Bill Lee

Dr. Bill Lee

Summary

Dr. Bill Lee is one of the civilian scientists working for Stargate Command. He mostly works in the labs of the base, but has been known to do field research, either on Earth (7.11 "Evolution Part 1", 7.12 "Evolution Part 2", and 7.19 "Resurrection") or off world (4.19 "Prodigy", 6.15 "Paradise Lost", and 9.08 "Babylon"). What particular field(s) Bill Lee has his doctorate(s) in has never been established. His main focus at the SGC has been alien technology. He has studied Goa'uld, Ancient, and other aliens’ technology in his tenure at the SGC. Unfortunately, as can be seen in the examples below, Dr. Lee’s experiments often get away from him, but this may be the nature of working with unknown technology. He is often assigned to vitally important projects.

Lee has more than one child, based on the fact that Bill mentions their love of Disney's 101 Dalmatians, it is likely they are of a young age. (SGA 2.13 "Critical Mass"). However, his marital status is currently single, based on his flirtation with Elizabeth Weir when she and McKay conducted their "Sting-like" ruse, and his interest in the singles scene at a conference he attended with Col. Carter, where he appeared to be quite popular (SGA 3.10 "The Return Part 1" and 10.15 "Bounty", respectively)

Updated through end of Season Ten/midway of SGA Season Four.

Character Biography

Dr. Bill Lee first appeared as a member of the scientific expedition to M4C-682 under the direction of Dr. Hamilton (4.19 "Prodigy"). He created a mechanism to trap one of the indigenous energy life forms for study, and he succeeded by creating a magnetic cage. Later, he witnessed the life forms attack and kill his colleague, Dr. Bill Thompson. When the life forms attacked en masse, Major Samantha Carter, Colonel Jack O'Neill, and Teal'c rescued the group using information extrapolated from Lee’s experiment. Before Lee left the planet, he made a point to thank O'Neill for risking his life for the group.

Lee next was involved in the search and rescue effort to find Colonels O'Neill and Maybourne when they disappeared on a planet (6.15 "Paradise Lost"). Despite running various tests, they were unable to find any trace of the men, nor could Lee and the other scientists discover any way to access the alien technology that caused the men to disappear. Lee gave up, and got into a heated verbal battle with Major Carter, the commander of the search and rescue, when he refused to continue. His report of the incident was later used as evidence against SG-1 during one of Kinsey’s attempts to take over the SGC (7.20 "Inauguration"), though Sam Carter and Bill Lee have since worked together with no apparent residual animosity.

Hammond ordered Dr. Lee to accompany Dr. Daniel Jackson to Central America when they were searching for an alien device that could be instrumental in defeating Anubis’s Kull Warriors (7.11 "Evolution Part 1" & 7.12 "Evolution Part 2"). Risking their lives, Drs. Jackson and Lee retrieved the Telchak device from a Mayan temple, but were kidnapped by anti-Honduran revolutionaries and tortured. Lee broke under the torture, later confessing to Daniel he told the rebels “everything.” However, the leader, Rafael, appeared not to know everything about the device when he questioned Daniel again. Bill and Daniel eventually escaped. When Bill could no longer breathe to run, Daniel Jackson hid the weakened Bill Lee and led the rebels away from him. Col. O'Neill and a CIA agent named Burke rescued the pair, and Drs. Lee and Jackson returned to the SGC with the Telchak device.

Lee was also instrumental in a project to develop better vest protection against the Jaffa weaponry as part of the SGC uniform (7.17 "Heroes, Part 1"). The new vests were worn by SGC personnel in a rescue mission and were credited in saving Col. O'Neill’s life when he was hit by a staff blast (7.18 "Heroes Part 2").

While O’Neill was off-duty recovering from the staff blast wound, SG-1 was called in by Agent Barrett to investigate a rogue NID project utilizing Goa’uld technology in California. They requested Dr. Lee assist them (7.19 "Resurrection"). Samantha Carter referred to him as “the best” to study Goa’uld technology, even with Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal’c present. They were able to diffuse a Goa'uld bomb and prevent a naquadah-enhanced explosion. Lee felt comfortable enough around Teal'c to try and high-five him when they succeeded.

Lee’s enthusiasm for his work with alien technology sometimes gets the best of him. He at first was excited at the growth potential of the alien plant, dreaming at the potential of eradicating world hunger (8.04 "Zero Hour"). He was not fully concerned with losing complete control of the plant’s growth until it started affecting power and communications in the SGC. Lee and his team figured out that gamma radiation killed the alien plant. This treatment had a beneficial side effect, because the radiation revealed that a recently obtained, half-powered ZPM was booby-trapped. Lee was able to warn General O'Neill before they sent the power source to Antarctica.

One of Lee’s long term projects was studying the virtual reality chairs from the Gamekeeper’s planet (8.06 "Avatar"). He and other scientists developed a computer training game program for personnel which they tested on themselves. However, when the game was played by Teal’c with his extensive field experience, it was found lacking. The nature of the chairs’ programming “learned” from the user, and Lee requested Teal’c continue to play the scenario to improve it. When the game would not let Teal’c out, Dr. Lee and Col. Carter, inspired by a comment by Gen. O'Neill, exploited a fluke in the system. This gave Dr. Jackson a two second advantage, so he could join the game and help Teal’c.

The following year, when Vala snapped the kor mak bracelet on Daniel’s wrist, Lee was the one who was tasked to try and release the device (9.01 "Avalon Part 1"). He was able to monitor a low energy reading that didn’t exist before, and broke three electric saw blades trying to cut the bracelet off of Daniel. To Daniel’s frustration, there was nothing Lee could do to release the bond. Even after Vala removed the bracelets, the link connecting them remained, stymying Lee and causing Daniel and Vala to snap at Lee in frustration (9.04 "Ties That Bind"). Lee theorized that their experience with another alien device bonded Daniel and Vala even after the bracelets were removed, and the bond may just have to wear off. This theory was later independently confirmed by the alien scientist Arlos.

The other alien device complicating the bond between Daniel and Vala was the Ancient Communications Terminal (9.02 "Avalon 2" and 9.03 "Origin"). Lee had conducted all possible tests, and the only remaining option was to try and activate the device. Lee did not expect Daniel and Vala to lose consciousness when they activated the device, but theorized this may be what was supposed to happen. He remained with Dr. Lam monitoring Daniel’s and Vala’s conditions while they were mentally attached to the device, and physically blocked Lt. Col. Mitchell’s efforts to shoot the device for fear of endangering the two, or even causing a surge that could destroy the base. Lee collected a lot of data during Daniel and Vala's time connected to the device, and studied it after Daniel and Vala were freed of its control (9.19 "Crusade").

Dr. Lee assisted Lt. Col. Carter in their efforts to find the missing Lt. Col. Mitchell when he was captured by the Sodan (9.08 "Babylon"). He was shocked by several volts from an Ancient transportation device’s self defense mechanism when he tried to override it. Apparently, the feeling returned to his legs within a few days.

He appeared healthy when helping Sam Carter try and come up with a way to short circuit the Priors’ extra-sensory abilities (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"). The basis for their research into possible counters to the Prior’s powers was obtained from information discovered from the study of the DNA manipulation device, but were also hurried by a short deadline. Both jovially teased each other as they worked long hours on this project, which was completed with help from the formerly ascended Orlin. Daniel Jackson and Cameron Mitchell were openly skeptical of their results, but headed out to field test the anti-Prior weapon on the Sodan planet.

Bill Lee worked with Carter on trying to determine how a duplicate SG-1 from an alternate reality came through the SGC wormhole (9.13 "Ripple Effect"). When the alternate Carter arrived to assist, Lee got over his surprise and shrugged that "two heads are better than one." He theorized that the reason entropic cascade failure had not happened to the alternate was because the alternate universes were too similar. Eventually Lee and Carter ended up working with several Carters as more alternate SG-1 teams arrived.

When Agent Barrett reported the Goa'uld controlled Trust had infiltratrated Atlantis and planted a bomb, Gen. Landry ordered Dr. Lee to come up with a way to warn the expedition before they dialed Earth, which would detonate the device (Stargate Atlantis: 2.13 "Critical Mass"). Under a tight timeframe, Lee recommended sending a science team to P4M-399, a tiny planet at the outskirts of the Milky Way Galaxy, where they could send a long distance signal to the Daedalus who would then piggy-back the signal to Atlantis. This method was successful. Later, Lt. Col. Carter returned from an offworld mission and assisted him and Agent Barrett in their attempts to discover the location and nature of the Atlantis explosive device.

While the Goa'uld Nerus was in custody at Area 51, Lee studied the Goa'uld's various devices (9.16 "Off The Grid"). Under Landry's orders, Lee installed a trojan-style computer virus into several of Nerus's devices. They went undetected by the Goa'uld and infected Ba'al's ha'tak when Nerus installed one into his lab's computer system. Lee's virus shut down power, shields and weapons throughout the ship, making it possible for SG-1 to infiltrate the ship.

Lee was given an ear of Kassa, a corn-like produce for study (9.16 "Off The Grid). He was able to determine that the the plant contained a highly addictive psycho-stimulant and that it was artificially engineered.

Landry came to Lee for his analysis of the data culled after losing contact with the Gamma Site (9.17 "The Scourge"). Lee, overcoming his fear and dislike for bugs, was able to determine the scourge of insects were R75, a type of bug he hoped could be used against the Lucian Alliance's kassa crops. Instead, he noted the insects had somehow become carnivorous. He acknowledged that, based on this data, he would likely be able to "whip up" an agent capable of killing the bugs, but would be deadly to other life as well, including humans. He was crestfallen to learn that Landry suspected that there was no one left alive at the Gamma site to rescue.

Lee and Carter had been trying to figure out what one of the Ancient objects from Avalon did for six months. (9.18 "Arthur's Mantle"). Early one morning, Carter inadvertently activated the device, moving Carter and Mitchell out of phase with this dimension. After tracking Lee's lab as the Carter and Mitchell's last known whereabouts, Bill came up with a theory that the device miniaturized the two lieutenant colonels. After a thorough search, the theory was discounted, though he was later teased by Daniel about it. Lee discovered the device was giving off trace amounts of lepton radiation, inspiring Dr. Jackson to realize the device pushed his teammates into another dimension. Lee thought he had come up with a way to counteract the effect, but instead, Lee merely repeated the process and Daniel Jackson too became out of phase.

Dejected, Lee continued to work on the problem alone, but unfortunately compounded his mistake when another attempt drained most of the device's power supply. He reported the danger immediately to General Landry, explaining that there was likely only a few minutes of power left. He readjusted the algorithm again to no effect. However, Daniel Jackson had been able to translate the Ancient instructions projected from the device in the alternate dimension, and reversed the effect from there.

Using the data from when Daniel was connected to the Ancient Communication Terminal and a Tok'ra subspace communicator, Bill Lee and Sam Carter were trying to mimic the frequency and recreate the technology's effect (9.19 "Crusade"). They used Daniel's data from his link with the stone as a baseline, which led to Vala's possessing Daniel when she established a link using a Communication device from the Ori galaxy.

Bill Lee was in charge of studying Ba'al's al'kesh after it was shot down en route to Cheyenne Mountain (10.04 "Insiders"). By activating the tracking system on the al'kesh, he was able to determine where Ba'al had previously been, leading to the capture of several Ba'al clones. When the Ba'als engineered a breakout, Lee suggested symbiote poison be used, but the way the SGC ventilation system worked, the canisters of poison had to be strategically placed in five locations to avoid pockets of fresh air where the Ba'al clones could take refuge. Unfortunately, a firefight broke out before all the canisters could be placed, and Lee's plan had to be enacted prematurely, allowing some of the Ba'als to escape.

When the Atlantis expedition returned to Earth, Lee was in charge of research on the puddle jumper (SGA 3.10 "The Return Part 1"). When some members wanted to use the vessel to return to the Pegasus Galaxy and save Atlantis from Replicators, they needed the shuttle. Therefore, while Weir distracted Lee in a conversation about the video game World of Warcraft, McKay broke into Lee's computer and added his access card to the authorized user list. It should also be noted while Weir was clearly out of her depth faking her interest, Lee was an enthusiastic user of the game, having risen to a "Level 75 Mage, specializing in engineering and jewelling" with the help of having the beta (test version) of the expansion pack. Lee was later disappointed in how he was taken in by the Sting-like ruse (SGA 3.11 "The Return Part 2"). General Landry quick dispelled him from his musings by ordering him to figure out a way to destroy the Intergalactic Bridge.

After Sam Carter disappeared during another experiment with "Arthur's Mantle", Dr. Lee was one of the people trying to discover what happened to her (10.13 "Road Not Taken"). Two weeks afterwards, he was scanning the site with a sonic device when she reappeared from the alternate universe where she had been. He was both startled and very pleased to see her again. In the alternate universe, Carter had interacted a lot with Bill Lee's counterpart. Together they had saved that Lee's Earth from Ori attack.

Dr. Lee attended a scientific conference with Samantha Carter, where they were to demonstrate "developing technologies" (which were actually backwards engineered, less operative versions of the real alien devices they used on a daily basis) (10.15 "Bounty") Lee's project was the X-699 Plasma Cannon, which they purposefully sabotaged to appear to be not viable technology for the public. However, when an alien bounty hunter made an attempt to Sam's life during her lecture, Lee helped her put the laser into working order so that she could return fire. The audience in the hall were very impressed at the "demonstration".

Bill Lee worked with Samantha Carter on the Intergalactic Gate Bridge between the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies (SGA 4.01 "Adrift Part 2"). When the moving city ship Atlantis missed their rendezvous, the pair brainstormed on how to find the Ancient vessel (SGA 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3"). They worked with Apollo to find the ship, then stayed with the city-ship as it landed on its new homeworld and assisted its re-connection to the Intergalactic Gate Bridge.

Episodes

• 4.19 "Prodigy"
• 6.15 "Paradise Lost"
• 7.11 "Evolution Part 1"
• 7.12 "Evolution Part 2"
• 7.17 "Heroes Part 1"
• 7.18 “Heroes Part 2" (referenced research only)
• 7.19 "Resurrection"
• 7.20 "Inauguration" (by reference only)
• 8.04 "Zero Hour"
• 8.06 "Avatar"
• 9.01 "Avalon Part 1"
• 9.02 "Avalon Part 2"
• 9.03 "Origin Part 3"
• 9.04 "The Ties That Bind"
• 9.08 "Babylon" (by reference only)
• 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"
• 9.13 "Ripple Effect"
• 9.16 "Off The Grid" (by reference only)
• 9.17 "The Scourge"
• 9.16 "Off The Grid" (by reference only)
• 9.17 "The Scourge"
• 9.18 "Arthur's Mantle"
• 9.19 "Crusade Part 1" (by reference only)
• 10.04 "Insiders"
• SGA 2.13 "Critical Mass"
• SGA 3.10 "The Return Part 1"
• SGA 3.11 "The Return Part 2"
• 10.13 "The Road Not Taken"
• 10.15 "Bounty"
• SGA 4.01 "Adrift Part 2"
• SGA 4.02 "Lifeline Part 3"

Gallery

Lee on M4C-682	Lee reports on failed search for O'Neill	Lee in Honduras
Lee discovers tainted ZPM	Lee presents virtual reality training program	Lee tries to free Daniel from Kor Mak bracelet
Lee studies Ancient communications terminal	Lee works to solve alternate reality confluence	Lee describes intergalactic communications relay to Atlantis

Related Characters

• Col./Gen. Jack O'Neill
• Dr. Daniel Jackson
• Mjr./Lt. Col./Col. Samantha Carter
• Teal'c
• Col. Cameron Mitchell
• General Hammond
• General Landry
• Dr. Carolyn Lam
• Arlos
• Ba'al
• NID Agent Malcolm Barrett
• CIA Agent Burke
• Dr. Elizabeth Weir
• Dr. Hamilton
• Vice President Robert Kinsey
• Col. Harry Maybourne
• Dr. Rodney McKay
• Rafael
• Orlin
• Priors of the Ori
• Dr. Bill Thompson
• Vala Mal Doran

Related Articles

• Al'kesh
• Alternate Realities
• Ancients
• Ancient Communications Terminal
• Apollo
• Atlantis Expedition
• Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy
• Cloning
• Energy Lifeforms of M4C-862
• Daedalus-Class Ship
• DNA Manipulation Device
• Gamma Site
• Game Keeper's Chair
• Intergalactic Gate Bridge
• Kassa
• Kor Mak Bracelets
• Kull Warrior
• Lucian Alliance
• M4C-862
• Merlin's Interdimensional Device
• P4M-399
• Puddle Jumper
• Prior Bugs (R75)
• Sodan
• Stargate Command
• Telchak Device
• Tok'ra Subspace Communicators
• The Trust
• X-699 Plasma Cannon
• Zero Point Module (ZPM)

Actor

• Bill Dow

---

--Aurora Novarum 19:55, 08 Nov 2005 (EST)