9.12 "Collateral Damage" Episode Guide
Précis
On an alien planet, Col. Mitchell experiences the power of a memory altering technology the SGC wants to secure, gets involved with the leading scientist, and is accused of her brutal murder. His own memories confirm that he committed the crime. SG-1 must protect Mitchell while they prove his innocence, and find the real killer.
Guide | Transcript
SciFi.com Official Summary
SG-1 embarks on a diplomatic mission to the planet Galar (one of the planets protected by the Asgard), whose human inhabitants have discovered how to graft a memory from one person into the mind of another using modifications to the memory recall devices left behind by the Goa'uld. What they haven't discovered is space travel, so they're eager to initiate trade talks with Earth.
After an impressive demonstration of the memory-sharing technique, Col. Mitchell finds himself smitten with Dr. Reya Varrick, the brilliant and beautiful civilian scientist in charge of the project. Mitchell's somewhat unsubtle overtures win him a few knowing smirks from his teammates — and an invitation from Dr. Varrick to visit her apartment. There, after a few drinks, the two consummate their own private Earth-Galar alliance.
Hours afterward, Mitchell is awakened by Galaran security forces dragging him to his feet. Dr. Varrick lies dead nearby, and there's blood on his hands. Worse, he vividly remembers killing her. Even though he promptly confesses, neither Carter, Daniel, nor Teal'c believes that he committed the crime. Instead, Daniel voices what they're all thinking: The true killer has implanted the memory of the murder into Mitchell's mind.
Before SG-1 can present this theory to the Galarans, the Galaran emissary himself announces that, for the sake of diplomatic relations, Mitchell may return to Earth without penalty. But Mitchell refuses to take the deal. He can't live without knowing whether he's really guilty of the bloody crime he remembers. Instead, he demands that the Galarans initiate a full criminal investigation, even though, if he's convicted, he'll be executed.
As Daniel and Teal'c review the evidence, Carter and Mitchell meet with the memory project's scientists. The man now in charge, Dr. Marell, believes that Dr. Varrick was killed by the military because of her insistence that the project remain in civilian hands. Accordingly, he eagerly agrees to investigate Mitchell's memories. Unfortunately, his initial tests yield no evidence that Mitchell's recollection of the murder is false.
Finally, by comparing Mitchell's memory of the crime to an earlier memory with a similarly painful emotional resonance — Mitchell's unintentional bombing of a civilian convoy in the Middle East — Dr. Marell turns up a faint inconsistency in the murder memory. It's a fake.
Even now, however, Mitchell refuses to quit. He liked and respected Dr. Varrick and he won't leave without exposing her real killer. But on a planet where no one's memory is necessarily what it seems, finding the truth will be no easy task.
Modified by Solutions.
Cast
- Ben Browder as Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell
- Amanda Tapping as Lt. Col. Samantha Carter
- Christopher Judge as Teal'c
- With Beau Bridges as Maj. Gen. Hank Landry
- And Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson
Guest Stars
- Gary Jones as Sgt. Walter Harriman
- Warren Kimmel as Dr. Marell
- Benson Simmonds as Dr. Amuro
- William Atherton as Emissary
- Anna Galvin as Dr. Reya Varrick
- Maximillian Uhrin as Young Mitchell
- Ian Robison as Mitchell's Father
- Brian Drummond as Security Officer
- John Treleaven as Colonel
Production
- Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
- Directed by William Waring
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--DeeKayP 07:45, 24 Jun 2005 (PDT)