Bloodlines (111)

[chaddergate]

Yay! Bra'tac!! Wish he was more of an re-occurring character. Tony does a great job with this character.

Good back story for teal'c. He loves his family and does what he does to help free them and the jaffa.

I agree, Bra'tac, is my favorite recurring character in all of stargate, and wish he could've been on more than, what an average of 2-3 per season?

[Matt G]

Another Sunday afternoon, another ep of SG1. Another one I haven't seen for ages.

1. First time we really saw Hammond's softer side...or was it a more pragmatic side, realising that he wasn't going to stop Teal'c and might as well give him a chance to get back alive.

2. First impression of Bra'tac, very impressive for 133.

3. Daniel toasting the larvae, I doubt he regrets it.

4. Did Drey'auc have that little faith in Teal'c?

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

This is the first episode where I really can't think of anything much to say about it. It's average in every way, and apart from the introduction of Bra'tac is completely forgettable. General Hammond gets some good scenes early on, but I have a real dislike of any story involving Rya'c - the actor was terrible early on, fortunately he improved a lot later.

Is it only the First Prime Jaffa who receive the golden symbols on their head, while the normal Jaffa soldiers (cannon fodder) just have the painted/tatooed?

Rating: 5/10

[Brother Freyr]

Is it only the First Prime Jaffa who receive the golden symbols on their head, while the normal Jaffa soldiers (cannon fodder) just have the painted/tatooed?

Yes, and the gold forehead stays even after a first prime retires. So for a brief time there were a least three golden apophis tatoos walking around: Teal'c, Shak'l, and Bra'tac.

Spoiler:

In 1969, Teal'c tells a hippie-friend that the tatoo is made by carving the design into the forehead and pouring molten gold into the grooves. It was never clear to me if Teal'c was serious or if he just said that to shut the hippie's mouth. IIRC, though, that's the only explanation the show ever offered for how the gold tatoos are made.

[Traveler Enroute1]

SG Rewatch episodes: 101 - 105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111

Bloodlines

The episode that gave us a first look at Teal'c's life before he emancipated himself from Apophis. The revelation that he left a wife and son was a big shock to me as well. Who would have guessed a First Prime had it like that. Then again, Apophis was an exacting god, and doling out rewards for loyalty could be a good controlling tool. Until the Tau'ri and their pesky history of rebellion and freedom show up, that is.

The team is very visibly shaken by Teal'c's trauma from the experimental removal of the symbiote. From his waking from a nightmare in the operating room, it's apparent that he has been in turmoil over his family's fate.

Note also that Hammond is never fooled by Jack's sudden reversal on the Chulak revisit. "This is not my first barbecue, colonel." He summons Jack into his office like a naughty boy and dares him to try to do another Daniel - Abydos trick. Poor Jack knows when the gig is up and has no choice but to confess, much like did when he faced the threat of Hammond's nuke to Abydos. Hammond was so the man. Not clear if Sam and Daniel knew and supported Jack.

Good groundwork in this background of Teal'c and the Jaffa culture. They value family, have a stratified society, and a disgraced Jaffa also disgraces his family. Dray'ac had managed to get her and Ry'ac on the road to legitamacy when Teal'c arrives and upsets it all. She was very bitter at her husband's behavior and their long fall from grace but clearly she's a survivor.

Very heartbreaking moment when Teal'c realizes he will be the instrument of his son's servitude as he gives up his symbiote to save him. Teal'c would 'die free' but he's not ready for his son's sacrifice yet, a father's dilemma.

Other stuff that comes to mind:

• Whoa, forgot that Teal'c actually dialed the gate.
  
  
• Teal'c's emotional outburst at the ruins of his former home was unexpected and painful.
  
  
• Brat'ac's first appearance is like a crazy man!
  
  
• Get to see one of the few hand to hand fights involving Jack.
  
  
• Why didn't they keep their disquises on when they cleared the gate? Seems it would have made their traveling less noticeable.
  
  
• Loved Salli Richardson. She and Chris had great onscreen chemistry. And Ry'ac is just adorable.
  
  
• When the primtah (sp?) is killed, noted that there was red blood on it. In a later story when Chaka kills one, the blood is blue.
  
  
• Jack knows scarlet fever when he sees it. Cool, that.
  
  
• Danny humor: Sam wonders why the Goa'uld would leave their larvae out in the open, unguarded. Daniel said, "It's not likely that anyone on Chulak would steal one." It does seem odd that the vault sits outside the castle walls rather than within; but convenient for Sam and Daniel.
  
  
• Slight reversal of roles: Sam, the military one, cautions Daniel that to kill vulnerable larvae would make them as bad as the Goa'uld, which is a bit bizarre knowing they know already how to hate humans. Daniel's anger gets the better of him and he destroys their vessel, killing them. Totally agreed with him on this. Sorry, Sam.
  
  
• Go, Sam with the well delivered grenade.
  
  
• What was with the priests at the gate? They seemed to function like Jaffa or slightly above them.
  

An emotional episode that added a layer to the stoic Jaffa, and he has a fellow rebel, the feisty 133 year old Bra'tac.

Rated 3/5.

[Krisz]

This was an episode I'd completely forgotten. It was like watching it for the first time. The scene with Teal'c's nightmare vision of remembering his Primtah ceremony, even though it was while they were experimenting on removing his 'snake' was pretty intense. He didn't want it to happen to his son who was coming of age for the ceremony.

Daniel turning around and shooting the tank of Goa'uld larvae.This is the most blatantly angry and 'to hell with them' attitude Daniel has ever had that I can recall. Such an unexpected act from him.

Bra'tak checking out Jack, warrior to warrior, great interaction between them. Love how he keeps calling him, "human" in an almost derogatory fashion, as if it's a handicap as far as being a top warrior goes!

[hlndncr]

This is an OK episode, but it's not one I would ever put in just for the heck of it.

I do love the Jack/Bra'tac banter, how the team backs Teal'c up, and Sam protecting Daniel.

I think Sam made the wrong argument to Daniel about not shooting the symbiote tank. They are the enemy and just as dangerous when they are young (given genetic memory and all) as when they are fully grown. The real problem is that shooting the tank gave away their position. Sam should have told them that he was risking their lives and the others. I think this may have been more likely to sway him. He may have wanted to kill the Gou'ald, but he also would not have wanted to endanger his team.

[Lunaeclipse]

This is an OK episode, but it's not one I would ever put in just for the heck of it.

I do love the Jack/Bra'tac banter, how the team backs Teal'c up, and Sam protecting Daniel.

I think Sam made the wrong argument to Daniel about not shooting the symbiote tank. They are the enemy and just as dangerous when they are young (given genetic memory and all) as when they are fully grown. The real problem is that shooting the tank gave away their position. Sam should have told them that he was risking their lives and the others. I think this may have been more likely to sway him. He may have wanted to kill the Gou'ald, but he also would not have wanted to endanger his team.

I don't think Daniel was thinking logically at that point. He appeared to be going through some anger and perhaps other emotions at the time.

[hlndncr]

I don't think Daniel was thinking logically at that point. He appeared to be going through some anger and perhaps other emotions at the time.

I agree that he was acting on emotion at that moment. But I don't think Sam's argument that the symbiotes were innocent had any chance of talking him down. But he might have thought twice if he believed he was endangering his friends.

[Skydiver]

i agree with the danger....it's not saving future hosts....and it's also killing sentient beings...but yeah, all that gunfire, not good.

if daniel just HAD to kill the goa'ulds, they shoulda just tipped over the fish tank.

i also wondered how Sam managed to jam Junior in the thermos (they carry thermos' on missions???) without hurting him

the teal'c back story was good, loved the jack/bratac 'yardstick' moment

overall was it thrilling? no. but it built the groundwork for 9 more years of relationships and teamwork

[Brother Freyr]

I think Sam made the wrong argument to Daniel about not shooting the symbiote tank. They are the enemy and just as dangerous when they are young (given genetic memory and all) as when they are fully grown.

I agree with hlndncr. The larvae aren't innocent. They're fully formed personalities, defined by memories of millenia of domination and cruelty. They aren't blank slates. They aren't free to forge new identities. They aren't only what they inherit. They are who they inherit. Every one of the larvae in the tank was already an enemy.

[Traveler Enroute1]

This is an OK episode, but it's not one I would ever put in just for the heck of it.

I do love the Jack/Bra'tac banter, how the team backs Teal'c up, and Sam protecting Daniel.

I think Sam made the wrong argument to Daniel about not shooting the symbiote tank. They are the enemy and just as dangerous when they are young (given genetic memory and all) as when they are fully grown. The real problem is that shooting the tank gave away their position. Sam should have told them that he was risking their lives and the others. I think this may have been more likely to sway him. He may have wanted to kill the Gou'ald, but he also would not have wanted to endanger his team.

Good pick up. It certainly seems out of character for Sam to be concerned about enemy parasites, babies or not. If Daniel hadn't been so anguished about his wife's infection with one of them, I'd have expected him to express something similar. At this point Daniel is still the team's 'moral compass' and not a killer.

But boy, when he grows up!

[fems]

I'm not sure if that's really how Sam feels about it, I interpreted it more as her using an argument she thought would work for Daniel to prevent him from doing something he'd probably regret later (with him being the moral compass and all).

[jelgate]

I forgot how arrogant Bra'tac was in the early years and I got to say I love it. It just shows how much the character changes. I love the returning to Chulak and tricking the Jaffa as Teal'c tries to find his son. Thier is action and I think good characterization as Teal'c searchs and fights for his wife. But its worth mentioning the discontinuity in this episode its implantation that supresses a Jaffa's immune system and in future episodes the immune system suppression is part of puberty. I also like seeing Daniel sacrifice his morals out of anger. Its a very human reaction when what Daniel has been through

[juggernaut975]

Loved this episode...builds on the concept of the Jaffa and lends hope that, perhaps, with the right kind of leadership the Jaffa could be freed. With such an uprising the chances of overcoming the Goa'uld would increase significantly.