Pretense
Written By: Katharyn Powers
Directed By: David Warry-Smith
Guest Stars: Alexis Cruz, Frida Betrani, Marie Stillin & Gerwin Sanford
Above a planet a Glider is trying to escape from two Goa'uld motherships. The two ships are destroyed by fire from the planets surface and the glider crashes. Some of the locals run up to the Glider, inside it they find Skaare/Klorel. Skaare is in charge and asks them for help.
Skaare in the crashed Glider.
At the SGC the gate dials up and the iris is closed. The iris starts to loose integrity and a cat comes through, it is Schrodinger, the cat Sam gave to the Tollan Narim. Moments later Narim himself steps through the gate. He tells SG-1 that they are needed on Tollana to attend a Triad, they Triad involves Skaare.
SG-1 arrive on Tollana via the stargate, it seems the Tollan have built their own one. They go to a central building and have their weapons disabled by a device, after Jack's protests have died down they move into the main area of the building and meet High Chancellor Travail who tells them about the Triad (see Questions Answered). Narim now takes SG-1 to see Skaare but Klorel is in charge, but a device on his chest changes from red to blue and Skaare speaks, the device is designed by the Tollan and allows the host and Goa'uld to speak freely of each other.
O'Neill goes to see Skaare.
Skaare picks both Jack and Daniel as his archons, but they will only have one vote. Klorel's archon now arrives, it is a Goa'uld Lord called Zipacna. The third and neutral archon arrives as well, it is the Nox Lya. (see The Nox).
Lord Zipacna arrives.
The Triad begins and they the decision to be taken is who has the right to Skaare's body. Lord Zipacna and Klorel go first and then soon Skaare speaks, he says the Goa'uld have stolen his life. Zipacna counters by saying that the Goa'uld are superior to humans and have the right to use them as they seem fit, just as humans use animals because they are more superior, he also says that as a citizen of Abydos Skaare belonged to the Goa'uld as they (were) governed by Ra. Daniel and Jack now counter Zipacna by saying that the Goa'uld are more superior, just more parasitic as they steal everything they posses. As Skaare starts to discuss what atrocities he has seen as a Goa'uld Zipacna suddenly announces the host doesn't remain once taken over by a Goa'uld, therefore the host witnesses nothing.
Daniel and Zipacna argue in the Triad.
Sam and Teal'c meanwhile watch some of Zipacna's men look around the Tollan weapon systems. Sam goes to Narim with the information and the Tollan check over the weapons, they find nothing wrong with them and inform SG-1 that the Goa'uld are technologically inferior to them and can not tamper with the weapons, they are worrying about nothing. As the technicians check over the cannon, Teal'c watches what they are doing. Travail tells Jack that if they bring up the matter again, Skaare will be represented by someone else. Later Jack tells Teal'c that the matter is to be dropped, but Teal'c goes to see Lya to ask for help.
The Triad resumes and Zipacna says that the Triad is futile, Tollan law does not allow the death penalty and if they remove Klorel from Skaare they will kill it, therefore they must be left together. Narim enters the room with Sam and Teal'c, he tells Travail to change to the space observatory channel, they see a Goa'uld ship approaching, Travail demands Zipacna explains, he tells them it has come in anticipation of his victory as they are proceeding to somewhere a gate doesn't exist.
Zipacna explains the presence of his ship.
They vote, both archons voting the way they represent. Lya has the deciding vote, she votes for Skaare as he originally owned the body. Travail tells them the Tok'ra will be called and Klorel removed from Skaare and sent to a Goa'uld world of his choice. At this Zipacna removes a hidden com device and barks an order into it, the Goa'uld start to attack Tollana, wiping out all the defence cannons simultaneously, as SG-1 told the Tollan they would do.
The Tollan cannons are knocked out.
Zipacna leaves through the gate. Thankfully Lya has hidden one of the Tollan weapons, she makes it visible again and Teal'c gets it to destroy the attacking Goa'uld ships. Back in the main building Skaare, now free of Klorel, is reunited with his friends.
Skaare is reunited with his friends.