Stargate: The Ark of Truth

"Do you know what it took to finally eradicate these little buggers?"

- Cameron Mitchell

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a direct-to-DVD movie written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1's Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of Truth was released as a Region 1 DVD on March 11, 2008. British Sky One broadcasted the film on March 24, 2008, followed by the Region 2 DVD release on April 14, 2008 with the Region 4 DVD release on April 9, 2008.

thumb|right|200px|Stargate The Ark of truth

The Road Taken
The movie came with the option to watch a short prelude before it, which was called Stargate SG-1: The Road Taken. This recaps various key points in Ori arc of Stargate SG-1 ranging from when Mitchell joined SG-1 to the most recent showdown with the Ori in Unending.

The Synopsis
The movie covers SG-1's attempt to recover the "Ark of Truth", an Ancient device designed to brainwash whoever looks into it. Even though the Ori's promise of Ascension is a lie, the Ancients believed that people should be free to believe it if they wished.

The Plot
Several million years ago, in the Alteran Home Galaxy, on another planet, a group of Ancients, including Amelius were discussing how big of a threat the Ori have become, and how they would want to wipe the Ancients out. Amelius decides to use a device, known as the Ark of Truth. However, the other Ancients don't want to use a weapon of indoctrination against the Ori, and orders Amelius never to open the Ark. Amelius hoped to activate it but his companion urged him not to. Instead, they are to leave galaxy to find another home. They then leave by a ship.

In the present, SG-1 are sifting through the ruins of Dakara, where Dr. Jackson, Teal'c and Vala uncover a box from underground. They attempt to open it, but it is sealed shut. Jackson warns the other not to force it open, as the box is supposedly very powerful. They plan to carefully open the box, but are interrupted by Colonels Mitchell and Carter on the radio, Ori soldiers have made it to Dakara and are overrun. They retreat to where Jackson, Teal'c and Vala are, but are surrounded.

The leader of the army is Tomin, who warns Vala that if they don't surrender, the mothership will fire on them. SG-1 surrenders, and allows Tomin to come in. They then meet the Prior, who is curious of the box. Jackson tells him that it is a weapon capable of defeating the Ori and tricks him into opening the box. However, when the box is opened, all they find is nothing. The Prior orders Tomin to kill them. However, the team tells him not to, as the Prior is actually forcing him to do it, because for some reason beyond his comprehension, he is powerless. The frustrated Prior tries to snatch Tomin's Ori staff weapon, however Mitchell grabs one from another soldier and shoots the Prior, which kills him. After that, the soldiers quickly surrender themselves, as Carter shows them that the Prior's powers were blocked by the Anti-Prior device.

Back on Earth, Mitchell informs General Hank Landry that Tomin says a new wave of ships will go through the Supergate very soon. When they enter Landry and Mitchell meet James Marrick, an IOA representative sent to interrogate Tomin, despite Mitchell protesting that he is a guest, not a prisoner. Meanwhile, Tomin is in a room with Vala and Daniel. Jackson explains that the Sangraal sent months ago has supposedly wiped out the ascended Ori and has received several visions from Merlin about the location of the Ark of Truth.

Marrick starts his interrogation on Tomin. Marrick angrily wanted to know how many people were killed, due to not wanting to join the Ori. Vala didn't come to see the interrogation from the next room, as it was too much for her to take, since he is her husband.

Carter plans that since activating the Supergate the last time was by chance, she plans to destroy the gate instead, by placing four Mark IXs in key areas, to prevent the Ori from getting through it. However, Jackson had a revelation, and urges them not to destroy it, as he believes the Ark is actually still in the Alteran Home Galaxy. The IOA approves the mission to go through the Supergate, and Mitchell is to be in command of the Odyssey. However, Marrick is to come with them on the mission.

On the way to the Supergate, Teal'c sits with Tomin and tells him that nothing will make up for all the atrocities, as he was once the First Prime to Apophis. He tells Tomin that he must accept everything he has done, and will never be able to forgive himself, no matter how hard he tries to.

The Odyssey arrives at the Supergate and dials it to the Alteran Home Galaxy. Vala, Daniel and Tomin head to another planet to meet Hertis, a member of the Anti-Ori underground. He points them to a location known as Ortus Mallum, a mountain on Celestis, the "birthplace of evil". SG-1 is given directions to the planet. They exit hyperspace and cloak above Celestis to avoid detection. SG-1 and Tomin and beamed down to Ortus Mallum to search the forests where the village once was. They search for the Ark.

Meanwhile, Marrick finds access to restricted areas in the Odyssey, the location of the Asgard computer core. He activates it by replacing a crystal, and then works on something. Marks has detected the activity and contacts Mitchell. He and Carter get beamed aboard whilst Tomin, Vala and Daniel continue digging to a passage Daniel discovered, by another vision from Merlin.

Back on Earth, SG-3 reports to Landry from P6X-437 that a Prior wishes to see Landry. He proposes that he would be allowed to spread the word of Origin to the people of Earth, saying it is their last hope. Landry says that there isn't even a chance that Earth will listen and refuses his proposition and holds the Prior with the Anti-Prior device. The Prior says he is without reason and that his world will burn. Landry retorts that if they are going to Hell, they're taking him down with them.

Back on the Odyssey, Mitchell and Carter break into the core room and apprehends Marrick. They attempt to shut down the computer core, but they can't. The core is alerting every Ori mother ship to the Odyssey's location. Carter finds out that the core is creating something, which later turns out to be a Replicator. Marrick explains the "true" mission. The IOA intend to plant it on an Ori ship and let it spread to their entire fleet. The IOA felt that in the event the Supergate couldn't be destroyed, an alternative was suggested. When the Ori fleet is destroyed, the IOA will initiate a shut down program. They didn't expect SG-1 to find the Ark. They call in an Anti-Replicator Gun to destroy it. However, they find that it is immune to ARG technology, and is now loose in the ship. An angry Mitchell takes Marrick to the brig

Jackson, Teal'c, Vala and Tomin found an underground corridor to a room. They were about to be beamed up to the Odyssey. However, the Replicator has taken control of several systems, including beaming. The team has time to find the Ark. They blow a hole through a door and retrieve the Ark. They take it out in the open before the tunnel collapse. Just as they examine the device, Teal'c gets shot in the back. The rest of the team holds off the soldiers.

Motherships just arrived near the Odyssey. Fortunately, hyperdrives are still operational and they escape the clutches of the ships. Meanwhile, Mitchell manages to destroy the Replicator, but discovers that the original has already turned to a Queen and the Replicators are replicating. Carter works on finding, and creating a shutdown code. A team is called to close off the room from the Replicators. In the brig, Marrick hears Replicators, cutting through the wall. He desperately calls someone to let him out, not realizing no-one is there. The Replicators later violently attack him.

At night on Celestis, Teal'c awakens and sees nothing but dead Ori soldiers. He sees no sign of Jackson, Vala and Tomin, because they were taken to the City of Celestis to be tortured by the Doci and other Priors. Teal'c slowly gets up and treks through the mountain range, until finally making it to the Plains of Celestis, before he collapses.

Back on the Odyssey, Mitchell finds the queen, who is feeding the power off a power conduit to replicate. He plans to destroy it. He plants a C-4 charge near the queen to detonate as a distraction, to buy time so Carter can figure out a way to shut down the Replicators. Mitchell later turns around to see Marrick, who is now being controlled by Replicators. He attempts to kill him. However, he is now physically augmented and easily beats up Mitchell.

Back on the City of Celestis, Vala enters a room and discovers that the Ori are still around. However, the ascended being turns out to be Adria. She informs her that the Sangraal did work and the Ori are indeed gone. Now that Adria has ascended, she gets to control all the Ori forces and power. On the plains, an ascended being comes to bring Teal'c back to life. He gets up and proceeds to the city. Daniel is inside a cell, lying on the floor. Merlin tells him not to give up. However, Daniel calls his bluff, realizing that Merlin died, not ascended. He is actually Morgan Le Fay, who was exiled after trying to help them in Atlantis a year ago. Daniel urges her to help, but tells him Adria is too powerful. She tells him that she has done all she can. She tells him that if he can turn one Prior, the others will be turned by a link in their staffs. This will weaken Adria enough so that Morgan will be able to defeat her. Teal'c later appears to free Daniel and Tomin.

On Earth, Colonel Abraham Ellis on the new ship Apollo detected Ori ships arriving in our Solar system, but has not advanced on to Earth. He informs Landry, who is ordered to try and hold them off if they do advance.

On the Odyssey, the Replicators have taken over the hyperdrives and shuts it down. Later, Ori ships circle the Odyssey and start attacking it. Replicators try to break into the core room. Carter tells Mitchell to detonate the C-4. However, he is busy fighting the Replicator controlled Marrick. Mitchell eventually manages to disconnect one of the Replicator legs to Marrick's head. Marrick tells Mitchell that the self-destruct code is on the back of the crystal Marrick uploaded to the core. The seriously injured Mitchell then detonates the C-4 as the distraction, but is knocked to the floor. Mitchell informs Carter of the shut down code and activates it just before being overrun. Mitchell limps to the bridge to surrender. However, the Ori ships disregard the surrender and continue attacking until they deplete the Odyssey's shields, which would inevitably lead to the ship's destruction.

Daniel tries to find the code to activate the Ark of Truth, but gets constantly distracted by the Doci and Adria. Eventually, they figure out the code, which ironically is Origin and Teal'c shoots the leg off the table, opening the Ark and activates. The Doci is caught by the beam and made to believe that the Ori are not gods. Through the link, all the priors in the Ori galaxy are turned and they stop the attack on the Odyssey before it is destroyed. In Adria's new weakened state, Morgan is able to engage Adria either in an eternal battle similar to Oma Desala's eternal battle with Anubis or she may have simply destroyed her.

With the Ori in the galaxy defeated, they return to Earth and expose the Prior to the Ark, transmitting the knowledge about the Ori to all of the Priors in the Milky Way, and thus turning all known priors in the Universe. Jackson learns that the Ark is to be stored in Area 51, despite his warnings that the Ark is very dangerous. Meanwhile, an injured Mitchell is in the infirmary, where Carter drops in, telling him that the IOA wants to meet with him when he recovers to apologize for Marrick's actions. She also dropped off a bag full of macaroons, which she said she baked for him. Tomin is to return to his home.

Meanwhile, SG-1 walks to the Gate room, where they find it odd by the fact that they have no "big bad-guy" to fight against anymore. They then prepare for a mission to P3K-546.

Consistency Errors
The film implies that the Ori ascended before the Ancients even left the Alteran Home Galaxy, yet it is known that the ancients ascended first, but millions of years later, using technology to assist them. It could be, however, that the pre-ascended Ori were attempting to convert the would-be Ancients to an older version Origin in which the Gods were not ascended beings but purely fictional characters.

Trivia

 * At the beginning, Amelius' notebook with the Stargate design on it was shown. Furthermore, he told another Ancient of a dream he had last night which inspired the creation of the Stargate network we know today.


 * At the 2008 1st Annual Farewell Farscape Convention Ben Browder stated the production schedule on this was "rough"


 * The Prior was the fifth to die. ("Origin", "Beachhead", "The Fourth Horseman, Part 2", "Counterstrike")

The Cast



 * Ben Browder as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell
 * Amanda Tapping as Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter
 * Christopher Judge as Teal'c
 * Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson
 * Beau Bridges as Major General Hank Landry
 * Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran
 * Currie Graham as James Marrick
 * Morena Baccarin as Adria
 * Tim Guinee as Tomin
 * Julian Sands as Doci
 * Sarah Strange as Morgan le Fay
 * Michael Beach as Colonel Abe Ellis
 * Gary Jones as CMSgt. Walter Harriman
 * Martin Christopher as Major Kevin Marks
 * Christopher Gauthier as Hertis
 * Eric Breker as Colonel Albert Reynolds
 * Matthew Walker as Merlin
 * Alisen Down as Alteran Woman
 * Gabrielle Rose as Alteran woman
 * Fabrice Grover as Amelius
 * Spencer Maybee as Captain Binder
 * Simon Bradbury as Alteran man
 * Jason Calder as Ori Warrior
 * Greg Anderson as Prior
 * Doug Abrahams as Prior
 * Morris Chapdelaine as Prior #3
 * Nicholas Podbrey as Prior #4
 * Ian Wallace as Prior #5
 * J. Douglas Stewart as Prior #6