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When his former mentor dies, Dr. Jackson returns to his roots -- and discovers an ancient Egyptian artifact containing a Goa'uld parasite.
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It has been five years since Daniel Jackson saw his friends and his former archaeologyprofessor, Dr. David Jordan. He had distanced himself from the doctor to protect him, because the theories Daniel was presenting to the archaeological community made him anoutcast and a laughing-stock: theories that ancient Egyptian civilization had its roots inextraterrestrials. But now, Daniel discovers, his mentor is dead. Dr. Jordan was killed in a lab explosionwhile analyzing the Osiris Jar, an artifact recently recovered from a "cursed" 1931expedition to Egypt. Jackson travels to Chicago to attend the funeral and see his friendsand former collegues again. The rest of SG-1 is given leave as well. Carter stays at the SGC to work on personalprojects, while Jack drags Teal'c off to go fishing with him in Minnesota. In Chicago, Daniel meets Steven (Dr. Jordan's assistant for nearly 15 years), and Sarah -- Daniel's former girlfriend. She is pleased to see him, and greets him warmly. But Steven isamong those who has ridiculed Daniel for his unorthodox theories, and is angry with him forabandoning Dr. Jordan five years ago. Jackson decides to stay in Chicago for a time, and help his friends catalog the otherartifacts from the expedition, in order to wrap up Dr. Jordan's final project. He and Sarahcatch up, but soon discover that one of the artifacts -- an amulet in the image of theEgyptian god Osiris, laden with gold -- is missing. Daniel tries to help her track down the missing artifact. In speaking with the museumcurator, he learns that the Osiris Jar studied by Dr. Jordan was not the only one of itskind. A second, the Isis Jar, had recently been found in a mislabelled crate. The object,Jackson quickly sees, has Goa'uld symbols on it. He contacts Teal'c (who took a cell phone to Minnesota, against Jack's wishes), who helpshim with the translation: "Banished to oblivion" is inscribed on the Isis Jar. Daniel takesthe artifact back to Cheyenne Mountain, where Major Carter and Dr. Fraiser examine it more closely. A scan reveals the jar's contents: it is a Goa'uld symbiote, trapped in the vessel for thousands of years. The jar is more than it appears. Although ordinary ceramic on the outside, the inside is specially-lined and equipped with a tiny naquaada power source. Itis a stasis jar, designed to keep the Goa'uld inside alive indefinitely. But because theseal has been damaged, the Goa'uld inside -- Isis herself, presumably -- is quite dead. Daniel recounts the Egyptian myth: Osiris was the first pharaoh of Egypt, and Isis was hisqueen. Osiris' brother, Seth, trapped him in a magic box and dumped him into the NileRiver. The fate of Isis was the same, apparently, though she did not survive her longslumber. But Osiris has survived. Somewhere out there, they realize, is the Osiris Jar that Dr.Jordan was studying. If it was opened, someone back in Chicago could be a Goa'uld. Jackson returns, believing the infected person may be Steven. Sarah wants to help him, butDaniel cannot tell her what she wants to know. She pleads with him to learn what he hasbeen doing for the past five years, and what is this great mystery about the truth ofancient Egypt. Struggling against his desire to tell her everything, Daniel refuses. Steven is tracked to Cairo, Egypt, and Daniel sets out to confront him -- along with MajorCarter and Dr. Fraiser. Jackson theorizes that, for some reason, Steven (Osiris) may bereturning to the temple where the jars were originally found. Armed with tranquilizer darts, they find him there. But he is not a Goa'uld, and has beenbadly hurt. Steven tells them that he learned Daniel's wild theories were right all along:the amulet was tested and learned to be some 10,000 years old, predating Egyptian civilization. (It is the proof Jackson has been looking for.) Steven realized that the amulet was a key to something, and wished to make the discovery himself. Suddenly, Steven's assailant steps out of the shadows. It is the Goa'uld Osiris, who has taken the body of Sarah as his newhost. Armed with a Goa'uld hand device, he sends Carter and Fraiser hurtling backward intothe stone wall. Osiris then turns his hand to Daniel. Jackson refuses to tell him the location of the Stargate, or of the Isis Jar. He also tellsOsiris that the people of Earth no longer worship false gods, and that he will not bewelcomed here. Furthermore, he and his companions are Goa'uld-slayers, having killedRa, Seth, Hathor and Sokar. Osiris moves to force the information from him with the hand device. But Daniel resists,and plunges a tranquilizer dart into the Goa'uld's side. Osiris reels back, and movestoward a console. He activates a Goa'uld ship buried in the sands near the temple and,promising to return one day and to make the rivers of Earth "run red with blood," Osirisuses transport rings to escape to the ship and flee.
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ANALYSIS
It is ironic that the "proof" Daniel has sought for his theory that ancient Egyptianculture was influenced by aliens is, in fact, not proof at all. While Steven and thearchaeological community would learn that the amulet was 10,000 years old, it would notnecessarily support the claim that ancient Egypt was influenced by extraterrestrials.Daniel, however, knows that the amulet was probably not made in ancient Egypt at all, butbrought there by Osiris. Osiris and Isis were trapped in their prisons for many thousands of years -- though probably far less than 10,000. The amulet, and not the jar, was dated as 10,000 yearsold. Egyptian culture did not exist 10,000 years ago, and that mythology records Osiris asbeing present to become their first pharaoh (less than 10,000 years ago). Osiris and Isis were banished by Seth, Osiris' brother and enemy. Seth remained onEarth after the Goa'uld left and the Stargate was buried ("Seth"). Normally, a Goa'uld symbiote is capable of rendering a sedative harmless (such asSho'nac's symbiote, Tanith, in "Crossroads"). But the sedative thatSeth put into the Osiris Jar and the Isis jar is quite effective. It has been establishedthat the Goa'uld are more susceptible to the effects of certain sedatives ("Crossroads"), but it might also have something to do with the factthat Seth's sedative was administered to symbiote directly, instead of to a host body. It seems odd that General Hammond would send only Dr. Jackson, Major Carter and Dr.Fraiser to Egypt to apprehend Osiris. A powerful Goa'uld running free on Earth ought towarrant a much larger operation. That may have been prevented, though, by the fact thatHammond would have to deal with explaining such an operation to the Egyptian government. Hathor's ability to locate the Stargate appears to greatly surpass that of Osiris. Itis unlikely that Hathor would have discovered top secret information about the gate'slocation, but rather was instinctively drawn to it ("Hathor").Osiris lacked this ability. It may be a unique ability of a Goa'uld queen, such asHathor. Osiris knows very little of the state of the Goa'uld empire, or the rest of the universe, having been imprisoned for thousands of years on Earth. He knows that the SGC isresponsible for the death of Ra, Seth, Hathor and Sokar (though the latter was, in fact,accomplished by the Tok'ra -- "The Devil You Know"). But Osiris does not know if the Stargate is even functional on Earth (though it's an easy assumption, considering their list of accomplishments against the Goa'uld and knowledge ofthem), or if his queen, Isis, is still alive. Osiris reveals briefly that it was Sarah who freed him from the Osiris Jar. Most likely, she shared Steven's opinion and decided to open it during its testing at the lab.Once taken over by the Goa'uld, he probably caused the lab explosion that killed Dr.Jordan.Osiris spent the following days discreetly searching for information on the Stargate,recognizing that Earth was no longer under the control of the Goa'uld and that humans hadadvanced much. He found no one who knew much of anything about the Goa'uld or the gate,until he encountered Daniel Jackson. He continued to press him to find out what he knows,but he refused to tell him (though he wanted to, recognizing the Goa'uld only as Sarah, hisfriend). Osiris' convincing performance as Sarah supports the theory that Goa'uld canimpersonate their human hosts quite easily, suppressing their change in voice and theirglowing eyes. He even had some access to his host's knowledge and memories, recognizingDaniel and his past relationship with Sarah, expertly operating Dr. Jordan's computer,etc.This is consistent with past Goa'uld behavior: Tanith,for example, impersonated his host ("Crossroads"). Many otherGoa'uld have spoken without a "Goa'ulded" voice: Hathor, Apophis and Jolinar among them. The Goa'uld who infected Major Kawalsky, however,did not impersonate him -- though this can be explained by the fact that the Goa'uld was notfully mature when it took him over, or simply didn't try to impersonate him("The Enemy Within"). As he said, Daniel is getting use to being at the receiving end of a Goa'uld hand device. Ra used one on him ("Stargate" the movie), asdid Klorel ("Within the Serpent's Grasp") and Amonet("Forever in a Day"). Osiris' hidden ship was his backup plan. He was more interested in finding theStargate (and perhaps ruling Earth rather than escaping through it), and only fled afterbeing injected with sedative by Daniel. The Goa'uld probably realized that he had onlymoments before being rendered unconscious, and wished to avoid capture. It should be noted that Osiris is probably not bound by the Asgard Protected Planet'sTreaty, in which the Goa'uld System Lords agreed not to invade Earth ("Fair Game"). He himself is not currently a System Lord(having been trapped on Earth for thousands of years), and has a personal vendetta againstEarth. Not only do the people of Earth refuse to worship him, but Daniel refused to disclose the location or status of Osiris' queen, Isis.
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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
x Daniel Jackson - Daniel has not been in contact with his friends and former collegues since he left them five years ago. He originally distanced himself from his professor, Dr. Jordan, to spare him the embarrassment of being associated with Daniel's unorthodox theories. Daniel has also published very little since becoming involved with the Stargate program.Now, his theories have found substantial proof -- and his former collegue, Steven, knows it. But more important is Jackson's former girlfriend, Sarah. Though their relationship apparently did not end particularly well five years ago, now the kind and beautiful young woman has been taken as a host by the Goa'uld Osiris. This is the second of Daniel's love interests to be taken by the Goa'uld (the first being Sha're, his wife).
 Osiris - Banished by his brother Seth, Osiris spent many thousands of years trapped in stasis, sedated. He was freed when Sarah opened the Osiris Jar, and he took her as his new host. After failing to learn the location of the Stargate or of Isis, his queen (as well as learning that Seth, Ra, Hathor and Sokar are dead), Osiris escaped using a hidden Goa'uld ship. He vowed to return to Earth one day with a vengeance.
 Seth - Seth was the brother and enemy of Osiris. He banished Osiris and Isis, his queen, removing the Goa'uld symbiotes from their hosts and putting them into stasis jars. According to Egyptian mythology, Osiris was then cast into the Nile River.
 Janet Fraiser - Dr. Fraiser is a medical doctor, a scientist, and a trained Air Force officer. This is the first time she accompanied members of the SGC on a dangerous mission, to our knowledge.
 Teal'c - Teal'c apparently enjoys reading tabloid papers. It may be a habit he picked up during a recent mission to Montana ("Point of No Return").
 Samantha Carter - Sam is into motorcycles. Whether she actually rides them, or just enjoys working on them, is uncertain.
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NOTES
Thanks to Seth, the SGC may have an effective way to sedate a Goa'uld.
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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Why did Sarah open the Osiris Jar? How quickly did Osiris take Sarah as his host, if he was sedated inside the stasis jar? Did Osiris cause the explosion that killed Dr. Jordan? Who erased the computer records? What did Osiris and Isis do to end up banished by Seth? Was it simply a struggle for power? What story will Daniel tell to Steven? What is the future of Steven's archaeological career, following these new revelations? Where will Osiris go? How long will it take her ship, small and thousands of years old, to get anywhere? Does she still have allies among the Goa'uld? Will Osiris return to invade Earth?
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PRODUCTION
Writer Joseph Mallozzi told fans the following in an online chat: "Well, I know theproducers like to drop in their own personal references every once in a while. For Brad[Wright] it's 'The Wizard of Oz.' My reference pops up in 'The Curse,' but I'd be surprisedif anyone noticed. Check out the episode and note the last names that pop up. ProfessorJordan. The Stewart Expedition. Sarah Gardner. Steven Rayner. I'm a huge Green Lanternfan." "In the original script, Jack pulls the battery out of the phone and tosses it aside (not into the water). This suggested he wanted to be left alone, but also left the door open for them to slip the battery back and be on call if truly needed. On the day of shooting, someone suggested it was environmentally irresponsible to do so and the battery was dumped in the lake instead." (Writer / supervising producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at SaveDanielJackson.com) "There was no cover story [told to Dr. Rayner]. In my mind, Steven is now working for the government, and I would love to come up with a story in which he crosses paths with Daniel off-world. In fact, I pitched a story early this year in which this happens ... but it got killed. Oh well. Back to the drawing board." (Writer / producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at Our Stargate)
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