Stargate SG-1, Season 5, Episode 21

"Meridian"

images used above are courtesy of Gateworld and MGM

Overall Rating:  Good

Commentary by:
William Waring -- Director
Jim Menard -- Director of Photography

The commentary is informative, and interesting.  The commentary stays on point with what is on screen.

Review:
SG-1 gates back to SGC.  Daniel rushes to the infirmary.  While off world, he was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.  How Daniel came to be exposed to radiation is covered in flashbacks, as he receives medical treatment in the SGC infirmary.

Flashback:  SG-1 gates to a planet with three major countries, arriving in the country of Kelowna.  The Kelownan society is technologically comparable to the United States in the 1940s.  The Kelownans discovered the stargate only 15 years ago.  In the spirit of forming an alliance, SGC offers information about the stargate system; Kelowna offers information about naquadria -- a more powerful, but less stable, version of naquadah.

A Kelownan named Jonas Quinn takes SG-1 on a tour of Kelownan research facilities.  One of the projects is a naquadria-fueled bomb, something potentially more powerful than the bomb used on the asteroid in “Fail Safe.”  Daniel is very vocal in expressing his disapproval of the naquadria bomb.  Something happened to the bomb, causing the release of radiation.  Daniel, and Jonas Quinn, are two of the people present when the bomb experiment fails.  The Kelownan leaders blame the accident on Daniel, accusing him of sabotage.  SGC, and SG-1, do not believe that, however Daniel will not talk about the accident.

Present Day: The truth about the accident on Kelowna is revealed.  Daniel is rapidly succumbing to the effects of the radiation.  SGC tries to contact some of their off world allies, hoping to gain access to more advanced treatment options, while Dr. Frasier and her medical staff work to save Daniel’s life.

The Pentagon really wants some naquadria, and does not have a problem throwing the dying Daniel under the bus for the sake of diplomacy.  Even though Daniel’s death is eminent, O’Neill refuses to accept the sacrifice of Daniel as a way to placate the Kelownans.  Jack strives to uncover the truth about the incident.

Corin Nemec is Jonas Quinn.  Everyone performs well.  The end of the episode is very touching.

Failures:
This episode contains a lot of exposition, and retrospection.  It is a turning point for the Stargate SG-1 saga.  Take away that one aspect, and what's left is an okay story.