“Uh… the sun’s beeping.”
- Release Date: 3rd January 2000
- Season 4
- Episode 16
- Director: Andy Mikita
- Writers: Brad Wright
This episode opens up with Sam speaking to her husband, Joseph. They’re discussing their disappointment about not conceiving, but have to keep trying as the Aschen doctors have said that there’s nothing wrong with either of them. The year is 2010 and we find out that ten years ago, SG-1 made contact with an advanced race called the Aschen. Earth is now full of advanced technology and, thanks to an anti-aging vaccine, humans are now living twice as long. On top of that, the Gou’ald have been defeated. And all Earth had to do was to teach them how to use the stargate.
Sam, Daniel and Teal’c attend the 10th anniversary of the alliance with the Aschen at the Space Terminal – a public transport hub housing the Stargate. President Kinsey (eww) makes a speech over a screen quoting Jack O’Neill’s report from the first encounter. Kinsey reads it as though it’s positive, but you can tell that Jack is highly suspicious and think it’s a trap. He hasn’t been seen in a while.
Speaking after the party, Sam and Janet Fraiser talk about her issue getting pregnant. Janet wants to do her own tests – saying that as a human doctor, there’s not much for her to do. Sam agrees. Janet does the tests and discovers that Sam’s ovaries are damaged – she can’t have children. While that is upsetting enough, they have to ponder as to why the Aschen doctors lied to her.
Sam goes to her work, she’s working with the Aschen to collapse Jupiter into another star – planning for the far future. She gives her boss and idea then convinces him to give her Aschen computer access (which is forbidden). He agrees and leaves her to it, with Janet entering after him. Looking up things on the computer, the human birth-rate has declined by 91% over the last few years, focused on areas with the anti-aging vaccine.
Sam, Janet, Daniel and Teal’c meet up and discuss it. Janet reveals that, while Hammond officially died of a heart attack, he died one day after contacting Janet asking to meet up to discuss something important. They ask Teal’c if the Jaffa can help, and he reveals that the Jaffa are not doing well. The way the Aschen wiped out the Gou’ald has left very few symbiotes, so they’re also dying out, likely planned by the Aschen the same way they’re waiting for humanity to die out. They’ve lost, there’s no reversing what happened.
Sam comes up with a plan to undo everything. Her lab has equipment to predict solar flares and they could send a message to a date prior to them meeting the Aschen. Sam visits Jack to ask for help, but he refuses – nobody listened to his warnings. Besides, so they have the right to change the lives of so many peoples. They’ll have to proceed without him.
As they need a GDO to deactivate the Iris, they head to Stargate Command, which is now a museum. The tour guide corrects a disguised Daniel that the gate room is actually called the embarkation room and, once the tour ends, they sneak into the briefing room. Jack is already there, and has secured some weapons and the GDO – which is a replica.
Walter finds them there, happy to see SG-1 (Jack remembering his name here was an ad-lib and RDA picked the name himself). They manage to convince him to let them borrow the stuff (as long as they bring it back) and he reveals that the real GDO is in the White House, on the desk in the Oval Office.
Jack and Daniel work on a message to send. Daniel wants to keep it simple and hand written they know it’s from themselves. Sam speaks to her husband. When she mentions that the birth rate has gone down to 91% he’s shocked – but not because it’s happening, but because he was told it was only going to be 30%. He knew. He said it was the only way to make the alliance, and Earth was getting overpopulated anyway (which makes no sense when you have access to the Stargate). He agrees to swap the fake for the real one.
Sam works out when the solar flare will be and her husband returns. He has the device, but it’s hidden. He’ll only give it over if Sam has no part in the plan of having to combat the automated defences. The reluctantly agree. Janet leaves to tell Teal’c the plan (he went back to Chulak to avoid suspicion) and they all get in place, with Sam waiting outside the Space Terminal.
Teal’c comes through the Stargate with another Jaffa, each with a staff weapon. They claim they’re for ceremonial purposes and open fire, with Teal’c opening the gate while his friend shoots the defences, which are miniature lasers. They both end up dying. Jack uses a harpoon and rope to slide down but only makes it a bit further, with Daniel adding a bit more ground before also dying. Sam ignores her husband and runs inside the building, managing to throw the note through the gate before also dying.
In the present day of the show, there’s an incoming wormhole and it’s SG-1. They’re already at the gate, but they all want to know what’s going on, so they open the Iris and the note comes though. It’s in Jack’s handwriting and has his blood on it. They realise it’s from the future and it says not to visit a planet, which is on their list to visit shortly. Hammond puts a block on that address as they all know something bad came of it.
Yet another great episode, showing that not all enemies are obvious. The Aschen are extremely patient and can slowly wipe civilisations out over a few hundred years without them realising until far too late.
