Camelot (episode)

"Camelot" is the twentieth episode of the ninth season of Stargate SG-1 and also the Season 9 finale episode.

Synopsis
SG-1 goes to Camelot, after finding its address from Arthur's Mantle, in the hopes of finding a means to stop the Ori before they arrive in the Milky Way. Meanwhile, a new Supergate is discovered, where they plan to prevent the Ori from dialing in, but they are too late.

Previously on Stargate SG-1
Vala Mal Doran comes to Stargate Command with a tablet written by the Ancient Merlin. The tablet leads to a cave under Glastonbury Tor where SG-1 finds many artifacts. Later, Vala makes contact from the Alteran Home Galaxy and informs team that she is pregnant and the Ori are building a fleet of ships and they are preparing to leave. Dr. Daniel Jackson and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter discover Merlin's plans for a weapon that could defeat the Ori and a Stargate address for the planet where he hid it.

Plot
SG-1 has traveled to the planet Camelot, which is believed to be the hiding place of Merlin's weapon, despite not knowing what precisely it looks like or does. There, they find a village, complete with a Sword In The Stone similar to the one found in the Avalon cave on Earth. Soon they are greeted by the village leader, Meurik, and welcomed to Camelot - the once and future home of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

After some inquiries, during which they learn that Merlin is not remembered fondly in the town, SG-1 discovers that Merlin built a library in Camelot, but that it is protected by a powerful curse: the Black Knight, which SG-1 assumes is a holographic guardian similar to the one located in the Avalon cave. Still persistent on finding the weapon, Dr. Daniel Jackson convinces the village historian, Antonius, to help them enter the library. Once inside, they spend some time going through the collected books without result. When Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell finds a secret passage, which leads to a chamber containing an Ancient control panel, Antonius decides to leave, saying they have tempted fate enough for one night. When he arrives in his home, he is attacked and killed by the black knight.

The village leader, Meurik, discovers that the five of them had entered the library, demands that SG-1 leave the village. Jackson realizes that Merlin designed this Black Knight to attack the village specifically to generate this type of reaction. If the Knight only killed those in Merlin's library, there would always be someone else willing to risk it. By having the Knight kill someone in the village, the entire town would try to prevent anyone entering the library. The team tries to convince the villagers that the Knight is just a security device, but is unexpectedly beamed aboard by the Odyssey which leaves the villagers shocked.

Once aboard the Odyssey, they meet Colonel Paul Emerson who tells them that the Free Jaffa Nation who were investigating some unusual energy readings has discovered a fully formed Supergate at P3Y-229 with Carter theorizing that the planet was probably destroyed when the Supergate was first created.

Emerson also explains that his orders were to pick up SG-1 and to proceed directly to where the Supergate is. Unfortunately, the Daedalus is still in the Pegasus Galaxy but Russia's new Daedalus-class vessel, the Korolev will be joining them with Emerson revealing that they're to meet up with many Jaffa and Tok'ra ships as they can muster with the orders being to destroy the Supergate at all costs.

Nonetheless, Daniel and Mitchell return to Camelot, in the hopes of finding a way to defeat the Black Knight (Merlin's Curse) and find the weapon before being picked up by the Korolev.

Since the villagers remain unhappy with SG-1, the Odyssey beams them directly into Merlin's library, where Daniel searches for the means to deactivate the knight hologram. His first attempts are unsuccessful, and the knight again appears in the village. Mitchell attempts to fight it, but does not fare well - even after a local girl, Valencia, manages to draw the sword from the stone and gives it to him. Eventually, though Daniel does manage to make a room full of treasure appear along with a hologram of Merlin, he has to shoot the device's control crystal in order to stop the knight.

A large Jaffa fleet has already assembled at the Supergate by the time the Odyssey arrives; Teal'c immediately transfers to the nearest Jaffa vessel, saying only that he intends to enlist "some much-needed allies". Soon afterward, an Asgard ship drops out of hyperspace, delivering Kvasir to the Odyssey. There, he and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter search to find a way to activate the Supergate, and prevent the Ori from dialing in.

Meanwhile, Teal'c flies an unmarked Tel'tak into Lucian Alliance territory, where he is captured and brought before Netan. Teal'c implores Netan for assistance, but Netan would rather have Teal'c killed. However, after Teal'c overpowers his guards, takes one of their weapons and makes a point of not killing Netan, the Lucian Alliance leader reconsiders his request.

In Camelot, Daniel and Mitchell search through the treasure for a stone pendant that Daniel believes to be Merlin's weapon, eventually being greeted by the villagers. Meurik identifies the pendant they seek as the Sangraal - the Holy Grail, in search of which Arthur departed the world long ago. He says there is no need to worry, however: since Valencia's pulling the sword from the stone, in his view, is a sign that Arthur will soon return. Daniel attempts to convince the villagers that nothing supernatural is at work here, but is beamed up by the Korolev in the midst of his argument.

Despite the failure to find the weapon, Carter convinces Emerson that dialing out from the Supergate is still worthwhile, as it would at least prevent the Ori from sending any ships through. Therefore, she undertakes a spacewalk to replace the Supergate's dialing crystal with one she and Kvasir have modified.

Unfortunately, before the new crystal can be put into effect, the Supergate activates with a massive wormhole emerging which ultimately causes Sam's magnetic lock to disappear and leaves her drifting into space. As the Supergate comes online, Sam can only mutter "Oh my God", obviously horrified and in disbelief at what's going on.

The Korolev arrives with Mitchell and Daniel on board. Colonel Emerson advises the Korolev to prepare for battle with the Korolev bracing itself as Mitchell grimly states that the Ori are coming.

As that happens, four Ori warships arrive through the Stargate, facing off against the allied forces.

Major Kevin Marks detects that the Ori ships are powering up their weapons with Emerson stating that they should fire and as such, the stand-off descends into violence.

Despite the allied forces's best efforts, the four Ori ships prove themselves to be far superior unlike anything as they head through the area, demolishing every single ship in sight and even greatly damaging the Odyssey.

Even Teal'c's arrival with three Lucian Alliance vessels at the last minute proves to be of little help; the four Ori ships quickly overwhelm the allied forces, destroying one of the 304s and countless other ships including the Korolev while Carter, still trapped in space near the Supergate, can only watch in despair as the carnage continues.

A while later, the area has become a warzone with numerous debris scattered all over the area. The Ori warships, undamaged stand there, triumphant.

Meanwhile, on board one of the Ori warships, Vala Mal Doran is similarly helpless as she witnesses the battle through a large observation window and contemplates her soon-to-be-born child before realizing seconds later that her water has broken and that she's going into labor.

Notable Quotes
Jackson: This is interesting. This is a reference to Merlin's prophetic abilities. There's a similar myth on Earth &mdash; Merlin could see the future because he actually aged backwards in time. It's not meant to be taken literally, but we have seen that a lot of legends in folklore have a strong basis in fact: Avalon, Atlantis...

Teal'c: The Easter Bunny.

Jackson: ...I guess there's a few exceptions.

(Out of frustration, Jackson has shot and damaged the control panel's crystals to deactivate the black knight hologram.)

Mitchell: So all you had to do was shoot the control crystals?

Jackson: Pretty much.

Mitchell: Sounds like one of my plans...

Teal'c: (to Netan, while pointing a gun in his face) I should kill you where you stand, but as I have said, (he lowers his gun) I have come seeking your assistance. The fate of the galaxy is at stake.

Carter: We've managed to locate the dialing control crystals on one particular section of the gate. Now Kvasir's already programmed a replacement crystal, so it's just a matter of somebody getting out there and installing it.

Emerson: And I suppose you'd like to volunteer.

Carter: Yes, sir.

Kvasir: I would go, but you do not have a spacesuit that would fit me.

Jackson: Look... once and for all, there was no curse. Okay? This is a device. It's a machine, it's like a flour mill or a catapult, it's just a lot more complicated. There is no magic.

(He and Mitchell are beamed away; the villagers exclaim in surprise.)

Jackson: Boy, my timing's off today!

Marks: Sir, we're receiving a message from one of the Ori ships. Text only.

Emerson: What does it say?

Marks: "And those who are prideful, and refuse to bow down, shall be laid low and made into dust."

(Scene switches to the Korolev)

Chekov: Is that all it says?

Mitchell: Yeah, that's it.

Jackson: Open a channel? (The Pilot opens a radio channel) "Then did Tyolus say to the people of the low plains, 'seek not wickedness amongst your neighbors, lest it find purchase in your own house'."

Mitchell: What was that?

Jackson: Book of Origin.

Mitchell: Think it'll help?

(Jackson shrugs.)

Goofs

 * The schematics on the Korolev are shown to be that of a BC-303 class. They should be "304" schematics.

Nominations

 * Nominated Gemini for "Best Sound in a Dramatic Series" (Devan Kraushar, Wayne Finucan, Dave Hibbert, Gord Hillier and Kirby Jinnah)
 * Nominated Gemini for "Best Visual Effects" (Michelle Comens, Stephen Bahr, Robin Hackl, Jeremy Hampton, Erica Henderson, James Kawano, Krista McLean and Christopher Stewart)

In other languages

 * French: La Première Vague (The First Wave)
 * Italian: La Maledizione del Cavaliere Nero (The Curse of the Black Knight)
 * Spanish: Camelot (Camelot)
 * Czech: Kamelot (Camelot)