After decimating the hastily assembled fleet, the four Ori warships continue their incursion into the Milky Way. Aboard one, Vala Mal Doran gives birth to a girl who is immediately taken away from her. A one-eyed Prior proclaims that the baby is the Orici. This child of Vala's will be a beacon to the warriors of the Ori and to all who follow the Ori. She will lead them to glorious victory over any and all unbelievers. At the Supergate, Carter floats in space calling out to any survivors. After several hours she gets into contact with Mitchell, who has been drifting semi-conscious in the cockpit of the F-302 he escaped in from the Korolev (season 9's Camelot). He tells her that Jackson may have still been aboard when it exploded. Col. Emerson (season 9's Off the Grid) hails Mitchell as the Odyssey returns. As Mitchell docks, Emerson reports that they followed the Ori ships until they jumped into hyperspace. Teal'c, still aboard a Lucian Alliance vessel, calls Emerson, who hopes the Goa'uld mothership he is on can take on survivors as the Odyssey is in really bad shape. The transmission is cut off when Teal'c is shot at by someone onboard his ship. Netan, leader of the Lucian Alliance, takes Teal'c prisoner. He then demands that the Odyssey unconditionally surrender. Aboard the Ori vessel, Vala meets her daughter—already a young girl of 3 or 4 years old in appearance. As the child heals Vala's after-effects of having given birth, she explains that her mother shouldn't worry and that she will show her the true path. Mitchell notes that someone ringed off the Korolev just before it exploded. It turns out to be Jackson who ended up on Vala's Ori ship. He eventually locates her, and she explains how the Ori used her to "sneak one of their own over the border." Jackson has to hide as Tomin (season 9's Crusade) suddenly comes to visit her. Concurrently, the Odyssey learns where the Ori warships were headed: Chulak, which they immediately attack!

Flesh and Blood picks up right where season 9's Camelot left off: the aftermath of the Ori warships' devastating attack on the human-Jaffa-Lucian Alliance-Asgard joint fleet. We learn that not only has SG-1 survived, they still aren't out of harm's way in their respective predicaments. This generates a unique sequence that answers the question: how do you get someone floating in space without a jet pack inside a giant space carrier that doesn't have beaming technology nor fine helm control? This leads to a thought-provoking exchange between the Asgard scientist Kvasir (season 9's Ripple Effect) and Mitchell, while he pilots the ship. The episode also depicts a planetary invasion by the Ori's warrirors, as well as vividly reminding us of not only the warrior spirit of the Jaffa, but also just how easy it is for their warships to destroy a Goa'uld mothership. Another thing this episode makes clear is that the Lucian Alliance are not going to join in any alliances for the greater good, and are as opportunistic and self-serving as ever.

This episode's big revelation and shakeup of the status quo is the introduction of Vala's child Adria. Right off the bat we know she's not human as she grows from a newborn to a 13 year-old in what appears to be just under a day. The chilling revelation is that the Ori have woven their knowledge into her genetic makeup. While she is not an Ori per se and apparently doesn't have all of their knowledge, the fact that her 4 year old stage has the power to instantly heal other people is a worrisome sign. Adria's mere presence also implies that our galaxy's ascended Ancients will not intervene in the Ori invasion, despite the Ori having more or less violated the Ancient's non-interference rule.

This episode truly cannot be missed, as not only does it pave the way for season 10's main storylines, it also introduces and reintroduces several important characters that will play key roles over the coming episodes. On top of that, there are plenty of here-to-fore unseen visuals and special effects. Stargate SG-1 has truly never looked this good!

Teal'c returns to SGC. He reports that six more worlds were invaded by the Ori, and that a young woman with extraordinary powers was reportedly leading the invasion. Jackson announces that he's found the gate address for Vagonbrei, one of the planets that Arthur searched for the Sangraal—the Holy Grail (season 9's Camelot). Landry orders SG-1 to investigate, but he tells Vala that she must remain at SGC. Jackson argues on Vala's behalf, comparing her to Teal'c and asks Landry to take a chance and allow her to accompany SG-1. Landry agrees, with the proviso that Jackson keep Vala in line, and that she undergo a psych evaluation. SG-1 finds Vagonbrei deserted. Most of the villagers seem to have died in their beds. SGC dispatches Reimer, Ackerman, and Grimsby for medical support. In the village records, Jackson finds mention of a cave overlooking the village that was home to Morgan Le Fay, a sorceress who is the half sister of Arthur and adversary of Merlin. Teal'c suggest that this Morgan may have been ascended, like Merlin (season 9's Arthur's Mantle). Recognizing the danger Merlin's weapon posed to any ascended being, she may have stolen it and unleashed a sickness to cover her actions. SG-1 and Ackerman head out to search for the cave. Landry visits Vala, who is diligently studying. He encourages her to be herself. Ackerman naps while SG-1 searches the cave. Finding nothing, they return to the village. Vala meets psychologist Dr Hutchison, who attempts an inkblot test. He soon abandons it because of Vala's obviously studied and pre-planned responses. Later, Woolsey (season 9's The Scourge) pays her a visit. He suggests that he and his organization can ensure her success if she becomes a spy for the IOA. Vala is stunned by the proposal. When SG-1 decides to call it a day, they can't find Ackerman. Mitchell locates him in a chair, seemingly asleep. They cannot wake him. After some tests, Reimer reveals that everyone's white cell count is elevated, as are their serotonin levels. They have all been infected with something, and must stay awake or they may never wake up again!

Morpheus is a great episode that strikes a good balance between two of Stargate SG-1's main elements. The A-story sees SG-1 exploring ruins and caves to solve a mystery while the B-story provides a healthy dose of comedy as we see what Vala does both in preparation for and during a psych evaluation. While they are polar opposites in tone, they both share a high degree of scientific validity. Kudos to the writers for properly researching the diverse elements in this story ranging from Arthurian legend to medicine and psychiatry! While the overall show is generally easy-breezy in its presentation, the fact that the writers made the effort to make it hold up to scrutiny speaks volumes.

While the focus of Morpheus is mostly about laying more foundation for future stories—its A story sets up future quests and characters and the B story explains how Vala becomes a permanent member of the team—the episode is also an effective medical mystery/horror story. Even Vala's story has a lot of juicy elements in it, especially when the always wonderful Robert Picardo appears as the duplicitous Woolsey, and we are left wondering if he still has secret designs on Stargate Command and if we have to reappraise our reappraisal of him near the end of season 9! The highlight of the episode is Robin Mossley's wonderful performance as the scientist/medic Reimer. In short, the horror aspects of the episode are all the more potent because of him. It is truly a shame that Reimer only appears in this one episode, as Mossley plays him with great gravitas, and one feels that Reimer would have made an excellent recurring character. Even though this episode is an in-between story and not part of a multi-episode arc, it sets up so much that it is still important to the overall story. It's not quite a 'must see', but neither is it an out-and-out 'can be skipped'. On the whole, it is a quieter episode with a slower pace and tone with no 'splosions. That said, like all great horror films, it is fully about the characters—the very reason why we continue watching great shows like Stargate SG-1.

The Odyssey drops out of hyperspace inside the Pegasus Galaxy and lands at Atlantis (Stargate Atlantis season 1's Rising (Part 1)). In the city, Carter conducts a mission briefing with Dr Elizabeth Weir (season 8's New Order (Part 2)), Mitchell, Jackson Vala, Dr Rodney McKay (season 6's Redemption (Part 2)), and Colonel John Sheppard. The Ori Supergate has been inactive since the first Ori ships came through, however, Priors are promising reinforcements. Carter plans to use a gate Teal'c is positioning near the Supergate to dial in with one powered by a Pegasus Galaxy black hole. A directed nuclear blast on the Pegasus side will force the connection to jump to the Supergate, preventing the Ori from using it. Jackson and Vala stay behind to search the Ancient database on Atlantis for clues to Merlin's weapon. Vala, contemplating the "souvenirs" the city must harbour, wants to sight-see, but Jackson steers her back to their part of the mission. Jackson begins his research with the VR room's holographic interface: the image of a Lantean woman. Bored, Vala goads him into simply asking where Casiana and Sahal—the two planets they are searching for—are, even though Weir said her search of the database revealed nothing. Jackson and Vala are left speechless when the hologram immediately discloses their Milky Way locations and gate addresses. Near a black hole accretion disk, Odyssey releases a Milky Way stargate. Inside the Milky Way, Teal'c has positioned a stargate near the Supergate. They successfully make a gate connection, though communication is both delayed and slowed due to the black hole's time dilation. Carter releases a directed nuclear charge near their gate, but Teal'c reports that it was inadequate to cause the jump. Unbeknownst to them, the blast has attracted the attention of a Wraith Hive Ship, which the Odyssey cannot detect due to its proximity to the black hole. Concurrently, an Ori ship arrives at the Supergate. On top of that, Jackson has deduced that he is not speaking to a hologram, but an ascended being, and attempts to get her and the other ascended beings to help them battle the Ori!

The Pegasus Project is SG-1's first foray into Stargate Atlantis territory. As a crossover episode, it could be baffling to those unfamiliar with Atlantis. In short, the episode assumes that the viewer already knows the Atlantis characters and treats them like series regulars. If you've been following Atlantis, it's great, and arguably would leave you wanting the heroes of both shows to spend more time together. Instead, The Pegasus Project keeps the presence of the Atlantis staff to a minimum, and it is only SG-1 semi-regular guest McKay who joins SG-1 on their mission. Due to that baffling nature, I have to knock half a star off the rating as even though I've watched all of Atlantis, it's been years since I last saw it. In other words, this episode works best when one is watching both of the Stargate shows concurrently.

That said, this episode successfully captures both the wonder and the breadth of the Stargate series, as we see not only human and Lantean 'ships', but also Goa'uld, Wraith, and Ori vessels. On top of that, we revisit the mind-bending tactic of using a black hole to permanently connect stargates, as well as the Supergate's unstable energy vortex (the 'kawoosh') erupt in a truly epic fashion! The episode has a lot going for it, but what truly makes it memorable is Jackson, Vala, and Weir confronting the ascended being in Atlantis's VR room. In the process we learn that she is Morgan Le Fay, who is apparently Arthur's half-sister and an adversary of Merlin—both of which being members of the group of Lanteans who returned to the Milky Way galaxy some 10,000 years ago and subsequently discovered how to ascend. While you will want to watch this episode for its mind-blowing action, you'll want to stay for its equally mind-blowing revelations on the Milky Way's Ascended beings!

Landry, Carter, Mitchell, Teal'c, and Vala discuss the results of their expedition to the Pegasus galaxy. Castiana has a toxic atmosphere that is slowing the search there for Merlin's weapon. They found evidence of stone structures on Sahal, but they were abandoned over 40,000 years ago. Thinking that they have missed important information, Jackson is in the library on Camelot, hunting through Merlin's books. A Goa'uld Al'kesh medium-range bomber approaches Earth, heading straight for Cheyenne Mountain. Landry orders pursuing fighter jets to shoot it down after it fails to respond to hails. The disabled vessel crashes in an uninhabited area, and SG-1 picks up the sole pilot: Baal. Puzzled that Baal—who has previously come to Earth undetected—would fly right to SGC, Carter scans him and notes the presence of an implanted locator beacon. The mystery deepens as to why, because a jamming field in SGC prevents anyone outside the base from locking onto it. Vala suggests Baal's attempts to steal Stargates (season 9's Off the Grid) and to gain control of the Jaffa High Council (season 9's Stronghold) was part of a plan to seize the Ancient superweapon on Dakara. With modification, it could be used to eliminate organic life in most of the Milky Way, making this galaxy useless to the Ori. Baal's clones, fearing they would die in the process, want the real Baal dead to prevent that. Or so Baal says. In return for the elimination of his clones, Baal will offer information relevant to the search for Merlin's weapon. Anubis told Baal of Merlin's weapon and his search for it among the thousands of worlds that the Goa'uld aren't aware of; the addresses that were obtained by O'Neill after using the Ancient repository of knowledge (season 2's The Fifth Race). Baal's information will allow SG-1 to narrow down the selection. He tells them they can find the clones by searching for their locator beacons using the tracking device on his Al'kesh. The clones know about Merlin's weapon, and if captured by the Ori, they could reveal the fact that the SGC database contains its location; a threat that the Ori would be inclined to quickly eliminate. Combining Baal's information with that possessed by SGC, Vala mentions her familiarity with a planet that used to be under Camulus's control. SG-1 decides to investigate as a test of Baal's intent and information. SG-1 soon captures another Baal and returns him to SGC. DNA tests suggest that both Baals are clones. Teams are dispatched to retrieve the other Baals. Soon 20 clones are in custody, and SGC is no closer to achieving their goal. Soon, the Baals escape, and take Carter hostage!

There are very few episodes where one gets the sense that the people working on it had as much fun—if not more—making it as we do watching. Insiders gives that impression. The episode is a classic bottle episode, with the majority of it taking place inside SGC. However, its real fun comes in seeing Cliff Simon as not one, but multiple Baals. The episode gets really interesting when several Baal clones start punching and wrestling each other! What is most remarkable, however, is learning that Simon gave a very subtly different performance for each incarnation. It isn't something that is readily noticeable, but in retrospect it helps sell the concept of the clones, as they would all have been subtly changed by the different experiences they each underwent since their creation.

Regrettably, the episode doesn't advance the overall story very much. After learning that SG-1's investigations of the hard-won gate addresses has come up naught, the episode only serves to create more questions than it answers. The only new things we learn are that Anubis was unsuccessful in his attempts to locate Merlin's weapon, and that the Baal clones are also currently looking for it. Nevertheless, sometimes it is the ride that is more enjoyable than the destination, and this episode gives a pretty good ride.

Gen. Landry has ordered SG-1 and Vala to join him at Gen. O'Neill's cabin so that they can all get to know one another better while taking a break from the constant pressure of the Ori. Mitchell is the first to arrive. The others have been delayed: Teal'c is off-world assisting SG-3, and Carter is in command of SGC and can't join them until Col. Reynolds (season 8's Zero Hour), SG-3's team leader, returns. Jackson is still in England, and is looking through a private book collection concerning Merlin and Morgan. Landry and Mitchell are not alone, however. An unseen observer is watching them, hidden by a Sodan cloaking device (season 9's Babylon). On P9J-333, Teal'c observes the brutality of the creature that ripped the local villagers apart. Back at SGC, he, Reynolds, Carter and Vala discuss the possibility that the creature is Ori related. Carter sends Teal'c, Vala, SG-3 and SG-25 to P9J-333. Vala is thrilled, Teal'c is not. There is another attack, and when Vala runs to the DHD to summon help, the creature follows her. Teal'c kills it with a grenade. On Earth, the power fails at the cabin due to a storm. When Mitchell prepares to leave the following morning, Landry informs him that the only road out is washed out. Dr. Redon performs an autopsy on the P9J-333 creature. A black worm-like animal emerges from inside it. Teal'c zats it before it can attack the doctor. They learn that the worm emits radiation, and that transforms a docile host into a vicious mutant. On his morning jog, Mitchell runs into a wild-eyed hunter yelling about a crazed bear. Mitchell helps locate the man's friend, now dismembered like the people on P9J-333. Fearing further injury as many people are rushing to the forest to hunt the crazed bear, Mitchell and Landry set out to track it down. Soon, another mutilated hunter is discovered. When another SG team returns with injuries from an unrelated planet, Carter concludes that the worms aren't an Ori creation, as they only appear on worlds where SG teams have disguised themselves using Sodan cloaking devices. She also learns that one device is missing from Area 51. Carter and Teal'c test the Sodan devices. Eventually a worm appears while one of the devices is active. Soon afterwards, Mitchell finds the person who has been observing the cabin, and learns that he was using a Sodan device. Putting things together, they realize that there is a mutant alien creature rampaging in the forests around O'Neill's cabin!

Uninvited is quite uneven: interspersed between plenty of great, tense or funny scenes, there are a smattering of sequences that are uncomfortable to watch. I really enjoyed any scene with the always enjoyable Vala, as well as the ones with Carter as she works the problem. Perhaps the best sequence in the episode is when it is just the two of them in Landry's office—so much is said with just a glance or half-formed word that it's almost a masterclass in performance and character. However, there is just something off and hard-to-watch about Landry's interaction with Mitchell. Beau Bridges (Landry) is no Don S. Davis (Hammond). It's not so much the emotion in the performance as it is how he carries himself and interacts with his subordinates. One gets the sense that Davis really leaned into his experiences in the US Armed Forces to inform him on the role, whereas one gets the impression that Bridges doesn't have that life-experience to rely on. Arguably, this falls back on the writing, and how much thought (*cough* research *cough*) they put into those scenes and the overall situation of a 'general' wanting to get chummy with his crack team. Mitchell's Ben Browder more successfully pulls it off; but again, how much of that is down to the writing and painting the situation as an overbearing boss on a 'team building retreat', when it should have been sharing a beer with a high-ranking officer and building camaraderie by recounting old war stories.

On the other hand, the episode has a great mystery, with plenty of red-herrings (Is it an Ori threat? A rampaging bear?) What it turns out to be is equally fascinating, as the reasons 'why' it happened are also plausibly explained. In oblique terms: bad things tend to happen when humans start making 'adjustments' to captured Ancient technology. This is a repeating theme in the Stargate SG-1 series and its spin-offs. It also ties right back into SG-1's first encounter with the Tollans (season 1's Enigma) which depicted them using science way beyond our current grasp of it, and the Kelownan's experiments with Naquadria (season 5's Meridian) which vividly depicted the tragic and harmful effects of experimenting with physics beyond that society's knowledge. Nevertheless, aside from some uncomfortable situations between Landry and Mitchell, the episode has a lot going in its favour: great dialogue between the other cast members, a great mystery, plenty of action, and a goofily rendered CG monster that adds a great B-movie texture to the episode. In short: it's got a lot of originality, and is great fun most of the time!

General O'Neill has ordered Carter, Jackson, Mitchell, Teal'c, and Vala to review a movie script by Martin Lloyd. His failed television show based on the Stargate program (season 5's Wormhole X-Treme!) is being turned into a feature film. The script opens with SG-1 finally meeting the elusive Furlings (season 1's The Torment of Tantalus) face-to-face. However, the Goa'uld attack, and Carter is unable to prevent a thermodynamic loop from feeding back into the planet's core. With a shrug, she and Jackson beam out as the world is blown apart. At the real SGC, Carter points out that those events never happened. She thinks it's wrong to have the heroes cause a major catastrophe, even if it is at the start of the film. Vala notes the absence of a sexy, female alien in the movie script—namely, someone like her. Mitchell then pitches an action-packed movie scene that Lloyd promptly rejects. Landry interrupts to send SG-1 and Vala on a recon mission, ignoring Lloyd's protests. Mitchell is especially enthusiastic as it will be his 200th trip through a stargate. The gate, however, fails to power up. They have no choice but to go back to the conference room and continue the chore of discussing the movie with Martin while diagnostics are performed...

200 is an oddity. It is both a callback to a 'plausible deniability' cover story from halfway through the show's run—when the 100th episode was celebrated—as well as a series of short sketches seeing the Stargate SG-1 cast acting out vignettes set in or otherwise riffing on other famous shows and movies. The episode also has a meta commentary on both the creative process and the show itself. Due to that, 200 is loaded with sly winks and a plethora of in-jokes; and because of that, it is either wildly funny or merely amusing and somewhat baffling to the uninitiated.

The highlight of the episode is seeing the regular cast playfully depicting variants of themselves—or other famous characters—set in a wide variety of well-known shows. These range from The Wizard of Oz to Farscape; the latter being notable as the first sci-fi show that Ben Browder (Mitchell) and Claudia Black (Vala) starred together in. However, the best thing about this episode is the directing: Dir. Martin Wood put a lot of effort into emulating the shooting styles of the various shows and movies they spoofed. It is something not readily obvious, but adds immensely to the sincerity and authenticity of the homages the episode makes to the shows that are being spoofed.

The only drawback to the episode is that despite it providing our first glimpse of the Furlings, we can't trust that depiction as it appears in a fantasy sequence and probably isn't based on 'reality'. Nevertheless, this episode is a celebration of Stargate SG-1 and the people behind it, and having achieved the milestone of producing more than 200 episodes and having been continuously broadcast for more than 10 years—a production run that few shows achieve!

Undercover on a world converting to Origin, Carter, Jackson, Mitchell, Teal'c, and Vala listen as the now fully-grown Adria (season 10's Flesh and Blood) invites the new believers to join her army. In orbit, the Odyssey detects powerful radiation emanating from the planet's stargate. The ship's commander beams out SG-1 as the wave strikes, killing everyone on the planet. Vala confesses to Jackson that she is relieved that Adria is dead. She felt guilty that she hadn't stopped her before. Bra'tac arrives on Earth and informs Gen. Landry that the new Jaffa leader, Se'tak, intends to use the Ancient weapon on Dakara (season 8's Threads) against the Ori forces. Landry reveals SG-1's narrow escape and calls the deaths of the planet's inhabitants mass murder. He insists on meeting Se'tak face-to-face. Carter and Teal'c realize that the radiation wave had to have come from the weapon on Dakara. Teal'c is shamed by the actions of his people. Carter and Mitchell refocus on the opportunity to examine an unguarded Ori ship. SG-1 beams aboard and splits up to search the ship. Teal'c and Mitchell find the engine room, and Carter discovers the bridge with a command chair interface similar to the one in the Ancient base in Antarctic. Laying claim to the Ori ship, Jaffa warriors led by Bo'rel confront and capture Mitchell and Teal'c. Carter asks for immediate extraction. When the Odyssey can't, she suspects that she accidentally activated the ship's shields. On Dakara, Landry confronts Se'tak. He tells Landry that he no longer feels bound by the agreement made by his predecessors not to use the Ancient weapon, as desperate times calls for desperate measures. Threatening Teal'c and Mitchell, Bo'rel commands the rest of SG-1 to surrender. Jackson, hiding with Vala, radios Bo'rel and attempts to reason with him. However, they are soon captured by Bo'rel's subordinates. Adria, who survived the deadly radiation, rescues Jackson and Vala by killing several Jaffa with her powerful telekinetic abilities. She is clearly happy to see her mother again. Adria reanimates one of the Jaffa and learns about the weapon on Dakara—the only thing capable of stopping the Ori. She then takes control of the Ori ship, and puts it on a course to Dakara, with SG-1 still trapped inside!

Counterstrike raises questions about 'the ends justify the means', parenthood, and a parent's regret and remorse about how a wayward child has turned out. There are some vital lines about how the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and the like are not universally supported by the nations that use them, and how such use brings remorse and shame—and in this episode's poetic justice—the death of the very people who used them! While it is depicted literally, it is just as much a visual metaphor for how those people have morally died. The plot is ostensibly about the last, great stand of the Jaffa Free Nation against the Ori. However, what it really is is a parable on weapons of mass destruction, the morality of using them, and the effects on not only the people that use them, but also the allies of the users. The truly alarming part of the episode is when Bra'tac and Landry are discussing it, and there is a strong subtext that the new leaders of the Free Jaffa Nation may one day decide to use the weapon on their Earth allies!

Counterstrike marks the first appearance of Morena Baccarin as Adria. And what a wonderful impression she makes. Adria is someone heads and shoulders more powerful than anyone that SG-1 has encountered before, and the episode makes it vividly clear that SG-1 will not be able to stop her with force. Even the normally convincing Jackson's pleas fall on deaf ears, and we find ourselves in the bemusing and equally alarming situation of Vala being the only person who has any leverage over Adria, as she is the only person that Adria wants to please and genuinely convert to the Ori religion. The highlight of the episode is the heartfelt dialogue between Jackson and Vala about loved ones being better dead than under the possession of—and eternally suffering at the hands of—an evil entity is especially compelling, and provides a surprising depth to Vala, as well as the signs of a deeper connection between the two characters. The episode cannot be missed, as it greatly shakes up the status quo as the series approaches the midpoint of season 10.

Jackson takes Vala to dinner at a nice off-base restaurant to reward her for adjusting to a new life and for not falling back on her old ways. She, of course, sees it as a date. When Vala heads to the restroom, she is kidnapped. She cues the waiter that something is wrong. He alerts Jackson, who reaches the entrance just as the car bearing Vala pulls away. Vala awakens later, strapped to a gurney. Her transponder has been removed, and she is wired to a Goa'uld memory device. Charlotte Mayfield (season 9's Ex Deus Machina), a woman in the Trust who is allied with Baal, is now host to a Goa'uld who was once both partner and rival to Qetesh—the Goa'uld that once possessed Vala. Mayfield is searching for a code to an Ancient tablet which reveals the location of a treasure map. Vala has suppressed Qetesh's full memories, but her subconscious contains residual memories, and Mayfield is trying to access them. Jackson briefs Gen. Landry. Certain that the Trust is behind Vala's disappearance, Landry calls the NID. The local police also get involved, conducting interviews as well as a search. Vala resists the memory device so determinedly that it elicits only a few flashbacks and intense emotion. Concurrently, the NID provides SGC with a list of suspected Trust safe houses. Five teams are dispatched to various locations for a simultaneous raid. SG-1 joins one of the raids, but Vala is not at that location. SG-15 and local law enforcement, however, do storm the warehouse where Vala is being held. During the attack, a zat blast hits the memory device, sending an added charge into Vala's mind. Her survival instincts take over, and she escapes before the Trust operatives destroy the warehouse in an explosion. Vala subsequently wanders the city on foot, not knowing who she is at all, as the zat blast has given her amnesia. She has no money, and goes into Sol's Diner as she is tired and hungry. However, in addition to the lost memories, she has no money to pay for anything that she orders!

Memento Mori is a detour from the main plot just before the mid-season two-parter. Its focus is on rounding out Vala—who she truly is, and what kind of life she would lead if she were born on Earth—as well as keeping the Baal–Trust subplot fresh in the viewer's memory. The Trust B-story is the lesser of the two halves, as it doesn't really tell us anything new. Its purpose is to justify Vala's memory loss, and give the rest of SG-1 something to do as Vala has her individual adventure. Nevertheless, the B-story underscores the continuing Goa'uld threat: they were defeated, but are still up to their old tricks. The Trust, under Baal's command, are still active on Earth and continue to be a thorn in SGC's side.

Vala's side of the story is much more engaging and interesting, as it informs us so much on Vala's base character, and in a subtle way, suggests how much of her behaviour is due to her experiences of being a Goa'uld host and then having lived a life on the run after that. Claudia Black is always believable with and without her memories. However, what truly makes this episode work is the supporting characters. There's Don Stark as Sal (owner of Sol's Dinner), and Adrian Holmes as police detective Ryan. Both are believable and add much needed notes of empathy, concern and grounded reality to the episode. Sonya Salomaa as Mayfield is less believable, simply because she wasn't given any meaty dialogue, and due to other actors pulling off the scheming Goa'uld much more threateningly and deliciously, such as Anna-Louise Plowman as Osiris, Cliff Simon as Baal, and of course, the wonderful Peter Williams who set the gold standard as Apophis.

All in all, this episode practically telegraphs its major plot points before they happen. However, it's still a fun watch as the devil is in the details, and Claudia Black knocks it out of the park. She is always fun to watch, whether it's appealing to a cook for a free meal, or teasing Jackson that they are on a "date" and subsequently watching him squirm!

The Odyssey drops out of hyperspace, investigating a reported second Ori Supergate. On board, Carter notes only the presence of a neutron star powerful enough to disrupt the Odyssey's systems. Immediately they are ambushed by three Ha'tak ships, and the Odyssey is forced into a minefield where it sustains extensive damage. The ship's commanding officer, Colonel Paul Emerson (season 10's Counterstrike) contacts SGC and informs Landry of the ruse, just as the Odyssey is boarded. Even though SGC is receiving telemetry from the Odyssey's emergency transponder, they have no means to mount a rescue. Teal'c advises them that Bra'tac is pursuing the source of the false intel. However, because the Jaffa nation is in disarray, it will be days before a Jaffa vessel could arrive to assist. Vala volunteers to get them a ship. Dubious, Landry accepts. Carter awakens in the Odyssey's hold. Emerson reports that they were towed out of the minefield. Members of the boarding party come for Carter, taking her and Emerson to Anateo, a "First" in the Lucian Alliance (season 10's Flesh and Blood). He wants Carter to disable the ship's subspace beacon—which is broadcasting their location—and he threatens to kill Emerson if she doesn't cooperate! Concurrently, SG-1 is following the Odyssey's transponder signal in the run-down cargo ship that Vala has procured. They track it to a small planet that Vala recognizes as a former Goa'uld shipyard. Freed human slaves with ties to the Lucian Alliance have converted it to a spaceship chop shop. Worried about another ambush, Mitchell allows Vala to take Jackson along with her when she meets Borzin, her contact on the planet. For his part, Borzin has much more up his sleeves than whatever antagonism he feels for Vala over their last encounter.

Company of Thieves is another detour from the season's main plot. Unlike Memento Mori, however, this episode is at least indirectly dealing with the Ori menace as we see SGC actively trying to prevent any more Ori warships from entering our galaxy. This episode also gives an update to the Jaffa Nation after the events in Counterstrike, and essentially wraps up the Lucian Alliance story arc in Stargate SG-1. In short: their attention is now focused on limiting the Ori disruption to their kassa drug trade (season 9's Off the Grid) and rooting out an internal insurrection.

Overall, the episode doesn't really add much to the overall Stargate SG-1 mythos. It skillful goes about its job of wrapping up the Lucian Alliance parts of the series. It doesn't help that the most exciting part of the episode is the initial setup, which makes everything after that feel anticlimactic. The episode also brings back Tenat (season 9's The Ties That Bind), who in a way is like the Jar Jar Binks of the Stargate series. While his introduction to the episode is compelling—he is the only one who recognizes a specific character while he is undercover in the Lucian Alliance and threatens to blow their cover—it gets more and more head-scratching as Tenat has apparently successfully risen in the Alliance's ranks and has been given command of a Ha'tak warship. One of the key reasons for Stargate SG-1's success is the comedy, but this 'joke' is just too improbable. Aside from those nitpicks, the episode is fairly good, and gives us plenty of reasons (aside from Tenat) to fear the Lucian Alliance.

Jackson's research reveals that the coordinates of the planets that King Arthur visited while looking for the Sangraal—Merlin's weapon believed to be capable of killing ascended beings—form an equilateral triangle. When the coordinates of the Camelot planet (season 9's Camelot) are added, they form a perfect pyramid in space. Jackson is unsure of its meaning, however. Waking suddenly, Vala races to Jackson's lab. Her dream suggests that Merlin's weapon is on a planet whose address is made up of the symbols taken from the addresses of the three planets Arthur visited: Castiana, Sahal, and Vagonbrei. They take their new-found understanding to Carter, who initiates a scan of the SGC database of stargate addresses. Almost immediately, they locate the one and only address that does. SG-1 gates to the planet. Encountering a village similar to Camelot, they ask for information. The villagers tell them that they are the second group taking up the quest for the Sangraal within the same week. Based on their description, the other group was Baal and his Jaffa. A villager points SG-1 in the direction of the library. Osric, keeper of the archives, says the Sangraal is in a cave beyond the outlying forest, an area enchanted by a terrible curse set by Morgan Le Fay (season 10's The Pegasus Project). She left the Parchment of Virtues as a guide for those virtuous knights of noble spirit who demonstrate prudence, charity, kindness, wisdom, and faith. Osric then shows SG-1 the parchment and tells them about a map. However, he refuses to share the map because Baal attempted to steal it from the library. Discussing their options at the inn, a commotion outside draws SG-1's attention. Ori soldiers have arrived and are ransacking the library. SG-1 watches as the contents of the library are burned. The innkeeper asks them how the Ori can be defeated. Carter tells her the one thing that can save them is the Sangraal. Osric then bursts into the inn seeking refuge. He tells them that the map has been burned along with the rest of the library. However, he has memorized it and knows the location of Merlin's treasure, and he offers to guide SG-1 to it. Suddenly a cadre of Ori soldiers bursts into the inn in search of Osric!

The Quest (Part 1) is a fun episode that not only advances the overall story, but it also depicts several classic Stargate SG-1 elements in novel and interesting ways. The most memorable of which is the use of a time dilation field in a maze, and its vivid depiction concurrently highlights its danger and explains why numerous villagers have 'disappeared' over the years in the forest! The episode also takes the show back to its roots, giving the heroes a chance to do plenty of exploring in a fun adventure that doubles as a race against the rival Goa'uld and Ori forces that are striving to get to the MacGuffin first. The goal of the race is truly a MacGuffin, as the episode not only doesn't explain what it does, it also turns out to be a hologram that unlocks the final challenge in the race!

As the episode brings together Baal and Adria (season 10's Counterstrike), it is full of interesting bits of characterization as the rivals unleash acerbic quips on each other. While the episode doesn't really provide any new insight into the various characters—it is arguably doing the legwork setting up for the big payoff next episode—the episode is still plenty of fun just by forcing the rivals to work with each other. The only drawback is the subpar CG used to depict the final challenge at the end of the episode. It is rather disappointing, as Stargate SG-1 has been giving us some rather jaw-droppingly impressive visual effects over the past couple of seasons. Nevertheless, The Quest (Part 1) is a fun ride, and hopefully Part 2 lives up to what Part 1 has delivered.

The dragon that appeared when SG-1, Baal, and Adria attempt to seize the Sangraal (season 10's The Quest (Part 1)) attacks. They flee out of the mountain and take shelter in the nearby woods with the dragon in close pursuit. Jackson recalls that they have to speak the Sangraal's guardian's true name to destroy it. When questioned, Baal admits that he lied when he earlier claimed to know that name. Jackson reasons that the guardian referenced in the scroll is not the dragon, but the individual who created the dragon: Morgan Le Fay (season 10's The Pegasus Project). The dragon disappears when he shouts out her name in Ancient. The group returns to the mountain to retrieve the Sangraal. When Jackson reaches for it, a transporter is activated and they are beamed to another chamber in a cave. They quickly note that Adria was not transported with them. Upon inspection of the chamber, they find a body in an Ancient-style stasis pod. Jackson suggests that the tests weren't designed to protect the Sangraal, they were designed to protect Merlin—the person in the pod. He reasons that because Morgan would have had to destroy the Sangraal, she preserved Merlin in the hope that he would later be able to reconstruct it. Vala, looking around the room, points out an odd fixture on the wall. Jackson shouts at her to watch out just as the Ancient Repository of Knowledge (season 7's Lost City (Part 1)) tries to grab her! She successfully evades it. It's activation releases Merlin from stasis. Still groggy, he mistakes the party for some of the Knights of the Round Table. Vala and Jackson remain with him while the rest scout out the area. They discover that they have changed locales and are now on a desert planet. Back in Osric's village, Adria is angry that SG-1 has escaped and that they are en route to finding the Sangraal. A Prior tells her that when SG-1 beamed away, the stargate opened for a split second. She proceeds to examine the Dial Home Device to try to learn where SG-1 was gated to.

The Quest (Part 2) doesn't quite live up to the promise of Part 1. This is largely due to the episode not letting SG-1 attain the Sangraal. Instead, by completing one 'quest', they are given a new 'quest'. Specifically getting the recently revived Merlin to build them a new Sangraal. It doesn't help that Merlin dies midway through the episode, after transferring his memories to Jackson. The complication is that Adria is hot on their heels, and captures the one person capable of making a new Sangraal while the rest of the team is able to escape to safety. That's not to say that this is a bad episode per se, as once we are past the subpar CG dragon, the episode takes on an interesting and intriguing twist: the use of the stargate and Ancient beaming technology to transport the people and contents of a room to a series of planets on a loop, ostensibly to keep them hidden and well protected. While it's a given that Adria—who has some of the powers of the Ascended beings—is eventually able to catch up with SG-1, it's still interesting to see not only Carter and Baal struggling with the new technology, but even Adria being frustrated by it!

The big character twist is that Jackson not only attains Merlin's memories, but also some of the powers of the Ascended beings. It's neat how they transform well established Stargate SG-1 concepts into an explanation for Merlin's legendary magical abilities. Even though Jackson's newfound abilities aren't at the same level as Adria, it is still fun seeing him do things that foil her attempts to harm his teammates. While The Quest (Part 2) is a decent episode that greatly advances the season's overall plot, arguably, it leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth as it has far less of a payoff than Part 1 promised due to being more concerned with setting up the season's (and series's) concluding story arc. That said, the episode is a definite must see, as it is very memorable and loaded with plenty of heretofore unseen and wholly original developments.

SG-1 (sans Jackson) return from a test run of a new device using Merlin's phase-shifting device (season 9's Arthur's Mantle) to shift a person into a hidden dimension. In a debriefing, the team learns that planet P9C-882 has recently been visited by a Prior, and that he is returning soon. Gen. Landry informs the team that Merlin's device will be used to hide the village on the planet. Carter objects, saying she has no way to know if it can hide an entire village. However, Landry believes this would be a good way to test the device. Upon arriving on the planet, SG-1 is greeted by the villager's leader Thilana. She and Matar, her right-hand man, are extremely grateful for SG-1's assistance. Carter hooks up three Naquadah generators for a test run. The village vanishes in a blinding flash of light. That night, while the villagers are thanking SG-1 for their good deeds with a feast, the entire village suddenly decloaks. Carter soon finds the problem: the fail-safe that she built into the system that activates when the device's power supply is disrupted or fluctuates, causing the device to shut down and put everyone back in proper phase. Carter scrambles to try to find a way to feed the power from the generators more evenly. The next morning, while Mitchell is checking up on Carter's progress, Teal'c radios from the stargate warning them of incoming Ori ships. Matar, now having doubts about SG-1's plan, tells Thilana to accept the Ori. Thilana is resolute: as former slaves of the Goa'uld, she will not be enslaved by false gods once more. Mitchell quickly instructs Matar on how to fire the P90 submachine gun. Many other villagers see the demonstration, and are given firearms to help defend the village. They and SG-1 attempt to defend the city from behind a barricade. In the midst of the battle, an Ori guard appears behind Carter while she is still frantically working on Merlin's device. His first shot gives her a debilitating wound and disables two of the three Naquadah generators. Mitchell shoots the guard from behind and rushes to Carter's side. Outside, the villagers and Vala surrender as they have run out of ammunition. Witnessing that, Mitchell activates the device, which causes them and the house they are in to disappear, much to the astonishment of the Ori forces. Just as Vala is about to be executed, an Ori general appears and orders her to be taken to the Ori mothership for interrogation. He reveals himself to be Tomin (season 10's Flesh and Blood), Vala's husband!

Line in the Sand is ostensibly about one of the great themes in Stargate SG-1: repurposing acquired alien technology to help in defence. This time, we see SG-1 playing around with a device originally devised to hide its creator from the other ascended beings. It's an intriguing idea, as Adria—the Ori's human embodiment in the Milky Way Galaxy—has many of the ascended beings' powers, and Merlin's device would arguably prevent even her from seeing what was being phase-shifted. The episode's twist comes with Carter getting mortally wounded. On top of not having any means of getting her through enemy lines to the medical care that she desperately needs, she also cannot continue trying to fix the cloaking device. It's an unusual situation for the series to put its protagonists into.

The other unexpected twist is seeing Vala reunited with Tomin. As we learned when Tomin was first introduced in season 9's Crusade, he is a devout believer in the Ori religion. The year of war has turned this formerly gentle and sweet man into a bitter and ruthless warrior. For his past sins, Tomin is assigned the task of converting Vala. For her part, Vala is equally motivated to get Tomin to see the light. While we've seen the polemics between SG-1 and devout Ori believers before, Vala's attempts make it equal parts fun and thought provoking. Intriguingly, the breakthrough comes not from anything Vala says. Instead, it's because of Tomin's interpretation of scripture, and how the Prior he works under twisted the meaning of a certain passage from granting salvation to nonbelievers into the justification for the killing of heretics. While the sequence is kept low key, its significance should not be overlooked, as it is the first sign of a very big crack in the Ori's control over their believers.

Lt. Col. Carter is experimenting with Merlin's phase-shifting device (season 9's Arthur's Mantle) in the hopes of creating a stable larger-phase-shifted field (season 10's Line in the Sand). Mitchell asks her to come to lunch with Teal'c and himself so they can discuss a mission report. Carter wants to run one more test, and tells Mitchell that he can watch from the observation room while he waits. Carter activates the device and phases. While phase-shifted, she hears a strange sound. The device emits a strange glow which quickly encompasses the entire phase-shifted room. As the glow subsides, Carter reappears to the sound of blaring sirens. Mitchell is not in the observation room, and there are signs of an explosion on the floor. Dr. Bill Lee asks "Major" Carter if she is all right. Lt. Col. Carter is further puzzled when Major Even Lorne (season 7's Enemy Mine) enters the room. Upon asking him why he is in SGC and not on Atlantis, he says that he has no idea what she's talking about, and mentions that he is the leader of SG-1. Carter suspects she has somehow entered an alternative reality. She asks to see the footage of the incident in the lab. Maj. Gen. George S. Hammond tells Lee to show her the footage. The video depicts Maj. Carter's power capacitor experiment. A sudden power spike in the experiment leads to an explosion and a loss of the video feed. It is at that point that Lee entered the room and found Lt. Col. Carter. Lee explains that Maj. Carter was drawing energy from parallel universes and storing them in power capacitors in order to power the Ancient Control Chair (season 7's Lost City (Part 2)). The explosion resulted in the death of Maj. Carter, and the transference of Lt. Col. Carter to this parallel universe due to her phase-shifting experiment. In this universe, when Anubis attacked the Earth three years earlier, the President of the United States was forced to reveal the existence of the Stargate Program to the world. A month ago, the Ori attacked. The lone Ori warship was destroyed by the Antarctic outpost, but the Zero Point Module that powered it was depleted. They need Lt. Col. Carter's help to finish Maj. Carter's work in order to power the Chair. Hammond offers to commit the full resources of SGC to get Lt. Col. Carter back home. However, as the Ori are amassing a fleet of warships to attack the Earth in a few days, Lt. Col. Carter has to complete Maj. Carter's work first. In the process, she starts to learn more about the universe she finds herself in, and the more she sees, the more disagreeable it becomes.

The annoying think about The Road Not Taken is that it is essentially a detour from the season's main plot. That said, it is an intriguing "what if" story about the ramifications of the US government having gone public with the Stargate Program. Part of the fun comes from the viewer having to race to catch up to the new reality, and there's a bit of fun from the 'spot the difference' aspect of the episode. The basic premise is also intriguing in its depiction of how greatly changed this alternate reality is due to only having decided to go public. For starters, Earth has cut ties with the Jaffa and other alien allies, and is now isolationist. In this sense, the show is a great parable for our odern times with it depiction of isolationism as a failing prospect, and the working-together of the 'real' Stargate SG-1's universe being so much more successful in countering the Ori threat.

The highlight of the episode is the return of Hammond. It is wonderful seeing Don S. Davis return to the show for a major part—unlike the limited bits he appears in, in season 9's The Fourth Horseman (Part 2). Davis always strikes the right balance between the show's lighthearted nature and the gravitas that a senior military commander requires. While it is understandable that he retired from acting, Davis is still sorely missed as he provided a steady foundation of sensibility in the often over-the-top or otherwise unbelievable plot developments that tend to occur in Stargate SG-1. That's not to say that the show is fundamentally unbelievable per se, just that Davis's performance made it so much more plausible and believable. The Road Not Taken is worth a watch just for that.

SG-1 discovers a planet recently visited by an Ori Prior. They learn from Tevaris, the leader of the village, that this Prior made no threats whatsoever, and spoke only of the merits of Origin. A villager alerts them to the return of the Prior and SG-1 requests that their presence remain hidden. Subsequently, a hooded Prior asks Tevaris if the village is to convert to Origin. Tevaris wants to know more about the Ori and their ways before giving an answer. The Prior removes his hood and reveals himself to be Dr. Daniel Jackson. The team immediately returns to Earth to inform Maj. Gen. Landry. Later, while reciting Ori teachings to the villagers, Jackson is transported to the Odyssey. He appears before Teal'c and Mitchell, who render him unconscious with a Zat blast—right after he admonishes them for 'taking so long'! Jackson is physically restrained, with the Prior inhibitor (season 9's The Fourth Horseman (Part 2)) being used to inhibit his other powers. Jackson explains that he left himself be captured as he knew Merlin's consciousness (season 10's The Quest (Part 2)) would protect his mind from Adria. During Adria's attempted conversion of Jackson to Origin, Merlin's consciousness allowed Jackson to remain himself while acquiring the abilities of a Prior. The reason Adria converted Jackson was that she felt that he was her best chance at converting Earth, in addition to her biological mother Vala. Jackson reveals Merlin's plan to SG-1: by allowing Adria to believe that he had been converted to Origin, Jackson was able to work with Adria to complete the Sangraal (season 10's The Quest (Part 2)), though she stopped him just before it was completed. Adria hoped that the weapon would lead to a swift end to the war with the Ancients. Jackson secretly planned to finish assembling the weapon, pilot an Ori ship through the Supergate, and use the device to eliminate the Ori. At this point, Carter reminds Jackson that the Supergate is currently being blocked by a black hole in the Pegasus Galaxy (season 10's The Pegasus Project). Jackson explains that, in order for the plan to succeed, the gate connection must be broken. Maj. Gen. O'Neill at SGC is briefed by the team before boarding the Odyssey. Jackson explains to him that he has very little time before he reverts to his original form. Therefore, the plan must be completed soon. O'Neill and the other members of SG-1 are skeptical. The International Oversight Advisory (season 9's The Scourge) vetoes the plan even after SG-1 and O'Neill modify it so they can complete it themselves based on the intel Jackson gives them. Worst of all, Richard Woolsey informs SG-1 that the IOA has decided to terminate Jackson's life!

The Shroud returns to season 10's main Ori invasion plot with a vengeance. The episode is great fun as it presents a stimulating mystery: what has Jackson become? Specifically: has he been corrupted by the conversion into an Ori Prior, or is he still the same Jackson that he claims he is? The episode gleefully presents a plan that is either a genuine attempt to get rid of the Ori, or an Ori plot to trick SGC into allowing more Ori forces into our galaxy. They are both interesting dilemmas, that get turned on their respective heads by some rather unexpected developments as the story progresses. The episode's only drawback is that it is unclear if Merlin's weapon even worked and that the Ori were eliminated. It also leaves it unclear if Adria was also killed by it, or not. On the other hand, even if the weapon worked, a further six Ori ships come through the Supergate into our galaxy, and immediately jet off to cause more trouble!

It is also great seeing Richard Dean Anderson return for a proper appearance (unlike his bit parts in season 10's 200), as it gives the episode its highlight: seeing O'Neill and Jackson arguing the merits of a plan. Anderson and Michael Shanks (Jackson) have a great repertoire, and it's always great fun seeing them go at it. The drawback, of course, is that it reminds the viewer that Ben Browder (Mitchell) doesn't have the same chemistry and shorthand with Shanks, and that aspect of the show (O'Neill arguing the quickest military solution while Jackson arguing the moral solution) is missed. Just for that, the episode is more than worth a viewing. As it radically changes the Ori story arc, however, this episode cannot be missed!

Mitchell rings into a darkened room. Moving to the bags of cargo, he slices one open, finding kassa (season 9's Off the Grid) inside. Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c ring into similar cargo rooms and set timed explosives. They ring back to a Tel'tak cargo ship piloted by Vala. Retreating a safe distance away, they watch as the Lucian Alliance's freighter explodes. Netan, the leader of the Lucian Alliance (season 10's Company of Thieves), receives the news that a third raid by SG-1 has destroyed another of their kassa transports. This has not only severely depleted the kassa supply, but it also appears to have been specifically designed to make Netan look weak. Enraged with SG-1's tactics, he places a bounty on all of their heads! In SGC, Vala convinces Mitchell to let her accompany him to his high school reunion in Auburn, Kansas. Carter and Dr. Bill Lee are at a scientific conference presenting supposedly "new" technologies, such as the Chimera holographic projector (season 8's Covenant) and a 'malfunctioning' plasma cannon. Concurrently, Jackson is in a public library conducting research when he encounters an attractive young woman who seductively offers to help him with his searches. Off-world, the Jaffa Cha'ra (season 9's Camelot) urges Teal'c to take a position on the Jaffa High Council. They are suddenly attacked by unseen bounty hunters and Teal'c is grazed by an energy blast. Teal'c urges Cha'ra to put out word that he was gravely injured in order to lure the attackers into a trap. In Kansas, Vala and Mitchell sit with his parents, and Vala misleads them into thinking she and Mitchell are dating. Later, while setting up for the reunion, Vala is introduced to Mitchell's old friend Darrel Grimes, who is immediately smitten by Vala's charms. Elsewhere, Jackson again encounters the strange young woman, who now attempts to seduce him. When Jackson suspiciously declines, she pulls out a Goa'uld Za'tarc ring and fires it at him. He flees. At the conference, a sniper is setting up a beam rifle to take a shot at Carter when she appears on stage. Concurrently, another bounty hunter is tracking Mitchell as he looks around his old school for a hard-line, as he is having trouble getting a strong enough signal for his cell phone!

On the surface, Bounty appears to be designed to conclude the unfinished Lucian Alliance stories in Stargate SG-1. However, what it is really about is digging deeper into Mitchell's pre-military past, and to a lesser extent, depicting the day-to-day activities of the other SG-1 members when they aren't on a galaxy-saving mission. In that sense, the episode is quite fun as we not only get to see the chaos that ensues when Mitchell introduces Vala to his family and friends, we also get a taste of just how far SGC personnel have to go to keep what they do secret from the general public—and how frustrating it is for them when doing it!

The rest of the episode's fun comes from the bounty hunters out to get SG-1. Not only do they seem to pop-up everywhere, until they make their move on the team we don't know who they are let alone what they are capable of. In addition to keeping the viewer guessing and racing to discover who is a bounty hunter based on the clues the episode gives us, we also see a bit of infighting between rival bounty hunters—which makes things all the more intriguing. The episode's conclusion is also devilishly fun, as not only are there multiple unexpected twists, we also see at least one foe getting their just desserts.

SG-1, minus Carter—who has gone to the Pentagon to brief them on the consequences the alternative Earth had in revealing the Stargate Program (season 10's The Road Not Taken)—set out to a planet in search of the Key to Infinite Treasure (season 10's Memento Mori). Upon arriving at the planet, they find themselves inside a museum, which is currently hosting a party. Choosing to follow protocol and return home (to later make contact with the local inhabitants who are unaware of the Stargate through use of the MALP), the team discover that the DHD is only a replica constructed from drawing the natives found. SG-1's initial plan of waiting until they miss a scheduled check-in fails when they are mistaken for a band of zealous rebels. After a shootout in the lobby, the museum is put into a lockdown. Along with a wounded security guard, many of the patrons of the party are taken as hostages. After insisting their intentions were peaceful, the team is forced to pose as kidnappers until the scheduled check-in passes. After "negotiations" begin, Jackson suggests that the local task force send in medical personnel to tend to the injured security guard. Two medics are sent into the museum and attack Jackson with stun weapons, but are quickly subdued. A stern officer named Quartus then takes command of the negotiations. Cicero, one of the hostages and a researcher at the museum realizes that this is the incident that will prove his theories about the stargate being a portal allowing travel to other worlds. He begins to assist SG-1, instructing them on what demands to make so as to pass themselves off as real rebels. Jayem Seran, a night-time security guard inside the museum, hopes to be a hero and contacts the authorities outside with an offer to help them take down SG-1. While searching for possible fragments of the destroyed DHD, Mitchell and Vala discover one of the many artifacts in the museum is actually a Goa'uld Naquadah bomb. Realizing that they can use it to power the stargate, Vala attempts to use her thievery skills to remove the bomb from its display case. While working, they are surprised by Jayem, who 'saves' Cicero from his 'captors'. Concurrently, Quartus receives word from the 'viceroy' to eliminate the hostages, and he begins making preparations to attack the museum with a sizable assault force!

Bad Guys takes a look at a first contact situation with an advanced race of humans where everything goes wrong. Rightly or wrongly the episode leans into the humorous aspects of the situation. While it makes the show all the more enjoyable during viewing, it doesn't hold up to post-watching scrutiny. The biggest flaw is Jackson's apparently out-of-character moments. I say apparently because Jackson's actor Michael Shanks has asserted that 22 minutes were cut from the episode, and some of those cut scenes reportedly went a long way toward justifying that behaviour.

Nevertheless, the episode hits the right notes with the security forces on P4M-328, who try to take advantage of any opportunity to resolve the hostage situation—which SG-1 inadvertently gives a lot of, as they are more interested in (and used to) peacefully resolving the situation rather than fully thinking through the terrorist subterfuge. Cicero is also depicted a bit oddly. While a lot of enjoyment comes from the allusion to Jackson's situation before he joined the stargate program, Cicero unexpectedly exiting the museum partway through the episode in order to make a direct appeal to Quartus —and Quartus subsequently keeping him 'in' on the action—doesn't feel right. All in all, Bad Guys is a fun episode that leans into the goofy side of Stargate SG-1. It has a good dose of nostalgia (a Horus Guard mask [Moebius (Part 1)] prominently displayed in the museum's lobby, among other things), embellishes some of the season subplots from season 10, and rounds out the characters a bit more (Vala in particular). Ultimately, however, it is a missed opportunity at taking a serious look at resolving a first contact situation where everything has gone wrong.

Representatives of the Jaffa, including Teal'c and Bra'tac, meet in a summit on Dar Eshkalon to determine the future of their people in the face of the Ori threat. A terrorist attack on the summit leaves many dead, including women and children. A while later, SG-1 and SG-3 wander through the wreckage, discovering the corpses of numerous Jaffa. The gravely injured Bra'tac and Teal'c are brought back to SGC for further treatment. Teal'c revives first. He ignores his team's entreaties and departs on a one-man quest for revenge, believing that the man responsible for the bombing is another of Bra'tac's former pupils, a capable warrior and charismatic leader named Arkad. Arkad was opposed to the summit as he wishes to lead the Jaffa people himself. He is also a follower of the Ori religion. Shortly afterwards, SG-1 learns from intelligence gathered from rebel Jaffa on an Ori controlled world that Arkad may be stockpiling weapons-grade Naquadah for an attack on Earth. They hear that Arkad has claimed to his new masters that he will take control of and bring more Jaffa worlds under Ori control. Bra'tac regains consciousness and explains that the battle between Teal'c and Arkad is also a personal one, as many years ago Teal'c's mother was found dead just after he became the First Prime to Apophis (season 8's Moebius (Part 2)). Teal'c suspected it was Arkad's doing, but was unable to do anything about the matter. Arkad dials SGC, calming that he can help prevent an attack on the Earth. He asserts that he is the leader of the Illac Renin, a cult of Jaffa who follow the teachings of Origin. In a meeting with SG-1 and Landry, he reveals that he has a fleet ten times larger than any before marshalled by the Goa'uld. He states that he will attempt to stop the radical groups of Jaffa from striking the Earth, on the condition that the Tau'ri remove themselves from Jaffa politics—claiming that he desires the freedom of choice for his people, and if they wish to follow the path the Ori show them, then so be it. The International Oversight Advisory (season 10's The Shroud) takes Arkad's claims very seriously and tasks SG-1 with hunting down and stopping Teal'c; as Teal'c killing Arkad might make it look like the Tau'ri had sanctioned it. SG-1 has no choice but to go to the Illac Renin planet and attempt to stop Teal'c "by any means necessary"!

Overall, Talion is a middling episode. It feels a bit too much like 'been there, done that'. In previous incarnations, the stakes were either higher, or better presented. This time around, despite the great production standards, the episode can't escape an overall lacklustre feeling, and it doesn't engage the viewer enough into becoming concerned about the fate of the characters. This episode also feels like it is getting in the way of the overall Ori invasion story—which seems to have dropped off the radar in season 10 after The Shroud. It also doesn't reveal anything new about the Free Jaffa Nation, aside from what we could already infer: they meticulously planned the overthrow of the Goa'uld, but didn't make any preparations for life after that.

The only interesting part of the episode is when it touches on the former slaves of the Goa'uld, and how they still harbour ill-will toward the Jaffa—who more or less lived the good life while the slaves bore the brunt of the suffering. I think the episode would have been much more compelling if it wasn't a Jaffa rival from Teal'c's past that was the antagonist du jour, but former slaves who are now out to destabilize the Free Jaffa Nation by getting rid of Teal'c's faction in the Jaffa leadership. Coming to grips with their past roles as the Goa'uld's enforcers with the people they enslaved would have been much more satisfying, in addition to in-line with the general moral tone of the Stargate SG-1 series. A missed opportunity.

A man called Jacek contacts the SGC through the stargate with claims of having information that would protect the Earth against an attack by the Jaffa leader Arkad (season 10's Talion). Arkad planned to use weapons grade Naquadah to destroy the enemies of the Ori. Carter states that Arkad was killed. Jacek responds by saying that Arkad's plans were already in motion, with cloaked Tel'tak cargo ships carrying the Naquadah awaiting the order for the strike. Vala arrives and reveals that Jacek is her father. Gen. Landry agrees that Jacek is untrustworthy, but decides it's still in their best interest to take him up on his offer—against Vala's wishes. While they prepare for the mission, Landry goes to see his daughter, Dr. Carolyn Lam, and asks her to help him to arrange a communication with her mother, with whom he hasn't spoken with for five years. Lam agrees to call her on his behalf. SG-1 goes to the planet Jacek told them about on the Odyssey. With the ship's scanners, they discover a small number of transport ships with a lot of Naquadah. The Odyssey subsequently destroys them and SGC gives Jacek the sanctuary he asked for. While on Earth, Jacek proves to be a less than honest citizen, running a number of scams and hustles. When told to stop, he reveals that there was one ship that left before SG-1 arrived, and that it is concealed on the Earth and is awaiting orders. Jacek found out about the cargo ship on Earth from the Jaffa Te'rak, whom he knew from a weapons smuggling operation he used to run. That was the reason why he made a deal with SGC, so he could come to Earth to take the Naquadah, sell it, and then split the profits with Te'rak and his comrades. When Jacek meets Te'rak in a secluded forest, Jackson and Vala surprise them and accidentally kill Te'rak. Once again, Jacek tries to make a deal with SGC and claims that only he can find the cloaked cargo ship, because the Naquadah was marked by Arkad and he can calibrate their detection systems to pick up its unique energy signature. Jacek convinces SG-1 to let him "disarm" the bomb he claims is on board, set to detonate if the ship moves, as he has the override codes. SG-1 doesn't trust him, but they have no choice in the matter as Te'rak's comrades could detonate the bomb at any time!

While Family Ties does a good job at digging into both Vala's and Landry's relationships with their estranged family—Vala's father and Landry's ex-wife—it feels like a story that should have happened much earlier in the season. While this episode does a great job at depicting how much Vala has evolved since she first joined SG-1 by comparing and contrasting her with her father, it's not something that we necessarily wanted or needed, and for the second or third episode in a row, it feels like we're getting filler that is keeping us away from the main Ori invasion plot. One of the episode's few saving graces is that it ties back into the immediately preceding episode (Talion), and informs us on just how much of a threat Arkad was by depicting how far along he was in his plan to attack the Earth. In a way, however, it underscores how much of a missed opportunity Talion was, because if the episodes' order had been reversed, it would have made Arkad's threat all that much more potent, and Teal'c's quest for vengeance all the more cathartic for the viewer.

Nevertheless, the best thing about Family Ties is Fred Willard as Jasec. He comes across as a mix of Vala (when she first appeared in season 8's Prometheus Unbound), and Richard Dean Anderson's Jack O'Neill unleashed and taken to the extreme. In a way, the episode explains a lot about how Vala became what she is, while also giving her a tragic story where we see her attempting to protect herself from her father's dishonesty while also being tasked by her friends to give him a chance at reforming—as they did for her—while ultimately being betrayed by him. The episode speaks volumes on how much she has changed since joining SG-1. Claudia Black also gives a wonderful performance full of emotional depth as she wrestles with her conflicting desires to both protect herself, and reconcile with her father. The Landry story, however, falls flat. It isn't given enough screen time to properly develop, and it looks like there are some story beats that were either skipped or cut from the episode. The most troublesome part, however, is that the production team attempted to shoehorn some humour into Landry's interactions with his daughter, and that, regrettably, made Landry's attempts at reconciling with his daughter and ex-wife feel false. While humour is one of the pillars of the Stargate SG-1 series, there are times and places for it. Teal'c at the The Virginia Dialogues is opportune, Landry teasing his daughter about whether or not he'll attend dinner is not.

As Adria (season 10's The Shroud) is able to sense deception within others, Vala has hatched a plan to catch her: SG-1 implants false memories into Vala with the Galaran memory device (season 9's Collateral Damage), detailing her escape from SGC as they had turned against her. Because Vala believes that these memories are entirely real, Adria does not realize that it is part of a deception when Adria finds her mother on a rustic planet. When Vala takes Adria in search of the Key to Infinite Treasure (season 10's Memento Mori) to a planet she dreamed the gate address of, SG-1 ambushes them with a Prior Disruptor in order to stop Adria from using her powers. Ba'al's Jaffa, however, beam in and kidnap Adria. Ba'al reveals that he is going to take control of Adria's armies by implanting her with a Goa'uld symbiote. SG-1 rescues Adria, but soon realize that one of Ba'al's cloned symbiotes has already taken Adria as a host and controls her. Ba'al attempts to buy time—in order to overcome the Prior disruptor—by offering information that only Adria knows, such as the Ori being truly dead. When SG-1 informs him that they plan to swap him with a Tok'ra symbiote, he tells them it would not be strong enough to suppress Adria's personality. He also threatens to kill her instead of allowing them to succeed. When the Tok'ra arrive, they say that the procedure will be very dangerous for Adria, but they agree to try. Vala tells Daniel that she is OK if Adria dies, but it is clear she is very upset at the prospect. During the surgery, the Ba'al symbiote releases symbiote toxin into Adria's bloodstream, leaving her on her deathbed and too weak to be blended with the Tok'ra symbiote. The Tok'ra surgeon explains that when Adria wakes up, she will be in terrible pain and will die soon afterwards. They decide that the most humane thing is to kill her with a larger dose of toxin while she is still unconscious. Just as the surgeon is about to administer the poison, Adria wakes up. And as they don't have a Prior Disruptor in the room, she has full access to all her powers!

Dominion comes across as more or less too little, too late. Which is odd, as the episode covers a lot of ground. Given the twists and turns in the episode, one suspects that it is the condensed version of what was originally intended to be a two- or three-parter that ended the season and started a proposed 11th season. The highlight of the episode is Morena Baccarin performance as Adria. Her disgusted expression when she learns what Ba'al intends to do to her invokes both glee that the main villain is getting her just desserts, and pity as it is a truly horrific fate. Baccarin also emulates Cliff Simon's performance so well that we believe it when Ba'al's symbiote has Adria under its possession.

While Dominion is important for the progression of the overall story—especially the post-series direct-to-DVD Stargate: The Ark of Truth—it is largely forgettable. In other words, it is by-and-large composed of familiar elements and themes, and scores low on novelty. In a way, it works better as nostalgia, ending up reminding us of how barbaric the possession by a Goa'uld is, and just how difficult it is to remove a Goa'uld symbiote. In that regards, the depiction of the difficulty in removing the symbiote is a bit odd, as season 3's Pretense implied that the Tok'ra had abilities and capabilities that made it seem comparatively easy. All-in-all, Dominion is a decent penultimate episode, it just doesn't have the panache of previous season-ending penultimate episodes.

SG-1 and Gen. Landry accompany the Odyssey to the Asgard homeworld Orilla (season 8's New Order (Part 2)). Upon arrival, they are greeted by Thor who announces that the Odyssey will be given a complete copy of the Asgard's latest technology. Thor explains that the Asgard's final attempt to fix their inherent gene degradation was a failure yet again, and the entire Asgard race has contracted a terminal illness. The damage from years of such experiments is so severe that they are also no longer able to ascend. Rather than allowing themselves to die out and have their technology plundered, the Asgard have decided to give their most sophisticated technology and their entire knowledge base to the Tau'ri, before committing mass suicide. Just as the final installations are completed, three Ori warships appear and attack the Odyssey. The Asgard beam off the ship and the Odyssey flees. As planned, the Asgard self-destruct their homeworld. With the Odyssey's shields damaged and the hyperdrive temporarily unusable due to the planet's destruction, Landry orders that they come about and use the Asgard plasma beam weapons. They successfully destroy one of the Ori ships. After entering hyperspace, Carter discovers some strange readings coming from the new hyperdrive system and suggests that they stop using it. Immediately after exiting hyperspace, the two Ori ships appear. After quickly re-entering hyperspace, Carter realizes that the Ori warships are tracking the energy signature of the Asgard computer core, which has been interfaced with all of the Odyssey's systems. With no alternative, Landry orders them to head for the nearest planet with an active stargate and off-load the Odyssey's crew. Shortly after beaming the entire crew—except for SG-1 and Landry—to safety, the Ori ships appear and resume their attack. The Odyssey successfully destroys one of the warships, but the second warship disables the Odyssey's shields. It fires again, but moments before the shot makes contact, Carter activates a time dilation field (season 6's Unnatural Selection) around the Odyssey. Within the confines of the field, years go by for every fraction of a second that passes outside the field. Carter then begins work on several theories to allow them to escape or to save the ship before the Ori beam hits. However, all her simulations produce the same result: the destruction of the ship, the death of all on board, and the total loss of all of the Asgard's knowledge! Stuck until they are able to figure out a new solution, they quickly adapt the Asgard technology to synthesize food, supplies, and oxygen. As the months stretch into years, they begin to doubt if they will ever be able to get out of their predicament!

While I can appreciate the strained circumstances that this episode was produced in—it was written after the production team had learned that the Stargate SG-1 series had been cancelled—it still leaves some niggling thoughts. Namely: why weren't we shown the degenerative effects of what was happening to the Asgard in an earlier episode? How did the Ori ships follow the human one to the Asgard galaxy? Never mind that it's been implied that the Ori don't do intergalactic travel in their warships, wouldn't it mean that they have the means to track the Odyssey in addition to following the unique power signature of the Asgard computer?

And then there is the elephant in the room: the Asgard collectively commuting suicide. Even if the episode gave a strong enough justification (the one it gives is weak, at a best) it is still utterly baffling. Generally the writing in Stargate SG-1 is excellent and occasionally bordering on sublime, however, this episode, specifically its set up, is far below par. While the episode does a fairly decent job of closing out the series—giving us hints at what directions some of the characters would go in if the series had continued—it also leaves the fate of the galaxy in the face of the Ori invasion unresolved. Thankfully the direct-to-DVD Stargate: The Ark of Truth resolves those dangling story threads.

All that complaining aside, this episode is full of novelty and is highly memorable. It's too bad that we never get to see the effects of the 50+ years on Teal'c—and the continuing pestering by his teammates to learn what happened while they were stuck on the Odyssey. Nor do we get to see how the Asgard technology changes the Earth. Let alone an answer to the question of what happened to Jackson's and Carter's 50+ years of research into Asgard history and technology. Was that also brought back into the past on a memory crystal by Teal'c? Nevertheless, Unending ends the series on a positive note, and with the suggestion that SG-1's adventures are ongoing and continuing, even if we don't get to see them.