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Ten years into the future, the former members of SG-1 must send a message into the past to prevent the extinction of the human race.
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Dr. Samantha Carter approaches a man sitting at a table outside of a small restaurant. It'sher husband, Joe. She tells him that her pregnancy test came back negative; they are both disappointed. As Sam walks him to a terminal for him to leave the planet on business, they discuss the Aschen -- an alien race with whom Earth has been allied for a decade. Though the Aschen's medical technology is hundreds of years beyond Earth's, they can offer Sam no answers. The year is 2010. A service at the J.R. Reed Space Terminal in Washington, D.C. -- wherethe Stargate is now in use by the public -- commemorates the 10-year-old Earth-Aschenalliance. President Kinsey addresses the crowd via a large-screen monitor, thanking theformer members of SG-1 for their service -- and patting himself on the back for forging theAschen alliance, which has saved Earth from the Goa'uld. Everyone is there -- Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Dr. Fraiser -- everyone except Jack O'Neill. Andas old friends catch up, we learn that General Hammond has been deceased for six years. Janet Fraiser convinces Sam to let her give her a second opinion on her infertility. After a few tests, Janet gives Sam some bad news -- news with even worse implications. Not only can Sam never have children, but it's the sort of diagnosis that can't be overlooked. The Aschen doctors have been lying to her, telling Sam that she and Joe should just keep trying. The two gain unauthorized access to the Aschen computer core, and discover that the sterility is a worldwide catastrophy. In the last two years, the birth rate has dropped 91percent. It is systematic and deliberate, the likely result of the Aschen's anti-agingvaccine. The Aschen, it seems, are quietly and methodically wiping out the human race. Carter and Fraiser take their discovery to Daniel and Teal'c. With no other option available, Sam conceives of only one way to save the human race from the Aschen: send a message 10 years into the past to prevent the alliance from ever happening. They've learned how to do it already: use the Aschen computers to predict a solar flare. Bydialing the proper Stargate address (taking the wormhole's path close enough to the sun, and on the correct side of the sun) at the proper moment, the flare will cause the wormhole to bend back on itself and return to Earth -- along with a time dilation. The magnitude of the flare will allow them to pinpoint the approximate time in the SGC's history. The plan is agreed upon, and Sam travels to a small Minnesota cabin to enlist the aide ofJack O'Neill. The retired colonel is unwilling to help, though -- he had opposed the Aschenalliance from the beginning, but everyone (including Carter) shut him down. He likes hisbitter, self-absorbed life just fine the way it is. Sam returns without him, and she and Daniel join a guided tour of the old SGC facility (nowopen to the public) to retrieve the only known GDO still in existence. The device is required in order to open the iris in the year 2000 and send the message through. They soondiscover that O'Neill has changed his mind, and is there waiting for them. The team finds a few zat guns -- but the GDO isn't there. They learn that it's in the Oval Office, in the president's desk. Sam enlists her husband, a high-ranking ambassador, toretrieve it for them. In doing so, she learns that Joe knew about the Aschen plan all along. Joe is convinced to help them -- but refuses to hand over the GDO unless O'Neill promises to leave Sam out of it. Without her help, the group assaults the highly-guarded Stargate terminal. Teal'c comesthrough from Chu'lak, kills the guard who meets him, and dials the Stargate at the propermoment to link it back to Earth in the year 2000. O'Neill activates the GDO to open the iris, and rushes the gate to throw a handwritten note through it. The laser defense network takes down both he and Teal'c, leaving Jack only a few feet awayfrom the Stargate -- lying dead on the stairs. Daniel rushes forward, but he too is killedbefore he is able to reach the gate. Sam, though, refuses to flee the scene with her husband and rushes back inside. She seesher friends dead at the foot of the gate, and rushes down. Grabbing the note from O'Neill'shand, she tosses it through the event horizon as dozens of laser blasts strike her back. Ten years in the past, Hammond orders the iris opened -- and a crumpled piece of paper falls through. The wormhole disconnects, and the team enters the Gate room. O'Neill recognizes his own handwriting and signature, telling them not to go to P4C-970 -- the world where SG-1 was to soon make first contact with the Aschen. Though no other information is given, Hammond orders the destination permanently removed from the dialing computer.
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ANALYSIS
It should be noted first and foremost that, because history has been changed and SG-1will not make first contact with the Aschen on P4C-970, this future will not come to pass.While some elements may remain unaffected, much of what we learned about SG-1 and theplanet Earth after the year 2000 must be rewritten. Before being warned away from the first contact with the Aschen on P4C-970, SG-1 madecontact with the advanced race in the year 2000. The Earth-Aschen alliance soon followed,and Earth joined the Aschen Confederation of planets.The Aschen appear to be human -- but it is uncertain whether or not they are descended from Earth. The Aschen are hundreds of years more technologically advanced than us, and with their help we engaged the Goa'uld in all-out war, and defeated them. Joe said that if it wasn't for Samantha, Earth would have never met the Aschen. He mayhave been referring to her work on the Stargate program in general, or he may have beenreferring to something specific she did during SG-1's mission to P4C-970. The Aschen are apparently at the heart of a confederation of worlds, none of which theSGC had yet encountered in 2000. It's not revealed how large or widespread the confederation is in 2000 (or in 2010), but the Aschen may be sharing their technology with many other worlds less advanced than them. If they are deliberately wiping out the human race, it is likely that they are doing the same to other civilizations. It may be their intent to conquer the galaxy this way -- by making peace, then slowly destroying their ally from within. The Aschen may not, in fact, be maliciously trying to destroy the population of Earth.While the fact that the birth rate had dropped 91 percent in two years is highly suspect,it is not impossible that the Aschen were simply having trouble adapting their anti-aginginfertility treatment to humans. It was an agreed-upon goal, after all, to significantly reduce the worldwide birth rate (by around 30 percent).The anti-aging treatment nearly doubled the human lifespan. When SG-1 first met the Aschen, the aliens were friendly and willing to share theiradvanced technology. This must have come as a breath of fresh air to Hammond and the SGC,who have struggled with being unable to obtain technology for the past three and a halfyears ("Shades of Grey," "The Other Side"). But as O'Neill said in his mission report, the Aschen were simply too good to be true. In this case, though, it took Earth 10 years to find that out. Carter was working with the Aschen on a program to ignite the planet Jupiter into a second star for our solar system -- a reference to the Arthur C. Clark novel "2010: The Year We Make Contact" and the film that was based on it. In that story, an alien race uses its technology to turn Jupiter into a star in order to help life develop on one of its moons. A war between Earth and the Goa'uld raged sometime between 2000 and 2010 -- probably early on in the decade, considering that Joe and Sam have been trying to have kids since2007. As a result, the Tok'ra were apparently destroyed and scattered, and the Jaffa sidedwith Earth behind Teal'c. Earth was finally victorious, thanks to the Aschen alliance, andthe Goa'uld were destroyed (though to what extent is unknown). Afterward, for reasons unknown, very few Jaffa remained loyal to Earth. (It is likely that they suffered great losses in the war.) Apparently, Aschen medical technology could not reverse the damage done by the creation of a Goa'uld symbiote pouch and the elimination of the Jaffa's immune system: it is of great concern to them that there are very few Goa'uld symbiotes left for implantation. The Aschen appear to be particularly sensitive to loud noise. Every Aschen present atthe ceremony reacted to the gunshots fired, and covered their ears. The Aschen were working with humans on a project to convert Jupiter into a star. Itwas not revealed why this would be advantageous to Earth. But part of their advanced understanding of solar physics enables them to predict solar flares. How could humans not know about the rapid and extreme decline in the worldwide birthrate? A catastrophy so great should have certainly been realized after two years -- even ifonly through personal conversations -- regardless of the extent to which the Aschen controlled the world's media outlets. SG-1 justified changing their own history because, if they did not, the human race onEarth would most likely come to an end. Carter and the others were willing to sacrifice 10years of the history of the universe -- including the defeat of the Goa'uld, Sam's marriageto Joe, and much more -- in order to undo the Aschen alliance.In those 10 years, Carter seems to have softened on her strong stance against not changing history ("1969"). Who knows what other ramifications this action might have? The death of SG-1? The Goa'uld conquering Earth and continuing to spread throughout the galaxy? Though the Grandfather Paradox teaches us that one cannot possiblypredict the harm that can be done by affecting the past, Carter sees no other way of savingEarth. Will she choose to do it again, should something else catastrophic happen in the future? Is this a "universal reset button?" Look for some poor audio dubbing in the scene featuring O'Neill and Carter outside the former's cabin. Sam's mouth does not always line up with what she's saying, revealing thelikelihood that the director or producers changed the way "Aschen" was going to be pronounced after this scene was filmed. Though the actress seems to be putting the emphasison the first syllable, the audio dubbing places it on the second syllable. The SGC tour guide refers to the Gate room as the "Embarkation Room" -- which is how the area was awkwardly referred to early on in the show's first season. Sergeant Davis (a technician who often mans the SGC's dialing computer) has become an operations technical advisor at the former SGC facility at Cheyenne Mountain (now open to tourists). His first name is Walter. The Stargate terminal has automated defense systems in 2010, including a network oflasers and an electromagnetic dampening field. The team couldn't send through a radiotransmission, but they could use the GDO to signal the SGC to open the iris. Jack was either already inside the field bubble when he entered the GDO code from the platform nearthe gate, or the device continuously transmits -- and was broadcasting after he approachedthe gate. The latter seems more likely. Presumably, the blood on the note sent back to 2000 will be confirmed as Jack O'Neill's. What happened in the year 2010 after the message was sent through? There are two maintheories to consider. The entire 10-year timeline could have been completely destroyed, andthat reality blinked out of existence to be rewritten. Or, it could have continued on withSG-1 dead and the human race dying out -- existing from our point of view as, in effect, analternate reality. The Aschen may have been using dargol -- or a form of it -- in their anti-aging treatment. SG-1 encountered the chemical on the planet Vyus ("Past and Present"); it was used as a pesticide and had the side effect of retarding the aging process. The people of Vyus stopped using the chemicalbecause it had an adverse affect on their fertility rate. SG-1 got another glimpse of the future: in "1969," they spent a few moments several decades into the future, where they met an aged Cassandra. But was that future predicated on theprevious reality, where Earth was decimated by the Aschen, or on the new reality? Most likely the new reality, without contact with the Aschen on P4C-970, because of the fact that Cassandra was looking back on their history from a point far ahead of 2010, wheneverything was changed. The note was effective in preventing SG-1 from making first contact with the Aschen onP4C-970. But considering the fact that the Aschen were part of a larger confederation, thenote may not have been specific enough. The SGC could still make contact with them eventually, leading to the same alliance and the same subtle attack.
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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Character development for "2010" is a tricky matter. While it is interesting to see how theteam has changed over 10 years, it should also be remembered that this timeline has beendestroyed -- or at least diverted. Some of the developments we learned of may happen againin the next 10 years; others will surely not come to pass. Samantha Carter - After making possible thealliance between Earth and the Aschen in 2000, Sam went on to marry Joe, an ambassador. She apparently made colonel before retiring from active duty (based on Walter's statement), and by the year 2010 was working with the Aschen in a laboratory setting. Her current assignment was the Jupiter Ignition Project.
Sam struggled with not being able to have children (after trying for nearly three years) -- but her woes were immediately overshadowed by the realization that the Aschen were systematically destroying the human race. She conceived of a wild plan to stop the alliance from ever happening, and left Joe to join her team when it was uncertain whether the plan would succeed. Like her friends, Carter died in order to prevent the last 10 years from happening as they did.
 Jack O'Neill - O'Neill fought in the successful war against the Goa'uld, and retired alone to his cabin in Minnesota. He and Samapparently had some sort of falling out -- probably related to his opposition to the Aschenalliance, and her strong support of it. Jack initially refused to help his friends changethe past, but finally consented to save the world one last time. He died at the foot of theStargate, unable to reach it by himself. Jack has been in the Oval Office. He was kicked out -- possibly for confronting Kinseyabout the Aschen alliance.
 Teal'c - With the Goa'uld overthrown, Teal'cretired to live in peace on Chu'lak, and doesn't see his former teammates very often. He had the golden seal of Apophis removed from his forehead (perhaps thanks to Aschen medical technology), and has grown to be a more relaxed, happy person. But when it was revealed that the Aschen are slowly destroying the human race, Teal'c did not hesitate to join his friends in sending a message back in time, in order to change the past -- including undoing the destruction of the Goa'uld. Even after the end of the Goa'uld, and the end of the SGC, Teal'c did not falter in placing his loyalty to Earth overhis own interests.
 Janet Fraiser - By 2010, Janet has come to see herself as obsolete. Because the Aschen are hundreds of years beyond us in medicaltechnology, she has little to do. But she does help Sam uncover the Aschen plot againsthumankind, and joins the former SG-1 in trying to send a message back in time. After retrieving Teal'c, Janet apparently remained on Chu'lak while her friends were attempting to send the message.
 Daniel Jackson - Like his friends, Danielremained loyal to SG-1 long after the SGC was dissolved. He sacrificed his life to helpsend the message back to the past, erasing 10 years of history.
 General Hammond - George Hammond died in2004, apparently of a heart attack. But Fraiser doubts the Aschen doctors' explanation, andbelieves the general was probably murdered. He had called her the night before he died andtold her that he had something very important to talk to her about. It is possible that hehad discovered that the Aschen were planning to wipe out Earth's population.
 Senator Kinsey - Kinsey was elected presidentof the United States -- in either 2004 or 2008, as he is still in office in 2010. He takescredit for forging the alliance with the Aschen, which he believes to be the most importantalliance in human history.
 Walter Davis - Ten years in the future, the Stargate has been made public and relocated to a public transportation terminal -- but Sergeant Walter Davis remains behind at the old Stargate Command, as a technical advisor to the museum. His loyalties still lie with SG-1, as he allows them to take weapons out of the SGC collection for a secret mission.
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NOTES
The newspaper Joe was reading as the show opens is "The Washington Examiner." Theheadline: "Aschen Promise Anti-Aging Vaccine Worldwide." In the year 2010, the Stargate is in use at the J.R. Reed Space Terminal in Washington, D.C. Aschen medical technology includes an anti-aging vaccine, anti-cancer treatment, andmedical machines that can reverse tissue damage and mend broken bones. They are hundreds ofyears ahead of us.
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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Were the Aschen deliberately trying to wipe out the human race on Earth? Can the anti-aging vaccine work without damaging the human reproductive system? Dothe Aschen use it themselves? What is their average lifespan? Are the Aschen human, originally descended from Earth? To what degree were the Aschen present on Earth? Did they have civilians living there,working and even intermarrying with humans? Were humans allowed to move offworld, elsewhere within the Aschen Confederation? How large is the Aschen Confederation? What other worlds are members? Did Earth put the Aschen in contact with their other allies -- perhaps the Tollan, orthe Asgard? When was the Goa'uld War? How long did it last, and what were its other ramifications?To what extent do the Goa'uld still exist? What do Jaffa now do with their mature symbiotes? Why are so few Jaffa still loyal to the Tau'ri (Earth)? How were the Tok'ra destroyed? When? Were the Asgard not involved in the Goa'uld War, if the Aschen's help was necessary?Are they still at war with the Replicators in 2010? When was the SGC closed? When was the Stargate made public knowledge? What other SG teams gained renown? Why did Jack so vehemently oppose the Aschen alliance? Simple intuition? When and where did Sam meet Joe? For how long have they been married? Was General Hammond murdered? What had he discovered? Why were the Aschen planning to turn Jupiter into a star? Was it part of their own needs for living on Earth once humans were wiped out?
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VOTE!
How would you rate SG-1's "2010?"
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SCORE:
8.40
Good
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