The Fourth Horseman, Part 2

"The Fourth Horseman, Part 2" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
With the plague rapidly spreading to the corners of Earth, SG-1 plan on using a new disruptor device to capture a Prior on the Sodan world, the same Prior who started the plague. Gerak, leader of the Jaffa, has been turned into a Prior to give the Jaffa the chance to accept Origin.

Previously on Stargate SG-1
SG-6 returns from offworld infected with a plague from a Prior. Orlin returns to human form to help find a cure but needs a sample of the Prior's blood. Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Dr. Daniel Jackson plan to capture the Prior using the Prior disruptor. Gerak converts to Origin and is turned into a Prior.

Plot
Gerak tries to convince the Jaffa High Council to follow the Ori as a Prior now. However Teal'c plans to fight against him on Chulak. Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell and his team prepare to stop the Prior on the Sodan's homeworld. There, Lord Haikon reveals that he and the rest of the Sodan have renounced Origin, having been ordered to slaughter a community of simple farmers who rejected the Ori, and having found that another civilization who rejected the Ori was wiped out by a plague. The Sodan agree to help SG-1 capture the Prior, who was the one to start the plague on Earth, by using the Prior disruptor Dr. Bill Lee and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter constructed. Once the Prior arrives, SG-1 and SG-22 manage to find the right frequency, stunning the Prior who is surprised that his powers are gone and extracting the blood sample Orlin needs to finish the cure.

Meanwhile, Teal'c tries to stop Gerak by amassing a fleet of those who are not willing to follow the Ori. When Gerak encounters them with a larger fleet, they both teleport to Chulak where Teal'c manages to appeal to Gerak's still-Jaffa side to stop following the Ori, as the two of them visit the site of the battle where Gerak's father fell in the fight to free all Jaffa. At the same time, Major General Henry Landry visits the planet where the Prior was captured, with Orlin - who reveals to him the true nature of the Ori and supports his assertions by revealing parts of the Prior's past: his name Damaris and the names of his family: his wife Adina and his two sons Jadin and Allon. The Prior however, cannot be convinced to abandon the Ori. He begins quoting the Book of Origin and tries to capture Landry using his telekenetic powers only to be shot by Mitchell. However, the Prior was able to infect Landry with the plague. Orlin also tells them that the Prior has revealed why the Ori are coming to the Milky Way they're coming to destroy the Ancients.

Back on Earth, Gerak goes into the Stargate Command infirmary, but hesitates to use his powers. When Teal'c asks him why he hesitates, he admits that he shall die for helping them, but proclaims that he shall die free. Using his powers, Gerak heals all infected with the plague in the SGC, but then instantly bursts into flames; evidently, the Ori include a 'fail safe' in their Priors should the Prior turn against them. Dr. Carolyn Lam is able to isolate an antibody from those healed and synthesizes a vaccine with the help of Orlin's previous work. The plague that has reached most of the world at this point is successfully stopped, with casualties estimated at about 3000 people.

Orlin becomes a normal human being with possible brain damage and with no memories at all. He is confined to a mental hospital.

Notable Quotes
Haikon: How will we know when it is working?

Mitchell: We'll know when the Prior is no longer able to use his powers.

Jolan: How will we know when he will be no longer able to use his powers?

Mitchell: Well. Someone is just going to have to test it and find out. (silence all around.) Don't worry, fellas. That someone is me.

Mitchell: Here Jackson, you're driving. (Hands Jackson the Remote.)

Jackson: Ooo Yay!

Jackson: That warm, fuzzy feeling you're experiencing may be the effects of a device that's inhibiting your ability to concentrate and focus your powers.

Mitchell: Symptoms may include: dizziness, irritability—

Jackson: Nausea—

Mitchell: Mild nausea. And a condition known as "hot dog fingers."

Damaris: We are beacons on the road to enlightenment.

Mitchell: No, you're dark-side intergalactic encyclopedia salesmen. Unfortunately, the home office hasn't been quite up front with you.

Jackson: Nice work on the metaphor.

Mitchell: Thank you.

Gerak: You were not the one who was chosen. You did not witness the wonders I beheld.

Teal'c: Did they raise the dead? Heal the sick and wounded? Destroy their enemy with but a wave of their hand?

Gerak: The Goa'uld deceived us. The Ori's powers are pure.

Teal'c: And what is the measure of a god, Gerak? Is it the scope of their power, or how they choose to wield that power? Would a god who is prepared to lead us on the path of enlightenment so contradict this divine benevolence by destroying all those who refuse to believe in him?

Gerak: Those who refuse to believe must die.

Teal'c: I understand how difficult this must be for you, Gerak. Nearing your final years, you so desperately long for the enlightenment we all seek. This is not the way to save yourself.

Gerak: I only wanted to avoid bloodshed.

Teal'c: Stay this course, and you will have no choice but to spill the blood of your brothers. And you may start with me. For if I have a choice between resistance or returning to a life of slavery, then I choose to die free.

Hammond: It's always darkest before the dawn. My uncle used to say that all the time; he was a wedding planner.

Gerak: If I help you, I am done. But I will die free!

Goofs

 * Visible (not removed in post-production) greenbox markers in some scenes e.g. from 0:17:22 to 0:17:26.
 * At 15:41, when the Prior is seen through a sniper scope, another person can be seen in the bottom of the picture.
 * When Gerak walks down the platform leading to the Stargate he can be seen wearing tennis shoes.

Character

 * Jean LaPierre

Deaths

 * Damaris
 * Gerak

In other languages

 * German (DVD/TV): Der Apokalyptische Reiter, Teil 2 (Horseman of the Apocalypse, Part 2) / Die Rückkehr von Orlin, Teil 2 (The Return of Orlin, Part 2)
 * Portuguese: O Quarto Cavaleiro, Parte 2 (The Fourth Horseman)
 * French: Le Quatrième Cavalier de l'Apocalypse - 2ème partie (The Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse)
 * Italian: Virus Mortale (Parte 2) (Lethal Virus)
 * Spanish: El Cuarto Jinete (Parte 2) (The Fourth Horseman)
 * Czech: Čtvrtý jezdec apokalypsy (část 2.) (The Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse)
 * Polish: Czwarty Jeździec Apokalipsy (część 2) (The Fourth Horseman)