Thor's Hammer (Stargate SG-1)

"Thor's Hammer" is an episode from Season 1 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.

Plot

Through examining and comparing Norse mythology to that of the Egyptians, Dr. Jackson theorises that there may be another race of aliens who pose as Gods, but are good Gods, against the Goa'uld, and, thus, a potential ally. Jackson believes that Thor was an alien, and his legendary weapon Thor's Hammer was an alien device that would be an invaluable weapon against the Goa'uld. This possibility is increased when Teal'c makes mention of a world that was banned by the Goa'uld (Cimmeria), which is represented by a hammer sign. The reason why is that any Jaffa or Goa'uld who goes there is never heard from again. Before departing, Hammond gives SG-1 a box to show friendship to the good aliens they will encounter.

SG-1 travels to Cimmeria, and, upon arrival, they encounter a group of people who laugh at them, and a giant stone hammer that starts to charge. It scans each member of SG-1 with a beam of light, and, upon scanning Teal'c, it starts to have an effect on him. When Colonel O'Neill tries to push him out of the way of the beam, both disappear, leaving Jackson and Carter by themselves.

O'Neill and Teal'c appear inside a cave, where a recording by Thor (in the appearance of a viking) informs them that the Goa'uld in Teal'c's abdominal cavity will die when he tries to leave the cave, revealed to be a labyrinth.

Meanwhile, Jackson and Carter, with help from someone who lives on the planet who came to see who had come through the Stargate, find a person who had once been in the labyrinth herself. The person, Kendra, was once a Goa'uld host, and so when her Goa'uld had visited the world before, she taunted the symbiont that Cimmeria was full of riches, she was taken to a cave, and, upon leaving, her controller was killed and she was freed.

Inside the Labyrinth, O'Neill and Teal'c realize that they are not alone in the cave. They discover that an Unas, the first host race used by the Goa'uld, is alive in the cave, and he is a dangerous foe. Since Teal'c's staff weapon does not work inside the cave, he and O'Neill rely on bullets to try to kill the alien. Though this appears to kill the creature at first, it is unsuccessful.

As Teal'c and O'Neill reach the exit of the cave, they discover that they were followed by the Unas, and, in order to kill it, Teal'c is forced to push the creature into the door of the cave, killing its symbiont (and nearly killing Teal'c's, too). Carter, Jackson and Kendra arrive soon afterwards, and in order for Teal'c to leave the cave, his staff weapon is taken outside the cave, then used to destroy the energy door—Thor's Hammer.

Thor's Hammer could have saved Jackson's wife Sha're, but he relents to O'Neill's order in order to save Teal'c. However, this also destroys Cimmeria's only defense. Before SG-1 leave the planet, they leave a box made of a special alloy for Kendra to give to Thor if he ever returns to the planet, in hopes that they will be able to make contact with him at some point in the future.

Production notes

Title reference

The title refers to the device discovered in this episode, Thor's hammer, but also to the superior might of the Asgard over the Goa'uld.

Series continuity

Although this episode contains the first mention of the Asgard, they would not be seen in their true form until the Season 2 episode "Thor's Chariot".
This episode marks the first mention and appearance of the Unas, which reappear in later seasons as a civilization independent of the Goa'uld.

External links

"Official Stargate SG-1 site". MGM. Retrieved 2006-06-08. Most of site requires Flash.
"Screenplay" (PDF). Distributed by MGM. Prepared by Casablanca Continuity. Retrieved 2006-10-28. Also see Google's cache.
"Summary". SciFi. Retrieved 2006-06-05.