The Serpent's Lair

"The Serpent's Lair" is the first episode of the second season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
The Ha'tak vessels arrive over Earth, and SG-1 is captured after killing Klorel. Fortunately, a small team of Jaffa led by Bra'tac is secretly stopping Apophis from taking over Earth and rescues SG-1 for their assistance.

Previously on Stargate SG-1
After the Stargate program is shut down by Senator Robert Kinsey, SG-1 violates orders and enters the Stargate to the address Dr. Daniel Jackson received from the Alternate reality. They arrive on Klorel's Ha'tak and attempt to capture Skaara but Klorel is able to use his Kara kesh on Jackson and Colonel Jack O'Neill is forced to shoot Skaara.

Plot
SG-1 have dialed the gate to an address provided for them by Dr. Daniel Jackson. Jackson had learned the address was the point of origin of a Goa'uld attack on Earth in the alternate reality he briefly visited. After gating to the address they discover they are not on a planet, but a ship which is preparing to travel to Earth to invade it. The team splits up; Captain Samantha Carter and Jackson begin to plant C-4 explosives around the ship to destroy it, while Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c are captured, but later escape.

At the beginning of this episode, Carter is prepared to detonate the C-4 and thereby end the invasion attempt, sacrificing SG-1 in the process. But as they prepare another Goa'uld mothership slides into view. Teal'c identifies it as Apophis' Ha'tak, and notes that it has defense shields and will not be sufficiently damaged by the destruction of this one. Destroying the ship they are on would no longer guarantee that the invasion would be stopped. Jaffa break into the room and throw a shock grenade, disabling and capturing SG-1.

On Earth, Major General George S. Hammond wants to know why they haven't gone to full alert. Lt. Colonel Bert Samuels, coordinating with The Pentagon, informs him that Area 51 has created two "Goa'uld-busters", missiles with stealth Mark 12-A warheads enhanced with the Stargate element, Naquadah. Curiously, the Goa'uld ships have delayed entering orbit, giving the United States the necessary time to prepare.

Bra'tac, believed to be part of Klorel's loyal Jaffa and put in command of killing SG-1, informs them that he engineered the Goa'uld's delay by placing Klorel in a Sarcophagus. He knew Apophis would wait until Klorel arose, hopefully giving Earth's warships time to attack. He originally planned to lead his fighter wing (Teal'c makes four) against Apophis in Klorel's name, leading father and son to attack each other's ships in the heat of battle. However, being aware of the humans on board, they will now bond against their common enemy. O'Neill thinks they need a new plan.

Hammond evacuates people through the Stargate, the best in their fields of expertise to preserve humankind at an off-world Alpha Site. Samuels' missiles are easily repelled by the defense shields, but Klorel almost didn't raise them, as Skaara continues to fight his symbiote for control.

Samuels unknowingly repeats the embittered Brigadier General Jack O'Neill's orders in the alternate reality as recommendations to Hammond: Waiting to send people on the Alpha/Genesis list to the Alpha/Beta Site as they defend Earth, and sending a bomb to Chulak. Hammond scoffs at his recommendations, and Samuels' request to join an Alpha team which Hammond denies.

Bra'tac and SG-1 fight their way to Klorel's command center without raising an alarm, Bra'tac quietly dispatching Jaffa guards. On the bridge, Klorel is captured and Bra'tac directs the ship closer to Apophis's but one of the guards seriously wounds Daniel.

Daniel orders his friend Jack to leave him. "You're just gonna blow up with the other ship anyway! What difference does it make? Go! Just go! I'll stay and watch your back."

The rest ring over to Apophis' ship. With Klorel as a temporary hostage, Bra'tac destroys Apophis' steering console. O'Neill then drops two Fragmentation grenades into the core of the ship, destroying the shield generators so both ships will be destroyed when the C-4 explodes. Bra'tac is impressed and prepares to die. O'Neill overrides that plan, and directs the team to the Death Glider bays. Overcoming the guards in the glider bay, two gliders, with one human and rebel Jaffa each, launch.

Apophis and Klorel, unable to control either ship, escape through the rings and Stargate.

Daniel wakes up in a sarcophagus, having crawled into one to heal his injuries. With seconds to go, he dials the Alpha Site, hoping the coordinates are the same in this reality. Both ships collide and explode. "Sir, sir, we've got reports from all over the country. A huge fireball in the night sky!"

The gliders have escaped but are heavily damaged from the proximity. They share a quiet moment, reflecting on the beauty of Earth. And the Space shuttle Endeavour, which Hammond had prepped for launch to rescue SG-1 on the very small chance that the flash of light witnessed on one of the Goa'uld ships (from the first shock grenade) was SG-1 sabotaging the ship. When Daniel arrives and confirms SG-1 was in those ships, Hammond had the shuttle launched.

SG-1 returns to Stargate Command to applause and to Daniel Jackson, who gets at least two hugs and one affectionate "Space monkey" from O'Neill.

Notable Quotes
O'Neill: All right, here's what we do…

Bra'tac: I will lead. You will follow.

O'Neill: Right.

O'Neill: (trying to assure Daniel that they'll make it) All right, take it easy, Daniel. We've been in worse situations than this.

Teal'c: Not to my knowledge.

O'Neill: Thanks, Teal'c.

O'Neill: Okay. Well, I suppose now is the time for me to say something profound. (pauses) Nothing comes to mind. Let's do it.

Bra'tac: You are...Hammond of Texas?

O'Neill: I think what the captain is asking is... what now?

Bra'tac: Now we die.

O'Neill: Well that's a bad plan.

Bra'tac: Perhaps if the warships of your world attack we will be able...

Carter: (interrupting) Eh, excuse me... did you say 'the ships of our world'?

Bra'tac: Surely you have such vessels?

Jackson: Well, we have a number of...of...

Jackson and O'Neill: Shuttles.

Bra'tac: These... 'shuttles'... they are a formidable craft?

O'Neill: Oh yeah... yeah... bad day...

(SG-1 have just destroyed Apophis' ships)

Harriman: (excitedly) Sir, sir, we've got reports from all over the country! A huge fireball in the night sky!

(everyone in the Control Room cheers while General Hammond looks stunned)

Goofs

 * Dr. Daniel Jackson—with a bloody hole in his uniform, and destroyed radio—is able to drag himself to the Sarcophagus. When he emerges, his clothes and radio are intact, with no trace of blood on them, almost as if he had never been shot in the first place. Similarly, when Skaara is placed in the sarcophagus, he has a small, bloody hole on his right shoulder. When he emerges, the mark is gone.
 * When Lt. Colonel Bert Samuels presents his Goa'uld-buster-Rockets, he explains that the rockets and warheads are mantled with the stealth-material used on stealth-bombers, so the Goa'uld should not be able to detect them, "if they have something like our radar". This ignores the heat-trail produced by the rocket-engines, which is bright enough that the Goa'uld can see them with eye-sight alone.
 * In the previous episode, there was a Long-range visual communications device inside the Stargate on Klorel's Ha'tak but it has disappeared when SG-1 and Bra'tac retrieve their weapons though its possible it has simply been removed since then as both ships are together and it has been several hours.

Character

 * SSgt. Laura Davis

In other languages

 * French : La Morsure du Serpent (The Serpent's Bite)
 * German: Die Invasion: Kampf um die Erde (Invasion: Battle for Earth)
 * Italian: Attacco alla Terra (Attack to Earth)
 * Spanish: La Guarida de la Serpiente (The Serpent's Lair)
 * Czech: V hadím hnízdě (In the Serpent's Lair)
 * Hungarian: Kígyófészek (The Serpent's Lair)