Orpheus

From SGCommand

SG-1 Season 7
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Orpheus is the fourth episode of the seventh season of Stargate SG-1.

Plot

The Stargate is dialed by a desperate SG-1, who are under fire and retreating. The guards in the gate room are ordered by General Hammond to prepare themselves as SG-1 comes through, minus Teal'c. He follows a few seconds later, chased by a Jaffa, who is quickly shot by the guards, but not before the Jaffa manages to fire a couple of shots and Teal'c collapses to the floor with a large wound from a staff weapon in his stomach.

Teal'c wakes up in the infirmary where Dr. Fraiser tells him what has transpired and that more recovery is needed. After Sam and Daniel describe their previous mission to Hammond, Frasier updates him on Teal'c's situation. Daniel visits Teal'c and wants to talk with him about his son, but Teal'c refuses to talk, so Daniel leaves. As he leaves, he suddenly hears mysterious voices. Some time later, Teal'c trains for his recovery while Daniel and Sam work out. They notice that Teal'c is rigorously training, perhaps too much, but he ignores their concerns. After making a full recovery, Teal’c begins to train more than ever, yet remains uncharacteristically taciturn.

In the meantime, Sam and Daniel look over Stargate addresses because Daniel feels an inclination to recover a lost memory. He only knows it’s connected with the wormhole generated by the Stargate. When he and Jack visit Teal'c, he finally reveals that his reticent attitude is due to a weakness felt due to use of the Tretonin, and his team mates can offer no consolation.

To help himself remember, Daniel asks Teal'c to teach him Kel No Reem, or Jaffa meditation, which aids in the uncovering of a memory regarding Rya'c and Bra'tac who, together with other Jaffa, are working as slaves on an unknown world. Because Teal'c has no knowledge of this place, SG-1 contacts Rak'nor to assist in their plight. In the meantime, Rya'c and Bra'tac witness an atrocious execution, at the hands of a malevolent first prime, of several slaves too weak to work. At SGC, Rak'nor tells them about the planet in question. The planet’s Stargate is protected by an energy shield, much like SGC’s iris, but Rak’nor is unable to provide a way past this defense. Coincidentally, to solve this problem, Daniel has a vision pertaining to Bra'tac’s capture, and discovers the key to penetrate the shield.

SG-1, SG-3, and Rak'nor embark on a rescue mission, planting themselves atop a hill overlooking the prison camp. During the night, Teal'c and Rak'nor sneak into the camp but are betrayed, captured, and tortured. The SG teams, unable to do anything, decide to create a diversion. Sam and Daniel ring up into the nearby Ha'tak, which is under construction and near the planet’s surface, to place C-4, but after planting the explosives cannot get back to the Ring Transporter, which is under heavy guard. In the meantime, Teal'c enlightens Bra'tac and Rya'c about their plans to flee and the word is spread among the fellow Jaffa held prisoner in the camp. Rya'c is caught spreading the word by the prison guards, and is scheduled for execution when Teal'c begs to take his place. However, before he is killed, the C-4 explodes, plunging the mothership to the ground. The First Prime swiftly orders his Jaffa to the ship when they are deftly ambushed by the SG teams. The Jaffa slaves turn on their captors and the SG teams snipe several guards. During the rebellion, Teal'c is able to kill the abominable First prime, regaining his self-confidence. The combined force of the slaves and SG teams overwhelms and captures the camp.

The group returns to SGC to care for the wounded. In the end, Teal'c and Daniel meditate together and converse about Daniel’s ascension. Both Daniel and Teal'c agree that for the first time they feel that they are involved in something important and that they belong in the SGC.

Notes

• Carter makes a reference to a film about an alien invasion of Earth with the absurd plot point of aliens' weakness to water invading a planet full of it. This refers to the film Signs.
• According to the DVD Commentary, O'Neill was only sniping the Jaffa at the upper torso area because of the limits on violence in Television shows.
• The name of the soldier O'Neill switches weapons with, Penhall, is another inside-joke from director Peter DeLuise. The episode was written and directed by Peter DeLuise, who played Penhall on “21 Jump Street.”
• When Sam and Daniel are working out in the gym while Teal'c is doing physiotherapy, Sam is tearing apart a recent movie about highly advanced aliens invading Earth whose weakness is water. This movie is, undoubtedly, Signs.
• The episode title is a reference to a Greek myth about a musician who journeys into hell to rescue his lover.

Sources

• Official Stargate SG-1 site. MGM. Visited June 8, 2006. Most of site requires Flash.
• Screenplay (PDF). Distributed by MGM. Prepared by Line 21 Media Services Ltd (2003-05-28). Retrieved on October 18, 2006. Linked to from Official Stargate SG-1 site.
• Review from GateWorld. Reviewed by Alli Snow. Visited May 7, 2006.
• Another review from GateWorld. Reviewed by Lex. Visited May 7, 2006.
• Producer's comments from GateWorld. Visited May 7, 2006.

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Orpheus (Stargate SG-1). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SGCommand, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.