Enigma (116)

[Skydiver]

Question: Is there anyway the UAV's can return back on their own to command? If they send one thru n cant get back, isn't that tax dollars being misspent...imagine they are not a cheap asset. Just wondering. Maybe somehow they can be programmed to access DHD and dial home. Don't remember if this is established down the line or not, but it would be good to get them back w/o having someone on the other side to bring them back.

in later episodes they mention retrieving the UAV...the premise is that the UAV and or MALP will make their way back to the gate and be retrieved when teams go home.

[Krisz]

Ah, the Tollan, another advanced species...but this one's leader has something stuck up his butt. Yeah, I get their prime directive, because of what happened to that other group of people. But they can be a little nicer, well, at least Omoc. But, despite that...a great ep.

Omoc is no Jean Luc Picard in that respect!!!

It's like he was kicking himself for the whole Tolan race for what happened when they shared some of their technology once before. No wonder he was so grumpy when faced with a less advanced race!

It still baffles me why they have technology that allows them to walk through walls! Guess they hate going the long way round to wherever they need to! Wonder if they had mishaps and ended up walking in on their next door neighbour on the toilet or busy making baby Tolans because they are not sure where their house ends!!

[Nindif]

Furthermore, some have posted here that the defense of the earth should take priority over doing the right thing. But what is the point of humanity if we turn to evil to support material existence? Of course we will often do morally reprehensible things, but it is our reluctance to do so, our refusal to do so and our regret to have done so which ennobles us. As someone else has said here, worthwhile fiction (including televised drama) wrestles with these questions.

I agree with what you said, and all the while Maybourne is smearing his position of Presidential power over the SGC i was wondering 'Why the heck would we imprison the first advance culture we come across?'. Maybourne states 'We will make them talk' (or something to that affect) Why would the President condone such an approach to obtaining technology? It just seems so completely backwards.

I loved this episode. The Nox at the end was a highlight (Love the way Lya activates the gate).

Narim is very well played, his voice is so soothing and him and Sam are very nice together. I feel the writers wrote some beautifully elloquent dialogue for Narim which was presented masterfully.

Easily Season 1 Top 5, and would be one of the most relevent for the ongoing arc for the entire series.

[Jae'a]

My LiveJournal post.

OK, so I like the Nox more than these guys..
I don't get all the fuss about the cat though, but then again, I am a dog person.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

This episode rocks. I love the visuals of the opening teaser, the volcanic planet is such a vibrant location.

I clearly recall watching this episode when it was first broadcast because it had something that the sci-fi TV I had seen so rarely did: continuity. When Tuplo shows up I remember being literally stunned that such a minor character from a one-off episode would make another appearance. I was so used to Star Trek's style of storytelling wherein that sort of thing never happened (DS9 being something of an exception), and I absolutely loved SG-1 for doing it. It was made even better when Lya appeared at the end, and I knew Stargate was going to be a very different kind of show.

The Tollan themselves are fascinating characters, although Omoc is unbelievably rude. I'd still like to have seen him come back in later episodes, but I guess Tobin Bell was too busy becoming famous! Strangely I always remember him from SG-1 rather than the Saw movies or anything else he's done, because his character was strongly defined. I liked that he showed a little bit of warmth in the scene with Daniel on the mountaintop.

- Maybourne's first appearance! Wow, he was a git right from the start, wasn't he? Again, in another nod towards continuity, I liked that they mentioned Colonel Kennedy.

- Narim is also another good character, even though he seems a bit boring. The scenes between him and Sam are somewhat forced but still very eloquently done.

- General Hammond again shows that he is a good guy, even though he's really forced into tricky situations. He can't always find the wiggle room he may need (as we saw in Cor-ai) but whenever he can he'll use it.

- First UAV appearance, Jack's reaction to it going through the gate made me chuckle. He'll get bored of it soon!

- I can't quite figure out why the episode is called 'Enigma'. Surely that implies there is some sort of big mystery or secret to be unraveled, but no. This is just a story about some refugees and what sneaky tactics SG-1 can employ to help them.

- My favourite line was probably from Daniel: "I voted for him!"

We're nicely into the home stretch of pretty strong season 1 episodes now, I think the really weak stuff is done and dusted.

RATING: 8 out of 10

[Matt G]

Another Sunday afternoon...another SG1 ep and it must have been around the time I first watched this ep that I took my first dip into Stargate fandom because I vaguely remember talking about this up on the Channel 4 forum.

1. OK, did not expect this bunch to be advanced, Daniel was probably the only one that came up with the Dark Ages theory.

2. Omoc though did indeed have his head up his mik'tah. OK fine, SG1 messed up their plans but that was some pretty serious ash coming through.

3. Like others, I was stunned first time round when Tuplo showed up again.

4. Maymourne, just initially seemed to be another Kennedy, didn't really expect to see him again.

5. Was cool to see the Nox again though.

Cool ep.

[jlovette]

Okay, school starting and this oppressive North Texas heat wave is really interfering with my plan to watch every episode while running on the treadmill. Finally got back on track today.

This is a great episode. Despite Omoc's rudeness, I love the scene where he tries to teach Daniel about folding space (or not folding space, as it turned out).

I love shows that reward viewers with call backs to previous episodes and events, like this episode did. One of my favorites of the season.

[Noxbait]

So I haven't seen this one in awhile. Somehow I tend to forget how many actually really good episodes were in S1 and 2. : )

I thought this was an interesting episode. A unique problem for them to encounter...a group of people who don't want to be saved! How interesting. And how cool (yet rather dangerous) that the Earthlings will put the sanctity of life above the thought that these unknown people might actually pose a threat to someone! : ) Still learning...

I have to say, I like Maybourne and it's so much fun to see him now, and watch his character development again. I think he is one of the most interesting and unique characters. and I just can't get enough Jack/Harry banter!

I like Narim too. He seems like a decent guy (maybe a bit forward, but nice). I love the scene where Daniel walks in on them. Such a little brother thing to do. : ) (reminds me of Message in a Bottle and the thing with Simmons, and Tok'Ra with Martouf!)

Love Lya so much! Love that whole end scene, right up to the nice teamy moment at the end.

Ok, the other thing that hit me while I watched it this time around was the whole thing with Omoc. He's pretty cold, rude, and downright nasty.

What entered my mind as I watched this, is that Omoc is kind of like an older even more cynical version of Jack. I mean, he felt some remorse over what happened to the people they gave tech to and he didn't want it to happen again. If the same thing had happened to earth because of something the SGC or Jack did, I could imagine that he would react much the same way. Afraid to interact with anyone, give any information; make the same mistake twice. The thing is, it bugs me that all these groups look down on "primitive" cultures. I'd think that even advanced groups could misuse tech. : )

I did like him more when he was up top talking to Daniel. He let down his crusty exterior for a moment and actually showed that he might deep down be even a friendly guy.

Those were just some of my thoughts. I know I thought of other things as I watched, but they have fled me now. : ) I really enjoyed this one, especially in light of the many things it lays the foundation for in the future.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

A pretty good episode, one of the 10 episodes of Season 1.

We met the Tollan, who thought we were bastards *check see if the forums censors me, for that "b" word* (Nope) and primitive, isn't that original (The Nox (primitive) and the Goa'uld/Jaffa (both) to name a few). But that changed in later episodes.

The introduction of Maybourne (), and a bastard (90% of the time) with bipolar disorder (aka "wants SG-1 to follow his orders" to "wants to work with SG-1") *Realizes that isn't what bipolar disorder is, oops*

In tomorrow's ep, SG-1 gets cloned without their permission. This sets up the penultimate episode of SG-1 4th Season.

Sorry about my 2 swears, I'm just being 100% honest.

[JacksonMiracle]

Confession time. When I first saw this episode years ago, it was honestly not one of my favorites. I'm not sure what I was thinking then, but maybe I was bored by it, just a little. There weren't any really big action scenes, and the new technology that was encountered, we didn't get to keep to use in the future, and at the time it may have seemed like we had just lost yet another potential ally.

But there is good news to all this, thanks to the Rewatch, I was given the opportunity to re-evaluate my opinion of this episode, and I LOVE it now! I had missed so much the first time watching this episode, and had forgotten even more! Anyway, I have now declared it one of the "hidden gems" of season one.

[StarSancFar]

I personally love this episode! I love Narim and Sams relationship, which is played so well by both actors, and the Tollan races' backstory is well thought out. It wasn't just a case of 'We don't wanna share', they had a perfectly good reason for not wanting to share their tech with Earth. I mean, if the roles were reversed, we would probably do the same thing, and not be as nice about it

Oh, and I also loved the Nox appearance at the end, that gave it a nice ending and a 'HA! in your face Maybourne' moment! LOL

Top 5 eps, for deffinate!

[hlndncr]

I enjoy this episode. It's not one of my favorites, but it's not bad. I think the Tollans are an interesting race. Later we see that they are willing to be friendly with us, just not willing to share their advanced technology. And they have perfectly valid reason for their policy. (Really, the US military doesn't share it's advanced technology with less developed countries-especially when we don't know or trust their motivations-so we have no room for complaint here.) I think the real problem is that Omac was clearly never intended to be the diplomatic spokesman for the Tollan people. It's clearly not his strong suit.

I like Narim alright in this episode. I can certainly understand why he would be attracted to Sam. She is beautiful and she did help save his life. He's a little condescending toward her in terms of her knowledge and understanding of science, but I think he does recognize that more than any of the others he's met on earth she does have the capacity to perhaps learn and understand at their level.

I'm slightly puzzled by Sam's reactions. When she's first introduced to Narim it's clear General Hammond wants to use his infatuation with her to get information. I'm a little surprised Sam just goes along with it. She's definitely lost that giant feminist chip on her shoulder she started out with in CotG, but I would think she should still be at least mildly offended at the suggestion that she use her "feminine wiles" so to speak. But maybe the Hathor experience has made the idea of flirting a little to get a job done, not quite so outside the pale.

Love seeing Maybourne for the first time. He's pretty cookie cutter at this point. But it's fun to watch his character transform into something altogether more interesting.

[Traveler Enroute1]

SG Rewatch episodes: 101 - 105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111,112, 113, 114, 115, 116

Enigma

Ooh, another favorite. SG-1 pulls off a dramatic and dangerous rescue that yields survivors who are advanced egotists who don't appreciate the team's help and are very vocal about it. An ep with touches of whimsy, romance, angst. This one explored just how advanced the human race can become, if we hadn't had a Dark Ages, as Daniel theorized.

Very interesting to see how the team dealt with an ungrateful expedition leader who kept calling them 'primitive.' That got to me, too after a bit. There they were, expecting to be thanked and they got attitude instead. The actor who played Omoc did a thorough job of making himself unlikable. He went so far as to insult poor Tuplo. Where does one go from there.

Well, to the devil apparently. Having turned down Tuplo's offer, nemesis-in-waiting Col. Maybourne arrives to take the refugees into 'protective custody.' Even Hammond's famed red phone doesn't help; Maybourne's got it sewn up. SG-1 may not like the Tollan but they easily see they don't like Maybourne or his plans even more. Hence our guys have to try to save the ungrateful wretches yet again.

The story moves into a race to get the Tollan off world and away from earth's government. Poor Daniel and Sam have to try to explain that it's only a few knuckleheads trying to use the Tollan. Little good that does, until Daniel comes up with a novel plan, and crusty Omak bends enough to try it.

A favorite part of this episode was Sam's friendship with Narim. While being rescued by her, he thought she was their equivalent of an angel, 'a beautiful' one. That Narim was smooth. He was smitten with Sam, although she seemed attracted on a lesser level. It was part of her job to get some intel from the closed-mouthed refugees, and he was very open to her. Not that she used him but he was cooperative and she took it from there.

However, Narim took his crush a shade too far for Sam's comfort. When he gave her the doohickey that recorded his feelings, she quickly went from smiling to awkward. On speculation, she learned that his feelings for her went to a level she hadn't considered yet. Did he fully control himself when around her, or did he relay the full gamut of his crush? He should have just skipped to the 'Tollana custom' part, the kiss. Sam seemed ok with that!

Daniel just makes friends with anyone. Omoc bonds with him a little as they attempt to reach the Nox. Daniel's diplomacy went a long way toward relaxing the Tollan suspicions a little, and Lya's compliment seemed to indicate the Nox also weren't so hard on the Tau'ri anymore. SG-1, in trying to save others from virtual slavery on their own planet scored points big time.

Good lines:

God, I love those people! Jack said when Lya does her thing. I do too, Jack.

There are some things I'll miss about this planet. I speak of course, of Schrodinger. Narim teased Sam, who blushed when she thought he was speaking of her. Of course he was. He made a joke, made Sam smile; he's officially a good guy.

Of note:

• Laughed at Daniel's reaction to following Omoc through the wall. So much like a newbie's first trip through the gate.
  
  
• When Narim saw a bird, why did it have to be a bald eagle, hmm?
  
  
• Just who the !! was on the PA when the gate activated, the janitor? His announcement was phew awful, definitely overlooked in editing.
  
  
• Can't beat the lovely entrance and exit of the lovely Lya. Nice to see the Nox again so soon.
  
  
• The last shot of the team looking at the gate - never gets old.
  

This time we got to meet some semi-good guys with advanced tech who, like the Nox, won't share it with 'the very young' ('which is a shade more polite than primitive.'). Omoc was actually right to be careful who they deal with but his people skills were sucky. The Tollan let their one mistake with their neighbor sour them on everyone. But as they noted, everybody needs friends sometime.

Then we got the new military brass-brained Maybourne, who when thwarted promised comeuppance in one stony glare. Earth is destined to be a thorn in its own side at this point.

Rated 3.5/5

[jelgate]

I love how Danile forgets to mention the areas on the planet that never had the dark ages when he mentions a reason for the advanced Tollans.

This episode is kind of meh to me. Its not bad but its not overall good. I find the Tollans distrustful of us just drags on with no point. Yes I understand but I don't really care. It only gets interesting later when Maybourne shows up to add some conflict to the Tollans plight of trying to get home. Although I have to wonder how Daniel and Tealc got off so easily with disobeying the president's orders

[muziqaz]

I love how Danile forgets to mention the areas on the planet that never had the dark ages when he mentions a reason for the advanced Tollans.

<...>

what parts of the world do you mean?
I imagine that Tollan did not have all the bad things what happened to us during our history. Maybe they started as one nation in the planet so resources were pooled and no secrets spying and stuff