"THE SERPENT'S LAIR"
CAST:
Richard Dean Anderson (Colonel O'Neill)
Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson)
Christopher Judge (Teal'c)
Amanda Tapping (Captain Sammantha Carter)
Don S. Davis (General Hammond )
See also: "Children of the Gods", "Bloodlines", "There but for the Grace of God", "Politics", and "Within the Serpent's Grasp"
Guest cast: Gary Jones, Robert Wisden (Samuels), Peter Williams (Apophis), Tony Amendola (Bra'tac), Laara Sadiq (technician), Phillip Mitchell (Jaffa #2), Bernie Neufeld (General's Aide), Douglas H. Arthurs (Kah'l), Michael Brynjolvson (Jaffa), and Alexis Cruz (Skaara/Klorel)
Plot Summary
Trapped on the bridge of Klorel's pyramid ship, now approaching Earth, SG-1 is running out of options. Carter has set C-4 charges around the ship, enough, she believes, to destroy the vessel. It falls to Colonel O'Neill to give the order for her to detonate the bombs that will destroy the ship-and the team with it. "Well, I suppose now is the time for me to say something profound," Jack addresses his team, adding after a long pause, "...nothing comes to mind. Let's do it."
The detonation is put on hold when Apophis' ship arrives to join Klorel's in the attack on Earth. Teal'c confirms that destroying Klorel's ship will not stop Apophis' vessel. O'Neill considers their options. The C-4 is also on timers to detonate---but not for 24 hours, much too late to save Earth. Worse, the serpent guards are starting to attempt to break into the bridge. "Just a minute!" O'Neill calls to the guards. Is there any other way off the bridge? Jack asks Teal'c. There is not, the Jaffa says. And then it is too late-the serpent guards open the door and SG-1 must take cover as the aliens open fire on them. "This is turning out to be a bad day," Jack muses. It is not long before a shock grenade knocks out all members of SG-1 with a blinding flash of light and a deafening shriek of sound.
The team awakens in a prison cell-blind from the blast of light thrown off by the shock grenade. Carter even mistakes O'Neill for a guard and bites his hand in self-defense. She apologizes. "That's all right---I like your attitude," Jack answers. Daniel is miserable-they're blind, imprisoned, they've failed. O'Neill tries to reassure them, after all they've 'been in worse situations' than this. "Not to my knowledge," Teal'c disagrees. "Thanks, Teal'c," Jack says. On a brighter note, in a few moments, their sight begins to return...and Jack jokingly orders that if any guards come into the cell Carter should bite them, lightening the despairing mood a bit.
Elsewhere on the ship, the guards have placed Klorel into a sarcophagus to revive him.
On Earth, Hammond has an unwelcome visit from Colonel Samuels, who's been assigned to coordinate SGC's efforts with the Pentagon's. Unfortunately, for the moment, the Pentagon's orders are to do nothing-lest they alert the Goa'uld that Earth is aware of their enemy's approach. Hammond is dismayed by the orders, arguing that Earth needs to mobilize a defense. Samuels has advised the higher ups not to-and pauses to remind Hammond that the war with the Goa'uld's might have been prevented if the SGC had heeded his advice and buried the Gate. Colonels Samuel and Mayborne are working on their own 'pre-emptive' strike against the Goa'ulds-with a weapon they have both developed, though Samuels is evasive with the details.
On Apophis' pyramid ship, a serpent guard reports Klorel's condition to the Goa'uld 'god'. Furious at the injury done to his son, Apophis orders the immediate execution of SG-1. The serpent guard promises to carry out the orders personally. Apophis is still enraged that the humans were able to get to his son. They will hold the attack on Earth until Klorel is recovered, Apophis orders, and then the humans will pay one-hundredfold for their insolence.
On Earth, Samuels is briefing military officials at SGC, explaining his new weapon. It is two ordinary warheads enhanced with the Stargate ore-element, which will give each warhead a 1,000 megaton yield. When the Goa'uld come within range, the missiles(with some modifications so that the Goa'uld radar will mistake them for stealth fighters) will be launched at the ships and catch the aliens off guard. Hammond strongly disagrees with the plan, reiterating his desire to warn the major cities of Earth about the approach of the alien vessels. Samuels coldly reminds Hammond that the decision is not the general's to make.
On Klorel's ship, guards approach SG-1's cell. O'Neill and Teal'c prepare to fight the guards...until O'Neill gets a look at the serpent guard's face. "Bra'tac?" he yelps, surprised. Bra'tac greets the colonel with a punch to the face, cursing the whole team as fools for their clumsy efforts, which has put the humans---and the Jaffa master, who is trying to stop Apophis---in danger. Bra'tac's tirade ends when Teal'c greets him. Bra'tac gives Teal'c news of his son and admonishes him that they should not have come to the pyramid ships. Teal'c defends their actions-Earth may be their only chance at overcoming the 'false gods'. Bra'tac grudgingly agrees, as 'pathetic' as that seems at the moment, he muses. In fact, Bra'tac was trying to save Earth. He is also going to try to save the humans, he says, leading them out of the cell.
On Earth, SGC is wondering at the pause in the Goa'uld's attack. What are they waiting for? Hammond wonders. One of the technicians has a theory: The computers detected the flash on the pyramid ship's bridge, even though they don't know what caused it. Could it be SG-1? Alive? Sabotaging the ship? Hammond wonders hopefully. That's wishful thinking, Samuels scoffs. So's Samuel's plan, Hammond shoots back. Their talk is interrupted by news that the first group of people on the Alpha List have arrived at SGC.
Bra'tac has found weapons for SG-1. Jack wants to know how Bra'tac planned to save Earth by joining the Goa'uld's attack. Bra'tac explains that the greatest challenges to the power of Pharohs, like Apophis, are made by the rulers' children, like Klorel. Bra'tac planned to lead his wing of soldiers in an uprising against Apophis---in the name of Klorel. A challenge from his son would drive a wedge of distrust between Klorel and Apophis. Unfortunately, since the humans killed Klorel, it is now more likely that when Klorel rises, father and son will be united against their common enemy-Earth. Rises? Jack pauses. Klorel is dead, isn't it? Bra'tac reminds them of the sarcophagus. Bra'tac put Klorel in the sarcophagus? Jack gapes. Bra'tac did so to delay the attack on Earth until the humans' ships could be launched. He is astonished when SG-1 informs him they have no such ships.
Hammond addresses the members of the Alpha List about their mission: They have been chosen for their expertise in their particular fields to travel through the Stargate to a planet on the other side of the galaxy. This planet, called 'Alpha Site', will become a new colony for the people on the Alpha List if Earth should be destroyed by the Goa'uld.
On Klorel's ship, Apophis' son has risen, furious and prepared for the attack on Earth.
Samuels launches his two missles towards the ships. Hammond isn't optimistic and orders more people from the Alpha List to go through the gate. Samuels argues that Hammond should wait---the evacuation may not be necessary, the missiles might work. "From your mouth to God's ears, Colonel," Hammond says. doubtfully.
On Klorel's ship, Bra'tac inquires if SG-1 has more C-4 to use when they reach Apophis' ship. They don't. Doesn't Bra'tac have something that will work? Bra'tac shrugs. To use a phrase he learned from the humans: "We share have to cross that bridge when we come to it." "You know, that particular cliché doesn't always work," Jack says.
Apophis watches the missiles approach with a grin, but on Klorel's ship, his son pauses. The Jaffa and Apophis urge Klorel to raise his ship's shields, but Klorel pauses, hand hesitating over the controls as Skaara fights the symbiot's control over him...
...until the last possible moment, when Klorel reasserts control over his host body and raises the ship's shields.
SG-1 feels the impact as the missiles explode harmlessly against the ship's shields. On Earth, Samuels is stunned at the failure of his weapons. Hammond advises the President.
SG-1 and Bra'tac's guards are trying to find a way off the ship. Jack dispatches two serpent guards who attempt to stop them.
Klorel has joined Apophis on his father's ship. Apophis tells him that the time to destroy Earth has come. Klorel hesitates, telling his father that the host (Skaara) is strong-willed. Perhaps more time in the sarcophagus would allow Klorel to gain a stronger hold over the host body. Apophis refuses. Klorel is strong-he is Apophis' son. "Do no disappoint me," Apophis warns as Klorel returns to his own vessel.
SG-1 encounters more guards, whom Bra'tac dispatches easily.
On Earth, more Alpha List groups go through the gate as Samuel searches for last-ditch solutions to save Earth. Finding none, Samuels asks to join the teams at the Alpha List. Hammond refuses---when the time comes, Samuels will stand with the men and women at SGC in defense of the facility. So will Hammond. End of argument.
SG-1 and Bra'tac have found their way to the bridge. Bra'tac goes in (he is, after all, Klorel's trusted servant) first. Klorel invites his 'loyal guard' to witness 'the power of his god', and when Bra'tac refuses, the Goa'uld demands an explanation for the Jaffa's defiance. You are not a god, Bra'tac tells him. You are a parasite within a child, and I despise you.
Klorel attacks, and on that cue, Carter, Teal'c, and O'Neill storm the bridge, taking out the Goa'uld's guards. Outside, more guards rush toward the bridge at the sound of the commotion within. Daniel exchanges gunfire with them, covering the team as they capture Klorel. There are too many, and Daniel calls for Jack's help moments before being hit by a blast from a Jaffa staff weapon. Jack finds the anthropologist gravely wounded and tries to help him to the bridge, but Daniel resists the help. He urges O'Neill to leave him behind---what difference does it make, after all, if he is killed when Klorel's ship blows up or is destroyed with the rest of the team when Apophis' ship is destroyed? It is only with much hesitation that Jack finally agrees. O'Neill rejoins the rest of the team, Bra'tac, and Klorel in time to teleport to Apophis' ship.
After they have teleported, wounded Daniel slowly makes his way into the bridge of Klorel's ship...
With Klorel as SG-1's hostage, Apophis is powerless to act when the team teleports onto his ship. He curses Bra'tac for a traitor. The Jaffa master responds, "I have spent 133 years worshipping false gods. No more," before firing his staff weapon and damaging the bridge's controls. The team abandons their hostage Klorel, sealing him and Apophis on the bridge. They have six minutes before the C-4 on Klorel's ship explodes. How do they destroy Apophis' ship? Jack wants to know. Bra'tac is one step ahead---before they teleported, he directed Klorel's ship closer to Apophis'. If they destroy the shield generator on Apophis' vessel, both ships will be destroyed in the blast.
On the bridge, Apophis' glares at Klorel with disapproval. "You disappoint me, my son," he says. Klorel begs forgiveness.
SG-1 reaches the shield generator. Rather than climb down a long corridor to reach the generator, Jack opts for the easy approach and drops plain old Earth grenades onto the generators. With the shields down, the question is: "What next?" Bra'tac says simply, "Now, we die." Jack disapproves, "Well, that's a bad plan..." Jack suggests they try to reach the hanger with the glider ships instead.
The team uses a shock grenade to disable to guards in the hanger(with Bra'tac teasing Jack, "Now that was a grenade.") Bra'tac and Jack take on glider while Sam and Teal'c take another, with the Jaffas piloting the ships.
On Klorel's ship, Daniel has used the sarcophagus to heal his injuries. Revived, with barely one minute to escape, he seeks a way off the ship. Meanwhile, Apophis and Klorel abandon ship when they realize the vessels are doomed. Daniel finds the Stargate on Klorel's ship and begins to dial...
The gliders with SG-1 launch from Apophis ship...
And the two Goa'uld vessels collide with an fierce explosion.
SGC detects the destruction of the ship. The base's personnel celebrate, save for Hammond, who still looks worried for his missing team.
SGC goes on alert as the Stargate opens for an incoming traveller...one using SG-1's signal. Daniel steps through the Stargate, where he's greeted by Hammond. Daniel used a few shortcuts, but he made it home. What he can't tell Hammond is whether the rest of the team made it off the ship.
The gliders carrying SG-1 barely escape the inferno intact. The gliders are damaged in the escape, leaving Sam worried for whether they'll survive re-entering Earth's atmosphere. Jack has other thoughts occupying his mind-namely Earth, which he pauses to stare at as it sinks in: They have succeeded in saving their world. Maybe it isn't going to be such a bad day after all. Bra'tac is resigned, but happy, "We die well, Teal'c," he says. "More than that old friend, we die free," Teal'c smiles. "Or not..." Jack adds when he sees the space shuttle orbiting Earth.
SG-1 is greeted with applause upon their return to Earth. Hammond conveys the gratitude of Earth to Bra'tac. "You are 'Hammond of Texas'?" Bra'tac inquires, indicating the general's head, remembering Jack's description (see 'Bloodlines' ;-) "Your warriors serve you well." Bra'tac is on his way home, before word of the rebellion reaches Chulak and makes his farewell to Teal'c, who's sorry to see him go.
"SG-1, there's someone who'd like to see you," Hammond tells them, indicating the very much alive Daniel. Jack and Sam greet their teammate with hugs, Teal'c smiles, and for the moment Earth has been spared from destruction at the hands of the Goa'ulds...
CONTENT GUIDE:
OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE: None
NUDITY: None
VIOLENCE: Lots of Jaffas being blasted,
Daniel is wounded (mildly bloody)
ships explode
Memorable quotes:
Too many! See the 'Plot Summary' ;-)
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