Reckoning, Part 1

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The Replicators begin a systematic attack of the Goa'uld, forcing Baal to come to Earth for help. The Jaffa resistance risk their entire movement in an attempt to retake a holy city in Baal's domain.

RATINGS SCORECARD
OUR RATING -
FAN RATING - 9.30 
NIELSEN - 2.2 
EPISODE #816
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 02.25.2005
DVD DISC: Season 8, Disc 4
WRITTEN BY: Damian Kindler
DIRECTED BY: Peter DeLuise
GUEST STARS: Tony Amendola (Bra'tac), Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter), Cliff Simon (Baal), Gary Jones (Technician), Samantha Banton (Baal's Lieutenant), Mel Harris (Oma Desala), Isaac Hayes (Tolok), Jeff Judge (Aron), Dean Aylesworth (Old Anubis), Rik Kiviaho (New Anubis), Vince Crestejo (Yu the Great), Kevan Ohtsji (Yu's First Prime), Michael Shanks (Voice of Thor)
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PRODUCTION NOTES

  • "It's coming close to the climax of the battle for freedom, and this deals with two reckonings. It deals with getting together all the Jaffa, and then trying to take the holy city of Dakara. So it's pretty much the climax of this eight-year arc of their quest for freedom. And so Tony [Amendola] is back, and then Isaac [Hayes] is in it, and my brother's in it.

    "It was such an honor to work with Isaac Hayes. He's one of the priests that has become a rebel. No one on the planet says 'Goa'uld' like Isaac Hayes! But yeah, just a wonderful man." ("Teal'c" actor Christopher Judge, in an interview with GateWorld)
  • The System Lord Baal will be featured heavily in both parts of "Reckoning," actor Cliff Simon told GateWorld. "I reckon (pardon the pun) these two episodes are definitely the best episodes I've worked on, as far as the writing and the storyline are concerned. What's happening now, as you know, is it's sort of coming to a peak with the Jaffa trying to be free, all these kinds of things. They want to retake the city, because that is what Baal basically runs, and that is where his power as a so-called god comes in. If the Jaffa could happen to take the holy city, that could prove, maybe, that Baal is not a true god, as he makes out to be. Or any of the other Goa'uld, actually.

    "There's another very bad person around, I call him a person. Some very bad entities who have come into our galaxy. A very big threat, a very big threat to Baal.

    "He requests the help of SG-1, so that brings another whole new dimension to the whole thing. Because now this powerful god, he's asking for help. Obviously O'Neill, he's like, 'What are you talking about? Why should we help you? If someone wants to kill you, why don't we just let them kill you? It's gonna help us [in the long run].' ... Baal is trying to get O'Neill to trust him, in a way, which is very difficult. Can O'Neill trust somebody who killed him over and over again? That's the whole angle from Baal's side. He has to get O'Neill to believe in what he's saying.

    "There are two or three different stories that Baal is involved in in these two episodes. So it gets pretty complicated because he's actually worming his way around, trying to play different characters. He's basically being unfaithful wherever he can, which is Baal. He's pretending to be good, but he's not. SG-1 sort of works out what's going on. But Baal's part is very, very big. The storyline is actually, basically, just Baal! For me obviously it's great, for the character it's great. It really puts Baal into a whole different dimension.

    "I'm personally trying to bring a little humanity to Baal, so he's not this arbitrary alien guy who's just bad the whole time. He's got to be a three-dimensional character, so that's what I try to bring in 'Reckoning,' and it seems to have come across." ("Baal" actor Cliff Simon, in an interview with GateWorld)
  • "Actually, when [Carter's Replicator double] comes back I don't think the two of them are in any scenes together, so that's good! And the differences between them will be even more pronounced because Replicator Carter has gone off and followed her own path." ("Carter" actress Amanda Tapping, in an interview with Stargate SG-1: The Official Magazine)
  • "This is one hell of a story. It brings together our key antagonists of Anubis [Dean Aylesworth], Baal and the Replicators. It's always great to work with Cliff Simon [Baal], who plays one of our favourite bad guys. Then, of course, there are the Replicators. Michelle Comens [VFX producer] and her people do a phenomenal job creating those bugs, and their work is always being nominated for various awards.

    "'Reckoning' also sees the return of Replicator Carter, who we last saw in 'Gemini.' I think Amanda Tapping [Colonel Sam Carter] is so skilled in her ability to portray variations of her character. She plays the Carter that we all know and love as well as Replicator Carter, and then another version of Carter in our season finale, 'Moebius.' That Carter is from a different timeline and somewhat of a nerd. Watching Amanda at work this past year has been such a treat as she has managed to keep all these Carters well-defined, separate and entertaining." (Executive producer Michael Greenburg, in an interview with TV Zone magazine [#185])
  • "This big two-parter was the climax of 7+ terrific seasons of SG-1. We've got SG-1, the Tok'ra, the Jaffa, the Goa'uld, Anubis, and the Replicators all involved in the galactic throwdown to end all galactic throwdowns. Although there were three more episodes to go before the season wrapped, 'Reckoning' I and II brought things to a head, addressed the major arcs and issues, and tied up most of the loose ends. Of course, there were a few dangling plot threads – which were taken care of in, appropriately enough, an episode titled 'Threads.'

    "The late Isaac Hayes makes a guest appearance as the Jaffa Tolok. He was a apparently a huge fan of the show and an utter delight on set – kind and surprisingly soft-spoken.

    "The free Jaffa world was originally called Bakara, but I didn't like the name because it reminded me of both baccarat, the card game, and bakana, the Japanese word for stupid or silly. So I changed to it Dakara – which reminded me of daquiri. But that was okay." (Writer / producer Joseph Mallozzi, in a post at his blog)