Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007): Season 4, Episode 19 - Prodigy - full transcript

Carter decides to inspire a brilliant but difficult Air Force cadet by introducing her to the SGC program.

- Come in.
- General.

I'd like to talk to you about this mission
upon which we're about to embark.

It seems...a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?

Have you met General Ryan?

Hello, Colonel.

The General Ryan? Chief of Staff?

That's right.

Shouldn't there have been
a memo or something?

You were off world.

Yeah.

So, what brings you
to our little secret base, sir?



That would be the ridiculous
mission you just mentioned.

- Of course.
- I'm proposing that M4C- 862 become...

..a permanent research station.
I'd like you to make an assessment.

- The General Ryan?
- I've read a lot about you, Colonel.

In General Hammond's reports.

- Yes, sir?
- Thus far we like your work.

Thank you, sir. I like yours.

Your air force. The air force.

I love the air force.

Anything else, Colonel?

No, sir. Well, actually, I'd like to know
how Daniel and Carter got out of this...

..very important mission.

Dr Jackson is off world with SG-1 1.

Major Carter's giving a lecture at
the academy in theoretical astrophysics.



If you'd care to take her place...

No.

- Then you're dismissed.
- Thank you, sir.

Sirs. Both of you.

Got your hands full with that one,
eh, George?

So, as a result of
these modular functions,...

..the unwanted variables are always
expressed as multiples of N minus ten.

Therefore, if we assume the existence
of ten dimensions in space- time,...

..the variables are cancelled out
and the calculations begin to make sense.

Excuse me, ma'am.
Did you say ten dimensions?

Yes, I did.

Look, I realise these concepts
are a little bizarre,...

..and that many of you would
rather be somewhere else:

..jump school, flight training...
Believe me, I know.

I used to sit in those chairs
and listen to the same boring lectures.

No offence, Professor.

But the aerodynamics that are one day
going to allow you to fly an F- 22...

..started out as squiggles
on a board just like this one.

These calculations are the key
to opening up the entire universe.

Wormholes and hyperspace
may seem like science fiction,...

..but take my word for it: the future
is a lot closer than you might think.

Guess that wasn't so bad.

No, no. You actually made
the topological configuration...

..of multiple dimension seem interesting.

This is wrong.

What's that, Cadet?

I'm sorry, sir,
but the calculations are incorrect.

I appreciate your enthusiasm,
but wait until you graduate...

..before you criticise the work
of a leader in the field of astrophysics.

Yes, sir, of course.

My apologies, ma'am.

Who was that?

Jennifer Hailey.

Very intelligent, but...difficult personality.

Well, she's right.

- Really?
- These variables should be reversed.

- I didn't even notice.
- Neither did I.

- Colonel.
- Major. Report?

We've had a pretty thrilling week!

Two days ago
Dr Thompson lost his glasses,...

..and just this morning
the electron microscope broke down.

- Wow.
- Yeah.

Nonstop excitement.

Well, we'll take it from here.
You're relieved.

- Yes, sir.
- Major Griff?

Dr Hamilton.

Do you realise we still haven't received
those parts for the backup generator?

I put the requisition in three days ago.

Well, that's just not good enough.

We obviously need to have a serious talk
about our supply procedure.

Well, unfortunately, Doctor,
I've just been relieved, but...

..I'm sure Colonel O'Neill
would love to discuss it with you.

Love is the word.

Colonel O'Neill, is it? I don't know
if this is a military thing generally...

..or Major Griff's incompetence,
but I can't get anything I ask for.

-
- Come.

Samantha. Sam. Good to see you again.

Come in. Sit down, sit down.

It's good to see you too, sir. Thank you.

Well, well, well. So, how was the lecture?

Well, no one fell asleep.

- Very impressive.
- Thank you, sir.

I did have an interesting encounter
with one of your cadets. Jennifer Hailey.

Caught your eye, did she?
I thought she might.

She pointed out a mistake in an equation
that changed the result completely.

- I couldn't believe it.
- Here. Give this a read.

Once you brush the chip
off her shoulder,...

..she reminds me of another bright cadet
who came here a few years back.

I've no idea who you're talking about, sir.

Cadet Hailey is a very
smart young woman.

Her SATs were through the roof -
even higher than yours.

Unfortunately, she's sometimes
too smart for her own damn good.

Professor Monroe said
she has discipline problems.

The kid's bored. Came here for
a challenge, but it's not enough for her.

Not enough?
This is just the beginning of her career.

- How could she know what's ahead?
- I know, but she doesn't see it, Sam.

Don't get me wrong. I see her potential.

Her physical skills are terrific,
despite her size.

She's an expert marksman,
a superb glider pilot.

But that's not all there is
to becoming an officer.

If she keeps insisting on
doing things her way...

I'd like to talk to her, sir, if that's OK.

I was hoping you'd say that.

- Who said that?
- He did.

Oh, for...

Colonel O'Neill?

Dr Lee tells me you've denied our request
to conduct a survey of the cave network.

No. I just asked him to wait until
I could have a chance to check it out.

- With no regard for our timetable.
- None whatsoever.

Colonel, what exactly
do you expect to find in there?

Look, Doctor, this is another planet.

Actually, it's a moon.
We're orbiting that gas giant.

Oh, well, if it's a moon,...

..go ahead, do whatever you want
What could happen?

Colonel, this outpost has been
up and running for six weeks...

..without the slightest hint
of anything remotely dangerous.

You can explore the caves
once they've been checked out.

Any more pressing matters?

None whatsoever.

Oh, yeah?

- Beautiful, isn't it?
- Major Carter.

At ease, Cadet.

Getting in a little extra lab time?

Yes, ma'am.

I wanted to talk to you about the paper
you did for Professor Monroe.

"Towards a New Cosmology
of Multiple Realities."

- It's an interesting topic.
- Professor Monroe gave me a D.

Because it wasn't the assignment.

Permission to speak freely, ma'am?

The assignment was lame.

Maybe it was, but it was the assignment.

- Did you read it anyway?
- Matter of fact, I did.

- It's intriguing.
- The same word Professor Monroe used.

Maybe because that's what it is:
an intriguing idea.

But it's based on too many unfounded
assumptions to make a valid theory.

For example, you assume
that matter can travel both ways...

..through an open wormhole.

- So?
- So how do you know?

Until somebody shows me
a wormhole that can only go one way...

That's not the point.
You made an assumption.

What about your assumption, Major?

That you're right and I'm wrong?

That paper is way, way beyond anything
you're likely to be taught at the academy.

And if you want points for it,
hey, we're all impressed.

It doesn't mean
you don't do the assignment.

I'm late for a class, ma'am.

Am I dismissed?

Yes.

Hamilton.

Colonel O'Neill. How are the caves?

- Dark.
- No subterranean monsters, I assume?

Not this time.

Go ahead and do your survey.

Thank you.

- You are disappointed we found nothing.
- No, it's just...I wanted him to be wrong.

Just so he'd...be wrong.

And if he was wrong,
we'd have something to do.

- I see.
-

Did you hear somethin'?

Indeed.

I have never before
encountered anything like it.

Cool.

I didn't realise you were still here.

I wanted to talk to you
about Cadet Hailey's paper.

- Sam...
- Look, at first I agreed with you.

It just didn't add up. But something
about it kept nagging at me.

I finally figured out what it was.

The equations don't work unless you
allow for variations in the speed of light.

Which is a universal constant.

Not if the frame of reference
includes multiple universes.

That's where this paper comes in.
I think, without even realising it,...

..Cadet Hailey intuitively arrived at a
whole new way of looking at cosmology.

Under certain special circumstances,...

..what we would see as
an effect preceding a cause...

..would in fact be an effect following
a cause...in a parallel reality.

That's assuming that parallel
realities occasionally overlap.

- I'm fairly confident that that's the case.
- Really? Why?

I know she's got to you, but I think you're
trying to see something that isn't there.

All right. Even if this theory
ultimately proves to be incorrect,...

..you have to admit
that it's a brilliant insight.

Jennifer Hailey is no longer our problem.

- What do you mean?
- She got into a fight with another cadet.

As fond as General Kerrigan is of her,
he'll have to expel her.

- Are you sure this is such a good idea?
- I didn't come across the galaxy...

- ..to wait for permission to do my job.
- Colonel O'Neill...

He doesn't have a clue
what we're trying to accomplish.

He's too busy polishing his M- 16.

Actually, it's a P- 90.

You boys goin' somewhere?

Yes, we...we're gonna go see if we can
find that creature you encountered.

Apparently you didn't hear me
the first time I told you -

..clearly and in no uncertain terms -
not the heck yet.

You know, if your description is correct,
we're talkin' about something...

..that can pass through solid matter.

Yes. And therefore, logically,
we'd have no defence against it.

Typical military thinking.

You encounter something you don't
understand, you assume it's a threat.

Well...
until we determine there is no threat,...

..I will assume there is one.

- Do we have a problem here?
- Colonel, with all due respect, really,...

..when I agreed to this assignment, I was
under the impression that I was in charge.

You are in charge.

Of the other scientists.

That you even think you're qualified
to decide what we can and can't do...

Colonel O'Neill is indeed qualified,
Dr Hamilton,...

..having encountered many alien species
since long before you were born.

I strongly suggest you do
what Colonel O'Neill says.

Thank you, Rocco.

Boys, we'll be in touch.

Cadet Hailey was helping to train
an underclassman named Chloe Brown,...

..who's been having problems
with her physical fitness tests.

One of the cadre made a derogatory
comment about the young lady.

- Cadet Hailey told him to knock it off.
- And when he didn't?

- She broke his nose.
- She what?

I can't let that go.
I don't give a damn how smart she is.

- She was defending a fellow classmate.
- I know.

I'm not asking for her
to go unpunished, sir,...

..but if she's even half as brilliant as
I think she is, we don't wanna lose her.

We're not here to advance theoretical
physics, but to defend this country.

I understand that, sir,
but they're not mutually exclusive goals.

Can I assume you're referring to your
research project at Cheyenne Mountain?

- You can.
- Deep- space radar analysis, is it?

Something like that, sir, yes.

Mm.

Well, I don't know what it really is
you're working on inside that mountain,...

..but I do know if you've got something
to do with it, then it's high priority.

Well, thank you, sir. It is.
And believe me when I tell you...

..that Cadet Hailey is exactly
the kind of person we need.

- She'll have to be punished.
- As she should be, sir.

But I don't think she's about to go
on a rampage, beating up upperclassmen.

Send her in.

Sir. Cadet Hailey reports as ordered.

At ease. Major Carter?

Cadet, I'd like to ask you
a few questions. Answer honestly.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Who the hell do you think you are?

Ma'am?

You think you're better than we are,
too good for the air force?

- No, ma'am.
- Oh, come on.

All those rules and regulations,
they don't really apply to you, right?

What's the point of a chain of command
if your superiors aren't as smart as you?

- I don't feel that way, ma'am.
- Oh, I think you do.

And I think deep down you wanna leave.

Let me do you a favour. The door's open.

- Why don't you just quit and go home?
- No, ma'am. I won't quit.

I'm giving you the chance to walk out
before General Kerrigan throws you out.

I won't quit.

Good.

Cadet Hailey, as far as I'm concerned,...

..you've demonstrated an inability
to be a functioning member...

..of the United States Air Force.

But Major Carter has a future in mind for
you, and I respect Major Carter's opinion.

Although the rest of your punishment
stands, I'm not recommending dismissal.

- Thank you, sir.
- You may go.

Good luck.

Hm.

What were you thinking,
breaking the nose of an upperclassman?

- Swing high.
- That's not funny.

No, ma'am, you wouldn't think so.

- What's this got to do with me?
- Everything.

The great Samantha Carter. You think
a day goes by I don't hear your name?

You've gotten the highest mark in every
class I've ever been in, won every award.

They've compared me to you
since day one,...

..and I never quite seem to measure up.

That's it? What, so for the first time
in your life you come to a place...

..where you are not automatically the
smartest and best at everything you do?

Get over it.

There are important things at stake.

You've got my future planned out
for me as long as I stay here?

- If you're good enough.
- Like what?

Flying a transport plane
if I'm one of the lucky ones?

I don't see this exciting future
you're talking about, Major.

Something more incredible
than anything even you could imagine.

Yes, ma'am.

Cadet.

Believe me.

Science is about questioning
the status quo, questioning authority.

How can we do that when the greatest
scientific discovery in human history...

- ..is in the hands of the US Air Force?
- Oh, my God.

The camera. Get the camera.

Come on!

- Colonel O'Neill.
- Go ahead.

Wejust encountered one ofthe creatures.
We're following it into the forest.

Let's go.

Incredible.

Hamilton, what are you doin'?

You see, Colonel? They're harmless.

- Major, this is a high- security area.
- I know that, sir.

But she's already checked out security
and signed the non- disclosure form.

What did you tell her
she was going to see?

Deep- space radar telemetry.

- Are you absolutely sure about this?
- She is a perfect candidate for the SGC.

Her file says otherwise.

I've met her, sir. She is brilliant.

Not everyone is cut out to be
an air- force officer, Major.

Sir, if she can just get one glimpse...

..of her possible future, she will
graduate at the top of her class...

..and become an officer worthy
of serving under your command.

I am absolutely sure about this, sir.

We're underground.
Where could we possibly be going?

You'll see. What you're about to see is
probably the best kept secret in the world.

- You're making me nervous.
- Good.

Because everything you thought
you knew about the universe...

..is about to be turned upside down.
You ready?

- What is it?
- It's your future.

- It's called a Stargate.
- Chevron seven locked.

You're looking at a wormhole
connecting this Stargate...

..to another identical one on another
world 42, 000 light years from Earth.

- That's where we're going?
- That's right.

- How?
- That's the easy part.

Come on.

What was that? What just happened?

Your body was particlised
and then reintegrated.

- So this is another planet?
- It's a moon, actually.

Doesn't look that different from home.

Well, where there's oxygen,
there's usually plant life, trees, water.

There are a couple of differences.

Hey, Carter.

Thought I'd come and be
your welcoming committee.

- Thank you, sir. How are you?
- The back's acting up a little, actually.

- The knees, you know, always...
- Sir, I'd like you to meet Cadet Hailey.

Cadet. Welcome to 862.

How was your trip?

It was a...a trip, sir.

It always is.

I got something you should see.

- What is it?
- We're not sure,...

..but we think it's some kind
of energy- based life form.

- That's impossible.
- But one led us directly to the others,...

..which suggests organisation,
some kind of intelligence.

They also appear to be able
to phase through solid matter.

Teal'c and I saw one
zip right on through a tree.

- Didn't even slow it down.
- That's so cool.

That's exactly what I said. I said that.

If that's the case,
what's keeping it inside this cylinder?

That was Dr Lee's idea.
The top and bottom plates are electrified.

The field seems to be holding it in.

You're not hurting it, are you?

The creature has no physical body.
I don't think it's capable of feeling pain.

But if it's intelligent, it might not
appreciate being held in a cage.

Might be time to let this one go, Doc.

Colonel, no, please. We need to study it.

Find another way.

Bill, come in. Any sign ofthe swarm?

Nothin'. Looks like they just disappeared.

They gotta be around here somewhere.
Try checking for high- frequency spikes.

You got it.

Hey there.

Where are your friends?

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Easy. I'm not gonna hurt you.

Bill, you gettin' anything
on the high frequency? Bill?

- Bill, come in.
-

- Oh, God! Colonel...
-

Teal'c?

Do you mind if I call you Teal'c?

I have no other name.

So I'm guessing you're not...

Human.

- Then your guess is correct.
- Then is this your planet? I mean moon.

It is not. My home world is called Chulak.

Your world? Wait a second.
How many places does the Stargate go?

The Stargate network is
composed of a great many worlds.

- Are you serious?
- Colonel O'Neill! Colonel O'Neill!

Colonel O'Neill! Help, Colonel O'Neill!

- What?
- It's Dr Thompson.

- Those things, they're attacking him.
- Where?

In the clearing where
we first encountered them.

Carter, get him inside. Teal'c, with me.

Go, go, go.

Hey! Just what about my radio
transmission did you not understand?

- Let's go!
- Just finishing up, sir.

- What happened to Dr Thompson?
- He's dead. Let's move.

Colonel, we don't know what happened.
This might be an isolated incident.

- The creatures may have been provoked.
- Maybe. Let me ask you this.

- Why take a chance?
- O'Neill.

All right, back inside.

- These walls will not protect us, O'Neill.
- We got about 15 seconds.

- I don't know, sir. Zats, maybe.
- Maybe?

I just got here.
Zats deliver an electrical charge.

They're the only weapon I can think of
that might have an effect.

All right, everybody get down.

We've wired up the aluminum walls.

When we switch on the current
it might keep them out,...

..the same way that Dr Lee's
containment vessel kept them in.

- They are returning.
- Light it up.

Stand clear of the walls.

- It's working.
- As long as we've got power, we're safe.

How long do you think
the generator'll keep running?

I'm not...I'm not sure.

You're not sure?

- Who refuelled it last?
- Dr Thompson.

- I'm sure he filled it this morning.
- We don't know that.

That would give us
another eight or so hours.

- But you cannot be certain.
- No.

All right, where is it?

On the other side of the compound,
down by the creek.

Basically, it could run out at any time.

- Carter?
- I think I may have a way out of here, sir.

The creatures are being held back by
the electrical field around the building.

We need to create a field big enough
to repel them from the entire area.

- Yeah?
- The Stargate, sir.

It's a giant superconductor. The field
it generates would be more than enough.

So somebody's gotta go and dial out.

Anyone attempting to reach it
will be killed.

Not necessarily. The human body
has an electrical field of its own.

Do you remember what happened when
Dr Hamilton was hit by Teal'c's zat fire?

The creatures must have left his body,
because his electrical field was altered.

- How long will it last?
- I don't know, sir.

- Shoot him again.
- A second shot from a zat'n'ktel kills.

It's just a guess. I'm not sure you'd make
it to the gate before you were vulnerable.

Hey, why'd they attack in the first place?

It's possible they were reacting
to the capture of one of their own.

- That's not it.
- What?

I've gone over Dr Thompson's
astronomical observations.

Did you know this moon wasn't formed
from the accretion disc of the planet?

No. But I suspected.

Dr Thompson thinks it was a rogue that
got pulled into an eccentric polar orbit.

A planet's magnetic field emanates from
the poles. It's where it's the most intense.

We entered into the polar phase
of the orbit a couple of days ago,...

..at the time the creatures
were encountered.

They became violent right at the moment
we were directly over the pole.

It's possible, sir.

- Go on.
- We're beyond the point of peak intensity.

If we wait, the creatures will go back
to the way they were before.

- How long would that take?
- A couple of hours. No more than that.

The generator will most likely
not last that long.

We'll hold them off
with those phaser things.

- What do you think?
- Well, sir, if I'm right...

..and their behaviour is retaliatory,
waiting will just make things worse.

- You're not right. I am.
- You don't know that, Cadet.

The creatures are affected
by electric fields.

You think it's a coincidence that
they go berserk as we pass over the pole?

Is it a coincidence that they attacked us
after one of their own was captured?

Sir, we can't both be right.
The theories are mutually exclusive.

There's evidence to support both,
but not enough to reach a conclusion.

Don't dismiss my idea
because you expect her to be right.

It doesn't matter who's right, Cadet.

Colonel,
you're risking your life for nothing.

Decision's made.

How could it not matter who's right?

If he makes a run for the gate,
he's risking his own life.

If he waits, he risks everyone's life.

He can't do that.

As soon as I get the gate open,
head straight for it.

- Don't bring anything with you.
- We can't just leave weeks of research.

Carter, if he so much as brings
a file folder, shoot him.

Yes, sir.

- Are you ready, O'Neill?
- No.

Give me a warning.

I'm going to shoot you.

I was thinking more
along the lines of "On three..."

One...

Two!

God! I said "On three"!

God!

- Good luck, O'Neill.
- Wish me luck.

Good luck, sir.

Thank you.

Go!

I'm at the gate. I'm gonna start dialling.

Colonel? Colonel!

Quickly, O'Neill.

I'll never complain
about mosquitoes again.

We owe you our thanks, Colonel.

I suppose.

And I owe you...an apology.

I suppose you do.

- Is it always like this?
- No. Sometimes it gets really exciting.

Will I ever find out
which one of us was right?

If you stick around long enough, maybe.
Besides, there'll always be other planets.

- It's a moon.
- OK. You're right about that.

Visiontext Subtitles: Sally Lewis