Stargate SG-1: The Tok'ra Part 2 Rewatch
March 19, 2025 10:05 PM - Season 2, Episode 12 - Subscribe
No human wants to serve as a shell for the dying Selmak until Samantha Carter has an idea. Her father, General Jacob Carter, is dying of cancer. If he were to take on this task, both his life and Selmak's would be saved.
SG-1's only hope for Jacob Carter to survive and to ensure the Tau'ri/Tok'ra alliance a success is for Jacob to undergo an implantation of the Tok'ra Selmak. Meanwhile, their base is exposed to the Goa'uld via an operative on the inside, putting everyone's lives in great danger.
SG-1's only hope for Jacob Carter to survive and to ensure the Tau'ri/Tok'ra alliance a success is for Jacob to undergo an implantation of the Tok'ra Selmak. Meanwhile, their base is exposed to the Goa'uld via an operative on the inside, putting everyone's lives in great danger.
A two minute conversation is, in my opinion, not the best allotment of time to determine a lifelong symbiotic relationship...but as they noted in the moment, they really didn't have any other choice other than death. I had remembered Jacob's story here and going forward and definitely agree, it was nice having Jacob going forward. Watching this, I was kind of struck by how quickly Jacob was just, "Welp, I'm Tok'ra now, be seeing you!" It was like Jacob's role was to basically give the Tok'ra a host who could help facilitate future liaisons with humans, not so much else. I suppose he can speak in less esoteric terms to SGC, i.e., a translator of sorts?
For as much as the Tok'ra are very much "we're not goa'uld!!!!GLOW EYES!" it was extremely messed up when Martouf, after hearing repeatedly how Carter could not go through a blending process again, just blurts out the equivalent, "You physically look like a former host of my girlfriend, how about becoming a new host?" It really demeaned Carter's personhood to the level her body being more important than her feelings on the matter. He apologized, but I think he should have been called out a lot stronger. It's like a professed feminist going, "If I told you I liked your body, would you hold it against me?"
I also agree, the traitor side story was very underdeveloped. Why would a member of the Tok'ra council suddenly turn on his/their people? If his host was so upset about what happened, why kill himself versus explaining what happened more specifically? Why be cryptic when he likely knew exactly where the traitor had fled to?
posted by Atreides at 6:36 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
For as much as the Tok'ra are very much "we're not goa'uld!!!!GLOW EYES!" it was extremely messed up when Martouf, after hearing repeatedly how Carter could not go through a blending process again, just blurts out the equivalent, "You physically look like a former host of my girlfriend, how about becoming a new host?" It really demeaned Carter's personhood to the level her body being more important than her feelings on the matter. He apologized, but I think he should have been called out a lot stronger. It's like a professed feminist going, "If I told you I liked your body, would you hold it against me?"
I also agree, the traitor side story was very underdeveloped. Why would a member of the Tok'ra council suddenly turn on his/their people? If his host was so upset about what happened, why kill himself versus explaining what happened more specifically? Why be cryptic when he likely knew exactly where the traitor had fled to?
posted by Atreides at 6:36 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
This is always the point that I'm surprised it took as long as it did to get to - like the tok'ra and jacob carter and all that feel like such _significant_ parts of SG-1 that it's kind of wild that they were just going out into the universe for a season and a half before it happened.
posted by Kyol at 7:02 AM on March 20
posted by Kyol at 7:02 AM on March 20
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posted by Carillon at 10:54 PM on March 19