Episode:Children of the Gods

As powerful aliens come through the Earth's Stargate, Colonel Jack O'Neill returns on Abydos to retreive Daniel Jackson, who has discovered that the alien transit system includes much more than the two planets. This episode is also the series pilot.

Synopsis

 * More than one year after Ra's death, the Stargate is active again and it seems that Ra is still alive.
 * Following theses events, Jack O'Neill returns back to Abydos, having orders to bring back Daniel Jackson.
 * Once arrived, a discovery will change the fate of Stargate Command.
 * A new secret program rises with nine teams of cross-planetary explorers.
 * During a recon and rescue mission on an unknown planet, The newly created SG-1 team will obtain help from an unlikely allie.

Teaser

 * Stargate Command, level 28, embarkation room. The Stargate is here, covered by a tarp. At the bottom of the ramp, five airmen are playing poker. One of them, Senior Airman Weterings, worries if any officer comes here. Two of them, Airman First Class Fryatt and Staff Sergent McAtee tell her that nobody comes here as the program seems abandonned. Weterings notice that the tarp is moving, warns her colleagues, but they don't react. Curious, she leaves the hand and walks on the ramp toward the gate. Suddendly, the ramp rumbles, the poker table shakes, the tarp flies off and the Stargate activates, the inner ring spinning. Apparently, they have never seen this before.
 * Fryatt rushes to the red phone on the wall as the other stay ready. As he picks up the phone, the Stargate kawooshes. At this moment, Fryatt drops the phone, visibly scared. McAtee runs to the gun dispenser and passes out machine guns to his colleagues. Weterings, curious, walks again on the ramp to see the event horizon. Just before touching it, a metallic ball drops to her feets, activates and seems to scan her.
 * As she picks up the scanning device, a Serpent Guard steps through the wormhole, takes and holds her on the neck. More Serpent Guards come through the Stargate. One of them, in golden armor, opens his helmet, and speaks to the Serpent Guard who's holding Weterings. Opening his helmet too, Teal'c, studies the gun, drops it and passes the woman to Apophis. Apophis uses his hand device to subdue Weterings. As McAtee asks to let her go, one of the Serpent Guards opens fire and a firefight ensues. A first airman is killed, A second one kills a Serpent Guard before he's killed too. Fryatt is killed as he alerts the base by phone, and finally, McAtee is shot just after he kills another Serpent Guard. The base alarm is sounding.
 * Airmen are running for the gate room, the base is closing. The Major General Hammond arrives in the gate room and sees Apophis, Teal'c, Weterings, and another Serpent Guard standing before an active wormhole. After he orders to hold fire, Hammond sees Apophis' eyes glowing before Apophis closes his helmet and steps through the Stargate, followed by Teal'c and Weterings. Then the wormhole disengages. Hammond gets to the Stargate ramp.

Act 1

 * Major Samuels, General's Executive Officer, arrives at Jack O'Neill's house by car. He finds Jack O'Neill, now retired, on a roof, observing stars with his telescope. After he received advice to get reaffected to N.A.S.A., Samuels tells O'Neill that he's under order to bring him to General Hammond, who replaced General West. Not interessed first, O'Neill changes his mind when Samuels tells him it has to do with the Stargate.
 * O'Neill is brought to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex by car, led by an officer then Samuels to General Hammond's office. After a short introduction, O'Neill introduces the Stargate reason. Hammond leads him then to the infirmary where a Doctor is already here. The doctor pulls a sheet and reveals a dead Jaffa's face and body. The doctor says they're not human as the have a pouch similar to that found in a marsupial, like a kangaroo. Hammond tells O'Neill that these aliens came here, killed four people and kidnapped another using advanced weapons. Surprised, O'Neill asks for the weapon, takes it, activates and deactivates it, and gives it back to an airman. O'Neill says that there are no creature like this on Abydos as the People of Abydos originated from Earth and were brought by Ra thousands of years ago. Hammond, aware of that, asks O'Neill if Ra is really dead because Hammond had time to see the eyes of a man the aliens protected glowing, like Ra had.
 * As they come back to Hammond's office, O'Neill sees Majors Kawalsky and Ferretti coming in the briefing room. As O'Neill asks for the reason of their presence here, Hammond asks him about Daniel Jackson. O'Neill says that, first, he didn't appreciate Daniel but he changed his mind as Daniel helped him and his team to get back to Earth.
 * Hammond reminds O'Neill about the mission brief: go trough the Stargate, detect any possible threat and if found, detonate a nuclear device to destroy the Stargate on the other side. Then O'Neill has to admit they didn't do it right away as Ra's forces ovepowered his team and took the bomb. But evnentually, they regain control and did explode the bomb. He also states that Daniel Jackson and the people of Abydos are dead. At this moment, Hammond stands up and tells O'Neill he will authorize a go ahead on a plan. They go to the Stargate room.
 * In the corridor, Hammond is startled about the toughness of the Stargate's quartz material. As they come into the Stargate room, O'Neill is aghast to see another bomb ready to be launched. As the countdown has already started, Hammond is awaiting O'Neill reaction. Then O'Neill tells that his mission report wasn't entirely accurate as Ra has been killed in orbit, not on the planet, and Daniel Jackson is still alive, living with the people of Abydos. Upset, Hammond tells a technician to send the bomb on schedule. Because O'Neill disobeyed direct orders, Hammond orders to bring O'Neill in the holding room.

Act 2

 * Major Kawalsky is already there in the holding room, sat on a bunk, when O'Neill comes in. He then stands and salutes O'Neill. O'Neill asks him to loose the salute and grabs his hand to shake it. Kawalsky tells O'Neill that him and Ferretti didn't tell a word because of the kids, especially Skaara, the one who idolized O'Neill. O'Neill admits that Skaara reminded him his son, who died just before the Abydos mission.
 * Then Hammond comes in the holding room and asks about the number of people living on Abydos. O'Neill says there are around 5,000 of them. Seeing General Hammond's open-mindedness, he asks him to let him go again on Abydos with Kawalsky and Ferretti as they know the location. Hammond is not sure even if Jackson is alive and wants to send a prototype probe from MIT. O'Neill grabs a Kleenex box on the table, tells Hammond they don't need that probe, and leaves the room to the control room. Hammond, Samuels and Kawalsky follow him.
 * During the dialing sequence, O'Neill tells that Jackson has allergies and the latter will know that it's O'Neill who's sending the tissues box and not another one. Samuels is concerned about an attack from the enemy, but O'Neill reassures him. When the wormhole is established, O'Neill gets in the Stargate room and throws the Kleenex box through the gate. The wormhole disengages. O'Neill then warns that it may take a while.
 * Later, the Stargate is rumbling, its inner ring spinning. A wormhole is established. The security defense team is ready. O'Neill rushes to the Stargate room and waits. The kleenex box is getting back covered with sand dust. O'Neill picks it up, smiles and gives it to Samuels. On the box is written: "THANKS, SEND MORE." O'Neills asks for permission to take a team through the Stargate. General Hammond needs first to get the President's authorization but assumes that O'Neill is recalled to active duty as Colonel. O'Neill and Kawalsky smile and shake hand.
 * During the next meeting, at 0800 hours, everybody is there, each military suited with "Class A" uniforms. Sam Carter, more precisely Captain Samantha Carter, a theoretical astrophysicist from the Pentagon, has been called by Hammond and assigned to the mission. After a citations-tennis match with Colonel O'Neill, the meeting can start. Samuels suggests to bury the Stargate like the Ancient Egyptians did before. O'Neill mentions that it will not work as they have spaceships, as big as the Great Pyramids. He rather suggests to use the Stargate to do another recon mission. Hammond agrees but warns them that he will send a bomb through if they don't manifest themselves within the 24 next hours.
 * In the embarkation room, the Stargate kawooshes. The recon team is geared, ready to go through. General Hammond asks Colonel O'Neill to follow ordrers this time; bringing Daniel Jackson back on Earth. All the team but O'Neill and Captain Carter pass through. On the ramp, Carter reassures O'Neill that she won't let him down. Near the puddle, Carter is amazed by the "astronomical" amount of power needed to stabilize that wormhole. Instead of listening to her, he pushes her in the event horizon, then passes through himself.
 * On the other side, in the Abydos Stargate room, all the team is checking his gearing and weaponry. Carter is sick due to gate travel. O'Neill teases her, but she stands up at once and gets back to work. The room is empty and the team starts to check the room. It's quiet but there was activity before. Suddenly, many young locals, using machine guns from the previous mission, take aim at the team.

Act 3

 * Daniel Jackson then runs out and asks the Abydonians to lower their guns. Jackson greats O'Neill. O'Neill moves forward, shoves Jackson without saying a word, and gets to Skaara who salutes him. O'Neill salutes him back and the two hug each other. Then O'Neill asks Jackson how he's doing. Ferretti salutes Jackson with the "live long and prosper" salute and Kawalsky gives to Jackson a pack of tissues. Then Sha're comes at Jackson's side. O'Neill shakes her hand. Jackson is not surprised to see that the military know that him and the Abydonians are still alive. O'Neill asks the reason of the militia. Jackson replies that it's just a precaution.
 * Meanwhile, unwillingly interrupting them, Carter is checking the Abydos Dial Home Device, the missing part from Earth. To replace it they took fifteen years and three supercomputers to "MacGyver" a system. Then, O'Neill interrupts her and introduces Jackson to her.
 * Jackson becomes suspicious and asks O'Neill what's going on. O'Neill and Kawalsky explain the situation. Jackson tells them that the aliens didn't come from here as the boys guard the gate 36 hours a day every day. As O'Neill wants to look around, Jackson wants to help them to find who it was but they'll have to wait until the sandstorm is over. He proposes them to share their evening meal.
 * During the meal, Daniel proposes everybody to try a new meal, and Skaara asks O'Neill to try his own beverage, which O'Neill calls Skaara's moonshine. O'Neill drinks it, yet he splits it suddenly, rasping, "Smooth, very smooth". Everybody laugh. Then Skaara wants to give back O'Neill's lighter but O'Neill replies that he gave it to him to keep it. Daniel says to O'Neill that he always had it with him since he was gone. Then Daniel states that the guy who looked like Ra came frome another Stargate. Carter states that there is no other gate as they ran hundred of permutation for nothing. Daniel tells then that they didn't have what they needed. Then Skaara comes back and tells Daniel the sanstorm is over. He tells Sha're that he has to go, but Sha're grabs Daniel and gives him a long and passionate kiss. Daniel is stunned and the people are happy. Kawalsky stands up and asks Ferretti to "hold the fort".
 * Daniel, O'Neill, Carter, Kawalsky, and three Abydonians leave the Abydos pyramide. Kawalsky expresses his "enthousiasm" to be here. They come into a huge room containing hundred of symbols. Daniel explains that he explored all the perimeter starting with the Abydos town, and then, one month later, he discovered this chamber. O'Neill asks Daniel if he had translated the writing yet. Daniel says that the symbols say nothing but they are arranged by group of seven, forming what it seems to be a chart, or more likely a map. According to Daniel, this map contains the addresses of a vast network of Stargates. Carter says it cannot be as her team tried hundreds of permutation which didn't work. Daniel says he tried as well, but assumed that the destinations were destroyed or buried. He also asks where their Ra looklike came from. Daniel then says he's not specialist in astrophysics, but he thinks that the planets move. Carter then realizes that, according to the expanding universe model, all celestial bodies are constantly moving. According to her, Abydos seems to be the closest planet from Earth, and the others cannot be reached using the dialing computer because the latter didn't take the planetary drift in its calculations. Now with this map as a base, she will be able adjust the computer model. O'Neill and Kawalsky ask for the conclusion. Carter says that the enemies could have come from anywhere as the Stargate can go to other places.

Act 4

 * Meanwhile, in the Abydos Stargate room, the Abydonians and the rest of the team continue to rejoice, but suddenly, the Stargate dials in. Everybody take cover. When the wormhole is established, some Serpent guards come out, firing immediately using their staff weapons. The Abydonians and the team fire back, yet the Goa'uld have the upper. Ferretti is shot. Sha're is seized, subdued and checked by Apophis who thinks she may be the one. Skaara is seized by Teal'c who asks him about the weapon he used. For all answer, Skaara split on Teal'c's face. Then Apophis subdues Skaara and tells Teal'c that Skaara is good choice, a perfect specimen. After that, Apophis goes to the Dial Home Device and calls an address. Ferretti tries to lift up his head and check the symbols hit by Apophis, but collapses soon after. Apophis and his faction leave taking Sha're and Skaara with them.
 * O'Neill and the small team are coming back in the Stargate room to find a devastated place, with many wounded and dead people. Daniel rushes to Bolaa who has been badly wounded. Bolaa has just the time to say that Ra came to take Sha're and Skaara. Daniel replies that Ra is dead, and asks for the symbols, but Bolaa dies in his hands. Carter states that Ferretti need medical attention. Daniel tells them he can send them on Earth but O'Neill tells Daniel that he has to come with him this time. Daniel doesn't care, but O'Neill convinces him to come back in order to find Sha're and Skaara. According to O'Neill, Ferretti may have seen the coordinates. Then, Daniel asks the Abydonians to come around him and tells them to seal the Stargate after they leave. Daniel will come back in one year, with or without Sha're. After that, if he's not coming back, they will have to seal the Stargate for ever. The Abydonians cry and hug Daniel before he leaves.
 * Daniel stands before the Dial Home Device and calls Earth. Every people from Earth pass through the Stargate included the wounded ones. In Stargate Command, Major Samuels orders the control room to close a newly installed iris on the Stargate. O'Neill is surprised and asks Hammond the reason of this. Hammond explains that it's their insurance against any more surprises. The medics come to take care of the wounded. O'Neill reports then to Hammond that the base camp has been attacked when they were on recon mission and they kidnapped Jackson's wife and one of their "kids". Hammond deduces that they are the same hostiles who came on Earth. Daniel greets General Hammond and asks him to be part of the team who will try to retreive Skaara and Sha're. Hammond glares at him and tells him he is not in positon to make any demand.

Act 5

 * Inside the prison of Chulak, Sha're and Skaara are there among other prisoners. Teal'c comes inside with some guards and chooses Sha're. The guards seize her and take her away. Skaara tries to fight, but some staff weapons are hold to his head. Teal'c warns him that his death cannot help her, then leaves with the guards. Skaara rushes to the prison's grid but it's locked before him.
 * In the Stargate Command infirmary, Kawalsky is sitting near Ferretti's bed. O'Neill, in civilian clothes, comes in and tells Kawalsky that Ferretti will make it, then asks him if will stay here all the night. Kawalsky says he will.
 * In the corridor, O'Neill finds Daniel a little bit lost and confused, who states that neither him or they don't know what to do with him. O'Neill asks Daniel to follow him outside the facility.
 * At home, O'Neill brings to Daniel a beer in the living room. Daniel is sneezing, "catching" nicely with his handkerchief just in time. According to Daniel, gate travels still cause him allergies. Then Daniel tells O'Neill all the story after the departure from Abydos; a big, big party, the fact that the Abydonians treated him like their savior. Thanks to Sha're, he remained "so normal". According to him, Sha're was the opposite of the others. O'Neill explains that his wife already left him before he came back from the first mission. He thinks she forgave him for what happened to their son, but she couldn't forget. O'Neill is the opposite; he cannot forgive himself, but sometimes, he can forget.
 * In the Chulak palace harem, Weterings is here, among other women, without her military fatigues, wearing a long thin white robe. Tea'lc and some guards comes into the room. Sha're is here too. All women stare at Teal'c, yet he finally chooses Weterings. She is taken by the servents, trying to defend herself without success. Teal'c leaves the room.
 * Weterings is brought to another room and stands before Apophis who wants to check her. He subdues her with the Goa'uld hand device, finds her very nice. May be she will become the "vessel" for his queen, yet it is not him who will decide. Teal'c is watching the processing. Wetering is layed down on the central altar, unable to move or speak. Behind a curtain, Apophis orders a female Jaffa to come. She's approaching Weterings, and her belly reveals a fully mature snake-like creature. The symbiote starts to get out the pouch but when Apophis asks if she pleases the symbiote, the latter comes back into the pouch. The female serpent guard leaves the place. Apophis, disappointed, kills Weterings with the hand device before the very eyes of Teal'c. Then Apophis orders Teal'c to send another one.

Act 6

 * In the Stargate Command briefing room, a SCI top-secret meeting is occuring, led by General Hammond. According the Abydos kids, it was Ra, yet Ra has been been killed by the bomb . Daniel Jackson states that the new threat are gods, at least, they pretend to be gods, and Ra isn't the last of his race. According to Jackson, Ra's race was about to extinct, yet he took the body of an Egyptian boy and others like Ra may have done likewise. Colonel O'Neill is quite optimistic in defeating the enemy as they have done it already once. According to Captain Carter, all new data have been downloaded in the dialing computer and it will be able to determine two or three destinations a month. Even if Hammond is sceptical and affraid about what the Stargate could bring, he declares that the President of the United States gave green lit for the formation of nine top secret exploration teams operating to determine threats and if possible make peaceful contacts with the aliens. The first team, SG-1, will be led by Colonel O'Neill and will have Captain Carter. Daniel Jackson claims to be part of the team as his wife has been kidnapped, yet Hammond has other plans for him. The second team, SG-2 will be led by Major Kawalsky, a "moment of weakness" according to O'Neill who recommanded Kawalsky for a command. An airman brings a note to Samuels, who announces that Ferretti has awaken. O'Neill rushes to him.
 * In the SGC infirmary, Ferretti is sat on a bed, working on a computer laptop, with one eye banded. O'Neill asks him to help them, yet Carter notices that Ferretti has already begun to determine seven symbols, representing a Stargate address.
 * Soon later, SG-1 and SG-2 are geared up, ready to go. Major Samuels reminds Colonel O'Neill that rescuing Jackson's wife is not the primary mission. He gives them warning about the use of transmitter codes. If they don't come back in 24 hours, there will be no coming back.
 * In the embarkation room, General Hammond gives last recommendations. O'Neill orders the teams to move out with a F.R.E.D. fully geared-up. They pass through the wormhole and are propelled on the other side. This planet is cold, yet O'Neill orders to gather the material and move out.
 * Meanwhile, Teal'c comes back in the harem and chooses Sha're. The guards are taking her.
 * O'Neill asks Jackson if the latter is able to bring them back home, and does not take care about the things he noticed. Warren as noticed some recent footsteps on the hills and Carter has deployed a full defense line of Claymores. Kawalsky states that they have to move elsewhere to set up the base camp.
 * In the implantation room, Apophis seems happy to see a woman full of life who has spirit. He subdues her and orders the guard to lay her on the altar. The female Jaffa comes in and restarts the processing. But this time, the symbiote seems satisfied and gets out of the pouch completely. Soon after, the symbiote opens a way through the neck and comes inside Sha're's body. Having a great pain, Sha're is screaming before Teal'c.

Analysis

 * Since the return of Colonel Jack O'Neill and his team in 1995 from Abydos, the Stargate project has been completely abandonned. Only a few guards spend time to play poker in sub-level 28 with a tarp-covered Stargate as background. According to a guard, they're shipping personnel for months. Since the Goa'uld attack, Daniel Jackson's return, and the discovery of the Stargate network, the President of the United States establishes a classified program of planetary exploration with nine teams, who have to detect any potential treath for Earth and, if possible, make friendly contact with the people who inhabit the visited planets.
 * Ra doesn't seem to be the last of his kind for a man comes on Earth with some soldiers and this man has the same characteristic than Ra (his eyes glow). Actually, this man is Apophis, Ra's rival.
 * Daniel Jackson discovered that Abydos wasn't the only accessible planet by the Stargate, but there is actually a full network of planets Stargate-equiped. The program scientific team, especially Samantha Carter, always believed that there was only one destination possible with the Stargate. Actually, access to those planets from the Earth Stargate was impossible because the dialing computer didn't take care of the universe expansion data since the network installation more than 50,000 years ago.
 * In order to prevent intrusions from the Stargate, the Stargate Command quickly put on it an iris made of pure titanium. This iris can be open only thanks to a transmitter code sent by a handy remote transmitter. When the iris is closed, only waves can pass through, but physical bodies crush on the iris, as we can only hear a thud.
 * The Abydos Stargate has a small console used to dial a destination address to another planets.

Answered questions

 * What is the fate of the refugies freed from the prison of Chulak?
 * What about Skaara and Sha're?
 * What is the fate of Kawalsky since a Goa'uld larva get inside him?
 * Captain Samantha Carter says that the Dial Home Device is a missing part from the Giza digging. What is the fate of this device?