Stargate SG-1 Reveals How Bad Its Villains Were In Episode Where The Good Guys Lose
Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Stargate SG-1 had more work in its first season than the 1993 film adaptation. When episode 11, “Bloodlines,” first aired on Showtime it was clear to new and growing fans that this is a different sci-fi series. Teal’c (Christopher Judge) was being compared to him Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Worf, and his family’s introduction to Chulak didn’t help the comparison. When “Bloodlines” ended it was clear that Teal’c was going to be different and the Goa’uld were going to be the worst villains in any 90s sci-fi series.
Teal’c Will Do Anything For His Family
The episode opens with Teal’c being treated to remove his Goa’uld symbiote. It fails. Until now, his body has relied on an evil parasitic alien to function. That was enough to get him to open Stargate Command about his family back home on Chulak. His son, Rya’c, is about to be infested with Goa’uld worms and Teal’c wants to stop him. General Hammond (Don S. Davis) retreats and stops the group although he folds with very little pretense to carry out the campaign.
Teal’c and the rest of SG-1, O’Neil (Richard Dean Anderson), Jackson (Michael Shanks), and Carter (Amanda Tapping) sneak up on Chulak and while behind enemy lines they learn a name fans of the show will get used to hearing: Shol’va. He is a traitor. Teal’c was named Shol’va for betraying Aphosis. That lowered the standing of his family, something Drey’auc, his wife (played by the future Eureka star Salli Richardson) made sure to appreciate it.
The usual full speed ahead, gung-ho nature of SG-1 hits a cliff when it turns out that Rya’c is sick and needs a Goa’uld infusion to survive. After fighting to save his son from this fate, Teal’c is the one to plant his son. A painful moment made worse by the knowledge of how the Jaffa have suffered under the Goa’uld for generations. It is a success and Rya’c lives but at great cost. When “Bloodlines” ends, it’s unclear whether this was a victory, or a loss, for SG-1.
Bloodlines Set the Table for the Jaffa Revolution
Teal’c kept his family a secret from Stargate Command because he knew that his family, left behind by the enemy, was a weak point for him that could be exploited by the Goa’uld, and how could one trust him with his family in danger? What he left out was the presence of Bra’tac (Tony Amendola). At 103 years old, Jaffa’s legendary warrior is still a ferocious fighter who can take down an army of palace guards without breaking a sweat. Like Teal’c, he is the first Prime Minister on Apophis, and like Teal’c, he becomes a close friend of SG-1.
The future scenes between Bra’tac and Hammond are among the best in the entire series. Bra’tac’s eventual rebellion is one of the many unintended consequences of the group’s actions during “Bloodlines.” Daniel blowing up the Goa’uld spawning tank, Rya’c and Drey’auc, people who easily infiltrate Chulak, all return in later seasons.
Teal’c could be the Worf of Stargate SG-1 but he is his own, a tragic character, trying to forge a new way forward for his heroic people in the face of centuries of tradition and honor. It’s completely different. At least Teal’c isn’t getting kicked by all the new threats
