Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 15

"Summit"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Excellent

Commentary by:
Martin Wood -- Director
Joseph Mallozzi -- co-Writer
James Tichenor -- Visual Effects Producer

The commentary is very informative, and interesting.  Lots of behind the scene information.  The commentary stays on point with what is on screen.

Review:
“Summit” is the first of two parts.  The story concludes in the next episode, “Last Stand.”

Somewhere in space: Tanith’s unnamed boss, mentioned in “Between Two Fires,” has Zipacna (“Pretense”) recruit Osiris (“The Curse”).  The plan is to form a new alliance of powerful Goa’ulds to take over the System Lords.  The Goa’uld in charge of the new alliance is named Anubis.

Back on Earth: the Tok'ra Ren'al (“Enemies”) arrives at SGC with news about the System Lords.  The deaths of Cronus (“Double Jeopardy”) and Apophis (“Threshold”) resulted in battles between the remaining System Lords for the two dead Goa’ulds’ territories and armies.  The dissension between the System Lords kept their focus on each other, the Goa’uld power base in chaos.  Ren'al tells General Hammond, and SG-1, that the System Lords are declaring a truce amongst themselves, and meeting to discuss their future plans.  The Tok’ra plan to wipe out all of the System Lords at that summit.

The summit’s location is a space station, which is impossible to breach due to heavy security.  The Tok’ra want to send an agent to the meeting, one who can pass as a System Lord’s human slave.  Daniel’s fluency with the Goa’uld language makes him the perfect candidate.  He agrees to help the Tok’ra.  SG-1, and SG-17, gate to Revanna, the planet where the Tok’ra have their home base.  Jacob/Selmak (“Enemies”) will go with Daniel on the mission, although he cannot enter the Goa’uld space station.  With a modification of the chemical the Reole (“The Fifth Man”) used on SG-1, Daniel will convince the System Lord Yu (“Fair Game”) that he is the Goa’uld’s most trusted human servant.  SG-17, and the rest of SG-1, will remain on Revanna.

Once Daniel, Yu, and all the other System Lords arrive on the space station Daniel will release a poison gas.  The poison only kills Goa’uld symbiotes.  The Tok’ra have worked on developing the poison for some time.  The summit is a perfect opportunity to kill all of the System Lords at one time, thereby leaving the Goa’uld presence in the galaxy leaderless, and in chaos.

While the Tok’ra plot against the System Lords, Anubis plots against the Tok’ra.  Zipacna captured a Tok’ra spy, and extracted the location of Revanna from the Tok’ra, as well as information about the symbiote poison.  The Tok’ra plan to destroy the System Lords.  The System Lords plan to consolidate their power base, and become a greater threat to free beings in the galaxy.  Anubis plans to destroy the Tok’ra, and take the System Lords’ power.  All three plans proceed, and all three parties are poised for success.  With mutually exclusive goals, someone will lose.

This is a very exciting episode, filled action and suspense.  The trio of disparate goals collide, and the resolution is not obvious.  This is not a story where the viewer knows who will win, and waits to see how victory is achieved.  There is no blatantly apparent winner in this episode, which helps to make it an excellent viewing experience.  The plot is powerful, and engrossing.  Kudos to the writers.

“Summit” has a large cast of guest stars, many of whom portray returning characters.  To the credit of every actor, no character’s arc is lost in the telling.  Excellent performances are given by all of the participants.  Costuming, sets, production, and effects are supreme.  Bravo to everyone involved in this episode.

Failures:
None.