Thor's Hammer (109)

[ngewakl]

Holy Ori! I just noticed that the Unas's voice was Darth Vader! This is what re-watching stargate does. I shows you things you never noticed before! Great episode!

[Vagabond Serpent]

This episode is worth watching for Teal'c's facial expression during the "you do not exist!" scene alone And I think Daniel was lucky - he either hit crucial circuit or a power source, because the Hammer went offline after a single random aimed shot. On the other hand, though, Asgard probably never had an idea that somebody would try attacking the device from the outerside.

Oh, somebody, please send Unas a pair of nail clippers

[GusF]

This is a very important episode in the series' early development. Not only did it establish the existence of the Asgard prior to their debut in Season Two but it also proved conclusively that the host's personality survives (which was only hinted at in "The Enemy Within"), features the first reference to the System Lords and is the first episode to suggest that the Goa'uld did not create the Stargates.

Aside from its importance, it's also a wonderful episode in terms of quality. The two storylines complement each other well and Kendra is a very engaging character, probably one of the most important one-off characters in the series' history as the ramifications of learning that something of the host survives would resonate throughout the rest of the series. It's a shame that she did not return in "Thor's Chariot". I also really liked the scenes in the labyrinth in which Jack and Teal'c confront Unas as, aside from being well written and acted, they provide more insight into Goa'uld history with the revelation that they once took hosts which were far more formidable than humans.

The scene in which Daniel has to decide to destroy the Hammer is probably my favourite of the episode as you can tell how torn he is between potentially being able to save Sha're and Skaara and saving Teal'c then and there. It's a nice early example of how much the team already meant to each other, best exemplified by Jack's statement that Teal'c is "part of this family now."

[Falcon Horus]

Norse mythology - yay! I love it!

Not much to say here except that I really like this episode cause you know norse mythology.

First time we hear of Thor and the Asgard. And it's rather ironic that it's Daniel who destroys Thor's hammer, the one thing that at this point could save Sha're and Ska'ra.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Another of my favorites from season 1. I like this episode much better than Thor's Chariot (which is also very good, just not as much to my taste). What I notice here is ... The Dress. A lot of fuss is made over the dress in Emancipation, which you can at least pretend is silk (a fabric they might have access to), but this dress is clearly knit velour, a fabric no non-industrial society would have (or want). Then there's the lace. Remember, this is a society where every piece of lace would have to be made by hand. There's a lot of lace on that dress. I guess that's what Kendra spends all her lonely time doing--making lace. That probably wouldn't leave her much time for fuel, food or shelter, but what the heck.

Seaboe

[fems]

Another of my favorites from season 1. I like this episode much better than Thor's Chariot (which is also very good, just not as much to my taste). What I notice here is ... The Dress. A lot of fuss is made over the dress in Emancipation, which you can at least pretend is silk (a fabric they might have access to), but this dress is clearly knit velour, a fabric no non-industrial society would have (or want). Then there's the lace. Remember, this is a society where every piece of lace would have to be made by hand. There's a lot of lace on that dress. I guess that's what Kendra spends all her lonely time doing--making lace. That probably wouldn't leave her much time for fuel, food or shelter, but what the heck.

Seaboe

Maybe Kendra still had it from her Goa'uld days? Or perhaps she traveled through the gate on occasion to shop

[AsgardGirl]

Not “killing everything” Vikings, first appetence of Thor and Unas, labyrinth and wandering around the forest, what not to love.
Just keep thinking while watching the episode: What would Daniel and Sam do if it was a sunny day?

[prismeagle]

There is another aspect of this episode that in terms of mythology is overshadowed by the Norse Mythology at the surface.

In Greek Mythology, there was in Crete a labyrinth where the Minotaur was imprisoned and killed and ate anyone who went in there. It was later killed by Theseus.

Kendra referred to the prison as the labyrinth (hint)
The Goa'uld-possessed Unas would be the equivalent of the Minotaur.



The aspect of Norse mythology that you don't see immediately was the stone with the engraved rune on it.
The Rune is Loki's Symbol. Loki Lied to Thor about his activities that were connected to the Roswell Incident in 1947 and so Thor did not realize what transpired in 1947 until O'Neill brought up the controversy concerning Roswell, NM 1947 UFO incident and Thor was forced to drop the assertion that their ships had never been detected near earth before and realized Loki did something worse than he confessed to at the time.

If you want more about Loki's mischief connected with the Roswell Incident then read the novel: "Stargate SG-1: Roswell

[maneth]

I really enjoyed this episode, even if there are a few things that bother me.

Why was it necessary to have Daniel Jackson destroy the hammer? Obviously Teal'c was out of the question, but either Carter or O'Neill could have done it just as easily, without the profound emotional agony that Jackson went through thanks to the consequences of this for his wife or Skaara. For all I know, Jackson might have had access to a Jaffa staff weapon during his stay on Abydos, but it would seem logical for at least the SG-1 team to learn to use the staff weapon reasonably proficiently in an emergency, and for other SG teams to at least know how to use one if necessary.

At the start of the episode, O'Neill and the terrain vehicle carrying their gear were halfway up the ramp before the whoosh and the iris was open. They didn't show the gate opening, but standard procedure would dictate staying off the ramp until the gate was open.

I would have liked to see more of Kendra in later episodes...

[hedwig]

I think Jack's reasoning about why Daniel had to do it was because Teal'c had taken Daniel's wife, and for Daniel to really accept Teal'c as part of the team, it had to be him that destroyed the hammer.

[maneth]

Hedwig, that makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[Anja]

There is but one question: Why did O'Neill pull Teal'c back from the "hammer" instead of pushing him through? No destruction would have been necessary!

[Falcon Horus]

There is but one question: Why did O'Neill pull Teal'c back from the "hammer" instead of pushing him through? No destruction would have been necessary!

Because Teal'c can't live without his symbiote, and the hammer would have killed Junior for sure.

[Anja]

Killing the symbiote in the Unas took quite some time - pushing Teal'c through would have lasted a split of a second.

[Falcon Horus]

Killing the symbiote in the Unas took quite some time - pushing Teal'c through would have lasted a split of a second.

But the Hammer would have killed Junior, and Teal'c needs it to survive.