Metamorphosis

"Metamorphosis" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
SG-1 finds Nirrti continuing her enhanced evolution experiments on the residents of the planet P3X-367. The team, along with the Russian SG-4, are sent to stop her. However, Nirrti's "experiments" do not want SG-1 to kill her, and she gives Jonas Quinn an irresistible offer.

Plot
The Russian SG-4, led by Lt. Colonel Sergei Evanov, returns ahead of schedule. They bring back from P3X-367 a sickly man named Alebran, who informs Colonel Jack O'Neill that Nirrti is experimenting on his people. Apparently, she is not using eugenics (selective breeding) anymore, but a machine that can alter DNA in real-time. After being brought to the infirmary, Alebran reveals that Nirrti has killed many of his people. SG-1 then plans to help, because Nirrti only has a small group of Jaffa to defend her (and because O'Neill let Nirrti go last time and he won't do the same this time). Alebran suddenly starts to panic, sweat, and have convulsions. Finally, his body breaks down and liquefies, much to everyone’s shock. Dr. Janet Frasier speculates that Nirrti's machine broke down every cell in Alebran's body simultaneously.

SG-1 and the Russian SG-4 return to the planet and Evanov brings SG-1 to Nirrti's fortress, protected by Jaffa. Carter and Jonas use diversions and the Jaffa are quickly defeated. The team (excluding Evanov, who is covering them) sneaks into the fortress, where they meet grotesquely deformed people. One of them, Wodan, tells SG-1 that Nirrti is helping the residents because they are “sick.” He also shows them Nirrti's machine, an Ancient DNA resequencer. SG-1 tells them what Nirrti was really doing to Alebran, who was Wodan's brother. They plan to help the people but another mutant, Eggar, who is able to read minds, knows that they plan to assassinate Nirrti.

While O'Neill meets Evanov to plan the ambush, Jonas Quinn and Teal'c are taken to the basement, where Wodan and his people are living. There they are stripped of their weapons and radios and are imprisoned by use of Wodan's telekinetic powers. Whilst Carter inspects Nirrti's machine, two Jaffa use transportation rings to arrive at the palace, but Carter stuns them both with her Zat'nik'tel. However, Carter herself is stunned by a cloaked Nirrti. O'Neill enters, and sees Nirrti holding Carter as a hostage. A Jaffa awakens and O'Neill quickly attempts to shoot him but not before Wodan uses his telekinetic powers to stop the bullet. O'Neill surrenders, removes his FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon, and is stunned by Nirrti's zat. Together with Carter, he is imprisoned in the basement, where he attempts to bargain with Wodan's people for SG-1's freedom, but to no avail.

Shortly thereafter, Wodan and Eggar bring in Evanov, who was apparently held in Nirrti's machine; Wodan then asks for Carter. Jack attempts to take her place, unsuccessfully. She is brought to Nirrti, who scans her with the machine and starts to manipulate her DNA. Back in the basement, Evanov reveals what has happened to him and that something is different after he was taken from the machine. Nirrti finishes with Carter and sends her back to the prison. As Wodan tries to take Jonas, Jonas attacks Eggar but is quickly defeated by Wodan and brought to Nirrti. She also scans his genetic coding and to her surprise, he seems to be different from the other humans. Jonas confirms her suspicion that he doesn't originate from Earth, telling her that a Goa'uld had transplanted his species from Earth thousands of years ago. She replies that “those few thousand years on another planet have changed you more than you know.” In the meantime, the rest of SG-1 talks about the enhanced humans, while Carter’s and Evanov’s conditions worsen. Evanov ultimately dies in the same fashion as Alebran.

Jonas awakens, not in prison, but in Nirrti’s quarters where she tries to seduce him so that he will help her. However, he slyly refuses, much to her anger. He is then taken back to the prison, where SG-1 tries to reason with Wodan’s people yet again, and to convince them that Nirrti is no god, even trying to encourage Eggar to use his telepathic abilities and look into Nirrti’s mind. However, the people again refuse to believe that Nirrti is evil and then proceed to bring O'Neill to Nirrti. Jack demands that Nirrti heal Carter and let his team go, but she refuses. When she wants to scan him with her machine, Eggar tells her to stop because he has finally read her mind. Wodan then kills her Jaffa and starts to strangle her with his powers, while she begs for her life. After a moment, he also breaks her neck, much to O'Neill's anger, who wanted her alive to help Carter. However, Eggar assures O’Neill that he took all the knowledge that he needed before she was killed. Carter enters the Resequencer and Eggar reverses the manipulation that Nirrti had done; however, her plans of studying the machine will not happen, because the natives intend to destroy it after restoring everybody--and O'Neill agrees that that would be for the best. Afterwards, SG-1 is freed and Eggar begins to heal his people, starting with Wodan.

Notable Quotes
Teal'c: Nirrti is most interested in creating the perfect human host in order to increase her power.

O'Neill: So. She's at it again.

Carter: No, sir. This is worse.

Fraiser: Sam's right. Up to now, Nirrti's been using Eugenics. Like with Cassandra's people. Selectively breeding only those that demonstrated specific genetic attributes.

Carter: With a machine that can alter DNA and a population with which to experiment, Nirrti could create a new host or even alter the DNA of her current one.

Jonas: A Goa'uld with the powers of a Hok'taur.

Hammond: Like it or not, a Russian team is operating out of the SGC. I've been asked to integrate them more fully into our own operations.

O'Neill: Does it have to be with my team?

Hammond: Lieutenant Colonel Evanov is a fine officer. I assure you, you'll be in command.

O'Neill: Yes sir. I'll remind him of that.

Nirrti: (to Jonas) Those few thousand years on another planet have changed you more than you know.

Nirrti: I can make you more powerful than you could imagine. The powers you have seen in Wodan and the others are a fraction of what I could give you.

Jonas: Well that is... definitely the most interesting offer I've had in a very long time. But you can't risk giving me those kind of powers unless you're certain I won't use them against you.

Nirrti: Once I share those powers we could rule the galaxy. Together.

Jonas: What about everyone else?

Nirrti: Unnecessary.

Jonas: Well. I can only imagine what it would be like to have powers like that. What would I do? I guess the first thing I'd do would be to free my friends and all the other people you have caged up down there. And then I would destroy you. Not necessarily in that order, but you get the idea.

O'Neill: (In reference to the death of Nirrti) Hail Dorothy, the wicked witch is dead. (The others just stare at him.) It's a movie. Margaret Hamilton.

O'Neill: To Oz? It's... part of that movie.

Goofs

 * The bullet which is stopped in midair and falls to the floor is far too long to be a standard SS190 5.7mm round, and also has a cannelure (the groove around the middle), which no issue 5.7 bullet has. Also, the bullet which falls is pristine, lacking the rifling grooves the barrel would have printed on it while imparting the spin which would allow it to fly accurately.

Wins

 * Won Leo for "Dramatic Series: Best Make-Up" (Jan Newman, Rachel Griffin, David Dupuis and Todd Masters)

Death

 * Nirrti

In other languages

 * French: Métamorphose (Metamorphosis)
 * Italian: Metamorfosi (Metamorphosis)
 * Spanish: Metamorfosis (Metamorphosis)
 * Czech: Proměna (Metamorphosis)