“Hold on. Who’s Lieutenant Tyler?”
- Release Date: 20th July 2001
- Season 5
- Episode 4
- Director: Peter DeLuise
- Writers: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
SG-1 are trying to escape through the Stargate as they’re under attack from Jaffa. Jack is behind enemy lines with an injured soldier. Due to the large Jaffa force, Jack orders Sam, Daniel and Teal’c to head through the Stargate and get reinforcements. When they get to the other side, they report to Hammond that Jack and Tyler are still on the planet.
Hammond is very confused as he’s never heard of Tyler. Carter says that Hammond assigned him a month ago and that this is his third mission as part of SG-1. Hammond is adamant that there is no such person, and says no rescue mission can take place until they’ve worked out what is going on. Hammond has to order the other soldiers to disarm SG-1 before they comply.
On the planet, Jack helps Tyler get to a more defendable position. Tyler asks Jack why he didn’t escape though the Stargate. Jack initially deflects by joking about paperwork, then says he doesn’t leave his soldiers behind. Tyler says he dropped his gun, so Jack says they’ll have to make do with the few mags and explosives they have.
Initial tests show nothing wrong with SG-1 (as usual) but further tests are still ongoing. He reiterates that he can’t send anyone though the planet until they can figure it out. Carter, Daniel and Teal’c are not happy, wondering what happened to Stargate Command while they were away, even mentioning the possibility of them travelling to a different universe where Tyler doesn’t exist.
Sam hacks into the base computer and does a search for Tyler. There’s no results, but she does spot that someone else has done a search for him, someone off base that has been looking into all of SG-1 as well. They do consider the possibility that something is wrong with them.
Hammond manages to get in touch with Jack via a UAV, but the conversation is brief before it gets cut. Jack mentions Tyler, which disturbs Hammond. They consider sending another UAV where they get interrupted by Simmons, who wants to conduct an independent investigation, warning Hammond about using the red phone to call in yet another favour with the president.
As Dr Fraiser is cleaning up the infirmary, she notices a substance on Teal’c’s jacket. She has it bagged up but, even though touching it through plastic she gets affected and gets a memory of Tyler. She speaks to Carter to verify it was him, and Carter convinces her to investigate more before reporting it.
Simmons interviews Daniel first, showing him footage of the briefing to show that Tyler wasn’t there , although Daniel is still dubious (as there’s no audio, he said it could be a different briefing). It isn’t long for Simmons to stop asking about Tyler and move onto other things. He questions Daniel about his old girlfriend Sarah (now host to Osiris) as Simmons thinks it’s a security risk. Daniel points out that it’s not the first time and it’s never been an issue before, questioning who Simmons is.
His conversation with Teal’c is much shorter. Simmons questions his brainwashing and Teal’c says if it was still relevant, he would just kill him right there. On the planet, Jack hears a Death Glider but manages to shoot it down, but he knows troops will be there shortly, so time to set up traps.
Simmons interrogates Carter next, questioning Jolinar, being taken over by the electrical entity and even hiding Orlon from everyone. She realises that he’s the person that has been accessing the database. When she questions who he actually works for, he stops the interview. While all this is happening, Hammond makes some calls to try and find out more about Simmons.
Hammond and Simmons visit Dr Fraiser, who has figured stuff out. The substance in Teal’c’s jacket can alter minds. It’s just a quick suggestion, with the mind filling in the gaps. She admits that she was exposed but is adamant that it will be safe for SG-1 to return. Simmons is not happy about it.
Jack counts 15 Jaffa approaching. Tyler is worried about Jack losing his life to try and save him, so tries to tell him the truth. He’s a member of a species called the Ree’all and they have a natural defence mechanism that makes others see them as one of their own. Jack is paying no attention (due to the mind alteration) so Tyler has to reveal his true form. It’s a bit late, as the Jaffa are about to attack.
Jack manages to take out a ton of Jaffa, but they are overwhelmed and captured. Luckily, the rest of SG-1 turn up in time to save them. They warn Jack that Tyler isn’t who he appears to be, but he says he already knows. They tell Tyler that he could have asked for help, but he explains it’s their only defence. He wants to go to his people’s new colony, if the Gou’ald really want to study him to adapt to their own use, a big danger to Earth.
When they discover that the gate is heavily guarded, Tyler (or Yayayeii) offers to surrender or make a distraction. Jack is having none of it. He takes Teal’c and Carter to grab the weapon off the Death Glider, leaving Daniel and Tyler behind – but Tyler stuns Daniel and heads off.
Hammond sees Simmons after letting him wait a good while, telling him that he knows who he’s working for and that this investigation isn’t about security, but is politically motivated. He warns that his connections go deeper, and that the investigation is over. Simmons does warn that administrations change, so be careful in the future.
SG-1 return to a dazed Daniel and see Tyler shooting the Jaffa and running away (they never mention why he can’t trick the Jaffa). Teal’c points out that they could escape, but Jack wants to save Tyler. They managed to free him quite easily, and he is still amazed that they want to help. Before he heads back through the Stargate, they say not everyone on the galaxy is bad and they could be allies.
It’s a good episode, and Tyler’s true design is quite interesting (and much better CGI than the earlier walking Thor). Simmons continues to be a thorn in their side and suggests that Earth side politics are heating up.
