“Scorched Earth” ( 4 x 09 )

Um… Sounds like a drought. Sounds like crops failing. Sounds like planetary disaster. Or maybe it’s metaphorical? All I know is that there’s a really weird-lookin’ guy on the title screen wearing some funky white robes.

The scene opens up with SG-1 on a happy planet with happy people who are thanking them for moving them to this planet. The leader is a blind woman by the name of Hedrazar, and they are the Enkarans. Suddenly a young man, Caleb, comes to them and collapses, saying that something has destroyed his village.

SG-1 goes past the Stargate to see a really super epic looking ship literally burning the planet. (All right, kudos to the graphics department, because that starship-sized flamethrower is easily one of the coolest things I’ve seen on this show. Next to, like, the Stargate and the Biliskner and when ships EXPLODE.)

Back on base, Jackson, Carter, O’Neill, and Hammond are at the Hangout (or maybe it’s some other room) with a rough analysis of the flame-throwing ship, which is about a day away from the Stargate – and the village. Teal’c is back on the planet, readying the Enkarans for yet another evacuation, but it’s a tricky situation: The Enkarans will go blind if the radiation conditions aren’t just right for them, and it was a miracle they’d found this world.

Carter thinks that whoever’s on the ship isn’t necessarily trying to kill, but merely alter the ecosystem using microbes that are deposited after everything else is burned up.

(Can’t they just split the planet fifty-fifty?)

Once more on said planet, the Enkarans are of course being very stubborn and don’t want to leave. Jackson wants to talk to whoever’s on the ship, and as they’re heading out towards it, then are suddenly transported (more a la Asgard than a la Rings technology) away…

…and onto the ship. Which is perfectly breathable for them. Jackson hypothesizes that SG-1 was expected, and also that the tissue samples they discover on board are in order to repopulate the planet in this new environment.

They are suddenly approached by a man who looks like an Enkaran and calls himself Lotan. He explains that he is more or less a computer program designed to communicate with SG-1 and the Enkarans. Lotan also says that when this terraforming project started, there weren’t any sentient life forms on the planet (okay, so these guys do have morals… that’s good) but the process cannot be stopped.

(Oh, okay, so they can’t split it fifty-fifty. That’s too bad.)

He shows them an image of a Gadmere, the species behind this ship and the terraform. Literally every part of their legacy is on this ship. However, they were peaceful (like the Nox, maybe?) and fell to a military power (REPLICATORS?!), so now they’re looking for a new place to live… and this is the only one that’s suitable. They need that ozone layer, too.

SG-1 returns to the Enkarans and O’Neill reluctantly explains the situation.

Carter is back on base, along with Jackson and O’Neill again. Jackson’s concerned that the Gadmere would be wiped out, but O’Neill more or less just wants to blow up the ship and save the Enkarans, whom they have all obviously grown quite close to. However, Hammond’s not letting them bring troops or weapons.

O’Neill orders Carter to rig a bomb from the naquadah reactor they gave the Enkarans, and she (begrudgingly) manages to do so.  

Meanwhile, desperate for a different option, Jackson finds himself transported back onto the Gadmere vessel. He speaks to Lotan, who already seems to be sympathizing with the Enkarans, since he shares their form. He eventually convinces him to come down to the surface and have a look at what’s about to be destroyed. O’Neill’s upset but allows Jackson to introduce Lotan to some of the Enkarans.

Clearly Daniel’s pulling another psychology/sociology move here and trying to get Lotan to sympathize with the Enkarans, since he was created in their image. He hopes that by connecting them personally, he can sway him. However, Lotan catches onto this, and simply takes them both back up to the ship… much to O’Neill’s dismay.

They’re mere minutes from detonating the naquadah bomb.

After several tense moments, Jack finally hits the launch button on the bomb… well aware the Jackson’s still inside.

Back on the ship, Jackson starts to try to convince Lotan to take his side.

Jackson: (Of the Gadmere) ”They had laws; justice? A respect for life?”

Lotan: “Yes.”

Jackson: “Then how can their world be recreated through an act of mass murder? Wouldn’t that be a betrayal of everything they stood for? … You’re not just here to serve life on this ship. You’re here to protect the integrity of life on this ship.”

Way to go, Daniel. Always knew you were a great linguist.

The ship suddenly stops, but the bomb is still ready to go. Lotan ends up transporting it up into mid-air, where it explodes but does not harm the ship.

But the Enkarans are still in danger. Jackson gets the idea that since the ship has such advanced technology, maybe it could find a planet which had been rejected by the Gadmere, but could be just fine for the Enkarans. And, voila, Lotan finds one!

Gets better.

It’s the Enkaran home world! Yay!

The Enkarans accept the offer, and Lotan will even take them there on his super-cool starship. And when he gets there, he’ll join them as an Enkaran.

(Oh, I just love happy endings! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy and giggly inside!)

Final thoughts… So, I realized after typing this that I didn’t mention Teal’c more than a couple times. That makes me kind of sad. Oh well. Maybe next episode.

Another Daniel episode (two in a row), and again, a pretty good one. He once again has proven his skills not only as a linguist but as a cultural expert and really just a humanitarian (even though of course that applies to everyone, and not just… humans). He is also once again the sort of yin to O’Neill’s yang. However, in the end, he proved himself in the right and helped Lotan discover a diplomatic solution for all.

It’s kind of interesting. Just the other day I ran across a thread at the Gateworld forum pretty much asking who you would kill off if you had to kill a main character in SG1 (or Atlantis). I think at first I thought to myself, “Well, maybe Daniel?” But when I really think about it, he is in no way, shape, or form a weak link despite his initial lack of military training. Now of course he’s just fine in the field, and so he remains a vital part of SG-1. He’s not necessarily bound to the military like Carter is, and therefore doesn’t have all that much to lose in, say, disobeying an order. Teal’c isn’t either, but since he kind of has nowhere else to go it would probably behoove him to, y’know, follow orders.

It is that liberty which gives Daniel dimension. He’s not afraid to question authority and play devil’s advocate to O’Neill. Sure, he and Jack are good friends, but he has rarely hesitated to speak his mind, even if it earned him a nasty glare once in a while. So I think while he has a tendency to bend the rules just as much, if not more than O’Neill, he’s always thinking of the bigger picture.

What would they do without him?

REFLECTION/PREDICTION THINGY

(This is a little bit awkward now.)

Jackson: Jack, you do know that you almost blew up-

(O’Neill sticks his fingers in his ears and hums loudly.)

Jackson: (Raising his voice) –the ship that Lotan and I-

(His humming gets louder. Jackson sighs in exasperation and stalks off.)

O’Neill: You see, Teal’c? Sticking your fingers in your ears and humming loudly. Works every time.  Solves so many problems.

Carter: Uh, sir, I don’t think you were supposed to give him that advice for another… four or so years.

Teal’c: Perhaps a ‘spoiler alert’ would be prudent?

O’Neill: Maybe Marie just needs to stop looking up funny Youtube videos of you from later seasons.

Marie: Hey! You guys can’t know about Youtube! It won’t be created until 2005!