Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis
Production
Series	Stargate SG-1
Episode	6.16
Production #	616
Original air date	January 15, 2003
Story by	Jacqueline Samuda & James Tichenor
Written by	James Tichenor
Directed by	Peter DeLuise
More Information
Gallery
Transcript
Credits
Chronology
Preceded by	"Paradise Lost"
Followed by	"Disclosure"

Template:SG1-6 "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 down to 'water', splashing down to the floor, much to everyone’s shock. Dr. Janet Frasier speculates that Nirrti's machine broke down every cell in Alebran's body simultaneously.

Eggar, one of the mutated people.

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, and would sacrifice them all in the process if necessary.

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 minutes later. 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 an intercepting Wodan uses his telekinetic powers to stop the bullet mid-air. O'Neill realising defeat 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 once awake he attempts to bargain with Wodan's people for SG-1's freedom, but to no avail. (The imprisoned ones apparently don't have any telekinetic powers, for some reason.)

The mutated people who imprisoned SG-1.

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. Carter tells O'Neill not to worry, then glibly adds "at least now I'll get to see how the machine works". 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. Suddenly Evanov starts bubbling at the mouth and convulsing, and dies in the same fashion as Alebran. The 'mutants' are surprised by the death but not yet convinced it's Nirrti's doing.

Wodan, killer of Nirrti.

Jonas awakens, not in prison, but in Nirrti’s quarters where she tries to seduce him so that he will help her. Promising him untold powers he's never even dreamt of, plus to rule jointly with her. However, after a little teasing 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 looking into her mind is forbidden as she is a God. They then proceed to take O'Neill to Nirrti. Jack demands that Nirrti heal Carter and let his team go, but she amused, refuses. When she wants to scan him with her machine, Eggar tells her to stop because he has finally read her mind. He tells Wodan that everything they told them is true, she did kill all their people. Wodan enraged then kills her Jaffa and starts to strangle her with his powers, lifting her right off the floor, while she attempts to bargain for her life with promises of power bestowed. O'Neill attempts to keep her alive in order that she reverses whatever she did to Carter. But a seething Wotan breaks her neck nevertheless, much to O'Neill's anger. However, Eggar assures O’Neill that he managed to take from her mind 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 a wary O'Neill agrees that that would be for the best, not to anger them unless they don't let them leave. Afterwards, SG-1 is freed and Eggar begins to heal his people, starting with Wodan.

References

Ancient; Dating; DNA; DNA resequencer; Cassandra Fraiser; GP-30 grenade launcher; Hok'tar; Kalashnikov AK-47; Kelowna; Margaret Hamilton; P3X-367; PKM general purpose machine gun; Precognition; Russian SG-4; SG-3; Skirmish on P3X-367; Slavery; Stargate Command infirmary; Superman; SVD sniper's rifle; Telekinesis; Telepathy; The Wizard of Oz; X-ray; Zat'nik'tel

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.
Fraiser: 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.

Notes

• This is the first episode to feature the DNA resequencer.
• When Major Samantha Carter is in the gateroom, Walter calls her "sir" instead of "ma'am". (This is standard procedure for the USAF. Both men and women are called "sir".)
• This is the first episode to feature the Russian SG-4. The Russians were given this team as part of the deal for the Alpha Gate in "Redemption, Part 2".
• The Russian phrase Lt. Colonel Sergei Evanov uttered after witnessing Alebran's body dissolving is a common Russian expression translating as "God's mother" (similar to the English phrase "Oh my God"). When leaving his team near the gate his orders could be translated as "Kravchenko, you're in charge. Hold the Gate."
• The scene where Alebran dies in the beginning is very similar to Senator Kelley's death scene in X-Men. Both were caused by mutations.
• The scene where Wodan pulled weapons towards him was similar to the scene where Darth Vader pulled Han Solo's gun towards him in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Furthermore, the scene in which he used his powers to choke the two guards and Nirrti resembled a Force Choke.
• This is the only episode of Stargate SG-1 written by Jacqueline Samuda who played Nirrti.
• This is the last of two episodes of Stargate SG-1 written by James Tichenor, the shows visual effects supervisor.
• Raoul Ganeev (Lt. Colonel Sergei Evanov) previously played Roadblock Soldier in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Desperate Measures".
• Dion Johnstone (Wodan) previously played Captain Nelson in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Rules of Engagement", Na'onak in the episodes "Jolinar's Memories" and "The Devil You Know", Stragoth 2 in the episode "Foothold", Chaka in the episodes "The First Ones" and "Beast of Burden" and Lt. Tyler in the episode "The Fifth Man".
• Alex Zahara (Eggar) previously played Xe'ls in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Spirits", Michael Clark in the episode "1969", the Stragoth leader/Stragoth 1 in the episode "Foothold" and Shy One in the episode "Beast of Burden".
• Dan Payne (Nirrti's Jaffa Commander) previously played Anubis' Ashrak in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Allegiance".
• Jacquie Janzen (Lt. Rush) previously played Nurse in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Crystal Skull", Aide in the episode "Chain Reaction" and Commissary Airman in the episode "Sight Unseen".
• This is the only time where the Goa'uld race is shown to be capable of an uncharacteristic emotion as lust with Nirrti displaying it for Jonas Quinn. Previously we have seen that they are capable of love with Apophis and Amaunet, with the Tok'ra version being Lantash/Martouf and Samantha Carter/Rosha/Jolinar.
• It is later shown that Nirrti gave Jonas precognition in "Prophecy" manifesting in the form of a tumor. Jonas uses the power to help save Earth and another planet from the Underlord Mot and loses the power when the tumor is removed.
• In the opening scene where Jonas is asking Carter to be his wingman in courting Lt. Rush the nurse, Carter replies "Jonas, you're such a chickenshit". Such language would normally not be allowed on prime-time TV, but the "shit" in "chickenshit" is conveniently drowned out to bare audibility by the sound of the incoming wormhole klaxon coming on. However, it can still be heard quite clearly on good speakers, as well as seen by reading Carter's lips.

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.
• When the SG teams come through the Stargate, the symbols on the DHD are lighted up indicating an outgoing wormhole. However, given the arrival of the teams, it is clearly an incoming wormhole.

Awards

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)
• German: Metamorphosis

External links

• Template:SciFi
• Metamorphosis on the official MGM website. (backup link)
• Metamorphosis on GateWorld. (backup link)
• Metamorphosis article on Stargate SG-1 Solutions' The StargateWiki

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Metamorphosis (Stargate SG-1). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with SGCommand, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.