The Pegasus Project

"The Pegasus Project" is the third episode of the tenth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
A clue for the Sangraal leads SG-1 to Atlantis. While Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran search through the Atlantis database, Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Dr. Rodney McKay plan to use a Stargate and a black hole to block the Supergate and prevent the Ori from dispatching more ships.

Plot
With the threat of the Ori now pressing upon the Milky Way, SG-1 continues its desperate search for any way to stand up to them. Still rumored but undiscovered is a powerful weapon invented by Merlin, who we have learned was a Lantean scientist (Myrddin, also known as Moros) who returned to Earth from Atlantis 10,000 years ago

Merlin was once ascended, but chose to retake human form to create a weapon that can destroy ascended beings, in order to fight the Ori—and to keep that work hidden from the others of his kind, who have a strict rule of non-interference with un-ascended mortals.

Continuing their search for the device, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran visit the Ancient city of Atlantis, now an Earth outpost in the Pegasus galaxy. In the city's Holo room they discover Morgan Le Fay, who is masquerading as the teaching computer's interface, a holographic projection of a 30 to 40-year-old woman. Along with Dr. Elizabeth Weir, they seek Morgan's help in discovering the whereabouts of Merlin's weapon—despite the fact that Merlin was apparently rebelling against the Lanteans and the other Ancients in creating it.

Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Rodney McKay, and Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell join the Odyssey for a dangerous mission. Having been unsuccessful in dialing out with the Supergate the Ori used to invade the Milky Way galaxy, the team hopes to dial in from Pegasus since the Supergate was designed to be dialed from another galaxy. Their plan is to plant a normal gate next to the Supergate and another next to a black hole in Pegasus. Due to relativistic effects of the black hole, once the two gates are connected they can virtually not be shut down. Then using a Nuclear warhead, they will make the matter stream "jump" from the normal Stargate to the Supergate (the same plan that saved Earth in the season two episode "A Matter of Time".) Unfortunately, the first test is unsuccessful.

Compounding matters, Atlantis detects a Wraith Hive Ship heading toward the Odyssey's position, but are unable to warn them due to interference from the black hole. They dial Stargate Command to have them to relay a message to Teal'c (who is positioned in a cloaked Al'kesh near the Supergate) who can relay the message to SG-1.

Later, Daniel, Weir, and Vala are stunned to learn that Morgan is not a holographic interface at all: She is an ascended Lantean, the real Morgan Le Fay, who is walking the line of breaking her vow of non-interference to help the humans battle the Ori.

She reveals to them that when the Lanteans resettled to Earth many millennia ago, they found only a harsh land and primitive peoples. There was no hope to rebuild their great society, so they spread out, some seeding ancient civilizations, others living out their lives in secluded meditation. In this later fashion Morgan and Merlin both one day learned to ascend.

When he later descended to create the anti-Ori weapon, she was sent by the Others to watch him. Merlin was able to keep all his ascended knowledge when he retook human form and also many powers. Using these powers, he made the weapon.

Meanwhile, McKay realizes that the problem isn't that they don't have enough power to make the matter stream transfer to the Supergate, but that they can't sustain the thermonuclear reactions long enough for it to obtain the desired reaction. They decide to set off two devices, one moments after the first to get the necessary result. Unfortunately, this also fails, and now Teal'c is detecting an Ori warship heading toward the Supergate, possibly to rendezvous with others that are going to come through the gate. Carter tells him to extend his cloak around the gate on his end and wait it out. However, moments later he receives the message from the SGC about the Wraith about to prey upon Odyssey.

Back at Atlantis, Daniel and Weir argue that in Arthurian legend Merlin and Morgan were rivals. If she was sent to watch him and, if necessary, stop him, would she really be helping them to find the technology now? They realize that she is breaking the vow of non-interference just by talking to them and that she is a part of a small group of Ascended Ancients who feel that they need to get involved for their own sakes because the Ori will go after the Ancients after they conquer the Milky Way. However, this small group of Ascended Ancients are afraid of the consequences that will result from their interference.

The Odyssey, pulling out of the black hole, comes under attack by the Wraith, with their systems having been disrupted by the black hole. Carter theorizes that they can lure the Hive ship into the black hole's pull and their systems should be affected too, including their Jamming code. Then the Odyssey can use the gravity well to slingshot away. The Wraith fall for the trap and as the Odyssey is flying away, they beam their last two thermonuclear devices aboard the Hive ship. It explodes, right next to the open Stargate.

Suddenly, on Teal'c's end, the Stargate emits a blast of energy and then the matter stream jumps to the supergate, which dials and the Ori ship that had come to observe is destroyed in the unstable vortex of the forming wormhole. By destroying the Wraith Hive ship, they not only sealed off the gate to more invading Ori ships, but destroyed one of them in the process. Even more amazing, the Stargate on the Pegasus end was not destroyed, meaning they have the Supergate blocked off indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Morgan is persuaded by Daniel to tell the group which planet they must go to and thus find Merlin's weapon. However, just as she begins to mention something important about the weapon ("Merlin's weapon is not..."), she is stopped at the last moment by the Others. After the confrontation, Daniel comes to the realization that the SGC and their allies cannot expect any assistance from the Ascended.

Notable Quotes
Carter: You mean we just blew up an Ori Ship.

McKay: By destroying a Wraith ship.

Teal'c: Indeed we did.

Sheppard: Well, good luck. And listen, if McKay gives you a hard time, just....

Mitchell: Shoot him.

Sheppard: Also, he's mortally allergic to citrus.

Mitchell: Really?

Sheppard: (pulls a lemon from his pocket) I keep one with me at all times. It's just a comfort to know it's there. (tosses the lemon to Mitchell)

Mitchell: That's good intel. Thanks.

McKay: I just wanted to thank you for being there for me in a time of great personal need. Well ... actually, you weren't there, I was alone in the dark, but um ... um, it sure seemed like you were.

Carter: Are you telling me one of your fantasies?

McKay: No, no! It was a hallucination. Look, I had a concussion, I was trapped in the back of a sinking jumper, and my mind conjured you up as a means of survival. What you would do in my situation. Saved my life.

Carter: Okay, well that's… sort of nice.

McKay: (smiling) Hmm. Yes it was.

Carter: ...Was I naked?

McKay: Partially.

Mitchell: Isn't that thing cool, or what?

McKay: Hmmm.

Mitchell: The black hole.

McKay: What you're seeing is the accretion disk, it's matter trapped inside the gravity well. You can't see the black hole itself.

Mitchell: (turns to McKay and looks at him boldly) Which is cool.

Mitchell: Teal'c, I have a collect call from the Pegasus Galaxy. Will you accept the charges.

Teal'c: I will indeed.

Morgan le Fay: You may enter your query verbally, or by entering it manually on the console before you.

Jackson: I'll speak, if that's all right.

Morgan le Fay: Of course, but note for future sessions, manual input is required for most system interaction.

Jackson: I think I had her in grade five.

Jackson: Okay, show me the order in which the earliest Ancient cities were founded.

Vala: How's that useful? You gonna join up all the dots and draw a pretty picture?

Jackson: I'm just getting my bearings. You're gonna have to get used to the fact that this is probably going to take a while.

Vala: The way you approach things, it could take the rest of our lives.

Jackson: I'm sorry, but we're not going to find the location of this thing by looking under "W" for weapon.

Vala: "P" for planet, then? I'm just saying, ask the question.

Jackson: (irritated sigh) Dr. Weir already tried it. It'd be a complete waste of time.

Vala: It would take all of eleven seconds.

Jackson: (even more irritated sigh, looks back at Morgan) Hello, we're looking for the names of two planets know on Earth in ancient times in the dialect of Old English as Castiana and Sahal. (turned back to Vala) Satisfied?

Morgan le Fay: Taoth Vaclarush and Valos Cor.

(Jackson looks up, disbelieving, while Vala smiles)

Vala: Now I'm satisfied.

Carter: You know, Cam, he's not wrong. As much as it pains me to say it, the data from our first attempt supports his argument.

Mitchell: Well, like my Grandma used to say, "if at first you don't succeed"…

Carter: Try a larger thermo-nuclear reaction?

Mitchell: Her words exactly.

Jackson: I understand the fine line you have to walk, and I realise the risk you're taking just showing yourself. But I'm sorry, I want more.

(Morgan le Fay looks startled)

Jackson: And you can pass that on to your friends as well. (looks up towards ceiling) Yeah, I know you're listening. (slowly looks back towards Morgan) Because I am getting sick of hidden clues and cryptic messages. And Merlin was right that the Ori are a threat, but not only to us lowers, not only to the billions of human lives throughout this galaxy, but to your own existence. Because when this war is over and every soul that's left alive is praying to the Ori, feeding their need to be worshipped... Well, you know who they're going to come for next. I won't pretend to know what that war will look like, or on what battlefield it will take place, but then I won't be alive to see it.

Morgan le Fay: (looks down, shamed) If we interfere, we are no better than the Ori.

Jackson: I understand that is at the very core of what you are, of what you believe, but I'm talking about survival here. If you really are trying to help, then help yourself.

Goofs

 * When the Ori warship is patrolling the Supergate, there seems to be an inconsistency in the ratio of size between the ship and the gate. When we originally see the ships come into the Milky Way, they are barely narrower than the gate itself. Here, the gate appears much larger than the ship. Though this could be perspective, as objects farther away appear smaller.
 * The individual pieces of the Supergate are also too big to fit through a standard Stargate. It could be that the pieces expanded, similar to a Teltaks wings and so fit through a gate, enlargen to form the pieces.
 * At the beginning of the episode when Odyssey is shown approaching Atlantis, the super-structure at the ship's rear is on right side of the ship, instead of on the left where it actually resides.
 * When Atlantis turns off the gate after contacting earth, what is shown is the gate's shield turning off while the gate isn't even active at all.
 * When the Odyssey and Teal'c's Al'kesh are communicating near the black hole the audio transmissions are slowed down on both ends. However, only the ship farther away would hear a slowed down transmission.  The closer ship would hear a faster one (assuming time dilation).

Character

 * Morgan Le Fay

In other languages

 * French: Chassé-croisé (Continual going and coming)
 * Italian: Il Progetto Pegasus (The Pegasus Project)
 * Spanish: El Proyecto Pegasus (The Pegasus Project)
 * Czech: Projekt Pegasus (The Pegasus Project)
 * German: Das Pegasus-Prinzip (The Pegasus-Principle)