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Even though Daniel has been declared dead before and all of the human members of SG-1 temporarily bite it in "The Nox," this is the first time in which the team has believed Daniel dead and actually grieved. It's the grieving part that I think is the most interesting because so often in SG-1 in most serial shows characters die and no space is provided for the characters or audience to grieve. But Daniel gets a memorial service in this episode, and his next major death in "Meridian" is followed by an episode that is entirely about the team grieving the loss. (Not to mention adjusting to him being gone is a major theme of Season 6.)

So, what exactly makes Daniel so special? Why spend all this time grieving for him?*

In the confines of this episode, grief is literally a plot point. SG-1 believes Daniel is dead, they have a funeral, but—twist!—Daniel isn't dead. Makes total sense when you're breaking apart the plot of the episode that they would have a memorial service, Jack would eulogize Daniel, and they would be sad about losing their friend. But the grief here shows so much more than them just losing a team member. Kawalsky didn't get this level of on-screen attention from anyone—including Jack. Daniel is special and this episode underlines that for everyone. Daniel is the man who opened the Stargate, the man who (co-)killed Ra, and as Jack says in his eulogy, the conscience of the SGC. If anyone thought Daniel wasn't important, this episode is a flashing neon light of just how important Daniel is to this world.

It all starts with the acting of Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, and Chris Judge. When the team first 'gates in and Jack reports "Daniel's dead, sir," the hollowness in his eyes is a knife in the gut. Sam's telling of Daniel's death to Fraiser and during the inquest is equally heart wrenching. This is SG-1 at its finest, emotionally compromised and completely committed to each other.

That commitment may be the reason Daniel is grieved over and over. It's not just that Daniel is important to the existence of the Stargate Program, or that he is often the viewer surrogate, but it's that SG-1 is a family and not acknowledging the loss of one of the core members would feel false. The prolonged "death" of Jack in "Lost City" plays out in similar ways to "Meridian." Each team member gets a moment to say goodbye. There isn't an episode of denouement as in "Revelations"—but, uh, they originally thought the series was ending, so…—but there's enough of the grieving process in "Lost City" to still make it feel significant.

Honestly, there's more to unpack on this topic, but I'm leaving this here for now since that pretty well covers this specific episode.

*I am not griping about the treatment of other prominent deaths here, just talking about what makes Daniel so special.


A few last notes of significance:

• So many of my notes are about Daniel's eyes and his beautiful face. This is one of the top five episodes for OMG How Are Michael Shanks's Eyes That Blue.


• How does Daniel translate any cuneiform without his books? Are they sure he doesn't have some Ancient evolved brain powers, too?


• Have you ever paused to read Daniel's journal? It's hilarious. The line Sam reads is literally stuck in the middle of Daniel musing about, presumably, the Jackal and the Hound. I'm impressed the prop guys bothered to stick it in.


• Sam volunteers as tribute! For hypnosis.


• It's so disappointing we never see Nem again. He had cool technology and could have been a link to other, ancient allies.


• An interesting article on SG-1 Solutions posits that Marduk—the Goa'uld from Kendra's homeworld—may have also been Belus, the Goa'uld who killed Omoroca.

Quote of the Week:

Jack: Daniel Jackson made this place… happen. As a member of SG-1, he was our voice—our conscience. He was a very courageous man. He was a good man. For those of us lucky enough to have known him, he was also a friend.

Episode Stats
Planetary Tally: Oannes, or as the internet tells us P3X-866 is Nem's planet; also mentioned is P8X-362, a future mission for SG-4
Series Total: 13

In Fashion: there are so many costume changes in this episode: on mission, everyone wears desert camo—Daniel has a flak helmet on the first trip, Sam has one on the second trip; on base Sam and Teal'c take turns wearing the green flight suits, while everyone else is in green BDUs; Jack and Sam are in dress uniform for Daniel's memorial service; their shared hallucination of Daniel returning through the 'gate has him in jungle camo

Brain Washed: Nem messes with Jack, Sam, and Teal'c's memories to make them believe Daniel died in a fire and also planted a desire to never return to P3X-866
Jack: Series Total: 3
Sam: Series Total: 2
Teal’c: Series Total: 1

SG-1 Dies A Lot: through Nem's interference, SG-1 and thus everyone else believes Daniel died on the mission; they even hold a memorial service
Daniel: Series Total: 3

With All Due Respect: Fraiser provides Hammond respect when she insists SG-1 remain on stand down after witnessing Daniel's violent death (jeez, George)
Series Total: 10


Next up: 1.14 Hathor