Problems arise for the SG-1 team when they are exposed to a virus on their latest trip through the gate. The virus slowly turns them into animalistic creatures incapable of reason, and the entire Stargate Command (SGC) may be in trouble.

Written by one of the showrunners Jonathan Glassner, this episode was first broadcast on 15 August, 1997.

We also learn that not only are there SG teams but there are SG Marine units as well, and they accompany O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Jackson (Michael Shanks), Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) on this mission.

The planet they visited has a group of brutes, infected with the virus, and a group of people known as the Untouched, influenced by Minoan culture, who haven’t been infected and live on the light side of the planet. Jackson wants to stay and investigate and understand the culture, a science vs. military discussion as Hammond (Don S. Davis) points out, but the SGC wants to hurry up and track the goa’uld down.

But the team will have to go back and investigate the culture to discover why the marines, Carter and O’Neill fall victim to the virus and begin to behave abnormally and violently. It seems Teal’c’s goa’uld protects him, and perhaps Jackson wasn’t exposed, or maybe it’s taking longer, but they will have to return to the planet and investigate and hope to find a cure, even as Hammond locks down the SGC.

And while fan favourite Gary Jones as Sgt. Harriman has been in the series since the beginning, all of three episodes ago, this episode also introduces another iconic character for the show, Dr. Frasier (Teryl Rothery). Frasier is able to figure out what the cure is and everything is saved by the end of the episode, and they are able to cure the people on the dark side of the planet they visited as well.

Tightly paced, solid moments, and some great lines I’m already forgetting about Emancipation.

The First Commandment debuted on 22 August, 1997 and was written by Robert C. Cooper, a name that from here on out will be long associated with Stargate as he is involved with all of the series from here on out as a writer and producer.

And hey! There’s the awesome Roger Cross!

The story is pretty familiar, and I guess by getting it out of the way early, they can deal with the story idea, and then let it go. With SG teams being treated like gods everytime they go through the gate and appear on some distant world, it was bound to go to someone’s head eventually.

In this case, it’s gone to the head of Captain Jonas Hanson (William Russ), the leader of SG-9.

When 9 doesn’t report in SG-1 is sent to investigate, and they find that Russ has installed himself as ruler, dictator, and tyrant. Will the team be able to stop his rule of the planet, and bring him to justice? Hanson drives his worshippers to the brink of exhaustion and death to build a temple for him, he believes his own press and is proving to be incredibly dangerous to the people and to SG-1.

Oh, and it seems that Hanson and Carter had a prior relationship, one that could have ended in marriage if Carter hadn’t returned the ring.

As things escalate, Hanson reveals he has a powerful device left behind by the goa’uld that will help him cement his power, and the team has to find and stop the accompanying device and get to Carter before everything falls apart.

It’s a solid episode that gives us a flavour of what Cooper can bring us, and also has some fun action sequences. I’ll be honest, it’s been years since I watched this show, and I am loving it all so far. I can’t wait for the next adventure!