Birthright (710)

[hedwig]

I was confused by this as well. As I understand it Teal'c's son was about to get a pouch cut into him during a ceremony when Teal'c saved him so they're probably not born with pouches. His son seems to do well without a symbiote or tretonin so he probably hasn't been genetically altered. I suppose it's possible that Apophis chose not to have his Jaffa genetically altered while others did.

Ry'ac does have a symbiote. Teal'c gave him his in the first season episode "Bloodlines". And we don't know if he started using tretonin, even by the time of Season 8's "Sacrifices". We know that many of the female Jaffa gave up their symbiotes to go on tretonin, but we never heard whether Ry'ac did as well (he had not given up his symbiote by the time of Season 7, "Orpheus").

[fems]

Ry'ac does have a symbiote. Teal'c gave him his in the first season episode "Bloodlines". And we don't know if he started using tretonin, even by the time of Season 8's "Sacrifices". We know that many of the female Jaffa gave up their symbiotes to go on tretonin, but we never heard whether Ry'ac did as well (he had not given up his symbiote by the time of Season 7, "Orpheus").

Doesn't it take like twelve years or so for a symbiote to mature? So last time we saw Rya'c his symbiote was probably just fine and by the time he'd need a new one, he'd probably try to switch to tretonin like the rest of the Free Jaffa.

[Baron Of Hell]

I liked the episode only wish there was some death by snu snu.

[myowndrownedworld]

Another brilliant episode by Chris Judge. I also loved the team of the female jaffa's. At first, they reminded me of the amazon women from Xena.

[Falcon Horus]

Let's bring in the Amazones. It's a good story, not great. The greatest opposer will change her mind in the end, love interest for Teal'c (Chris wrote the episode after all), and all round kick-ass goodness.

There's a flaw in Mollek's, or whatever his name is, design to kill the girls. If the boys get to live, but the girls in their generation don't -- who do they mate with when they come of mating age? Even with their long life they will have to have a mate at some point in time to sustain Mollek's armies.

Anyway... loved to see horses again, especially the black one was pretty and regal.

Carter's reaction is priceless on two occasions. First when O'Neill says he's eager to help in whatever way when Daniel suggest they could be captured as mates (bar Carter then). And the second time when she tries to explain the "special bond"... awkward!

And I really liked the few actual chainmail jewelry that was presented. Loved that!

[Meaghan]

Not a bad episode....

My big problem with this is that I'm not overly fond of Jolene Blalock as an actor. I've seen her here and in ST Enterprise, and I just find her too wooden and not as engaging as others.

I also thought it was interesting that the women were expected to be a 'last-ditch defense' only and yet they were able to win over battle-hardened, experienced warriors. Luck or good writing?

[hedwig]

Not a bad episode....

My big problem with this is that I'm not overly fond of Jolene Blalock as an actor. I've seen her here and in ST Enterprise, and I just find her too wooden and not as engaging as others.

I also thought it was interesting that the women were expected to be a 'last-ditch defense' only and yet they were able to win over battle-hardened, experienced warriors. Luck or good writing?

Most likely, the practice a lot.

[Anja]

O'Neill's secret dream: sire for the Hak'tyls!!!!!
This is cliché and a bad one. Carter's reaction is the only one possible.
I liked the plot, nice scene between Jackson and the girl.
Good-natured Frisian horse that is patted by O'Neill.
Best shot: gambling children in a corner of the SGC.

[Manche]

I was thinking about something which was in this episode and in some others as well. It was mentioned that tretonin is the cure who got rid a Jaffa of the dependance of symbionts. But if i remember correctly, it was never shown that someone would find a way how make this cure better and all users were addicted to this cure as well. Is it really so great that they change one addiction for another?

[Xaeden]

It's far from ideal but it's better in the sense that it frees the Jaffa from their dependency on the Goa'uld. As far as we know the Jaffa never got their hands on a Goa'uld Queen, so every few years, when their Goa'uld symbiote matures, they have to get a new one from a Goa'uld by being his/her loyal servant. If they want to be free their only other options were to steal larvae Goa'uld from other Jaffa or die.

Tretonin provided them with an alternate option. Yes, they're dependent on it instead of a symbiote, but they're dependent on something that grants them freedom from the Goa'uld. I know in this episode Neith expressed concern that they were trading dependency on the Goa'uld for dependency on Earth, which is a valid potential problem as even though the status quo wouldn't attach any strings to sharing it with the Jaffa, there's no guarantee that darker elements wouldn't one day come to power on Earth. I don't remember, however, if Earth always controlled the supply to the Jaffa or if there came a time when the Jaffa were able to make it on their own. I can't imagine the latter is not the case, only because there are millions of Jaffa who by this point o=in time should no longer have access to Goa'uld larvae, and Earth's secret Stargate Program does not have the resources to supply all of them with tretonin.

In any case, it's a good enough substitute until a more permanent solution can be devised.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

The more permanent solution will come about when young Jaffa are no longer given a primta in the first place. Then their natural immune system won't atrophy, and they won't need a symbiote or a drug to replace it.

Seaboe

[Xaeden]

When Rya'c first got a symbiote it was made to seem more like a choice with his getting sick and needing one seeming to be a fluke, but it instead turned out to be that the Jaffa's immune systems are genetically engineered to fail at puberty so they will need to become dependent on a symbiote to live. Teal'c, who had been in the middle of questioning everything he had been told, didn't believe that it was really necessary back in season 1's "Bloodlines," but he was wrong according to "Birthright:"

ISHTA
This is Synak. This morning she laid on her deathbed. She reached the age of Prata three days ago.

O'NEILL
Hmm?

DANIEL
Puberty.

O'NEILL
Ah.

ISHTA
Without the symbiote we procured this morning, she would be dead now.

ISHTA
This is Nesa. Younger sister to Neith. She is next to reach the age. Without a symbiote, she will die.

ISHTA
As will all our children.

The rest of the episode then deals with trying to get volunteers to go on tretonin, not just because it would free them from their dependency, but because Nesa was close to "requiring" a symbiote, which meant either getting on tretonin or going out and ambushing more Jaffa.

As expected, Nesa does get sick, prompting Neith to insist they ambush Jaffa for their symbiotes but things go wrong. While this is happening, Nesa decides that she does not want a symbiote and consents to going on tretonin, thus making her the first child without a pouch to become dependent on the drug.

[Falcon Horus]

Still this...

Let's bring in the Amazones. It's a good story, not great. The greatest opposer will change her mind in the end, love interest for Teal'c (Chris wrote the episode after all), and all round kick-ass goodness.

There's a flaw in Mollek's, or whatever his name is, design to kill the girls. If the boys get to live, but the girls in their generation don't -- who do they mate with when they come of mating age? Even with their long life they will have to have a mate at some point in time to sustain Mollek's armies.

Anyway... loved to see horses again, especially the black one was pretty and regal.

Carter's reaction is priceless on two occasions. First when O'Neill says he's eager to help in whatever way when Daniel suggest they could be captured as mates (bar Carter then). And the second time when she tries to explain the "special bond"... awkward!

And I really liked the few actual chainmail jewelry that was presented. Loved that!

And also, when Ishta is fighting Teal'c, Chris' shirt is dirty on the back before we see him hit the ground the first time. Oops!

How would you rate SG-1's "Birthright"?

Excellent
Good -- I liked it enough to find it worthy of rewatching multiple times but there's still enough bugging me that I can't give it an excellent. It's that male POV on Amazons, I guess, you could say.
Fair
Poor
Terrible

*******EDIT***********

3-episode quiz: Avenger 2.0, Birthright & Evolution I

Jigsaw puzzle: Birthright

[jelgate]

Another filler episode. And one im not very fond of. Really because I Don't really see any difference between the Haktyl and any other make Jaffa society. Tealc falling for the Ishta has been done before. The only interesting part was the tretonin death and that was largely forgotten. Its a poor but I did 7 min 35 seconds

[Who Knows]

14.00 oh

[Falcon Horus]

10:25

[AmFor]

Not my favourite episode. I am not so much into Jaffa episodes and so.
But O'Neill and his commentary to female Jaffas and mating was funny

[Manche]

I am not against Jaffa's stories but I like some of them more that the others. This belongs among the less favourite.

I like the next exploration of tretonin and these Jaffa women are quite likeable and well-played. But the story as the whole is not so interesting for me.