According to our sources, Episode 8.17 will be called “Threads”, written by Robert C. Cooper and directed by Andy Mikita.
In one major story line, Daniel is trapped, presumably figuratively, in a 60’s style diner with Oma Desala and another Ascended named Mike. Daniel knew Mike when he was ascended, though of course he doesn’t remember him now. Oma has once again offered Daniel the opportunity to ascend, and Daniel is trying to understand the implications. If he refuses, there is a big chance he will die, though how soon is not clear. What is clear is that Anubis is threatening mass destruction, bending the rules to avoid being stopped by the Others even as he plans to destroy the entire galaxy with a device created by the Ancients. As an Ascended, Daniel would escape death, but he would be unable to help the SGC in the fight against Anubis.
Mike describes how Oma is unlike the Others in that she alone helps deserving lower-level beings to ascend rather than letting them find their own way to a higher plane as the Others normally do. Mike reveals that is was Oma who helped Anubis to ascend, and Oma finally admits to Daniel that Anubis tricked her into it. Now Anubis remains half ascended and is allowed to do whatever he would have been able to do as a Goa’uld, and neither Oma nor the Others will stop him.
The second major story line involves O’Neill, Carter, and their respective love lives. Carter is preparing to marry Pete, but is having second thoughts that come to a crisis point when Pete puts a down payment on a house for them to share. Meanwhile, O’Neill has been having a romantic relationship with Kerry Johnson, a woman in her mid-30’s who is on the SGC Professional Oversight Committee. Carter works up the courage to discuss her misgivings about marrying Pete with O’Neill and goes to visit O’Neill at his home. She says she is sorry to bother O’Neill, but that she needs to say something to him. They are then interrupted by Kerry. O’Neill and Kerry are forced to reveal their relationship to a shocked and embarrassed Carter; until now they have kept it a secret from the SGC. Carter then gets a phone call and must leave: Jacob and his symbiote Selmac are ill and may not survive.
Kerry later breaks up with O’Neill, saying he has ‘issues’ related to Carter that she does not want to deal with. Kerry suggests that O’Neill retire so he and Carter can be together, and he admits he’s considered it. She hints he should run the SGC as a civilian, to remove the barrier of Air Force regulations.
This episode also sees the return of Jacob Carter and Bra’tac, and a mention of story threads involving the replicators, Anubis, and the Jaffa.
Keep in mind these are preliminary spoilers and may be changed, especially in light of the possibility of of a Season 9. One can only hope.