Stargate Infinity: The Long Haul

“That sounds real familiar. Have we been there before?”

• Release Date: 24th March 2003
• Season 1
• Episode 26
• Director: Will Meugniot
• Writers: Mark Edward Edens

The team are on the run yet again, this time from a swarm of angry flying creatures, fleeing through the stargate. They end up on a frozen, barren planet and morale is at an all time low. They discuss how their current plan is just hopping from planet to plant at random, just hoping that they’ll come across the planet of the ancients or a clue (their last clue was an image of three stars in a nebula way back in episode 11) and most of them wish they could quit, with Bonner trying you can’t just give up on things so easily (which, frankly, is ridiculous after all the’ve been though – they were rushed into this without knowing what they were in for).

Draga activates the stargate, saying it will lead to their desire, unlocking a new ability of subconsciously navigating the stargate network. They head through and find a load of mayan structures, thinking this is a Tlak’kahn homeworld. They’re then interrupted by Professor Elena Martalan, claiming that the dig site they’re in is private property. They’re back on Earth, arriving through a newly uncovered stargate in Yucatán. 

They manage to send a message to Stargate Command, and the General is amazed that a second stargate has been uncovered, and that Bonner is there. Luckily, they have an officer there helping with the dig to investigate further. Unfortunately for them, it’s Captain Grimes or, more specifically, the shapeshifter that started this whole mess. He says he has no reason to believe a stargate has been found, but will investigate the message, but turns into General Stoneman instead. 

The fake Stoneman, along with the leader of the expedition, Van Gelder, meet Bonner and explain that Stargate Command was informed the moment it was found and that troops will be here tomorrow. As Bonner is still court martialled awaiting punishment, he’s ordered to head back via helicopter. The rest will head to the nearby beach in the morning to relax and join them later on. 

The shapeshifter Nephestis contacts Da’kyll through the stargate to tell them about the situation. He has a plan for getting rid of the team, leaving Bonner and Draga ripe for the taking. The Tlak’kahn come through and hide in the nearby cliffs while everyone is asleep (not like the General could just take the stun device into the tent). Nephestis also speaks to some thugs to set a trap for the cadets.

In the morning, the cadets are ordered to leave their equipment and head off in a car. Harrison talks about all the luxuries they’re in store for, but comments on how he’s oddly not happy about it. The four of them discuss how the job isn’t finished and someone else doing the final part just isn’t right. Ec’co points out that they’re on leave, so they technically can go back to the dig. They turn around and go back.

Draga comments on feeling that she’s met Stoneman before as they’re all driving towards the dig site, asking him if he’s ever looked different. As they approach the stargate, it activates, and Bonner comments on lots of different oddities – the general showing up on his own as well as sending people off before debriefing, and that they know about shapeshifters. Brilliant deduction as he realises while the trap is being sprung. At least he now knows who framed him.

The rest of the team arrive and quickly gear up, joining in on the fight with the Tlak’kahn. They think their only hope is to go back through the stargate (and not, you know, heading anywhere else on Earth and getting real backup and support), commenting on how this is the same as how things started. 

With everyone gone, Da’kyll decides to head back, but Nephestis has a plan. He has Da’kyll take Van Gelder back with him as a prisoner and turns into him. He meets up with the professor (who hasn’t seen anything that happened) and explains that Grimes, Bonner and the rest of the team were working with hostile aliens. Helicopters from Stargate Command arrive (so the Grimes cover would have been blown anyway).

Back on the snowy planet, everyone is determined to see this through to the end. Draga activates the stargate again, saying she doesn’t know where to go, but everyone is happy with the prospect of finding a new world.

And that’s the end of Infinity. For the most part, it wasn’t as utterly terrible and there’s a couple of enjoyable episodes and neat ideas. It certainly doesn’t gel with the rest of Stargate, but still has some neat ideas with it. That said, at the end of the first season, there’s been pretty much no progression in the main story. Other than a vague image of a few stars, we’re still exactly where we were at the end of episode two. 

The ending of this episode does indicate that future seasons, due to Draga’s new power, will link more with the Ancients and their secrets, but as the show was cancelled, we’ll never get any answers.