The Enemy Within (Stargate SG-1)

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“The Enemy Within”
Stargate SG-1 episode

Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 2
Guest stars	Jay Acovone as Major Kawalsky Kevin McNulty as Dr. Warner Gary Jones as Walter Harriman Alan Rachins as Colonel Kenedy
Written by	Brad Wright
Directed by	Dennis Berry
Production no.	102
Original airdate	August 1, 1997
Episode chronology
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"Children of the Gods"	"Emancipation"
Episode chronology

"The Enemy Within" is an episode of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the previous episode, Major Kawalsky was infested by a Goa'uld without anyone noticing. The Goa'uld had remained fairly dormant in him for a while, but now begins to take control of Kawalsky, causing him to experience blackouts, during which he even kills a doctor who had discovered the symbiote, and stands before the Stargate without doing anything.

In the meantime, Teal'c is questioned by several members of the Pentagon. But he doesn't know how the Goa'uld power their weapons and ships and how the Stargates work. However, he does tell them what he knows of Goa'uld culture. They rule by fear, and kill any who do not serve them. He also says there are a few like Apophis (the System Lords) who rule over many planets, but they would not be interested in peace. Many worlds fend for themselves and when they meet the Goa'uld, they are enslaved. It would take months for the Goa'uld to make ships to attack Earth since its impenetrable iris prevents invasion. They are few in number but strong and growing. He knew of a human race where everything started, the Tau'ri, the First Ones. Some became hosts, others became Jaffa and slaves. Yet their world was forgotten for centuries. Colonel O'Neill stated that the Tau'ri are the people of Earth, the ones who sealed the Stargate. Now many worlds out there are seeded with the ancient peoples of Earth. Teal'c felt the Tau'ri are their best hope. The high-ranking officers decide to bring him to Washington.

Once the SGC discovers that Kawalsky has a Goa'uld in him, they call upon the expertise of some medical experts for an attempt to remove the Goa'uld. However, it is wrapped tightly around his spinal cord, and removing it could either kill or paralyze Kawalsky. Teal'c also informs them that the Goa'uld will kill its host if attempts are made to remove it from him. As such, a suitable sedative must be found and applied to the symbiote before operation can begin.

Teal'c reveals that every Goa'uld has the genetic memory of those before it. Kennedy suggested convincing the symbiote to share that knowledge. However, the Goa'uld view them as an inferior race.

Teal'c allows medical staff to perform controlled experiments on his larval Goa'uld until they find an effective sedative. They then use this and begin work on Major Kawalsky, who makes General Hammond promise that he'll kill him if the Goa'uld wins the battle for his body.

However, the operation appears to be successful. Afterwards, he requests a few moments with Teal'c alone to thank him for his help, but as soon as they are alone, Kawalsky's eyes glow and he grabs Teal'c by the neck. The Goa'uld, though mostly removed, had already bound itself irreversibly to the host's brain and is in full control - Kawalsky had been dead for hours.

Spoiler warning: Related plot and/or ending details about Season 2/3/8 follow.
Although dead, the character of Major Kawalsky would later appear in the episodes "The Gamekeeper", "Point of View" and "Moebius".

Overpowering Teal'c, the possessed Kawalsky attempts an escape through the Stargate, only to find Teal'c standing on the ramp blocking his path. They fight and struggle while O'Neill and Hammond try to shut down the Stargate. The Goa'uld pushes the struggle right up to the Stargate, and gets partially through it before the device shuts off, slicing off the back of Kawalsky's head, killing the symbiote instantly.

Although tragic, these events also proved Teal'c worth, allegiance and honour to the SGC, and he is thus assigned as the fourth member of SG-1 as per O'Neill's recommendation.

[edit] Notes

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Enemy Within (Stargate SG-1)

The title refers to the nature of the Goa'uld, evil parasites hidden within otherwise human-looking hosts. It also refers to the fact Kawalsky become an enemy within the SGC itself.
At one point during a conversation between Teal'c and O'Neil, Teal'c's symbol on his forehead is noticeably upside down.
In a scene where Kawalsky slams Carter against the back of an elevator, actress Amanda Tapping sustained a real concussion.
This is the first episode to identify the people of Earth as the Tau'ri.
This episode shares its title with a classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode in which Captain Kirk is split into a "good" and an "evil" self.
This is the only episode in which a Goa'uld can manifest itself in a body without the Symbiote.