In a flash of light, a man appears naked, lying on the ground, in the middle of ruins on the planet Vis Uban. A group of nomads approach and ask who he is. It is Jackson, but he has lost his memory and doesn't even know who he is! On Earth, Quinn continues trying to translate the tablet discovered on Abydos (season 6's Full Circle). Using Jackson's notes, he realized that the Ancient's 'Lost City' is really the newest city they were building when a plague nearly destroyed their civilization right before the survivors ascended to a higher plane of existence. He surmises that, since it was unfinished, it would probably be the last gate address on the list of those that O'Neill entered into the base computer when he had the Ancients' library downloaded into his brain (season 2's The Fifth Race). SG-1 heads to the world, where they find a nomadic group of humans living in the ruins of a half-built city. They are astonished to see Jackson walk into the village dressed as one of the villagers. He has been living there for two months, and has no recollection of who he is nor who they are. SG-1 brings Jackson back to SGC, and tries to remind him of his life on Earth and as a member of SG-1. Jackson, however, is reluctant to recall any of it, as he's not sure if he has done something terrible, or even if he'll like the person he used to be. His memory slowly starts to return when he sees a picture of Sha're. SGC continues combing through the ruins on Vis Uban, but don't find any advanced technology. In a briefing, Jackson discovers that he has retained the ability to read the Ancients' language, and corrects Quinn's translation: the Ancients hid their "Lost City" when the plague wiped out their civilization. Vis Uban, however, provides SGC with an opportunity to lure Anubis into a trap in order to destroy his new super-weapon. But, in order for their operation to be a success, SGC has to forge a temporary alliance with Goa'uld System Lord Yu!

Fallen not only starts season 7 off in a bold direction, it also brings Jackson back as a series regular. The writing team wisely gave Jackson short term amnesia, which not only increases the dramatic tension in this episode, but minimizes any long-term frustration in the viewers as Jackson's memory quickly returns. Once more, the promise of a secret, hidden weapons and technology cache doesn't pan out. However, with Vus Uban, we are presented with an interesting new place for our heroes to visit. Not only that, there are a plethora of revelations on the fate of the Ancients at the end of their corporial civilization.

The story completely changes gear late in the episode when Quinn proposes an alliance with Goa'uld Yu in order to ambush and destroy Anubis's super-weapon. Events happen so quickly after that, that we almost wish that they had spent more time embellishing them then was spent depicting Jackson's memory slowly start to come back. Nevertheless, it all leads up to the highlight of the episode: seeing things go sideways when Yu betrays them and throws Teal'c in a prison cell, and Anubis concurrently capturing Quinn and beginning his interrogation!

Carter and O'Neill return to SGC, but Jackson and Quinn are still on Anubis's ship: Jackson in hiding, and Quinn being subjected to Anubis's mind probe. Anubis tells Quinn that he is very interested in the element naquadria found on Quinn's home planet Langara, as he brings his massive ship into the atmosphere to hover over Kelowna's capital city. As Jaffa spread throughout the city, Kelownan Commander Hale and Ambassador Dreylock use the stargate to contact Earth and beg for assistance. Carter and O'Neill travel to Langara to assess the situation, and are soon able to get into radio contact with Jackson. They learn that he is working to find a way to free Quinn, but is concerned that the radioactive isotope that he was injected with to render him invisible to the ship's internal sensors (season 7's Fallen) will soon wear off. Representatives from Terranian and Andari—the other two major nation-states on Langara—arrive in the underground bunker that the Kelownans are keeping the stargate in, and are introduced to SG-1. Hale reports that the Kelownans have given in to Anubis's demands, and given him their entire stockpile of naquadria. Onboard Anubis's ship, he orders one of his scientists to adapt the material into a power supply for his super-weapon. Concurrently, Teal'c speaks candidly with System Lord Yu's First Prime Oshu. Oshu tells Teal'c that Yu is growing increasingly unreliable and using the sarcophagus more and more frequently. Yu is the oldest System Lord and seems to be growing senile. To best serve his master, Teal'c convinces Yu to turn over command of the System Lord Fleet to another Goa'uld in order to defeat Anubis. However, their first challenge is not only to convince that Goa'uld that they speak for Yu, but also to put their trust in the "traitor" Teal'c! Concurrently, the ship-board scientist fails, and Anubis orders his Jaffa troops to scour the capital city for the data crystal that holds the research of the Goa'uld who experimented with naquadria on Langara a thousand years ago!

Homecoming is a great conclusion to the season opener. The episode gives us an update to what has been happening on Quinn's home planet Langara; namely Kelowna used their naquadria bomb and regretted it almost right away. However, that jump started the peace process between Langara's rival nation-states. What will happen next is unclear, but one senses that the planet will be more unified. The episode also writes Quinn out of the show in a respectful way: he returns to Langara and becomes Kelowna's ambassador to the peace talks—as he's the only one that the Terranian and Andari ambassadors trust! One suspects that it has as much to do with his knowledge of the stargate network and the galaxy, in addition to having demonstrated that he has their planet's best interests at heart.

The episode also significantly shakes up the System Lords. Yu's role seems to have been diminished, and Baal steps in to replace him. Anubis also loses his capital ship and its super weapon. Along with that, there is a strong indication that his influence and hold over the other eminent Goa'uld has also been correspondingly reduced. Jackson has mostly recovered, but is still missing some memories. It is handled with aplomb, as it indicates that it may become a recurring source of humour. The episode also gives a glimpse of the chemistry shared between Corin Nemic (Quinn and Michael Shanks (Jackson). It's a shame that we won't be seeing more of it. The highlight of Homecoming is—of course—the battle that destroys Anubis's capital ship. However, this episode is a must see as it not only changes the main cast, it also reshuffles the state of SG-1's Goa'uld opponents!

Carter is introduced by Hammond to a young man who breached base security using O'Neill's security pass. He's about 15, wearing baggy, adult-sized clothes, and claims to be O'Neill! Jackson and Teal'c are also skeptical, but the young "Jack" talks and acts exactly like their leader. He also knows things that no one outside of SG-1 and SGC's senior command should know. Jack is granted limited access to the base, while Fraiser runs tests on him. She reports that Jack's DNA is a near identical match for O'Neill's, except for a small abnormality. Jack wants to know why he woke up 30 years younger, and who did it to him. SG-1 visits his house to retrace his steps. They find nothing out of the ordinary, however Jack has a memory flash of swirling lights and an Asgard. Later, Jack is removed from a briefing that he was scheduled to deliver to the new F-302 pilots. Even so, he barges in, interrupting Carter who was giving the briefing in his place. The pilots initially don't take Jack seriously. However, when he demonstrates that he knows what he's talking about, they sit up and start taking his instructions. Fraiser reports that Jack's genetic structure is inexplicably breaking down, and he is dying. Jacob Carter soon arrives with the only option that the Tok'ra have: to put Jack into stasis while they figure out what is happening to his body. Asking for a few minutes to think about it, he flees the base. SG-1 eventually tracks Jack down, and tells him what Jacob found after looking at the test results: Jack is a clone, and that the real O'Neill is probably still being held by the Tok'ra that abducted him! SG-1 then looks into similar UFO abduction stories. After visiting several alleged abductees—and determining that they are not clones—they conclude that the Asgard who is doing it returns the abductees 7 days after the first abduction. Knowing this, they return to O'Neill's house on the seventh day, arm Jack with a zat gun, and wait to spring their trap!

Fragile Balance is a fun episode that sees O'Neill transformed once more. However, this time it intriguingly occurs off camera before the story starts, and we view it from the perspective of the people that O'Neill has to convince. Just like the on screen characters, we are incredulous that a 15-year-old boy is really a de-aged O'Neill! However, he displays all the same verbal and physical mannerisms, and succeeds in convincing us. This great performance is to Michael Welch's credit, as he pulls off a convincing portrayal that is the highlight of this episode.

The story also delves into the alleged UFO abductions that apparently occurred in Earth's recent past (up until 19 years ago, per the episode). It's a thought provoking explanation of this real-world phenomenon—genetic research by a technologically advanced race that will die out in a few generations due to an over-reliance on cloning. Interestingly, the episode makes the point that it is a rogue scientist doing it after being expressly told not to! While the episode doesn't even pretend to take take a serious, deep look at it, it is a nice callback to a preceding episode where the Asgard claimed that they have been watching the Earth for some time. Nevertheless, this is another great episode by Dir. Peter DeLuise, who invariably adds a deliciously rich layer of humour to the episodes he directs. The plot may not be earth-shatteringly vital, the episode still gets to the heart of the reason why we continue to watch this show: the characters and the lighthearted fun adventures they get mixed up in!

SG-1 returns to SGC under heavy fire, with the enemy so close that one enemy Jaffa even makes it into the gate room! To everyone's horror, Teal'c is shot in the abdomen by a staff weapon. As he no longer has a symbiote (season 6's The Changeling), he has to recover normally, and complete physical therapy with the help of tretonin (season 6's Cure). Jackson, who returned to corporal form with all of his memories as an ascended being wiped, starts getting flashes of memory from that period. He is troubled with thoughts of Teal'c's son Rya'c, and begins to get visions of Rya'c crying out for help. Jackson asks Carter to review the logs of incoming wormholes, looking for something—anything—that will help him decipher his flashbacks. Jackson's self-doubt mirrors that of Teal'c, who know believes that he is less of a warrior. He obsesses that it is because of tretonin, and that he should be being sustained by a larval symbiote. Even though Fraiser clears Teal'c for duty after an extended rehabilitation, O'Neill recognizes that Teal'c is not mentally prepared for duty. While meditating with Teal'c, Jackson has a vision of Rya'c being worked to death in a Jaffa version of a concentration camp. He also sees Bra'tac taking a lashing to protect Rya'c. Jackson reveals the vision to Teal'c, who admits to having "seen" Jackson while dying after the ambush last year in which he lost his symbiote. Due to that, Teal'c readily believes Jackson's vision. They inform Hammond, who authorizes a rescue mission, if the location can be determined. Rya'c and Bra'tac are indeed captured. They are being worked to death in a toxic Naquadah purification facility. Bra'tac has also run out of tretonin, and is dying. On Earth, Rak'nor (season 4's The Serpent's Venom) is summoned, and determines that the planet Jackson describes is Erebus. The problem is that the Erebus stargate is protected by a forcefield, which blocks entry just like the iris on the Earth stargate does!

Orpheus is an excellent episode. Not only do we get a rocking battle with a plethora of new elements that we haven't seen before, we also get a deep dive into the mental anguish that both Jackson and Teal'c are going through as a result of the recent fundamental changes to their existence! Not only that, we get another glimpse at the ongoing Jaffa rebellion, and a family reunion as Teal'c is reunited with his son—and we, just like Teal'c, are reminded of his deep motivations. The most riveting questions that the episode asks are about the ramifications of, and the Jaffa's perception of giving up symbiotes and relying on tretonin. While its lifesaving properties are shown in season 6's The Changeling, this episode digs into its drawbacks, such as a reliance on a stable supply and the fact that the medicine doesn't provide mental sustenance. In short, Teal'c no longer needs to kelnorim due to the tretonin, but acutely feels its loss because kelnorim is a fundamental part of being a Jaffa!

The other fascinating part of the episode is its further elaboration of the Goa'uld–Jaffa–naquadah relationship. While the Goa'uld rely on human slaves to mine naquadah, they rely on Jaffa to purify the ore as only Jaffa can withstand the temperatures and toxic gasses emitted by the blast furnaces—which are fed by underground volcanic systems, no less! These are not just any Jaffa, however. They are prisoners of war who are unwilling to serve their new Goa'uld master, and are being worked to death. It's no wonder that Bra'tac and Rya'c travelled to the planet to liberate and win recruits into their Jaffa resistance! As the planet is also used to build Ha'tak vessels, it puts an entirely new, tragic spin on the human cost of each and every one of those Goa'uld motherships. This episode cannot be missed, as not only does it get to the heart of why the SG-1 protagonists do what they do, it also shapes and reshapes so much of what has come and will be coming in the series.

A MALP probe discovers an energy dome on a planet destroyed by toxic waste. SGC sends the probe through the barrier, and it shows a beautiful garden under a blue sky on the other side—before the transmission cuts out. SG-1, in hazmat suits, heads to the planet to investigate. Immediately after passing through the energy barrier, they find the MALP and a young boy named Nevin. After trading O'Neill for his hazmat suit, Nevin leads the team to his town, where all the inhabitants are wearing a U-shaped device on their left temple. A meeting of the four council members is convened, and SG-1 describes how they used the stargate to come to the planet. The meeting pauses while the councillors retrieve information on the stargate from the Link, a computer that provides each person with a library of knowledge. SG-1 is soon invited to stay the night so Carter can take a closer look at their technology in the morning. She and Jackson stay with Pallan, the town's computer expert, and his wife Evalla. They learn that the few survivors have never been outside the dome in 400 years, and that the computer maintains the town and the illusion of a normal world. O'Neill and Teal'c stay with Nevin and his father Kendrick. At dinner, Nevin grills O'Neill about his travels. The next day, Evalla takes Jackson to the library, which has actual books. While looking for information, she, and the rest of the town, blanks out for a moment. Jackson grows concerned at the repeating trend. Concurrently, Carter in the computer control room also notes that the information displayed on the screens has been altered. When she tells Pallan, he does not believe her, and assures her that the readouts have always remained the same and there are centuries of records to back him up. Carter suggests to O'Neill that the townspeople be offered relocation. They meet the town councillors, however, now there is only three of them. When they ask where the fourth is, the remaining councillors claim that there never was a fourth member! They also turn down the offer of relocation, believing that the dome will continue to protect them. SG-1 begins to suspect foul play, and beginning digging deeper to get to the bottom of it.

Revisions is one of the best Stargate SG-1 episodes, and it stays with the viewer long after it finishes. It is also fairly unique among the Stargate SG-1 stories because of what the antagonist eventually turns out to be. On top of that, it offers a cautionary tale on both the dangers of polluting our environment, as well as putting our faith in technology to solve our problems. However, what makes this episode sublime is its human side—it is both nightmarish as well as tragic in an unnerving way.

In an odd twist, it is the planet's equivalent of lawyers that ultimately becomes what saves the day. In this way, the episode doesn't cheat, and provides a perfectly logical way for SG-1 to help the people escape from their predicament. The way that the antagonist abuses the technology also gives a reasonable reason why SGC never adopts or revisits the planet's advanced technology in later episodes. While Revisions doesn't provide new insights into the show's heroes nor does it advance the overall human vs. Goa'uld storyline, the episode cannot be missed because of both its science fiction-themed story, as well as its showcasing of many of the best things about the Stargate SG-1 series.

SG-1 is investigating a crashed alien ship that contains hundreds of people in stasis. While investigating the various decks, they are hit by an energy field that knocks them unconscious. Teal'c awakens, and finds an unconscious Jackson at the base of one of the open stasis chambers. When Jackson revives, he begins screaming! SG-4 brings back the still unconscious Carter and O'Neill, along with a fearful, panicky Jackson. He soon collapses on the stargate's ramp, and the fear dissolves into anger. Jackson is restrained and they are all taken to the medical lab. Fraiser tries to gain information that would explain Jackson's condition, but all she gets is a tirade about how this should not have happened. Jackson doesn't know her at all, and claims that he doesn't recognize his image in the mirror! Fraiser explains to Hammond that Jackson's EEG indicates multiple brainwave patterns, which suggests multiple minds. Jackson claims to be a Sovereign of Talthus. He has a terrible headache, and continues making strident demands. For no apparent reason, the personality changes to Tyran, an engineer from the crashed ship. He is more logical and calmly answers Fraiser's questions. Tyran explains that their world was dying, and that several ships were built to take as many people as possible to a new world. However, everyone that could go had to go into stasis as the trip was so long. Also, each person's consciousness was uploaded from their body and stored in a separate memory device. And because the ship had been on the planet for so long and was so severely damaged, many people died in stasis. One crewman, Pharrin, was revived shortly after the crash landing, and tried to save as many minds as he could by downloading them into his own body. But there was a limit to how many he could take. When SG-1 arrived, Pharrin saw an opportunity and took it. He stored 12 personalities in Jackson—including his own son—before Teal'c awoke and removed Carter and O'Neill. Now, Jackson is somewhere in the jumble of personalities, and they need to find Pharrin on the ship and hope that he knows how to undo what he has done to Jackson!

Lifeboat is a thought provoking episode. While it recycles a common sci-fi trope—people locked in an eternal stasis after an accident happens and awakening to an unfortunate reality—the episode takes it in an entirely new direction by not only storing the people's minds separately from their bodies, but also downloading multiple people into one person when things go wrong! Which opens a real can of worms: what would it be like cohabiting with other people inside a single body, especially if you were unwillingly forced into that situation? Pharrin provides a best case example, but even that results in behaviour that appears to be borderline psychotic!

The highlight of the episode is Michael Shank's tour de force performance as at least three different people, not including the character he regularly plays. However, the best thing about the episode is that the antagonist Pharrin did what he did merely out of survival and desperation. It is true that the situation he found himself in when he was revived is very tragic, but it is also presented in a way that appears to have occurred completely accidentally. The episode also ends on an open-ended note with Pharrin downloading the 12 personalities from Jackson into himself, and being placed in stasis until his people can figure out how to help him—begging numerous questions about not only his fate, but also the fates of the personalities inside him, if any of the other survivors are willing to share Pharrin's burden, and if that is even possible! This is in addition to the unanswered questions about whether or not the other Talthun ships made it to their new homeworld, and the fate of the revived survivors from the crashed ship!

SGC is desperately searching for ample quantities of Naquadah, sufficient to build ships to defend the Earth in an expansion of the X-303 program. A team of engineers and miners on a wilderness planet, led by Col. Edwards, think that they've found a large deposit deep underground. When one of the engineers is mysteriously abducted, SG-1 comes to help. Jackson notices artifacts carelessly piled on the ground, and is upset as the movement of those objects could spell trouble. Among the artifacts, he spots a yoke designed for a large creature, and tells O'Neill that there may be Unas in the area. SG-1 sets out to find the missing engineer. They find him dead, and strung up on a pole to warn off intruders. Among the other warnings are old Jaffa armour, pain sticks and staff weapons, all arranged to make it clear what will happen to intruders. SG-1 joins forces with Edwards's troops, and head out to drive off the Unas. In the subsequent Unas ambush, O'Neill is injured so badly that he must return to SGC. All of the troops retreat, and during their absence, the Unas trash their encampment. At SGC, Jackson convinces the military that the mining activities somehow provoked the Unas, and the best option is negotiation. Edwards is irritated by the suggestion, and thinks that the Unas are only animals. Jackson is told that he can try negotiating, but the need for the Naquadah outweighs the needs of the Unas. As he is also given a tight deadline, he sends for his Unas friend Chaka. Chaka agrees to help mediate, as he is interested in meeting Unas on other planets. Once back on the planet, however, their first challenge is not only finding the concealed Unas, but also not getting killed as they attempt to make peaceful contact!

Enemy Mine is Jackson at his best—in the thick of things between two warring parties, trying to get both sides to see reason and put down their weapons long enough to find common ground. The outcome this time is quite intriguing, because not only is it a peaceful win-win, the Earth side is also given a direct, tangible benefit that will certainly bear fruit in the coming seasons, if not the coming episodes! The episode also revisits something that we haven't seen in a long time: Jackson butting heads philosophically with an obstinate military leader intent on using force to solve all of their problems. While it is great that O'Neill has reached an understanding and sort of shorthand with Jackson, it is also fun briefly revisiting this earlier aspect of the Stargate series.

The episode also delves headfirst into an anthropological exploration with what is arguably a stone age civilization. It is very intriguing, and neat seeing how minor symbolic or cultural gestures can be easily misinterpreted by the other side as aggression. The highlight of the episode, however, is the sequence just after the one where the SGC troops realize that despite their advanced weaponry and superior firepower, they will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of Unas assembling before them—when Iron Shirt, the leader of the Unas, bravely and boldly walks over to the human side by himself to accept the SGC troops' surrender. Yet, despite the heaviness of the scene and the stunning reversal of fortune, the episode still finds moments of humour! This is Dir. (and writer!) Peter DeLuise at his best, and is an episode that can't be missed for how it sets up the big, technological changes in the human side in the coming seasons.

Carter is taken to the SGC's where an alien visitor is waiting for her. It is Warrick, the captain that SG-1 helped to retake his transport vessel Seberus from a band of criminals and return to his home planet Hebridan (season 6's Forsaken). Warrick has an intriguing offer: in exchange for one of Earth's Naquadah generators to power his ship in a space race, he will give Carter a chance to study his ship's advanced ion propulsion engine. As the Hebridan government has been moving at a glacial pace, it is an opportunity that both Carter and the SGC can't pass up. Hammond approves the loan of a generator, and Carter agrees, but only on the condition that she accompanies Warrick in the race itself! Warrick agrees, and the two register for the Loop of Kon Garat—an annual competition whose winner is awarded a lucrative contract with Tech Con Group, Hebridan's leading corporation. SG-1 visits Hebridan to prepare for the race. Carter hooks up the generator to the Seberus, Teal'c stays with her to help, and Jackson and O'Neill head out to speak with the local government. They soon negotiate free access to Hebridan's ion propulsion technology, leaving Carter free to enjoy herself in the race. Teal'c becomes acquainted with Eamon, Warrick's engineer brother, who is responsible for the Seberus's systems. Before the race begins, Carter and Warrick visit a parts shop to negotiate for a vital component. Warrick's credit rating is bad, but he convinces the merchant to sell him a refurbished part. He needs it to win the race, after which he will get the Tech Con contract and be able to repay all of his debts. Concurrently, Eamon explains to Teal'c that Warrick's transport business is all that he has left after being marooned on the planet for so long (season 6's Forsaken). When he returned, Warrick found that his wife had remarried and his family was gone. Carter and Warrick have a brief tussle with Golon Jarlath, a brash weapons specialist who is entering the race. Of the 10 competitors, however, Warrick is most concerned with Jarlath, Muiros, and La'el Montrose. The no-rules race begins, and in the second stage, Carter and Warrick learn that their ship has been sabotaged when the Seberus looses power just as they are passing through the corona of the Hebridan's sun. As they work feverishly to bypass the damaged component, Eamon and Teal'c investigate the sabotage; with all evidence pointing to it having come from within the Tech Con Group itself!

Space Race is a fun diversion from the standard Stargate SG-1 fare. As such, it doesn't really add much to what we already know, and its overall ramifications are slight. The biggest reveal is the closer look at Carter's private life. In short, she's an adrenaline junky. It's not exactly unexpected, as there have been subtle hints and a gradual reveal over the preceding episodes and seasons. However, it is nice to get a taste of both what she does in her down time, and what she's like while she's doing her "hobby".

For various reasons, this is also the only episode that we get to see the SG-1 team visit Hebridan. The Hebridans are intriguing, as their world is composed of two species living in an integrated society—the native humans, who were brought to the planet thousands of years ago by the Goa'uld; and the Serrakin, a humanoid race that saved the humans from Goa'uld enslavement generations ago. They live and work together, and have had several generations to cross-breed. It's a shame that that advanced race never really developed a relationship with Earth, and we never get to see them develop into a multi-season arc like what happened with the Tollan (season 1's Enigma to season 5's Between Two Fires). Nevertheless, the episode is a must see as it highlights the greatly improving visual effects used in the series, and Teal'c show stealing moment!

Dr. Jay Fleger and his assistant Chloe are working in their lab in SGC when Carter and O'Neill arrive to see a demonstration of the directed energy weapon that Fleger has been working on. When Fleger activates the weapon, it causes the power to fail in the entire SGC! In the aftermath, Hammond questions Fleger's future at SGC. A desperate Fleger tells him that he's working on something big, but Hammond is skeptical and gives him 24 hours to present something of merit. Back in their lab, a panicky Fleger tells Chloe what has transpired, and decides to pitch the invention he calls Avenger, despite Chloe's warnings that it isn't finished. The next day, he presents the idea of a computer program that they can use to disable any stargate. Recognizing the idea's potential, Carter sells it to Hammond, who agrees to allow Fledger to develop it with Carter. Concurrently, O'Neil and Teal'c head out to negotiate peace between warring Jaffa factions, and Jackson heads out to coordinate a relocation project on a moon with a decaying orbit. The Avenger program is soon ready to be tested, and Hammond authorizes it to be used on a planet controlled by Goa'uld System Lord Baal. Not long after they deploy the program, O'Neill and Teal'c miss a scheduled check in. Hammond dials the gate of the planet they are on, and O'Neill explains that they are unable to dial the stargate on their planet, and are stuck there. O'Neill assumes that it has been caused by Fleger's program. This is soon confirmed by their Tok'ra allies, who report that the entire stargate network is being affected, and SGC's gate is the only one not being affected—namely because SGC doesn't use a DHD. Carter deduces that Avenger appears to have caused a "periodic correlative update" in the stargate system, and is somehow distributing the virus around the network. SGC does its best to bring the off-world personnel back to Earth, but Jackson, O'Neill, and Teal'c are stuck on their respective planets, with the latter two now under attack by enemy forces! Carter, Chloe, and Fleger try to find a solution, and soon learn that Baal is benefiting from the chaos by using his large fleet of ships to attack other Goa'uld System Lords. The only option is for Carter and Fleger to gate to the initial target planet and fix the problem from there, even though it is still under Ba'al's control and they risk being discovered by his Jaffa soldiers!

Avenger 2.0 is a fun diversion from the regular Stargate SG-1 fare, as the guest character Fleger is the protagonist, and the regular cast take on supporting roles. The best parts of the episode are when it gives us a glimpse at what the support teams at SGC are up to, as well as taking a closer look at the stargate network itself, rounding out some of the details behind its robustness. However, the episode is also a missed opportunity, as it doesn't quite give a satisfying glimpse at the support personnel at SGC, and John Billingsley's Dr. Coombs is sorely missed as his odd-couple combination with Fleger created a lot of the humour in season 6's The Other Guys. Amanda Tapping's Carter does a decent job as the straight-man foil to Patrick McKenna's Fleger, but the unpredictability from the chaos stemming from the pairing of Fleger and Coombs was much more interesting and fun.

The episode also provides a brief update on the more routine tasks that SG-1 perform, with O'Neill and Teal'c overseeing negotiations to gain more Jaffa allies, and Jackson helping to relocate refugees from an unprecedented natural disaster. Jocelyne Loewen also has a standout turn as Chloe, and it is truly a shame that her character was never brought back, as she had good chemistry with Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson, and this episode suggests that the pairing of Chloe and Carter would have resulted in a great number of technological breakthroughs. Nevertheless, while light on major changes in the overall Stargate SG-1 story, this episode was endlessly inventive, took the story in unexpected directions, and made me laugh. In a word, fun.

SG-1 is on an alien planet to meet Ryk'l, a Jaffa warrior who wants to join the Jaffa rebel alliance. They are suddenly attacked by other Jaffa, and Ryk'l is cut down. Just as suddenly, the attacking Jaffa are killed by several female Jaffa who have lain in wait, who then ask SG-1 for help. They also take a Goa'uld symbiote from a fallen Jaffa warrior. SG-1 accompanies the female Jaffa through the stargate to their secret village and base of operations, where they learn the name of the group: Hak'tyl—'liberation' in the Goa'uld language. SG-1 meets their leader Ishta, who knows about Teal'c and wants an alliance with Earth. Teal'c isn't happy about the Hak'tyl killing other Jaffa. In response, Ishta shows him a girl whose life was saved by the symbiote that they took earlier. Ishta later tells Carter that the Goa'uld lord Moloc decreed that all newborn female Jaffa should be killed. However, because Ishta was the temple high priestess, she had the means to secretly bring the girls to safety in their village. The Hak'tyl want the help of SGC for basic supplies and symbiotes, and Carter tells them about Tretonin. Later, Carter discusses this with her teammates, but Teal'c isn't pleased. He goes into the forest, where he finds a glade marked with various symbols. Ishta shows up, and they talk about the Hak'tyl's situation. They soon disagree on the Hak'tyl harvesting symbiotes from other Jaffa, and start to fight with training weapons. During the fight, Ishta finds out that Teal'c doesn't carry a symbiote, and she leaves in disgust that he is hiding that fact. Ishta then informs her people about the situation, and wants four volunteers to go to Earth to test the Tretonin. Mala and three other women volunteer, and they head to Earth with Carter and O'Neill. Concurrently, Ishta and Teal'c talk about his family and the Jaffa Rebellion, and bond with each other. Tragically, Mala doesn't respond to the Tretonin injections. Jackson begins talking to a young girl named Nesa who wanted to to volunteer but was forbidden to by her older sister Neith. In the morning, Neith confronts Jackson, and states that Tretonin is out of the question for Nesa! Mala's situation continues to worsen while the other three Jaffa women respond to the drug. Mala refuses to take back her symbiote, even after it is explained that she will die without it, and Fraiser has no choice but to increase the dosage all the more. Neith decides to challenge Ishta's leadership when Nesa's health begins to worsen, as she feels that Ishta's judgment has been compromised because she is consorting with Teal'c. Things are even grimmer as Mala is on death's doorstep.

Birthright is a thought-provoking episode as it takes a hard look at the sexism inherent in the Goa'uld and Jaffa society. In the process, it confronts some of the Jaffa's long-held traditions and beliefs, and starts breaking them down when it suggests alternative ways. The episode also hints at some genuine growth and change in Teal'c as he realizes that his stubborn pride at not revealing that he also uses Tretonin may actually be getting in the way and causing problems with their potential allies and the eventual liberation of the Jaffa from the Goa'uld.

What truly makes this episode great is the excellent performances of the guest stars—namely Christine Adams as the tragic Mala, Kathleen Duborg as the stubborn Neith, and Kirsten Zien as the sympathetic Nesa. Above all others is Jolene Blalock's standout performance as Ishta, which strikes all the right notes for what you expect of a warrior leader who is also weight down by her responsibilities for the well-being of the people in her community. The highlight of the episode is at the conclusion of the Hak'tyl's raid in the finale when Ishta hears a heavily wounded Jaffa opponent declare his desire to be free, and she pauses to wonder how many others like him that they killed that day. This complex episode that is brimming with ideas can't be missed, especially for the potentially great changes that it suggests are taking place both in the greater Jaffa revolt as well as within Teal'c.

Teal'c and Bra'tac barely survive a battle with an unknown warrior in black armour that had massacred a gathering of Jaffa warriors. They bring the body back to SGC, where Carter and her father Jacob analyze it. They remove its armour and find a strange creature behind the mask: a slimy, skeletal-like face with vacant-looking eyes. Based on their analysis, they conclude that the armour is completely impervious to energy-based weapons, and the creature inside is genetically engineered and possessed by a Goa'uld symbiote. It is a regenerative and virtually unstoppable killing machine, but with one flaw: the lifespan of the cloned body isn't very long. They also conclude that this particular warrior died of heart failure, and not by anything Bra'tac or Teal'c did! Jacob tells the team that the technology used to create such a creature is a very old device created by the Ancients and discovered by the Goa'uld thousands of years ago. The Goa'uld Telchak used the device to develop the first sarcophagus, which can heal wounds and even raise the dead. Anubis sought the device before he ascended, and even went to war with Telchak, but never managed to find it. However, after he ascended, Anubis learned how to build his own. Jackson is reminded of the work of his grandfather Nicholas Ballard (season 3's Crystal Skull), and how Ballard had come to believe that the source of the fountain of youth myth was a piece of alien technology, which he traced to the Mayan god Chac. Jackson surmises that Chac is really the Goa'uld Telchak. Jacob recognizes the writing on Ballard's notes as an ancient Goa'uld dialect, indicating that the device may be hidden in one of Telchak's temples on Earth. With his grandfather's research and Dr Lee (season 4's Prodigy) in tow, Jackson sets out to find the lost device in the Honduras jungle. Concurrently, Bra'tac, Jacob, and the rest of SG-1 conclude that Anubis engineered the "super-soldiers" and is sending them after minor Goa'uld, as part of a plan to quickly absorb their forces into his own in preparation for an all-out war with Baal and the other System Lords. To thwart Anubis's plan, SG-1 and Bra'tac set out to save Ramius—the Goa'uld that managed to escape from the massacre at the start of the episode—and hopefully capture the next super-soldier alive in order to interrogate it. In Honduras, Jackson and Lee hire a local guide to help them locate Telchak's temple. However, unbeknownst to them, they are followed by a local band of guerrilla fighters who are plotting to capture and hold them for ransom!

Evolution (Part 1) is an exciting and intriguing episode that is mostly setup, with plenty of action beats and payoffs to boot. It has something for everyone to do, and even brings back staple guest stars like Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter) and Tony Amendola (Bra'tac). It also sees Michael Shanks (Jackson) teamed up with Bill Dow (Dr. Lee) in what is proving to be a wonderful odd-couple pairing. Seeing how Jackson used to be the bumbling scientist, the pairing is also very revealing in how much the Jackson character has evolved over the past seven seasons of Stargate SG-1.

Perhaps the only drawback to the episode is that we never see Anubis in person. We get a sense of what his latest evil scheme involves, but all of it comes from inferences and the educated guesses of the heroes. While that adds immensely to the fun of the episode (and series in general)—as it is a kind of audience participation—it runs the risk of being undone at a later time at the whim of the writing or production staff. Nevertheless, the super-soldiers are a thought-provoking and frightfully deadly new development. And their on-screen introduction and subsequent battles with the heroes are the highlight this time. This episode can't be missed as it marks a sea-change in the Anubis arc of the series.

Drs. Jackson and Lee will be killed by the anti-Hondurian guerrilla fighters if the US government doesn't pay a ransom within 72 hours. O'Neill plans to enter Nicaragua and extract them himself. Hammond, however, insists he join forces with CIA operative Burke, who believes he knows where Jackson and Lee are being held. Raphael, the leader of the guerrillas is very curious about what the Ancient device that Jackson and Lee recovered really is. Jackson insists it is merely an artifact and that he's just an ordinary archaeologist. Raphael doesn't believe him, and begins torturing them for information. Samantha Carter, Jacob Carter, Teal'c and Bra'tac formulate a plan to infiltrate Tartarus—the planet that the super-soldiers originate from—and gain as much intelligence as possible on Anubis's new soldiers. Unfortunately, a powerful sensor array prevents anyone from entering the star system undetected. Jacob plans to enter the compound disguised in the super-soldier armour, allowing him to pass through the force-field that blocks the Tartarus stargate, and deactivate the sensor array. Then, a Tel'tak scout ship can enter the system, and the rest of the team can safely infiltrate the base. O'Neill meets Burke in Honduras. Burke gives him the information he knows, which is enough to get them on the right direction. Burke then complains that O'Neill was responsible for getting him posted to the Honduras when O'Neill didn't vouch for Burke when he shot their teammate. Aggravated, Burke departs to let O'Neill find the kidnapped men himself. O'Neill has no choice but to hire a local guide and hope that he gets lucky. Jacob successfully enters Anubis's base, however he is immediately taken to a laboratory by a Goa'uld technician who intends to perform a post-mission scan. Concurrently, Raphael successfully activates the Ancient device, and it starts radically changing his personality!

It is rare that the second part of a two-parter lives up to the expectations engendered by the first part. Evolution (Part 2) is one of those rarities, and not only successfully meets our expectations, it also takes on some surprising, and completely unexpected twists! Without spoiling the outcome, this episode has something meaty for every one of our heroes to dig their teeth into. Enrico Colantoni's Burke arguably gets the most enticing content, as not only is his character a wonderful contrast to Richard Dean Anderson's O'Neill, they have a shared history as former teammates. Burke ends up providing some deeper insight into O'Neill's pre-Stargate SG-1 activities in the special forces. It's truly regrettable that the character was never brought back in a future episode as the two actors had great chemistry, and their characters appeared to offer plenty of story opportunities.

The highlight of the episode are the set dressers: they have done a super convincing job of making the temperate rainforest in the greater Vancouver area look like a tropical Honduran jungle. Even the familiar mountains in the background (often seen in Stargate SG-1 and some Stargate Universe episodes) are much harder to spot than usual! However, a lot of the credit for the episode's success rightly belongs to writer/director Peter DeLuise. He gives us a highly original story filled with things that we haven't seen before in the SG-1 series, insight into the evolving threat presented by Anubis, as well as the fruits of alien technology run amok—which Burke sums up perfectly when he gleefully shouts "that's crazy!"

The Prometheus is travelling back to Earth after having replaced its hyperdrive engine with one from a Goa'uld Al'kesh bomber/troop carrier (it was lost in season 6's Memento). Every couple of hours the Prometheus has to drop out of hyperspace to cool down the hyperdrive engine. Approximately five hyperspace jumps away from Earth, the Prometheus stops near a nebula that Carter thinks doesn't conform to any nebula that she has previously studied. Shortly after jumping out of hyperspace, the Prometheus is attacked by an unknown vessel, and they are unable to escape because the ship can't jump back into hyperspace until the engines cool down! The Prometheus is then chased—under fire—into a gas cloud by the alien ship. Carter comes up with a plan to divert power from auxiliary systems to the hyperdrive engine to make a small hyperspace jump into the nebula, however, she is knocked unconscious while adjusting the control circuits. When she wakes up, all the other crew members have disappeared and the Prometheus is stuck inside the gas cloud. She alone must get herself and the Prometheus to safety. Carter starts having visions of a little girl running around the ship and playing with such things as bubbles, as well as her friends who vocalize her worries and theories about her predicament. As Carter checks the status of the ship, she discovers that all the escape pods are gone, and theorizes that an evacuation order was given and she must have been left behind in the confusion. She has several months worth of food and water, and knows that the SGC will eventually come looking for the ship. In SGC, both O'Neill and Jackson are concerned because the Prometheus is 18 hours past check in. Jackson is organizing a search of planets near the route the Prometheus was supposed to take, but O'Neill feels that the crew would have contacted them already if they had reached a planet. On the Prometheus, Carter has discovered that the gases in the nebula are corroding the ship, with an expected inner hull breach in eight hours. She has to find a solution quickly, however, the effects of her head injury are both slowing her down and confusing her!

Grace is an episode focused entirely on Carter. It's notable—and intriguing—not so much about what she does, but because it takes a deep look at who she is, her thought processes, what spurs her on, and ultimately what she wants for herself. Each aspect of her personality is expressed in the form of either her squadmates or close family. For example, Teal'c personifies her military and tactical aspects, while Jackson is her scientific curiosity and open-mindedness. The wildcard, however, is a young girl named Grace. The episode doesn't clarify who she is, but she plays a vital role in helping Carter unlock the means to escape her predicament. This reviewer thinks Grace is a personification of Carter as a child, but as Carter herself doesn't recognize the girl, Grace's identity is still an open question.

The other thought-provoking aspect of this episode is that the apparently belligerent heretofore unseen aliens are also left nebulous. All we are shown is their ship and their actions toward the Prometheus and its crew, and response to Carter's actions. It begs a number of wonderful questions such as are they genuinely hostile or merely taking advantage of the situation—both their ship's size and its technology downright dwarfs that of the Prometheus! This episode is a must-see as it marks a major trajectory change in Carter, as well as both giving some fan service in addition to answering some of the long-standing questions about the state of the simmering relationship between two of the show's primary characters.

Jonas Quinn contacts the SGC and tells them that they found out how Naquadria was created. The problem is, the process that transforms Naquadah into Naquadria is still ongoing on his planet, and as it works its way deeper toward the core, it will soon explode from the underground pressures and destroy the planet! Carter goes to Kelowna to review Jonas's research. She also meets his assistant Kianna Cyr. Concurrently, the representatives of the three major powers on Langara—the new name of the planet—arrive on Earth for negotiations. They are told that even though the center of the catastrophe lies in Kelowna, the whole planet will become uninhabitable and their only option is evacuation. As the representatives negotiate over a plan to evacuate the planet, Carter reports that the Naquadria transformation process happens a lot faster than anyone thought, and it was the Kelowna test of the Naquadria bomb (season 6 's Shadow Play) that started the chain reaction! This causes a lot of outrage from the Andari and Tirania representatives, culminating in O'Neill loses his patience. SGC's ally Medrona offer to take in several thousand refugees from Langara. The representatives, however, ask about relocating to three uninhabited planets, one for each country. Among the things they are told in response is that there are logistical limits to how many people can go through the stargate in time, and no matter what they choose, many people will die. Jackson explains again that the most practical way to save as many people as possible is to accept Medrona's offer. On Kelowna, Carter comes up with a plan to stop the catastrophe by detonating a nuclear weapon in a fault near the Naquadria vein, causing it to slip and stop the transformation process from going any deeper. Jonas then shows her a vehicle that Kelowna has been developing over the past few years that can dig deep into the planet. Together with Tunnel Crystals from the Tok'ra, they will be able to dig deep enough to detonate the bomb in the right place. While Carter is checking the digger, however, she discovers that the machine uses Goa'uld technology. After confronting Kianna, they learn that she works for Ba'al. She tells them that they have a common goal: to prevent the planet from exploding. However, Quinn rejects her offer to help, and she is taken away by guards. Carter and Quinn keep working on the digger, but all of their simulations fail. Their only option is to bring the Goa'uld Kianna with them to help make the constant control modifications the digger needs while operating!

Fallout is a fun update of Quinn, and what he's been up to since he left the show in this season's Homecoming. It also provides glimpses at how the Langara (Kelowna) situation has changed, as well as how the Goa'uld System Lords—namely Ba'al—reacted to Anubis's sudden, keen interest in Langara (season 6's Fallen and Homecoming.) Ba'al's curiosity introduces the wildcard of the episode, in the form of a Goa'uld possessed scientist who works closely with Quinn on such things as Naquadria research. However, all of those interesting elements are not enough to save the episode from the feeling of been-there-done-that. This is largely because the episode came out about a year after The Core, a cheesy movie also about drilling deep into the planet to detonate a nuclear bomb to save the world.

However, unlike The Core, Fallout handles the "we did it to ourselves" aspects of the story much better. I especially appreciated how this disaster is attributed to the Kelownan's use of what amounts to a nuclear bomb—which they immediately regretted after using it in the Langaran's brief war. While the representatives from Andari and Tirania are consistently antagonistic to the Kelownan representative, this revelation makes their obstinacy a lot more relatable and their lack of trust understandable. Nevertheless, because this episode attempts to take things serious at the expense of the show's usual humour, but concurrently watering it down to keep to the show's general tone, it doesn't dive deep enough into the issues it raises and ultimately comes across as a missed opportunity.

Jackson is sitting in a room full of books and artifacts, studying them. A woman appears in the room, introduces herself as Sarah Gardner(season 4's The Curse), and offers to help him. Suddenly, we see Jackson sleeping with a Goa'uld Memory Recall Device attached to his temple, while Osiris (last seen in season 5's Revelations) sits at his side, having a similar device attached to her temple, contemplatively seeing what he sees. The next morning in a coffee shop, Carter is sitting at a table when a man appears and starts flirting with her. It is soon revealed that they already know each other, and she kisses him before she leaves for work. At SGC, Carter talks with O'Neill about her new friend, Pete Shanahan, and that her relationship with Pete was set up by her brother Mark Carter. That night, Osiris again appears and enters Jackson's dream. In this dream, she (as Sarah) says that she's a great fan of his work, and they start to develop a relationship. Abruptly, Osiris ends the connection and uses an Asgard transporter to leave the room. The next day, Osiris returns and shows Jackson in his dreams a tablet with strange symbols on it. Intrigued, he starts translating it. The following day, Jackson tells Carter and Teal'c about his dreams, and they think it has something to do with his time as an ascended being. In his next dream, Jackson translates more of the tablet and tells Sarah about it. That evening, after a dancing date, Carter invites Pete to spend the night together at her house. In the morning, Pete talks to Carter about his past, but later leaves frustrated because Carter won't talk about hers. In his car, he calls a contact that he knows in the FBI, and asks the agent to find out more about Carter. The agent soon calls back, revealing that Carter's background information has been blocked. Pete begins tailing her. At the SGC, Jackson tells Teal'c and Carter more about his dreams and Sarah. This time, it arouses Teal'c's suspicions, and he reveals that there is a Goa'uld device that allows them to enter other people's dreams. They then develop a plan to capture Osiris, and set up a stakeout at Jackson's house. Unbeknownst to them, Pete is also secretly secretly staking them out!

Chimera is, on its surface, a somewhat lighthearted episode compared to the heavier plots in recent episodes. However, it takes a deep and earnest look at both Jackson's and Carter's love lives. With Jackson, we get a taste of how his relationship with Sarah developed, and what caused it to end suddenly in bad circumstances. With Carter, we see that the events in Grace had a profound effect on her, and that she has taken her own advice—so to speak—and is actively pursuing a romantic relationship. The twist is that her lover, Pete, is a police officer who isn't discouraged by her non-answers, and doggedly pursues them through his police connections.

The two story threads converge when "Stalker Pete" stumbles into a firefight between SG-1 and Osiris in front of Jackson's home. This is all handled skilfully, and we never get the feeling that the situation is being forced, and that Carter's revelation of her top secret job to Pete in the coda is anything but the result of each character's actions throughout the episode. The highlight of the episode is the chemistry between Amanda Tapping (Carter) and David DeLuise (Pete)—giving their onscreen relationship an air of relaxed easiness. They feel comfortable together, and that adds greatly to the realism and the believability that Carter would fall in love with someone like Pete. This episode also concludes the Sarah/Osiris story arc. It's a shame that the symbiote free Sarah doesn't return to the show, as Anna-Louise Plowman (Sarah) also shares a great chemistry with Michael Shanks (Jackson). This episode can't be missed for it's closing the book on one character-defining relationship, and the start of a new one.

(Samantha) Carter and Jacob Carter are at the Alpha Site working on the prototype of a weapon that can kill Anubis's Kull Warriors. The alarm sounds and an evacuation is ordered, as the site is attacked by the Goa'uld. A while later, SG-1 (sans Carter) and other SG teams head to the planet to investigate. O'Neill determines that the large crater that is all that remains of the Alpha Site was caused by the base's self-destruct. O'Neill orders everyone to begin searching the trees for survivors. Soon, several are found. They include M'zel—a leader in the Jaffa resistance movement—some rebel Jaffa, and other SGC personnel. O'Neill and Teal'c soon find Jacob pinned under a fallen tree with a broken leg. Nobody, however, can find Carter. Jacob says that he and Carter were being pursued by a Kull Warrior, and that if Jacob survived the blast, then Carter and the Kull are probably still alive. After giving the prototype anti-Kull weapon to O'Neill, Jacob and Jackson return to SGC on Earth. O'Neill, Teal'c, and the other SG teams continue to search for Carter and other missing personnel. Concurrently, an injured Carter is being chased through the forest by the Kull Warrior. The dead bodies that she finds as she flees indicate that the Kull is still more than capable of causing significant harm. At SGC, Hammond is meeting M'zel, Tok'ra leader Delek, and Jacob, and attempts to find out what happened at the Alpha Site. M'zel accuses the Tok'ra of having an operative in the ranks of System Lord Olokun, but Delek denies this. Jacob later confronts Delek, and upsettingly finds out that not only was a Tok'ra operative there, but that Jacob has been effectively cut out of the Tok'ra ruling council! The news of the Tok'ra operative angers M'zel, who demands to know why the operative wasn't used to assassinate Olokun and allow that Goa'uld's Jaffa a chance to choose freedom and join the resistance. Meanwhile, the Kull Warrior is steadily catching up to Carter, and O'Neill and Teal'c don't seem to be gaining any ground on either of them!

Death Knell is a cat-and-mouse game between an injured and weaponless Carter and the Kull Warrior as they try to outsmart and outmanoeuvre each other. As the Kull carries a lot of firepower and is apparently unharmed, it has a significant advantage as she steadily grows weaker from her injuries. The episode is also a race to see if O'Neill and Teal'c can catch up in time, recover the anti-Kull weapon's power supply that Carter carries, and save the day. Concurrently, we see the steady erosion of trust between the Jaffa resistance and the Tok'ra come to a peak.

While Carter and the Kull Warrior's story is something new, the erosion of the human-Tok'ra-Jaffa alliance initially appears to be something that we've seen before. However, the show manages to not only make it compelling, but also takes it in an entirely new direction. Given the developments in the alliance over the season, what ends up happening feels like a natural progression, and the in-episode justifications are perfectly reasonable. And while we are just as flabbergasted as the heroes, we are also sympathetic to the Tok'ra's and Jaffa's reasons. I also liked how the episode focuses on the short term, and leaves things open in the long term. In the balance of our heroes both gaining and losing something, I'm not sure if the episode strengthens or weakens their position. No matter what, the episode is both intriguing and thought provoking. It cannot be missed for the ramifications on the human-Tok'ra-Jaffa alliance, which bodes ill for the coming episodes!

The President of the United States is nearing the end of his time in office, and has grown concerned over how the public will react if the Stargate Program becomes public knowledge after he leaves office. Hoping that he will be able to put a positive spin on his association with the program, he has commissioned a reporter to create a documentary on the people within SGC and their activities. However, few key SGC members demonstrate their willingness to participate in the documentary and the reporter occasionally rants about censorship—while he has been given complete access to all past mission reports, current activities of the SGC are off-limits since The Pentagon has yet to review and certify them safe for public viewing. While Carter and Jackson do participate in the interviews, it is only Dr Fraiser who seems willing to tolerate the reporter's presence. When interviewed, Teal'c simply stares at the camera, and O'Neill goes to great pains to completely avoid the reporter! On a distant planet being explored by SG-13, however, a Goa'uld Reconnaissance Probe stumbles across the human exploration team. After a brief firefight, it is disabled. Deeming the world to be safe, SGC allows SG-13 to continue to study the ruins they had found on the planet. Unbeknownst to SGC, the probe sent a sub-space signal before it was disabled, and a Goa'uld strike force soon appears on the planet to engage the explorers. With one team member wounded by a Jaffa staff blast and unable to move, SG-13's scientist Dr Balinsky returns to SGC and reports that his team is in grave danger and battling the Jaffa. SG-1, SG-5, and SG-7 are deployed to stop the Jaffa troops along with Dr Fraiser who is going to stabilize the airman until he is safe enough to be moved and brought back through the stargate.

Heroes (Part 1) takes a long time to build. It starts out as an intriguing concept: taking a look at the daily inner workings of SGC from an outsider's perspective in the form of a reporter. While the first few times the reporter bumps up against the limits of his mandates and rants about censorship are interesting, it starts to occur on a predictable pattern and wears out its welcome fast. If the goal was to underscore how mundane the day-to-day SGC operations are, then the episode succeeds admirable at it. Nevertheless, throughout the episode we do get unique glimpses of characterization, such as how some of the show's heroes avoid the reporter and how others become inexplicably tense when in front of the camera.

The episode comes alive with the off world story centred on SG-13. The most intriguing line of dialogue is the suggestion that because the Goa'uld are scavengers of technology, they have copied the SGC's MALP (Mobile Analytic Laboratory Probe) and use something similar to explore worlds. It makes one wonder what other 'ideas' they have pilfered from the humans over the past 7 or 8 years of contact. Nevertheless, the majority of the episode is a setup for Heroes (Part 2). Due to that, it is hard to adequately judge where everything is headed. Hopefully it brings everything together and provides focus, as Part 1 tends to be uneven and drags at times. Nevertheless, it is a unique interpretation of SGC, and gives a glimpse at SG-1's day-to-day activities, as well as the other goings on at SGC and the general political situation on Earth.

SG-1, SG-5, and SG-7 are exchanging gunfire with Jaffa troops to provide cover for Dr. Fraiser as she tends to a wounded airman. While gunning down Jaffa, O'Neill takes a staff weapon blast to the torso and falls to the ground. Carter breaks cover and rushes to O'Neill's aid while the battle rages on. Later, the SG teams return to Earth. Emmett Bregman—the reporter commissioned by the president (Heroes (Part 1))—and his camera crew are forced out of the embarkation room because they are prohibited from filming current activities in SGC. However, Bregman takes the camera and covertly films the returning teams as they leave. The camera films an unidentified individual lifeless on a gurney, and followed by Carter in tears. Soon afterwards, reports that there was a KIA during the mission begin to filter through SGC and piques the interest of Bregman. Concurrently, Agent Richard Woolsey conducts an on-site investigation of SGC, with many of Hammond's, Jackson's, and Carter's decisions being questioned. During this, Bregman continues to try to determine exactly what happened, and who was on that stretcher. Soon, tensions come to a boil and reach the breaking point...

Heroes (Part 2) is much more engaging than Heroes (Part 1). The best parts begin when the story leaps forward in time, and it becomes a race to figure out which character was killed before the episode reveals who it was. The interesting twist this time is that we see things from the position of the personnel who aren't going offworld and are not privy to ongoing mission details. It's fascinating to see how the base personnel trade gossip almost like it's a currency, and how the official announcements slowly filter down to the rank and file.

The most heartfelt scene is Hammond's speech about losing people under his command. One suspects that Don S. Davis's performance is not just good acting, but informed by personal experience as he used to be a Captain in the US's armed forces. This episode is also the first appearance of Robert Picardo's Woolsey. Picardo's appearance here is startling as it is so different from the familiar one as the Doctor on Star Trek Voyager. As the Woolsey character evolves greatly over the coming seasons of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, his appearance here is also striking.

The episode can't be missed for the big changes it engenders in the series. While I don't like the production team's almost routine decision to kill off beloved supporting characters, this particular instance is well done as they send the character off with a properly memorial to their heroic actions.

SG-1 arrives at a warehouse in Los Angeles where a rogue element of the NID was previously operating. Nearly everyone involved has been killed in a massacre. The only survivors are a scientist known as Dr Keffler, and a girl named Anna, who is being held in a sort of containment cell. While Carter and Agent Malcolm Barrett (season 6 's Smoke and Mirrors) attempt to get information out of Keffler, Jackson talks with Anna, asking her what the NID wanted with her, and about the strange and disturbing charcoal drawings that decorate her cell. Continuing the search of the warehouse's labs, SG-1 discovers the nature of the experiment as well as the truth about Anna: she is a human-Gua'uld hybrid, created by Keffler and his team in an attempt to access the memories and knowledge of the Goa'uld. It was her Goa'uld personality, Sekhmet, that took control of Anna's body and brutally slaughtered the rogue cell except for Dr Keffler. Through analyzing her drawings, Jackson discovers how to open a Goa'uld ark that the team found in the warehouse. However, upon opening it, they found a Naquadah bomb steadily counting down to detonation! While they call in Dr Lee (season 7's Heroes (Part 1)) to work with Teal'c to try to defuse the bomb, Carter and Barrett attempt to get answers from Keffler—who is anything but cooperative. Jackson attempts to encourage Anna to remember how Sekhmet activated the bomb, but as long as she is Anna, she can't remember.

Resurrection is a great episode that not only gives everyone something vital to do, it also brings back a bunch of familiar faces. However, what stands out most is the directing by Amanda Tapping. The highlight of which is a big revelation that isn't revealed until the camera pulls back in a tracking shot, that concurrently radically changes what we initially thought the shot was about. It is quite remarkable that this is Tapping's directorial debut! Also noteworthy is that the script was penned by Michael Shanks.

The episode itself is a wonderful mystery that not only gets more complex the more the heroes investigate it, but also continually throws up unexpected challenges that steadily ratchet up the tension and danger. In short, while it is solidly a Stargate SG-1 episode, it shares many elements with and is akin to the better X-Files episodes. The episode underscores the ongoing threat of the rogue NID agents, as well as highlighting that there are still extremely dangerous Goa'uld relics to be found on Earth. The episode cannot be missed as—among its many attributes—it creatively takes the series into new territory.

The newly elected American President Henry Hayes walks through the White House and is seemingly overwhelmed by his first day in office. Entering the Oval Office, he is greeted by General Francis Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who urgently needs to reveal the Stargate Program to him. Maynard discloses the premise and necessity of the Stargate Program, which the President initially takes as a joke. Maynard, however, quickly assures him that it's not. Afterwards, Hayes angrily asks Vice President Robert Kinsey (season 6's Disclosure) why he wasn't informed about the program even though Kinsey had been. Kinsey uses the opportunity to expound on his grievances with the staff at SGC and the need for change. During the evening, Hayes looks at some files from the Stargate Program and talks to Maynard about it. During the discussion, Maynard also complains about Kinsey's previous attempts at taking over the program. They also discuss the NID and Kensey's connection with that clandestine group. Soon after, Hayes and Maynard have a meeting with Kinsey and Richard Woolsey (season 7's Heroes (Part 2)) where they deliberate about SGC. When Maynard complains about the absence of Hammond, Woolsey immediately cites Hammond as one of the problems! To further his case, Woolsey gives examples of SG-1's insubordination, as well as examples of SG-1 being possessed by alien entities. Kinsey encourages Hayes to take action at the SGC soon. Hayes ends the meeting in order to make a fair assessment of the situation. However, due to the political climate of his presidency, he is already leaning in Kinsey's favour!

Inauguration is a clip show. As far as clip shows go, however, this is one of the better ones, as the majority of the episode is about the future of SG-1 and the SGC's command staff, and the clips are used to illustrate the arguments of both their supporters and adversaries. In other words, the clips are hardly ever gratuitous, and are somewhat few and far between. That isn't to say that some action scenes aren't thrown in for good measure. By and large, however, there are a lot of dialogue clips, and all the clips are used to either ratchet up the episode's tension or remind us of the threats that SG-1 and SGC face.

Interestingly, the main cast hardly makes an appearance—outside of the clips, that is—and the focus of the action is on either semi-regular supporting characters or new ones in the form of Hayes and Maynard. The guest stars tend to make or break any TV episode, and William Devane (Hayes), James McDaniel (Maynard), Ronny Cox (Kinsey), and Robert Picardo (Woolsey) knock it out of the park! The twist at the end of the episode not only answers some long standing questions about Hammond and his relationship with the NID, but also portends a great shift in alliances for at least one of the antagonists that SG-1 and SGC face on Earth. Ordinarily a clip show can be missed, but this one must be seen for the significant changes it introduces on Stargate SG-1's domestic front.

O'Neill is called by Jackson who informs him that SG-2 has returned from P3X-439, a planet where an Ancient Repository of Knowledge may be located that could potentially contain information on the location of the Lost City that they've been looking for. As the information from a repository almost killed him in 1999 (season 2 's The Fifth Race), O'Neill is skeptical about Jackson's desire to investigate further. In Washington DC, Dr Elizabeth Weir is on her way to a meeting at the White House with the American President. She is picked up by Vice President Robert Kinsey (season 7's Inauguration) who begins briefing her on the stargate. At first she is skeptical, but that turns to dismay as he hands her the first of many mission reports. In the SGC briefing room, Carter informs O'Neill that SG-3 discovered a Goa'uld Reconnaissance Probe (season 7's Heroes (Part 1)) on P3X-439, indicating that the Goa'uld are now aware of the planet and likely of its importance—that it many contain the whereabouts of the Lost City and other knowledge that could prove capable of defeating Anubis. Hammond authorizes a mission to go to the planet, find the repository, and bring it back to Earth where the information can be safely extracted. Meanwhile, Weir arrives at the White House and is escorted into a room full of boxes containing SGC mission reports. She asks Kinsey why the President has decided to tell her about the Stargate Program and what kind of job he could possible want to offer her. He merely tells her to try to say no to the President's offer, and leaves her to read the reports. On P3X-439, SG-1 discovers the Ancient repository. However, Anubis has arrived at the planet and dispatched Al'kesh bombers and Death Gliders to attack the human forces. O'Neill has no choice but to subject himself to the device before the team destroys it with C-4 and flees back to the stargate!

Part 1 is both a payoff for things that have been building over the course of the season, as well as setting up Part 2 and beyond. The biggest thing the episode does is introduce Dr. Weir, who goes on to have an illustrious career in the first few seasons of Stargate Atlantis. Weir is, however, initially unrecognizable as the character is played by Jessica Steen and not Torri Higginson, who plays her in Stargate Atlantis. The characterization is also radically different, as this version is completely out of her element, and we only catch a glimpse of Weir finding her balance and—especially in Part 2—confidently baring her proverbial teeth to do her job and get things done in the face of adversity.

The best parts of this episode are when it shows the comradery between the SG-1 team members—from 'not' helping O'Neill complete a crossword to showing up at O'Neill's house unannounced to check up on him after he subjected himself to the Ancient repository once again. The episode also does an excellent job of not feeling like a retread of a season 2 episode, as a lot of the same plot elements happen. This episode, however, takes it in a wonderful direction as it shows just how much the team has improved with their years of additional experience in handling these types of incidents. The only real drawback to the episode is that it also highlights how much Richard Dean Anderson's humour has been missing from most of the other season 7 episodes.

Jackson and O'Neill are sitting in Jackson's lab. After unsuccessfully attempting to gauge how far the Ancient knowledge has progressed in O'Neill's brain, Jackson grabs the crossword that O'Neill had been working on. He soon notes that for the clue 'label', O'Neill had answered "Praclarush", and for the clue 'sphere', he had "Taonas". Jackson contends that "Praclarush Taonas" is the name of the planet on which the Lost City is located. Carter and O'Neill, however, appear skeptical. Jackson discovers that "Praclarush Taonas" translates into "lost in fire", which he claims is further support for his belief that it is the location of the Lost City. O'Neill soon manifests the ability to "read" the symbols on the stargate, and Jackson discovers that the name of the planet is also its address, with Earth's "A" symbol as the point of origin. In the operations room, Jackson shares his discovery with Dr Weir—who is now in command of SGC—while Carter searches for the planet's address in the base's computer. She quickly discovers, however, that they already tried dialing the planet over two years ago but were unable to make a connection, possibly because the planet's gate is buried. They must thus rely on Teal'c to procure a ship to travel there, as the Prometheus is needed at Earth to defend it against Anubis's approaching fleet. On Chulak, Teal'c and Bra'tac meet a Jaffa named Ronan, who offers the use of his Tel'tak transport ship on the condition that he joins them on their mission. Teal'c and Bra'tac accept, as Ronan is a fine pilot. They rendezvous with the rest of SG-1, and head to the planet, which is at least two days travel away. However, Anubis's fleet is much less than two days from the Earth, and unless O'Neill can access more of the Ancient's knowledge, there is no way that SG-1 will be able to find the Lost City and return in time to save the Earth!

Part 2 is THE payoff that we have been waiting for. We see O'Neill gaining more and more access to the Ancient's knowledge, and that steadily becomes more helpful to the rest of his team. Just like season 2's The Fifth Race, O'Neill concurrently starts losing the ability to communicate with words, but perplexingly that makes the episode all the more interesting as he just starts doing things and we—along with his teammates—mentally race to figure out what he is doing before he finishes! Just like the season 2 episode, O'Neill comes up with some truly unique and wonderful inovations. The new ones are completely unlike the ones in The Fifth Race, and give this episode a great sense of mystery, wonder, and creativity.

The episode also takes a number of unexpected twists. Most are warmly welcome. However, there may have been one too many, as there is an inexplicable treacherous character that the team meets, which ends up feeling too much like "been there done that". Ultimately, the treachery comes across as an unnecessary distraction to a sequence that is already rife with danger, and makes one wonder if a friendly ally would have been better, or at least less forced. Nevertheless, this episode gives us one of the most epic sequences in the entire Stargate (TV) franchise, and one of the best set-up and payoff two-parter episodes in the entire Stargate SG-1 series, while also setting up the big changes in season 8 and laying the foundation for the premise of Stargate Atlantis. It can't be missed!