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"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[]

The Pegasus Project 1

The Odyssey arriving at Atlantis.

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, whom SG-1 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 Sangraal, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran visit the Ancient city of Atlantis, now an Earth outpost in the Pegasus galaxy and inhabited by the Atlantis expedition. In the city's Holo room, they consult with the city's teaching computer's interface, a holographic projection of a 30 to 40-year-old woman. After several unsuccessful inquires, Vala becomes impatient and forces Daniel to ask the computer directly about the old English names of the planets Castiana and Sahal.  To Daniel's surprise, the hologram returns the names, Taoth Vaclarush and Valos Cor, along with their Stargate addresses.

The Pegasus Project 2

The SG-1 team of Daniel, Carter and Vala having a briefing with their Atlantis counterparts: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir.

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.

The Pegasus Project 4

The Odyssey approaching the black hole.

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, who in turn, sends a message to Teal'c (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 they have not been speaking with 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 saw using the teaching interface she created during her time in Atlantis as an opportunity to pass along the information without violating the Ascended's rules.

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, Teal'c receives the message from SGC about the Wraith ship and relays the info to the Odyssey. This leaves everyone stunned while McKay, the only member of the Atlantis expedition on board the Odyssey remarks with disbelief, "Oh, Wraith. That's not good".

Morgan Le Fay 3

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? Morgan admits that its true that she and Merlin were once rivals, but she came to realize that he was right about the threat that the Ori pose. 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 sake 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.

Battle of the Black Hole

The Odyssey under attack from the Wraith Hive Ship.

The Odyssey comes under attack by the Wraith. As the Odyssey gets hit, causing explosions inside the ship, 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.

Battle of the Black Hole

The Ori ship is destroyed in the unstable vortex

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 which has Sam, McKay and Mitchell stunned with Teal'c remarking that today they've achieved a great victory.

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.

Appearances[]

Appearances for The Pegasus Project

Locations

Events

Items

Vehicles

Sentient Species

Languages

Creatures

  • Dog (Mentioned)
    • Chihuahua (Mentioned)
    • Saint Bernard (Mentioned)

Organizations

Mentioned

Notable quotes[]

Mitchell: I gotta tell you, Sheppard, it's a nice place you got here.
Sheppard: Thanks, we just painted. 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: Is that thing cool, or what?
McKay: Hmm.
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.

(While Jackson is looking at the visual database of all the Lanteans whom left for earth)
Vala: Well, exciting as it is to view the Atlantis family album....
Jackson: I'm looking for someone in particular.
Vala: I don't know of any 10.000-year-old Ancients. (sees Moros) I take that back. We know him.
Morgan Le Fay: Moros was the last high councilor of Atlantis
Vala: Moros? (pauses) Apart from the funny hat, he's the spitting image of Merlin. Isn't he?
Jackson: See in Arthur's time, it was Myrddin. See how a word can change over the centuries.
Vala: I know where you're going. You think that Merlin, or Myrddin, or whatever his name was came back to Atlantis at some stage and hid these names here as clues for us to find.
Jackson: No.
Vala: No.
Morgan Le Fay: The first human to set foot in the city after it was abandoned was Dr. Elizabeth Weir, leader of the current Atlantis expedition.
Vala: Are you sure of that?
Morgan Le Fay: Evidence of his presence would have been recorded.
'Vala: Well, darling, guess that's it. We'll have to leave here with exactly that which we came here for.
Jackson: I already knew Merlin was in the archive. I was looking for someone else.
Vala: Who?
Jackson: You chose your words very carefully when you said the first human to set foot in the city. What about ascended being? You're not really a hologram, are you?
Morgan Le Fay: You have your answer, Daniel Jackson. I suggest you act on it.

(Daniel shouting in the empty holo room)
Jackson: I know you're still here. There's no point in hiding.
Vala: I don't think she is coming back Daniel especially if you shout at her.
Jackson: Oh, Yes, she is. She's come this far. She's gonna finish what she started. You're not fooling anybody anymore! (Weir comes in)
Weir: Dr. Jackson.
Jackson: Oh, hi.
Weir: Hi. Who are you talking to?
Jackson: Well I don't know what she's calling herself these days but at one point in history her name was Morgan Le Fay.
Weir: Morgan Le Fay was here?
Jackson: Posing as a hologram, yes.
'Weir: Hmm. May I?
Jackson: Oh, yes. (Weir steps on the platform)
Morgan Le Fay: Hello
Vala: That's her.
Morgan Le Fay: You may enter your query verbally, or by entering it manually
Jackson: You know, drop the school teacher act.
Weir: This is a computer-generated image of a Lantian woman who lived ten thousand years ago. I'm pretty familiar with the program. It hasn't changed.
(to hologram) Question. Whose image is your avatar based on, and what's the purpose of your program?
Morgan Le Fay: I was created by Ganos Lal, in her image, for the purpose of assisting younger minds.
Weir: And what makes you think otherwise?
Vala: For starters, she told us exactly what we needed to know.
Weir: She did.
Vala: Uh huh.
Jackson: Does this interface have the capability of playing back events from earlier in the session?
Weir: Yes.
Jackson: Can you play back the last sentence she said to me before she disappeared?
Morgan Le Fay: You have your answer, Daniel Jackson. I suggest you act on it.
Vala: See, see?! Her demeanor completely changed: she looked directly at Daniel; it was really creepy.
Weir: Well, I did warn you that she could be patronizing.
Jackson: You said this device uses a lot of power. Is there any way of determining exactly how much power we've used?
Weir: Yes. Control room? This is Weir. I need you to access the power usage logs for the holo-room.
Chuck: Yes, ma'am. (types into the computer) None.
Weir: None? Are you sure?
Chuck: Well, the lights are on. Other than that.
Vala: Hey! (snaps fingers) Got you!
Weir: I think I owe you an apology, Doctor Jackson.
Morgan Le Fay: There's no need, Doctor Weir. I'm the one who should apologize.

Weir: You're an ascended Ancient.
Morgan Le Fay: I am.
Jackson: Specifically, Morgan Le Fay. I thought I recognized her from descriptions in the archive on Vagonbrei.
Vala: That's, that's great! So, enough of the tiny tidbits of information. Not that we're ungrateful, but um, if you know what it is we're looking for and, as an Ascended being, I have to assume you do…
Morgan Le Fay: As Doctor Jackson knows, it is against our highest law to interfere.
Vala: But interfering a little bit is fine, is it?
Weir: It might be a good idea to be a bit less confrontational.
Vala: Well she's here chatting with us. That's interference, isn't it?
Jackson: If you really are Morgan Le Fay, how do I know your intention is to help us? According to legend, you were Merlin's greatest rival. (to Weir) Merlin is both Moros and Myrrdin.
Morgan Le Fay: For a time in your history, yes, I was his rival. But we're talking about many thousands of years, Doctor Jackson, as you know. Things change. When we first abandoned Atlantis all those millennia ago, the Earth was so harsh, its people so primitive by comparison, there was no hope of living among them as Lantians or rebuilding our societies. So, instead we spread out to many lands, some of us planting a few small seeds of civilization among the first tribes of man. Others making their way to the Stargate at your southern pole. Still others choosing to live the remainder of our lives in seclusion and meditation. Merlin and I both chose the latter path.
Daniel: And so, you ascended.
Morgan Le Fay: It was only some thousands of years later, upon seeing the threat the Ori could one day become, that Merlin retook his human form in order to create the weapon that you seek. He did everything within his power to keep his work secret, but we feared his intentions. I was sent to observe, and if necessary, to stop him.
Vala: Wait, right there. Just a minute. If he was human again, then you were interfering. You broke your own law.
Morgan Le Fay: Merlin retained all of the knowledge he had gained while he was ascended, as well as many powers. Knowledge and powers he used to create a weapon capable of wiping Ascended Beings from existence.
Vala: So you're saying he cheated.
Morgan Le Fay: In a manner of speaking. For that brief time in your history, he was the most powerful being on your planet. He created a small enclave of noblemen with whom he entrusted his secret.
Weir: Arthur and Camelot.
'Morgan Le Fay: Yes.
Jackson: So you're telling us that, after doing everything in your power to oppose Merlin, all of the sudden you agree with him? Because if you don't, then you're deliberately misleading us.

Morgan Le Fay: I have no reason to deceive you.
Vala: No, of course not! So, what were you doing when you were pretending to be a hologram?
Morgan Le Fay: The learning program I created many years before I left Atlantis presented itself as a means of helping you.
Weir: If you'd fallen for it, you'd have your answers and be on your way, thinking you came up with it yourself.
Morgan Le Fay: That was my intention.
Vala: Oh.
Jackson: I believe you. I do. I mean, I understand the fine line you have to walk, and I realize 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, ashamed) 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.

Morgan Le Fay: You speak from the heart, Doctor Jackson. That is what I remember most from your brief time among us. (noting Jackson's surprise at the reference) I know you wouldn't recall, those memories were stripped from you when you were sent back.
Jackson: That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Doing the right thing and being punished for it.
Morgan Le Fay: I've already gone too far.
Jackson: But you can't be the only one to realize the Ori have changed things! There must be others that-that see that the time to join this fight is now!

Jackson: I know what we're asking you to do. You're afraid the others will step in and stop you from helping us. But maybe, maybe they just need someone to cross that imaginary line instead of just walking it. There must be others among you just waiting to follow your example.
Morgan Le Fay: Not enough.
Weir: But you have been allowed to go this far.
Morgan Le Fay: Trust that you have your answers.
Vala: At least tell us which one of the planets to go to.
Jackson: Please
Morgan Le Fay: Merlin's weapon is not...
(She is taken away as her corporeal appearances fades to white. Vala looks on in shock while Daniel closes his eyes in sad realization.)
Weir: What happened?
Jackson: Just what she knew would happen. They stopped her. We won't see her again.
Vala: Are they gonna to punish her?
Jackson: I don't know.
Vala: I think I understand why you came back, Daniel. I wouldn't have liked their company, either.

Carter: You mean we just blew up an Ori Ship.
McKay: By destroying a Wraith ship.
Teal'c: Indeed we did.

Vala': She did what she believed was right, Daniel. How badly can she be punished for that?
Jackson: I don't know.
Vala: Maybe she'll just get a slap on the wrist. Or be forced to write "I will not interfere in the affairs of humans again" ten thousand times.
Jackson: Yeah, I doubt that.
Vala: She said you had your answer. We found out the two addresses we came here for. Can you at least… smile about that?
Jackson: I suppose. But we did find out something else, too.
Vala: What?
Jackson: They're not going to help us. We're in this alone.

Cast[]

Main Characters

Guest Stars

Notes[]

  • The Gamma Site was apparently reconstructed after its destruction in "The Scourge", or rebuilt on another planet, and was used to relay a message to Teal'c's position next to the Supergate in order to send a message to the Odyssey that a Hive ship was approaching their position.
  • It is Mitchell's idea to slingshot Odyssey around the black hole. This is possibly a reference to the same maneuver that Ben Browder's character in Farscape performed multiple times.
  • The battle between the Odyssey and the Wraith hive ship around a black hole bears a certain similarity to the premise of the early video game Spacewar!, produced in 1961.
The Pegasus Project 1

Ben Browder (Cameron Mitchell) giving the camera a pointed look as David Hewlett (Rodney McKay) looks on.

  • Ben Browder breaks the fourth wall in this episode, pausing to give the camera a pointed look after listening to McKay's long-winded explanation of the difference between a black hole's accretion disk and the black hole itself.
  • At least eighteen days have passed since the events of "Morpheus" as it takes eighteen days for a BC-304 to travel from Earth to Atlantis.

Goofs[]

The Pegasus Project 3

The Odyssey releases an impossible Stargate

  • 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 Tel'taks wings and so fit through a gate, and expand 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 Stargate 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).
  • The accretion disc would not go “down” into the black hole as depicted. There is no up or down in space, only a disc with a mass at its center, which are all in the same 2D-plane. The mass would spiral on that plane towards the center, not “down” into a funnel on a perpendicular trajectory. This might come from the common depiction of a black hole in a two-dimensional space, in which its mass “pulls down” the 2D grid into an endless funnel, whereas a planet or star only makes a dent.
  • Slingshotting around the black hole does not work as shown. When moving around a central mass (i.e. orbiting it), an object moves from one side of the central mass to the opposite—but in all three directions. This means that the ships would have to pass through the accretion disc—from the “upper” side to the “underside” and back.
  • When Dr. Elizabeth Weir dials Earth to have the SGC warn the Odyssey about the approaching Wraith Hive ship. There is no visible event horizon refection in the window, even though there is flashing blue lights and Stargate's chevrons are lit up to indicate that the gate is on.

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 (dubbed in English)
  • Hungarian: Pegazus terv (Pegasus Plan)
  • German: Das Pegasus-Prinzip (The Pegasus-Principle)
  • Russian: Проект "Пегас" (The Pegasus Project)

Links and navigation[]

Smallwikipedialogo This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at The Pegasus Project. 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.
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