User Reviews

SG-9 is lost on a planet with unbearable sunlight. Captain Jonas Hanson of SG-9 finds himself that he must be treated like a god by the people walking around. He let them build a temple and those who are against them are burned in direct sunlight. Not only that, he tells that he can create an orange sky which will turn the sun down so you can walk without any problem into the light.

SG-1 is the search party to find SG-9 but not without problems. The Goa'uld has left that particular device to make the sky orange and carter is captured to help Hansoo with the device. be he doesn't know that two devices are needed to connect. Teal'c does so it's up to SG-1 to tell the people Hansen is no God.

This episode was a nice entry especially due the excellent performance of William Russ (Hanson). Somehow it reminded me of Apocalypse Now (1979) storywise.

All the typical stargate elements are here to see. Good episode.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2,5/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

This is an great episode with a very dark and dramatic beginning. The team comes to a planet as a search party to see what has happened to SG-9 only to find that the teams leader has taken control of the local primitive inhabitants and are posing as their god. He claims to the people that he has the magic power (technology) to protect them from the intense UV light on the planet, but he needs Samantha Carters technical abilities to operate a machine left behind by the Goa'uld. The team must expose him as a false god before he gets complete control and devotion over the people.

This is an episode that deals with madness and how absolute power, corrupts. This is one of the more impressive one-time missions, and contains one of the series first seasons more original thinking.

SG-1 is sent to see what happened to another team that hasn't reported back only to find Jonas, the team leader, has taken on the role of a god taking advantage of the natives.

It's no coincidence that Jonas and Carter have a past that comes into focus in this episode. As with many abusive relationships, after leaving him for the abuse, Carter still can't bring herself to shoot Jonas to save those following him even though she knows the abuse she suffered is now being endured by his followers.

Jonas is a master manipulator, a megalomaniac sociopath the likes of which we see in real life cults such as L.Ron Hubbard in Scientology, along with the slave labor given intolerable conditions to work in, all with the promise of better times ahead. The certainty carrot and sunstroke punishment stick.

The parallels between the devotion/fear trap that held both Carter and his followers aren't made obvious for the viewer which if it had been maybe via Jack doing so in a speech to the people that got the "enforcer" team member to snap out of the same mind control Jonas temporarily had over Carter I'd have scored this a 10.

Other reviewers that understand neither why abused people stay in a cult nor why a battered spouse stays in that relationship won't get this episode, but survivors of both will.

This has always been one of my least favourite episodes. It's fairly awful really, though that is at least an improvement over the horrendously awful "Emancipation". There are quite a few plot holes. For one thing, one would think that the SGC, already being aware even at this very early stage that the locals tend to worship people who come through the Stargate as gods, would conduct psych tests on potential SG-team members to ensure that they don't have megalomaniac tendencies or a Messianic complex. In Hanson's case, they either skipped it or Dr. MacKenzie got a bit bored and decided to rush through it.

Another thing that has always bothered me is why Lt. Baker, Hanson's crony, goes along with him. At least Hanson was nuts. What's his excuse? Is he just an amoral bastard who has always wanted to be a slave driver or is he a "brain dead sycophant" as Jack calls him? They never even attempt to explain it. Plus in the final scene, Daniel tells Jamala that the outside world is bigger than he can possibly imagine, yet the shield only extends over the valley which only looks like three to five square miles at the most to me. Perhaps Daniel was just being incredibly condescending towards the locals!

This episode is notable though for being the first of many episodes in which SG-1 convinces the locals that someone is not a god and I think the only time that the wannabe god is a human. It's also the first example of the "Black Widow Carter" curse. Speaking of Sam, I hate the scene where she can't shoot Hanson. Jack's right when he says that shooting a man is no badge of honour but surely it was the lesser of two evils in this instance when compared to the potential extinction of an entire people.

Another ancient civilization

I hope we can see developed civilizations, maybe super-civilizations. But it is really good seeing such cultures. And beliefs. A planet without atmosphere.

It was clever that Jamala used that weapon of jaffa. So everyone saw anyone could use that weapon.

And we see how beliefs can be dangerous without questioning.

I like the episode.

This is meant to be Scifi, but this episode is a mess.

You have Samantha's Fiancé who was never seen or mentioned before this episode for no reason went power hungry and Homicidal.

Then the planet has sunlight so intense it can kill you before long, but that's more of a triviality.

Look, I want to see strange new worlds,not just some uncivilized humans worshiping an SG Team member!

Even given all those flaws the, witing is weak and actions taken are inconsistent with any kind of logic or procedure.

This is an episode about power corrupting in a way that is just not believable.

The episode would have made more sense if it had been a bit late than the 5th episode, while we don't know precisely how much time has passed since the fist episode this whole thing feels like it would have made more sense if they lost contact with a team for a year and they found them in this state.

It would have been totally forgivable if there was some Scifi justification for him becoming corrupted (Goa'uld symbiote, mind control, bad herbs/food, Sarcophagus, head injury) and it would also have been a lot more compelling if we know and liked him.

But this is just not really a Sci-fi episode!

It has noting that appeals to or related to Scifi.

It's captured by "power corrupts" (but the episode where the Harsesis shows Daniel how he would go wrong was much better done) and just makes me think the SGC are not that careful about who they pick for their off-world teams.