Stargate SG-1: Spirits Rewatch
March 26, 2025 10:47 AM - Season 2, Episode 13 - Subscribe
Plans by Stargate Command and the NID to mine a planet populated by Coast Salish Indians run into trouble due to the mysterious spirits who protect the planet and its people.
The Tau'ri have discovered Trinium, a superlight yet superstrong element, that could prove useful. However, SG-11 is MIA on the planet on which Trinium is found and are captured by the planet's "Spirits". When the Spirits attack Stargate Command, it now falls to Dr. Daniel Jackson to try and defuse the situation or risk the Spirits destroying Earth.
The Tau'ri have discovered Trinium, a superlight yet superstrong element, that could prove useful. However, SG-11 is MIA on the planet on which Trinium is found and are captured by the planet's "Spirits". When the Spirits attack Stargate Command, it now falls to Dr. Daniel Jackson to try and defuse the situation or risk the Spirits destroying Earth.
Bonus points for Jack using the term indigenous, even. When Jack got knocked out at the beginning, I figured there was a real world reason for removing him from a good chunk of the episode. I thought it was nice to recognize Carter taking her first command, and I assume, this was in reference to commanding an SG-1 mission...because she's a captain. It'd be weird if she didn't have some other kind of command experience - granted, this is the Air Force.
It was also a great opportunity to have the most logical/scientific mind on the show confront spirituality, which ended the second they brought Tonané back to SGC. Then Carter pretty much became secondary to Jack again. Jack should have stayed back and let Carter stay more up front, but maybe they thought a captain talking back to a general was worse than a major (and I guess, technically, Jack is second in command?).
Rodney Grant was excellent as Tonané and his delivery of, "You don't know the spirits, Sam?" was hilariously devastating. I'd like to believe Tonané and his people believed to some degree that the spirits who looked after them were not spirits as they knew them back home. This being on how chill Tonané was when he encountered them in their original form. We definitely did not get enough of a background on why they helped the humans be free from the Goa'uld (or did I miss that?) and it almost seemed like an interdependency.
I loved the face prosthetics, particularly how they moved, but I was not a big fan of the silver bodysuits. It was a little too space alieny if that makes sense. I would have loved to have seen Tonané's reaction to learning about his tribes ancestors/descendants that remained on earth, too.
posted by Atreides at 11:11 AM on March 26
It was also a great opportunity to have the most logical/scientific mind on the show confront spirituality, which ended the second they brought Tonané back to SGC. Then Carter pretty much became secondary to Jack again. Jack should have stayed back and let Carter stay more up front, but maybe they thought a captain talking back to a general was worse than a major (and I guess, technically, Jack is second in command?).
Rodney Grant was excellent as Tonané and his delivery of, "You don't know the spirits, Sam?" was hilariously devastating. I'd like to believe Tonané and his people believed to some degree that the spirits who looked after them were not spirits as they knew them back home. This being on how chill Tonané was when he encountered them in their original form. We definitely did not get enough of a background on why they helped the humans be free from the Goa'uld (or did I miss that?) and it almost seemed like an interdependency.
I loved the face prosthetics, particularly how they moved, but I was not a big fan of the silver bodysuits. It was a little too space alieny if that makes sense. I would have loved to have seen Tonané's reaction to learning about his tribes ancestors/descendants that remained on earth, too.
posted by Atreides at 11:11 AM on March 26
Yeah this oscillates between “oh man” and “huh ok good job for trying” for me. The writers infantilize the Space Salish (with the magical other species as ‘grownups’) instead of having the characters do it… is that better? Is that better than erasure? So not my call to make (although I’m actually personally glad they tried to honor their local cultures, even if they went about it in a very late 90s way).
They did really make Carter inept again though. Keep the smart pretty lady from getting above herself. (Writerrrrrrsssssssss)
posted by janell at 1:58 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
They did really make Carter inept again though. Keep the smart pretty lady from getting above herself. (Writerrrrrrsssssssss)
posted by janell at 1:58 PM on March 26 [1 favorite]
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Interesting episode overall, I heard Jack got shot with the arrow because RDA had his kid when they were filming this. Interesting to see the dynamics without him. You'd think given all the technology indistinguishable from magic that the team has seen, they'd be a bit less skeptical of talking straight to animals.
I will say the spirits faces are one of the most disturbing costuming choices the show makes. Ugh, I have a very hard time looking at their faces.
posted by Carillon at 10:52 AM on March 26 [1 favorite]