“Sir, we can’t call it the Enterprise.”
- Release Date: 4th December 2002
- Season 6
- Episode 12
- Director: Andy Mikita
- Writers: Robert C. Cooper & Brad Wright
Following on from the previous episode with Thor turning up on the X-303, lost in the middle of space, and asking for help because they need Earth’s ship, Jack is flabbergasted. It’s so new that it isn’t even finished yet, only out here because someone tried to steal it. Carter points out that its unfinished nature is probably the reason – compared to the Asgard, this ship is low tech. The Asgard homeworld has been overrun by the replicators, and they need something low tech to go in.
Jack comments on how the Asgard need someone dumb to save the day, as they have stated before, but Thor says they appreciate their physical capabilities and military strategies – essentially acknowledging that humans are different, not inferior. Thor carries on to explain how they used a command from the android Reese (the one that created them) to lure all the replicators to their homeworld after they set a trap, a time dilation device that should have made the replicators extremely slow – one year on the planet would be ten thousand years outside. Only, the device didn’t work and Thor wants SG-1 to fix it.
After initially saying no, Jack starts to reluctantly see that there isn’t really much choice, as the replicators will eventually destroy their galaxy as well. This is a chance to stop them now. He does point out that they have no supplies or weapons, so Thor pushes a few buttons and they’re suddenly on Earth, as Thor’s ship has towed them there. He also says that he’s transported the armoury and supplies from Stargate Command to the ship, as well as sending everyone else on the ship back there. They start heading off and Jack says he needs to speak to his superiors – Thor says he can do so on the way.
Everyone at Stargate Command is absolutely baffled – everything in the armoury has vanished, as have half of the food supplies, there’s some terrorists in a holding cell and a reporter in the cafeteria. The Stargate hasn’t been on. All of a sudden, Jack appears as a hologram to explain what is going on. When he’s finished and tells Carter that, while the mission has been given a reluctant go ahead, they denied Jack’s personal request to name the X-303 “Enterprise”. Carter points out that the codename is Prometheus, but Jack doesn’t like it being based on a Greek tragedy, so they stick with X-303.
While Carter works on a timer for the time dilation device (Thor gave her instructions on making a replacement with Earth technology), Jack gets food, and finds Jonas and Teal’c gorging themselves on ice cream – pointing out that Thor didn’t consider that human food needs freezing. They discuss the replicators, as Jonas has yet to encounter them, but says that it’s fascinating that something innocent could turn out evil, with Teal’c commenting that they’re no more evil than a virus, as replicators aren’t malicious, they just do what they do.
They arrive as close to the planet as Thor will risk, but he’s discovered another issue – the time dilation field is active, but it’s going the other way, so the replicators have had hundreds of years. However, the plan remains the same and the mission is now even more important, so Thor departs and the X-303 heads to the planet, with a replicator ship scanning it and moving on. The surface of the planet is completely flat, except for one structure near the device. They land and set out on foot.
Walking towards the structure, Jonas wonders where the replicators are. Carter wipes away some dust and realises that the entire surface of the planet is coated in replicators, likely many layers as well, likely in standby mode to conserve energy. They head into the structure and Carter states working on reversing the device, when a young man appears and asks who they are. A few others turn up and the oldest, seemingly the leader (played by someone who looks like he would have made a good James Bond), tells Carter that she needs to stop messing with the device. Jack points out the replicator threat, but he informs them that they are replicators as well.
Jack, Jonas and Teal’c open fire but it does nothing to these human-like replicators. They ask again for Carter to stop and she has no choice but to comply. The leader of the replicators holds out his hand to shake Jack, saying that if they wanted them all dead, they’d be dead. As Jack reluctantly grabs his hands, the replicator shoves his hand into Jack’s forehead. We go into Jack’s mind, where the replicator reveals Jack’s Iris code. He says Jack’s mind is fascinating and amusing, then shows a memory of when Charlie, Jack’s son, shot himself. Reliving that will be Jack’s punishment whenever he holds anything back.
They all wake up on the ship, wondering how they got there and where the replicators went. Teal’c and Carter suggest blowing up the ship and doing at least some damage, but Jonas wants to talk to them more, perhaps the human replicators can be reasoned with, as he doesn’t think a big explosion will do anything at all. Carter heads off to prepare the explosion while Jack and Jonas argue about what the replicators have become, but find one of the replicators when they catch up to Carter.
His name is Fifth and he’s inviting everyone to have dinner with the replicators, who are currently merging with the other replicators. He also points out that blowing up the ship will just provide energy to the replicators, and he leaves. Jonas notices how he seems more human-like in personality than the others they’ve encountered. They decide that, even before they can attempt to flee, they should at least find out what they can.
They head to lunch and the leader, First, greets them. He explains that when they arrived here, they found the android body of Reese and found she had technology that exceeded theirs, and developed a way to ditch their large blocks and create microscopic cells to create their human-like cells. He was created just before the time device was set off,and was able to penetrate a miniscule crack in it to change it to their needs. Their goal is still to multiply, and in a few years they will be ready to take on the galaxy – they compare their dominance to natural selection.
Jonas points out that replicators aren’t natural, and that their minds are very different, but First says the replicators are simply superior. Carter comments that they were made in the image of humans, with one of the replicators saying they were made in the image of Reese, not humans. Jack points out that she had a flaw in her programming and thinks it’s still there. First says that Fifth was their attempt at fixing it, but he turned out too weak. Carter thinks Fifth is what they’re supposed to be. First presses them to eat, as they need their strength for more mind probes, threatening them if they don’t reply, but Fifth tells First to stop.
First says he wants all of them to explore each mind available – including Fifth, who has yet to do so. Carter notices that Fifth has been curious about her, so offers herself as a willing participant. He begins the mind probe, yet they don’t go into Carter’s mind, but into a hidden corner of Fifth’s mind. He says they can talk privately here. He knows that something is wrong with the replicators, and Carter says he seems to be right – and suggests that he come with them. She points out that resetting the device will not harm the other replicators, just provide time to fix the flaw in the others.
Carter wakes up, saying that she has a plan, but Fifth is already working on the device and says that he’s coming with them. The other replicators are currently sharing information, which gives them a bit of time. Jack tells Jonas and Teal’c to prepare the X-303 for launch while Carter inputs her command code. Fifth says it would take them too long to run to the ship after the device is triggered if he leaves at the same time, but Carter suggests that Fifth can move much faster, so he can wait and then join them. Jack tells Carter to set the timer for five minutes while signalling to her to set it for three.
Jack and Carter rush to the ship and start to head off. Near the device, First approaches Fifth, telling him that the humans are leaving. Fifth says that there’s two minutes left before they go, but when he checks the timer, there’s only a few seconds left. He quietly mumbles about how Carter promised as the device goes off. We cut to the ship leaving the planet, beyond the field, and get a message from Thor saying they were successful. Jonas points out that they used his humanity against him and they hope they did the right thing.
This is a big step in the replicators and, while the episode is still great and it does what it sets out really well (I do like the long setup as well), I’m not a fan of giving the replicators a face, it makes them less of a mindless menace and more of a standard evil villain. Still, the replicators are on standby for now.
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2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2003: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
