Lockdown (Stargate SG-1)
Encyclopedia
"Lockdown" is the third episode
for season eight
of the Canadian-American military science fiction
television series Stargate SG-1
. The episodes was written by Joseph Mallozzi
and Paul Mullie
, the episode was directed by Will Waring
. The episodes was the only episode in the eighth season that got a syndication rating, but at the same time was one of the lowest rated of the season on the Nielsen household ratings
. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.
"Lockdown" is about the discovery an outbreak of disease which first occurred in the Russian Federation
, but later on goes and inflicts the Stargate Command
personnel. The outbreak is later revealed to the ethereal remains of Anubis. At the same time Jack O'Neill
, stops the recruiting process for SG-1 leaving Samantha Carter
as the new leader of SG-1 throughout season 8. Anubis tries to take new hosts but is eventually defeated and forced to a destination chosen by Carter, a frozen, barren planet.
gets a new member in form of the Russian Air Force, Colonel Vaselov, who promptly asks General O'Neill for a place in SG-1. After the general rejects this request, Daniel talks to Vaselov about it, but the colonel suddenly collapses. When he wakes up again, he doesn't remember anything since he was in Russia
, and his body shows signs of extensive viral damage. Gen O'Neill is concerned that there may be a contagion on the base, and orders Daniel to the infirmary just as he is about to leave on a mission with SG-11. Daniel suddenly pulls out his gun and injures several people, yelling for the gate to be opened, before he is stopped by O'Neill and Teal'c
. O'Neill orders for no one to enter or leave the base to avoid spreading possible disease.
Meanwhile, Vaselov begins to remember what happened—that he felt like being trapped in his own body—and he blames himself for what has happened. It is also discovered that a Russian cosmonaut from the International Space Station
died a week after returning to Russia, exhibiting the same symptoms as Vaselov, and that Vaselov was with him when he died. Later, Daniel wakes up and quickly remembers that he was taken over by Anubis. It turns out that the former System Lord, thanks to his half-ascended form as a dark specter, can easily travel between hosts. He got into the cosmonaut's body from space debris, and is moving from person to person to get to the stargate
. The members of SGC conclude that Anubis plans on leaving through the stargate because he can't use his ascended powers, since this would call upon the Ancients
. However, he needs a body in order to get through the stargate. In the meantime, Anubis is easily eluding capture, so the SGC must execute a bold plan to stop him.
This plan involves splitting the base into three zones. Power to the stargate
is shut off, and is only accessible from Zone 1. The gate itself, and its surrounding areas, is in Zone 2. Hallways between the zones and into the gateroom are blocked using drop-down steel doors, and these can only be opened from Zone 3. All staff are restricted to one section only—no movement between sections is allowed.
However, Anubis takes over Carter
(who is in the section controlling the "lockdown"), and makes her schedule a program to open the doors temporarily. she goes into the new control room and begins dialing the gate. O'Neill tries to stop her, but is taken over. He sets the base self-destruct and attempts to walk through the gate, but Carter gets to the control room and ends the self-destruct sequence. She doesn't, however, manage to stop the gate from dialing, and it activates. Just as O'Neill is about to step through the gate, Col Vaselov, who has escaped from the infirmary, stops him. He holds O'Neill/Anubis at gunpoint and tells the Goa'uld to take his body instead. Anubis accepts, and steps through the stargate in Vaselov's body.
Afterwords, Carter reveals that Anubis did not actually escape, as she did manage to override the dialing process to send him to an alternate address. The planet she chose to send him to was extremely cold, so Vaselov's body froze, leaving Anubis unable to dial a new address.
, but became the third to air so that they could continue the cliffhanger
after previous season episode, "Lost City
". Writer Joseph Mallozzi
wanted to have an episode centered around the Jack O'Neill
new job in Stargate Command
, to "Test him early" on "as the new [...] commander."
In the first script draft, Anubis was set to appear in a fiery planet at the end of the episode, but when the script was finished he ended up in a frozen planet. Mallozzi when commenting on the episode, said it was an "Image I'd been dying to use". When Samantha Carter
told Jack O'Neill
in the original draft where she had sent Anubis, O'Neill responded "Well, I hope he wore his warm socks." The line was dropped since producers felt it was "too callous" for the character. One of the early scenes featuring Alexi Vaselov, were he awakens to find Teal'c
in the observation room, was originally scripted to take place in the infirmary. Originally Teal'c was set to appear at Daniel Jackson's bedsite with Vaselov engaging in the conversation.
and 1.7 in syndication ratings becoming the only episode in season eight to receive a syndication rating. The episode debuted on the Sci Fi Channel
in the United States
on July 23, 2004, with Stargate Atlantis
episode "Hide and Seek" it was the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel that week. "Lockdown" drew close to 2.7 million viewers in the United States, this was a down four-tenth from previous episode "New Order
". While the viewership was higher than previous season
which average a 1.8 in Nielsen household ratings. "Lockdown"
was surpassed by sister show
Stargate Atlantis episode "Hide and Seek" in ratings and viewership. The episode was noted for being the first Stargate SG-1 episode not being the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel in the week in two years.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
for season eight
Stargate SG-1 (season 8)
Season eight of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian military science fiction television series, began airing on July 9, 2004 on the Sci Fi channel. The eighth season concluded on February 22, 2005, after 20 episodes on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci Fi Channel in mid-season...
of the Canadian-American military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
television series Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
. The episodes was written by Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi is a Canadian writer and producer.He is most noted for his contributions to the Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe television series. He joined the Stargate production team at the start of Stargate SG-1s fourth season in 2000...
and Paul Mullie
Paul Mullie
Paul Mullie is a screenwriter and producer. He is credited for writing episodes of Stargate Atlantis, Largo Winch, and Stargate SG-1...
, the episode was directed by Will Waring
Will Waring
William Waring is a camera operator and director, primarily for Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis....
. The episodes was the only episode in the eighth season that got a syndication rating, but at the same time was one of the lowest rated of the season on the Nielsen household ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.
"Lockdown" is about the discovery an outbreak of disease which first occurred in the Russian Federation
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, but later on goes and inflicts the Stargate Command
Stargate Command
The Stargate Program is a fictional top-secret program that plays a key role in the Stargate franchise: it surrounds the operations of the Stargate on Earth. The core of the Stargate Program is Stargate Command , based at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colorado...
personnel. The outbreak is later revealed to the ethereal remains of Anubis. At the same time Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
, stops the recruiting process for SG-1 leaving Samantha Carter
Samantha Carter
Samantha "Sam" Carter is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction Stargate franchise, appearing in television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe. SG-1 and Atlantis are both about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien...
as the new leader of SG-1 throughout season 8. Anubis tries to take new hosts but is eventually defeated and forced to a destination chosen by Carter, a frozen, barren planet.
Plot
Several months after the destruction of Anubis' fleet, Stargate CommandStargate Command
The Stargate Program is a fictional top-secret program that plays a key role in the Stargate franchise: it surrounds the operations of the Stargate on Earth. The core of the Stargate Program is Stargate Command , based at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colorado...
gets a new member in form of the Russian Air Force, Colonel Vaselov, who promptly asks General O'Neill for a place in SG-1. After the general rejects this request, Daniel talks to Vaselov about it, but the colonel suddenly collapses. When he wakes up again, he doesn't remember anything since he was in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and his body shows signs of extensive viral damage. Gen O'Neill is concerned that there may be a contagion on the base, and orders Daniel to the infirmary just as he is about to leave on a mission with SG-11. Daniel suddenly pulls out his gun and injures several people, yelling for the gate to be opened, before he is stopped by O'Neill and Teal'c
Teal'c
Teal'c is a fictional character in the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Played by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modified human with an abdominal pouch that serves as an incubator for a larval Goa'uld...
. O'Neill orders for no one to enter or leave the base to avoid spreading possible disease.
Meanwhile, Vaselov begins to remember what happened—that he felt like being trapped in his own body—and he blames himself for what has happened. It is also discovered that a Russian cosmonaut from the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
died a week after returning to Russia, exhibiting the same symptoms as Vaselov, and that Vaselov was with him when he died. Later, Daniel wakes up and quickly remembers that he was taken over by Anubis. It turns out that the former System Lord, thanks to his half-ascended form as a dark specter, can easily travel between hosts. He got into the cosmonaut's body from space debris, and is moving from person to person to get to the stargate
Stargate (device)
A Stargate is a portal device within the Stargate fictional universe that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The devices first appear in the 1994 Roland Emmerich film Stargate, and thereafter in the television series Stargate SG-1 and its spin-offs...
. The members of SGC conclude that Anubis plans on leaving through the stargate because he can't use his ascended powers, since this would call upon the Ancients
Ancient (Stargate)
The Ancients are a humanoid race in the fictional Stargate universe. They are called "Ancients" in the Milky Way, but are also known as Lanteans or Ancestors in the Pegasus galaxy and as the Alterans in their home galaxy, and they sometimes call themselves Anquietas in their language...
. However, he needs a body in order to get through the stargate. In the meantime, Anubis is easily eluding capture, so the SGC must execute a bold plan to stop him.
This plan involves splitting the base into three zones. Power to the stargate
Stargate (device)
A Stargate is a portal device within the Stargate fictional universe that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The devices first appear in the 1994 Roland Emmerich film Stargate, and thereafter in the television series Stargate SG-1 and its spin-offs...
is shut off, and is only accessible from Zone 1. The gate itself, and its surrounding areas, is in Zone 2. Hallways between the zones and into the gateroom are blocked using drop-down steel doors, and these can only be opened from Zone 3. All staff are restricted to one section only—no movement between sections is allowed.
However, Anubis takes over Carter
Samantha Carter
Samantha "Sam" Carter is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction Stargate franchise, appearing in television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe. SG-1 and Atlantis are both about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien...
(who is in the section controlling the "lockdown"), and makes her schedule a program to open the doors temporarily. she goes into the new control room and begins dialing the gate. O'Neill tries to stop her, but is taken over. He sets the base self-destruct and attempts to walk through the gate, but Carter gets to the control room and ends the self-destruct sequence. She doesn't, however, manage to stop the gate from dialing, and it activates. Just as O'Neill is about to step through the gate, Col Vaselov, who has escaped from the infirmary, stops him. He holds O'Neill/Anubis at gunpoint and tells the Goa'uld to take his body instead. Anubis accepts, and steps through the stargate in Vaselov's body.
Afterwords, Carter reveals that Anubis did not actually escape, as she did manage to override the dialing process to send him to an alternate address. The planet she chose to send him to was extremely cold, so Vaselov's body froze, leaving Anubis unable to dial a new address.
Production
Aaron Pearl who portrayed Major Kearney in the episode, previously played the younger version of George Hammond in the season two episode "1969". "Lockdown" was the first shot episode for season eightStargate SG-1 (season 8)
Season eight of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian military science fiction television series, began airing on July 9, 2004 on the Sci Fi channel. The eighth season concluded on February 22, 2005, after 20 episodes on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci Fi Channel in mid-season...
, but became the third to air so that they could continue the cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
after previous season episode, "Lost City
Lost City (Stargate SG-1)
"Lost City" is the two-part finale to the seventh season of the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1. It was originally intended to be a second Stargate film, and was then to be the show's absolute finale, and finally ended up being the seventh season finale after the series was renewed...
". Writer Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi
Joseph Mallozzi is a Canadian writer and producer.He is most noted for his contributions to the Stargate SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate Universe television series. He joined the Stargate production team at the start of Stargate SG-1s fourth season in 2000...
wanted to have an episode centered around the Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
new job in Stargate Command
Stargate Command
The Stargate Program is a fictional top-secret program that plays a key role in the Stargate franchise: it surrounds the operations of the Stargate on Earth. The core of the Stargate Program is Stargate Command , based at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colorado...
, to "Test him early" on "as the new [...] commander."
In the first script draft, Anubis was set to appear in a fiery planet at the end of the episode, but when the script was finished he ended up in a frozen planet. Mallozzi when commenting on the episode, said it was an "Image I'd been dying to use". When Samantha Carter
Samantha Carter
Samantha "Sam" Carter is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction Stargate franchise, appearing in television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe. SG-1 and Atlantis are both about a military team exploring the galaxy via a network of alien...
told Jack O'Neill
Jack O'Neill
Jonathan J. "Jack" O'Neill is a fictional character in the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, three science fiction shows about military teams exploring the galaxy via a network of alien transportation devices...
in the original draft where she had sent Anubis, O'Neill responded "Well, I hope he wore his warm socks." The line was dropped since producers felt it was "too callous" for the character. One of the early scenes featuring Alexi Vaselov, were he awakens to find Teal'c
Teal'c
Teal'c is a fictional character in the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Played by Christopher Judge, Teal'c is a Jaffa warrior from the planet Chulak. As a Jaffa, Teal'c is a genetically modified human with an abdominal pouch that serves as an incubator for a larval Goa'uld...
in the observation room, was originally scripted to take place in the infirmary. Originally Teal'c was set to appear at Daniel Jackson's bedsite with Vaselov engaging in the conversation.
Reception
"Lockdown" received 2.0 in Nielsen household ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and 1.7 in syndication ratings becoming the only episode in season eight to receive a syndication rating. The episode debuted on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on July 23, 2004, with Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
episode "Hide and Seek" it was the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel that week. "Lockdown" drew close to 2.7 million viewers in the United States, this was a down four-tenth from previous episode "New Order
New Order (Stargate SG-1)
New Order is the two-part Season 8 premiere of the science-fiction series Stargate SG-1. The episode earned a 2.4 Nielsen rating, a new record high for the show during its run on cable, which has since been tied, but never beaten...
". While the viewership was higher than previous season
Stargate SG-1 (season 7)
Season seven of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on June 13, 2003 on Sci Fi. The seventh season concluded after 22 episodes on March 9, 2004 on British Sky One, which overtook the Sci-Fi Channel in mid-season. The series was developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan...
which average a 1.8 in Nielsen household ratings. "Lockdown"
was surpassed by sister show
Sister show
Sister shows are two or more television shows which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs in that shows may air simultaneously, rather than being derived from, and replacing, another. The popularity of most shows is limited to a...
Stargate Atlantis episode "Hide and Seek" in ratings and viewership. The episode was noted for being the first Stargate SG-1 episode not being the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel in the week in two years.
External links
- Lockdown at mgm.com
- Episode guide from Skyone. Visited June 4. 2006
- Summary from SciFi. Visited June 4, 2006. Requires Flash.