Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill Ship Discussion Thread

[siles]

We don't ever find out who she's with in that AU. I'd like to think it's Jack as well!

JM who wrote the episode is a shipper too and confirmed that SAm was with Jack in that AU on his blog.

[Sparky She-Demon]

True, true

I'm enjoying this discussion a lot!

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

ORIGINAL U.S. AIR DATE - 08.11.00
WRITTEN BY - Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY - Martin Wood

Summary

SG-1 prepares to visit a new world, one they hope will be a suitable place to relocate the Enkaran population. (who we will finally meet in a later Season four episode). But as the Stargate is dialed, the seventh and final chevron fails to lock into place. All diagnostics indicate that the gate is working fine, and that there is no reason why it should fail. Carter discovers that the base power logs indicate an energy spike about eight minutes before they attempted to dial -- similar to when Maybourne's rogue Stargate team used the second Stargate recovered from Antarctica. Seismic activity in Siberia, Russia precisely corresponds with the energy spike, confirming that the Russians have a Stargate.

After confronting the Russian government, Hammond reports his findings to SG-1: the Russians recovered the alpha Stargate from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. swept the area where Thor's ship went down ("Nemesis"), and concluded that the gate must have been destroyed. The Russian navy, however, was on alert after the country discovered the Asgard ship in Earth's orbit. They recovered the gate. The Russian government has been divided on whether or not to commission a Stargate program of their own. Now, the gate has been connected to another world and cannot be closed. The Russian president was prepared to order the base bombed and the program covered up; but a scientist, Dr. Svetlana Markov, convinced the government to allow SG-1 into Siberia with her to try and find another solution.

The team meets up with Dr. Markov at Kuybyshev Airbase, and learn that she knows far more about them and about the S.G.C. than she should. She explains that their Stargate program has been in operation for 37 days, with Markov as second in command to General Sakalov. They were able to activate the Stargate so quickly because they have the D.H.D. -- missing from the Giza dig where the Stargate was discovered in 1928, but recovered from the Germans after World War II. The five of them fly to Siberia, and parachute in. The base is quiet and dark, and the team soon discovers that all 47 of the people assigned to the project are dead. Some were shot;others died when the commanding officer enacted the extreme measures protocol and gassed the facility.

But the Stargate remains connected to a water planet (where the gate on the other side is entirely submerged), despite the fact that it has no apparent power source (the extreme measures protocol cut its connection to the D.H.D.). The Russians had captured a water sample from the planet, though Dr. Markov was recalled to Moscow before she could examine it. The base officials were under orders not to touch the sample until she returned. SG-1 must find a way to shut down the outgoing wormhole. Otherwise, they cannot use their own Stargate -- and seven S.G.C. teams will remain stranded offworld.

Markov explains that the water sample -- now missing from the containment area -- exhibited incredible energy properties (giving off energy in the form of heat). Carter theorizes that the Stargate may be drawing energy from the water on the other side to maintain the wormhole. Because a Russian probe on the other side has been transmitting a constant signal back through the gate, it hasn't shut down. Markov, Carter and Jackson take a mini-submarine through the gate to the water planet, in order to capture the drone and shut it off. They succeed, and the Stargate deactivates. But when they move the sub to investigate nearby ruins (and thereby try to solve the mystery of why everyone in the Russian base is dead), the sub becomes stuck. The engines blow, and Dr. Markov sets about repairing them.

Back on Earth, O'Neill and Teal'c continue to search the base for survivors. Inside a freezer, they find the person responsible for leaking top secret information on the S.G.C. to the Russians: it is Colonel Maybourne, frozen solid. They thaw him out, and discover that, miraculously, he is still alive. When O'Neill and Teal'c refuse to let him get to the Stargate, a gaseous life form leaves him and enters Teal'c. Maybourne explains his involvement in the Russian program to O'Neill, and what they discovered: the water isn't water at all -- it is a collection of millions of intelligent, microscopic life forms. They are trying to get home. The soldiers in the base tried to stop them, even shooting many of the scientists. It was chaos. The alien life forms inside Maybourne forced him into the freezer to avoid the nerve gas released by Colonel Sakalov, and kept him alive. O'Neill follows Teal'c and tries to stop him from going through the gate and killing himself, but Teal'c throws him aside and continues toward the gate room.

On the submarine, Dr. Markov repairs the engine -- but still, the sub will not move. As the pressure around them increases, the glass window shatters. Instead of filling the sub, though, the alien life forms create a solid wall of "water" where the window was. Daniel puts his hand into the water, believing the aliens just want to understand them. But he, and Markov and Carter, are soon pulled into the water. Teal'c enters the gate room and dials the water planet. The alien leaves his body, and escapes through the gate, leaving him alive. Moments later, the Stargate reactivates and Carter, Jackson and Markov come flying through.

It was, Jack speculates, an exchange of hostages.

Favorite Scenes

• Jack is being somewhat of a Jackass about his male bravado to kick in right about now when dealing with a iced over run way and having to jump out of the plane and how Markov said she read his file and jack mentions about how it didn’t mention anything about his “bravado”.
• Jack mentioning to “shoot” Markov if she mentions the word “classified again”.
• The Water planet and the submersible.
• The return of Good Ole Harry Maybourne.
• Daniel finally admitting to hanging around Jack O'Neill too much when he asks about the Swiss Sub.

Favorite Lines

Markov: We're going to have to jump.
Out of the plane?
Markov: I'm going with or without you, Colonel.
I suppose you expect my manly bravado to kick in right about now.
Markov: I've read your file.
No mention of bravado, eh?

(during the pre-jump scene)
Markov: I assume you've brought haz-mat.
[O'Neill looks at her and speaks sarcastically.]
Yeah, we thought somebody should be prepared.
[Markov looks at Carter in frustration.]
Markov: Is he always like this?
Actually, this is quite charming.

(when finding Maybourne in the Russian base)
Holy Frozen Bad Guys.

If I ask what and you say it's classified…I'm going to shoot ya!

General Analysis

I really enjoy earth-based episodes and especially when the episode deals with consequences right here in our backyard. I like how O'Neill remarks that he has never been in a submarine before, apparently playing into Svetlana's "Russian humor," since both parties know that he was aboard a Russian submarine in Season 4 episode "Small Victories" which events, if not counting the whole “spending three months in a time loop” fiasco was apparently just over two months prior.
The whole water/mist coming alive reminded me a lot of the movie “The Abyss”.
According to the DVD commentaries, the actual ending of the show where O'Neill proposes that the two races had just exchanged hostages was not the intended ending, which is why the episode appears to end so abruptly.
This episode also deals with Harry Maybourne and where he went after the events of “Shades of Grey”. I wonder why Harry was selling information to the Russians and this (along with other things) is why when we see him again in “Chain Reaction”, he is in prison.

I also enjoyed seeing another Star Trek Alumni (Marina Sirtis) on the show.

Overall Rating: 3/5 gates.

Jack & Sam

Not really that much “shippy scenes” as this was more a Team-oriented episode but one scene has Markov complaining about Jack’s personality and Sam says She finds it quite "charming".

[AmberLM]

He does wear a uniform so well! I don't really get the fireman thing lol but Fireman Jack could rescue me from a burning building any day !

The whole "Fireman Sam" thing cracks me up from the Changeling

(FYI if you don't know, "Fireman Sam" is a British kids animated TV show about a red-headed Welsh fireman, his village and his fire station crew (Elvis the chef, Volunteer fireman Trevor, Station Master Steele, Bella Lasagna the cafe owner and her cat Rosa, Sam's niece and nephew James and Sarah, the local brat and his mother, Norman and Dilys and the token female, Firefighter Penny - who kinda looks like Carter lol)



"Sam is the hero next door!" Lol



Station Officer Steele, Fireman Sam/Penny, Elvis the chef and Auxilliary Fireman Trevor *ahem* sorry, Jack, Sam, Jonas and Teal'c!

[AmberLM]

Excellent review, LCJS! Jack annoys me a bit in this ep, he's so whiny!

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

Excellent review, LCJS! Jack annoys me a bit in this ep, he's so whiny!

not really, he just hates being stonewalled.

[Sparky She-Demon]

Haven't gotten to this episode just yet! Good review though!

[IamDKScully]

Nice review, Colonel!

[dipsofjazz]

Personally I don't think Martouf spent enough time with Sam to grow to love her for her. Loving someone for who they truly are takes time, especially with that kind of baggage. He would've also had to have taken the time to get past Jolinar.

I think he believed he loved Sam but if I were Sam I would never be sure.

They do make one hell of a hot couple though lol! Their combined hotness would be almost too much for the universe to handle! (Sorry, Jack, you're gorgeous too but Marty is a work of art - like the difference between a Jaguar XK140 roadster (Ryan Phillipe's Cruel Intentions car) and an Aston Martin DB9 (James Bond's car in Casino Royale) - one is the attractive, timeless vintage model, one is the hot, young cool kid in town) (

I have to disagree with you. Jack is The Man. Marty is a pretty boy with teeth that blind me...


My eyes! My eyes!

[hedwig]

I have to disagree with you. Jack is The Man. Marty is a pretty boy with teeth that blind me...http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/dipsofjazz/Stargate-misc-smilies/MartoufSmiley.gif


My eyes! My eyes!

I find myself agreeing with this. I can't think of anyone who would equal Jack.

[AmberLM]

I have to disagree with you. Jack is The Man. Marty is a pretty boy with teeth that blind me...


My eyes! My eyes!

Lol! You do have a point. He looks much better in person than on TV.

[hedwig]

Lol! You do have a point. He looks much better in person than on TV.

If they ever have another con near where I live, I may just have go see for myself.

[dipsofjazz]

If they ever have another con near where I live, I may just have go see for myself.

Remember to wear your sunglasses.

[Sparky She-Demon]

Lol! You do have a point. He looks much better in person than on TV.

I'll have to find that out for myself! And I've never said that he's on equal footing with Jack!

[AmberLM]

I'll have to find that out for myself! And I've never said that he's on equal footing with Jack!

*nods* comparing Marty and Jack is like comparing a fine aged wine with a modern designer suit - nice in their own way but incomparable.