| Synopsis | Review | Quotes |
First Aired On: February 13, 1998
Written By: Jeff King
Directed By: Jimmy Kaufman
Guest Stars: Jay Brazeau (Harlan), Teryl Rothery (Dr. Janet Fraiser)
Synopsis: While exploring PX3 989er, SG-1 is attacked. When they wake up, they're wearing cool black uniforms and encounter the "I'm obsessed with the word Cumtraya" indigenous sole inhabitant, Harlan. When Harlan won't tell them what's going on and why they're all suddenly a thousand times smarter, O'Neill orders them back to Earth. While being examined by Dr. Fraiser, it's discovered O'Neill has no heartbeat. She takes a blood sample and a milky white substance pours eerily from his arm. O'Neill grabs a scalpel, cuts open his arm, and finds he's now made of mechanical gadgets. Hammond confines them. They talk a bit, then collapse to the ground. Hammond sends them back through the Stargate, where they revive and reencounter Harlan. They "recharge," then try to find out what Harlan has done to them. After talking with him for awhile, the computer system malfunctions, and Daniel and O'Neill fix it...kinda. Or at least it's fixed after Teal'c attacks O'Neill (because his symbiote's mind could not co-exist with Teal'c's mind) and O'Neill hits a pipe line, releasing some pressure in the complex. Harlan disintegrates Teal'c, then goes off to make a "new" Teal'c. Daniel and Carter follow him, and Harlan finally tells them that they're copies--the real SG-1 is still alive and well and is free to go back to Earth. After a great O'Neill versus O'Neill scene, the real SG-1 heads back to Earth, leaving the "copies" on PX3 989.
Review: 10/10
Plot: I'm really biased, and I admit it. I loved the plot. This episode seriously caught me off guard--I was completely unprepared for the ending, and it haunted me for days after I first saw it. The only problem I have with the plot is that the whole computer glitch incident seemed to be forced. I mean, SG-1 had so much else to worry about at that point--they've suddenly found out that they're robots--and then to throw in a computer glitch which would destroy the planet if not fixed. It just seemed out of place, but that could just be my opinion. Of course, I can also see its value. It shows the desperation which caused Harlan to create copies of SG-1 without getting their permission first. He just didn't have time to waste. But still, overall, the plot was excellent!Realism: Not too bad, actually. O'Neill acts exactly like I'd expect him to. He's furious, he's frustrated, he's stubborn, he's unwilling to accept Harlan's feeble explanation of their situation. Daniel also acts exactly like I'd expect him to. He's curious about Harlan's world, he's excited about the new strength he's been given and about the fact he can now live for 11,000 years. Same with Carter. Teal'c, though--I would've expected Teal'c's mind to be able to fight the Goa'uld's mind longer than it did since Teal'c has such a strong will (see "Cor-Ai" and his determination to do what's right, for example). And somehow, the scene with all of SG-1 collapsing at the same time didn't sit well with me. Wouldn't they all have collapsed at different times since I'm guessing Harlan had to create one first, then another and so on instead of all of them at the same time? I mean, wouldn't the copy that was made first have collapsed first? But anyway, it did really surprise me that the writer actually allowed the SG-1 copies to stay alive. So...does this mean they can make copies of the copies or is that beyond the reach of Harlan's technology? Could we one day see the real SG-1 return to the world (granted the Gate was unburied) and find a whole colony of O'Neills, Carters, Daniels, and Teal'cs? Wouldn't that be something! Of course, then there's the rather large glitch...the first time O'Neill says the planet's designation, he says "P3X 989," while two times later on it's repeated as being "PX3 989." Oops!
Action: Ok. There's the emergency when the computer crashes, and the fight scene between O'Neill and Teal'c...now that's something you won't see every day!
Angst Level: "Angst" might not be the most accurate word, but you could probably interpret the copies' confused and sad emotions when they find out they can never go back to their original lives as angst. O'Neill probably faces the most angst of the four of them (especially noticeable in his voice when he says "We can never go back" upon seeing the real O'Neill for the first time), but a little O'Neill angst never hurt anyone, right? :) The word I probably would've picked for this episode is "shock," since that sums up my feelings after seeing the episode for the first time. Kind of a "Oh boy, how in the world is SG-1 going to get out of this one?!"
Special Effects: The scenes where both SG-1 and the copies are on the same scene turn out pretty well. The lasers at the beginning that knock out SG-1 are so-so. Copy O'Neill's ouchie toward then end really looks nasty, though. But there really weren't that many special effects...unless I'm forgetting some.
Set and Costumes: Two words: Black Jumpsuits. Ho boy. Is it just me or does SG-1 (particularly Daniel and O'Neill) look really fine in those things? Hey, they can keep them for every upcoming episode for all I care!!! Ahem, but anyway, the set was neat, too. It looks exactly like what it's supposed to--a rusting, decaying warehouse-like building that's still extremely futuristic. The lighting was great as well--Daniel especially looks amazing in those calm blue and purple lights...I love it! But then again I love practically everything about this episode.
O'Neill factor: Wow, does he look good in that jumpsuit. Anyway, this poor guy goes through all the emotions--anger, frustration, sadness, etcetera. He also has a little difficulty handling his anger at Harlan which is also characteristic O'Neill: "Friends?! I don't even like you! I'll probably never like you!" And the Real O'Neill/Clone O'Neill scene is a classic! They both act so Jack, tossing sarcastic remarks back and forth at each other, knowing what the other's thinking, and the double "For crying out loud" at the end! Awesome!
Daniel factor: Man, this guy just looks awesome in this episode, between the no-glasses deal and those black jumpsuits. He gets to use some of his diplomatic skills with Harlan early on in the episode (and can't forget the really cute hand-shake scene with Harlan or the "Did you see that?" scene where he realizes he was able to pull the cover of the vent off with his bare hands). He also displays his curiosity about culture--he's reluctant to leave even when O'Neill orders them to go back to Earth at the beginning. And finally, of all of them, Daniel seems to have adjusted the easiest and fastest to the "notion of living 11,000 years." He's constantly saying it was possible their robot bodies really were "better" than their real bodies.
Carter factor: A so-so role. She helps keep O'Neill in line throughout the episode, and the part where the real Carter's talking with her copy is one of the best scenes. "We are identical. Right down to the mole on our..." "Hey! Hey! Shut up!" Hilarious!
Teal'c factor: Teal'c has the weakest role in this episode. While it's neat to see him go bonkers and attack O'Neill for a change, he really doesn't do much else in the episode. And the real Teal'c's response when he found out that copies were made of everyone, and his was destroyed because it malfunctioned is great. He was so sad and lonely! Poor guy! Of course, I wasn't in the mood for seeing a naked Teal'c covered in goop when Harlan was trying to make a copy of him any more than I was in the mood for Teal'c covered with a cocoon and nasty, bloody spots in "Bane."
Overall Team factor: This is a great team episode. Everyone (except Teal'c, of course, who spends most of the episode convulsing or attacking O'Neill) works together to solve their situation while still keeping everyone else in line. O'Neill scolds Daniel for being overly fascinated and not considering reality; Carter reminds O'Neill that "damaging" Harlan won't help their situation; Daniel tries to keep Teal'c intact by constantly showing concern for him. No one character gets too much screen time over another...all in all, a great team episode!
My Thoughts: If favorite episodes were based upon the number of times you watch an episode, than this one would be my all-time favorite since I've watched it a countless number of times. The whole premise is extremely thought-provoking: What if you suddenly woke up one day and found you weren't really you? What if you found out that someone else was really you? Who would have a right to your life--you or the other you? Talk about taking cloning to a different level! At least with clones, the other "you" goes through a whole series of different life events--in other words, the clone eventually will have different experiences than you and will become someone similar, but different from you. A copy, though...the copy is exactly like you! It's experienced everything you have, it has the same reactions to situations you have, it looks, it thinks exactly like you. What would it be like to meet yourself in a situation like this? Oh the possibilities! The writers had definitely picked up on what worked and what didn't by this point in the series! Let's see more episodes like these!
Related Episodes: None as of yet, although they did leave open a huge thread--there's a copy of SG-1 floating around the universe!
Daniel Jackson's History/Linguistic/Mythology Lesson: Nada.
Sam Carter's Physics Lesson: We don't really get one here, although Carter does get to use her characteristic scientific words as she discusses with her copy the uncertainty principle and how amazing it is that Harlan was able to reconstruct the "neural structure on a molecular device."
Important Stargate Information: Nope. None. (Although on a completely unrelated side note, we do learn a couple important details about General Hammond--his wife died of cancer, and he has two grandchildren, named Tessa and Kalah.)
Alien Species/Background: There were, at one time, about 1,000 people left on their world, called Voltaire. Their biosphere was dying and radiation eventually covered the surface. Anyway, a really important guy named Hubble helped build their little underground world and, I'm assuming, created the transfer process which allowed them to make copies of themselves to live forever. One by one the people of Voltaire died, however, including some people named Skeara, Merith, and Teara. Some walked on the surface, others went through the Stargate and never returned. Wallace was the last one to go in an accident. In any case, Harlan was the last one alive, and he had been alone 11,000 years until SG-1 found him. Poor guy! I can't imagine living completely alone for 11,000 years with nothing better to do than maintain a computer and a power plant. I probably wouldn't have made it more than a few years before killing myself. What a testament to his character and his devotion to living!
Important everyday life stuff we learn from Stargate: If your blood looks like milk and you don't have a heartbeat, you could be a robot. If you can calculate 99,207,000 hours in your mind as the equivalent to 11,000 years in only a few seconds, you could be a robot. If you can jump from two or three stories without even grimacing at the pain when you land, you could be a robot. If you can pull the really heavy cover from a vent with your bare hands, you could be a robot. If your face is held to a steam pipe and you walk away from it with electricity zapping through the wound which looks suspiciously like damage done to the Terminator, you could be a robot. Oh yeah, and a note for all Jaffa: if you carry a larval Goa'uld inside you, you do not want a copy to be made of the Goa'uld's conscious mind and placed alongside yours, it'll make you go into convulsions and you'll attack your friends. On another note, do not hold out your hand to shake another person's in greeting. You'll only succeed in confusing them instead!
Quotes:
O'Neill: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Colonel speaking. Welcome to P3X 989er where it is a balmy...room temperature." (He meant to say PX3 989 since it's referred to two other times as that.) "Fan it out." They walk around a bit, admiring the machinery. "Whoa. Well, the light are on but there's nobody home."
Daniel: "The technology seems advanced compared to what we've seen on other human-inhabited planets. Maybe even more advanced than Earth."
Carter: "How much more?"
Daniel: "Well, it feels...older, somehow."
O'Neill: "I know how it feels. This place has seen better days."
Daniel: "At least it doesn't appear to be of Goa'uld origin."
O'Neill: "Teal'c, have you ever run into something like this?"
Teal'c: "I have not."
Carter, entering another room. "Computer." A strange sound fills the room.
O'Neill: "Well, that sounds ominous. Let's fall back." As they're leaving, they're hit by an electric wave...ouch.O'Neill: "Welcome to PX3 989..."
Harlan: "Ah...Cumtraya!! Cumtraya!!"
O'Neill: "Daniel?"
Daniel: "I think that's a greeting..."
Harlan: "Yes, it is."
Daniel: "Oh, well, then...Cumtraya. We are explorers from a place called Earth. I am Daniel. Hello." He extends his hand to shake Harlan's, but Harlan doesn't understand.
Harlan: "Ah, this is your custom, yes? Hello." He reaches out his own hand but doesn't shake Daniel's, just...holds it there. "You are the leader?"
Daniel: "Oh, no. That would be..."
O'Neill: "Me. Colonel Jack O'Neill. Cumbaya."
Harlan: "Cumtraya."
O'Neill: "Whatever. Why did you attack us?"
Harlan: "Attack? Oh, attack, yes, of course it would seem that way from your perspective. Yes, I did that."
O'Neill: "Why?"
Harlan: "Could not be helped. Oh, are you suffering any pain? Any after effects? Occasionally the heart must be restarted."
Daniel: "Ah, no, I think we feel fine."
Harlan: "Ah! Cumtraya! You are all such wonderful specimens." He turns to Carter. "And you in particular...female!"
Carter: "Colonel..."
O'Neill: "Easy, Captain. Listen, we had some things when we got here, some weapons."
Harlan: "Oh, yes, very dangerous."
O'Neill: "Very. Can we have them back?"
Carter: "And our uniforms."
Harlan: "Sorry, but they are gone. This is better...yes?"
Carter: "No!"
Harlan: "I am Harlan. I am the last survivor of Voltaire." He extends his hand to Daniel, again not shaking his hand, and Daniel does some cute finger motions while realizing Harlan is thoroughly confused about the hand shake.
O'Neill: "Excuse me, the last surviv...you're the only one on this planet?"
Harlan: "Yes. And your weapons are this way!"Daniel: "We're curious to learn about other worlds. We'd love to hear what happened on the surface."
Harlan: "All in good time."
O'Neill: "We've got all the time in the world."
Harlan, laughing: "Yes you do. You understand? Cumtraya!"
O'Neill: "Now, what is that, Cumtraya? Is that like aloha?"
Daniel: "Harlan, how long have you been on your own?"
Harlan: "Ah, now, let me see. Wallace was the last one to go. I miss him. But you all remind me a little of Wallace." He turns to Carter. "Except for you, of course. You are...female." He turns to Teal'c. "And you are...whatever...you are. Hubble, he was the creator of all of this. But he did very early, too early, took many secrets with him so long ago."
O'Neill: "How long, exactly?"
Harlan: "Exactly 99,207,000 of your...hours."
O'Neill: "That's 11,000 years."
Carter: "How did you know that?"
O'Neill: "It's right?"
Carter, calculating: "Yeah."
Daniel: "Wait, how did you know that?"
Harlan: "See, everything is better. Even your minds. You are all much, much better."
O'Neill: "Better than what?"
Harlan: "Do you not feel it? Are you not stronger, smarter?"
Daniel: "Jack, I think he's right. I feel...great."
Harlan: "Of course you do, because I have given you a great gift. I have made you all...better."
O'Neill: "Better how?"
Harlan: "Oh, I have not hurt you. I have only made you...better."
O'Neill, getting ticked: "Alright, alright. Listen closely. I am only going to ask you one more time, very simply. Better...how?" Harlan stutters a bit. "We're gone, we're out of here."
Harlan: "But...wh...wh...?"
O'Neill: "Carter, dial us home."
Harlan: "Wait! You...you...you cannot leave. I cannot leave either. It is not safe!"
Daniel: "What isn't safe? Tell us!"
Harlan: "All in time. There is so much you must know first." They leave. "You will be back! You will! You cannot leave me...here...all...alone.... Oh dear."Fraiser: "Colonel, how do you feel?"
O'Neill: "Never felt better in my life. It's got me a little worried actually."
Fraiser: "Well, this has got me a little worried. Listen."
O'Neill, listening to his heartbeat: "I don't hear anything. What, this is better...I'm dead?"Daniel, suddenly finding his hand fascinating: "It's incredible. It looks like mine, it feels like mine, it is mine. I mean, I don't feel any different. If anything, I feel better."
Carter: "Yeah, that's what Harlan said."
Daniel: "Why didn't he just tell us?"
Carter: "Probably afraid we'd damage him."
O'Neill: "Perceptive little runt."
Carter: "You know, Colonel, you can't blame General Hammond for confining us."
O'Neill: "Hey! I know who I am."
Carter: "Well, so do I. In every respect I feel like Sam Carter, but the evidence... Harlan must've transferred our consciousness into these bodies."
O'Neill: "Bodies? Did you see the inside of this arm? We're machines, Carter."
Daniel: "Teal'c, are you ok?"
Teal'c: "Why?"
Daniel: "Well, for starters you've lost your infant Goa'uld."
Teal'c: "I still feel its presence."
Daniel: "Really? That must be like continuing to feel a limb after it's lost."
O'Neill: "Oh, for crying out loud. Daniel, I'm glad you're so fascinated by all this but it's time for a little reality check, ok? We are being held prisoner by our own people."
Daniel: "Well, they can't keep us in here forever. I mean..."
O'Neill: "Why not? What do you think is going to happen? You really think military intelligence is going to let us continue as SG-1 like this?"
Daniel: "We still have our rights, Jack."
O'Neill: "What rights are you talking about?"
Carter: "Colonel, no matter what he's done to us, we're still..."
O'Neill: "Human? Is that what you were going to say?"
Carter: "Well, Harlan said we'd be back. Now we know why."Harlan: "Ahhhhh! Cumtraya! Here is where you belong now. Here is the only place you can be!"
O'Neill, grabbing Harlan in fury and pinning him to the Stargate: "You son of a bitch!!!"
Harlan: "You nearly waited too long. I was worried. Feel better?"
O'Neill: "Better?! What the hell did you do to us?!"
Harlan: "You are angry." (The Duh moment of the episode.)
O'Neill: "Yes. Give me one reason why I shouldn't break you in half."
Carter: "Colonel. He's the only one who can put our consciousness back in our bodies."
Harlan: "Oh, no no no. I cannot do that. In time you will see. I have transferred your consciousness to the synthetic."
O'Neill: "Well transfer us back, now!"
Harlan: "No. I cannot. It's permanent."
O'Neill: "I do not want to hear that!" He grabs Harlan very roughly.
Harlan: "You...are...damaging...me." O'Neill let's go...sort of. "I am sorry, but there is no way to do as you ask. Your bodies are all gone. It is all part of the process. This is what you are now. You will see. It is better!"Harlan: "This way! Around the corner...just a few more steps and...home again!"
Daniel: "Jack, he said we should rest. You don't want to run out of energy again." Jack shoots him a perfect "oh, shut up already" look.
Teal'c: "To condemn Harlan would be to condemn ourselves."
O'Neill: "Your point being?"
Teal'c: "What is done is done."
O'Neill: "Oh, please. Has it occurred to anyone that all we are now is robots?!" He heads toward the door.
Daniel: "Where are you going?"
O'Neill: "I'm going to find Harlan."
Daniel: "Jack!"
O'Neill: "Don't worry! Just to talk. Robot to robot." He does some "I'm cool and you know it" moves as he says this.Carter, to Daniel as he closes his eyes and laughs faintly: "What?"
Daniel: "Oh, it's nothing. Um, just...the notion of living 11,000 years entered my mind for a moment and...it's a lot to take in."
Carter: "Apparently we've got time to adjust."Daniel: "Teal'c, you still ok?" (Script check...Teal'c never said he was ok, Dr. Jackson...)
Harlan: "I do not understand this obsession of yours."
O'Neill: "It's not an obsession. I just want to know what you did with our bodies."
Harlan: "But you have no further use for them." He sees Daniel and Carter coming toward them. "Oh, good! You are exploring! Yes, yes, there is much to see. Much to learn from the station. And you are feeling better? Yes?"
Carter: "No. Colonel, have you seen Teal'c?"
O'Neill: "I left him with you."
Harlan: "Perhaps he is best left alone. He is different...yes?"
O'Neill: "Yes."O'Neill: "Harlan, we want to go home."
Harlan: "Oh no no. You must stay. You are friends. New friends."
O'Neill: "'Friends?' I don't even like you. Chances are I'll never like you."
Carter: "Colonel! If we are ever going home, we need him."
Harlan: "You still do not appreciate the gift? Immortality. 11,000 years going on infinity, I always say."Harlan, hitting O'Neill's hand as he's playing with something: "De de de de!"
Daniel, amazed he was able to pull off the vent cover: "Did you see that?"
Carter: "Daniel."
Daniel: "Oh."Voice of computer: "You have succeeded in preventing sufficient pressure. Cumtraya."
Harlan: "All will be well. You will see. In your friend too."
Carter: "What, Teal'c?"
Daniel: "You killed him!"
Harlan: "No, he was malfunctioning."
Daniel: "How will all be well with him if he's dead?!"
Harlan: "You will see."Daniel: "Harlan, what the hell are you doing?!"
O'Neill (real one), to the Daniel clone: "Daniel?"
Daniel clone: "Ah, sort of..."O'Neill: "Harlan, where've you been?"
Harlan: "Extremely busy."
O'Neill: "I can see that. Doing what?"
Harlan: "Oh, ah. Making your synthetic others, saving the planet, busy busy."
O'Neill: "Synthetic?!"Real Carter: "This is impossible."
Clone Carter: "It's true. At first we didn't even know we'd been changed."
Real Carter: "Recreating the neural structure on a molecular device...."
Clone Carter: "I know, I know, it defies the uncertainty principle. But we are identical, right down to the mole on our..."
Real Carter: "Hey, hey. Shut up!"Teal'c: "Was not a copy made of me?"
Harlan: "Oh, yes, but, um, ah, I had to disintegrate you."
Teal'c: "I see."Real O'Neill: "Listen, I'm not too happy about this either, you know."
Clone O'Neill: "You think you know how I feel?"
Real O'Neill: "Well, yeah. We're basically the same guy, aren't we?"
Clone O'Neill, turning his face so the Real O'Neill can see his wounded cheek: "Have a look."
Real O'Neill: "Ow. Sorry."
Clone O'Neill: "Yeah."
Real O'Neill: "So, um, what the hell happened here?"
Clone O'Neill: "Somebody stole my life. That's what happened."
Real O'Neill: "You talking about my life?"
Clone O'Neill: "Hey! I've got every right to it that you do. I was kinda hoping I could figure out a way to undo all this, get myself back in my body...where I belong."
Real O'Neill: "Well, it's occupied."
Clone O'Neill: "I noticed that. What does that make me?" The Real O'Neill just stares at him. "What do you want?"
Real O'Neill: "Well, they're all debating the meaning of life out there. Both Daniels think this is all fascinating, the Carters are arguing already. Teal'c feels left out. You and I've got a few things to talk about."
Clone O'Neill: "I'm not going to give you a hard time about who gets to go back, if that's what you mean."
Real O'Neill: "Well, thank you."
Clone O'Neill: "It has nothing to do with generosity, believe me. I can't go back. If I could it might be a different story altogether."
Real O'Neill: "Yeah, well, there is a little issue of security. You know everything I know about Earth. Codes, defenses..."
Clone O'Neill: "We'll bury the Gate, don't worry. And don't even think about sending a bomb to make sure."
Real O'Neill: "I wasn't."
Clone O'Neill: "Yes, you were. I know you."
Real O'Neill: "Alright, alright. You have my word, Colonel."
Clone O'Neill: "Call me Jack."
Harlan's voice from the distance: "Colonel O'Neill?"
Real and Clone O'Neill: "Oh for crying out loud..."
Clone O'Neill: "I'll handle this." Real O'Neill just shakes his head as if spooked.Clone O'Neill: "Harlan, people are not supposed to live forever."
Harlan: "Maybe not. But if you try a few hundred years you might change your mind, yes?"Real O'Neill: "So don't forget to bury the Gate once we're gone."
Clone O'Neill: "Like that's something I'd forget."
Real O'Neill: "Well..." he shakes the clone's hand, then motioning to the clone's 'injury' "See ya. And, ah...you should have that look looked at. It's...wooo."
Clone O'Neill: "Have a good life."
Real O'Neill: "See ya."
Solitudes There But For the Grace of God
