“Okay. That is officially the worst way to go.”
- Release Date: 17th August 2001
- Season 5
- Episode 8
- Director: Peter DeLuise
- Writers: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
SG-1 are investigating a temple – a pyramid-like Babylonian building called a ziggurat. There’s a colossal door which is essentially a puzzle. Daniel says he’ll need more notes to compare before he can get them all in, and says it’s likely they’re the first ones here in 3,000 years. Carter says she’s not so sure, and points out some litter – a cigarette box. A Russian cigarette box.
In a briefing with Hammond, they discuss how this planet was not listed in any of the planets Russia said they visited when they ran their own Stargate program with the original Stargate that they found in the wreckage of Thor’s ship. Hammond says that a team may have unofficially been sent (similar to the NID operation Jack thwarted) and, due to the conditions on the planet, are probably waiting inside the ziggurat for a message to return home. SG-1 will have to investigate, but not alone. A team of Russians will be joining them, and Jack is not happy in the slightest.
The Russian team, consisting of the leader Zukhov alongside Vallarin; Marchenko and Tolinev, arrive at Stargate Command and attend the briefing. It turns out this was a Russian discovery all along – one of the people suspected to be in the temple found a gate address on a dig a few years ago. While they knew nothing about the stargate, the Russians do have the DHD from Giza and kept it secret, so they hid this discovery before deciding to try it out when they had their program running. Off the record, though. The temple is home to The Eye of Tiamat, a powerful device that granted Marduk great power. They seem to be unsure about what Marduk is, although they really should have a list of active Gou’ald (they’ve met someone that was kidnapped by Markud).
They head to the planet and Daniel eventually manages to open the door. The temple seems a bit wobbly but they decide to split up, although Teal’c goes with the Russians and Marchenko goes with SG-1. SG-1 find a skeleton wearing a Russian uniform. They’ve not been missing long enough to decompose, though, and the skeleton is covered in teeth marks. Something in the temple ate him. Zukhov’s team finds the central chamber, which houses a very old looking Gou’ald sarcophagus. Jack orders them to wait until they group up, but Zukhov ignores this, ordering his men to move forward, which sets off a trap.
The ziggurat crumbles and everyone rushes for the entrance, but it’s too late as the way is blocked. Marchenko dies during the chaos and Jack is appalled that Zukhov has no remorse for his lost team member, who defends himself saying that casualties are to be expected, and that is their way. They head back to the sarcophagus. It seems like it was once sealed from the outside then opened up with a blowtorch. Inside, they find what was probably Marduk, but he’s completely dead, and it looked like his flesh was eaten as well. The sarcophagus itself doesn’t seem to have malfunctioned.
They discuss blowing a hole in the ziggurat while Daniel translates some text. Jack isn’t a fan of the idea as it might just cause everything to collapse. When Daniel works out the final fate of Marduk, it’s quite grim: he was placed in the sarcophagus with the flesh-eating creature and it was turned on, where the reviving power of the sarcophagus would make it last an extremely long time – but eventually the creature won. The previous Russian team then let it out when they opened it. They split off into pairs to keep an eye out for the creature while finding the research team.
Zukhov and Teal’c find the remaining Russian team members, also all dead. They find a log book and head off, although Zukhov sneaks the Eye of Tiamat into one of his pouches while Teal’c isn’t looking. Carter and Tolinev spot a cocoon and then spot the creature. It attacks them, but they shoot at it. Tolinev gets hit, but Sam manages to hit it. They head to the main chamber and Sam says that she felt the presence of a Gou’ald in the creature. Which means all this elaborate punishment for Marduk was inflicted on the innocent human host instead.
Tolinev seems to be affected by venom, and Carter has given her something to buy her time. Zukhov wants to blow a hole now, but Jack doesn’t want to risk killing all of them, so he’d rather find another exit. They split up again, with Daniel carrying on translating with Vallarin heading over. As everyone searches, Vallarin heads out to investigate a noise, leaving Daniel alone. Zukhov and Jack get into an argument about taking risks, expecting casualties and so on. Carter and Teal’c discover the creature, and neither can sense a Gou’ald in it (apparently Jaffa also have this ability) – it has found a new host. Teal’c cuts it open to make sure.
They let Jack know, pointing out that Teal’c can’t be a host and he can sense that she’s fine, so that Daniel, Vallarin, Zukhov and Jack himself are the only ones left. They instantly suspect the other due to their behaviour. Zukhov thinks Jack is looking for the eye while Jack thinks Zukhov is eager to escape. They find Daniel, who is not a Gou’ald, and he reveals that the text mentions a ring transporter, likely in the very room they’re in. It’s a means of escape. They don’t want to tell Jack yet until they can make sure he’s not a Gou’ald.
Of course, the Gou’ald is in Vallarin. He gets a hand device from a secret compartment and confronts Zukhov and Jack, who are still arguing. He pushes Jack aside and asks Zukhov where the Eye of Tiamat is, as he knows that he has secret orders from the Russians to retrieve it. Marduk threatens Jack with a P-90 and Zukhov admits he has the eye and hands it over, saying he won’t let others die because of him, which Jack thinks is a crazy idea. Only he doesn’t pass Marduk the Eye, but a grenade. It explodes, with Jack just moving out of the way in time. Both Marduk and Zukhov are buried under rubble.
They rush back to the rings, with Jack quickly setting up a surprise first. Marduke (missing a hand) storms forth, with Carter setting off a switch as everyone left alive (SG-1 and Tolinev) teleport away. A few moments later, a pile of C4 explodes, engulfing Marduk and burying him – and the eye – completely.
We cut to a briefing room. A representative from Russia is very displeased (we find out in later appearances that his name is Chekov) with how only one member of his team came back (and just barely), but is willing to accept that both sides made mistakes before agreeing to pass on the message that it was the Russian secret orders that messed things up. He mentions that there will likely be future participation.
It’s a really neat episode, and seeing a Gou’ald in a completely different (and very dangerous) type of creature is great. It’s a shame we don’t see more of that.
