Small Victories

"Small Victories" is the first episode of the fourth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
Despite the defeat of the Replicators, some survived the crash and managed to infest a Russian Foxtrot-class submarine to replicate a new army. Meanwhile, Thor returns to Earth and wants Major Samantha Carter's assistance to defeat the Replicators from taking over Othala, by using "stupid ideas" as a means of stopping them.

Previously on Stargate SG-1
Colonel Jack O'Neill is beamed onto Thor's ship, the Biliskner, that has been taken over by their enemy the Replicators. Thor explains that the only way to stop them from taking over Earth is to destroy the ship and sacrifice themselves. Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c defy O'Neill's order to not beam up and use explosives to destroy the deceleration drive causing the ship to burn up in the atmosphere after they escaped through the Stargate they beamed out of Stargate Command.

Plot
Confident that the destruction of Thor's ship the Biliskner in the atmosphere had ended the Replicator threat to Earth, SG-1 had managed to return when Stargate Command had put up the second Stargate. They are shocked when they hear news that a Russian submarine has been hijacked by creatures with descriptions matching the Replicators. As the team prepares to move out, Thor arrives through the Stargate and enlists SG-1 to aid him. The war with the Replicators is going badly, and the robotic invaders are at the doorstep of the Asgard homeworld. As Colonel Jack O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c go to deal with the hijacked submarine, Major Samantha Carter goes with Thor to help find a way to stop the Replicators.

At the submarine, O'Neill, Jackson, and Teal'c decide to penetrate the submarine and try to obtain some intelligence on how to stop the Replicators before they can take control of the submarine. Unfortunately, the Replicators begin to attack, and the team is forced to fall back. Teal'c is injured and at least one member of the scout team is killed. Meanwhile, at the Asgard homeworld, Carter sees the incomplete Asgard ship, dubbed the O'Neill, designed to fight the Replicators and witnesses a short, one-sided naval battle in an attempt to stem the advance of the Replicators. Currently, five Asgard ships are in battle with three Replicator controlled ships. Unfortunately, she still cannot come up with a way to defeat them. They are then contacted that the five Asgard ships have been destroyed. The Replicators aren't attacking them because Thor's ship has less advanced technology than the ones the Replicator control.

After some study from video recordings and Replicator samples extracted from Teal'cs wound, Jackson theorizes that the Replicators are made out of the same materials as the objects they consume, and since most of the Replicators are made out of the submarine, contact with the water will cause them to rust and deteriorate and short out. Unfortunately, at least one of the Replicators is the survivor from Thor's ship, and would be made from materials resistant to seawater, so the team must go back into the submarine and ensure that the surviving Replicator is destroyed before sinking the sub. Back on the Asgard homeworld, Carter suddenly comes up with a daring plan. Because Replicators are attracted to new technology, she decides to use the O'Neill as a lure to draw the Replicators into hyperspace and destroy them by making the O'Neill self-destruct, since Asgard shields are offline when flying through hyperspace. Thor balks at the plan, but eventually relents. The Replicators take the bait and are destroyed. Thor admits that the Asgard homeworld is now safe for the time being, but adds that Replicators are never fooled the same way twice, and that they will return.

Back on Earth, O'Neill and Teal'c penetrate the submarine and find the original Replicator. They destroy the Replicator, but when they try to escape, the other Replicators block their path. At the same time, the Replicators finally manage to take full control of the submarine and attempt to steer it into the open sea. O'Neill orders the forces outside to destroy the submarine and prepares for the end, but before they are overwhelmed by Replicators, Thor beams them onto his ship, saving their lives. The Replicator threat is over for now. Thor promises that when the Asgard defeat the Replicators, he will come to assist them in their war against the Goa'uld. Jack offers for Thor to come fishing but he beams them down.

Notable Quotes
O'Neill: I'd be happy to debrief you all after I've debriefed myself for a nice hot shower.

Hammond: Permission to shower granted. In fact, I insist on it, Colonel.

O'Neill: Bad?

Jackson: I wasn't going to say anything...

O'Neill: Well, I'm off.

Carter: Still going fishing?

O'Neill: Yep. Still staying here?

Carter: Yeah. I think I've had enough relaxation for awhile, sir.

O'Neill: Blow it up.

Davis: The Pentagon has requested that we take steps to preserve a number of specimens for study.

O'Neill: The Asgard already tried that. Those buggers are on the verge of wiping out their entire race.

Davis: That's why I'm here. You people are the closest things to experts we've got.

O'Neill: As an expert, I'm saying blow it up.

Thor: The Asgard have tried to stop them. You have demonstrated their weakness may be found from a less sophisticated approach. We are no longer capable of such thinking.

Jackson: Wait a minute, you're actually saying that you need someone dumber than you are?

O'Neill: You may have come to the right place.

Hammond: Thor, with all due respect to your situation we need SG-1 here.

Carter: I could go, sir.

O'Neill: I don't know, Carter. You may not be dumb enough.

Carter: I think I can handle it, sir.

Carter: How am I supposed to help figure out how to defeat kiron-based technology if I don't even know what a kiron is?

Thor: The Asgard would never invent a weapon that propels small weights of iron and carbon alloys by igniting a powder of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur.

Carter: Okay, I get your point.

Thor: We cannot think like you.

(After blowing up the O'Neill together with the Replicator ships)

Carter: We did it!

Thor: It was your stupid idea, Major Carter.

(On board the Asgard ship after rescuing Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c)

Carter: So the bugs are all taken care of down there?

O'Neill: Pretty much, you?

Carter: We kicked their asses.

O'Neill: They had asses?

Goofs

 * When Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c approach the sub, you can see O'Neill from Teal'cs monitor while Teal'c is looking at the other way.
 * As Thor opens the Stargate and arrives at Stargate Command, the window in to the control room is visibly damaged and jutting out of the frame.
 * Just as he gets beamed off the sub, we see O'Neill reaching out to physically grab a bug. When he arrives on Thor's ship, he is curled up in the fetal position.
 * On the background shots of the harbour (when SG-1 enters the command center and on a wide view at around 26.05) there is a ship standing guard next to the sub. It's actually a Russian destroyer (Sovremenny Class).

Nominations

 * Nominated Gemini for "Best Visual Effects" (James Tichenor, Wray Douglas, Debora Dunphy, Erik Ellefsen, Shannon Gurney, Greg Hansen, Jeremy Hoey, Kent Matheson, Christine Petrov, Judy D. Shane and Craig Van Den Biggelaar)
 * Nominated Leo for "Best Visual Effects of Dramatic Series" (James Tichenor, Jean-Luc Dinsdale, Robin Hackl, Craig Van Den Biggelaar, Debora Dunphy, Kent Matheson, Judy D. Shane, Erik Ellefsen, Jason Macza, Christine Petrov and Jeremy Hoey)
 * Nominated Primetime Emmy for "Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series" (James Tichenor, Michelle Comens, Robin Hackl, Aruna Inversin, Debora Dunphy, Judy D. Shane, Kent Matheson, Allan Henderson and Craig Van Den Biggelaar)

In other languages

 * French: Victoires Illusoires (Illusory Victories)
 * Italian: Piccole Vittorie (Small Victories)
 * Spanish: Pequeñas Victorias (Small Victories)
 * Czech: Malá Vítězství (Small Victories)
 * Hungarian: Kis győzelmek (Small Victories)
 * German: Nemesis, Teil 2 (Nemesis, Part 2)