Counterstrike

"Counterstrike" is the seventh episode of the tenth season of Stargate SG-1.

Synopsis
After a planet's population is wiped out for embracing Origin, they suspect the Dakara superweapon is responsible. Also, SG-1 uses their first opportunity at commandeering an Ori warship from the planet, but discovers the Jaffa have ideas of commandeering it for themselves.

Previously on Stargate SG-1
The weapon on Dakara is used to destroy the Replicators. Vala Mal Doran gives birth to the Orici Adria who matures in a matter of days and becomes the leader of the Ori army in the Milky Way galaxy.

Plot
On an alien world, Adria — the "Orici" — addresses a gathering of the newest followers of Origin, a village of humans. SG-1, who is on a reconnaissance mission has secreted themselves amongst the crowd. As the speech ends a massive radiation burst is emitted from the world's Stargate. Fortunately the Earth ship Odyssey is in orbit and, detecting the approaching wavefront of the radiation, extracts SG-1. A team from the Odyssey return to the planet in hazmat gear and examine the village and discover it untouched except for the complete erasure of all living organic tissue (dead organic tissue, such as clothing, remains). Upon hearing this, Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter and Teal'c realize the only weapon known to them capable of such a feat is the Superweapon on Dakara, built by the Ancients.

SG-1 decides they cannot pass up the opportunity to examine the unmanned and completely accessible Ori warship left intact by the superweapon. Carter locates the bridge of the ship which is very similar in design to Ancient technology and Teal'c and Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell locate the ship's power source and plant C-4 on it. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones with the idea to explore the vessel, a group of Jaffa led by a man named Bo'rel is also aboard. During the confrontation the lights throughout the ship flicker and machinery within it begins to hum with activity. Bo'rel, with a rigid mind set of the superiority of the Jaffa, will do whatever he believes is necessary to fight the Ori threat—and captures Teal'c and Mitchell, telling them that he intends to seize the Ori warship for the Jaffa. Carter requests that the Odyssey beam them out but whatever it was that caused the lights to flicker earlier has raised the ship’s shields and the beam out fails. Three Ha'tak vessels drop out of hyperspace in orbit and Odyssey leaves to prevent a possible confrontation.

Meanwhile, Bra'tac comes to Earth to meet Major General Henry Landry, informing him of the use of the Superweapon. Together they travel to Dakara and confront Se'tak, the new Jaffa military leader, about his genocidal tactics in the war against the followers of the Ori. But Se'tak stands by his decision to use a powerful Ancient device against their enemy, even though its use violates the Jaffa's agreement with the Tau'ri—and will result in the deaths of millions of innocents on Ori occupied and oppressed worlds. Se'tak hopes that one day they will capture enough Ori ships to make a stand against the enemy, but believes that until then this great cost is acceptable to avoid the even higher cost of defeat.

Meanwhile, Bor’el having heard Mitchell talking to Carter over their radios calls to the rest of SG-1 to surrender or he will harm Teal’c and Mitchell. Before Carter answers Dr. Daniel Jackson does and suggests to him that the humans and Jaffa work together. However Bor'el refuses, declaring that his people will never be dependent on another race again. Daniel continues to try and reason with Bo'rel but he and Vala Mal Doran are at that moment captured by a Jaffa patrol.

Adria, who has apparently survived the attack, reappears and captures Daniel and Vala by killing the Jaffa with her telekinesis. Daniel attempts to stun her using a Zat'nik'tel but she begins to telekinetically choke Daniel demanding that they tell her what happened to her new followers on this planet. Despite her best efforts she cannot force the information from Daniel's mind. Daniel and Vala try to reason with Adria.

With help from Carter who has returned from the bridge, Mitchell and Teal'c escape from the Jaffa and decide to head for the Stargate. Adria brings back to life a Jaffa she had killed earlier and forces the soldier to reveal the location of the weapon that wiped out her new planet of followers. She then reactivates and operates the Ori warship, without any apparent act except force of will, setting a course for Dakara.

On Dakara, Landry challenges the fact that Se'tak chose a human-populated world to target, and not one of the Jaffa worlds that have capitulated to the Ori invaders. He also points out that the use of the weapon violates the agreement between the humans and Jaffa, but Se'tak, paranoid and mistrustful of the humans' motivations, refuses to listen. Moments later he has both Landry and Bra’tac captured suspecting that as the Jaffa nor the Ori could be in control of the warship that it must have been the Tau’ri who have flown it into orbit and destroyed the three Ha’tak ships.

Adria tells Daniel and Vala, that soon the bulk of the Ori forces will arrive in this galaxy, and if all goes to plan, the Ori will completely control the entire Milky Way galaxy in less than a year. She also wants to keep both Daniel and Vala prisoner. She plans to turn Vala into an icon for the followers of Origin as the mother of the Orici, and states that the Ori have special plans for Daniel, but does not mention what they are.

Carter, Mitchell and Teal’c go to the bridge and find it unmanned, Carter remains to try and override the primary systems. Mitchell and Teal’c encounter Bo'rel and convince him that the vessel is under the control of a common enemy. The ship arrives at Dakara and Mitchell decides to destroy the powercore using the C-4 they planted earlier. Unfortunately Adria has prevented the C-4 from detonating. The Jaffa attack the room she is holding Daniel and Vala prisoner in, but she seals the door. The Odyssey arrives but is still unable to extract SG-1, Carter continues her attempts to deactivate the shielding and succeeds, all of SG-1 are beamed off and the Odyssey jumps to hyperspace to avoid the wavefront of the superweapon which the Jaffa have deployed in a last ditch effort against the warship.

The desperate defense set up by the Jaffa succeeds only in killing their own warriors aboard the Ori ship, since Adria is immune to the superweapon. Eager to destroy the only real threat to the Ori, Adria fires the warship's beam weapon directly at the superweapon. Bra'tac and Landry manage to escape through the Stargate before the superweapon, and the mountain that housed it, is completely annihilated. Back at the SGC, SG-1 receives word that not only has Dakara been devastated but five more planets have fallen to the Ori. With the Dakara superweapon destroyed and the Ori continuing to convert countless planets, Merlin's anti-Ori weapon is now needed more than ever.

Notable Quotes
Vala: Can I ask you a question?

Daniel: Just the fact that you have to ask me to ask me makes me think I should say no.

Teal'c: A great Jaffa once said: 'Exalted is the warrior who achieves victory without battle'.

Mitchell: Winning shows strength. Winning without fighting shows true skill.

Teal'c: Hm. You are student of ancient strategies.

Mitchell: No. Landry said it to me. I think he was quoting Sun Tzu. Or... it could've been Dr. Phil.

Landry: Sometimes you make the right decision. Sometimes you make the decision right.

Harriman: Patton.

Landry: That one's Dr. Phil.

Vala: Listen, we're not rejoining the fleet. You're coming with me.

Adria: No. I can't abandon my army.

Vala: It's not your army.

Adria: Of course it is.

Vala: Well as your mother I'm putting my foot down. You're too young to have your own army.

Vala: There's nothing to be gained by second-guessing yourself. You can't remake the past. So look ahead. Or risk being left behind.

Bra'tac: She displays the wisdom of a battle-seasoned warrior.

Jackson: She's a mother. Close enough.

Goofs

 * The shot of the temple firing is reused stock footage as the gate is seen as active.

In other languages

 * French: La Riposte (Counterstrike)
 * Italian: Contrattacco (Counterstrike)
 * Spanish: Contraataque (Counterstrike)
 * Czech: Protiúder (Counterstrike)
 * German: Adrias Macht (Adria's Power)