Category: SG-1

10.13 The Shroud

Summary

The team, sans Daniel Jackson, travels to a planet which has been visited by a Prior of the Ori. The villagers aren’t sure that this Prior is as much of a threat as the team thinks he is. When the team meets the Prior, they realize why he is so very different from the rest.

Details

Tevaris is talking with Mitchell, Carter, Vala, and Teal’c about the Prior of the Ori who has recently visited his people. The team tries to convince him that the Priors are preaching a false religion and asking that the people once again turn to false gods. Tevaris says that the Prior did not threaten them with death, but promised salvation as what is put forth in the Book of Origin.

Soon, the Prior returns and Tevaris helps SG-1 hide. As the Prior pushes back his cloak, the team is shocked to see Daniel has become a Prior, complete with milky eyes, white hair, and a pale face. Upon being greeted by the villagers, Daniel declares, “Hallowed are the Ori.”

Guest Characters

Tevaris

Production

No further information is available at this time.

Spoilers are subject to change as the episode is still in production.

A few further details have been released and are included below.

10.12 Bounty

Summary

Cameron Mitchell goes to his high school reunion in Kansas, accompanied by Vala Mal Doran. What Mitchell doesn’t don’t know is that he’s been tracked to the event by a humanoid alien bounty hunter who wants to use him as bait for a bigger prize: all of SG-1.

Details

Mitchell arrives in Kansas for a high school reunion in honor of the Class of 1987, Vala in tow. They meet Mitchell’s old high school friend, Darrell Grimes, and Mitchell shares stories of old pranks with him, to Vala’s confusion. The the beautiful Amy Vanderberg arrives, and she and Mitchell have an awkward encounter, after which Vala claims that Amy clearly likes Mitchell. While Darrell begins to fall for Vala, Mitchell chats with Amy, who is recently divorced, telling her he had a serious crush on her in high school but didn’t have the courage to act on it. She admits she had a crush on him as well and watched all of his football games. Their reminiscing is interrupted by a cell phone call from General Landry, who manages to tell Mitchell through a poor cell connection that Carter and Teal’c have been attacked, and that Mitchell might be the next target.

In fact, Teal’c has been attacked on a Jaffa planet. He is not seriously injured, but asks that word be put out that he is gravely wounded, perhaps to put whoever attacked him off their guard.

Elsewhere in a Museum of Antiquities, Daniel consults huge ancient texts late into the evening.

While Mitchell begins to react to the news from Landry, alien bounty hunter Odai Ventrell makes his way into the reunion party impersonating another classmate, ex-football player Phil. Brandishing an energy weapon, he corners Mitchell and tells him he is just bait for a bigger prize: SG-1 itself. Ventrell takes Mitchell’s phone and tells Landry, in Mitchell’s voice, that he needs assistance. Ventrell promises not to hurt anyone as long as Mitchell waits without resisting for the rest of SG-1 to come to Mitchell’s aid. Mitchell questions the assumption that SG-1 will come, telling Ventrell that Teal’c isn’t even on Earth. But Ventrell shows Mitchell a hand-held device that is tracking all the members of SG-1: they are all in North America.

What Ventrell doesn’t know is that the SGC is onto him, and that Vala, who also has a price on her head, is elsewhere at the reunion. While Landry, Carter, Teal’c, and Daniel mobilize a rescue, Ventrell and Vala inevitably collide.

We will stop there without spoiling Act 4 of the story further, out of respect to the production.

Guest Characters

Amy Vanderburg; Darrell Grimes; Odai Ventrell; Cha’ra (a Jaffa)

Production

Written by: Damian Kindler
Directed by: Peter DeLuise
Before cameras: on or about June 12-20, 2006

Please note that all details are subject to change once the episode is filmed and edited.

10.10 THE QUEST (PART 1)

Summary

During a quest for the Sangreal, Merlin’s anti-Ori weapon, the team must join forces with Ba’al, decipher ancient clues, and face a real-life dragon.

Details

The team is following three days behind Ba’al’s search for the Sangreal. They’ve arrived at a place where Morgan Le Fay had once been. Following various leads, they determine that they must find the Parchment of Virtues, left behind by Morgan as a guide for knights who wish to claim the Sangreal.

Only those of virtue may “win the prize”, according to Osric, the medieval village’s elderly librarian. He’s the keeper of the archives, maps, and parchments related to the Sangreal. He shows the team the Parchment, written in Ancient. Daniel reads its contents which declares that the Sangreal will belong to the one who speaks the guardian’s name. The guardian, according to Osric, is a dragon which protects the Sangreal, said to be in a cave beyond the outlying forest. Morgan is said to have enchanted the area with this curse which has claimed countless lives.

Osric takes the curse very seriously, even though Daniel dismisses the dragon as a myth. The Parchment tells them what virtues they need: prudence, wisdom, charity, kindness, and faith. Morgan also left a map, but Osric denies the team access to it, saying that the last group of “adventurers” (Ba’al and his group) had tried to steal it.

Needing the map, the team must determine how to gain access to it. Vala proposes stealing it, but Daniel wishes to try to talk to Osric and convince him that their cause is virtuous.

EDITED TO ADD: Osric joins SG-1 on the quest, keeping the map in his possession. Along the way, the team also joins up with Ba’al. Together, the group follows the map to a cave. They’ve been able to get this far, having freed themselves from a force field earlier in their journey. But, Daniel notices something eerily familiar about Osric and once they reach the cave, the team calls his bluff: he is Adria in disguise! Adria promises that things will get much more difficult now that they know.

Guest Characters

Ba’al; Adria; Osric; Villager; Barkeep.

Production

Written by: Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by: Andy Mikita
Before cameras: on or about May 23-June 9

NOTE: Spoilers are subject to change as this episode is still in production.

10.09 COMPANY OF THIEVES

Summary

Mitchell goes undercover within the Lucian Alliance to save his teammates who are caught in the middle of the Alliance’s civil war.

Details

The Lucian Alliance is in the midst of a civil war, with Netan leading one side, and Anateo leading the other. Even though Anateo wears the uniform of the Lucian Alliance, he pledges allegiance to no one. Anateo manages to capture the Odyssey while Carter is onboard. The ship is badly damaged and Anateo forces Carter to turn off its subspace beacon which transmits its location while one of Anateo’s men, Solek, points his gun at Emerson. Not wishing for the signal to be cut off, Emerson orders Carter not to comply with Anateo’s request and Solek shoots him in the chest, killing him. Just to make sure he’s dead, Solek fires two more shots into his body.

Elsewhere, the rest of SG-1 is onboard a cargo ship, wearing undercover clothes. The cargo ship is not in the best shape, with an extraordinarily loud engine and defective stabilizers which give a rough ride. Daniel and Vala meet with Borzin, someone Vala knows from the past to find out about what happened to the Odyssey. Borzin pretends to want to help, but ends up capturing the two to bring before Amateo for bounty. They are brought onboard the Odyssey where Amateo is watching over Carter as she makes repairs. He has his eyes on Carter for other, more personal, reasons as he finds her attractive. Borzin demands payment for capturing Amateo, but Amateo quietly orders Solek to kill him. Daniel and Vala try to reassure Carter that everything was going according to plan.

Mitchell and Teal’c return to the SGC and discuss the intelligence that the Odyssey was not destroyed, but was in the hands of the Lucian Alliance with Gen. Landry. Landy then asks that Teal’c spread the word among the Jaffa that he’d like to talk with the Alliance’s leader.

Major Escher, the leader of SG-12, briefs Gen. Landry, Mitchell, and Teal’c on the Lucian Alliance infrastructure, explaining that Netan has divided his territory and each division is controlled by one of his lieutenants, which they call “seconds”. There are about twenty of these “seconds” who oversee the operations, including smuggling, extortion, racketeering, and trafficking kassa, the highly addictive corn. One of these “seconds” is named Kefflin, who oversees a large kassa production operation from his command ship as a recluse. Because of this, very few people have ever seen him and Mitchell decides to go undercover inside of Netan’s group impersonating Kefflin. Kefflin has a reputation for being a brutal killer with a notorious temper. Netan keeps his “seconds” away from each other to prevent the possibility of mutany.

Mitchell intercepts Vashin’s mothership, asking to see Netan. As soon as Mitchell is ringed onboard Vashin’s ship, he starts a fight. Mitchell pretends to get beaten badly, secretly smearing fake blood all over his face, and Vashin immediately takes him to Netan. Mitchell acts wounded and takes hold of Netan’s forearm and pricks him with a ring which gives Netan the illusion that he is indeed Kefflin (this kind of ring was used by Daniel when he infiltrated the System Lord summit as the human slave of Lord Yu in Season Five’s “Summit”/”Last Stand”). Netan embraces him.

Mitchell, as Kefflin, is introduced to some of Netan’s officers: Gavos, Slaviash, Karug, Millic, and Rameris. They sit at their meal and discuss the state of affairs. At this point, Mitchell tells Netan that Amateo has captured the Odyssey. Netan sent him to capture the ship in exchange for five ha’tak vessels. Mitchell also tells him that Amateo had set a trap for SG-1, something Netan had not sanctioned. Netan’s officers realize that Amateo has betrayed them.

Marks is on the Odyssey and he and several of the crew find Daniel and Vala.

In the meantime, Vashin has captured Teal’c and is torturing him for information about the rest of the team and why he was spying on them. Mitchell, still impersonating Kefflin, has to look on. When he sees that Vashin is about to use the Goa’uld pain stick, he jumps in and declares to Netan that he knows how to get the information out of Teal’c. Netan, amused, encourages him.

Guest Characters

SGC: Col. Paul Emerson, Marks of the Odyssey, and Maj. Escher of SG-12.
Lucian Alliance and company: Netan, Vashin, Gavos, Slaviash, Karug, Millic, Rameris, Amateo, Solek, and Borzin.

Production

Written by: Alan McCullough
Directed by: Will Waring
Before cameras: starting May 10

Note: Spoilers are subject to change as the episode is still in production.

The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Stargate SG-1‘s land-mark 200th episode, directed by Martin Wood and scheduled to premiere on the SciFi Channel August 18.

Stargate SG-1‘s makeup FX artist Sarah Pickersgill sent a photo to Fangoria from the shooting of the 200th episode. The make-up featured in the picture was shown off by Todd Masters, Nicholas Podbrey, and Rachel Griffin and was created by Pickersgill, Griffin, Brad Proctor, and Mike Fields.

No details concerning the plot were given, but one does have to wonder why there are twenty zombies roaming around.

• Fangoria: STARGATE zombies love Fango!
• 10.06 “200” Episode Guide (Spoilers)

[Thanks to sueb45 and morjana for the tip]

Adria as an adult has been cast

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide has been keeping Stargate SG-1 fans in the know as he digs up spoilers and scoops for the show, now in production of its record-breaking tenth season!

In his most recent entry in his column, there was the following casting scoop for the adult Adria, Vala’s child born as the “will of the Ori” (10.01 “Flesh and Blood”). (Vala’s daughter Adria is seen as a 7-year-old and 12-year-old in the season’s premiere and as a young adult in her early 20s in 10.07 “Counterstrike”.):

Question: Come on, Ausiello, gimme the scoop on Stargate SG-1! I’ll send you a lifetime supply of Snapple and Smurfs! — Patrick

You sure? I plan on living a long time. OK, remember me telling you how producers were looking for a “name” actress to play the recurring role of Adria, the rapidly aging daughter of Vala (Claudia Black)? Well, the name they found was Morena Baccarin, whom Firefly/Serenity fans know as prostitute, er, companion Inara.

As Ausiello stated in his scoop, Morena Baccarin’s most recent sci-fi role was as Inara Serra in the TV show Firefly and its recent feature film release Serenity. She also has been seen as the recurring character Maya Griffin in The O.C. and heard as she gives her voice talent to the character Black Canary in Justice League.

Adria as a young woman will make her first appearance in “Counterstrike”. She is a strong and charismatic leader of the Ori, gathering human worshippers and warriors in the Ori’s plan to convert as many followers as they can in the Milky Way, hoping to eventually amass enough power to wipe out their ascended rivals, the Ancients (also known as the Altera and The Others).

The Ori impregnated Vala after she was sent to their home galaxy in Season Nine’s “Beachhead”. Vala married a local man named Tomin in order to conceal her mysterious pregnancy (“Crusade”). Vala returns to the Milky Way via one of the Ori warships from which Daniel rescues her (“Flesh and Blood”). Vala, however, must leave her daughter behind and in the care of the Ori followers onboard the warship.

Adria loves her mother and wishes to convert her to Origin. She claims that Vala is revered among her people because she is the mother of the Orici — the Ori’s human representative in this galaxy who leads the crusade. Adria captures Daniel and Vala and tortures Daniel in an attempt to probe his mind on the details of a weapon used against 100,000 of her people. Unable to gain her information, she demonstrates her cold cruelty by reviving a Jaffa whom she just killed with a staff weapon, obtaining the information she seeks from him, and then expertly snapping his neck.

Adria wears a protective pendant (similar to Merlin’s Sangreal, the anti-Ascended weapon he created to neutralize the Ori) which might hold the secret to some of her powers. It protected her against the weapon used against her followers, leaving her as the only survivor. The Jaffa and SG-1 take the opportunity to board her unoccupied Ori warship, only to run into complications as they vie for control. Adria isolates Daniel and Vala on the ship in order to perform her interrogations, unbeknownst to the others. After discovering that it was the Free Jaffa who used the weapon against her, she sets a course to rendezvous with the other Ori ships at the planet Dakara, the home of the Free Jaffa Nation and the place where the weapon was found. Gen. Landry and Bra’tac are on the planet gathering information about the use of the weapon. Will Adria destroy Dakara or will SG-1 and their Jaffa allies thwart her plans?

“Counterstrike” was due before cameras April 19-27.

• Season Nine Episode Guides
• Season Ten Episode Guides
• Morena Baccarin at IMDB
• Morena Baccarin’s website
• Michael Ausiello at TV Guide

Spoilers are subject to change as the episode is still in production.

[Thanks to janegb for the tip]

10.08 MEMENTO MORI

Summary

Vala is kidnapped for information deep inside her memory, but is left without her memories after her captors subject her to the use of a memory device. She manages to escape, find a job as a waitress, and attempt to put together the pieces of her life. In the meantime, SG-1 must locate her by interrogating her captors.

Details

Athena, the Greek goddess of war, kidnaps Vala for information hidden deep in the recesses of her mind. The use of a memory device backfires and leaves her without memories of who she is. Somehow, she escapes her captors from the warehouse they have taken her and finds herself in a nearby deli. She orders food, but cannot pay for it. The owner of the deli, Sol, eventually believes her story about her lost memories and offers to take her to the hospital. Vala has a flashback of being strapped down by two people, Weaver and Kakalios, and strongly refuses the offer. Sol befriends her and hires her as a waitress. Later, Vala impresses him by single-handedly subduing armed thugs. Ryan, one of Sol’s regular customers and a cop, takes Vala in for questioning.

Back at the SGC, Mitchell and Teal’c interrogate Weaver as Daniel and Carter look on. Mitchell offers Weaver protection after Weaver claims he wants to help them, but fears for his own well-being.

Guest Appearances

Sol – the owner of the deli who hires Vala as a waitress
Ryan – a cop who witnesses Vala’s encounter with Sol in the deli and later takes Vala in for questioning after subduing the would-be robbers
Weaver – one of Athena’s goons
Kakalios – one of Athena’s goons

Production

Written by: Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by: Peter DeLuise
Before cameras: beginning May 1

NOTE: Spoilers are subject to change as the episode is still in production.

 

Stargate SG-1‘s newest villain will be seen growing before our eyes over the course of the season.

We saw Vala’s child while her mother still carried her in the last two episodes of Season Nine, “Crusade” and “Camelot”. At the end of “Camelot”, Vala watched helplessly as four Ori warships decimated the allied fleets of the Milky Way. As the battle, or slaughter, raged on, Vala felt the first of her labor pains.

As Season Ten’s premiere episode “Flesh and Blood” opens, Vala delivers her child, a daughter she names Adria after her own mother. Adria is a product of genetic engineering and possesses as much knowledge and power as her human form can accommodate. She comes pre-programmed with the Ori’s philosophy of Origin and their agenda — convert everyone into Ori worshippers or destroy them if they refuse.

Adria grows rapidly so that she can carry out the crusade as the Oracle (Orici). She is beautiful and charismatic, calling thousands to her.

Casting the part for Adria was a challenge because of her extreme intellect even at the early stages of growth. According to script coordinator Alex Levine in this SciFi.com blog, “Casting is an interesting part of the process… the producers have to make off-the-cuff, shoot-from-the-hip, spur-of-the-moment decisions based on an actor reading a couple of lines in a small room without the other actors there. But most of the time it works out great. For major roles, the producers often try to get “name” actors — people who they know they can count on for a larger performance. This gets fun, because you end up getting to meet established stars.”

Even at these younger ages, producers have managed to cast “name” stars for Adria as a child.

Adria at Seven

Jodelle Ferland, born in 1994, has already had starring roles in film. Her latest project, Silent Hill, is set to be released by Sony later this month, April 21. Ferland has also had the starring role in Terry Gilliam’s Tideland and independent film, Swimming Lessons.

Adria at the age of seven is very articulate and kind to her mother. She knows that she is rapidly growing and calmly accepts it. She has an incredible appetite and eats the food placed before her by several servants, who also bring her new clothes. Vala is treated well by the people on the ship in honor of her position as the Orici’s mother. It is at this age that Vala gives Adria her name and learns about her child’s destiny. Adria tells her mother that she is the closest form of the Ori in flesh and blood.

Adria at Twelve

Brenna O’Brien, born in 1991, has made appearances on other sci-fi shows, including The Dead Zone and Merlin’s Apprentice. She also is a voice actor, lending her talents to cartoons such as Inuyasha, Hamtaro, and Dragon Ball Z. O’Brien also played in the CGI/live-action series Zixx: Level Two as Meghan, a 12-year-old who is “solid, sensible and super-bright, with a clear-eyed vision of the world and a deadly deadpan wit.”

Adria at twelve is overwhelmed with the knowledge growing along with her. She sits in the dark, trying to reduce the headache which comes with the inundation. Vala tries to reason with Adria as they look over Chulak. Vala wants Adria to stop the slaughter, but Adria believes that the Ori’s cause is just, for if unbelievers continue to live, the Ascended Altera will grow in power and try to wipe the Ori out once again. The Altera, however, claim is was the Ori who had attempted to wipe them out and that is the reason that they fled their home galaxy those millions of years ago.

Adria finds out that Daniel and Vala are conspiring against her. She orders that Tomin, Vala’s husband, kill Daniel with his staff weapon. As he aims, Vala shoves Daniel out of the way and Tomin fires on her instead. Adria is horrified and rushes to her mother’s side and begins to heal her through touch. While Adria and Tomin are distracted, Daniel zats them both, but Vala isn’t completely healed. Vala insists that Daniel leave her and take Adria instead, but Daniel refuses to leave Vala behind. Their escape is blocked by a Prior and a wall of fire.

Adria as a Young Woman

Casting is underway for Adria as a young woman in her early twenties for her next appearance in 10.07 “Counterstrike”. The casting sides for this episode indicate that she will become a recurring character at this age. In his recent “Ask Ausiello” column at the TV Guide website, Michael Ausiello stated, “The show is looking for a “name” actress to play the recurring role of Adria, the rapidly aging daughter of Vala (Claudia Black). Not surprisingly, Adria will stop aging when her peer group includes the show’s desirable demo; producers are seeking someone in her early twenties.” According to the casting breakdown, the producers wish to have a dark-haired actress with “great presence.”

• Solutions Season Ten Episode Guides
• IMDB: Jodelle Ferland
• Like A Rose: Photography of Jodelle Ferland by Nathan Denette
• IMDB: Brenna O’Brien
• Brenna O’Brien: Zixx: Level Two
• Alex Levine’s SciFi.com Blog
• TV Guide: Ask Ausiello

[Thanks to IMDB and Ecil for the casting information for “Flesh and Blood”]