"The Fifth Race" ( 2 x 15 )

Okay, so, my DVD set apparently lies because it has this listed as the sixteenth episode, but according to Gateworld it’s the fifteenth, and I trust Gateworld, so that’s what I’m sticking to.

I really have no predictions. Could have something to do with the Tok’ra, the Goa’uld, or anyone. Looks pretty cool though!

Remember “The Torment of Tantalus”, and how Jackson found those cool inscriptions on the wall concerning four races in some sort of alliance? Well, we’re back to that in this episode. Jackson figures that one of the races must be the Asguard, Thor’s race, and he’s also got coordinates to a new world possibly connected with this alliance, or something to that effect. So, of course, SG-1 is off to there.

They enter into a large room with no feasible exit. O’Neill steps on a panel and triggers the appearance of some kind of round scope. Teal’c looks through it and sees coloured lights. O’Neill then moves in to do the same, until suddenly hands come out of the scope and grab his head, the lights flashing violently. He’s knocked out cold. There’s just no mercy for this guy, huh?

They took him back to Earth, where he lay catatonic for about an hour, but he woke up fine. Well, he says he’s fine, but what’s the number one rule of science fiction?

That’s right, no one is ever “fine”.

Nope, he’s not. He said “cruvus” instead of “wrong”. (Alien manipulation of language!)

Later, O’Neill is trying to teach Teal’c how to box. It’s actually a very funny scene, with O’Neill all padded up and Teal’c just with the gloves on. Jack’s bouncing around like he’s Apollo Creed (yeah, big Rocky fan here) and Teal’c simply stands there.

“Are we preparing to dance or to do battle?”

But O’Neill’s still substituting in these foreign words, such as “knees”.

Whoops.

He goes to see Jackson, and he’s continuing to use Latin-based (or sounding) words in place of other words in English. He’s also getting these flashes of insight, and indeed, an MRI scan confirms he’s using over 90% of his brain. (Whoa!)

In the control room, O’Neill typed some sort of very long, elaborate code into the computer, and though Teal’c pulls him away, they discover several new Stargate locations.

Later yet, O’Neill finds himself unable to speak anything but the alien language, but I think he can still understand English. Jackson has further deciphered Jack’s work and concludes that they may have found not only more Stargates, but also this race of “Ancients” that may have even built the ‘Gates. The device must have somehow implanted the knowledge into his mind.

Fraiser fears that the information now in O’Neill’s brain may eventually overwhelm his system and maybe even shut him down. Jackson thinks he’s found the planet of the Ancients, so that’s where they’re off to next – Sam, Teal’c, and another SGC, a major. For now Jackson will stay with O’Neill.

SG-1 heads off, hoping for answers, and Jackson continues to try and decipher what O’Neill tells him, and he types into a computer that he has to go back through the Stargate, but he’s unable to communicate exactly where.

Meanwhile, Major Castleman, Carter, and Teal’c are on the planet, and they’ve found nothing. However, a second sun is rising and the temperature’s climbing towards 200 degrees… and the DHD is broken. Well, that’s conveniently bad. It’s locked the ‘Gate in place.

Back with Jackson and O’Neill, Jack is building some kind of device. So far, all it does is… light up. Jackson describes SG-1’s issue to O’Neill, and he draws up an elaborate plan for how to fix the DHD. They send the instruction sheet through the ‘Gate and it works – Carter is able to fix the DHD and they get home… burned, but alive. Unfortunately, they don’t have any further idea as to how to get O’Neill better.

In the control room, things are going a little bit haywire. The computer is inputting eight, instead of the usual seven, chevrons, like an “area code” of sorts to a place probably a galaxy away. O’Neill figures out what’s going on, and he plugs in his device in order to boost more power into the Stargate. Perhaps this is where O’Neill was trying to say he needed to go.

He goes through the ‘Gate alone and tumbles out into some sort of facility. Two small, spindly-looking aliens approach him, and there are many more behind them. One of the aliens lifts his palm, and effectively drains something out of O’Neill’s brain. (The extra information?) He comes to again, and once again is speaking English.

He figures out that these aliens are part of the Asgard, Thor’s race. They inform him that he looked into the Archive of the Ancients’ knowledge, but it was not necessarily meant for him, since human physiology is not prepared for that sort of influx. He’s on their planet Othala, in the galaxy Ida, and subconsciously was brought here to get help. They also confirm that they’ve studied the Tau’ri closely, and that they have great potential.

One of the Asgard goes on to state the names of the four races:

(MAJOR PLOT POINT THIS IS IMPORTANT PAY ATTENTION)

The Asgard (duh), the Nox (QUARK! How did you get into this?!), the Furlings (…what? Like little balls of fur? Like Tribbles? OMIGAWD THE TRIBBLES), and the Ancients, who built the Stargates.

One states that Earth still has a long ways to go before they can join in. O’Neill says that the Tau’ri (SGC) is out there now, and that they’re “doing the best [they] can”, and that they’re curious. One of the Asgard leaves him with a handshake and this:

“You have already taken the first steps towards becoming… the Fifth Race.”

Final thoughts… Should’ve known we’d see those Asgard guys again. This was a pretty interesting episode, but to be honest, nothing exponentially important happened until the end. It’s not an episode I’d ever skip, since it is the one where we learn about who built the Stargates, who was in that Alliance, what was on the planet Jackson nearly lost himself on, and all that. In the bigger scheme of things it’s almost as important as “The Tok’ra”, it just wasn’t as exciting in itself.

This is just kind of a random observation, but it’s been a few episodes since “The Tok’ra”, and Carter hasn’t had any more “feelings”. I’m wondering if Jolinar’s influence has sort of worn off or if it’s just lying dormant. Maybe I’ll just have to wait until the next appearance of the Tok’ra/Goa’uld/whatever before she starts acting strangely again.

Also, the whole boxing-match was pretty funny. “You have to bend your cozars!”

PREDICTION/REFLECTION THINGY:

(SG-1 chats about the Alliance-thing.)

Jackson: ‘Furlings’? That’s seriously one of the races in the Alliance?

O’Neill: Yup.

Carter: And the Nox? You don’t get much more passive than them.

Teal’c: They are a race far more advanced than ours in nearly every aspect. Perhaps that is why they are held at such a high caliber.

O’Neill: I’m wondering who these ‘Ancients’ are.

Jackson: Well, we already know some of their language.

Carter: And is it just me, or do ‘Furlings’ sound like little balls of fluff?

O’Neill: They must be pretty badass balls of fluff.

Teal’c: (Lifts an eyebrow at the idea, clearly visualizing this) …Indeed.