Original subtitles

Gentlemen, these planets, designated P-3575 and P-38577,

have been submitted by Captain Carter's team

as possible destinations for your next mission.

SG Units 1 and 2 will operate concurrent.

You know, I'm kind of partial to P-3575.

If you don't mind taking P-38577...

No, I'll take P-377.

I'm not married to it. I want to be fair about this.

How about we flip it?

How about you go where I tell you?

As far as I can see.

Alert! Inbound traffic! Repeat!

Those ghouls are persistent.

I think we pissed them off.

Closing the eyes!

All defense teams, stand by.

Set the base auto-destruct countdown in three minutes.

As long as the ghouls keep up these attacks.

They can't keep this up forever.

Can they?

Well, once they realize our gate's impenetrable,

they should just give up.

Part of me just wants to let them through,

give them the fight they're looking for.

Radiation team, move in.

Got to be worse ways to go, I suppose.

I don't think the ghouls are sending people through, do you?

Be like bugs on a windshield.

Team reports all clear, sir.

All right, stand down for alert and abort the countdown.

Kowalski, what's the matter?

Headache.

Took a fistful of Aspen, but nothing else.

Get down to the infirmary, get it checked out, go on.

Sir, I think I'll do that.

Sir, with your permission.

By all means, Major, I need you to lead your team to P3-575.

We have a goal given.

All defense teams, remain in position.

So this iris is going to hold, right?

Pure titanium, less than three micrometers from the event horizon.

It won't even allow matter to fully reintegrate.

So this iris is going to hold, right?

If it doesn't, the fail-safe device will detonate.

This whole mountain will vaporize, and there'll be nothing to worry about.

Ah, good. I feel much better.

I can understand how Kowalski feels.

This job gives me a headache, too.

What's the bad news, General?

Not much for small talk, are you, Colonel?

How's your weekend? Get any fishing in?

I'm rejecting your request to have Teal could join SG-1.

It wasn't my choice.

Colonel Kennedy is en route from the Pentagon right now.

He'll be asking your friends some questions.

What kind of questions?

What we're up against, troop strength, technology, weaponry.

I'd like to know the answers to those questions, too, sir.

But after they're done asking, there'll be more questions.

Possibly tests.

After all, he's carrying the larval form of a hostile and very formidable enemy inside his body.

What kind of tests are we talking about?

Maybe you haven't noticed, Colonel,

but he is the first alien species we've actually run into.

You don't think that qualifies your friend as a subject of scientific interest?

A subject?

Yes, what he is, Colonel.

With all due respect, sir, I don't think he saved the lives of my team

or came over to our side so we could become a damn guinea pig for U.S. military intelligence.

Back up, Colonel. He switched sides once.

Are you 100% positive he won't switch back?

Yes, sir.

Well, you are alone in that assertion.

Colonel Kennedy arrives within the hour.

I promise Tilt will be treated with dignity and respect

for as long as he remains a guest of this facility.

Beyond that, I can't promise a damn thing.

Dismissed.

Yes.

Why didn't he come back?

The people from Chulak.

We sent the last of them back through the gate

just before the ghouls started knocking at the door.

Good.

Now, thanks to you, Colonel,

So, how long do you think they'll keep it up?

One, perhaps two more attempts.

They will believe their weapons have destroyed you.

They will not send warriors through for some time to make sure of your destruction.

That will be in for a surprise, huh?

Your iris will be closed.

They will be crushed.

Surprise?

Am I a prisoner?

Uh, I don't know.

Am I a prisoner?

Uh, yeah.

I understand.

We're not exactly living up to your expectations of us, are we?

See, Tilt, we've been living alone in our little corner of the galaxy for quite a while,

and I think the people I work for just need to get to know you a little better.

I mean, your knowledge of the ghouls alone makes them a little curious.

I will give that knowledge freely.

Yeah, I know you will, and we'll put it to good use.

I will pledge my allegiance to this world.

I'm just not sure that's ever going to be enough for them to trust you.

To be honest with you, I think they're scared of you.

I understand.

You must be used to that by now, huh?

I am a Jaffa.

I have served as a warrior for your enemy.

I have carried your enemy within me.

Well, it's kind of a human thing.

We tend to be afraid of things we don't know.

Why is O'Neill not afraid?

Tilt, I saw you stand up to a god.

You refused to kill. I saw you make that decision.

Yes.

In that moment, I learned everything I needed to know to trust you.

If I had killed you then, I would not be here now.

Neither would I.

I will prove my allegiance, O'Neill.

Tilt, I sure wish you didn't have to.

When I do, you will show me this world.

Oh, you bet.

Just not all at once, though.

It's big.

And these headaches, Major, they started when you came back from your last mission.

Yeah, they've been getting worse.

Anybody else on the team experience these symptoms?

No.

Why?

Could be a reaction to gait trouble.

Just give me a horse pill for the pain or something. It's a damn headache.

What's this?

You didn't notice this.

What? Notice what?

So, the device should be on every planet we find.

I studied the one on Abydos for months.

It's sort of like a...

Telephone.

Telephone.

I like that.

In order to get back home, all you have to do is dial Earth, which is...

Which is what we're here to talk about, so...

What is Major Kowalski doing in the embarkation room?

Page Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond to the embarkation room now.

Yes, ma'am.

Charlie?

Major Kowalski?

Jack?

We got a sick man here.

Who the hell is he?

Was the doctor here before?

I don't remember.

Sorry, Dr. Nimzicki was supposed to be on call.

Dr. Warner, chief surgeon. What's the problem?

Headache.

A little more than a headache, Doc. Just had a blackout.

Hmm.

We'll do an MRI right away. See what's going on in there.

Take care of him, Doc. We need him.

Thank you, sir.

This is Colonel Kennedy. I'm extraordinarily pleased to meet you, sir.

Colonel Kennedy's job is to gather information, knowledge about our potential enemies.

I offer my knowledge of the Goa'ulds. I offer my skills as a warrior in defeating them.

I pledge my honor and my life to this world.

Well, thank you.

This is just an informal meeting, son. Take a seat.

I have a lot of questions to ask, so if there are no objections.

What can you tell us about the power source the Goa'ulds use to power their weapons, ships?

Nothing.

I see.

Do you yourself have an understanding of the physics behind the Stargate?

No.

I see.

Knowledge of Goa'uld magic is forbidden.

It's not magic, Teal. They just want you to think that.

Permission to barge in, sir?

Colonel O'Neill.

I was hoping to meet you.

Your mission report from Chulak made for the most engrossing analysis of my career.

Well, thanks. What was your favorite part?

Perhaps that was not the pie, Colonel.

General, you know what I went and did?

I told Teal how we all respect a person's rights in this country.

I assure you there's nothing untoward taking place here, Colonel. Please, join us.

Thank you.

Hey, Teal.

O'Neill.

That's Teal with an apostrophe, T-E-A-L apostrophe C.

Colonel.

Yes, sir.

Very well.

Teal, what can you tell me about the Goa'ulds?

They rule by force.

Their numbers were very few, but they are growing.

How many worlds do they control?

Many hundreds, perhaps more.

And should we expect to encounter these Goa'ulds everywhere we go?

It is possible.

But there are many more worlds that the Goa'ulds have no use for.

On those worlds, the people are abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

Is there a leadership or government with which we could negotiate a peace?

Some, like Apophis, are great kings and rule over many worlds as their gods.

But they have no need for peace.

If they could kill you, they would.

Could they?

They have spacecraft, right?

Yes.

Without the Stargate, such a journey would take many months, perhaps even years.

It would take many vessels, many slave armies.

We're not that much of a nuisance just yet.

These slaves, where do they come from?

There is a tale of a primitive world the Goa'ulds discovered millennia ago.

A first world where forms of this type evolved.

It is said the Goa'ulds harvested among the primitives.

Some became Goa'uld hosts.

Others became Jafar.

The rest were taken as slaves and seated among the stars to serve them.

But that world has been lost for centuries.

Tilk, beings of this form evolved here on Earth.

This world is the world you're talking about, Tilk.

Ra came here.

If our ancestors hadn't rebelled and buried the Stargate,

you would have not become strong enough to challenge them.

Then the galaxy is populated by the ancient peoples of Earth.

There could be millions by now.

Then you are their greatest hope.

I'm gonna drop by the control room.

By the silence around here, it seems like the Goa'ulds have finally given up.

When was the last time you slept?

I don't know.

Doesn't help when the whole base goes on alert every two hours.

No, it's not that.

It's just that my mind races,

and I can't stop thinking about Sharae, where she is, what she's become.

I know.

But you can't stay awake forever.

I can try.

You're right.

I'll meet you at the next briefing.

Right.

Major Polsky, we're all done here, but I'm taking you off.

Active duty as of now.

Major?

Major?

Polsky, what the hell are you doing?

Don't shoot!

Don't shoot, don't shoot.

You know they won't let you out of this mountain alive.

When those doors open, they'll shoot on sight, you know that.

Plus, someone inside the elevator hit the emergency stop.

Get those doors open!

Hey!

Get them open!

Charlie, what the hell's going on?

I don't have a clue, Colonel.

But she's hurt bad.

We have to get her to the infirmary.

The parasite's wrapped around his spine.

It's a...

It's a ghoul.

Probably an infant.

They think that the reason it hasn't been able to take you over completely is it's not mature yet.

It's what's causing your blackouts.

What are you saying?

I got one of those parasites in me?

Well, how in the hell does that happen?

We're kind of hoping you could tell us.

You didn't feel it happening?

No.

When was the first time you blacked out?

I was here.

We'd just come back through from Chulak.

I thought it was just from coming back through the Stargate.

We were helping that kid.

Casey was his name.

It was a...

A sharp...

Ah, Jack.

I thought I wrenched my neck.

Anyway, Casey, he was...

All right. They took him out of there.

God, Jack, you gotta help me.

You gotta get this thing out of me.

That's the plan.

I've taken Major Kowalski off all pain medication to increase his alertness.

This should increase his ability to resist.

When can you remove it?

It would be an extremely complex operation.

The parasite has literally woven itself around his nervous system.

Can it be done or not?

Without possibly...

Or without making him a quadriplegic.

That's a whole different story.

You just tell me who you need to assist.

Anyone in the world.

I'll have them here within 24 hours.

Yes, sir.

When I was out, did I hurt anybody?

There's one man dead, a few more hurt.

Captain Carter's gonna be all right.

I was just gonna go check on her, actually.

Oh, I didn't mean to...

No, she doesn't blame you.

You're not responsible, Charlie.

It's not your fault.

It's that damn thing that's inside of you.

Look, as soon as they know how to do it, they'll cut it out of you.

Right now, you gotta fight it.

Who am I telling you?

This is scaring me big time.

Teal, stand and face this way, please.

What is the emergency?

They would not tell me.

That's none of your concern now.

Kowalski's become infected with a gold.

And you wish to see if I still carry the gold within me?

Yes, now, please.

He does things.

I've seen enough.

You understand we had to look and see this?

What are its demands?

So far, it's only managed to rear its butt-ugly head whenever Kowalski blacks out.

But it's already killed a man.

Then there will be a struggle for the host body.

It must have sought a host in desperation before it was mature.

We intend to remove it before that happens.

It will kill the host if you try.

Once it is one with the host, it is capable of killing him.

So...

Charlie, we got General M.

General, please.

You gotta tell him to do something.

The pain is too much.

We are, Major. You just have to hold on.

No, don't you give me that good soldier crap, General.

You ordered him to cut this damn thing out of me.

Teal says if they do that, you might die.

I don't care.

What? What the hell is there to talk about?

We must offer it life to save yours.

No. No, I want you to kill it.

We must talk to the Gowal within you.

Jack, please help me, Jack.

Charlie, just let them do their job, will you?

No, don't let them do this, Jack. I want you to kill it.

This heart rate just doubled.

Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!

Kill it! Kill it!

Namath Kree, I won't speak to the traitor.

You are their leader?

I am.

Speak.

I'm General George Hammond, the United States Air Force.

Commander in Chief of the SGC.

And you are?

Interested only in returning through the Stargate.

Now!

You are in no position to make demands.

I have a proposition.

Release me now or I will destroy you.

If you leave this man's body, we will allow you to live

and send you back through the Stargate in your natural form.

This body is mine.

If you're unwilling to leave, we will be forced to surgically...

Here! Hold it!

Release me now or I will destroy you.

Do not attempt to escape.

I command you!

We will open fire!

Release me now!

Don't shoot! Don't shoot!

Hold your fire.

Oh, God.

It's all right, son. I won't put you through that again.

Oh, Jack, what did I do?

Nothing. Just a little mouthy.

Nothing serious.

Dr. Warner, I want to know the minute that godforsaken thing can be taken out of my office, sir.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

This conversation is over.

As you were, people.

In light of the day's events, Colonel Kennedy has chosen to make certain recommendations to my superiors

that I want to share with all of you.

Colonel Kennedy?

I know that many of you have served with Major Kowalski,

so please forgive me if what I'm about to suggest appears in any way callous.

But I believe surgical removal of the parasite may be a mistake.

General, this is a waste of time Kowalski does not have.

Dr. Warner, what are Major Kowalski's chances of surviving the procedure?

Ten, twelve percent at most.

And the parasite?

It is an intelligent being after all, isn't it, Colonel?

I believe I first read that in your report.

The parasite itself would not survive the procedure.

So, we're faced with destroying one life in the hopeless attempt to save another.

You see the ethical dilemma?

No, I don't.

My team and I are completely prepared to perform the procedure, sir.

We'll do our best.

Of course you will, Doctor.

Please don't misunderstand.

We all wish the invading parasite in Major Kowalski's body could be safely removed.

But the facts are the facts.

I'm sorry, what was your point?

If we proceed with this operation, Major Kowalski will have died in vain.

And if we don't?

Well, let's consider that for a moment.

These infant ghouls, if they're so young, so fragile in their larval state that they require a...

I'm sorry, what is it you called yourself?

Jaffa.

For want of a better translation, what, incubator?

How is it that they're so intelligent?

A ghoul is born with the knowledge of all ghouls that came before it.

Genetic memory, that's amazing.

Yes, it is.

All the knowledge of the ghouls.

I just want you all to think on that before we just throw it away.

I've thought about it, you've thought about it, I think we've all thought about it.

Any more thinking to be done?

Girl, imagine if we could convince this ghoul to share that knowledge.

A ghoul would not willingly share.

No, Tilke is right.

To them we're nothing, less than nothing.

I mean, think about it, they've taken on the roles of our ancient gods, what does that tell you?

All right, what if we just studied it?

How much could we learn from that?

What if we just faced up to the fact of Major Kowalski's slim chances of survival

and realized that the greatest enemy mankind may ever face

has just been delivered right to our doorstep?

Even if we let it return through the Stargate as a gesture of good faith.

Just what kind of an officer are you, Colonel?

Sir?

As long as there is a snowball's chance in hell that my officer will come out of this procedure alive

we'll go ahead with it.

With respect, General, I feel I should take this to my superiors.

Me? I'll probably just call the president and get approval right from the horse's mouth.

But sure, you go right ahead, Colonel.

Talk to your superiors.

In the meantime, people, let's get the job done.

Do you have any sense that the new anesthetic is working better than the last one we tried?

Yes.

But you're not sure?

There's no communication at all between you and the symbiote?

A Jaffa does not communicate with the gold it carries.

Well, keep your fingers crossed.

Nurse, you can stop this IV and release the patient. We'll go with this one.

They're getting ready.

It's about time.

How's the pain?

Maybe I'm just getting used to it.

Listen, Jack, if this doesn't work...

Hey, come on. It's a cakewalk.

It hurts to talk. Will you shut up for a second?

I want to be cremated.

I want there to be anything left of that thing inside me.

You make sure, all right?

Look, can we not talk about this?

When am I going to talk about it, Jack?

This could be my last conversation.

I'll forget out loud. It's not your last conversation.

Hey, I spoke to the doc. He told me the odds.

Don't give me any crap.

Okay. It's our last conversation.

It'll be off on some other plane.

Yeah, P3A 575.

Whatever.

This was going to be my first real command.

I was looking forward to it.

You still can, Charlie.

I want you to know, no matter what, it was an honor to serve, sir.

Listen, I've got to ask you something. It's not easy for me.

Friends.

Can I have your stereo?

I've held back on the use of anesthetic

until it can be administered to both patient and creature simultaneously.

Major Kowalski, we're going to begin the operation.

Are you ready?

I want to say something.

General Hammond, sir.

I'm here, son.

If this doesn't work, I want you to give the order.

I want to wake up as me or not at all.

You have my word, son.

Scalpel?

Getting anesthetic.

Start the clock.

I'm making the first decision.

I'm separating the primary ganglia,

attaching the parasite to the spinal cord now.

It's coming away more easily than I'd hoped.

It must be the anesthetic.

At least it's going well.

That's fantastic.

If we can reverse what's happened to the major,

then there's still a chance for charret.

Let's hope.

The ganglia are still constricting periodically.

Obviously, there still seems to be some sign of life in the symbiote.

I don't know how.

Scissors.

Thin filaments extending up and into the brain.

I'm going to sever them.

Hold him still!

What's happening?

I don't know, sir.

I don't think it was anything I did.

I'd like to proceed.

How much longer?

Almost there.

Almost.

Large clamp.

I think we did it.

Close for me.

Well done, everybody.

That's right, Dorothy.

It was all a dream.

Can you move your fingers?

Toes?

Hey.

Congratulations, Major.

You've already exceeded my wildest expectations.

I'm thirsty.

Easy, big fella.

I'm not drinking for two anymore.

I made it.

See?

Told you.

Piece of cake.

The operation was a complete success, sir.

Congratulations.

And I have my orders to return to Langley.

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

With Tilk, sir, I have his travel orders as well.

You do realize that without his cooperation in finding an anesthetic,

the operation might have been a failure.

I think we owe him something for that.

Unfortunately, Tilk is now carrying the only living gould available for study.

And we do need to study it, sir, make no mistake on that.

These aliens are possibly the greatest threat this country has ever known.

I'm well aware of the threat, Colonel.

This facility is the front line.

It's the reason this command exists.

We just go about things differently around here.

I see.

I make the transport arrangements in the morning.

You do that.

Anyway, Colonel Kennedy's probably going to want to take it with him.

So if you want to see it once before he...

Are you talking about that thing in my head?

Daniel thinks it's fascinating.

No, I just thought you might want to see it.

No, thanks.

Hey, I just heard they're shipping Tilk out to Langley.

Kennedy's taking him with him.

What? What for?

Study. That's Kennedy's word.

Right, like a damn lab rat.

Apparently Kennedy's ethics are selective.

Listen, in case the Colonel can't talk him out of it,

I'd like a minute alone with Tilk before they ship him out.

He helped get me through this.

I got to thank him.

Okay. I think that can be arranged.

Hey.

I want to shake hands with the man who helped save my life.

I'd like a minute alone with my friend.

I'll make it an order. Does that make you feel better?

Jaffa, what they removed was merely a dead husk.

I had already become one with the host.

I give you this chance.

Serve me, and you may live.

I will not let me die.

Everything I can.

So because he wasn't born on this particular planet,

he doesn't have any rights anymore? Is that it?

But how?

It deceived us.

Gunshot.

Pass.

He sent the coordinates for Chulak.

He set the auto-destruct sequence on the fail-safe device.

How do you have the code?

I don't know, but I need two ranking officers to override in Europe.

All right, that did it. Open the blast doors.

He was your friend.

My friend died on the table.

If anything, the fact that he knew how to set the auto-destruct code

proves that there's hope for Charret and Scarra.

How?

Because only Kowalski could have known that code.

So something of the host must survive.

Oh, absolutely.

That's good to hear.

Well, any time, sir, you just come on down.

We'd be glad to have you.

Well, hell, sir, he's right here.

Why don't you tell him yourself?

I'm sure he'd like to hear it from you.

Yes, Mr. President.

Yes, sir?

Colonel O'Neill, is SG-1 ready to ship out?

We are, sir.

And you have a goal for a standard recon mission on P-3575?

Yes, sir.

Sir.

Sir.

Welcome aboard, Sergeant.

The mouth report's conditions on the planet are favored.