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BABYLON

Babylon

09.08 Episode 182
Airdate: September 9, 2005

The Sodan overthrew the false god Ishkur 5000 years ago and have lived in isolation on P9G-844 seeking the path to true enlightenment. SG-1 hopes to form an alliance with the legendary Jaffa warriors, but when they visit the planet, they are ambushed by weapons fire that seems to come from nowhere. Mitchell battles a Jaffa warrior and both are badly wounded, but before SG-1 can rescue their teammate, the Sodan recover Mitchell and vanish in a cloak of invisibility, leaving their wounded comrade behind. When Mitchell awakens in a distant village he is told that he will be kept alive only to face kel shak lo, ritual battle to the death for spilling the blood of the Sodan.

SG-1's search for Mitchell proves fruitless. A stone pillar of Ancient design, known as the Eye of the Gods, may be a transportation device, but Volnek, the wounded Sodan warrior who was brought back to Earth for treatment, defiantly refuses to cooperate. Among the Sodan, the warrior Jolan begins training Mitchell for the ritual battle he must face, and the two begin to form an uneasy mutual respect. However, Mitchell recognizes a greater threat. A Prior of the Ori has visited the Sodan, and Mitchell is powerless to convince Haikon, the Sodan leader, that the Ori are not the true gods they have sought for generations.

As the Sodan ritual of kel shak lo is about to begin, Jolan steps forward as blood kin who will seek recompense against Mitchell in the name of Volnek, his brother. The hand-to-hand combat is brief. Mitchell falls to his opponent and is declared dead by Lord Haikon. Later, however, Mitchell awakens in the forest where Jolan has brought him. Having come to respect Mitchell's determination and his warnings about the Ori, Jolan had used an elixir to simulate Mitchell's death, and the deception had succeeded. Mitchell is free to return to Earth, but there he faces Volnek, who returns to his world with the promise, "We will meet again."

Written by: Damian Kindler
Directed by: Peter DeLuise

Guest Starring: Jason George as Jolan, Jarvis George as Volnek, William B. Davis as Prior, Gary Jones as Sergeant Harriman, Tony Todd as Haikon, Lexa Doig as Dr. Lam, Darcy Laurie as Tass'an, Bryan Elliot as Colonel Raimi

Reference: Alternate Dimension, Ancient Transporter, Eye of the Gods, Haikon, Invisibility, Jolan, Jomo Se Telek, Kel Shak Lo, Krantu, Carolyn Lam, Cameron Mitchell, Ori, P9G-844, Prior, Prior Staff, Colonel Raimi, Sodan, Sodan Cloak, Tass'an, Tretonin, UAV, Volnek

DESTINATIONS & INHABITANTS

Destinations & Inhabitants

P9G-844

Destinations & Inhabitants

Sodan

NOTES OF INTEREST

  • The ancestors of the Sodan were part of an elite command force under the Goa'uld Ishkur. They came to realize Ishkur wasn't a god and were forced to flee. Their search for Kheb led them to P9G-844, their new homeworld.
  • The Sodan do not wear tattoos. According to legend, no warrior of the Sodan has been indentured to a Goa'uld for over 5000 years.
  • Goa'uld/Jaffa Language:
    • Jomo se telek - intensive and secret martial arts training of the Sodan
    • Kel shak lo - ritual battle to the death between warriors to avenge a wrong
    • Rite of Shel Mak Assah - ritual ceremony granted to one who fights and dies as a warrior
    • Krantu - bladed staff, a weapon used by the Sodan
  • Sartorus was a world of free Jaffa, destroyed by a Prior for refusing to accept Origin.

MEMORABLE REMARKS

  • He's not doing that on purpose, is he? You know, just to keep me interested? [Mitchell]
    Well, that depends. Are you losing interest? [Daniel]
  • "The warriors of the Sodan exist, Colonel Mitchell. I am certain of it." [Mitchell imitating Teal'c]
    Needs more bass. [Daniel]
  • This is going nowhere. Two months and he hasn't given us so much as a decent Haiku. [Landry]
  • All I know is, the moment you accept your fate, that's when you're as good as dead. 'Til then, all bets are off. [Mitchell]
  • I took you down pretty good. [Mitchell]
    You were lucky. [Volnek]
    Lucky IS good. [Mitchell]

FOR THE RECORD

  • Injuries:
    • Mitchell: staff weapon wound to the chest, beaten and drugged to simulate death during kel shak lo
  • Popular Culture References:
    • Star Trek
      • Well done, Bones.