97 Minutes, Color, USA/Canada, 2008
Written By: Robert C Cooper
Directed By: Robert C Cooper
Dramatis Personae:
Ben
Browder is Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron
Mitchell, sarcastic commander of SG-1, and put-upon straight man of the act.
Amanda
Tapping is Lieutenant-Colonel Samantha Carter, brilliant
astrophysicist member of SG-1 with shockingly little to do in this movie.
Christopher
Judge is TealÕc, indestructible
taciturn Jaffa warrior and member of SG-1.
Michael Shanks is Doctor Daniel
Jackson, brilliant and fed-up archaeologist member of SG-1.
Claudia Black is Vala Mal
Doran, former GoaÕuld host, former interstellar con artist, and current member
of SG-1.
Beau Bridges is General Hank
Landry, philosophical commanding officer of Stargate Command, man with perhaps
the most stressful job in the universeÉwhich is probably why heÕs so
philosophical.
Currie Graham is James Merrick, member of the
International Oversight Advisory assigned to oversee the current mission (and
we all know how THAT usually turns out).
Tim Guinee is Tomin, commander of Ori
forces and ValaÕs estranged husband.
Morena Baccarin is Adria, ValaÕs Ori-conceived
daughter, leader of the Ori crusade, and arch-nemesis to our heroes.
Sarah Strange is Ganos Lal,
aka Morgan Le Fay, Ascended Ancient ally to SG-1.
Julian Sands is The Doci, leader of the Priors,
basically the pope of the Ori religion.
Fabrice Grover is Amelius, Ancient engineer,
designer of the Ark of Truth.
Commentary:
I am in mourning. I mourn the decline and fall
of science fiction on television these days. Sci-Fi is virtually nonexistent on
network television. The closet we have is Heroes, a maddeningly
slow-paced character study that jumped the shark in record time. And as for the
spectacular train wreck that is the Sci-Fi Channel, wellÉwhen only about 20% of
your programming can really be considered Science Fiction, itÕs time to
consider a name change. Besides Battlestar Galactica – which is so
topical that itÕs barely Science Fiction and stopped being fun to watch long
ago – and Stargate Atlantis, which is coming to an end this year,
there arenÕt a lot of Sci-Fi shows around any more (I have yet to tune in to an
episode of Sanctuary, but what IÕve seen in previews does not
impress me, and I have little hopes for Universe, the planned third
Stargate spinoff).
Fortunate for me, then, that the producers of Stargate
SG-1 are still churning out direct-to-video movies despite the showÕs
cancellation. While no one would ever call Stargate SG-1 Òprofound science
fiction,Ó it had its charm and its staying power; a decade-long run on American
TV is nothing to sneeze at. The show unfortunately ended at an awkward time:
right in the middle of a personnel change and a brand new storyline. The
cancellation left the new storyline just hanging, unresolved. ThatÕs where Ark
of Truth comes in. And it DOES do its job: it resolves the storyline. But only
just; with only a feature-length movie to play with, writer Robert C Cooper
does the best he can to tie up the loose ends, but you canÕt help but feel they
really needed one more full TV season to do it properly.
The background of Ark of Truth, the dominant
storyline of Stargate SG-1Õs 9th and 10th seasons,
is conveniently laid out in an optional 10-minute prologue included on the DVD.
The Ancients, the long-gone race of scientists who first built the Stargate
network, eventually either died out or ÒAscended,Ó evolving to a godlike state
of pure energy. While most of the Ancients were simply disinterested with the
affairs of the mortal plane, there also existed a malevolent offshoot, the Ori.
The Ancients had a strict policy of non-interference with mortal matters, but
the Ori actively sought to be worshipped as gods, having discovered a way to
sap the energies of worshippers and increasing their own power. They created a
religion, Origin, and guided human followers into fanatical beliefÉand
persecution of any who disagreed. In the 9th season of the show, the
Ori were made aware of the existence of the human race and our galaxy –
an entire galaxy of sentient beings that did not worship the Ori. As a
consequence the Ori called for their followers to embark on a crusade, to
either convert the galaxy or destroy it. First they sent their ÒPriors,Ó humans
they imbued with superpowers, as their missionaries. Then came the invasion
fleet, with motherships of tremendous destructive power. And finally they
created Adria, a living incarnation of the Ori, to more directly enforce their
will and enact their plans for galactic conquest. Over the course of the last
two seasons, SG-1 sought to thwart the OriÕs plans, first by creating a weapon
that could neutralize the abilities of the Priors, then by locating an Ancient
device that would effectively destroy the Ori, and finally by forcing Adria to
Ascend, where the Ancients would be able to limit her ability to affect things
on the mortal plane. This was as far as our heroes got over the course of the
show, and Ark of Truth picks up where the show left off.
Actually, Ark of Truth picks up in the
distant past (the caption actually reads, Òmillions of years ago, in a distant
galaxyÓ – thatÕs right, boys and girls, it takes place Òa long time ago,
in a galaxy far, far awayÓ), at the moment of the ideological split between the
Ancients and the Ori. Originally the two peoples were part of a single society,
but the Ancients were intellectuals and scientists, and faced persecution by
the fanatically religious Ori. We see the leadership of the Ancients meeting in
secret to discuss their course of action. A man named Amelius says he has
created a device – the Ark of Truth – that can stop their
persecution by forcing the Ori to see things from their point of view. Use of
this device is forbidden, however; brainwashing their enemies would make the
Ancients as bad as the people theyÕre fighting. Ultimately a decision is made
to flee their home galaxy, and find a new home elsewhere (this being the Milky
Way, of course), and the Ark is sealed and locked away.
Flash forward to the present day, on the planet
Dakara, where SG-1 is digging in the ruins. They are searching for the Ark of
Truth, and knowing that Dakara was the first planet the Ancients colonized,
they felt it was a good place to start. Daniel Jackson digs out an old chest
which looks something like the Ark we saw in the previous scene, but he is
unable to open it. To make matters worse, a few moments later a force of Ori
soldiers led by Tomin descend on SG-1. When Tomin realizes Vala is with them,
he calls for their surrender, giving his word that they will not be harmed.
Vala suggest they do so: they canÕt get the chest open themselves, and if the
Ori soldiers can, maybe it will work on them. However there is a snag in
everyoneÕs plans: a Prior has accompanied Tomin to the surface, and he has no
intention of letting SG-1 live. First he orders the chest opened and its
contents destroyed. Fortunately for the good guys, this is actually not the Ark
of Truth; all thatÕs inside are a bunch of crumbling papers. Next the Prior
orders SG-1 destroyed. Tomin takes issue with the Prior; he IS asking Tomin to
kill his wife, after all. This distraction, coupled with the Anti-Prior device
that Carter has hidden in proximity, enables Mitchell to wrestle a soldierÕs
staff weapon from him and kill the Prior. Stunned by the death of their
superhuman leader, Tomin and his men surrender.
Later, back on Earth, we learn that Tomin has
officially defected to EarthÕs side and is providing all the intelligence he
can. Unfortunately itÕs not much: the Priors apparently do not divulge
information to their human commanders unless necessary. All he knows is that
the Ori forces are preparing a new offensive, building more motherships and
getting ready to strike Earth directly. While Landry and the members of the SGC
are sympathetic to TominÕs situation, a new arrival to the base is not. He is
James Merrick, a representative of the International Oversight Advisory, and he
intends to interrogate Tomin as soon as possible. Like every IOA member weÕve seen
so far, Merrick is condescending and arrogant, and his manner does not
ingratiate him to Landry or Mitchell.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Vala meet with Tomin to
explain their current mission. While they may have eliminated the Ori
themselves, the Ancient device they built and activated in the 10th
season did not affect mortal beings, which means the Priors and the human
followers of Origin are still out there, still following the fanatical precepts
of their religion. The Ark of Truth, however, could completely eliminate that
threat, by forcing the Ori followers to accept that their gods are false and
their religion a sham. Tomin raises the same ethical argument the Ancients
raised when the Ark was first constructed – an argument Daniel actually
agrees with, but he can see no other way to prevent further senseless
bloodshed. When asked how he knew where to look, Daniel reveals that he was
guided there by a vision. The Ancient scientist Moros (better known on Earth as
Merlin) had possessed DanielÕs body for a brief period during the 10th
season, enabling him to build the anti-Ori device. Although MerlinÕs
consciousness is now gone, Daniel believes that there might be some residual
traces of it, guiding him subconsciously. At any rate, heÕs seen several
visions of the Ark buried under a fallen mountain, and Dakara seemed to be the
logical place to look. Obviously they were mistakenÉbut Tomin points them in
another direction. The Book of Origin speaks of a place called Ortus Mallum,
the Òbirthplace of evil,Ó which was buried by an exploding volcano. This might
be the place they need to look.
And sure enough, in another flashback to
AmeliusÕs time, we see the Ancients disembarking from their hiding place in a
great starship, destroying the mountain and burying all traces of their
existence there, including the Ark. And in a nice little touch, we get to see a
page in AmeliusÕs notebook, which reveals that he was the individual who
designed the first Stargate.
While Merrick interrogates Tomin in the
harshest possible terms, Daniel researches TominÕs suggestion and determines
that the Ark is indeed still in the Ori galaxy, buried at Ortus Mallum. SG-1
mounts up for the mission. Tomin volunteers to come, believing he will have
better luck in connecting with anti-Ori forces in his native galaxy. And
Merrick comes along as well, to provide IOA oversight for the mission (and no,
you donÕt get a cookie for guessing that this will not end well). So everyone
boards the Earth starship Odyssey and heads for the intergalactic
Supergate.
Once safely in the Ori galaxy, SG-1 makes
contact with anti-Ori underground members. They learn of a rumor circulating
throughout the galaxy: the Fires of Celestis have gone out. This is promising:
the Fires of Celestis was the physical form the Ori manifested, and if that
form is gone, then thatÕs a good sign that their anti-Ori weapon worked.
Unfortunately, the followers of Origin have taken this as a sign that the Ori
are displeased with them, and so are redoubling their efforts to convert or
destroy unbelievers. This is why new ships are being built and new invasion
planned. They also learn the location of Ortus Mallum: itÕs on the home planet
of the Ori. Moreover, itÕs within sight of the Holy City of Celestis, the Ori
capital and stronghold. SG-1 is willing to go forward and brave the danger, but
Merrick is not. They have reliable intelligence that the Ori forces are
preparing another invasion, and he argues that their priority should be to
return to their home galaxy and destroy the Supergate behind them. Mitchell
disagrees, and challenges Merrick to pull rank and take over the mission if he
dares. Merrick backs down and storms off, and the Odyssey heads for Ortus
Mallum.
But Merrick isnÕt finished. As soon as SG-1 is
on the planetÕs surface, he puts a contingency plan into motion. He heads to
the OdysseyÕs Asgard computer core, activates it, and seals the room
shut. When the OdysseyÕs crew realizes this, they relay the situation
to Mitchell. He and Carter return to the ship, leaving the rest of the team to
look for the Ark. Carter and Mitchell bypass MerrickÕs lockdown of the computer
room and confrot him. Merrick reveals that he is putting an IOA-sanctioned
backup plan into action. He has programmed the computer core to design and build
a single Replicator bug. Knowing that the Asgard technology of the core will
draw any nearby Ori ships to their location, Merrick intends to send the
Replicator over to them and let it do what Replicators do best – which
is, cannibalize the raw materials of the ship and build more of themselves. An
attempt to destroy the Replicator goes sour, and it escapes into the Odyssey. So an irate Mitchell
locks Merrick up in the brig and goes on a bug hunt.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, a Prior has arrived
at Stargate Command to negotiate terms with Landry. The Prior requests he be
given an opportunity to speak to the people of Earth, to offer them a choice
between conversion or extermination. But Landry will have none of it: he
realizes that the Ori forces are only trying to negotiate now because theyÕre
no longer certain of victory. He uses this opportunity to try and reach the
Prior and tell him that the Ori are gone, but he doesnÕt seem to make any
progress.
Back on the planetÕs surface, Daniel suddenly
has another vision, which leads him to a hidden underground chamber. There, at
last, they find the Ark of Truth. It appears to be deactivated, however, and
Daniel suggests they take it back up to the surface to examine it more closely.
Unfortunately Ori forces are waiting for them. TealÕc is wounded and knocked
unconscious in the first exchange of fire, and the rest of the team can only
hold out so long before they are captured. Meanwhile the Odyssey is confronted by four
Ori motherships. Outnumbered, outgunned, and riddled with internal system
failures due to the ReplicatorsÕ activities, they have no choice but to flee
and abandon the rest of the team on the surface.
In Celestis, Daniel and Tomin are tortured by
the Priors, and Vala is brought before the Ori chamber, to find both the Ark of
TruthÉand Adria. She explains that, while their anti-Ori weapon did work and
did destroy the Ori, as the last Ascended being in this galaxy, Adria is now
the supreme godlike being, recipient of every last bit of power the Ori extract
from their followers. But even SHE cannot make the Ark of Truth work for her.
There is a limitation to its power: the Ark can only make someone believe
something that is already true, and for all her powers, she is still not quite
a godÉYET.
Back at Ortus Mallum, TealÕc regains
consciousness. He is badly wounded and alone. But heÕs TEALÕC, so that doesnÕt
stop him from getting up and marching across mountains and plains toward
Celestis to rescue his friends. And when even TealÕc cannot go on any further,
SOMEONE helps him. The very same someone comes to a broken and demoralized
Daniel in his cell, to offer comfort and guidance: Ganos Lal, the Ascended
Ancient who helped them once before in their quest to find MerlinÕs anti-Ori
device. Since the other Ancients disapprove of any interference with mortal
matters, benevolent or not, she was exiled from their ranks and her powers
diminished. Adria is too powerful for her to stop, so SG-1 needs to activate
the Ark of Truth. Without the power she siphons from her millions of
worshippers, Adria will be reduced to just a mere Ascended being, more than
enough for Ganos Lal to be able to neutralize. All Daniel needs to do is hold
on until help arrivesÉhelp in the form of the rest of SG-1.
As one can probably tell from my summary, Ark
of Truth is very much a film for Stargate fans. Even with the optional prologue,
youÕd have to have been watching the show for at least the last three seasons
to understand everything thatÕs going on. Since IÕm a Stargate fan, I had no problem
following everything, but IÕm pretty sure anyone without an intermediate
working knowledge of the Stargate universe would be completely in the dark.
It doesnÕt help matters much either that Ark
of Truth is ultimately a bit of a disappointment. As I mentioned earlier, itÕs
meant to wrap up the storyline begun in the 9th season. But itÕs
over so quickly, wrapped up so neatly, that it leaves one feeling cold. Had the
show been renewed for an 11th season, and there had been more time
to develop a richer, more complex storyline, there might have been the
opportunity to do a more thorough job. As it is, the central plotline leaves
much to be desired. The quest is to find the Ancient Whatsit with the power to
defeat EarthÕs enemies in one fell swoop. It smacks a little of desperation. An
effort to wrap up ten years of plotline in a single 90-minute movie. There
really was no way to do it without disappointing.
One of the more disappointing aspects of the
episodeÉer, movie, was the splitting up of SG-1 before the final fight. Carter
and Mitchell must deal with the Replicator threat while Daniel and Vala try to
save the universe (TealÕc is mostly out of commission for the final battle). On
the one hand, itÕs an understandable dramatic choice. Without the warrior
members of SG-1 to protect them, the scholars must draw on reserves of strength
and endurance they didnÕt know they had. And of course, it sets up the
confrontation between Daniel Jackson and Ganos Lal, as Daniel takes her and the
Ancients to task for allowing the Ori to grow so powerful and cause so much
death and destruction. ItÕs a recurring motif in the Stargate universe: Daniel
Jackson versus God. Almost as enduring as Captain Kirk versus The Computer. And
itÕs very much Michael ShanksÕs show, as he imbues Daniel with the rage of the
frustrated idealist, who canÕt understand why those who can help donÕt, or
wonÕt even give him the courtesy of a straightforward answer as to why. Shanks
is a very talented actor, able to do great things with less-than-great
material, and he does great things here. ItÕs amazing to ponder that this gig
all started with him doing a James Spader impressionÉ
The downside of this, of course, is that Carter
and Mitchell donÕt have a lot to do in the movie. They sit out the main
confrontation as they are forced to deal with a different threat. Carter stands
at a computer speaking technobabble, and Mitchell gets the crap kicked out of
him by robotic monsters. ThatÕs the extent of their dramatic performances.
Granted, they do it well; Amanda TappingÕs mastery of technobabble would put
Wesley Crusher to shame, and Ben Browder can take a beating better than anyone
else in the business. But one canÕt help but wonder at how they would perform
in the situation Daniel and Vala find themselves in. ItÕs unfortunate, and itÕs
unfortunately nothing new: poor Carter had been an underutilized character for
a long time, and we never really got a chance to know Mitchell before the show
was cancelled. YouÕd think that Ark of Truth would be an opportunity
to finally showcase these marginalized characters, to allow them to grow and
get fleshed out in a way they couldnÕt on the show, but alas it was not to be.
ItÕs also a sad continuance of a recurring
problem throughout the run of Stargate SG-1: near brilliance.
There were many times that the show became ALMOST great. ALMOST brilliant.
ALMOST perfect. Many episodes, many story arcs, came oh-so-close to becoming
classic epic sci-fi, but they fell short. IÕve often noted that Stargate
SG-1 is almost modeled on a sitcom premise: thereÕs this pervading sense in
most episodes that everything will be neatly resolved, and the status quo
reinforced, by episodeÕs end. Rarely did SG-1 attempt something more
ambitious, and when it did, it almost always fell a little bit short. And in Ark
of Truth, once again we have the pervading need to get this resolved quickly and
neatly, and have everyone live happily ever after. It satisfied the fan in me,
but only just, and didnÕt do much else. But, I suppose, it could have been
worse. At least we DO have our good guys winÉeven if it is a little convenient.
Things To Look For:
- One of the praiseworthy
things I found about the last two seasons of SG-1 was the seriousness
with which it took its subject matter. The show was always a little bit campy,
a little bit light-hearted and silly, but it grew up – or tried to
– with the introduction of the Ori. The Ori were a serious threat, far
more serious than even the GoaÕuld had been, and they were treated with
appropriate seriousness. And the writers of the show frankly managed to get
into the heads of religious fanatics far better than those of Battlestar
Galactica did. We really got a sense of what motivated the Ori and their
followers, and we could understand them even if we didnÕt agree with them. It
was an opportunity to explore the morality of the Stargate universe. Whether or
not the Ancients really SHOULD be revered, as their strict policy of
non-interference allowed this threat to develop. There was even a seed of doubt
planted by Adria, who claimed the Ori were benevolent and the Ancients were
selfish, not wanting to share Ascension with the universe (itÕs a nice touch
that that the doubt was never fully put to rest over the course of the
storyline). It was good stuff, and potentially weighty, even though it was
ultimately not allowed to develop. And it ultimately makes the use of the Ark
of Truth a little discomfiting. The thing is basically an Epiphany Engine: it
makes you see the truth. Is such a thing even possible? And if it is, is it
right to use it on someone else? Of course, that question is pondered by our
heroes (as well as the Ancients who built it) but ultimately put aside; there
is no other way to stop the Origin followers but to force this upon them. Inter
Arma, et cetera. It raises a host of ethical questions, made all the more
discomfiting because it was clearly never intended by the writer that we ponder
it too deeply. The Ark is a MacGuffin, the means to resolve the story
conveniently, and any moral objections raised in the process are mere
side-effects. ItÕs hard to know how to feelÉ
- Speaking of not knowing
how to feel, once again we have monumental stupidity from the IOA. Oy. The
civilian oversight organization formed in the 9th season, the IOAÕs
official mandate is to make sure the military-controlled Stargate Program
behaves itself. In reality, the IOA has been more of a nuisance than anything
else, hindering our heroesÕ efforts to save the universe, either through shadow
agendas or simple incompetence. The IOA representatives weÕve seen before have
been, at best, bureaucratic well-meaning busybodies, and at worst scheming
criminal masterminds. But Merrick is perhaps by far the worst, and his plan the
stupidest ever conceived. I mean, using a REPLICATOR to defeat the Ori? Those
little techno-bugs are the scourges of three galaxies; whose brilliant idea was
it to use them as a weapon? ThatÕs kind of like trying to get rid of termites
by blowing up the house. ItÕs moronic, and once again leaves one with a
largely-unintentional bad taste in the mouth. In reality, I am all about
civilian oversight of clandestine military operations. And IÕd like to think
that a real civilization oversight committee would not be the confederation of
dunces that makes up the IOA. Sure, in the Stargate universe, WE know our
gallant Air Force officers are the good guys, and the civilians who
second-guess them are idiots. The IOA are made to look like fools for dramatic
effectÉbut again, itÕs slightly discomfiting.
- Oooh yes, the
Replicators. Why are they even in this movie? Maybe just as a bone to the more
fanatical fans? And why is it so hard for the writers to come up with
consistent behavior for the little techno-bugs, anyway? Their behavior and
intelligence level just seems to change whenever the story requires it. And
things REALLY go off the rails when we see what the Replicators do to Merrick,
turning on their master in time-honored Science Gone Horribly Wrong fashion.
Hoo-boyÉ
- There is one really
great scene to be found in Ark of Truth. Shortly after TominÕs
defection, TealÕc comes to talk to him, to offer him advice and encouragement.
ItÕs a great moment, because the advice comes from the person most qualified to
give it. As a former First Prine, ten years ago TealÕc was where Tomin is now:
coming to terms with the fact that heÕd been serving false gods, and has done
terrible things to innocent people in the belief that it was the right thing to
do. The advice he offers Tomin is harsh, but true. The hurt they have caused to
others cannot be undone. Redemption or forgiveness will never be available to
men such as them. All they have left is service to a greater good. ItÕs a great
moment, because it finally allows us to get inside TealÕc head. TealÕc is
normally such a stoic, laconic guy; we rarely get to see what motivates him.
And now we get an inkling of how he sees himself and what value he places on
the work he does with SG-1. ItÕs greatÉbut again, ultimately it draws attention
to how underutilized TealÕc has been as a character. Character development at
last; it only took ten years to get there.
Written words (c) 2008-2010 Tim o'Brien. Not to be used without
permission. Other content, including images, is intended as a Fair Use pursuant
to 17 U.S.C. sec. 107.
Date Posted: October 28th, 2008
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