| Synopsis | Review | Quotes |
First Aired On: February 4, 2000
Written By: V.C. James (Story), Brad Wright (Teleplay)
Directed By: David Warry-Smith
Guest Stars: Michele Greene (Laira), Julie Patzwald, Gary Jones (Technician), Shane Meier (Garin), Teryl Rothery (Dr. Janet Fraiser), Marcel Maillard (Paynan)
Synopsis: SG-1 is sitting on a hilltop with a woman named Laira, watching the night sky. Laira promises that they'll be able to see "fire rain" if they wait--it starts that same night every year. This piques their attention and Carter suggests that the orbit of the planet (named Edora, a.k.a. P5C 768) must pass through a debris field, like that of an asteroid belt. Finally the light show begins, but one of the first meteors is huge...and it gets a bit too close to edge of the atmosphere. Carter reports that it was a 'near miss' and that she was, um, concerned about it for a moment. Laira says that the most spectacular lights are still to come the following night...and every year they've been getting more and more spectacular. SG-1 decides to do some further research into it the next morning. We cut to the opening credits.
The next morning, Carter shows Laira a monitor on which is a representation of Edora's orbit. She says in one place it crosses an asteroid belt. Some years the orbit seems to pass in a denser area of the belt than others. Carter then asks Laira if she ever remembers a year when the fire rain struck the ground, but Laira replies no, never in her lifetime, although she has heard a tale of one year, many, many years ago, when the people heard a distant thunder and the horizon burned. At this point, O'Neill comes into the house and asks who's going on Daniel's little geology field trip; Laira tells him that Garin, her son, has been to the caves many times and can lead them there. Carter tells O'Neill that she wants to go back to Earth and enter the data into the computer; O'Neill agrees, and away she goes. O'Neill and Laira decide to discuss a "treaty" between their two worlds.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Teal'c head off to the cave with Garin and his "girlfriend" as their guides. Daniel examines the soil and walls of the cave and determines that every 150 years or so, Edora comes into contact with very heavy "fire rain" that threatens the planet's existence. He tells them that Earth faced something similar millions of years ago that wiped almost all life from the Earth. Unfortunately, there's nothing the Edorans can do to stop it.
Carter, back in the SGC, reports to General Hammond that the asteroids SG-1 saw the previous night were only the first of many car-sized asteroids in Edora's path. The Edorans are the last descendants of a people brought to the planet by the Goa'uld thousands of years ago; the SGC really should try to save as many of them as they can in case an asteroid does strike the ground and wipes their whole population out. Hammond agrees.
O'Neill and Laira are walking past a very nice, peaceful pond where a man is trying to trap animals or fish or something (hopefully not shoes...but you never know <g>). They stop briefly to talk to him, and the man (whose name is Paynan) tells O'Neill that they are a simple people and they need everything they have. O'Neill and Laira walk on, and Laira asks what exactly it is SG-1 wants from them. Well, whadda ya know, the Edorans have Naquada in their soil! We don't need Naquada, do we? Okay, just a little. In exchange for mining the Naquada, Earth will supply the Edorans with medicine, technology, and education. As they're talking, however, they suddenly see meteors in the sky falling toward the ground--this is the first time Laira has seen "fire rain" during the day. The meteor shower has begun and O'Neill orders the rest of his team (via transmission) to meet back at the village.
Back in the cave on Edora, Daniel finds a cooking pot and deduces that 150 years ago during the last really bad fire rain, a small number of people survived inside the cave.
O'Neill explains the situation to the Edorans, then tells them he'd like them to come back to Earth until the shower is over. Paynan does not like the idea and wants to stay since nothing's happened to them in the past during the fire rain; O'Neill tells him if he wants to stay, he can go ahead and stay. Laira, however, assures the others that she trusts these people and she will be going.
Laira heads off to pack some things up, but as she's leaving she can't find her son. O'Neill asks Daniel and Teal'c what happened to Garin. He and his girlfriend must've stayed behind in the cave where they found the cooking utensils, thinking they could survive there. O'Neill sends Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c back to the Gate and he and Laira head off to the cave to find them, which they do.
Carter sends Daniel through the Stargate with the Edorans while she and Teal'c wait for O'Neill. Apparently, 1/3 of the village decided to stay behind instead of going to Earth with SG-1. They wait for O'Neill until they see a huge meteor is heading straight toward the gate, then at the last second, jump through. Back on Earth, the vortex wavers, but Carter and Teal'c make it through just in time. Teal'c immediately wants to go back to find O'Neill, but Carter tells him he can't. That last meteor was right above the gate--he'd be walking into a massive fire. They'll send a MALP through in 24 hours and see if it's safe.
Back on Edora, O'Neill looks out of the cave and finds it's raining. He returns to Laira and the kids and tells them that the fires are dying out because of the rain...but he can't see the village. They admit they're afraid but they'll stay there until the rest of the fire is gone.
Cut to Earth, where Carter, Teal'c, Daniel, and Dr. Fraiser are ready to go back to Edora and find O'Neill and those who stayed behind. The good news is that a wormhole is established with Edora. The bad news is that the MALP they send through doesn't send back any transmission, meaning it was instantly destroyed upon arriving on the planet. Hammond refuses to send anyone through until they know exactly what happened.
In Laira's village, they find that almost everyone who stayed behind was killed in the fire. Only a few people (including Paynan) survived and, after three days, they couldn't take any more and went to the Stargate...only it wasn't there anymore. O'Neill is rather stunned by this news and runs out to see it. All that's left, though, is a huge mound 'o dirt where the Stargate used to be. He's stuck on Edora...possibly forever. Laira follows him, lamenting that she'll never see her people again. They head back to Laira's house to eat supper. Paynan tells O'Neill that if it weren't for him, there'd still be many Edorans left on their planet; O'Neill retorts that by sending them through the Stargate, their lives were probably spared. Laira tells O'Neill that he's welcome in her home.
Back to the SGC. Carter theorizes that, because the Stargate was active when the meteor hit near the Stargate, magma probably hardened just above the event horizon, like Earth's iris. That's why the MALP was destroyed when it went through. Hammond shuts the Stargate down and says that until they learn differently, O'Neill is considered Missing In Action. Teal'c refuses to give up and says that they must be able to reach Edora by other means; Daniel says he'll contact their space faring allies, see if anyone is willing to help them.
We cut (again) to Edora, where O'Neill is sleeping on the floor. Laira walks in, shows some leg, then gives O'Neill a clean work shirt, saying there are only a few Edorans left and they must rebuild.
Hammond and Carter, meanwhile, are discussing how to break through the iris on the Edoran gate. Carter says that if they use a particle beam accelerator (like the one Sokar used against Earth's iris in "The Serpent's Song"), they should be able to break through the the magma and create a pocket. If they then activate the vortex again, it should expand the pocket since the vortex will vaporize anything in its path. Only problem? They don't have a particle beam accelerator. Carter would have to make one from scratch. Hammond tells her to go ahead and get started.
Cut to O'Neill digging where the Stargate used to be. Garin comes and brings him some food since he missed evening meal. O'Neill says he wasn't hungry; Garin says he has to be since he spent the whole day working the fields. However. O'Neill insists that there's a few hours of good light left for him to dig. He also assures Garin that it's not his fault he's stuck on Edora.
Back in the SGC. Fraiser brings Carter a cup of coffee--she's working through the night on her particle accelerator yet again. Daniel told Fraiser that the Tollans can have a ship in the vicinity of Edora in about a year; Carter says O'Neill shouldn't have to wait that long. Wait a minute...Carter misses him. Yes, she admits, she does, but no that won't be a problem.
O'Neill is tossing stones into the pond. Laira comes to talk to him and tells him she wants his company...would he walk with her? He says he doesn't even want his company; Laira replies that after her husband died, she mourned by herself for 100 days. After the 100 days, she didn't mourn anymore. O'Neill will get used to the loss of his home eventually. They walk off.
Three months later....
O'Neill rows a boat across the pond and is met by Laira, who tells him that Paynan has invited him to dinner that evening out of thanks for helping rebuild his home. O'Neill says that anything he can do, he will, and Laira tells him that, well, there is something he can do for her. He's not sure what, and upon being pressed, she refuses to tell. She hints at it, however, by kissing him, which helps him figure out what she's talking about...a little.
Back on Earth, Carter has finished her accelerator and is firing it through the gate. It's a success--and it's operating at 112% efficiency.
At Paynan's party, O'Neill starts drinking something really strong. Behind them, the children are spinning around Garin, then lead him toward his "girlfriend." Laira explains that it's a game where the ancestors guided Garin to the one they wish him betrothed. The children next blindfold O'Neill and set him loose, and he finds himself face-to-face with Laira. They hug. O'Neill is finally starting to get used to his new life on Edora.
Carter sends the MALP through and they get a brief transmission before the picture cuts out again. Just as they feared--the gate is horizontal and the transmission ended when the MALP slipped back through the vortex. (i.e. For the record, the Stargate only works one way--you can't go backwards through it.) Teal'c has volunteered to go through, secure himself above the Stargate, and dig through to the surface to find O'Neill. If he can't get through to the surface in time, though, he'll run out of oxygen and will probably die, unable to return to Earth. Hoo boy, talk about a bit of pressure.
O'Neill (a bit drunk) and Laira go back to Laira's house. Laira then tells him that that favor she mentioned before? Well, she wants O'Neill to give her a child. She wanted to be patient until he finally gave up the life he left behind; he tells her that a part of him will never give it up. That, however, is not the part that Laira wants. They kiss and, presumably, sleep together after this.
Teal'c shoots the grappling hook through the Stargate to secure himself above the gate on Edora.
Next morning, Paynan tells O'Neill that Laira is a fine woman and he was afraid O'Neill was blind not to recognize that before. O'Neill says if he's blind, it's because of that really strong drink they had the night before. Poor O'Neill can't exactly chop his wood very well that morning. =)
Teal'c goes through the gate and secures himself above the gate, then begins drilling.
O'Neill is sharpening his axe when Laira comes out, carrying his SG-1 outfit and equipment. She asks O'Neill if he needs it any more; after an obvious reluctance to part with it, he tells her to go ahead and get rid of the stuff.
Teal'c continues to dig, but finds it rather difficult. He only has four hours' worth of oxygen and can't reopen the gate once it closes. Over the transmission, Daniel wishes him rel tor ke, "good luck."
At the pond, Laira picks up the transmitter and turns the knob at the top--and she hears Carter telling Teal'c there's only fifteen seconds left before they have to shut down the Stargate...then ten...then five. The Stargate closes and Laira isn't sure what to do about this new discovery.
In Laira's home, O'Neill is explaining curling, then asks Laira what's wrong. She hands him the transmitter and says she heard sounds coming from it before...maybe voices. O'Neill stares at her a moment, then rushes off to the Stargate. He turns on the transmitter and talks to Teal'c, saying he's got him on the RDM signal and is right above him. He digs down, but stops as Laira approaches. He stares at her another moment, obviously split between his new love/life and his lost home, then digs Teal'c out.
Some time later, Carter is telling O'Neill how they managed to free him when he's distracted by Laira. Daniel assures Carter that O'Neill is fine--he just wasn't expecting to ever go home again. Laira and O'Neill talk briefly (eliciting a rather pained look from Carter, hmm...), O'Neill tells her no--he's not happy to be going home and asks her to come back with him. She refuses. He promises her he'll be back soon...after all, they still need to discuss the treaty. As he heads back toward the rest of his team, Laira rubs her stomach sadly...it's very likely that she's pregnant.
Realism:
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O'Neill factor:
Daniel factor:
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My Thoughts:
Related Episodes: "The Serpent's Song" is the only one I noticed offhand.
Daniel Jackson's History/Linguistic/Mythology Lesson:
Sam Carter's Physics Lesson:
Important Stargate Information:
Alien Species/Background:
Important everyday life stuff we learn from Stargate:
Quotes:
O'Neill: "So, Laira, when's the big show start?"
Laira: "Soon. Be patient."
O'Neill: "Oh, I'm patient. I'm nothing if not patient. When's it start?"
Laira: "Is he always like this?"
Teal'c: "Quite frequently."
Daniel: "Laira, we haven't seen anything that could be called fire rain the past two nights. How can be sure it's going to fall tonight?"
Laira: "It begins this night each year."
Carter: "Whoa, the same night every year? That doesn't make sense. I mean, unless the planet's orbit travels through a debris field like an asteroid belt, in which case...."
O'Neill: "Please. Don't suck the fun out of this."
Carter: "Sorry, Sir."
Laira: "When I was a child, my father told me that the fire rain was the tears of our ancestors longing to be reunited." They see a falling star.
Daniel: "A falling star. That, ah...that's what we call fire rain where we come from. In our culture, you're supposed to make a wish."
Teal'c: "On Chu'lac, we call it tel pak raed."
Daniel: "Which means, ah, falling star."
Laira: "What do you think, Jack? Was it worth the effort?"
O'Neill: "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm a huge fan of fire works." A huge meteor suddenly gets a bit too close to the planet for anyone's comfort. "Whoa. Carter? How close was that?"
Carter: "Close, Sir."
Daniel: "How big?"
Carter: "Big."
Daniel: "Thought so."
Carter: "I was...rather concerned for a minute there, Sir."
Laira: "I don't understand."
Carter: "Laira, that's what we call a 'near miss.' If that meteor had struck the ground instead of bouncing off of the atmosphere...."
O'Neill: "This is an annual event?"
Laira: "Yes, though it grows more spectacular every year. By tomorrow evening the entire sky.... What's wrong?"
Carter: "I'll make some more observations tonight, sir."
Daniel: "I'm going to check the, uh, geological records in the morning."
O'Neill: "I'll, uh...make a wish."Daniel: "I figure the decay rate differential between the layers of Naquada is about a hundred and fifty years, give or take, so...."
Garin: "What's Naquada?"
Teal'c: "A mineral substance."
Daniel: "You see, the further down these striations we go, the further back into Edora's past we travel. You see, these layers are different. They represent Naquada dust thrown out by impact event."
Garin: "Cool. Ah...J...Jack says that."
Daniel: "Yes, he does. I'm not really sure that, ah, 'cool' applies to this. You see, on our planet something like this happened millions of years ago and nearly wiped out all life."
Girl: "That's going to happen here?"
Daniel: "Well, we only know it has happened in varying degrees of destruction every 150 years or so."
Teal'c: "And it appears that is precisely the amount of time since the last impact. I see no reason to withhold the truth from these people, Daniel Jackson."
Garin: "Is there anything we can do to stop it?"
Daniel: "No."Laira, to a man checking a trap: "Paynan, this is Jack." O'Neill waves.
Paynan: "They say you've come through the stone ring. Hard thing to ask a man to believe."
O'Neill: "I know what you mean. Any luck?"
Paynan: "There is nothing more than meets the eye here. Our fields, those few buildings, our children. What we have, we need."
O'Neill: "We're only interested in fair trade, Sir." He and Laira walk on.
Laira: "Many of my people are most curious to know what it is we have that you could possibly want."
O'Neill: "Well, you remember how excited Carter got the day we got here?"
Laira: "Something in our soil."
O'Neill: "That's a mineral called Naquada. We don't have it on Earth. It's...well, it's very important to us."
Laira: "Why?"
O'Neill: "It's powerful."
Laira: "And in return for taking this Naquada from our soil?"
O'Neill: "Well, there're a lot of things we could help you out with. Medicine, technology, education. We'd become friends."
Laira: "We're already friends."
O'Neill: "Closer friends."
Laira: "My mother taught me to be wary of men wishing to become closer friends."
O'Neill: "Well, if you'd like, I'll negotiate this treaty with your mother. That way there'd be no conflict of interest."O'Neill: "Folks, we think the fire rain is going to start hitting the ground pretty soon. As a precaution, we'd like to take you back to our planet until the threat is over."
Paynan: "There is no threat."
Carter: "If just one meteor lands within a few miles of here, the resulting explosion could wipe out the entire village."
Paynan: "Year after year the fire rain comes, goes, and harms no one. Do you not see what they are doing? They want us gone so they can claim our lands for themselves."
Daniel: "That's not true."
Paynan: "If you go with them, you will never see your land again."
O'Neill: "Oh, for crying out loud, there's always one like you in a crowd. You want to stay? Stay."
Laira: "I have come to know these travelers and though their world seems far, it is only a step away. I will take that step in faith. If you wish to follow, join us at the stone ring. If you do not, may the ancestors protect you."Paynan: "This is all that remains of our people...because of you."
Girl: "My mother and father...."
Paynan: "You took them away, through that thing and now it is gone."
O'Neill: "That thing probably saved their lives. And if you had shut up and listened to me in the first place, this wouldn't be the situation." He turns to leave.
Laira: "This is my home...and you are welcome here. You need to eat."
O'Neill: "Thank you."Garin: "You, ah, missed evening meal. I brought you something."
O'Neill: "I wasn't hungry."
Garin: "Well, you gotta be. Worked all day in the fields."
O'Neill: "I've got a couple hours of good light left."
Garin: "I'm sorry."
O'Neill: "For what?"
Garin: "You can't go home. It's my fault."
O'Neill: "No, it's not."Fraiser, handing Carter a cup of coffee: "You working through the night again?"
Carter: "Yeah. Lot of work to do. Thank you."
Fraiser: "Look, Sam, there's no doubt you're going to solve this. But you have to accept the fact it's going to take time."
Carter: "Yeah, well, if I think that way it could take months."
Fraiser: "Daniel says the Tollan could have a ship in the vicinity of Edora by sometime next year."
Carter: "He shouldn't have to wait that long."
Fraiser: "You miss him."
Carter: "Yeah."
Fraiser: "Is this a problem?"
Carter: "No. No, of course not."
Fraiser: "Okay. 'Night."
Carter: "'Night."Laira: "Many of us fear the fire rain will come again. Do you?"
O'Neill: "No. If Daniel was right and he always is, it'll be another 150 years before that happens again. That's a long time. I was just kinda wondering which direction home was."
Laira, pointing back to her house: "This way."
O'Neill: "No, I meant...."
Laira: "I know what you meant. Come. I'd like your company."
O'Neill: "I don't even like my company right now."
Laira: "You will again. Loss is that way. I mourned my husband for a hundred days. I never left my house, I never spoke to anyone."
O'Neill: "After that?"
Laira: "I left my house and I spoke to people. Walk with me."Laira: "Paynan has invited you to evening supper."
O'Neill: "Why? He doesn't even like me."
Laira: "He is very grateful for all the help you have given him in rebuilding his home."
O'Neill: "I just hammered a few nails. Well, actually, I made the nails first and then I hammered them, but...."
Laira: "Still, you've worked very hard. Thank you."
O'Neill: "Anything I can do."
Laira: "There is something."
O'Neill: "Yeah? What?"
Laira: "No, it's too soon."
O'Neill: "No, c'mon, don't do that. What?"
Laira: "You will know when the time comes."
O'Neill: "I need a little help here." She kisses him.
Laira: "Does that help?"
O'Neill: "A little." They kiss again.O'Neill: "Garin?"
Laira: "Just us."
O'Neill: "Ah. Well, apparently I should expect a massive headache tomorrow. So I should get a head start."
Laira: "Do you remember when I told you there was something you could do for me? I want you to give me a child."
O'Neill: "A child."
Laira: "I wanted to be patient, I wanted to wait until you had let go of the life you left behind, until you knew that you belonged with us. Tonight...I see it in your eyes."
O'Neill: "Laira...you should know a part of me is never going to let go of what I left behind."
Laira: "That's not the part I want."Paynan: "She is a fine woman."
O'Neill: "Yes, she is."
Paynan: "Took you long enough to see that. Thought you were going blind."
O'Neill: "No, if I've gone blind, it is from whatever we were drinking last night."
Paynan: "Tolka. Has a bite to it."O'Neill: "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, come in."
Teal'c: "O'Neill."
O'Neill: "Teal'c! Where the hell are you?"
Teal'c: "Attempting to reach the surface. Little oxygen remains, O'Neill."
O'Neill: "I got you on the RDM signal. I'm right on top of you!"O'Neill, finally managing to free Teal'c: "Teal'c! You are one stubborn son of a bitch!"
Carter: "Is he all right?"
Daniel: "He's fine. I just don't think he was expecting to go home again."Laira: "You must be very happy to be going home."
O'Neill: "No, I'm not."
Laira: "You don't have to."
O'Neill: "Come with me."
Laira: "I belong here."
O'Neill: "I'll come back. Soon. We still have that 'treaty' to talk about."
Laira: "Of course. Our two worlds are going to be friends." They hug. "Closer friends."
Urgo Shades of Grey
