We begin our run to the series finale, with only four episodes left how are stories, and character arcs going to start playing out?

Talion was written by Damian Kindler and first debuted on 1 June, 2007.

When Teal’c (Christopher Judge) and Bra’tac (Tony Amendola) survive a series of bomb attacks which kill other Jaffa, Teal’c is determined to go on a mission of vengeance. He believes that Arkad (Craig Fairbrass) was responsible. He also believes that Arkad may have been involved with the death of his mother.

Once again, Teal’c takes his leave of SG-1 and goes to help his people, and hunt down Arkad.

Landry (Beau Bridges) is unwilling to sanction Teal’c’s mission, but how can he stop him? Things get even more complicated when Arkad makes overtures to Stargate Command to help defend earth from the Ori, even while he’s in league with them!

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Jaffa story like this. It’s basically Jaffa Death Wish. Teal’c isn’t afraid to torture to find Arkad and have his revenge.

Mitchell (Ben Browder), Daniel (Michael Shanks), Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Vala (Claudia Black) are told to stop him, while the SGC tries to figure out how to deal with Arkad. Teal’c is able to put his team down, safely, if painfully, and confronts Arkad, revealing all of the truths that Arkad have hidden from the SGC.

As a viewer, you know going in that Teal’c is right about his convictions, and even the political machinations that work to put he and his friends on opposite sides feel a little contrived. They’d stick by him, I’m sure. But it does give Judge a solid revenge episode.

Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie introduce us to Vala’s father, Jacek (Fred Willard) in Family Ties. This episode first aired on 8 June, 2007. Peter DeLuise once again found himself in the director’s chair.

It ends up being a bit of a father-daughter story on two fronts. Jacek shows up, revealing more of the late Arkad’s plan. And he and Vala are more than little estranged. It also lets Landry and Lam (Lexa Doig) sort some of their issues out, while Landry hopes to begin making amends with her, and his ex-wife.

Obviously, having someone like Willard around means you are going to lean into some of the comedic aspects of the show. You can’t have Willard and not let him be funny.

Of course, there’s a bit of a plan here. Jacek wants sanctuary on Earth, which is why he’s revealing the other aspects of Arkad’s plan. There are naquadah-filled cargo ships ready to attack Earth, designed to blow up at a moment’s notice.

The science fiction plot takes back seat to the personal drama, and while it may not be the best of Stargate, it does allow for some nice character bits, and lets Willard’s Jacek prove himself to be a big con artist.

This is it, next time we finish Stargate: SG-1 the series. But the characters get two more outings together in two follow-up films. Stay tuned!