“I like gas as much as the next guy.”
- Release Date: 29th January 2003
- Season 6
- Episode 18
- Director: Andy Mikita
- Writers: Damian Kindler
Carter is setting up a telescope when Jack approaches her, acting like he doesn’t know how a telescope works and with zero interest in the nebula that Carter wants to examine. It’s a rather bizarre opening as Jack is an astronomy buff and Carter knows this, yet she’s acting like he genuinely has no interest. Now, I know Jack often pretends to hide how smart he is, but this didn’t feel like one of those moments. Either way, there’s five hours until the nebula will be visible. Jack does form a photo of a human, and starts to ask Carter about it when Jonas calls them to see something.
They’ve found a crashed ship, one that doesn’t match designs from any species they’ve encountered before, however the writing does resemble ancient Cleric. There’s no response to anyone inside, but three humans sneak up behind them, weapons drawn. When SG-1 say that they’re explorers, they put their guns down. The leader introduces himself as Aden, along with his first officer Tanis and navigator Lyle. They’re confused as they haven’t heard a ship land. They explain that the ship encountered an asteroid storm and was forced to crash on this planet. They said their homeworld is close and request a lift – but SG-1 don’t have a ship. They explain that the Stargate is a transportation device. Aden says that there isn’t one on his planet.
Jack takes the team aside to work out their plan. Sam wants to try fixing the ship, as it just seems to need power. It will give her a chance to look at their technology, and potential contact with their homeworld for trade. Teal’c thinks that the Celts were formidable warriors and thinks that their descendants might also be. Jack tells Aden that they’ll try to fix the ship, failing that, they’d be welcome on Earth. As they head into the whip, Teal’c hesitates – he thinks that something is in the woods
The ship gets attacked by aliens. Jack manages to wound one of them, but Tanis takes him out, but Lyle gets hit and injured. Aden activates a high pitched squeal and the aliens run away. Jack asks what was going on, and Aden claims that these aliens have been hounding them since they arrived. Jack questions how they have their weapons. Aden says it’s been a while since their last attack and that they killed and skinned most of the crew. Lyle needs medical attention, so they take her back to Earth
Jonas and Carter inform Hammond of the situation. These people likely originated from the Outer Hebrides Islands in Scotland, and that their homewold doesn’t have a gate (potentially taken when the Gou’ald left). Carter says she can possibly fix the ship with a generator, and Hammond approves, sending SG-15 as backup.
Jack questions Aden about the aliens. He says nobody survived the first attack and they’ve been using their weapons ever since. Jack seems very sceptical, and doesn’t trust Aden at all, and tells SG-15 about the apparently hostile aliens. Back at SGC, Jonas checks in on Lyle and explains the Stargate and the two have a bit of flirting.
Aden shows Carter the engine room, she needs to get some power on order to diagnose the systems. Aden claims that, as captain, he just tells people what to do and doesn’t know how it actually works. There’s more flirting, with Aden trying to flatter Carter, but she isn’t very receptive. Really, Aden comes across as extremely creepy.
Jack spots one of the alien, who looks like he’s removing something similar to a dog tag from the alien that was killed before. Jack tells him to not move, but Tanis appears and shoots at the alien, causing hundreds to flee. Jack tells him he wants the alien alive for Intel, but Tanis just wants it dead. Teal’c joins and they all chased it.
Carter takes her jacket off to work, and Aden makes a really, really creepy comment about trying to control himself. He notices a Zat and Carter explaineds how it works. Aden attempts to flirt a bit more and Carter seems amused. In the forest, Tanis suggests splitting up to cover more ground. Meanwhile, Hammond visits Jonas in his office. Jonas has found an old ship with a similar name. Hammond lets him know that someone tried it hack into their systems form the informary. Instead of questioning her, Jonas has another idea.
Jack and Teal’c stumble upon a camp, suggesting that these aliens didn’t come from the Stargate. Teal’c asks Jack if he believes their story, and Jack says the alien was about to talk. They hear Tanis on the radio, claiming to have got the alien. Jack and Teal’c catch up to him, but he’s only glazed him, so they’ll have to track him.
Carter restores power to the ship and Aden wants to celebrate with a flask of alcohol, which Carter refuses. They tell each other to call each other by their first names, then Aden comments on how she’s only helping for her own gain and future technology, which rubs Sam the wrong way, then goes straight back to flirting, but Sam already had her guard up.
Lyle visits Jonas’s office while Jonas is cataloguing some gold artifacts from a different planet, mentioning that there’s so much gold out there. Lyle grave Jonas and kisses him, but he’s not very receptive – he says he finds her attractive but hasn’t had time to think about it. They get interrupted by a phone call and Jonas says he needs to see Hammond, but she can hang out in his office.
Carter does a full reboot and part of a distress call corms up, the man in the recording says that the Serberus is a prison ship. She also notices that her radio is missing. When Aden returns, she holds him at gunpoint and gets him to tie himself up. He tries to bluff again by saying that the aliens were prisoners and he let them out when the life support in the cells failed. Carter doesn’t buy it.
Jack and Teal’c lose Tanith, but managed to find the alien. He claims to be Warrick, captain of the Serberus. He says that the trio were dangerous criminals on the way to a prison colony, but when they had to set down, the took them out of stasis. While he was out, they overpowered the guards and killed everyone. Jack shows him the picture he found and Warrick says it is his wife – his people helped the Hebridans escape the Gou’ald and they’ve been living together since.
Jack tells Carter they need to meet up, but Tanis has made his way back to the ship and knocks her out. Jonas and Lyle also return though the Stargate, but Jonas gets stunned. Lyle says that there are much better things though the Stargate than back on their homeworld, and they won’t be wanted. The Stargate is guarded, but they have hostages.
Jack, Teal’c and Warrick reach the ship to fienx Carter tied up. Warwick offers to suffer the high pitched squeal and manages to turn off the noice, but the trio aren’t there. Carter tells them that they have Jonas and are heading for the Stargate. Jack gives chase while Teal’c stays with Carter.
The trio reach the Stargate and tell the guards to put their guns, which they do when Jonas gestures them to comply. They dial the gate, which Jonas deduces game from his lab, she was seducing him for information. She does think he’s cute, though. Jack appears and orders them to stop, but Jonas tells Jack to let them go, showing him the active GDO on his wrist. The three take Jonas though the Stargate, but end up at Starfleet Command – Jonas put the address on his computer as a test.
They meet Warwick near his ship, with the prisoners back in stasis. They ask Jonas how he figured it out and he said that the ancient Celts built a ship called the Cerberus, so perhaps this had the same meaning to them now. This isn’t a think in Celtic, though, as the name is of a three headed dog in Greek mythology, so it doesn’t make much sense (although I’m sure the show is filled with similar issues related to cultures I know nothing about). The captain thanks everyone for their help.
It made to have an episode where the humans turn out to be bad and the different-looking aliens are the victims, and how Jack is suspicious (not asking too many questions of the Nazis probably made him like this) until he hears a story that actually makes sense. The way Aden acts also helped to make Jack’s suspicions believable.
