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Stargate SG-1
Episode 6.10, "Cure"
Original Air-Date: 8/16/02
Director: Andy Mikita
Writer: Damian Kindler
As we near the mid-point of possibly the final season of Stargate SG-1, we find that the quality of episodes has picked up from a fairly lackluster start. I believe the last four episodes (starting with "Shadow Play"), including this episode, have been consistently good. It's worth noting that the writer of this episode, Andy Mikita, wrote my favorite episode of this season to date "The Other Guys". He shows his versatility in his writing as this episode is not a light-hearted yuck-yuck, but a very serious episode which addresses some very old questions such as the origins of the Tok'Ra, and Goa'Uld symbiote reproduction.
The episode picks up with a delegation from another world anxiously awaiting the arrival of visitors through their stargate. The leader mentions the importance of this visit and how they're about to be meeting delegates who must be extremely skilled in diplomacy and quite tactful. The joke of course is that SG-1 pops through the wormhole with O'Neill throwing out a big, "Howdy".
We begin to piece together a picture of this planet, Pangera, and find out that the level of technology isn't too far off from Earth. It's probably closer to Jonas Quinn's world, which is to say it's around 1940s to 1950s United States technology, although some of what we see suggests that Pangera may be more advanced in some areas and less advanced in others. We find out the Pangeran's are anxious to trade with SG-1 and to acquire a list of gate addresses so they can use their new discovery to contract other worlds. They offer SG-1 a "miracle-drug" called tutronum, which they say cures all ailments. They also seem quite persistent in wanting to travel to Goa'Uld controlled worlds, much to the annoyance of Sam & Jack.
So while they are handling the negotiations, Jonas Quinn and Teal'c are investigating the excavation site around the stargate. The Pangeran's discovered the ruins about fifty to sixty years prior and managed to decipher a fair amount of Goa'Uld in order to make contact with Earth through the stargate. One has to wonder how many Pangeran's smacked up against the Iris for that to happen... Jonas meets a cute researcher named Zenik Valsh who asks him and Teal'c to look at some ancient Goa'Uld text that she's been attempting to decipher in the underground chambers. Once there it becomes clear that Zenik wants to try to warn SG-1 about something fishy going on, so she says she'll say more later and departs, leaving a curious Jonas and Teal'c behind.
SG-1 sends the sample of tutronum back to command and have Dr. Frasier analyze it to see if it can do what the Pangeran's claim. It turns out that it actually does work, but it hinders the human immune system and would require constant use of the drug. Jonas and Teal'c are sent back by O'Neill to find out whatever they can from Zenik and see if it involves the drug. Jonas confronts Zenik, but this time she denies holding anything back from him and doesn't tell him anything. He then sneaks into her tent and examines her notes before telling Teal'c they should try the tutronum facility in the city.
We get a better idea of the Pangeran technology by seeing the bulky metal doors, and technology used at the plant so I stick by my belief of 40s/50s US. Jonas and Teal'c are discovered by the guards and attempt to flee before a guard and Jonas fall off the platform and into a pool of Goa'Uld symbiotes. Jonas manages to escape but the guard is taken as a host. All of SG-1 gathers to talk to the Pangeran officials and discover why they are breeding Goa'Uld symbiotes. As it happens, the miracle drug was procured through the use of the symbiotes genetic structure. They've been breeding these to produce as much of the drug as possible since once taking it, it can't be stopped or the user will die.
The Pangeran's have been hatching all these little Goa'Uld through a Goa'Uld Queen. The Queen is a very nasty looking slug (think Starship Troopers) and it definitely looks like it's seen better days. Since this one has been popping out babies faster then a Jerry Springer guest, and doing it for over half a decade, she's rapidly deteriorating (think Anna Nicole Smith). SG-1 recommends they talk to the Tok'Ra to try and find out a way to save the Queen, fix the drug, or help the guard.
So we meet Malek again, he was last seen the previous week in "Allegiance", and is played by Peter Stebbings who plays Marcus on the Showtime show "Jeremiah". The Tok'Ra seem to be interested in actually being quite helpful which is a nice change, and don't seem upset at all that the Pangeran's have harvested the Goa'uld this way. Apparently since the Goa'Uld harvest humans, they see it as a fair twist of fate. They discover that the Queen is dying and return to their base to try and find a way to cure the dependency on the drug.
Things would probably work out simply. Except that Jonas and Teal'c, along with Zenik, translate more of the writing in the underground chamber. They discover that the chamber was actually a prison used by Ra (movie shout-out ya'll!), and the Goa'Uld Queen Egeria was regarded by him as a traitor. It turns out Egeria is the creator of the Tok'Ra. A Queen passes all her knowledge on through her symbiotes and Egeria decided that meant not taking hosts against their will and fighting against the Goa'Uld. She's been imprisoned and presumed dead by the Tok'Ra for two thousand years. This leaves the Pangeran's and SG-1 in a very awkward position. They need the help of the Tok'Ra to end the dependency on the drug, but until they do the people taking it will need to continue doing so. That means their Queen needs to keep popping out Goa'Uld symbiotes, despite the fact that she's dying.
Jack decides to tell the Tok'Ra, who don't appear to take it too hard, although they do request she be immediately released. Adding to this stressful situation is the fact that the cute Zenik has been taking the drug as well, oh no! So the Tok'Ra manage to free the Queen, the female Tok'ra who was with Malek sneaks in and her symbiote willingly dies in order to allow the Queen's symbiote to blend with her human body and speak through her. Egeria reveals that the reason the drug doesn't work is because she made her symbiotes defective, hoping that the Pangeran's would stop breeding them from her.
She is able to relay through the host a way that the drug's dependency can be ended, but she dies shortly after and is taken back to the Tok'Ra for a proper funeral. SG-1 departs Pangera on pretty good terms and it looks like a diplomatic relationship is possible. Jonas departs from Zenik on good terms and it looks like a relationship could be possible there as well if it's ever revisited and not just a throwaway episode.
As I said, we find out some long-held mysteries about the Tok'Ra and the origins of symbiotes and even get a little back-story on Ra, who started this whole Stargate thing in the movie. I'm still a bit confused as to how the Pangeran's could effectively use an alien species to produce a vaccine like their drug, but I don't think it detracted very much from the episode. The next episode will be the season finale (haha, just kidding), that's how SCI FI channel is billing it, but it's actually just episode 11 of season six, with another 11 to go.
Episode Rating: 8 out of 10
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