Frozen

"Frozen" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
SG-1 is in Antarctica, examining the site of Earth's first Stargate. There, they find a young woman who has been preserved in the ice for several million years. Soon, Colonel Jack O'Neill falls ill.

Plot
In Antarctica, Dr. Francine Michaels talks with Major Samantha Carter--who is at Stargate Command--about their work at Antarctica. They talk about the Dial Home Device that was located in Antarctica and that the Stargate there is perhaps the oldest in existence ("50 million years," when the Antarctic plate "was not even at the South Pole"). Suddenly two other scientists, Dr. Norm Woods and Dr. Harold Osbourne, come in and tell Michaels that they have a surprise for her regarding something in the ice.

Some time later, SG-1 and Dr. Janet Fraiser visit the Antarctica base (White Rock Research Station) and are greeted by the scientists there. They are led through the base until they are confronted by a frozen female body. Michaels named the person Ayiana, regarding her as female due to the contour of the body. Michaels then reveals that the woman is millions of years old and this could be evidence that humanity evolved much earlier than 800,000-900,000 years ago. Michaels shows Fraiser some cells of the specimen's body, which seem to be intact (suggesting that Ayiana may be very much alive), and so they start to melt the ice. It turns out that Ayiana is indeed still alive (which should be impossible for someone who has been frozen for millions of years) and so they start to unfreeze her at a quicker pace. After the ice is gone, they start to reanimate her, and she recovers extremely quickly, even waking up.

They talk about Ayiana while Woods and Osbourne decide to do some more research on the ice where they found Ayiana. Core samples of the ice can confirm Dr. Frasier's theory about early human evolution. Meanwhile, Jonas Quinn decides to talk to Ayiana. It turns out that she can talk, although she has to try very hard, and he discovers that a wound on her arm has healed quickly. It seems possible that her brain is damaged. Jonas brings Ayiana something to eat and tries to get some information from her, showing her a picture of a Stargate. Ayiana can do nothing more than say "amazing" while eating.

Meanwhile, Fraiser tells Carter that Ayiana's EEG shows similarities between her brain and that of Cassandra Fraiser, as well as that of Colonel Jack O'Neill when his mind was overtaken by the knowledge of the Ancients. Thus, Ayiana might be an example of an advanced stage in human evolution; perhaps she is even an Ancient. Suddenly, Jonas calls both of them into the quarantine lab because Dr. Michaels has collapsed; it turns out that she is sick. They believe that there was a virus frozen with Ayiana and Fraiser decides that they should all be placed under quarantine.

While a storm is raging outside, Osbourne appears, who is also sick, while Woods is still missing; thus O'Neill and Teal'c decide to search for him. Meanwhile, Jonas talks again with Ayiana, who can understand him but not help him. Later, Fraiser talks with Sam about the virus; Jonas comes in and tells Frasier that Ayiana can't remember how she managed to heal herself. Meanwhile, O'Neill and Teal'c have found Woods who is nearly dying; Ayiana starts to heal him with her bare hands and he quickly recovers, but Ayiana collapses. Jonas asks Ayiana to heal Dr. Michaels and Dr. Osbourne, which she agrees to although she shows concern. The healing greatly weakens her, which is revealed by Fraiser through a blood sample (declining white blood cell count). Dr. Fraiser talks with the rest of SG-1 and then orders them to rest.

Later, Dr. Woods tells Ayiana that the others are still sick. He is supposed to make sure that Ayiana does not heal the others, but Ayiana quickly renders Woods unconscious with the touch of a hand. She then proceeds to heal Frasier, Carter, and Jonas. Before being able to heal O'Neill, Ayiana falls unconscious. Some time later, a disease control team comes and brings them all back to the SGC where it turns out that Ayiana will die and O'Neill too. While Jonas talks with Ayiana her heartbeat stops and she finally dies, saying "sorry."

A Tok'ra named Thoran visits the base and suggests that O'Neill should be blended with a symbiote. Carter asks O'Neill what he thinks about it, and although he is reluctant at first, he finally agrees since this is his only chance to survive. In the end, SG-1 and the Tok'ra bring an incapacitated O'Neill through the Stargate.

Notable Quotes
Jonas: How long is this going to take?

Osbourne: A couple days, maybe more. Why?

Jonas: Long range weather forecast doesn't look good.

Carter: Bit of a weather freak.

Michaels: He'll love it here.

Fraiser: Antarctic cod can live in water so cold other fish would develop ice crystals in their blood. Now they've had forty million years or so to adapt to the change of temperature in the water and they've developed this protein that acts like antifreeze.

Carter: They're fish.

Fraiser: Given enough time, evolution can do some pretty amazing things.

O'Neill: Listen, could someone bottom line this for me?

Fraiser: Well sir, we could be looking at evidence that human beings evolved long before we thought they did.

Michaels: And maybe not even originally on this planet.

O'Neill: Darwin would be crushed.

O'Neill: DOH!

Teal'c: What is it O'Neill?

O'Neill: I forgot to tape "The Simpsons".

(Teal'c gives him a disbelieving and disapproving look)

O'Neill: It's important to me.

Carter: Sir. I don't know if you can hear me. The Tok'ra have offered you a deal. There's a symbiote that needs a host. They think it could cure you, now it may be your only chance. It would only be temporary. It would come out of you as soon as they found another host. Sir, are you getting any of this?

O'Neill: Carter.

Carter: Yeah, I'm right here.

O'Neill: Over my dead body.

Goofs

 * After Teal'c says that the jaffa that were frozen couldn't have been here that long ago, Dr. Francine Michaels responds with "Not even close" and in Teal'c's reaction shot, he starts to break character and look off the the left side of the screen and makes a confused face.
 * When Ayiana's face is first uncovered, you can see her eye twitching even though she is supposed to be frozen.
 * When Ayiana is on the table after Dr. Janet Frasier intubated her, she makes several vocal noises... this would be impossible with a tracheal intubation because the tube goes between the vocal cords, holding them open so that they can't move.

Characters

 * Thoran
 * Ayiana

Death

 * Ayiana

In other languages

 * French: Prisonnière des Glaces (Prisoner of the Ice)
 * Italian: Un Corpo tra i Ghiacci (A Body in the Ice)
 * Spanish: Congelada (Frozen)
 * Czech: V zajetí ledu