The Broca Divide

The Broca Divide is the fifth episode of the first season of Stargate SG-1.

Plot
SG-1 accompanies SG-3 to the planet designated P3X-797. Upon arrival they find themselves attacked by a group of savage primeval men living in the forest like animals. They scare them off and walk out of the darkness into the light.

Once out of the forest and in the light they find a beautiful civilization that appears to be of Minoan origin, which fascinates Daniel immensely. The locals refer to their land as "The Land of Light" and the savages in the forest as "The Touched". Citizens of the Land of Light afflicted with a "curse" devolve into savage beasts and are banished into the dark.

After returning to Earth, Lt. Daniel Johnson begins to act irrationally and attacks Teal'c. Other members of SG-3 start displaying the same symptoms as "The Touched". Carter tries to seduce Jack, but he realizes she has the mysterious disease and takes her to the infirmary. Later, when Daniel expresses concern for Carter, Jack becomes unaccountably jealous, insisting "she's not yours to care about", and assaults Daniel.

Very heavily sedated, Jack asks Dr. Fraiser to experiment on him in hopes of finding a cure, but she refuses. Teal'c returns to the planet with Daniel, as they are the only members of SGC except Fraiser who haven't come down with the disease. Teal'c brings back a blood sample of the Untouched for Fraiser to analyze, but Daniel is taken by the Touched.

Fraiser realizes Daniel and she were not infected as a result of their antihistamine allergy medicine, and the "curse" is actually a disease targeting histamine. From analyzing the blood she concludes there must be something in the diet of the people in the Land of Light that acts as an antihistamine; which, if eaten more often will prevent the "curse".

Fraiser synthesizes a cure (lots of antihistamine) and the SGC is brought out of lockdown. The team goes back to P3X-797 and finds Daniel living among the Touched -without his allergy medicine he has contracted the disease. The team uses darts loaded with Fraiser's cure for the disease.

SG-1 explains to the people the "curse" is reversible, and their lost family members will be returning. When Daniel awakens back to his normal self, he serves as proof to the people who rush into the forest. SG-1 follows and witnesses a moving moment of reunions. They give some medication and aid to the Land of Light so that none shall ever be "Touched" again, and, having made new friends, return to Earth through the Stargate.

Notable Quotes
Col. O'Neill: Oh, I got in a little wrestling match with Carter.

Dr. Jackson: Why?

Col. O'Neill: I guess she's got whatever Johnson's got. Had to drag her off to the infirmary.

Dr. Jackson: What, did she start a fight with you, like Johnson did with Teal'c?

Col. O'Neill: No, she, uh, tried to seduce me.

[pause]

Dr. Jackson: Oh. [pause] You poor man...

Teal'c: Col. O'Neill?

Col. O'Neill: [imitating Desi Arnaz] Lucy, I'm home!

Teal'c: I am not Lucy.

Col. O'Neill: I know that. It's a reference to an old TV—never mind, open the door.

Teal'c: I will summon the doctor.

Col. O'Neill: No, come on. I'm fine. I'm back to being myself. Just open up.

Teal'c: I cannot be certain that you are back to being yourself. You referred to me as "Lucy."

Capt. Carter: [uncomfortably] About my earlier behavior... I wasn't myself, and—

Col. O'Neill: Oh, Carter, I don't even remember your earlier behavior.

Capt. Carter: You don't?

Col. O'Neill: No, I was infected too, remember?

Capt. Carter: [relieved] Right! Good, I'm—I'm glad.

Col. O'Neill: By the way, how's the wound?

Capt. Carter: Wound?

Col. O'Neill: I understand you got stabbed in the stomach?

Capt. Carter: Oh, yeah, that—that was nothing. With any luck, there won't even be a scar.

Col. O'Neill: Well, good. I was concerned.

Capt. Carter: You were?

Col. O'Neill: Sure. [smiles] If it doesn't heal properly, you'll never wear that sweet little tank top number again.

[She stops in her tracks at that, and he keeps on walking.]

Goofs

 * Continuity: Hammond states that there is no video to play back because the planet appears to be extremely dark, and that the M.A.L.P. lights may have been broken during transit. However, light given off by the event horizon seems to illuminate the immediate vicinity of the gate quite well, as seen when SG-1 first arrives on the planet, and when the gate is active in the embarkation room in most episodes.

In other languages

 * Hungarian: A sötétség határán
 * Czech: Mezi světlem a tmou
 * Italian: La luce della civiltà
 * German: Die Seuche
 * French: La Théorie de Broca
 * Portuguese: A Divisão De Broca
 * Spanish: La Vertiente Broca
 * Russian: Раздел по Броку (Razgyel po Broku)