Red Sky

{{Infobox Episode John Prosky as Brother Malchus Norman Armour as Dr. Douglas MacLaren Brian Jensen as Freyr Dan Shea as MSgt. Sylvester Siler Dion Luther as Voice of Chief Archon Martin Wood as Major Wood }}
 * name=Red Sky
 * image=Red Sky.jpg [{Caption|Daniel on K'tau.}}
 * series=Stargate SG-1
 * episode=5.05
 * production=505
 * airdate=July 27, 2001
 * story=
 * writer=Ron Wilkerson
 * director=Martin Wood
 * guests=Fred Applegate as Elrad
 * preceded_by="The Fifth Man"
 * followed_by="Rite of Passage"

"Red Sky" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
A mission to K'tau causes the planet's sun to die out, after the wormhole traveled through it, causing it to be unstable. The Asgard, who protect the planet, aren't allowed to intervene; so the Tau'ri are forced to help them themselves. Unfortunately, some of the natives won't allow it.

Plot
SG-1 has a rough landing when they dial to K'tau: Carter explains she had to override the safety protocols of the dialing computer when the Gate wouldn't lock on. They meet a 16th-century (or similar period) society that worships the god of the sun and rain Freyr, one of the Asgard. Village elder Elrad is happy to meet SG-1, but one citizen, Brother Malchus, is suspicious. The "elves" (as they are called since they came through the Gate, here called an Annulus) might as well bring mischief. Seconds later, the sun goes red. Major Samantha Carter realizes the sun (referred to as the "Eye of Odin") of the planet has been passed through by the wormhole, which picked up traces of a heavy element and deposited it in the sun's mass, shifting the light emitted towards the infra-red end of the spectrum. Suddenly, photosynthesis has become impossible and the plants will die soon, which is certain destruction for the life on that planet.

SG-1 go to a worship service, where the two elders are beamed to a cave by an obelisk and are told by a hologram version of Freyr that the town should prepare for Ragnarok, the end of the world. Colonel Jack O'Neill tries to interfere and convince them to take their fate into their own hands, but concedes to Dr. Daniel Jackson's warnings not to try. Instead, all but Teal'c go back to the church and the cave, where Carter finds a board to switch the hologram into a "phone" (O'Neill's term) to "call" Freyr.

SG-1 contact Freyr, but apparently he cannot help because the planet is protected by a treaty which protects many planets from Goa'uld invasion, including Earth. Also, the decision isn't entirely Freyr's, so he suggests O'Neill step onto the hologram platform to face the Asgard High Council. The meeting does not go well: interfering with the sun would be interfering with the natural development of the planet, and be a violation of subsection 42 of the "Protected Planets Treaty".

Carter comes up with a plan to bring an artificial element much heavier than plutonium to bond with the plutonium into the sun to restore the natural nuclear processes within the star.

The inhabitants of the planet, meanwhile, refuse any assistance, saying that if the gods wish them to die, they accept their fate. Major General George S. Hammond is convinced to bring a rocket ready for launch (mentioning the high price of rockets) to K'Tau. A friend of Carter's, Dr. Douglas MacLaren, provides the kind of element they need, HU-2340; he is flattered when Carter names the element "Maclarium".

Back on K'tau, village elder Malchus convinces two suicide attackers to blow up the rocket, killing two members of SG-6. O'Neill, furious about the ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy of Malchus, orders his people to leave K'tau to its fate. It takes Daniel and Carter to convince him otherwise.

Daniel tries to convince the villagers to leave the planet, without success. O'Neill rushes into the argument, claiming the Asgard are not gods, but aliens with spaceships, but the K'tau don't believe them.

Meanwhile, following a number of simulations, Carter thinks that if she shuts down the gate at a precise time, a wormhole could still deliver the element into the sun. It doesn't seem to work, but when Daniel joins in a prayer to say sorry and goodbye and that they may still evacuate, the sunlight suddenly shifts to normal.

Carter suspects it might have been the Asgard, now able to shift the sun back without the Goa'uld knowing, being able to claim it was just a success of Carter's wormhole plan. Daniel ends the episode, saying "We'll never really know for sure, will we?"

Notable Quotes
(SG-1 is ejected from the Stargate at a high velocity)

O'Neill: Okay. What was that? Carter?

Carter: I don't know, sir. The margin of error in calculating planetary shift used to cause the rough ride but we fixed it.

O'Neill: Carter?

Carter: We did have to override some of the dialing protocols to get a lock. I'll check the dialing computer when we get home.

O'Neill: Carter, what just happened?

Elrad: The Eye of Odin grows dim.

Carter: Some sort of shift in the light frequency.

O'Neill: Good. I thought I was having a stroke.

O'Neill: (to Freyr) Na, don't worry. We haven't blown your cover. However we do have a small little problem that could use some of that Asgard magic.

Freyr: Are you implying our technology is some kind of trickery?

O'Neill: Are you sure Thor's not around somewhere?

Freyr: It is not the Asgard's responsibility to undo every error you make with technology that is advanced beyond your knowledge.

O'Neill: Excuse me! There is a whole planet full of people that are going to die.

Jackson: Um, this may be our mistake, but the K'Tau people depend on you. You set up their belief system. They think you're their god and you will protect them.

Freyr: From the Goa'uld, yes.

Carter: Sir, I've been thinking...

O'Neill: I'd be shocked if you ever stopped, Carter.

(After Carter tries to explain the situation to O'Neill)

O'Neill: I've got great confidence in you Carter. Go on to SGC and... confuse Hammond.

Hammond: I thought the odds of success for this scenario were one in a million, Major.

Carter: Yes sir, but I now think that we can increase that estimate to 1%.

O'Neill: It's your call, General. I only understand about 1% of what she says half the time.

(After the sun regains its original color)

O'Neill: Carter, am I having a stroke?

Goofs

 * The episode contains a scientific inaccuracy - plants absorb red and blue light to perform photosynthesis (they are green because the green spectrum is not absorbed). Thus the plant life would be able to survive on a planet orbiting a red sun.

Character

 * Freyr

In other languages

 * French: Soleil Rouge (Red Sun)
 * Italian: Cielo Rosso (Red Sky)
 * Spanish: Cielo Rojo (Red Sky)
 * Czech: Rudé nebe (Red Sky)
 * Русский: Красное небо (Red Sky)