Vala Mal Doran

"Look, I know she's no angel. She's lied, she's stolen, she's cheated, she's misrepresented herself, she's…lied."

- Daniel Jackson

Vala Mal Doran is a thief and con artist, former Goa'uld host, and member of SG-1.

Early life
Much of Vala's early life is unknown. She was raised by her father and stepmother, Adria. At some point, she was taken as a host to the Goa'uld Qetesh. Eventually, Vala was freed when a Tok'ra incited a rebellion and removed Qetesh from Vala.

2005
Upon first meeting, Vala Mal Doran hi-jacked the Prometheus using Kull armour. Daniel Jackson was taken hostage and tortured, striking him and shooting him with the Kull Warrior's laser weapon, in order to get the codes to unlock the ship's command systems, but he claimed he didn't have the codes. Vala healed Daniel's wound from the laser weapon with a small hand-held healing device. Daniel thought that Vala was a Goa'uld because she could operate the healing device, but she said that she was a former host. She claimed that having been a former host of a Goa'uld permitted her to not only use the Goa'uld technology, but also to understand the systems of the Prometheus. She said that the technology was primitive. Vala took the Prometheus in order to sell it. However they were attacked by Ba'al's force in the middle of the transaction. Working together Daniel and Vala overcame the assault on the Prometheus, where she was promptly Zatted and then thrown back into the Brig. She eventually escaped and jumped ship aboard the Al'kesh she was found on.

Motivated by her insatiable appetite for ill-gotten gain, Vala has come to Earth bearing a stolen tablet that only Dr. Daniel Jackson can decipher. She is convinced that the tablet holds the secret to an incredible buried treasure, while Daniel is convinced that some way, somehow, she's going to make his life miserable. At Colonel Mitchell's request, however, he consents to a meeting with her. Unfortunately, the tablet isn't the only artifact Vala has stolen. She has also brought along some insurance — two ancient Jaffa bracelets that Teal'c explains were once used to bind prisoners to their guards and thus prevent escape. Before Daniel has a chance to argue, Vala clamps one of the bracelets onto his wrist and the other onto her own.

After Dr. Bill Lee tries and fails to remove the shackles, a resigned Daniel complies with Vala's demand and cracks the tablet's code. His translation leads the pair, along with Mitchell and Teal'c, into a deep and Ancient cavern on Earth. With the treasure just out of reach, they find themselves trapped. Unless they can solve a series of complicated riddles, they will never find the treasure — and, worse, they'll never get out alive.

They figure out the puzzle and finds a device that supposedly can help them communicate with other people. However, Valas and Daniel Jackson's minds was transported to bodies in another galaxy. In that place, Vala is killed by the villagers and brought back to life by a Prior. They are both later sentenced to be killed but are saved by the heroic efforts of Teal'c and Cameron Mitchell.

Her earlier statement that she was host to a Goa'uld is found correct when she and the other in the SG-1 team travels to the planet where she, in the form of Qetesh, used to rule.

In a heroic and successful effort to prevent the Ori of establishing a foothold in this galaxy, she was first presumed dead. After analyzing what happened, Samantha Carter makes the assumption that Vala instead was transported with the Ring transporter to the Ori home galaxy.

2006
She was found and nursed back to health by Tomin, who believed that the Ori had sent her to him. While recovering, she was impregnated by the Ori, so she married Tomin to prevent herself from being burned alive (again). She later made some controversial comments to Denya, a friend of hers, leading Denya to suspect she didn't believe in the Ori. Denya, who was also a heretic, told Seevis, the administrator of Ver Isca and leader of the Anti-Ori resistance. She was chained in the Ara for three whole days without food and water, but Tomin cut her free. After revealing themselves, Denya and Seevis allowed her access to the communication terminal that Harrid and Sallis had, but Tomin destroyed the device and killed Seevis and Denya.

She accompanied Tomin with the Ori fleet, and gave birth to the Orici, whom she named Adria. Daniel was able to rescue Vala, and she was later made a probationary member of Stargate Command. After being kidnapped by Athena and the Trust, she lost her memory, and became a waitress. The SGC was able to find Vala, and General Landry appointed Vala to SG-1.