using to attack the Earth. He, Teal'c, Teal'c's son Rya'c, and a Jaffa named Shaq'rel use a Tel'tak to travel to that planet. However, despite using the cargo ship's cloaking device, they are detected and Anubis's large defensive fleet immediately begins firing on them. They have no choice but to use the transporter rings to beam Bra'tac, Rya'c, and Teal'c down to the planet's surface while Shaq'rel flees. They find Anubis's weapon, and Teal'c recognizes it as being the technology of the Ancients—the race that built the stargate network. However, it is protected by a shield which is in turn protected by a large contingent of Anubis's Jaffa. Concurrently, McKay's suggestion fails, and SGC appear to have run out of options. That is, until Jonas wonders aloud to Carter how they got the stargate inside the SGC when they are 28 floors underground and the gate obviously doesn't fit inside the elevators!

Redemption (Part 2) does what it sets out to do: namely reaffirm the direction of the series, solidify Anubis as the main villain, and get Jonas onto the SG-1 team. While it does the first two with panache, it doesn't really do the last one justice. True, Jonas and O'Neill finally get to have their conversation—which ends nebulously as O'Neill doesn't respond to Jonas's passionate pleas. However, it feels a bit less like O'Neill overcomes his reservations and welcomes Jonas as an equal, and more like Jonas was the least worse option, and is preferable to having a Russian soldier assigned to the team. Hopefully the series will dig more deeply into the Jonas-O'Neill relationship as the season progresses.

The episode also brings McKay back to SGC, and it's great fun seeing the fireworks between him and Carter as they lock horns over how to resolve the problem du jour. However, the highlight is seeing Rya'c not only having grown into a young man who is well trained in the Jaffa fighting arts, but also how far he is willing and able to go to help his father Teal'c as well as their Earth allies. Being the most inexperienced, he is also the only one in their assault team to be injured in battle. However, the words of wisdom Bra'tac gives him is as humorous as it is insightful. Obviously the writers avoid injuring the main characters in a TV show, however this episode also explains part of the reason why they do.

Redemption (Part 2) is neither the best nor the worst episode, however it is vital for understanding the changes in the SG-1 lineup in season 6.

SG-1, Major Davies, Jacob Carter, and a scientist are in a Tel'tak heading to a Ha'tak that appeared in Earth orbit about a week prior and hasn't moved since. Scanning the ship, they find no life signs. O'Neill orders Quinn to wait with Teal'c on the Tel'tak as the rest of the team rings over. Quinn is anxious to contribute, but Teal'c assures him that it will simply take time before O'Neill trusts his abilities. On board, they find the ship not only deserted, but that its self-destruct countdown is inexplicably stuck partway through the countdown. O'Neill intends to salvage the ship, but Jacob urges caution. When Carter and Davies investigate the computer core, they learn that not only does the ship belong to Anubis, but it is the exact same one that defeated an Asgard battleship and captured Thor (season 5's Revelations). Carter theorizes that while Thor had access to the computer core, he left a powerful virus that not only forced Anubis to abandon the ship, but made it travel to Earth—as a gift of sorts. The scientist separates from the group to take a look at the ship's enhanced shield generator. However, he is attacked by 3 of Anubis's Jaffa that have remained hidden aboard the ship, and killed. Shortly after SG-1 discovers his body, the 3 Jaffa set the ship to crash land on Earth. When they flee to the Tel'tak, the ship's ring control panel is destroyed in the ensuing firefight. With no way to escape, SG-1 has no choice but to ride the ship down as it crashes in the North Pacific. After returning to Earth, Quinn and Teal'c join the rescue operation. However, even though the Ha'tak survived the crash landing, it is at the bottom of the ocean!

Descent is pretty much mystery and action from the word go. Not only does the episode tease us with the idea that SGC finally gets a working Ha'tak, it also digs more deeply into what Anubis was doing to Thor, and the unanticipated effects of downloading an Asgard's mind into a Goa'uld mothership. Not only that, we get some entirely new challenges and heretofore unseen action sequences. While the episode avoids any visual effects of the Ha'tak crash landing, it goes gangbusters in practical effects with its depictions of the rooms in the ship being steadily flooded. It's neat how it's not so much a tidal wave of water rushing into a room, but the more horrific shots of water steadily filling the chamber with nary a ripple.

This episode also gets around to resolving the fundamental relationship problem between Quinn and O'Neill. While O'Neill's rejection of Quinn's abilities at the beginning is par for the course, how Quinn overcomes O'Neill's resistance is a powerful tour de force. Without spoiling too much, all I can say is that Amanda Tapping, Richard Dean Anderson, and Corin Nemec must have been really cold on set while filming this episode! This episode is a fantastic roller-coaster-like ride at times, and I don't think we've seen the SG-1 team ride so many different vehicles in one episode!

A small research base was established about 4 years ago in Antarctica where Earth's second stargate was discovered (season 1's Solitudes). The trio of scientists currently working there discover a young woman frozen in the ice and perfectly preserved. SG-1, and Dr. Fraiser head to the base to help Dr. Michaels and her team thaw out the woman—nicknamed Ayiana by Michaels. Despite being in the ice for up to 50 million years, Ayiana's cells are undamaged, and her pupils dilate when light is flashed in them. The team quickly finishes thawing her out, and Ayiana revives through their efforts and her body's natural healing abilities. Jonas tries to communicate with her, to limited success. She initially doesn't understand, but quickly learns to understand spoken English. However, she cannot communicate verbally back. Soon, Michaels falls ill and collapses. Fraiser suspects a disease that is most likely carried by Ayiana. She also suspects that it is fatal within a few days, and she immediately quarantines the research base as biohazard procedures haven't been properly observed since the block of ice containing Ayiana was brought into the facility. Problems multiple when Michaels's teammates don't report back to the base at the scheduled time, and O'Neill and Teal'c have to head out into an Antarctic blizzard to try and rescue them before any of them succumbs to Ayiana's illness.

The base plot of Frozen is hardly original, and mirrors similar episodes in such shows and movies as X-Files and The Thing. The twist is that it's not aliens (in the traditional sci-fi sense), but people that predate the human race on Earth. This is where the episode is at its most intriguing, as it suggests some pretty mind bending things such as the creators of the stargate network originated on Earth, and that 'our' human race isn't the first time that human evolution has occurred on this planet! Ultimately, the episode asks far more questions then it answers, and it wisely keeps Ayiana mute and unable to respond in anything more than grunts and gestures, let alone provide any meaningful explanations.

This episode is also the first time that we see Quinn truly stepping into and filling Jackson's shoes. Where Jackson would approach new beings with a bit of caution and not let his guard down, Quinn comes across as somewhat overly enthusiastic and perhaps more than a bit naive. Nevertheless, his methods are just as successful, and he quickly builds a rapport with Ayiana and kick starts communication. It's a shame that the episode falls back on traditional 'Antarctic' story tropes to fill out the plot and provide a 'ticking timebomb'-like element to create tension. It's doubly regrettable, as it's a missed opportunity to present some items—cultural artifacts or even technology—that were found with or near Ayiana, or even if she was found in a facility or out in the open. Thankfully, later episodes delve more deeply into this episode's mysteries. However, I don't recall any of them answering the biggest mystery: why Ayiana was left behind in the ice.

Carter is awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call from Dr. Flemming. He claims that Adrian Conrad's secret project (season 5's Desperate Measures) never ended. She hears a car crash, and the phone goes dead. The next morning, Hammond tells her, Quinn, and Teal'c that Flemming's car was found wrecked, but there's no trace of him. As Flemming worked for Immunitech Research—owned by Conrad, a man who voluntarily implanted himself with a Goa'uld symbiote—SG-1 is deployed to the small Oregon town where Flemming was employed to investigate. The team can't wait for O'Neill, as he remains off world while the Tok'ra find a new host for the symbiote that he recently blended with to save his life (the preceding Frozen). In Oregon, they learn that Immunitech burned to the ground the night before, destroying Flemming's lab. They also learn that Flemming's partner, Dr. Stoeffer, also disappeared under mysterious circumstances two months ago. Investigating Flemming's home, they discover that someone has already scoured the place of any valuable information. Quinn and Teal'c also notice that the townsfolk are acting strangely. Quinn observes that it's almost like they're half asleep. On the streets, they notice a 'dark haired man' following them. They quickly head down a side street, and capture the man when he follows them. He identifies himself as a former security guard at Immunitech. He tells them that Flemming came to him and said his life was in danger, and that he was the only one who could help Flemming. When asked why, he tells them that the people who were after Flemming only come out during the night, and that as a security guard, he used to work the graveyard shift.

Nightwalkers is quite unlike any Stargate SG-1 episode that we've seen before. It is part murder-mystery, and part alien invasion. However, the twist is that the aliens are Goa'uld, and the invasion was inadvertently caused by Immunitech cloning the Goa'uld symbiote they acquired (in Desperate Measures), and that they are merely trying to make their escape off of the planet. Of course, once they capture SG-1 their plans change to a proper attempt at infiltrating the US military. On top of that, the N.I.D. have deployed undercover agents and are fully aware of what is going on in the small town. However, instead of stopping the aliens, they want them to finish making the spaceship that they intend to use to escape—as the N.I.D. wants to seize the technology when it's finished to help defend the Earth!

This episode also presents a new team dynamic as O'Neill doesn't appear and Carter is assigned command. However, it is a real joy seeing Teal'c and especially Quinn step up to provide the humour. There are plenty of fish-out-of-water moments as the pair attempt to come to grips with human behaviour—what is or is not 'normal' in a small town, that is. It is a refreshing change of pace, and also almost Trekkian in their observations of human nature. Quinn and Teal'c are also good foils for each other, with Quinn's over enthusiasm and innocence balancing out Teal'c's quiet stoicism. As the episode depicts, however, both characters tend to end up arousing suspicions. Like all good mysteries, the episode's ending successfully brings all the diverse elements together and explains all the clues presented in the teleplay. While the story is light on fireworks, Nightwalkers is a thoroughly satisfying episode.

O'Neill is leading a young woman through a forest at night being pursued by Jaffa warriors. She stumbles, and he tells her to hide until he can activate the stargate. As he starts dialing, O'Neill is hit in the back by a staff weapon blast. He falls to the ground. Before he is surrounded by the Jaffa, a Goa'uld symbiote comes out of his mouth and flees. O'Neill revives in a sarcophagus and is taken to his captor: System Lord Baal. A gravity field is activated, pinning O'Neill to a wall, and Baal begins questioning him for information: who is he? Why did he infiltrate Baal's secret base and steal his personal slave? What is the name of the Tok'ra that possessed him? O'Neill can't answer any of the questions, and Baal 'drops' a knife into him—killing O'Neill! The Tok'ra Thoran visits SGC and updates them on O'Neill: the Tok'ra Kanan symbiote healed him of the disease (season 6's Frozen). However, a few days ago, O'Neill/Kanan walked out of the Tok'ra base and through the stargate without explanation. They have no idea where he is. O'Neill wakes up inside the sarcophagus again. This time, he is taken to a prison cell with no doors or windows. The Jaffa guards flip a switch, and the gravity in the cell shifts and O'Neill falls to the rear wall, which is now the floor. Shortly afterwards, Daniel Jackson appears in the cell. However, despite the great powers he attained after ascending, he can't use them to help O'Neill, and is only there to comfort him. And, hopefully, help O'Neill ascend, as he is in an inescapable situation, and time is running out before the repeated use of the sarcophagus destroys his soul!

Abyss is one of those rare episodes that comes to mind long after seeing the series and someone mentions Stargate. While the concept of manipulating gravity is common in sci-fi shows with interstellar spaceships, the way it is visualized here is truly unique, and rarely—if ever—attempted elsewhere. However, the heart and soul of this episode is O'Neill: the lengths he'll go to protect his friends and comrades, and what amounts to a battle for his soul. Perhaps the most unique facet of that is the revelation of how much the host influences a Goa'uld symbiote, and the implications that Kanan did what he did as he was forced to judge himself by O'Neill's higher moral standards.

The way that O'Neill is ultimately 'rescued' is quite thought provoking, as it also implies that SGC (or at least the SGC-Tok'ra alliance) are quite adept at manipulating the Goa'uld when needed. Obviously, what happens in this episode is the exception rather than the rule. Nevertheless it is quite intriguing. The episode also delves into the tense relationship between Earth and the Tok'ra, and it practically asks how much longer the alliance can sustain itself given how diametrically opposed the beliefs of the two sides are. This episode obviously can't be missed for its depiction of gravity manipulation. However, the thoughtful examination of O'Neill and what it means to be blended with a symbiote is well worth it, too.

SGC receives a transmission through the stargate from Kelowna, one of the three major nations on Langara, Quinn's homeworld. The Kelownans request permission to visit Earth, and despite the tragic results of their last encounter (season 5's Meridian), Hammond authorizes it. Commander Hale, Ambassador Dreylock, and Dr. Kieran soon arrive. The Kelownans explain that Terrania and Andari—the rival nations on Langara—are about to sign a non-aggression pact, and they believe it to be a prelude to war. They ask for military technology from Earth to defend themselves in exchange for naquadria. Due to their experiences with Euronda and their war of genocide (season 4's The Other Side), SGC is reluctant to agree to the request. However, the US government authorizes SG-1 to continue trade negotiations with Kelowna. Quinn's former mentor Kieran later returns by himself with a shocking proposal: he is part of an underground resistance poised to seize power in a coup. In addition to claiming that the people are tired of the endless conflicts with their neighbouring nations, he needs Quinn's help to prevent the Kelownans from using the massively destructive naquadria bomb that Kieran and his team of scientists recently completed. As Quinn is generally considered and treated as a pariah by his former countrymen, SG-1 departs to face a series of challenges; not the least of which is to prevent the Kelownans from using the bomb!

Shadow Play is quite thought provoking. While nominally about how Quinn is perceived back home after his defection as well as filling in parts of his backstory, the episode is focused on the lengths that nations go to protect themselves from perceived and actual threats—both in what they are willing to do to the 'enemy', as well as to their own citizens. The episode also raises the possibility of resolving all of the Kelownans problems by simply telling their rivals about the stargate—to which they reply that it is anything but a simple proposition, as the US government hasn't figured out how to safely do it, either!

While the episode is ostensibly about Kelowna and its relationship with its neighbours, it turns out to actually be about Dr. Kieran and the tragedy of him and his fellow scientists researching the naquadria bomb. In many ways, it is a chilling reflection of what real-world nations have been willing to do to the scientists and researchers in their employ as they strive to develop more powerful weapons. In other regards, it has some elements of 'this is how we were in the 60's and 70's, thankfully we're more morally evolved now'. Nevertheless, the episode is equally parts chilling, as the situations it presents have happened on Earth in the recent past, and could easily happen again in the near future. On a more positive note, the episode does imply that Quinn is no longer considered a pariah, and opens a path for him to safely return to his homeworld if he so chooses.

Three scientists are investigating an abandoned Goa'uld ring transport platform on a desert world as SG-1 stands guard. One of them, Jay Felger, is overexcited in their presence as he hero-worships SG-1. His frenemy colleague Simon Coombs tells him to get back to work. A Goa'uld ship appears out of the blue and a contingent of Jaffa warriors transport down to the surface and attack SG-1. O'Neill radios the scientists to hide and head back to Earth as soon as possible. The three, however, dash to the nearest hill, and watch as SG-1 is captured and taken away by the Jaffa. Felger wants to rescue them, and tells the third scientist, Meyers, to report back to SGC. Felger enlists Coombs's aid, and they ring to the Goa'uld mothership in orbit undetected. Coombs soon becomes a nervous wreck as Meyers started shooting blindly when they first materialized! The Jaffa, led by Herak, put SG-1 in a prison cell. Herak gloatingly tells them they are being taken to a planet controlled by Anubis, where they will be interrogated by his master Khonsu, a minor Goa'uld. Felger and Coombs soon locate SG-1 and try to break them out of the cell. However, SG-1 doesn't want to go. O'Neill explains that they allowed themselves to be captured as Khonsu is really a Tok'ra spy with vital information to relay—namely, where Anubis has been getting his advanced technology. Herak, on the other hand, has increasingly strong suspicions about where Khonsu's true loyalties lie. Even before they arrive at the planet, he executes a pair of Jaffa that support Khonsu and are part of the Free Jaffa Movement (season 5's The Warrior) who were helping Felger and Coombs hide in the ship!

This is one of the quintessentially fun Stargate SG-1 episodes. The episode perfectly balances a full-course of comedy with a serious plot. However, unlike other fine examples where it is the SG-1 team themselves getting into the hijinks, this time it is a pair of well-meaning, bumbling scientists. They are played pitch-perfectly by Patrick McKenna (The Red Green Show) and John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise). While McKenna is already renown as a comedian, Billingsley's comedic turn comes as a wonderful surprise. Their brand of humour is also different from, and enhances what we are usually given by Richard Dean Anderson, and Christopher Judge.

Comedy strengths aside, the episode also has a strong serious side. The Other Guys tempts the viewer with the revelation of where Anubis gets his technology (and after learning where it comes from in later seasons, how vital Khonsu's information is is truly spot on). The episode also suggests that the Free Jaffa Movement has spread surprisingly far and wide. At the same time, it highlights just how much farther they have to go to convince their more stubborn brethren who are true believers of the Goa'uld. The episode also reaffirms that the Tok'ra-Earth alliance is going strong, and that SG-1 is still assigned to relatively quieter guard duty missions—implying that their missions aren't always dangerous, fireworks-filled ones. All-in-all, a fun episode that shouldn't be missed!

Jacob Carter and a large group of Tok'ra refugees gate to Alpha Site—Earth's secret, off world base—fleeing an attack by Anubis. Only one third of the Tok'ra were able to escape. The Alpha Site is currently also home to the rebel Jaffa (season 5's The Warrior). While both the Tok'ra and Jaffa are allies of the Earth, there is a deep tension between the two groups: the Jaffa see the Tok'ra as Goa'uld with a different agenda, and the Tok'ra see the Jaffa as the servants of the Goa'uld who have been killing the Tok'ra for centuries. Almost immediately, warriors from the Jaffa and Tok'ra sides start butting heads with each other. O'Neill asks both Jacob and Bra'tac to help keep the peace. Soon, Carter reports that she discovered a subtle sabotage to the base's Naquadah power generator, and that if she hadn't caught it in time it would have destroyed everything within a 1.6 km radius. O'Neill orders Major Pierce to keep everyone away from the stargate to prevent the saboteur from escaping. However, news of the sabotage stokes the tension between the Jaffa and Tok'ra, and they are soon drawing weapons on each other. Things are made even worse as the saboteur kills key people on both sides in an effort to force the simmering tensions to boil over. Not only that, but cracks in the alliances between the Earth and the other groups also begin forming.

While the adage 'my enemy's enemy is my friend' may be true, it hardly addresses the compromises and sacrifices that have to be made to form a successful alliance. Allegiance delves headfirst into the rivalry and mistrust between not only the Jaffa and the Tok'ra, but also the Earthlings and their alien allies. While the adage makes it look simple, it is anything but as the Jaffa and Tok'ra point out that their mutual animosity goes back not just years or decades, but centuries. As they both live for hundreds of years, one can also appreciate that the animosity is based off of direct, personal experience. Pouring gasoline on the smouldering tension is a saboteur who remains both literally and figuratively hidden for most of the episode. This works in the story's advantage, as we are never really sure which side the saboteur is working for until the final reveal.

The episode is great fun as a puzzle with constantly moving pieces and suggestions on whodunit. It is also a testament to Bra'tac's, Carter's, and O'Neill's leadership skills that they prevent things from blowing up in their faces. The highlight, of course, is the memorable scene with O'Neill firing a machine-gun through 360° in a single shot. Notably, this is the second 360° shot in the episode—while the earlier one lacks the panache of the latter one, it is all the more impressive because of its subtlety. The final line about a single blade bringing the three disparate groups closer together is corny in its melodrama, but I really liked how Bra'tac shows his disgust for it by immediately throwing the weapon into the ground. This episode can't be missed as it fills us in on what both the Jaffa and Tok'ra have been up to since the catastrophic events of The Warrior and Last Stand (Season 5), as well as giving a glimpse on where the allegiances are headed.

SG-1 arrives on Pangar to start negotiations with the peaceful Pangarans. The Pangarans uncovered their stargate a decade or so ago, but haven't been able to connect to any other worlds. Earth offers to teach them how to use the gate, and provides addresses to 10 peaceful worlds that the Pangarans can make contact with. In exchange, the Pangaran leader Dollen offers SG-1 tretonin, a medicine that the Pangarans developed that makes their immune systems impervious to attack. The 20% of the Pangarans that take regular injections of tretonin live in perfect health. The team sends a sample back to Earth for study, and continues to get to know the Pangarans. Teal'c and Quinn visit the dig site where the Pangar Stargate was found and meet the lead archaeologist, Zenna Valk. She and Quinn get along well, but he takes note when she whispers a vague warning about the tretonin. When he asks her about it later, she denies having said anything and only confirms that tretonin is a rare privilege that can be revoked. He and Teal'c find a map of the capital city, and they head to the facility where the tretonin is manufactured. Inside, they find huge pools full of Goa'uld symbiotes. When confronted, Dollen admits that they were planning to tell SG-1 when the time was right. He also agrees to show them their source of the symbiotes: a Goa'uld queen that they discovered in the temple ruins next to the stargate. The problem is that she is dying, and their source of tretonin will go with her—thus they are interested not only in gate travel, but the gate addresses to the homeworlds of several Goal'uld System Lords!

Cure is a refreshing episode. It has been a while since we've since SG-1 travel to a relatively developed world that is neither belligerent nor stubbornly obtuse. While the Pangarans do have their secrets—otherwise there would be no drama—they are treated respectfully and akin to like-minded nations on Earth negotiating a trade deal. The twist is that they somehow acquired a Goa'uld queen without having used the stargate, and are actively exploiting her for their own benefit. Things get even more intriguing when the Earthlings enlist the aid of the Tok'ra, and the Tok'ra flat out say that they have no ethical qualms with the Pangarans for destroying Goa'uld symbiotes to create the tretonin!

Of course, this is where the other shoe drops, and the identity of the Goa'uld queen is revealed. Without spoiling the surprise, I can say that this is what changes the episode from a middling one to one of the more memorable Stargate SG-1 episodes—in part for the significance of the reveal, but largely because of the actions that the Tok'ra choose to take. One wishes that the episode had hurried more quickly to those unexpected developments. On the other hand, the episode also works as a character study, developing Quinn most of all. There is genuine chemistry between Quinn and Valk, and it would have been nice to see their relationship developed even further. The episode also feels through-and-through Stargate, as there are plenty of riddles being unravelled by investigating ancient text on the walls of dusty ruins, that end up having profound effects on the present.

Carter is approached by reporter Julia Donovan as she gets into her car. Donovan asks for a comment on a top-secret project code-named "Prometheus". Carter says nothing, and leaves. Hammond learns that Donovan's story is due to run in four days, and sends Major Davis to talk her out of releasing it. Despite that, she continues with her plans. Shortly, she finds Carter and Davis talking with her producer Al Martell at her office. The President of the US has asked the owner of their network to kill the story, and Martell has agreed. After threatening to take the story to a foreign news agency, Martell strikes a deal: they'll turn over all information on the story in exchange for a tour and full disclosure, and when the government decides to go public, they get a world exclusive. The government agrees—mainly to plug the leak so it doesn't happen again—and Donovan and Martell are taken to meet Carter and Quinn outside the entrance to a top-secret facility in the Arizona desert. Inside, we learn that the Prometheus is really the X-303, a massive spacecraft built by the US military and equipped with Earth's first working hyperspace generator. However, the 4-man camera crew are really rogue N.I.D. agents, and they quickly take control of the ship. Threatening the destruction of most of Arizona with a hyperspace generator overload, they demand the release of Colonel Frank Simmons (last seen in season 5's 48 Hours), and the Goa'uld possessed billionaire Adrian Conrad (season 5's Desperate Measures)!

Prometheus takes up several dangling story threads—namely what happened to Simmons, Conrad, and the rogue N.I.D.—and shows us what the military scientists have been working on after developing the Goa'uld Death Glider-based X-302. While the shape of the Prometheus leaves a lot to be aesthetically desired, one of the things this episode does extremely well is visualize the sheer size and bulk of the vessel. I also really liked that the ship is still far from being completed, and that in-turn causes problems for not only the protagonists, but the antagonists as well!

The highlight of the episode is John de Lancie's Col. Simmons. It's a shame that this would be de Lancie's final appearance on the Stargate SG-1 series. However, it is extremely satisfying seeing his character Simmons get his just desserts, and concluding in a way commonly seen in the Alien film series! Nevertheless, it is also great fun seeing Carter using her technical knowledge to get out of one situation after another, as well as Quinn do what he can to delay the hostage-takers as much as possible. That said, the best part is the twist ending—just as the viewer thinks that the writer's have given us yet another deus ex machina conclusion, everything goes sideways into a completely unexpected predicament!

SG-1 is lost in deep space on board the Prometheus, when Thor beams aboard. He tells them that the Replicators have taken over Halla, one of the first planets colonized by the Asgard. The Asgard discovered a way to summon all the Replicators to a single place while they were studying the Android Reese (season 5's Menace). The Asgard then built a time dilation device that slowed time down inside a bubble around the planet Halla, and intended to activate it after all the Replicators were on the planet. However, the Replicators not only stopped the device, but even managed to reverse it: speeding time up 100 times faster than normal inside the bubble! The Asgard need SG-1—whose ship will be ignored by the Replicators due to its inferior technology—to visit the planet and save the Asgard and their galaxy. Thor tows the Prometheus to Earth and beams food and weapons aboard the ship, before towing the ship to the Asgard's home galaxy. Landing on Halla, SG-1 discovers that the entire surface of the planet is now flat, and composed of replicator blocks. They cautiously make their way to the only structure still visible, and find the time dilation device inside. Carter begins examining it. However, before she can even begin to understand how to control it, they are surrounded by five humanoids. SG-1 is shocked that they are on the planet, and even more surprised when they learn that the humanoids are a highly-evolved generation of Replicators!

It's not a stretch to say that the Replicators have become a bit boring. It doesn't help that they are completely inhuman, and don't communicate—we have learned far more about them from the Asgard and Reese than from the Replicators themselves. Suffice to say, Unnatural Selection is a revitalizing breath of fresh air that sees the Replicators evolve into something far more relatable and communicative: the human form. Perhaps as a consequence, unlike previous encounters with the Replicators, there are far fewer fireworks and hardly any action in this episode. Is it a coincidence that the more human the Replicators become, the less effective human-made weapons also become? Nevertheless, the writers put the upgraded Replicators to good use, and give us some intriguing, and downright inventive new ways to use nanites—not the same as the nightmarish Borg-like versions, but nightmarish in their own right.

One intriguing aspect of the episode is the parallelism: the Asgard in their hubris think they can outwit the Replicators. Later, the Replicators exhibit the same flaw when they scan the Prometheus and its crew, and allow them to land on the planet—arguably under the presumption that the Replicators can control the humans while they read their minds to learn about the Milky Way galaxy. However, just like the Asgard, the Replicators overestimate their own abilities and underestimate the cunning and guile of their opponents. That said, while it is a given that SG-1 ultimately saves the day, it is troubling that the only way they could do so is by exploiting the humanity of the evolved Replicators against themselves!

SG-1 returns from a desert planet, having recovered an alien generator-like device apparently created by the Ancients. Moments after returning, Quinn sees a large, translucent insect in the gate room, which disappears into a wall. Hammond puts the base on alert and lock down, but no one sees anything like what Quinn describes. He is given medical exams, and although they find nothing wrong with him, he still sees translucent insects throughout the base. Some SGC personnel suspect that it is the start of the mental degradation due to exposure to naquadria as seen in Dr. Kieran (season 6's Shadow Play). As SG-1 has been put on leave, O'Neill departs on a fishing trip. However, he sees one of the creatures at a local gas station—the station attendant, on the other hand, sees nothing. In SGC, Teal'c also begins seeing the creatures, too. Even though they are harmless, the insects cause a panic whenever they are spotted. Carter suspects that the alien device is allowing people to see the creatures. However, the ability to see them is being passed from person to person like a contagion. The race is on to both find a cure and limit the spread among the general population!

Sight Unseen is based on an intriguing concept, but neither delves into it deep enough nor examines the seriousness of the panic it induces enough. In short, it is a missed opportunity to further examine interdimensional exploration, as well as ramp up the threat of exposure from the revelation of not only the existence of aliens, but the stargate itself! Nevertheless, the best part of the episode is when it references Shadow Play and insinuates the possibility that Quinn is also becoming mentally unstable.

Perhaps due to the limitations of the production studio at the time, the interdimensional insects themselves look fake. While it's thought-provoking that they can interact with surfaces in our dimension, it's regrettable that the lighting and shadowing of the CG models don't match up with the live-action footage. Perhaps that would have sold the insects better, and would have increased their threat as the viewer would more intrinsically understand the shock of them suddenly appearing? Nevertheless, the alien device is intriguing. It's too bad that the concept was forgotten, and the series never really returned to take a closer look at it.

Senator Kinsey exits a building surrounded by a large security entourage and is swamped by cheering supporters. He is regarded by many as a top contender for his party's presidential nominee. A shot is fired, hitting Kinsey in the chest and he collapses. Across the street, O'Neill is seen packing up a weapon and making a quick exit. The next morning, when O'Neill arrives back at SGC, he appears shocked when he hears that Kinsey has been assassinated. Hammond soon arrives, and places O'Neill under arrest for murder. O'Neill vehemently protests and strongly asserts that he has been on vacation, alone, in Minnesota for several days. Major Davis soon arrives and explains to SG-1 that police recovered video surveillance that shows O'Neill in the hotel where the shooting occurred, and photos of the disassembled sniper rifle that was later recovered from the lake O'Neill was fishing at. Carter visits Area 51 where the 12 mimic devices recovered from the aliens who once infiltrated the SGC (season 3's Foothold) are stored. Investigating further, Quinn and Teal'c discover that they are copies and that the real ones are missing. Concurrently, Carter flies to Washington, DC, to meet 'an old acquaintance': NID agent Malcolm Barrett. Barrett is initially unhelpful, but cryptically gives her a handwritten note telling her to meet him at a nearby park later—where he asserts that there is a corrupt cabal at the core of the NID and that he was working with Kinsey to take the group down!

Smoke & Mirrors focuses the series back on the domestic rivals and enemies that are attempting to shut the stargate program down. Not only do we have Kinsey—who O'Neill had to blackmail to get Hammond restored to command of the SGC (season 4's Chain Reaction)—we have the N.I.D., replete with it's multiple factions and fronted by the apparently honourable agent Barrett (season 5's Wormhole X-Treme!). In addition to all that, we are introduced to the darker side of the SG-1 universe with Luthor, an arms dealer that Barrett allows to continue operating in exchange for information!

As he is incarcerated, O'Neill disappears for much of the middle stretches of this episode. On the other hand, it gives the other characters plenty to do, with Carter being especially noteworthy as she teams up with Barrett and performs some proper investigative work. The fun of this episode stems from how much of a memory this show has, with references stretching all the way back to the initial seasons of the TV series. The revelation at the end that Kinsey is not only alive, but also aiming at the presidency bodes ill for the SGC in the future. However, the highlight of the episode is watching O'Neill squirm as Kinsey insinuates that it is O'Neill himself who 'won him the presidency'!

Col. Maybourne—last seen on the run as a convicted traitor (season 5's 48 Hours)—shows up unannounced at O'Neill's house. He claims to know the gate address of the repository of the Ancients' weapons and technology that Col. Simmons was attempting to visit when he hijacked the Prometheus (season 6's Prometheus). Maybourne tells O'Neill that not only does he have the stargate address to the planet, but also the key that will unlock the energy barrier guarding the cache. In exchange, he wants a full presidential pardon. O'Neill reluctantly agrees, and Maybourne surrenders to SGC. SG-1 visits the gate address, and Maybourne's story checks out. However, the writing on the ruins they find is not Ancient, but that of the Furlings. Maybourne then delivers the key, but explains that only he knows the combination to make it work. He is then allowed to travel to the planet. Once they arrive at the ruins, however, Maybourne double-crosses SG-1, takes Carter's Zat Gun and stuns her. After firing at O'Neill, he opens the energy gate, takes the key and leaps through it, with O'Neill hot on his heels. The gate closes moments later, and no one else can follow them through. On the other side, they discover that they have been transported to a completely different location. Worse still, Maybourne confesses that there is no weapons cache, and that the key was found on Earth wrapped in a scroll telling of an alien paradise and inviting others to join. Maybourne is there to find the colony and retire. The problem is that the aliens have long since died, and Maybourne and O'Neill are the only people on the planet, with no way to return home!

Paradise Lost races to set up its premise—Maybourne and O'Neill marooned on an uninhabited planet—and rapidly changes gear to a slow-burn. The point of the episode isn't so much an examination of their relationship, but how they slowly unravel while they are lost in the woods, so to speak. That unravelling is sped up by such things as the planet they're stuck on being populated by alien flora and fauna that may be doing more than playing tricks on their imagination. Concurrently, we have Carter, Jonas, Teal'c and other SGC scientists attempting to unravel the inner workings of the Furling's transporter. Remarkably, this is one of the rare times where Carter and the others are wholy unsuccessful. Dr. Lee (season 4's Prodigy) also plays a pivotal role when he packs up the SGC scientists after weeks of investigating the transporter, and suffers the brunt of Carter's unwillingness to give up.

The highlight of the episode is the Furlings. Well, the brief look into their ancient technology in the ruins, as they don't appear on screen at all in the entire run of the series! O'Neill implies that they are covered with fur—based solely on their name—but the episode suggests that they are humans or human-like based on the skeletal remains that are found on the paradise planet (arguably, the skeletons could belong to a completely different group who merely used the Furling transportation technology). The episode also does a good job of weathering the long-abandoned village ruins on the paradise planet. Character-wise, I liked the parallelism in Maybourne's 'hunting' techniques. The episode also does a really good job of writing his character out of the series, while leaving open the possibility of a future return.

The Russian SG-4, led by Lt. Col. Sergei Evanov, returns ahead of schedule with a medical emergency. Accompanying them is Alebran, a sickly man, who informs SGC that Nirrti is experimenting on his people as she continues her quest to engineer a Hok'tar—an advanced human. Apparently she is using a machine that can alter DNA in real-time. Alebran reveals that Nirrti has killed many of his people. As they begin planning a mission to rescue Alebran's people, he starts to convulse. To everyone's shock, his body suddenly breaks down and liquefies. Dr. Fraiser speculates that Nirrti's machine broke down every cell in Alebran's body simultaneously. SG-1 and SG-4 return to the planet, and Evanov leads SG-1 to Nirrti's fortress. The few Jaffa guards protecting it are quickly defeated, and SG-1 sneaks into the fortress. Inside, they discover a group of grotesquely deformed people. One of them, Wodan, tells SG-1 that Nirrti is helping them because they are "sick". He also shows them her machine: an Ancient DNA resequencer. O'Neil tells him that SG-1 is there to rescue them. Eggar, a deformed person who can read minds, knows that SG-1 plans to assassinate Nirrti and would sacrifice all of his people in the process if necessary. While O'Neill goes to update Evanov, Quinn and Teal'c are taken to the basement where Wodan and his people live. Wodan telekinetically strips them of their weapons and radios, and imprisons them in a jail cell. Concurrently, two Jaffa use transportation rings to beam into the fortress. Carter stuns them with her zat gun, but is stunned herself by a cloaked Nirrti moments later. When O'Neill returns and attempts to rescue her, his bullet is telekenetically stopped by Wodan, and he has no choice but to surrender. Soon after SG-1 is placed together in the same cell, a sickly Evanov is brought in. He says that he was held in Nirrti's machine. Wodan and Eggar both summon Carter, as Nirrti intends to experiment on her next!

Metamorphosis is a little uneven—whenever the plot starts rolling and the tension ramps up, it drops the ball and things screech to a halt. That's not to say that the episode doesn't have it's moments. For starters, it is full of some eyebrow-raising oddities such as Nirrti's attempted seduction of Quinn. While the revelation that the DNA of the humans on Langara (season 5's Meridian and others) is more evolved than that of other humans in the galaxy, that's something that seems to be forgotten almost as soon as it is mentioned.

Nevertheless, part of the episode's fun is the make-up on Alebran's people—note the extra eyeball on the side of Wodan's head! The highlight is arguably seeing Nirrti getting her just desserts. The episode also delves a little deeper into the activities of the Russian off world team active at SGC (from shortly after season 5's 48 Hours) and Hammond's continuing headache of getting a resistive O'Neill to work more closely with the Russians. It's a shame that Evanov didn't make it to the end credits, as Raoul Ganeev had good chemistry with the regular cast and his character worked well with SG-1.

The ambassadors of Britain, China, and France are gathered in a small conference room in the Pentagon. One of them is grilling Russia's Col. Chekov about the cover story for the spaceship that crashed in the Pacific some months prior (season 6's Descent). However, the ambassador is not only rejecting the cover story, but is also asking questions that indicate that he pretty much already knows what really happened. Gen. Hammond and Major Paul Davis arrive to make a full disclosure of the existence of the Stargate Program. In short, the gate was discovered in Egypt in 1928, activated purely by chance in 1945, deciphered by Dr. Jackson 7 years ago, and for the past 6 years the Stargate Program has been operated out of Cheyenne Mountain—regularly sending teams to hundreds of worlds, with thousands left to explore. The diplomats are dumbfounded and find the story hard to believe. US Senator Kinsey arrives soon afterwards, insisting that it's all true, that he opposed the program in the past (season 1's Politics), and gives the reason for the briefing: Earth is now threatened by Anubis, and the five nations represented at the meeting make up the bulk of Earth's military capabilities, and only a coordinated, world-wide military effort could hope to stand up against another Goa'uld invasion. As the meeting continues under threat of disclosure by at least one of the ambassadors, it becomes increasingly clear that Kinsey is making a power play to usurp control over the Stargate Program. As the US military answers to its politicians, Hammond and Davis are forced into the delicate position of having to rebuke him while not directly refusing him!

Disclosure is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's more-or-less a highlight reel of the Stargate SG-1 series as a whole. On the other, it takes a deep look into the bureaucratic side of operating the Stargate Program, and the unseen battles that officers like Hammond and Davis often face to not only keep the program running, but also guided under their steady command. As such, the recycled clips from preceding episodes tend to negate the slowly building tension of the ambassadors not only threatening to expose the Stargate Program, but also Kinsey attempting to take it over, again. Perhaps because it is a clip show with a plot that we've already seen a handful of times, this episode has a strong feeling of been-there-done-that.

As this is a show composed of highlights from previous episodes, it's challenging to find its own highlight. While the dumbfounded reaction of the three ambassadors is arguably high on the list, Supreme Commander Thor's surprise appearance in the conclusion takes the cake—especially when he raises his little finger to interrupt Kinsey's interruption!

SG-1 is on a planet investigating solar activity when O'Neill discovers a photo. While wondering how it got there—as Earth hasn't sent any teams to the planet before—Quinn contacts them: he found a crashed alien spaceship that he can't identify. As soon as Carter and O'Neill arrive, they are threatened by three armed people. They identify themselves as Hebridan, and describe how they crashed on the planet. While they are talking, both groups are observed by a pair of aliens hiding in the surrounded woods. SG-1 agrees to help repair the Hebridans' ship. While Carter and the ship's captain Aden Corso examine the damaged interior, the people outside are attacked by the aliens. During the shootout, Tanis Reynard, one of the Hebridan crew, is wounded, and one of the aliens is killed. The surviving alien flees. The Hebridans then tell SG-1 that the aliens are a deadly enemy that has killed the other crew members. SGC is updated on the situation and dispatches SG-15 to help. Quinn accompanies Corso back to Earth so she can receive medical aid. In the infirmary, they talk about her life and the stargate, which the Hebridans don't know about. On the planet, the surviving alien sneaks up to his dead partner and retrieves an emblem from his torso. He is confronted by O'Neill, however before O'Neill can learn anything, a Hebridan crew opens fire and chases off the alien. O'Neill's doubts about the Hebridans have now grown into full-blown suspicions that they aren't telling the truth, and that there is more going on then meets the eye!

Foresaken is a fun episode that quickly shuttles us into a tense conflict between battling parties, with the possibility of acquiring not only new allies, but advanced alien technology! The episode plays partially like a mystery, with clues occasionally being dropped on the true relationship between the Hebridans and the "native" aliens that are attacking them. Concurrently, the episode takes a look at a heretofore unseen advanced alien technology, that has more than a few surprising tricks up its sleeves.

Part of the episode's fun is that the 'good guys' are not initially who they are presented to be, and the viewer racing against SG-1 in trying to unravel the secrets of this episode. To the writers' credit, the race is a tie, and the viewer is never left feeling frustrated knowing more than SG-1 does. Another part of the episode's fun is watching Corso attempting to put the moves on Carter, à la Captain Kirk, and seeing her deftly fending him off. The highlight, though, is seeing Quinn outsmart the true antagonists, and watching them get their just comeuppance. The only drawback of this episode is that it introduces a compelling, advanced alien race that appear to be on good terms with the people of Earth, but the Stargate SG-1 series doesn't ever really delve deeper into that relationship and what benefits an alliance would bring.

Teal'c is in a hospital and is visited by a doctor, who turns out to be Apophis! He bolts awake, and is asked how is by Quinn, who calls him "Tee", and Teal'c refers to Quinn as "Probie". They talk in colloquial English—out of character for for both of them—about Tee's stepfather. Moments after Probie leaves, Tee discovers that he has neither a forehead tattoo or a symbiote pouch! He suddenly wakes up from a kelno'reem, and is shocked at what he just experienced. Visiting the mess hall, he starts talking with Carter, when the scene changes to the interior of a fire station. Tee is talking to the other members of SG-1, who are all members of a fire brigade, about a kidney transplant for Bray, Tee's stepfather. The alarm rings and the fire brigade responds to a car collision. While Tee is helping a man outside a car, he is shocked to see that the victim looks like Apophis. The other car, which is leaking gas, catches fire. Inside, Tee sees Bray, who looks like Master Bra'tac, alive and moving. Tee leaps into the flames and attempts to rescue him, despite Bray urging Tee to save only himself. The car explodes. In the SGC canteen, Teal'c is thrown backwards. Carter takes him to the infirmary, where Dr. Fraiser doesn't know what is happening after her initial examination, and why Teal'c would faint. She asks him to stay there while she completes a more detailed checkup. Falling asleep, Tee wakes up in a hospital with Fire Chief O'Neill watching over him. While thankful that tee isn't injured, O'Neil is concerned about Tee's emotional well-being. He asks Tee to speak with the hospital's psychologist, who turns out to be Dr. Daniel Jackson!

The Changeling is a truly mind-bending episode, with Teal'c bouncing between two fully developed realities, and no explanation of why it is happening. Part of the episode's fun comes from seeing all the familiar actors performing different roles in the fire brigade reality. Christopher Judge is the most outstanding, probably because we get to see him as a regular North American freely expressing joy and sadness. The episode not only has Bra'tac and Jacob Cartier, but brings back Peter Williams (Apophis), Musetta Vander (Shau'nac), and Michael Shanks (Jackson). Jackson's appearance is the most intriguing as not only does he provide the key to unlocking the mystery of Teal'c's condition, but he is also 'present' in a tantalizing way.

The highlight of the episode is the fire brigade setting: one of the reasons I started watching Stargate SG-1 is for the nostalgia of home as it is filmed in the Great Vancouver Area. While I'm actually from the big island across the Strait of Georgia, the Vancouver environs are close enough to feel like home. As such, one of the joys of this episode is seeing them filming not only in the Coquitlam area, but using fire trucks with that city's name clearly emblazoned on them. In many ways, this episode was as much a nostalgia trip, as it is Teal'c's mind trip! Nevertheless, the episode can't be missed, as on top of it's emotional story arc, the episode ends with Teal'c's 'Junior' being replaced by a version of tretonin (season 6's Cure) that has been further refined by the Tok'ra!

SG-1 is onboard the Prometheus, under the command of Col. William Ronson, as it embarks on its shakedown crew. Partway through its journey to a target world, the ship suddenly drops out of hyperspace. After an investigation by SG-1, Carter determines that the reactor's buffer overloaded because the ship passed through a gravitational wave from a star. They also cannot fix the buffer with the materials onboard the ship. Quinn identifies the gate address of a nearby planet—however they only know of it from the Abydos Cartouche (season 1's Children of the Gods), and haven't been able to successfully establish a wormhole with that planet's stargate. As it is less than a light year away, they risk a hyperspace jump to it. Moments after arriving in orbit, the Prometheus's Naquadria reactor begins overloading. Having no choice, they jettison it. The reactor soon detonates with a massive explosion that discharges an electromagnetic pulse that damages the ship, despite its recently added Asgard shields. Moments later, the Prometheus detects long-range ballistic missiles originating from the planet below heading their way. O'Neill attempts to contact the planet and pleas for them to disengage their rockets. The missiles self destruct, and they receive a radio transmission ordering the the Prometheus to land on the planet, which is identified as Tagrea. Upon landing, the ship is surrounded by a large army. SG-1 is forced to disarm when they venture outside to talk. They are brought to a large, advanced city where they meet Chairman Ashwan and his military adviser Commander Kalfas. When O'Neil tells Ashwan about the stargate, the council responds with disbelieve as the Tagreans believe it is a myth. However, as SG-1 learns more about the Tagreans, they discover that their history only goes back 300 years, and before that there was a "dark age" that the ancient Tagreans apparently wanted to forget ever happened!

Memento is a fun episode that morphs partway through into a totally different story from what it starts out as. In addition, we are introduced to an advanced human planet. However, unlike the advanced humans in preceeding episodes, the Tagreans reacted like normal people—in other words, just like how the people of Earth would react if the situation was reversed. For the Stargate SG-1 series, that is an extremely refreshing change of pace. The episode's conflict comes from not only earning the trust of the suspicious and doubtful Tagreans, but the rival political factions in the Tagrean government: some want to help the humans, many don't.

Sublimely layered on top of that is the additional tension stemming from whether or not Tagrean has a stargate—and even if it still exists, where it is buried on the planet! We also get the truly unique scene of the Tagrean ambassadorial entourage onboard the Prometheus to share a meal made from the finest food they have on the ship: namely frozen peas! The episode continues taking unexpected twists and turns with the introduction of a university professor who confesses to be a follower of the planet's ancient god: Horus (System Lord Heru'ur, season 4's The Serpent's Venom). While the outcome of the episode isn't unexpected, the strength of this episode is its journey to its conclusion.

SG-1 is visiting a settlement on an impoverished planet. The leader, Ellori, tells SG-1 that their planet once belonged to Ba'al, until he abandoned them when the Naquadah deposits became scarce. However, the people still have to give Naquadah to Ba'al's underlord, Mot. While there, Quinn has a strange vision, which oddly comes true shortly afterwords. He then collapses. At SGC, Dr. Fraiser informs Hammond that she found strange activity in Quinn's brain. In a subsequent debriefing, SG-1 tells Hammond what they learned on the planet, and that they plan to free the people from Mot's oppression. Quinn has another vision during the debriefing that comes true a few minutes later. Fraiser soon discovers what is possibly a tumour in Quinn's brain, and Hammond removes him from active duty. While discussing the ramifications with the team, Quinn envisions a Tok'ra coming through the gate. Moments later, it also happens. In the subsequent meeting, the Tok'ra agent updates SGC on the situation of Ba'al and the other System Lords. Later, Quinn suggests that Nirrti (season 6's Metamorphosis) may be responsible for his visions, and Fraiser warns Hammond that the tumour could kill Quinn. Quinn has another vision about Carter being hurt, and rushes to stop SG-1 from heading through the gate back to the planet. Hammond decides to keep Carter on base, as O'Neill, Teal'c and SG-15 return to the planet to update Ellori on their plans. However, another villager overhears and sneaks away into the forest to use a Goa'uld long range communication device to contact and warn Mot!

Prophecy is a fun episode that continually leaves us guessing on the outcome of key events with its nebulous glimpses of the future in the form of Quinn's visions. The fun comes in scrambling to decipher their significance without any context to act as a guide. The first few times what we see is exactly what happens. Thereafter, things stop turning out as we initial suspect they would, and that gets to the theme of this episode: do our actions and reactions prevent these prophetic visions from coming true, or actually cause them in the first place? Quinn's story is complimented by a prophecy among Ellori's people that describes how visitors through the stargate will free them from the Goa'uld—begging the questions: would SG-1 have liberated the planet without having heard the prophecy, or did the prophecy make Ellori's people more willing to trust outsiders and enlist their aid in freeing themselves?

This episode also introduces the memorial Goa'uld Mot. Perhaps the most important thing about the character is that he is not a major player or key System Lord. He is merely a minor Goa'uld trying to scrounge enough resources and create the opportunity to get out of the shadow of a more powerful Goa'uld. It is a refreshing change of pace for the show, which also serves as a reminder that the Goa'uld are anything but a unified, monolithic group, and there is still plenty of infighting despite Anubis having taken control control of most of the System Lords. It's truly a shame that Mot gets his just comeuppance by the end of the episode, as Victor Talmadge gave a great, menacing performance, and Mot came across as one of the few Goa'uld able to outsmart the SG-1 heroes!

On Abydos, Skaara (season 3's Pretense) is told by an Abydonian elder that he must prepare the others for battle, as Anubis is preparing to attack the planet. In SGC, O'Neill enters an elevator for his daily trek down to SGC when it stops. Jackson appears and tells him that Abydos is in trouble, and that Anubis is on his way looking for the legendary Eye of Ra—a crystal that is used to create an enormously powerful weapon. When O'Neill reports it to Hammond and SG-1, he is surprised to learn that they don't think that he has gone crazy, and that Teal'c has also been visited by Jackson! Hammond gives the authorization to visit Abydos and to try to find the Eye before Anubis does. On Abydos, Skaara shows SG-1 the area of the pyramid where the writings on the wall speak of the Eye. When they're unable to make progress, Jackson appears, however he insists that he's not allowed to help. Meanwhile, Teal'c and the Abydonian boys establish a perimeter around the pyramid, and the women and children have sought refuge in nearby caves. When Anubis begins his attack, O'Neill and Skaara head to the surface to help the others. Jackson shows Carter and Quinn another chamber that he always suspected had a door to hidden chamber. They all figure out how to access it, and inside Jackson discovers that the ascended people are actually the Ancients, the builders of the stargate network! However, Jackson suddenly tells them that he must do something, and disappears. Carter and Quinn continue searching for a secret compartment in the room. The defenders, however, retreat inside the pyramid, as Anubis's sizable Jaffa army rapidly encroaches on their position!

Full Circle not only takes Stargate SG-1 back to the planet where the series arguably started, it also brings Michael Shanks back to the show as Daniel Jackson. On top of that—and the latest of Anubis's threats to the Earth and the galaxy—the episode is full of monumental revelations. For starters, it reveals who the ascended beings really are while concurrently clearing up the nagging questions about what happened to the Ancients, and why we haven't been shown any of their more 'recent' activities (or relics). The episode also sets up the opening story arc of season 7: the search for a lost city with a stash of the Ancients' weapons and technology to be used against Anubis!

This is an action episode, with the revelations playing second fiddle, and characterization taking a back seat. The highlight is the jaw dropping sequence where Anubus unleashes his new super weapon... it's just wow! However, as Lord Yu was leading the charge against Anubis, one wonders if he was killed in the counterattack. The episode leaves his fate unclear. The only drawback to Full Circle is that I wish they had spent more time on Abydos. As the episode's pace is set to overdrive, however, it spends the bare minimum of time reestablishing people and places before shuttling the story into what's in the walls surround the Abydos's pyramid's gate room, and so on. The episode doesn't even spare a moment for the villagers—Kasuf (season 4's Absolute Power) only appears in name! Nevertheless, this is a powerful season ending episode that can't be missed.