According to my good friend Dictionary.com (I use it for everything), “enigma” means “a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand”. The title screen shows Carter and some guy. Maybe he’s going to be an enigma in her life. Who knows? I guess I will, in about forty-five minutes.
The episode opens quite different from others. This world has a dark purple sky and shadows everywhere, and volcanic activity runs amok. It is snowing heavily on the scene. (Never a good omen… you probably don’t want to have volcanoes and snow at the same time.)
The team arrives on the scene, and O’Neill immediately decides that they should get out of here, since there’s not much to see. (By the way, it’s volcanic ash, not snow. That makes more sense.) Just as Jackson is about to dial in the number to go home, they realize that there are people lying on the ground, most dead. Interestingly, he describes it as Pompeii. One victim grabs Carter’s arm and says this:
“Don’t… help us.”
Oh, yeah, like that’s going to work. That’s about like telling Superman, “Oh, no, don’t help me, I’m okay, it’ll just be worse for you, so just leave me here to die, okay?” It’s not going to work.
They do, however, “help”, and bring ten back through the Stargate to Earth. General Hammond thinks that maybe they’re from a civilization like ours, only far superior, despite the fact that they are human. One man wishes to speak to them all.
As he lays in the hospital bed, he calls them primitive, he says that they shouldn’t have come for him and his people, and he knows what Teal’c is. He introduces himself as Omoc, and his homeworld is called Tollan. He demands that SG-1 return he and his people home, and refuses to say more.
Narim, one of the victims, asks then to speak with Carter, and she takes him to see outside. He says he shouldn’t be talking to her, since he thought she was an “angel”.
Oh, wow, that is so corny. I hope that’s not a pickup line.
Anyways, they seem to connect fine, but he and the other Tollans are definitely hiding something.
SG-1 sends a probe through and the situation’s gotten worse. Worse yet, the other ‘Gate is expected to be buried in lava within 48 hours. We learn from Omoc, though, that his world was already a calamity and they were planning on sealing the ‘Gate anyways. These people are now officially refugees, but they, particularly Omoc, don’t seem to much appreciate the accommodations.
Narim seems to be the exception, however, and is connecting with Carter just fine. They turn out to have very similar interests in science. But I still think he’s hiding things…! Maybe it’s Tollan’s non-interference plan.
Later that day, Hammond comes in and says that the refugees…
…Have escaped. They manage to find them, and bring them back in.
The guy from the “Land of Light” (“The Broca Divide” 1x05) is back, and this time in Stargate Command as an ambassador. He offers to take in the Tollans in, but Omoc again refuses to take refuge. He seems to have pretty high standards when it comes to technology.
Heck, I say send him to Chulak and let him deal with the Goa’uld!
Unless they’re working together…
Indeed, Narim tells Carter that it is a non-interference plan they have. Once, they gave superior technology to a world more primitive than theirs, and they waged war. That’s obviously the fear – that history would repeat itself on another planet. And indeed, he’s in love with her: He says he would gladly stay on Earth.
They discover from surveillance video that the refugees got out by passing through walls using some kind of technology. Teal’c states that this is technology “far beyond that of the Goa’uld” and then…
…And then the big wigs come in. There’s a new guy to replace Kennedy and he’s a lot of talk. He hands Hammond a mandate straight from the top to release the refugees into his command.
I don’t like where this is going. I really don’t.
Hammond gets up and stands up to the colonel, telling him he’s got just as much authority.
(Yeah! Go Hammond!)
Now they’ve got to find a place for these guys, or else they are going to have “Sarita” (that first planet) all over again.
Maybourne (the big wig who replaced Kennedy) has been talking to the President, too, and now has full authority over the Tollans. SG-1 and Hammond argue vehemently against the idea, rightfully stating that it conflicts with the American ideals of rights and liberties. So then, they more-or-less start to plan the Tollans’ escape. They’d all be court-martialed… except for Jackson.
So he’s going to lead it.
He tells them about the Nox (Quark! oh wait) and that he can give them the coordinates. The catch is, Jackson has to go with them first. They phase through the wall and walk out into the night. (So freaky!)
Omoc sends a message of sorts to the Nox, and explains that they’ve learned how to warp space (more or less) and that’s how they can phase through walls, send super-fast messages, and the like.
Narim comes to say goodbye, and gives her a small device that can transmit emotion like a radio or videorecorder. It’s really quite sappy and kind of cheesy. “This is how much I love you!” They kiss, and… yeah. It’s over. Well, that was a nice fling. Jackson even walks in on them awkwardly.
Oh, god, the clichés are killing me.
Anyways, the plan works, and the Stargate whirls to life. A representative from the Nox comes out (where’s Quark!?) and it’s Lya. Omoc at last realizes that some humans – at least the SG-1 team – are the next step for humanity. Lya takes the Tollans into the Stargate, makes the guards’ guns vanish, and steps through herself, leaving everyone else baffled.
And then O’Neill says what every viewer and crewman is thinking, too:
“God, I love those people!”
Final thoughts… This was a good episode, but it reminded me too much of “The Nox”, except snobbier, and back here on Earth. I mean, heck, the Nox even showed up. And the whole relationship between Carter and Narim seemed very unnecessary. Very “love-interest-of-the-week”, something I hadn’t seen before this. So I guess I just hope that it doesn’t become a habit for the writers.
However, it wasn’t all bad. The phasing technology was cool, as well as the “prime directive” that the Tollans had. It was also neat to see the Untouched come back, as well as the Nox. A nice little recurrence, as opposed to a series like Star Trek where they meet a species and never see them again.
Not bad, but not great. But there have been so many great episodes already. I guess I can’t expect every single one will be stellar!
PREDICTION FOR NEXT EPISODE: “Tin Man”
The crew meets some android-like species… hey, maybe it’s Data, from Star Trek: The Next Generation!
(A team from the U.S.S. Enterprise-D has discovered a Stargate, and thinking it was just their old friend The Guardian of Forever, stepped through… don’t ask how they dialed in. They rigged it or something. Anyways, now they’re in Colorado.)
Picard: What the..?
Riker: ‘We’re not in Kansas anymore…’
Data: No, I do not believe we are, though commander, we never were. In fact, I believe we are in Colorado.
Worf: I regret leaving Deep Space Nine.
Riker: Wait, do we have the E yet? You might still be here.
Worf: (Panicking) Then I am breaking protocol! I will be court-martialed for this and my honour stripped!
Riker: I think your fellow Klingons have done a good enough job of that already.
Picard: Riker, quiet. We need to figure out what is going on and what this facility is…
(SG-1 and Hammond finally enter the scene.)
Hammond: You lot just had to barge in here during the Longhorns game!
Jackson: If it’s any consolation, they were losing quite badly.
Hammond: You can it, Jackson! For all we know, Mackovic is going to be fired after this year!
Data: (Lowering his voice) Captain, I believe that we are in the year 1997, judging by the attire and weaponry… and the knowledge that the University of Texas Longhorns football team did quite terribly this year.
Picard: I see… Ah, excuse me, General, is it..?
Hammond: Get this damn Brit and his robot out of my sight!
Riker: Actually, Data’s an andr—
O’Neill: You all did just break in and get past our extremely secure iris.
(Worf scoffs at the weak security protocols.)
Hammond: I don’t care what you do with them. But I am going back to my game, damnit!
(He storms off, leaving SG-1 and the Enterprise crew to stare awkwardly at each other.)
Teal’c: Have any of you seen I Love Lucy?
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