SG1 finds a communication device, same as the stones between Jack and the barber. Daniel and Vala are the ones to use it and their consciousness are transported to another world. They learn that the Ori are some kind of religious leaders and Vala is suddenly captured and put on trial for being a believer or not, if not, she will burn to death, which happens. A prior of the Ori, undoes her death and orders them to follow him. Meanwhile at the SGC, Daniel and Vala are in some kind of coma, and when she burns to death in that other woman’s body, she also dies briefly in the SGC. On Dakara things don’t go smoothly either, Gerak is chosen to be the new leader of the Jaffa. Note - An okay season opener, introducing a new baddie, introducing the new lead character Cameron Mitchell, Vala and also Major General Hank Landry (Beau Bridges). It is clear that Samantha Carter is greatly missed in these first two episodes, even more than Jack O’Neill. Lexa Doig is the new doctor Dr. Carolyn Lam, daughter of Hank Landry.

In “Origin” Daniel and Vala are being taken by a Prior of the Ori to meet the Doci, one who speaks with the Ori, their gods. Landry invites Gerak (Louis Gossett Jr.) to come to earth for a get to know you. There certainly are tensions because Teal’c doesn’t trust him. When Daniel tells the Doci he has different thoughts about the Ori, regarding free thinking, free to believe any kind of faith, the Doci wants to kill them and every non-believer. Only solution for Cameron is to throw the device into the emerging Stargate as it connects, which saves Daniel and Vala in the nick of time from death by fire. Note – After the Goa’uld, this is a nice set-up to a knew adversary, the Ori, which I found to be much more interesting than the Goa’uld. Jack made a brief appearance at the end of the episode, checking up on Daniel.

In “The Ties That Bind” Even without the bracelets, Daniel and Vala need to stay together otherwise they die. Likely that the communication device had something to do with this. Vala thinks there might be someone who can help them, but Vala stole something from him and he first wants this back first. This cycle goes much further, each time Vala has double-crossed that person and they get stuck in endless trading. Meanwhile funding for the SGC is cut back significantly. Note - Is an okay episode, nothing more really, it is kinda funny, Vala and Daniel really work together, the banter between them makes the episode okay to watch.

In “The Powers That Be” Vala leads SG-1 to a planet which the Priors have visited with a plan to keep them from worshiping the Ori. Once there she reveals that the symbiote that once held her ruled over this planet. Daniel convinces her that keeping them in allegiance to her will hinder the spread of Origin to this world. Meanwhile, when the prior comes, he shows the Ori’s power to make everyone sick, so that they almost have no choice but to choose the Ori. Meanwhile on the base, General Landry tries to reconnect with his daughter Dr. Lam but she sure doesn’t make it very easy for him. Note - This was a good episode, Vala at the center of the episode and she stood her own, really like her character, Claudia Black’s feel for comedy is undeniable.

In “Beachhead” Sam returns! A Prior of the Ori has established an ever-growing forcefield on a Jaffa-controlled planet called Kalana. A minor Goa'uld named Nerus, who engineered the multiple Gate connections required for the defeat of the Replicators, comes to the SGC with information on the event and offers his help. Note - Ori wanted to make a giant supergate, with the power of the attacking vessels. Vala brought down the supergate and seems to die while doing it, but she does escape. So happy that Sam is back, but the episode was not that great. In “Ex Deux Machina” Ba’al is hiding on earth, Gerak is trying to find him on earth without informing the SGC. Teal’c is no longer trusted by the Jaffa council and the Tauri are seen as not to be trusted. Ba’al is cloning himself, multiple Ba’al’s are walking on earth. Note - This Jaffa storyline is actually interesting, they are now more interesting than all the 8 years before. I like how they are becoming more enemies of the Tauri than allies.

“Babylon” is a favorite of mine, SG-1 investigates a planet that is said to be the home of the Warriors of Sodan, a legendary tribe of Jaffa said to have not served the Goa'uld in 5,000 years. In an encounter with the warriors, Mitchell deals a deadly blow to one of the Sodan and is captured and taken to their village. There he awaits a battle to the death as punishment for his crime. Note - Thought this was a more than okay episode, these Sodan intrigued me, the way they look at life, live it. Was a bit annoyed how Landry’s daughter acts towards her superior, because it is her father she gets away with it. “Prototype” is a weaker episode, SG-1 finds a man off-world in stasis, Mitchell somehow has to push a button so the man wakes up. Daniel discovers that he is, sort of, the son of Anubis, the man was created in a lab. Daniel wants to kill him, the others want to put him back in stasis, but Woolsey and his committee wants to experiment on him while the man grows stronger every minute. Note - indecision and stupidly (Mitchell / Woolsey) cost a few men their lives.

“The Fourth Horseman” is a strong two-parter, Gerak has accepted to teachings of the Ori, he is convinced this is the right way for the Jaffa. The Ori are responsible for releasing a deadly plague on earth. Orin is back, but in a different body, that of a child. He is trying to help to come up with antidote against the plague. Sam and Dr. Lee are trying to create some kind of weapon that should incapacitate a prior. Gerak has become a prior! Note - Nice build up this first part, less humor this episode, which is understandable seeing what is at stake. Carter has found a way to temporarily block a prior’s powers. Daniel and Mitchell are going to test it on the Sodan world. Virus is spreading all over the world, General Landry is also infected. Teal’c and Bra’tec try to convince the council that Gerak is no longer to be trusted now that he has become a prior. Teal’c convinces Gerak that the Ori are false gods as well and that Teal’c rather die free than become a slave again. Gerak agrees to help earth get rid of the virus and kills himself afterwards. With Orlin’s help dr. Lam has managed to create an anti-dote. Landry takes Orlin to Sodan world to try and convince the Prior that the Ori are evil. And they learn that the Ori are in our galaxy to wipe out the ancients. Note - Strong two-parter, nice banter between Daniel and Mitchell as they just taken away the prior’s powers.

In “Collateral Damage” while visiting a planet, Mitchell is placed under arrest for the murder of a scientist. Via memory ingrams Mitchell does remember and experiences him killing her. When he is set free, because of diplomatic relations, Mitchell insists on finding out the truth, which may result in the death penalty. Note - TNG, DS9, VOY all have the same kind of episodes, where one of our heroes is being accused of a murder on an alien planet. Average episode, although I do think this is one of the better ones. In “Ripple Effect” after hearing a loud noise, coming from the Stargate, SG-1 comes through. However this is not the SG-1 from this universe. On the scheduled time the ‘real’ SG-1 comes through the gate and not long after, many more SG-1 teams. On one of these teams we see Martouf and Janet Frasier! Note - Kind of a fun episode, enjoyed it more than I remembered it from last rewatches. Had a lump in my throat when Daniel, Teal’c and the audience first saw Janet from the other team. Makes you think ‘our’ SG-1 would never do something like this. In “Stronghold” Teal’c & Bra’tec are fighting for a democratic future for the Jaffa people, but Ba’al tries yet again to let the Jaffa serve him, he has kidnapped Teal’c and it attempting to brain wash him, like he did with others on the Jaffa council. Meanwhile Cameron is taken some personal time because a friend of his, from the military, who was also up for Cameron’s current gig, is terminally ill. Note - This was an okay episode, I find the Jaffa politics quite interesting to see that progressing, or not progressing.

In “Ethon” A contact within the Rand Protectorate comes to Earth with news that the Ori have given his people a superweapon to use against the Caledonian Federation in exchange for their conversion to Origin. SG-1 plans to turn the people from their newfound religion and destroy the superweapon. Note - A good episode, still, I didn’t like this world, the people on both sides. A good episode is “Off the Grid”, While investigating the source of an addictive corn-like crop, SG-1 becomes involved in a firefight. They are forced to fall back to the gate, but as Daniel is dialing, both the Stargate and the DHD are beamed away. Of course Ba’al is behind this. General Landry goes to Area 51 to get information from Nerus. He lets him go with a bug in his food. Note - More fun than earlier rewatches, enough humor, gorgeous looking Sam and nice banter between Nerus and Landry. Last scene quote: Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: We have got the best jobs in the world, don't we? Lt. Col. Samantha Carter: I'm gonna hit the shower. Dr. Daniel Jackson: I'm gonna find a doctor. Teal'c: We are indeed suitably employed Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell: Yeah, it was a good day.

“The Scrourge” is my least favorite of the season so far, SG-1’s original mission has been scrubbed to babysit members of the International Oversight Advisory, including Richard Woolsey, on a tour of the Gamma site. A carnivorous insect, created by the Ori escapes from the lab and SG-1 task has become to protect the these people instead of babysit them. Note - It was a watchable episode, but other than that, nothing special to be honest. In “Arthur’s Mantle” Sam manages to activate an Ancient device they found at the Glastonbury site and she and Mitchell are shifted into a phase that makes them invisible to everyone. Daniel soon figures out just what is going on but Dr. Lee's proposed solution sends Daniel to the same plane as Sam and Mitchell. There he is able to translate information explaining that Merlin had created a weapon against the Ori - and provides a gate address where it can be found. Meanwhile, Teal'c travels to a Jaffa planet that has sent out a distress call. Mitchell goes with another SG team to try and help Teal’c. He is trying to kill Volnek, who turned in some kind of a monster killing his whole village. The two events are related. Note – A good episode but one makes you wonder, other than the comic relief, what Dr. Lee even does there, seems a bit incompetent.

In “Crusade” Using the Ancients' communication technology, Vala, who is in the Ori galaxy, contacts the SGC. She tells them that after being sucked into the wormhole she awoke in a bed in a village much like the one she and Daniel had visited when they used the communication stones. Vala tells her story while looking as Daniel, telling them about her pregnancy, her marriage, but also about the huge ships the Ori are building. Attempt of sabotage by the resistance was cancelled out. Meanwhile the Russians tell Landry they want their Stargate back. But it seems they have something different in mind.

The season 9 finale, “Camelot” is an entertaining episode, SG-1 arrives on a planet where Merlin supposedly has a library where there could a secret weapon to use on the Ori. Meanwhile, the SGC has located the Ori's Supergate. Sam's attempt to get control of it is too late, and four Ori ships make their way through. In the ensuing battle, much of Earth's fleet is destroyed, and the future of several SGC members is left in doubt. Note - Perhaps not the very best of SG-1 season finale’s, but certainly an entertaining one. The finale few minutes where the Ori ships come through the supergate is quite impressive. Vala’s look outside to the destruction by the Ori ship, reminds me of Londo Mollari on Babylon 5 when he looks with disgust at what his people is doing to the Narn population in “The Long Twilight Struggle”, very powerful!

Final Word:

As I said, an enjoyable season, not the strongest, but certainly not the least best of all the 10 seasons. I do think that season 10 is (much) stronger than season 9. In fact, I think season 10 is one of my favorite seasons! What I did mention briefly in the beginning was that besides Cameron Mitchell and Vala Mal Doran, we had more new characters. The most important one of course is General Hank Landry, played by Beau Bridges. He was a fine addition to the cast, his wit and humor was something that I really liked about him. His daughter Dr. Carolyn Lam (Lexa Doig) was the new doctor on the base. I like the actress but I didn’t really like the character that much, always acting out against her father. I understand the reasoning but you know what you are getting into, accepting the job with your father as your boss! One more season to go, it has taken a long time but it was well worth the watch! Watching it on Blu-ray, is an extra treat, final seasons really look great!

Written with the help of IMdB & screencaps taken from Gateworld!