Moebius (Stargate SG-1)
Encyclopedia
"Moebius" is the season finale
Season finale
A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...

 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 were 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...

, 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...

, Executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

s Brad Wright
Brad Wright
Brad Wright is a Canadian television producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known as the creator or co-creator of the television series Stargate SG-1 , Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe...

 and Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper
Robert C. Cooper is a Canadian writer and producer best known for his work in the Stargate franchise. He was formerly an executive producer of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis until both series conclusion and currently holds the same title on the third Stargate series Stargate Universe...

, the episodes were directed by Peter DeLuise
Peter DeLuise
Peter John DeLuise is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, perhaps best known for directing episodes of science fiction television shows, particularly in the Stargate franchise.-Career:...

. The episodes were the strongest episodes in the eighth 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...

 with fellow Stargate SG-1 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...

". The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.

"Moebius" is about the discovery of a Zero Point Module (ZPM) by SG-1, the only problem is that it was taken by Ra after the Earth revolt
Goa'uld
The Goa'uld are a fictional symbiotic race of ancient astronauts from the American-Canadian military science fiction television franchise Stargate. The Goa'uld are parasites from the planet P3X-888, integrated within a host, most of the time human. The resulting creatures are a powerful race bent...

 more than five thousand years ago. The team decides to travel back in time
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...

 to get the ZPM and leave without changing history (based on the fact that Ra and company were most likely unaware of the ZPM's purpose), but they are unable to travel back to present time so they record a video for the United States government to find. In the alternate timeline, the government find the tape and subsequently 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...

 in Antarctica and decide to establish the Stargate Program but not to restore the original timeline.

Part 1

Samantha "Sam" 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...

 reveals the existence of the Daedalus
Daedalus class battlecruiser
In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 and its sequels, several types of starships are introduced in the later seasons. In the series, they are the product of several years' worth of research into alien technologies discovered on off-world missions to other planets visited via the...

: a new Earth-built battlecruiser which is capable of reaching the Pegasus Galaxy and is larger and more advanced than the Prometheus. Daniel Jackson learns of Catherine Langford's death and, after her funeral, receives Catherine's collection of documents and artifacts relating to the Stargate program. From one book in the collection, Daniel learns of the former location of a Zero Point Module (ZPM) in Ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. Daniel and Carter persuade 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...

 to use the time travel capabilities of the Puddle Jumper they found to travel back and take the ZPM, assuming that Ra never knew of its purpose.

Once they arrive in 3000 B.C., they join in an offering to Ra and witness his cold-blooded murder of an Egyptian making the offering. Teal'c disguises himself as a Horus Jaffa and retrieves the ZPM from Ra's treasury. However, Ra's Jaffa discover the cloaked Jumper after a sandstorm covers it in sand. Unwilling to upset the future by fighting the Jaffa to get the Jumper back, SG-1 decides to live out the rest of their lives in the past, knowing that the rebellion that overthrew Ra will eventually happen. However, an alternate timeline is created in which 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...

 was never discovered and everything SG-1 have done for the last eight years never happened.

In this timeline, alternate Daniel is teaching English as a second language, alternate Carter spends her time double-checking other scientists' work, Alternate-O'Neill is retired from the military and Alternate-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...

 is still the First Prime of Apophis. Alternate-Daniel and Alternate-Carter are contacted by the Air Force and brought to Cheyenne Mountain.

At Cheyenne Mountain, George Hammond informs alternate Carter and alternate Daniel that archaeologists found a video camera in a vacuum-sealed canopic jar
Canopic jar
Canopic jars were used by the Ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. They were commonly either carved from limestone or were made of pottery...

 at a dig in Giza. The video contains a recording of the original SG-1, explaining who they are and what they were doing, as well as a number of things that are true in their timeline, such as recent political events, Presidents and personal details. Their plan is that if things have changed in the future, then SG-1's alternative selves will travel back in time and fix the past.

An expedition team is sent to find the Giza Stargate, but find nothing. Instead, they discover that the original Daniel left a tablet where the gate should have been, inscribed with an obscure dialect of Egyptian that only alternate Daniel can read. It reveals that the original SG-1 instigated a successful rebellion against the Ra of 3000 BC. However, this caused him to leave Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

 with the Stargate. However, they do find the Puddle Jumper, and alternate Daniel and alternate Carter figure out how to find the Antarctic Stargate. A team is assembled to go through the Stargate to recruit alternate 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...

 under the instruction of the Daniel and Carter on the tape. Alternate Daniel and alternate Carter are not going to be on this team.

Part 2

The scientists working on the recovered Alternate-Puddle Jumper cannot make it work because they don't have the ATA gene. Alternate-O'Neill is called in to operate the Jumper and lead the team through the Stargate to find Alternate-Teal'c, and agrees that Alternate-Daniel and Alternate-Carter are to join the team through the Stargate.

On Chulak, SG-1 are caught by Jaffa loyal to Apophis and imprisoned. Alternate-Teal'c defects to their cause and helps them escape but Alternate-Daniel is infected by a Goa'uld and killed by Teal'c. They escape in the Puddle Jumper, but are chased and damaged by Death Gliders. Unaware of the jumper's cloaking capacity, they believe that only way they can survive is to time-travel. They travel back to 3000 B.C. and use 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...

 to pass from Chulak to Ancient Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 where the original versions of SG-1 were stranded and where Ra is still alive and ruling.

The original SG-1 attempted the rebellion because O'Neill and Teal'c didn't want to stay and O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c were killed when it failed. Daniel, the only survivor, meets with Alternate-Carter, Alternate-O'Neill and Alternate-Teal'c. He has not yet made the tablet detailing the second successful rebellion attempt because it hasn't happened yet. This means that his current plans with the underground of the local populace are destined to succeed, however they lead to the Stargate being removed from Earth by Ra. The plan is to instigate the rebellion, thus diverting Ra's attention, and secure the Stargate to where it was originally buried, allowing the original timeline to evolve as it did.

The rebellion ultimately succeeds, but not before Alternate-Carter and Alternate-O'Neill consummate their feelings for each other while under fire, uncertain if they will survive. Ra's Jaffa surrender, outnumbered by the staff- and zat-armed Egyptians. The alternate SG-1 bury the videotape, along with the ZPM, for the SG-1 of the future to find. The Alternate-SG-1 and Daniel from the original SG-1 (of 3000 BC) live out the rest of their lives in Ancient Egypt.

The original SG-1 of the present day receive the videotape and the ZPM left for them a few weeks before they were to go back in time. As the timeline has been restored, they have no reason to go back in time, and they've gained a ZPM free of charge. The episode ends with SG-1 at O'Neill's cabin, fishing, in a scene identical to the end of "Threads
Threads (Stargate SG-1)
"Threads" is an episode from Season 8 of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. Amanda Tapping won a Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Lead Performance - Female" and Michael Shanks was nominated for a Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series: Best Lead Performance -...

", except there are now fish in Jack's pond.

Production

After production wrapped on season seven
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...

, the writers came together and pitched out ideas for the eighth and presumably final season. Season five
Stargate SG-1 (season 5)
The fifth season of the military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 commenced airing on Showtime in the United States on June 29, 2001, concluded on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2002, and contained 22 episodes. The fifth season introduces future main character from Jonas...

 through season seven
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...

 had previously been expected to be the last, but the show got renewed each year. They ultimately agreed on about ten initial episodes, two of which should make a two-hour premiere to address a left-open issues of the season seven finale. 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...

was originally set to be replaced with a new series entitled Stargate Command, but 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...

 decided to renew the series for another season
Stargate SG-1 (season 9)
Season nine of Stargate SG-1, an American-Canadian television series, began airing on July 15, 2005 on SCI FI. The ninth season concluded on March 10, 2006, after 20 episodes on the same channel. The series was originally developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, and Brad Wright, Robert C....

.

O'Neill's last line in "Moebius", "Close enough" is an homage to The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

episode "Treehouse of Horror V
Treehouse of Horror V
"Treehouse of Horror V" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons sixth season and the fifth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It premiered on October 30, 1994, and features three short stories called The Shinning, Time and Punishment, and Nightmare Cafeteria...

" that involves Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

 time traveling and unintentionally making numerous changes to history; upon returning to a timeline where his family has snake tongues but everything else is otherwise normal, he says "eh, close enough". In the same SG-1 episode, the name of O'Neill's boat is "Homer". This is one of several references to The Simpsons on Stargate SG-1, all centered around O'Neill. (However, Carter's line "I keep thinking I'm gonna step on a bug and change the future," may be taken as a reference to The Simpsons, as Homer's stepping on a bug is what caused the changes in his universe. Alternatively, this line could be a reference to Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder
A Sound of Thunder
“A Sound of Thunder” is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury, first published in Collier’s magazine in 1952. As of 1984 it was the most re-published science fiction story up to the present time...

,
the original science fiction story that involved changes in a timeline caused by stepping on an insect, which influenced the Simpsons episode.) Incidentally, in the brief shot of O'Neill boat showing the name, the font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...

 used is the same font used extensively in The Simpsons.

"Moebius" was supposed to be the Stargate SG-1 series finale (like the two previous season finales), so many actors reprised their roles from past episodes: Don S. Davis
Don S. Davis
Don Sinclair Davis PhD was an American character actor, theatre professor, painter and captain in the United States Army.-Career:He was perhaps best known for playing General George S...

 as George Hammond, Peter Williams
Peter Williams (actor)
Peter Williams is a Jamaican-born actor currently residing in Canada. The majority of his work has been in television, including the role of the primary villain Apophis in the first four seasons of Stargate SG-1...

 as Apophis, Colin Cunningham
Colin Cunningham
Colin Alexander Cunningham is an American television and film actor, now living in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Television:...

 as Major Davis, and Jay Acovone as Charles Kawalsky. This is the last episode to feature Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson is an American television and film actor, producer and composer. He began his television career in 1976 as Dr. Jeff Webber in the American soap opera series General Hospital, then rose to prominence as the lead actor in the television series MacGyver...

 character Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

 Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill as a main cast member of Stargate SG-1. The episode also marks the final appearances of recurring characters Charles Kawalsky, Apophis and Major Davis (who would re-appear in 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...

series finale
Series finale
A series finale refers to the last installment of a series with a narrative presented through mediums such as television, film and literature. In many Commonwealth countries, the term final episode is commonly used in regards to a television series...

 "Enemy at the Gate
Enemy at the Gate (Stargate Atlantis)
"Enemy at the Gate" is the 100th and final episode of the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. The episode aired on January 9, 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States, and on January 13, 2009 on Sky1 in the United Kingdom...

" (2009)). Alessandro Juliani (Katep) previously played Eliam in the Season 4 episode "Scorched Earth". This episode marks Ra's only appearance outside of the feature film and Stargate: Continuum
Stargate: Continuum
Stargate: Continuum is a Canadian-American military science fiction film released through MGM Home Entertainment , written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. The film is a time-travel adventure and is the second sequel to Stargate SG-1, after Stargate: The Ark of Truth...

.

Reception

"Moebius" earned a Nielsen household rating
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...

 of 4.7, part one earned 2.3 and part two earned 2.4 in Nielsen household ratings. Christine Mooney won a Leo Award in the category "Dramatic Series - Best Costume Design" for "Moebius" (Part 2). Dan Houston from Digitally Obsessed said the episode was a "Must-see" for "Fans" of 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...

. Holly E. Ordway from DVDTalk said the episodes "story" was "entertaining" and "interesting" and different from the previous episodes in the franchise.

External links

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