Legendary screen actor James Earl Jones passed away this week, at the age of 93. From Mufasa to Darth Vader, from Coming to America to Field of Dreams, he was an unparalleled talent, a kind heart, and the sort of performer who comes along once in a generation.
And for science fiction fans, Jones was more than just the voice the greatest villain in Star Wars history. His nearly 60-year career included a guest starring role on Stargate SG-1 — but one that many viewers missed if they weren’t paying attention to the credits.
In 1997 the television series picked up where the Stargate feature film left off, with Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) leading a team of explorers through the gate to new worlds each week. One of these first adventures brought the team to the planet Cimmeria, home to a small population of people who worship Thor and the gods of Norse mythology. Cimmeria, it turns out, is under the protection of the Asgard — an advanced and generally benevolent race who bear an uncanny resemblance to Roswell Grays (indicating that they had visited Earth too).
The Asgard left a towering “hammer” device by the Cimmerian Stargate, which scanned visitors and transported those carrying a Goa’uld — whether System Lord or Jaffa — to a distant cavern. In “Thor’s Hammer” Teal’c (Christopher Judge) found himself under the tower’s gaze, and he and Colonel O’Neill were whisked away. Inside that cavern they encountered a deadly and intelligent creature.
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones provided the voice of the Unas, who is awakened from its long sleep and hunts O’Neill and Teal’c through the dark and ended up in a life-or-death struggle with Teal’c. This Unas was host to a Goa’uld (complete with glowing eyes), and Teal’c explained that the Unas were the original hosts to the Goa’uld parasites before they discovered humans.
The new character’s terrifying prosthetics were created by Los Angeles effects artist Steve Johnson, literally a reflection of Jaffa nightmares. The Unas were named for an ancient Egyptian king, and were said to have great regenerative powers — which grew into a myth created to scare Jaffa children.
Although the show’s writers would not return to the Unas for two more years (Season Three’s “Demons,” followed by the introduction of an Unas ally named Chaka in Season Four), Jones’ character became a pillar of Stargate’s growing mythology. In addition to hinting at the origins of the Goa’uld themselves, the Unas represented one of the very first non-human species in the galaxy.
If you’re looking for an episode to rewatch tonight, give “Thor’s Hammer” a spin. And pour one out for the great James Earl Jones.
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