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Lockdown (Stargate SG-1)

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"Lockdown (Stargate SG-1)"
Guest appearances
  • Gavin Hood as Colonel Alexi Vaselov
  • Aaron Pearl as Major Kearney
  • Alisen Down as Doctor Brightman
  • Holly Ferguson as Lietuenant Evans
  • Arvydas Lebeliunas as Anatole Konstantinov

"Lockdown" is the third episode for season eight of the Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. The episodes was written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, the episode was directed by Will Waring. The episodes was the only episode in the eighth season that got a syndication rating, but at the same time was one of the lowest rated of the season on the Nielsen household ratings. The episode got strong reviews from major media publishers worldwide.

"Lockdown" is about the discovery an outbreak of disease which first occurred in the Russian Federation, but later on goes and inflicts the Stargate Command personnel. The outbreak is later revealed to the ethereal remains of Anubis. At the same time Jack O'Neill, stop recruiting process for SG-1 leaving Samantha Carter as the new leader of SG-1 throughout season 8. Anubis tries to take new hosts but is eventually defeated and forced to a chosen destination (by Carter) to a frozen, barren planet.

Plot

Several months after the destruction of Anubis' fleet, Stargate Command gets a new member in form of the Russian Air Force Col. Vaselov, who promptly asks General O'Neill for a place in SG-1. After the General rejects this request Vaselov talks with Daniel about this but suddenly collapses. When he wakes up again he doesn't remember anything since he was in Russia and his body shows signs of extensive viral damage. O'Neill orders the base to be shut off but Daniel, who wants to leave on a mission with SG-11, suddenly takes a weapon and injures several people before he is stopped by O'Neill and Teal'c.

Meanwhile Vaselov remembers that he felt like being trapped in his own body and he blames himself for what has happened. It is also found out that a Russian astronaut from the ISS died a week after returning to Russia, exhibiting the same symptoms as Vaselov. Later Daniel wakes up and quickly remembers that he was taken over by Anubis. It turns out that the former System Lord, thanks to his half-ascended form as a dark specter, can jump from person to person. It is concluded that Anubis plans on leaving the base through the Stargate because he can't use his ascended powers, since this would call upon the Ancients. In the meantime Anubis easily eludes capture until the SGC must execute a bold plan to stop his endless wave of murders.

This plan involves moving the control room and splitting the base into 3 using drop-down steel doors. The Stargate is in one section, the new control room is in another, and the room which controls the 'lockdown' is in the third. All staff are restricted to 1 section only. No movement between sections is allowed.

However, Anubis takes over Carter (in the section with the room which controls the 'lockdown' in), and makes her schedule a program (including the self-destruct of the base) to open the doors temporarily, and she goes into the new control room and begins dialling the gate, but O'Neill tries to stop her. However, O'Neill is taken over and attempts to walk through the gate, but is stopped by the previously possessed Vaselov who came from the infirmary. Anubis possesses him, and walks through the Gate.

Anubis did not escape, though, as Carter changed the address to a freezing planet, and the temperature freezes Vaselov's body (as he is only in a hospital gown), so Anubis cannot re-dial the gate.

Production

Aaron Pearl who portrayed Major Kearney in the episode, previously played the younger version of George Hammond in the season two episode "1969". "Lockdown" was the first shot episode for season eight, but became the third to air so that they could continue the cliffhanger after previous season episode, "Lost City". Writer Joseph Mallozzi wanted to have an episode centered around the Jack O'Neill new job in Stargate Command, to "Test him early" on "as the new commander."

In the first script draft, Anubis was set to appear in a fiery planet at the end of the episode, but when the script was finished he ended up in a frozen planet. Mallozzi when commenting on the episode, said it was an "Image I'd been dying to use". Samantha Carter tells Jack O'Neill in the original draft where she sent Anubis, O'Neill than responded "Well, I hope he wore his warm socks." The line was dropped since producers felt it was "Too callous" for the character. In one of the early scenes featuring Alexi Vaselov were he awakens to find Teal'c in the observation room was originally scripted to take place in the infirmary. Originally Teal'c was set to appear at Daniel Jackson's bedsite with Vaselov engaging in the conversation.

Reception

"Lockdown" received 2.0 in Nielsen household rating and 1.7 in syndication ratings becoming the only episode in season eight to receive a syndication rating. The episode debuted on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States on July 23, 2004, with Stargate Atlantis episode "Hide and Seek" it was the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel that week. "Lockdown" drew close to 2.7 million viewers in the United States, this was a down four-tenth from previous episode "New Order". While the viewership was higher than previous season which average a 1.8 in Nielsen household ratings. "Lockdown" was surpassed by sister show Stargate Atlantis episode "Hide and Seek" in ratings and viewership. The episode was noted for being the first Stargate SG-1 episode not being the top-rated show on the Sci Fi Channel in the week in two years.

References

  1. ^ Mallozzi, Joseph. "'In the Making': Lockdown". GateWorld. Retrieved 2009-06-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. "Season Eight Ratings". GateWorld. Retrieved 2009-06-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. "RATINGS: 'Lockdown' and 'Hide and Seek'". GateWorld. August 9, 2004. Retrieved 2009-06-17. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

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