Svetlana Markov
Summary
Dr. Svetlana Markov was a prominent Russian astrophysicist who understood the science of the Stargate. (4.07 "Watergate")
Character Biography
Dr. Markov was instrumental in the development of the Russian's Stargate program after they recovered the Giza Stargate from the bottom of the ocean (4.01 "Small Victories Part 2"). When the Stargate would not disengage from a waterworld to which they had established a wormhole, Markov called in for the help of SG-1.
The Russians obtained secret information about the Stargate Program from the traitor, Harry Maybourne. SG-1 was astonished to discover what she knew about them and the Program. Jack tried to deny all of it, much to Markov's amusement. Markov admired Carter's theories about wormhole physics and used much of it in operating their Stargate. The Russians, however, had a DHD, the one which had been paired with the Giza Stargate, discovered by the Germans and obtained by the Russians after World War II.
Markov accompanied the team to Siberia where the Stargate was housed in an old power plant. They all had to parachute to the location. Markov was devastated when she discovered that everyone in the facility had died. Some of the personnel appeared to have turned on each other and the rest died when the base commander initiated a security protocol.
While Jack and Teal'c continued to investigate the mystery of the deaths on the base, Daniel and Carter went with Markov in a small submarine designed to go through the Stargate. They successfully disengaged the wormhole by turning off their remote nuclear-powered probe which had been feeding power to the Stargate to maintain the wormhole. While on the waterworld, they discovered that the water was composed of sentient lifeforms.
Jack and Teal'c discovered Maybourne in the facility's meat locker. He had been taken as a host of the water lifeforms. The lifeforms transferred to Teal'c and Teal'c dialed the waterworld. In the meantime, Markov, Daniel, and Carter had been taken hostage after their submarine was captured and destroyed. The lifeforms left Teal'c and went home and soon thereafter, Markov, Daniel, and Carter were returned. Jack decided that they had just performed a hostage exchange.
The Russian Stargate program was not financially feasible to be maintained. It wasn't long thereafter that they shut down their program and leased the Giza Stargate back to Stargate Command. They also negotiated to have a Russian SG team. (6.02 "Redemption Part 2")
Dr. Markov has not been mentioned in association with the arrangement made between the Russian and American governments concerning the operation of the Stargate Program.
Episodes
Related Characters
Related Articles
Keywords
Other
Actor
--DeeKayP 15:46, 10 Jun 2005 (PDT)