Continuing Stargate

[bradly08]

Interesting, I can imagine many nations rebuilding there monuments (eg. Big Ben, Westminister, Buckingham palace) too bost the morale of there people

[Commander Thor]

He never stated they were gone, just that Mitchell convinced himself they were

[AVFan]

Really good episode. I'm happy I didn't actually migrate permanently to the LOST section. I'm intrigued by this race, and at the same time, I'm glad we kept them very mysterious. Both SG-1's storyline and Lam's storyline were excellent.

The only thing i'm not sure of is Mitchell being a bit of a jerk with that comment to Eaton. He always seemed to be a gentleman to any woman he came in contact with, at least IIRC, and he wouldn't have made such a backhanded comment to her. Am I completely off base with this?

[s09119]

Really good episode. I'm happy I didn't actually migrate permanently to the LOST section. I'm intrigued by this race, and at the same time, I'm glad we kept them very mysterious. Both SG-1's storyline and Lam's storyline were excellent.

The only thing i'm not sure of is Mitchell being a bit of a jerk with that comment to Eaton. He always seemed to be a gentleman to any woman he came in contact with, at least IIRC, and he wouldn't have made such a backhanded comment to her. Am I completely off base with this?

Which comment?

[AVFan]

Which comment?

"Wiping a small puddle of sweat from her brow, Eaton mutters that this is ridiculous and strips off her jacket, tying it around her waist and adjusting her vest over her tank top. Looking her over approvingly, Mitchell remarks that he's beginning to like how often she does that ("The Ragged Edge")."

It's not a really huge deal, but it comes across here as a deuchebaggy comment IMO. And it's outside of Mitchell's character, especially as her superior officer.

[s09119]

"Wiping a small puddle of sweat from her brow, Eaton mutters that this is ridiculous and strips off her jacket, tying it around her waist and adjusting her vest over her tank top. Looking her over approvingly, Mitchell remarks that he's beginning to like how often she does that ("The Ragged Edge")."

It's not a really huge deal, but it comes across here as a deuchebaggy comment IMO. And it's outside of Mitchell's character, especially as her superior officer.

It was a joke. Commanding officers in the SG universe don't always follow real world regulations about how to talk to subordinates, after all. She's attractive and he's a man, that's all. It didn't strike me as rude or anything, but I suppose there's always going to be different views on everything.

[helimachoptor]

S09119... you have been sorely sorely missed

[thekillman]

sounds to me like the beginning of a love story.

also, it seemed more like a gag/jest type of thing than something jerkish.

[AVFan]

sounds to me like the beginning of a love story.

also, it seemed more like a gag/jest type of thing than something jerkish.

Well, yes, I think it was a gag too, but one that Mitchell wouldn't have made, IMO. But yeah, it's not really a big deal.

[Aewon]

And even if they're not hostile towards us (even if their automatons are), why would they even care? If they were considered advanced by the Ancients 50,000,000 years ago (this is what I inferred from the episode), why would they give us a second thought? Humans, Tok'ra, even the Venii wouldn't even show up on their radar. Would the Der'kal?

I think that'd pretty much depend on how more advanced races views younger races; the way we view monkeys, or the way we view children. Personally, I think it's more likely they would view us as children (or babies). But then, if their civilization is billions of years old they should be at a much later stage in their evolution, so I guess both could be true. Whereas races like the Nox and Ancients view us the way we view children, the Forerunners might view us the way we view monkeys. But my point still stands. We don't kill apes without a second thought. We lock them in cages and... experiments on them. I'm just proving your point, aren't I?

By the way, the Ancients shouldn't look human at all. If their civilization is 50 million years old, there's no way they'd look the same way after all that time. The Asgard would be much more convincing as a future stage in our evolution. Actually, I have a theory that the Roswell aliens aren't aliens at all, but humans from the future. Heh, gotta love the irony. People who don't think that time-travelling is possible say that if it was possible we would have met people from the future already. Well, what if we already have, but thought they were aliens? UFO sightings can be dated back to ancient times. There are even cave paintings of beings who look like Roswell Greys.

Another explanation to their interest in our world could be that they used to call it home. Some weeks ago I saw some documentary on TV where they were talking about some ape specie that have left the trees behind and are walking on the savannah. Our successors? If history is repeating itself, maybe it's happened before?

[lord groovy]

If history is repeating itself, maybe it's happened before?

And it will happen again.

[s09119]

16x04 "Shol'va"
Synopsis: Teal'c is placed in a delicate position when he is forced to arbitrate a trial for traitors against the Alliance; the Traditionalist senators who destroyed Pandora's Box.

Spoiler:

On Chulak, the Jaffa have continued expanding their sprawling capital to enormous proportions, even by Tau'ri standards. The city stretches clear across three times the entire territory Apophis had bothered to settle during his time as master of the planet, and stunning Egyptian-style towers for emerging Jaffa industries dominate the skyline. The crumbling buildings put up under the System Lords are either coming down or being renovated into modern wonders of engineering, and everywhere one looks, it is clear that this is the dawn of a new age for these once-enslaved people.

In the stargate plaza, the Ancient portal is just coming online as Teal'c approaches, surrounded by a circle of elite guards armed to the teeth with Goa'uld weaponry. Apparently, the days of the Chancellor walking about his city alone have ended, most-likely thanks to the chaos caused by the Der'kal when the Jaffa Senate allowed Lor'al to address them ("Pride Before the Fall"). Nevertheless, any apprehension melts away from Teal'c's face when he sees his old teammates walk through the event horizon, and he walks forward to embrace all the members of SG-1 immediately. Slapping him on the back, Mitchell mutters that it's been way too long since they all last got together, to which Teal'c agrees but apologizes that his duties here have just grown exponentially since he took over the Chancellorship from Bra'tac two years ago. He scarcely has enough time to visit Ishta, let alone leave Free Jaffa space for a trip to Earth.

Glancing around, Vala asks what all the security's for, remembering that Chulak has never been all that secure of a place for a capital city. But of course, times have changed. Teal'c explains that even with the Der'kal armada gone beyond the galactic rim, the galaxy is still very much a dangerous place. With the Aschen launching biological attacks against Alliance worlds ("The Forerunners"), they have to be vigilant and constantly on alert. Unlike Earth, they cannot just strap an iris on the Chulak stargate and hand out tens of thousands of GDOs to all the people who come and go from the planet every day. It's just not feasible, and so they have no choice but to leave themselves open to the kind of assault that has devastated several Venii colonies already.

Now the group begins to head through the plaza toward the Senate building, with the Jaffa guards clearing a path for them through the busy marketplace surrounding the stargate. Teal'c thanks SG-1 for coming on such short notice, apologizing for pulling them away from whatever mission they were about to embark on. Truth be told, there's no real need for them to be here, but, much as it pains him to admit, he needs a measure of moral support right now. Always happy to be of service, Mitchell says that they'll always be here for him, just like they always have, and asks what's going on that has him so shook up. Staring somberly at the government center looming before them, Teal'c says that he, as Chancellor, is responsible for presiding at trials of treason against the state. As such, he now has the responsibility of overseeing the Senate when it meets tomorrow for a hearing. What makes it so difficult, however, is that the accused are the Traditionalist senators who destroyed Pandora's Box ("Pride Before the Fall").

Some time later, the team is in Teal'c's office in the Senate building, waiting for their friend to finish a meeting with the leaders of the Progressive Party. Looking over the impressive collection of Goa'uld-era artwork that adorned the space, Daniel is trying to explain the judicial process of the galaxy to his teammates; by the terms of the Alliance Charter, the Free Jaffa have the right to try the senators first, as they are the race from which the attackers came. When their trial is concluded here, the Traditionalists will be transported to Earth, where the United Nations will be able to hear testimony and give their own verdict. And finally, the accused will be tried before the Alliance High Council, with extra representatives of the Free Jaffa Nation and Earth present to argue their own findings and conclusions. It's a bit of a roundabout process, but it's worked well enough so far. Then again, as Vala is quick to remind him, the cases that have been prosecuted before were minor ones at best compared to this.

Teal'c returns from his meeting a few minutes later, this time with his trusted ally Ka'lel in tow. The female Jaffa bows deeply to SG-1, smiling and insisting that she cannot thank them enough for coming at this difficult time. On behalf of the ISGC, Mitchell replies that they're happy to be of service, then turns to Teal'c and asks if the meeting accomplished anything. Sitting heavily in his chair, the Chancellor answers that the Progressive leadership is advocating a ruthless trial, one which will fragment and destroy the credibility of the Traditionalist Party as a whole. They see this as an opportunity to ensure they receive a vast majority of seats in the upcoming senatorial elections, and don't believe they'll ever have another chance quite like it.

Hearing this, Eaton's a bit confused; as she understands it, this has been Teal'c's dream since the very inception of the Free Jaffa Nation. Everything he's accomplished, from bringing his people to democracy to bringing them into the Alliance, has been opposed and fought every step of the way by the Traditionalists. He has the opportunity to ensure they will never again threaten to drag the Jaffa back to the dark ages, but he's hesitating, and she can't fully grasp why. Answering for him, Ka'lel explains that from a military sort of viewpoint, Eaton's analysis is exemplary, but this is not a battlefield. The Progressives have earned the trust of the Jaffa by being honest and fair, and using a trial of this magnitude for political purposes would destroy that bond that have spent the better part of the past decade cultivating. That is the opinion that she, Teal'c, and a minority of the Party share, but the rest don't see any reason to stand by and let the Traditionalists manipulate the trail themselves. It's a tricky game.

Thinking back on what he knows of the Jaffa judicial system, Daniel asks what rights the accused have to fall back on during the ordeal to better their defense. Teal'c gives a basic outline that sounds very similar the American system, but with one key difference. In this case, due to the nature of the offense committed, the senators on trial aren't just traitors against the Alliance. Because of what they did, they are traitors against the Jaffa Nation, its people, and everything they stand for. In a word, they are worse than mere criminals, they are shol'va. That is truly why he is having such a difficult time with having to preside over the hearing, as he will be hearing that name again for the first time in such a very long time. And for the first time, it's not being used against him, which is in itself something of a shock. For Teal'c, this is personal at the deepest level.

Halfway across the galaxy, another personal battle is erupting, this one far more likely to end badly. Samantha Carter is storming toward the active stargate at the ISGC when Talbot throws herself between the enraged Colonel and the Ancient device. Sam tells Danielle to get out of her way or she'll move her out of the way personally, but Talbot holds her ground. She apparently promised the Jaffa that she wouldn't let Carter anywhere near the trial, and she's not about to break a promise with an alien government spanning hundreds of worlds. The two of them awkwardly try and circle around one another, much to the amusement of the soldiers on duty, before Sam lunges forward only to have her arm caught by Talbot before she can make it to the event horizon. Pulling her friend back, Danielle pleads with Sam to leave this one to SG-1, but the Colonel just can't let it go. These senators played her, destroyed a priceless superweapon on her own ship, and then got extradited back home before she could so much as rant at them. There's just no way she's going to let them walk again without hearing a piece of her mind.

Laughing, Talbot assures Carter that she knows how she feels, but she of all people knows the dangers of letting angry military personnel act as judge, jury, and executioner; Colonel Makepeace proved all too well how that can end ("Against the Night"). Sam sighs, admitting that she knows she can't just barge in and punch out every one of those traitors, but it's a nice thought anyway. Laughing again, Talbot steers her back towards the staircase and says that if it's any consolation, she wouldn't mind throwing a few punches at them, either.

Meanwhile, SG-1 is standing off to the side of the Chancellor's podium in the Jaffa Senate chamber on Chulak, watching interestedly as the senators from the various planets file in to take their seats for the hearing. The larger delegations, of course, come from well-entrenched worlds such as Dakara and Dar Eshkalon, but there are rising stars here, too. Planets that were empty husks under the System Lords are growing influential and wealthy now that they have won their freedom. Vala can't help but be impressed at how far the Jaffa have come so quickly, turning in their staff weapons for politician robes so efficiently. Daniel agrees, remembering how many people doubted that the fledgling democracy would last, and yet here it is, by far the largest interstellar government in the entire galaxy.

The assembly quiets down as dictated by protocol when Teal'c enters, although there is a noticeable murmur from the Traditionalist portion of the room. Ka'lel, as the leader of the majority party, announces the Chancellor when he enters and proceeds to list the session's agenda, which will unsurprisingly be dominated by the trial.

When she has finished, she steps aside to allow Teal'c to address the Senate. Nodding in appreciation to SG-1, the Jaffa leader thanks the various senators for gathering when they would normally be in recess, but he reminds them that this is perhaps the most important meeting of the legislative body since its formation. For the first time, the Jaffa Nation must prosecute its own on a matter of the gravest seriousness. As he continues, a group of guards lead in the accused Traditionalists, five in total, who all hold their heads high with the sense of honor that has come to be expected of the Jaffa. The lead senator's face darkens visibly when he notices that SG-1 is present, and he brushes past the guard toward the Chancellor's podium to demand the Tau'ri be removed for the duration of the hearing.

His voice barely above a growl, Teal'c gruffly reminds the senator that if he did not want the Tau'ri to see him so shamed, he should have considered that before he committed an act of terrorism onboard their fleet's flagship. SG-1 will be allowed to stay as observers, and they will not be permitted to interject during the trial or act as prosecutors. That is his decision, and as Chancellor, that is how it shall be. The senator shakes his head in disgust, but does not protest further, allowing the Jaffa guards to guide him to the table where his other conspirators are already sitting, their hands bound by a Goa'uld device to prevent any attempt at escape.

(Beginning of "Shol'va," see next two posts for more.)

[s09119]

(More of "Shol'va," see previous post for beginning and next post for end.)

Spoiler:

The next few hours go by in a blur, with SG-1 watching various Jaffa legal officials make the case for the prosecution. They cite the constitution written and approved by the Senate, the Charter of the Alliance, common laws and codes of the galaxy at large, and various measures adopted during the Der'kal war heightening the power of the government to arrest and charge civilians for attempted subversion of the Nation. The evidence, primarily security camera footage from the Jupiter, is displayed for all the attending politicians to see, clearly implicating the Traditionalist senators beyond a shadow of a doubt. Any ongoing conversation ceases instantly when the recording reaches the destruction of Pandora's Box itself, and a distinct layer of apprehension fills the chamber. The Progressives glare angrily at their counterparts across the room, but otherwise the senators refrain from interrupting.

Now it is the defense's turn to plead their case, and the official representing the accused Traditionalists rises to address the assembly. He first bows deeply to Teal'c, then, rather surprisingly, turns to SG-1 and repeats the honorific. He thanks the "esteemed guests" for being here, and hopes that when all of this is done, they can put it behind them in terms of Earth-Jaffa relations. That said, he asks the Senate if the five accused persons are really guilty of anything; their civilization was at war for its very survival, and they believed that their actions would result in the continuity of their species and their way of life. Yes, while it may have violated the trust of the Tau'ri and destroyed a valuable weapon, the loss of Pandora's Box obviously did not cost the Alliance the war. The actions of the accused senators were taken for the betterment of the Jaffa Nation, and were no less noble than those taken by the great heroes of the rebellion against the Goa'uld.

Stepping towards Teal'c, he mentions the Chancellor himself as someone who should realize the truth of his statement. Should the Senate put him on trial for rising up and slaughtering countless thousands of Jaffa in the name of freedom? Should they dig up Bra'tac's corpse and accuse him of conspiring to destroy the government of the time? Had Gerak lived past his transformation into a Prior of the Ori ("The Fourth Horseman, Part 2"), would he be put on trial for his actions, even though they ultimately saved the Tau'ri from decimation? Shouting for order as the growing talking amongst the onlookers, Ka'lel orders the arbiter to remember that the purpose of this hearing is to determine the guilt of the accused, not to slander the names of fallen heroes. But he seizes on that point and goes on, reminding everyone that Gerak is now considered one of the great champions of the Ori Crusade, but at the time of his defection to the Ori cause, was he not thought of as a villain, a traitor?

The room begins to erupt with talking again, and the senators from both parties shift uncomfortably in the stands. The Traditionalists' arbiter opens his mouth to continue, but Teal'c suddenly intervenes, stepping down from his podium and walking slowly but purposefully toward him. Towering over the much younger Jaffa, Teal'c quietly reminds him that there is one small but vital difference between the men he has named and the senators who now stand accused of treason. In the end, each of the persons he brought up as "proof" committed an act of treason, yes, but they also repented for their actions. He and Bra'tac renounced dictatorial power after their victory at Dakara and paved the road for democracy. Gerak sacrificed his life so a noble ally might yet live. These men who stand here so assured of their innocence have yet to utter so much as a simply apology for their actions, or even acknowledge that what they did may have been deserving of punishment. Until they do that, they have no right to even mention the names they have in their defense.

Then he return to his podium and orders a recess for the next hour so everyone can eat, refresh, and otherwise prepare themselves for the second half of the trial. As the senators file out of the chamber, Teal'c makes his way past Ka'lel and the Progressives waiting to confer with him and joins SG-1 where they're sitting in the observer's section. Daniel asks how he's doing, and his former teammate replies that while he himself is alright, it's difficult to listen to this. Were Bra'tac still alive, he would be up in arms hearing his name used to justify terrorism like this, and Gerak, for all his faults, likewise deserves better treatment of his memory. Mitchell chimes in that the Senate will never clear them of the charges anyway, so as long as he can stomach hearing this for a little while longer, things will be fine. Nodding worriedly, Teal'c excuses himself and goes over to where members of his own Party stand, going over their strategy for the next part of the hearing. Stretching her legs, Eaton suggests they go report in while they have the free time, and Mitchell agrees, leading the four of them up and out into the hallway.

At the ISGC, Dr. Talbot looks over as one of the gate technicians announces an offworld activation and confirmation of SG-1's identification code just before Mitchell checks in via radio, informing his superior that the trial is proceeding smoothly, if somewhat tensely. Danielle reminds him that this is a Jaffa court they're talking about, and while she would never badmouth their allies, the Jaffa aren't exactly very familiar with the concept of resolving disputes in such a nonviolent way. A few years of small-scale hearings couldn't prepare them for a major case like treason, and she asks the team to just be patient and give Teal'c whatever he needs to get through this.

On the other end of the wormhole, Mitchell says they'll do their best and nods to Daniel to cut the connection. As the event horizon fizzles out, Vala notes that Talbot doesn't seem to have much faith in the Jaffa legal system, and she can't entirely blame her. Given that the entire Senate is scheming on how to use this trial to destroy the other Party, it doesn't seem like the outcome will actually have anything to do with what people think the accused deserve. Daniel agrees that this isn't the ideal atmosphere for a fair chance at justice, but they also have to keep in mind that this isn't Earth. This is an internal Jaffa matter, and no matter what they think of the proceedings, they don't have the right to do anything about it unless asked to. And given what's going on in the background, he highly doubts either side is going to give them a chance to normalize things.

Eaton remarks that she's just glad they finally have a mission where the most stressful thing they have to deal with his listening to people talk, a sentiment Vala is quick to echo. Checking his watch, Mitchell guesses that they should probably start heading back for the rest of the trial. While Daniel, Vala, and Eaton do some last minute browsing at the nearby market stalls, just gazes out at the sprawling city, shaking his head in disbelief. He starts to turn to gather up his team when he's suddenly and rudely bashed into by an adolescent Jaffa, a boy looking to be around 19 or 20 years of age. Mitchell grabs the boy's arm and turns him around, asking what that was all about, but the young man just sneers, telling him to get out of here before he gets hurt, pulling free, and rushing off into the crowd. Before he disappears, though, Cameron notes the golden armband he's wearing, remembering his encounter with growing gangs of anti-human Jaffa who wore similar bands several years ago ("Nightmares"). Confused, Mitchell tells the rest of his team to form up, staring into the masses within the plaza and wondering what that was supposed to mean.

They arrive back in the Senate chamber just in time for another round of evidence presentation and expert testimony. There are several rounds of that before the prosecution again has its turn to make its case, and this time, they come out swinging. Like the defense referencing the heroes of the rebellion against the Goa'uld, they now compare the accused to the great villains of that struggle, painting them in the same light as traitors such as Ronan, the Jaffa who attempted to assassinate Bra'tac and strand SG-1 on Proclarush Taonas ("Lost City, Part 2"). They did nothing to advance the cause of their race, and instead, removed a weapon that could have ended the war against the Der'kal much sooner. He goes so far as to blame them for the Nox ultimately sacrificing themselves at Velieris ("Pyrrhus"), arguing that had the Alliance still had possession of Pandora's Box, the mass suicide would never have been necessary to blunt the alien advance.

At length, the prosecution rests, giving the defense their chance to make one final argument. The arbiter stands and adjusts his robes, slowly taking stock of all the senators waiting intently to hear what he has to say. The other civilians watching alongside SG-1 in the observer section seem most-intrigued, not having any knowledge of the political machinations going on behind the scenes, and they lean forward in anticipation. The defense representative again looks to engage Teal'c directly and paces in front of the Chancellor's podium, asking the Jaffa Nation's leader to think about what he's asking these accused senators to admit. He wants them to come forward and say that it was wrong to do what they believed they had to secure the sovereignty and continued existence of their society. And before and prosecutor can object to his phrasing, he explains;

When the Free Jaffa Nation came into being, they were in possession of the single most-powerful weapon the galaxy had ever known. Dakara housed an Ancient device capable of shredding entire armies in seconds, whole fleets in less than a minute, and nothing could stand in its way. Their friends from Earth, however, tried to force them to give up the device, fearing that if it remained in Jaffa hands, it would lead to their dominating the other races of the Milky Way. Now, in this case, a group of Jaffa did the same; Earth controlled a weapon that could level any force that challenged it, and no one could have stood in the way of the Tau'ri if they chose to use it for conquest. How is what these senators did worse than what the ISGC attempted to do? Yes, they did not directly destroy the Dakara device, but does anyone really doubt that Earth would have intervened eventually? This is hypocrisy of the highest degree, and if Teal'c truly wants to speak of nobility, he must see that truth.

Mitchell lets his attention drift a little and he glances over to the other spectator seating area on the opposite side of the room. Something interesting immediately catches his eye; one of the observers has a partially-covered golden armband on his arm, and Cameron, looking over the person's face, realizes that it's the same young man who ran into him earlier in the stargate plaza. He starts to ask Rebbecca if she notices anything suspicious about the youth, but then the Jaffa leaps over the railing and down onto the floor of the Senate, startling the defensive arbiter and causing guards to move toward him at once.

With a cry of "Arik tree-ac te kek!" (which Daniel rapidly translates as "We do not surrender, even in death!"), the youth rips off his robes, revealing a small naquadah bomb. Eyes widening, Mitchell and Jackson pull down Eaton and Vala, respectively, and closer to the event itself, Teal'c turns to shield Ka'lel and a few other Progressive leaders as the bomb detonates...

[s09119]

(End of "Shol'va," see previous two posts for beginning.)

Spoiler:

Several hours later, the Senate has reconvened inside the city hall, and things have grown considerably more complicated. The suicide attack caused extensive damage to the interior of the Senate building, but there were few casualties thanks to the limited amount of naquadah in the bomb itself. That said, not everyone escaped unhurt; several guards were caught in the blast, a handful of observers died, and, most shockingly, the arbiter for the defense was pierced by flying shrapnel and killed. The Progressives insist that the trial must continue immediately, as the full compliment of senators remains able to cast their vote, and only a change of venue is required to go on. The Traditionalists, on the other hand, argue that since the defense arbiter was killed, it is unfair to finish the hearing until a new attorney can be appointed.

Watching from behind the makeshift Chancellor's podium, SG-1, all unharmed except for a few scratches, listen as Teal'c addresses the nervous senators with a compromise. He says that during these last few hours, he has thought long and hard about what has transpired. A group of anti-human Jaffa have taken responsibility for the attack, wanting to take the opportunity to kill the "human-loving" Progressive leadership and SG-1 all at once. Mitchell mutters that they should have pressed for those gangs to be reigned in before they did something this, but what's done is done. In any case, Teal'c declares that the Nation will not be derailed by such acts of terror, and he refuses to let this throw off the proceedings. Indeed, he will act as arbiter for the defense in light of the death of the original official.

Ka'lel, stunned, pulls Teal'c aside and asks what he thinks he's doing, but he shrugs his longtime friend off, saying that this is something his conscience tells him he must do. Speaking to a shellshocked Senate, not to mention a very confused SG-1, Teal'c concedes that perhaps he was wrong. These senators broke every code of honor and every law they could in doing what they did, but did he not do the same in bringing down the System Lords? They had a legitimate fear and they acted on it, and he cannot cast that aside without doubting his own actions in the process. Though he would never claim the Traditionalist cause is more worthy than his own, he now understands that the men on trial did not hold their heads high in arrogance or disrespect, but in an honest belief that they did the right thing. By the definition of the law, they are as guilty as any other criminal, but by the definition of Jaffa honor, perhaps the law is incorrect.

Returning to the podium, Teal'c formally closes debate, asking Ka'lel to begin polling the senators for their vote. Although still in shock, she complies, and the long series of "guilty"s and "not guilty"s begins. SG-1 watches, all four members struggling to figure out what just happened, as the votes are tallied up. When it's all over, the decision is clear; the accused are guilty, though the majority finding them so is significantly smaller than what was expected from the onset. Under Jaffa law, that means that their sentence will be commuted to reflect the barely-passed indictment. In political terms, this is an unprecedented event, as the tally shows that most of the Traditionalists ended up voting "guilty," and most of the Progressives wound up casting a "not guilty" vote. Considering the extreme numerical advantage the Progressives enjoy, no one could have predicted this.

When all's said and done, Teal'c comes down from the stand in silence, and SG-1 gets up to speak with him. Mitchell immediately says that he's only not going into a tirade because the vote still labels the senators as guilty, but he'd still like to know why Teal'c defended people who did something as insane, illegal, and self-defeating as what they did. His friend explains that he went into this fully intending to declare their guilt, and he did just that, voting "guilty" when the time came. But the more he thought it over, the more he decided that there was some measure of redemption to what they had done. And had the situation been reversed, had SG-1 destroyed a priceless weapon in Jaffa hands for the supposed greater good, would Earth not expect them to waive the charges and move on?

He came to see a distinct difference between the actions of the accused and the actions of the young man who blew himself up in the Senate hall. The former committed an act of treason doing what they believed would save their people, harming no one in the process. The latter killed innocent people to incite fear and terror and divide two races who had for so long relied on one another. These were not the same mindsets or the same goals, and that deserved to be articulated. In any event, it hardly matters. This was a symbolic gesture, and the senators will still be punished accordingly. He does not expect them to understand, but he does expect them to respect his decision, if not as a former teammate, then as a head of state. Bowing deeply, Teal'c says that, as always, it is good to see his friends, but for now he must go placate his Progressive allies. With one final nod of farewell, he departs.

Taking their own cue to leave, SG-1 makes for the exit of the hall to head back to the stargate. As they walk out into the sun again, Vala says that she really can't believe that just happened, and that the rest of the Alliance will likely be appalled when they learn about this. Not so sure, Daniel turns to the others and reminds them that at least one member race may not see it so critically, and points out, as a wise man once told him, that "your way is not the only way" ("The Nox"). Contemplating that for a long moment, Mitchell just sighs and jokes that at least they still know one thing for certain; Sam's going to explode when she hears about the hearing's final moments. With something new to think about, the team makes for the gate.

[AVFan]

Not the most action in the world, but still a really good episode. I like what you did with this one- I think there are compelling arguments on both sides of the trial. I went into this episode with the notion that the senators were guilty without a doubt, but I come out not so sure of that.

Very nice job s09.