Stargate SG-1: Learning Curve

“She’s going back to get her brain sucked out. And I dare anybody to phrase it more delicately.”

• Release Date: 23rd July 1999
• Season 3
• Episode 5
• Director: Martin Wood
• Writers: Heather E. Ash

Daniel is on a planet called Orban, where he is uncovering some archaeological stuff to find out more about the history. He’s being assisted by the children of the planet. Jack and Teal’c arrive through the stargate and Jack immediately questions the “child labour”, which Daniel says are “Urrone” – Daniel interprets this to be apprentices (he takes a while to question anything in this episode). They’re here to escort Kalan (the only adult SG-1 talk to on the planet) back to Earth.

He brings a young girl with him, called Merrin, along with a naquadah reactor. Sam asks someone to teach her how it works and Kalan is confused as to what “teaching” is. Kalan heads back but allows Merrin to stay to help Sam – at age 11, she’s their main expert on the naquadah reactor. Back on Orban, he asks Teal’c to tell his son everything he knows about the Gou’ald (I found this a bit confusing because this is effectively teaching, a concept he claimed to not understand).

After conducting some medical tests, Dr Fraiser discovers nanites within Merrin’s body. She explains that these are normal in their society, are not Gou’ald and are completely safe. They overtake their ability to learn and means that they can be implanted with knowledge – and what they learn can be passed on to others. On the planet, Kalan’s son is replaced with a new kid. Instead of just accepting the customs like Daniel, Teal’c questions where his son is. It turns out he’s undergone “Averium” (which Daniel didn’t question earlier) – the nanites have been removed and all his knowledge along with it. These children just exist in rooms alone, having their basic needs taken care of but never learning, playing or anything. Even with the nanites, Merrin has no concept of fun.

Jack is absolutely appalled by this, and fights to keep Merrin on Earth. While Hammond decides, Daniel goes back to Orban to try and persuade Kalan to not take the nanites out of her and Sam continues on making a naquadah reactor with Merrin using components on Earth. Daniel finds out that Merrin represents the last 10 years of naquadah reactor development and seems to just accept it’s better for her to get wiped. Sam puts in the final touches of the reactor in herself, showing Merrin how satisfying it is to figure stuff out for yourself (while also being a very important creation – they just need to find more naquadah). As it’s time to send her back, Jack takes her to the surface. 

Jack takes her to a school (one where Cassandra used to attend), and gets her to mingle with the other kids, as well as attend the art lessons later. She starts drawing the naquadah reactor but Jack gets her to paint some flowers she saw in Carter’s lab. She gets frustrated with not having the correct colours, but Jack encourages her to paint things “incorrectly”. She learns about fun but still wants to head back home for the Averium – her people still need the knowledge. After a sad goodbye, they send her back.

Not long after, SGC gets a transmission from Orban, requesting SG-1. They return and a very happy Kalan greets them and takes them to see what has happened since the knowledge of Merrin was shared – there are kids playing in the street. Merrin’s short stint at a school made her people realise that you can teach the kids normally. It sounded like they’re still going to use their minds the same way, so they essentially lose everything up to the age of 12, but it’s a start. 

There’s a few issues with this episode – as they want Jack to be the moral voice, Daniel seems very uncaring, and him trying to figure out why the Gou’ald left is just abandoned half way through. Kalan’s confusion over teaching and learning is strange as the children do learn (Teal’c even teaches Kalan’s son about the Gou’ald). The solution of “Merrin can teach your people normally” is also never brought up, even though she did a great job with Sam before she even understood teaching. Still, Jack being a great dad to a stranger is always wonderful.