When O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is replaced by another being, from a crystalline structure on a remote planet, his replacement explores the loss of O’Neill’s son, and talks with his ex-wife, Sara (Harley Jane Kozak).

Cold Lazarus was written by Jeff King and first aired on 29 August, 1997.

As the replacement O’Neill confronts O’Neill’s past in an attempt to understand the man and heal him, Jackson (Michael Shanks), Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Teal’c (Christopher Judge) experiment and test one of the crystals that they have brought back from their expedition, leading to a fascinating discovery.

When O’Neill wakes and returns through the stargate, they have to figure out what is going on, and what the other O’Neill is doing just as the being seems to suffer some sort of attack.

While not my favourite episode, it’s smart, thoughtful, and really fills out O’Neill’s backstory even as the series continues moving forward with more exploration, action beats, and a lot of heart. Anderson still gets to shine with some great lines, but also shows that he can play the emotional depth when required as the loss of O’Neill’s son weighs heavily on the character, and affects his relationship, or lack thereof with Sara.

It’s a solid episode and works very well as a continued expansion on the O’Neill character, and has a lot more depth than some episodes from other series’ first seasons. The show is here, investing viewers in its characters, and wants to tell all manner of stories.

The Nox first aired on 12 September, 1997 and was written by Hart Hanson. And it features Armin Shimerman!

When the current administration are less than impressed with the results of the stargate programme, read that as no advanced technology or weaponry that will allow to fight the goa’uld as well as fund research and make money Teal’c offers up a suggestion of a planet where the inhabitants and some of the creatures have the power of invisibility.

O’Neill leads SG-1 through the gate in search of the possible advantage, only to find Apophis (Peter Williams) and some jaffa are there seeking the same advantage. When combat is engaged, people on both sides are severely wounded, and then healed by a gentle race known as the Nox.

And the Nox may have the biggest secret on the planet, they are a gentle race who love of peace and nature, and willingly heal both sides involved in the conflict.

As Jackson and O’Neill work to convince the Nox of the threat of the goa’uld, they find themselves ignored. SG-1 fear that the Nox may be too primitive to survive any attack, but there is more going on here than is first noticeable.

And while SG-1 may make an ally, they may not be able to keep the programme going when they don’t come home with any technology, despite the possibilities the Nox present.

A fairly standard episode, but entertaining enough for a first season entry, and also establishes more continuity for characters and arcs. Man, I forgot who much I loved this series, and I am going to enjoy this ride so much.

There’s more gate travel Thursday!