Continuing Stargate

[Crazy Tom]

The Alpha site was destroyed in "trial by Fire" non?

[Apollo214]

will we see a return of the acheans?

(Im not sure if i spelled that right,The Grace Aliens)

[s09119]

will we see a return of the acheans?

(Im not sure if i spelled that right,The Grace Aliens)

The "Grace" aliens will see a reappearance, yes

[Shinto-Male]

bump

[Shinto-Male]

in a future episode visit the derkal homeworld

[95_supra]

so around when is the next episode coming out E.G this week, next week or the week after that

it is getting very very good

[s09119]

14x17 "Pandora's Box"
Synopsis: SG-1 travels to a hidden world to recover a mythical Ancient weapon that could end the war with the Der'kal once and for all.

Spoiler:

((45 second recap of "Pandora," "The Time Traveler," and "Final Exam"))

In the skies above M35-117, a puddle jumper dives in and out of the clouds, spiraling through the thick layers of water vapor miles above the ocean below. As it executes a perfect barrel-roll, the craft suddenly drops through the covering and heads toward the breathtaking city below; Atlantis, the lost metropolis of the Ancients.

Inside, Dr. Radek Zelenka watches the jumper flash by, smiling at the Lantean gateship before turning back to his laptop, which is perched on top of an Ancient computer console inside Pandora's lab. Ever since Major Lorne and Rodney McKay stumbled upon the chamber a year before ("Pandora"), they've been going over every inch of it to try and unlock more of the Ancient scientist's secrets. Thus far, though, their progress has been slow. Suddenly, Radek's head jerks up, and his face lights up with an idea. Unplugging his laptop, he grabs his radio and shouts for Rodney to meet him elsewhere in the city, then runs out the door.

Several levels down, and farther out on a pier, McKay is anxiously tapping his foot outside of Janus' hidden lab ("First Contact"), radioing Zelenka as to what this is all about. Just in time, the Czech tears around the corner and grabs Rodney, pulling them both into the secret room. Still confused, Rodney watches as his colleague powers up the computers, jacks in his laptop, and begins typing furiously. The monitors start to flash with Ancient writing, but Radek won't explain until he finally reaches a page with only a single line of text.

McKay demands to know what's going on, and Zelenka tells him to translate the sentence. According to what he knows, it says, "And so the light fades from the sky." When Rodney still doesn't get it, Radek pulls up the sentence that remained when he accidentally deleted all of Pandora's files last year. That phrase was, "The sky darkens as the sun sinks below the waves." At first, each seems meaningless, and both were disregarded. But put together, it's clear that there is a connection between them. McKay asks what it means, though, pointing out that just saying, "The sky darkens..." won't give them any great revelation... and then watches as Janus' files open up completely, with a single file flashing at the top of the screen. Perplexed, and stunned that the voice command alone was all they needed, Radek opens the file, revealing an image of a golden, spherical device of some sort; Pandora's Box.

Some time later, SG-1 and Danielle Talbot are gathered in the control room, talking to Dr. McKay via an incoming wormhole from Atlantis. He explains that he and Radek have discovered what appears to be the gate address of a planet where Pandora hid her weapon, and is in the process of uploading the relevant files to the ISGC's computers now. When Vala asks how they managed to find all this data, the team is briefed on the plethora of database entires they unlocked. Obviously, Pandora and Janus did more than just mentor one another; they shared every scrap of research together, including their files on their most precious inventions and ideas. In this case, Pandora uploaded her network of secret facilities for the construction and refinement of the Box to her colleague's computer banks, and with the passcode they have, they now have access to the same information.

Carter thanks Rodney for getting this to them ASAP, and the Atlantis scientist says it was no problem at all, he just wishes them luck in their search, adding that he's taken the liberty of transcribing the address into Milky Way glyphs, allowing them to gate directly from Earth. And with that, he nods once in farewell and motions for the gate to be disconnected. Looking over the data they've received, Talbot tells the team to go prep for offworld travel immediately; unlike the debacle with the lost Furling fleet ("Lost and Found"), she has no intention of giving the Der'kal even an hour to come up with the same intelligence.

Speaking of the aliens, a massive battle group of enemy ships are in orbit over Ankgor, the once-proud but now-devastated fortress world of the Jaffa. The entire surface has been blackened and burnt, and it looks as though dust and debris still clog the air from the massive bombardment the Der'kal inflicted to eradicate any trace of the Agent One virus ("Total War"). Onboard one of the larger cruisers, a single te'kal (high officer answerable only to the supreme leader of the empire) stands before a top-down holographic map of the galaxy, which would seem to be operating in real-time, complete with miniature animations of battles being waged against the Alliance at that very instant. Suddenly, the door to the chamber opens, and the te'kal turns to see a duo of warriors enter. The soldiers explain that "the procedure" is about to begin, and that his presence is requested by the command crew of this particular ship. Intrigued, and looking quite pleased with this news, the higher-ranking alien shuts down the holomap and follows the warriors from the room...

Back on Earth, the gate has been dialed for M36-119, the Pegasus planet which McKay says Pandora's Box is hidden on. SG-1 stands in the gate room, watching as the eighth symbol spins up and locks into place. The kawoosh shoots out and stabilizes, and a M.A.L.P. is sent through to check the world for safety. Unfortunately, the probe's reports and camera show that this is a spacegate, and they'll need to take a jumper to collect it and make their way down to the surface itself.

Almost at once, though, Mitchell spots a problem; the M.A.L.P. isn't picking up any planet in the area. And indeed, when the camera is rotated, there's no such thing in sight... this stargate seems to be sitting in the middle of nowhere. Perplexed, Carter shouts for the technicians on-duty to transfer the probe's scans up to the control room computers, and rushes up there herself to investigate. After several minutes of searching and typing, Sam sees something strange, pointing out a barely-registering number of exotic particles in the area that shouldn't be there. When Daniel asks why it's so weird, Carter explains that these specific energy readings are consistent with the use of phase-shift technology. And if she's right, Pandora actually shifted the entirety of M36-119 to another dimension altogether.

A short time after that revelation, a puddle jumper comes through the spacegate near 119, with SG-1 inside. Resting on Vala's lap is Merlin's phase-shifting device ("Arthur's Mantle"), which Carter plans to use to take them into a parallel dimension so they can interact with the unreachable planet. Typing into a small laptop she's brought with her, Sam analyzes the exotic particles in the immediate area to determine exactly how she'll need to set the Ancient tool to make sure they're in the correct plane, then activates it when she thinks she's got it. The effect is immediate; a snow and ice-covered world appears directly in front of the gateship, and an overjoyed Daniel shouts in triumph. Smiling, Sam brings the craft in for a closer look at the planet they've found.

Flying through the clouds into the subzero temperatures of the planet, Vala comments that this is an odd place to hide something, even for an Ancient, but Daniel thinks Pandora hoped the natural hostility of the environment would keep anyone who could un-phase the planet (if anyone ever could) from being able to discern the location of the Box's precise location. Thanks to Janus' files, though, Sam can pinpoint the area where the facility should be, and after a few minutes, they set down adjacent to a large Lantean complex built into the mountainside.

Breaking out their weapons, SG-1 leaves the jumper and braves the biting cold and stinging winds, running a few meters to the entrance of the complex and waiting for Carter to slice the door. Once open, they all pile inside, sealing the opening behind them and sighing in relief as lights and temperature control systems come online. Looking around, Daniel remarks that this place looks very similar to other Ancient outposts or settlements in Pegasus, and hopefully it will have a similar sort of layout.

Together, they make their way down a long corridor that leads underground, and Mitchell wonders why such a big place was needed to store such a small thing. Vala guesses it's just a precaution, then stops to examine a strange, sphere-shaped bulge in the nearest wall. She asks Sam what it is, then jumps back as a head-like protrusion extends from the sphere, glaring up at the team. Before anyone can react, the thing sprouts two arms and legs, moving parts of itself around until it no longer resembles a ball, but an android very similar to Kull warrior. As it begins to materialize a weapon from more of itself, SG-1 opens fire on it with their P90s, and the bullets tear through the casing as if it were made of paper. Destroyed, the hulk falls over with a thud.

Intrigued by Pandora's choice of defenses, and surprised they were so easy to overcome, Carter suggests they get moving deeper into the facility; they may be the ones the Box was meant for, but the Lantean scientist clearly was not taking any chances with unworthy humans getting their hands on it. Now waey of the possibility of more attacks, the team keep their weapons at the ready and descend into the base.

In the Milky Way, still over Ankgor, the te'kal from earlier has arrived inside a small laboratory onboard his cruiser. Inside are several warriors, as well has a dozen-or-so members of the ship's command staff, all looking on with interest at the figure standing in the center of the room, back turned to them. Slowly, the figure turns, revealing a female Der'kal. From past experiences with them ("The Station"), it is known that females of the alien species are held in a strange mix of awe and disgust by the males, being trusted with highly-sensitive tasks, highly intelligent, and extremely deadly in combat. This one is looked upon with extreme reverence, indicating her position may rival that of the te'kal himself.

The female says that she is ready to accept the task of "taming the creature," then slowly begins to remove her clothing one article at a time. She unholsters her energy pistol and hands it to a nearby warrior, instructing him to shoot her if she is to be "overcome." The alien warrior nods solemnly, then steps back, raising the pistol to fire if need be. The te'kal, interested, nods to several other aliens near the door, and they leave for a moment. When they re-enter, they're carrying a large tank of some kind, with a familiar looking creature contained within...

(Start of "Pandora's Box," see next post for more.)

[s09119]

(End of "Pandora's Box," see previous post for start.)

Spoiler:

Back in Pegasus, SG-1 is entering a chamber resembling a control room of some kind in Pandora's facility, complete with flickering screens showing a layout of the base and technical readouts from different systems. While Daniel and Mitchell watch the door for more guard drones, Carter powers up the mainframe and tries to find a way to figure out which section the Box is in, deactivating the phase-shift device keeping the planet in an alternate dimension in the process.. Unfortunately, all the information is encoded, and it'll take some time to crack the ciphers in place.

Just as she opens up a decoding algorithm, though whitish-gold energy blasts begin shooting through the doorway, slamming into equipment and narrowly missing Carter herself. Daniel and Mitchell turn to see two drones approaching, wrist-mounted weapons at the ready, and open fire with their P90s. Shockingly, though, the bullets seem to have no effect on their armor this time around, and the robots advance on SG-1's position. Shocked, Vala asks what in the world's going on, and Carter grabs her own gun, not knowing just yet and joining the shoot-out. When the drones are nearly on top of them, Cameron gets a lucky shot in, knocking one down. But with the other still coming strong, Sam shouts for them to fall back, and they rush into a new section of the base, abandoning the control room.

After running down several more hallways, the team finally stops, out of breath. Daniel asks how the drones were able to suddenly become immune to their weapons, considering they only had an hour since their first encounter. Sam admits she doesn't know, but guesses that they're all networked together, and the experiences of one are transferred to another. It's theoretically possible that Pandora developed a flexible alloy that could reform itself as it encountered new weapon types, upgrading all the robots simultaneously to be unaffected by their foes. That would mean that projectile weapons are now useless, and the P90s won't be of any more help.

Exasperated, Mitchell points out that they need to get back to the control room to figure out where the Box is. Unfortunately, though, there doesn't seem to be any way for them to strike back against the drones, not without greater firepower. Then Daniel has an idea, and pulls out a zat, saying that the robots have only adapted to bullets... not the unique energy pulse of zat'nik'atel. If they charge the control room using only zats, it should give them enough time to find what they need. Carter agrees, and they swap weapons and head out.

In the control room, five drones are taking up guard positions when a zat shot spirals into the room and slams into one of them, stunning it and taking it offline. The team runs up to the doorway, zats in hand and firing, taking out two more before they have time to react. Apparently analyzing the humans' tactics, though, the two remaining robots begin retreating into the opposite hallway, firing at the ground near SG-1's feet to keep them from advancing after them. While Vala, Daniel, and Mitchell try to make their way forward to continue the attack, Sam slides into the main computer console and hurriedly continues decrpyting, hoping to crack the code.

Meanwhile, in other areas of the base, more drones are being brought online to deal with the growing threat of the human intruders, with dozens of robots prying themselves from the walls and heading toward other locations...

As Sam frantically searches the database for what they need, Mitchell wonders why the drones are taking so long to regroup and attack again, and that's when Daniel notices an exterior monitor displaying their jumper parked outside. On the screen (one of several security devices, no doubt), the gateship can be seen resting in a few inches of snow as a single drone suddenly walks up to it from inside the facility. Then another joins it. And a third, and a fourth... and more and more until almost a dozen have gathered around the Ancient craft. Mitchell asks what they're doing, and the answer comes almost at once as they open fire on it. Then two large defense turrets extend from the sides of the base, and they swivel to face the jumper. Vala shouts for Carter to do something, and Sam struggles to override the defense controls, but it's no good; the turrets fire, blowing massive holes in the ship until it explodes, taking their only escape, and Merlin's phase-shift device, with it.

As if to add to the trouble, that's when the renewed drone assault arrives, this time with over a dozen robots attacking the control room from two directions. And now, unfortunately, both P90s and zats have lost their effectiveness, and Pandora's creations are facing no resistance at all as they march into the chamber. Luckily, Sam manages to pull up the map she needs just then, and downloads it into an Ancient scanner she pulls from her belt. With that, she calls for the team to fall back the third and final hallway, but not before yanking out a few packets of C4 and tossing them back into the control room. As they round the corner, she hits the detonator, hopefully blowing up a good number of the drones before they can adapt to high explosives.

Skidding into another hallway, the team continues their mad dash, with Carter trying to orient herself so they can find the Box and get out of here before they're killed. Seeing that they need to take a turn, Sam leads SG-1 around a bend, but two drones stand guard at the next doorway! As they open fire, Mitchell shouts that they need to find another way, and Carter replies that there's a transporter one level down that they can use. Knowing it's only a matter of time before they'll be surrounded, they move out.

On Earth, Talbot is growing worried that SG-1 has yet to check-in. She asks the nearby technician to dial M36-119, and he does so. As soon as the wormhole is established, Danielle taps her radio and asks if everything's okay. When she receives no response, she turns to one of the officers standing in the hallway and orders him to go gather SGs 4 and 7 for a recovery mission, and to meet her in the jumper bay in fifteen minutes.

In the Pegasus Galaxy, SG-1 piles out of the transporter, having managed to evade Pandora's drones, and moves toward the central chamber that Sam says houses the Box. They reach the door and key it open, entering a room filled with computer monitors and read-out screens. And in the center, placed upon a delicately-shaped pedestal, is a golden sphere; Pandora's Box, the weapon that could end the war once and for all.

The team surrounds it, unable to believe that they're actually here at last, and Daniel reaches out to stroke its surface... which immediately causes it to begin glowing, pulsating with golden-white light. As if in response, drones appear in the doorway, firing on the exposed team and grazing Mitchell's leg with an energy blast. With all their weapons now useless, and no idea how the Box operates, they take cover as dozens and dozens of robots crowd in, firing on the little cover SG-1 has. There's no escape.

Suddenly, the ceiling blasts apart, showing pieces of metal everywhere. Two more explosions open a massive hole revealing a tunnel dug via drones (the weapon kind) from the surface, and a puddle jumper carrying SG-3 and SG-7. They've come to extract the team, but they need to get out now. Carter shouts that they have the Box, and the SG-3 team leader lowers the ship so that it's inside the room, then begins firing off drones at Pandora's robots. Swaths of them are taken out by the energy missiles, but they slowly begin to do less and less damage... and finally, the drones just blast brilliantly off their armor, completely ineffective.

The team goes to board the jumper and escape before the now-invulnerable enemies can finish the job, with Daniel carrying the Box under his arm, pulsing ever-faster and with greater intensity. Vala shouts that they need to do something, and Jackson shouts, "We need it to fire!" Almost at once, the sphere glows red, and Daniel shouts as it scalds his hands with swirls of light. It rolls back into the mass of drones, unreachable, but Mitchell says to forget it; they need to go now, before they get stranded.

Unbelieving they came so close and now have to abandon it, SG-1 gets into the jumper as it shoots up out of the hole it dug, spiraling for the orbital stargate. They dial Atlantis so they can get there and gate to Earth, but just before they enter the wormhole, Carter notices a massive energy spike; the Box is emitting a high-graviton field that's literally twisting the planet apart. Within seconds, the entire thing cracks open, sending burning masses of earth in every direction, including at the jumper. With the true power of the weapon revealed, the humans escape through the stargate just in time.

Later, Talbot laments the loss of the Box, but admits that it may end up being for the best; if it was truly as powerful as SG-1 claims, perhaps it was a weapon that no one, regardless of intentions, should have at their disposal. Either way, the war effort will continue without it, and she tells the team to go wash up and get some rest to be ready for the next emergency. When Mitchell asks why they can't just send a jumper back to the planet to grab the device anyway, Talbot sadly informs them that they can no longer get a lock on the stargate; most likely, speeding chunks of the exploding planet knocked it too far out of position for the same eight symbols to get them there, and with the Der'kal stepping up their attacks on Alliance space, no ships can be spared. For now, it's out of reach.

Over Ankgor, far away from and unaware of Earth's failure to retrieve the ultimate weapon, the Der'kal female reaches into the tank that has been brought for her and pulls out a symbiote, squealing and thrashing as it is removed from its container. She turns to the other aliens in the chamber and declares that she, Lor'al, will now become the living vessel of her peoples' victory over the infidels, giving them everything they need to destroy the Alliance once and for all. Then she holds the symbiote to her neck and forces it to burrow inside, not blinking at all at the pain. She closes her eyes and grunts, then finally cries out as the creature settles around her spinal column. Her eyes open and flash yellow for a second, and when she speaks again, she has the traditional voice of one living with a symbiote, saying she has done it, and even now is experiencing all the knowledge of the creature she has forced to blend with her... all the secrets the Alliance has been trying to hide.

And deep inside her own mind, trapped now within this alien, Anise screams out in despair...

[s09119]

And for anyone who reads Stargate: Horizon, please enjoy the (completely allowed and agreed upon by Alex Rubit) nod to their show in this episode

[Talus]

Only one thing to do...

[Crazy Tom]

Ok, what kind of genious makes a wepon that can only be used once, be armed anddetonatd in seconds by somebody wihtout the gene, and leaves no bloody blueprints.

I'm dissapointed.

[s09119]

Ok, what kind of genious makes a wepon that can only be used once, be armed anddetonatd in seconds by somebody wihtout the gene, and leaves no bloody blueprints.

I'm dissapointed.

Okay...

1. It can be used more than once. I never said the device itself was destroyed, did I?

2. A good weapon would be able to be armed and set off very quickly, wouldn't it?

3. The gene was a safeguard so only Ancients could use things; Pandora built the Box specifically for her people or humans to use in their own defense.

4. It was in a lab. There were probably blueprints all over the place, not to mention in her lab on Atlantis.

[Crazy Tom]

Okay...

1. It can be used more than once. I never said the device itself was destroyed, did I?

Tabot seemed to think so, I can't imagine why you woudn't even send some jumpers with senstitive equipemnt straped on, who knows, they might get lucky.

2. A good weapon would be able to be armed and set off very quickly, wouldn't it?

Generaly blowing up a planet requires a little more foresight and some kind of "crap, nononono, don't explode, I didn't man to press it" safeguard.

3. The gene was a safeguard so only Ancients could use things; Pandora built the Box specifically for her people or humans to use in their own defense.

The droids seem to point in another direction...

4. It was in a lab. There were probably blueprints all over the place, not to mention in her lab on Atlantis.

Point taken. I was assuming it was one use. Blueprints would have made more sense in that case.

[Apollo214]

Cool Episode, the ending was especially interesting

[jonos101]

And for anyone who reads Stargate: Horizon, please enjoy the (completely allowed and agreed upon by Alex Rubit) nod to their show in this episode

I got it.