People of P8X-412
Summary
The People of P8X-412 were once ruled by the Goa'uld Qetesh. Vala Mal Doran was the former host to Qetesh and after she was freed of the symbiote, she posed as Qetesh to gain access to the naquadah mine. Vala was pursuaded to reveal herself as a false god in order to educate the people of the planet on the Priors of the Ori, missionaries who represented the powerful Ascended Beings known as the Ori. Unfortunately, the people turned their devotion to the Ori after the Prior sent a plague and then healed them. The People of P8X-412 were introduced in the episode, 9.05 "The Powers That Be".
Stargate References
The People of P8X-412 served as loyal followers to the Goa’uld Qetesh, believing her to be a god. They worked in the naquadah mines and turned everything over to Qetesh. As a people, they suffered from mass torture, mass murder, and other crimes. Unbeknownst to them, Qetesh was killed, though a Tok’ra saved the human host of Qetesh, Vala Mal Doran.
Vala, continued to impersonate Qetesh, accepting the naquadah tribute as a way for her to “get back on her feet.” While pretending to be their god, Vala stopped the practices of torture and executions, and instituted a judicial system of sorts. Parties in dispute would present their positions to Vala as judge, and she would rule on the matter. Vala named this judicial process after herself, calling it a “Mal Doran”. First among Vala’s followers was the village leader, Azdak.
Vala disappeared for a time, and the community fell into hard times. The harvests were poor, the society was barely holding itself together, awaiting the return of their god to save them. During this desperate time, a Prior arrived. He healed one villager, Vachna, who was suffering from a debilitating illness. Vachna spread the word of the Ori to the village, proclaiming Qetesh to be a false god.
Vala returned with Dr. Jackson, Teal’c, and Col. Mitchell. Though continuing her charade at first, she eventually told the People of P8X-412 the truth. Furious at her deception, Azdak imprisoned Vala and ordered her execution for the following day. Col. Mitchell convinced Azdak to hold a Mal Doran, with the village as the jurors.
During Dr. Jackson's defense of Vala, the Prior (who was formerly the Administrator of Ver Ager) returned. He and Dr. Jackson made compelling arguments to the People about the merits of the Ori religion. Later, Azdak agreed to commute Vala’s sentence to life imprisonment. While discussing the Prior situation, they learned Vachna had fallen ill. The Prior had infected Vachna with a plague.
Vala healed Vachna with a Goa’uld healing device, and in gratitude, Azdak pardoned her. However, the plague spread to other villagers, including Azdak. Dr. Carolyn Lam and a medical team came in full hazmat gear to treat the population. Even with Vala’s use of the healing device, the plague was spreading too quickly and many, like Azdak, were becoming reinfected. Even Col. Mitchell succumbed to the disease. Dr. Lam could not find any successful treatment.
The Prior returned for the response to his ultimatum: follow the Ori, or die from the plague. Azdak had already died from the disease. On behalf of his people, Vachna pleaded with Prior to spare the village and led all those still healthy enough in prostration to the Ori. In response, the Prior used his orbed staff to heal the population, including Col. Mitchell, and resurrect Azdak.
As far as is known, the People of P8X-412 still follow the Ori.
Notable Characters
- Azdak - was the leader of the village and a devout follower of Qetesh. Furious at discovering Vala’s deception, he allowed reason to sway his anger and allowed a Mal Doran to occur to decide Vala’s fate. When the Prior plague swept through the village, Azdak continued to be reinfected by the disease, eventually becoming its only fatal casualty. Azdak was raised from the dead when the Prior healed the village.
- Vachna - was one of the villagers. Apparently a farmer, he suffered from a debilitating illness that prevented him from providing for his family. The Prior cured him of this disease and made Vachna a follower of the Ori religion. Later, Vachna became the first victim of the Prior plague. He recovered with Vala’s help, then led the population in prostration to the Prior as a desperate attempt to save his people.
Alliances
- The SGC - The SGC attempted to help the People of P8X-412 with medical help when they fell victim to the Prior Plague. However they could not assist and failed to prevent the conversion of the people to the Ori religion.
Enemies
- The Goa'uld - Unaware the Goa’uld were not gods, the People of P8X-412 served as human slaves of the Goa’uld Qetesh.
- The Ori - A Prior blackmailed the population to worship the Ori by releasing a plague on the population for which there was no known cure. The people had to submit to the Ori religion, or all would perish.
Episodes
Related Characters
- Dr. Daniel Jackson
- Teal'c
- Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell
- Vala Mal Doran
- Dr. Carolyn Lam
- Administrator of Ver Ager
- Qetesh
Related Articles
Actors
- Cam Chai as Azdak
- Pablo Coffey as Vachna
--Aurora 20:26, 9 December 2005 (PST)