Orlin

Orlin, first human form

Orlin, second human form

Summary

Orlin was an Ascended Being who fell in love with Samantha Carter when SG-1 visited the planet to which he was banished. He retook human form and sacrificed himself in order to protect the humans of Earth from obtaining knowledge and technology before they were prepared to use it. Because of his sacrifice, he was accepted back by the other Ascended Beings, known as The Others, and he rejoined them. He retook human form a second time, this time in the form of a 12-year-old boy, in order to help Earth develop a cure against the "Prior Plague" used by the Ori to wipe out worlds which did not convert to their religion, called "Origin". (5.03 "Ascension", 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

Character Biography

When SG-1 set foot on Velona (P4X-636), Orlin attempted to make contact with Maj. Samantha Carter while she was studying a piece of technology, later discovered to be a very powerful weapon. Orlin's attempt at contact was unsuccessful because Carter was not prepared and she was rendered unconscious. Once back on Earth, her teammates and General Hammond insisted that she get some rest and she was practically kicked off the base to relax at home. Orlin had followed her through the stargate and had been watching her inside her home. Finally, he made himself visible to her. Because he was a being of energy and existed in a higher plane of existence, he was able to pass through solid objects, such as Carter's kitchen counter.

Immediately Carter reported Orlin to her superiors and they placed surveillance equipment in her home. After being under surveillance for a while and Orlin did not appear, the equipment was removed. Orlin reappeared to Carter afterwards and convinced her that he wasn't trying to harm her. He offered to share his "essence" with her with her permission and she accepted. After the encounter, Carter knew that he was what he claimed.

Orlin decided to retake human form to see if he and Carter could have a relationship. When Carter came home, he had prepared a candlelight dinner, complete with flowers. He then told her his story. Once his kind decided to retake human form, they needed the help of the others to ascend again. He said that he didn't know where the others of his kind were, but Carter told him they had met Oma Desala at Kheb. Orlin had never heard of her, but once Carter told him that Oma helped people ascend to a higher plane of existence, he concluded that she was most likely banished by the others because she broke one of the most sacred rules of their kind: Do not accelerate the natural ascension process of those beneath.

Orlin explained that he had been banished to Velona as punishment for giving the humans the knowledge of how to defend themselves against the Goa'uld. The knowledge he shared gave them the ability to build a very powerful weapon. The people used the weapon and were able to eliminate the Goa'uld threat, but then they turned their attentions on using the weapon on other planets for conquest. As a collective, the others decided to destroy Velona, determining that it was necessary to prevent a disaster which he had been responsible for. After they destroyed Velona, Orlin was banished there. Four hundred years passed as Orlin existed on the planet all alone. During that time, he concluded that the rule of non-interference was necessary.

Neither Orlin nor Carter knew that they were still under surveillance, this time by agents of the NID under Col. Frank Simmons' command. They decided that they were going to attempt to capture Orlin to gain access to his knowledge. Orlin saw that he was under surveillance and started to build a miniature stargate in Carter's basement. He gave her a very large emerald, her birthstone, which he had "made" as a gift of adoration. Orlin then went through the small stargate which had only enough power to get him to Velona to stop the SGC from powering up the weapon. Carter jumped in the wormhole after him and tried to intercept him before he attempted to disable the weapon, but Col. Reynolds of SG-16 had already had it started on its power build-up with a naquadah reactor. Once the power build-up was started, it could not be stopped and the energy had to be released or the reactor would explode. When Orlin attacked one of his men, Reynolds shot him, but not before Orlin was successful at disengaging the reactor from the weapon.

As Orlin laid dying from his wounds, "the others" arrived, having sensed that the weapon was being powered up. They gave him another chance after witnessing his sacrifice in order to protect the people of the SGC. He died and then ascended. As an Ascended Being, he took the reactor far from the weapon and it exploded without harm. Then, the weapon was destroyed with a bolt of lightning. Carter looked up in the cloud where the others have gathered and watched as the cloud disappeared and, presumably, Orlin was among them once more. (5.03 "Ascension")

When the Ascended Beings known as the Ori learned of the existence of humanity in the Milky Way Galaxy (9.03 "Origin Part 3"), they decided to send their missionaries, called Priors, through the Stargates in order to convert them into worshippers. If people refused to worship the Ori, they were destroyed, usually by a plague, but some populations have been destroyed through other means such as earthquakes (9.08 "Babylon"). The Prior sent to the planet P2X-885 made a member of SG-6 a carrier of this plague and he unwittingly unleashed this rapidly-mutating virus into the public. Orlin, who had been watching over Carter, decided to retake human form once again in order to help them develop a cure to the virus. In order that he maintain as much of his ascended knowledge as possible, he returned in the form of a 12-year-old boy whose brain was more capable of harboring the vast knowledge longer. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

It was awkward for Carter to relate to Orlin as a young boy, even though he said he carried the same love for her as he had before when he had the form of a grown man. Even though there was some discomfort, Carter kept Orlin company at the SGC while he worked on the cure for the plague. Orlin not only brought with him the extensive knowledge of the Ascended, but he also brought information on the history of the Ori, their war with the Altera, and the lies behind their religion of Origin. Orlin revealed that Ascended Beings can grow more powerful through the surrender of humans' free will. In effect, the more worshippers that the Ori had, the more powerful they became. If they gained the energy of billions of worshippers in the Milky Way Galaxy, the balance in the Ascended planes could very well be tipped in the Ori's favor, making it very bad for everyone on all planes of existence. The Ori must be stopped, and because of this incredible threat, The Others permitted Orlin to return to human form with his knowledge intact to help. Orlin believed this trip, however, was most likely going to be one way because he doubted that The Others would help him to ascend again. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

Orlin determined that the Prior Plague started from a mutation of the Prior's own DNA. In order for him to find the cure, he needed the blood from the Prior who gave the virus to Lt. Fisher of SG-6, patient zero of the plague on Earth. Orlin created all the necessary DNA sequencing programs before he started to show signs of brain damage as a result of attempting to hold on to the knowledge of the Ancients longer than his physiology could maintain. He became forgetful and distracted, so Carter escorted him to the infirmary where Dr. Lam could keep a careful watch over him. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

Even though he knew he was destroying his brain, Orlin continued to work on the cure to the Prior Plague, forcing himself to remember the advanced knowledge of the Ascended. He recorded the steps necessary to develop a vaccine, and also interviewed the Prior who started the plague on Earth in order to turn him from the Ori, but to no avail. This interview, however, did reveal that the Ori planned to destroy the Ancients in this galaxy after obtaining enough power from worshippers. Eventually, his attempts to retain his advanced knowledge permanently disabled him. Orlin's condition deterioted rapidly, but finally stabilized. Unfortunately, the damage had been done and he lost his memories, including personal information such as the identity of Samantha Carter. Orlin was committed to a care facility where Carter visited him, even though he didn't know who she was or the successful outcome of his contributions to help humanity. (9.11 "The Fourth Horseman Part 2")

Episodes

Gallery

Ascended Beings Screencapture Gallery Contains images of Oma Desala, Shifu, Orlin, The Others, the ascended Daniel Jackson and the partially ascended Anubis. Clicking on each thumbnail will lead you to a larger image which you are welcome to download. If you click on the gallery's home button, you will be sent to the article on Ascended Beings.

Orlin shares his essence with Carter	Orlin retakes human form to be with Carter	Orlin dies and ascends once more
Orlin retakes human form as a boy	Orlin and Carter work on a vaccine	Carter visits Orlin in care facility