| Synopsis | Review | Quotes |

First Aired On: September 26, 1997
Written By: Katharyn Powers
Directed By: Brad Turner
Guest Stars: Galyn Gorg (Kendra), Vincent Hammond (Unas), Tamsin Kelsey (Gairwyn)

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Synopsis: Upon arriving on the world of Cimmeria, O'Neill and Teal'c are transported by a cool beam to an underground labyrinth. The beam is meant to protect the Viking-like Cimmerians from Goa'uld attacks, and therefore, Teal'c is unable to leave the labyrinth. Daniel and Carter, on the other hand, must find a way to rescue them...without leaving Teal'c behind.

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Review: 8/10
Plot: Not too bad. The labyrinth is neat, as are the Asgard, who we find out more about in "Thor's Chariot"...but that's a another story altogether. That sequel makes this episode completely worthwhile, as far as I'm concerned.

Realism: Yup. Believable, and everyone seems to act as expected. Although I'm still wondering why O'Neill didn't take those really dark glasses off earlier upon being transported to the labyrinth...

Action: So-so. There's a couple fight scenes between O'Neill, Teal'c, and Unas, but besides that not much.

Angst Level: Only a couple references by Daniel to his loss of Sha're...and the bit of angst at the end where Daniel has to decide between leaving the Hammer up and saving Sha're, or destroying it to free Teal'c.

Special Effects: The welcoming transport beam was cool, as was the orange glow of the hammer.

Set and Costumes: Ok, I'll try not to repeat myself too much here. I loved Kendra's dress. Unas was rather (appropriately) old and disgusting to look at. Of course, then there was Kendra's dress. The Viking outfits worn by Gairwyn were easily recognizable as Viking-ish. Kendra's dress was neat, too. The labyrinth was great...or maybe I'm just partial to mazes and labyrinths. That red velvet thing Kendra wore was gorgeous, can I get one of those, please? I liked the waterways, too--definite medieval, Viking feel to them. Now for sale: Kendra's dress! Oops, there went my goal of not repeating myself....

O'Neill factor: So-so. His dedication to Teal'c, refusing to leave without him, is awesome, and they get some great bonding moments. He also gets his normal humorous quotes in, too.

Daniel factor: He gets to lament the disappearance of Sha're--first he gets hopeful she'll be able to be healed by the Hammer, then he has to decide who's more important right now, Teal'c or Sha're. Of course, his excitement over that "Earth box" thing was cute--he acted like a little child about it at the end when he remembered it. Also interesting how they describe his "connection" with Sha're (too bad the actors don't have that kind of chemistry when they're on screen together... but that's just my own opinion).

Carter factor: She just kinda wanders around with Daniel for awhile, looking for O'Neill and Teal'c and being skeptical about Kendra's motives for helping them.

Teal'c factor: He gets a lot of reassurance about his role in SG-1 from the other members in this episode. O'Neill will not leave without him, and Daniel decides to save him over Sha're. He's really becoming a respected and admired part of the team.

Overall Team factor: This is a team episode since none of the characters has the most important role. They work well together and are devoted to each other, even when they're separated by a bright flashing light after stepping out of the Stargate.

My Thoughts: One of the first really good episodes of the series. By this time the writers are just starting to figure out what works, what doesn't. It's nice to see them mention Sha're and Skaara again (reminding the viewer of an important subplot of the series again...of course, they could use a couple of these in later episodes). I thought the team members did a great job of showing Teal'c how important he is not only to them, but to the Stargate project. As O'Neill said, "You're a part of this family now." It's neat to see the Vikings, one of my personal favorites as far as old cultures goes. I also loved Kendra, and it was interesting to see her internal debate (should I help these guys or not?) played out in her discussions with "Thor." Too bad there wasn't more Gairwyn, or her family for that matter, in the episode, but that's kinda sorta amended in the sequel to this ep. I, personally, liked the sequel much better than this one, but I have nothing against this one either!

Related Episodes: "Thor's Chariot" (a continuation of the "Oops, we really shouldn't have destroyed that hammer" thread they left open)

Daniel Jackson's History/Linguistic/Mythology Lesson: Thor and the other Viking gods were good gods who wanted to help people. Thor also had a hammer which he threw (in the form, apparently, of thunder and lightning) to destroy his enemies. Also, hunters do not travel in a straight line and will not return to the village just because they found a woman wandering in the forest. Lots and lots of other references to Vikings, stone circles, runes, Thor, Valkyries.

Sam Carter's Physics Lesson: Nothing, although we see that guns can pass through holograms (like everybody thought they couldn't!)

Important Stargate Information: There are two different kinds of gods--tyrants, like the Goa'uld, who demand obedience and punish when subjects are not obedient, and good gods, like Thor, who protect people from the tyrants. The Goa'uld did not build the Stargate system-- being parasites they just used it. This is also the first time we see Daniel's handy-dandy little "Earth box," telling alien races about Earth and our people. It also contains a rare element which, when splattered against the iris of Earth's Stargate, acts as a way to contact us. (Or do we first learn this in "Thor's Chariot"?) Oh, and the Goa'uld originally had a different race they used as a host, people (or creatures) like Unas. Humans were not their first host race. The host's mind, however, does remain intact and, if strong enough, can actually influence the Goa'uld inside it (hence Kendra's luring her Goa'uld to Cimmeria).

Alien Species/Background: The Cimmerians were a Viking people taken by Thor and his fellow Asgard from Earth to Cimmeria. They call the Goa'uld "Etins," and the Goa'uld fear the planet because of a hammer Thor supposedly set up to destroy them. Kendra came from a planet called Jabana. We also meet Unas, "The First One," who bleeds green blood and was one of the original hosts of the Goa'uld.

Important everyday life stuff we learn from Stargate: Water can bring down walls, but don't count on it to get you out of a labyrinth because it takes hundreds of years. If you hear thunder while sitting inside a stone circle, it might be Thor or some Valkyries talking to you. If a Jaffa tells you something is a myth, don't believe him--it's probably real. People are too short to be gods.

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Quotes:
Daniel, upon hearing Cimmeria's residents welcoming SG-1 with laughter and shouts to Thor: "This is different."

O'Neill: "We're going home."
Daniel: "Why?"
O'Neill: "Just do it!"
(Gotta love it when Daniel talks back to O'Neill--shows that he's not a military boy after all!)

Daniel: "I think they're dead."
Carter: "I don't want to hear that."

Gairwyn to Carter and Daniel: "You're a little short for gods."

O'Neill, seeing the holographic figure of Thor: "Teal'c, I think we just got the answering machine."

Carter: "Hi...Hail..."

O'Neill, looking at a dead Goa'uld: "Ouch."

Kendra: "I know all I need to know of Jaffa."
Daniel: "Right."

O'Neill: "Water. Give it enough time it'll bring down walls. Even walls just like that. So in a couple hundred years we'll be free."

Unas to Teal'c: "Kill the human."
O'Neill: "Excuse me?"

Teal'c: "The First One is dead."
O'Neill: "Yeah, well that's fine by me."

Teal'c about Unas: "It was dead."
O'Neill: "Ah. Good."
Teal'c: "I believe."
O'Neill: "You believe?"
Teal'c: "I am certain."
O'Neill: "Positive?"
Teal'c: "I am."
O'Neill: "Just a myth."
Teal'c: "A myth."
O'Neill: "Good."

Daniel: "We're not lost. Are we?"

O'Neill, hearing Unas howling in pain: "Okay, that's no myth."

Daniel: "Haven't you ever had a feeling that made absolutely no logical sense and it turned out to be right?"

Unas: "I could help you escape."
O'Neill: "A map would be nice." Shoots him.

Teal'c: "If I am to die it will be as a warrior, facing my enemy."

Kendra: "Fear is the greatest enemy. I must face my fear."

Teal'c: "Are you considering the same tactic as I?"
O'Neill: "Teal'c, the cliché is 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' And the answer is yes."

Kendra, chanting: "Calm the moon flow, read the might, seize the rainbow, test the white."

O'Neill, to Teal'c: "You're a part of this family now."

Brief Candle

The Torment of Tantalus