Stargate Reimagined: Part II (A Fragment)

Over a year ago, I posted the rough draft of my Stargate II script. At this time, I'm close to finishing Act I of the first draft. Almost nothing from the rough draft carried over to this version, which'll be a loose adaptation of Bill McCay's Stargate: Rebellion, including a few elements from his other novels Retaliation and Retribution, once it's complete.

* * *

FADE IN

On catacomb walls.

Upon the walls, bathed in torchlight, are painted murals. Though similar in style to those created by the ancient Egyptians, these are cruder and less colourful. The scenes they depict are of Atum's underlords expanding the Imperium beyond Earth and Abdju, establishing colonies on multiple worlds, each with their own stargates.

TITLE: STARGATE II

FADE TO

A funeral.

EXT. CEMETERY — DAY

It is a rainy day. A wooden casket rests upon the ground above where it's to be buried, surrounded by bouquets of flowers. Thirty-odd mourners are present, shielding themselves beneath black umbrellas. Among them is MASTER SERGEANT ADAM KAWALSKY. In his blue dress uniform, he stands out from the rest.

Standing at the head of the casket, across from the mourners, a Lutheran pastor delivers a eulogy.

PASTOR

(cont'd) Karin Langford was more than just kind and generous. She had a gift … of an endless, open minded, childlike curiosity. She saw the world not for what it was, but for what it could be. And she saw potential in people that others failed to recognize. Like her father before her, her contributions to Egyptology have changed the world more than most people know….

Time passes.

The mourners are dispersing, leaving Kawalsky standing near the casket. A 25-YEAR-OLD WOMAN with long, wavy red hair and blue eyes approaches the sergeant from behind.

SABRINA

Uh, Sergeant Kawalsky?

Kawalsky turns to face her.

SABRINA

Hi. I'm Sabrina Gosling. Karin's grandniece?

KAWALSKY

Oh, hi.

Kawalsky shakes Sabrina's hand, returning her smile.

SABRINA

Thank you for coming.

KAWALSKY

I'm sorry Daniel couldn't be here. He really wishes he could've made it. He had nothing but the utmost respect for Ms. Langford.

SABRINA

He's tied up in a government project. I understand. Thank you for coming on his behalf. I know she would've really appreciated it.

Sabrina opens her purse. Reaching in, she brings out a familiar trinket: Karin's Eye of Atum pendant.

SABRINA

She wanted Dr. Jackson to have this.

Sabrina hands the pendant to Kawalsky. He accepts it.

EXT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN — SUNSET

Guards patrol the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/DANIEL'S QUARTERS

Inside the medium-sized quarters we find DANIEL JACKSON. Clad in a tank top and boxers, he performs a set of push-ups while opera music plays from the stereo atop his table. Through the one-month growth of hair on his head, a number of small, fresh biopsy scars mark his cranium.

Hearing the lock on his door disengage, Daniel sits up. The door opens, admitting Kawalsky. The sergeant is garbed in a hazmat suit.

DANIEL

Adam. How went the funeral?

KAWALSKY

About as well as those things can go.

Approaching Daniel, the sergeant brings out the pendant.

KAWALSKY

She had this for you.

Daniel takes the pendant, staring at it.

DANIEL

She was her family. She should've kept this.

KAWALSKY

Karin thought of you like a son.

Daniel sets the pendant aside.

DANIEL

How's Sha'ure?

KAWALSKY

Good. Her English's coming along nicely.

DANIEL

(tapping head) If she had my little pals, she'd have a better grasp of the language than either of us, instantly. (beat) Of course, if she did, she'd be locked in this cell here with me.

Daniel begins a set of sit-ups.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 28/EMBARKATION ROOM

The embarkation room's been heavily fortified since the survivors of the Abdju Mission returned. Three  Browning .50 calibre machine guns have been set up facing the stargate. Along the ramp have been planted claymore mines. A metal plug's been inserted through the stargate itself, obstructing the crystal torus. Canisters of nerve gas have even been installed in case the other deterrents fail.

Near the left exit, THREE AIRMEN are seated around a card table playing poker.

AIRMAN #1

 

Oh, man, this hand's as lousy as this detail. (beat) Alright, everybody, ante up. (dealing cards) Seven to the deuce, nothin' there. Boss and the eight, nothin' happenin'. And the jack gets a box.

FEMALE AIRMAN

(antsy) Aren't you guys afraid of somethin' coming through?

AIRMAN #2

It's been idle since the plug was put in. Trust me, nobody's coming through.

AIRMAN #1

(scoffing) All this fortification, and all it did was cost money. They've been shippin' personnel outta here for months.

EXT. PENTAGON — NIGHT

An aerial view of the Pentagon.

INT. PENTAGON/GEN. WEST'S OFFICE

GENERAL W. O. WEST is at his desk going over paperwork. A knock is heard at the door.

GEN. WEST

Come.

CAPTAIN SAMANTHA CARTER enters. Closing the door, she approaches the general's desk, bringing her hand up in salute. Though blonde, blue-eyed, and very beautiful, Carter is no stereotypical Hollywood ditz. Everything about the captain's manner — her disciplined stance, her keen, attentive gaze — indicates she is quite the intelligent, resourceful woman.

GEN. WEST

(saluting) Capt. Carter.

CARTER

(saluting) Sir.

GEN. WEST

Not much for small talk, are you, Captain? (beat) I'm rejecting your request to release Daniel Jackson from quarantine.

CARTER

Sir, Project Giza can't continue without his assistance.

GEN. WEST

He can assist you quite well from where he is.

CARTER

I may need him in the field.

GEN. WEST

Lest you forget, Jackson's carrying technology from a hostile and very formidable enemy inside his body.

CARTER

Lingual nanites, sir.

GEN. WEST

Are you 100% positive that's all they are?

CARTER

Research on the nanites is preliminary. However —

GEN. WEST

Dr. Jackson will remain in quarantine until our people are assured he poses no risk to the general population.

CARTER

With all due respect, General —

GEN. WEST

Dismissed, Captain.

Carter stiffens. Nodding her obeisance, she leaves.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/DANIEL'S QUARTERS

Daniel and SHA'URE cling to one another in his bed, their breath coming in tight gasps as their bodies writh in passion. Sha'ure's pale skin seems to glow in the darkness, her flesh soft but sturdy … and very, very active. There's a frantic quality to their coupling, as if they fear interruption at any moment. No time for encouragement, endearments, or words at all.

Blood pounds as they race towards climax. Then the moment comes. Sha'ure gives a great, wounded cry —

Daniel awakes with a convulsive shudder, sitting bolt upright on his cot. He glances down at the crotch of his underwear; he's disgraced himself.

DANIEL

Fuck….

There's another couple knocks at the door. Daniel repositions himself, taking care to hide the wet spot on his boxers.

CARTER

(O.S.) Dr. Jackson?

DANIEL

(irate) I'm up.

Carter enters, clad in a hazmat suit like the one Kawalsky wore earlier.

DANIEL

We met before?

She steps forward, offering her hand.

CARTER

(grinning) We haven't, no. I'm Capt. Samantha Carter, director of Project Giza.

DANIEL

(shaking her hand) Karin Langford was director.

CARTER

I succeeded her after the project was fully militarized.

DANIEL

I can't imagine the last four months have given you much to show for it.

CARTER

That's why I've come to you.

DANIEL

Please sit down, Capt. Carter.

The captain takes Daniel's chair, turning it to face him before taking a seat. She sits there, eyes twinkling like those of a star-struck teen. Daniel shifts uncomfortably under her gaze.

CARTER

I'm sorry. It's just … you're the rarest of all seekers after truth — the crackpot who's proven correct. I predict your name will feature heavily in scientific literature of the future. You'll be another Galileo or Semmelweis, reviled by the so-called experts of their day, but shown to be right.

DANIEL

I hope I'm still alive and sane to enjoy the fame. (beat) Thanks for your good wishes, Captain. But if we could move along…?

CARTER

After the Abdju Mission, my team was asked to research alternative applications for the gate. We didn't get anywhere before word came from the Pentagon to shutter the gate competely. But it came to me: If the ancient astronauts theory is, at least in some points, correct, if they were here for two thousand years, they must've left behind more than just the stargate. I made my proposal to West; I've been granted approval to begin the search.

DANIEL

That's where I come in.

CARTER

You're a brilliant archaeologist. You're fluent in twenty-three languages — twelve of which no one else alive on Earth understands. You're an invaluable asset.

DANIEL

I also probably killed a planet.

CARTER

Dr. Jackson — Daniel — what if I get you out of quarantine? Reunite you with Sha'ure?

DANIEL

(skeptical) West'll never let me out.

CARTER

(grinning) West isn't highest on the totem pole; I have my connections. Just give the word, and you'll be out of this room yesterday.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 18/CORRIDOR

Capt. Carter leads Daniel along the corridor. He's exchanged his tank top/boxers combo for an olive green jumpsuit.

CARTER

You can go pretty much wherever you want. The gym, locker room, and mess halls are all open to you. But Level 28 is completely off-limits, and you can't leave the base without written permission and a military escort. I'm sorry; I couldn't bypass the general on that one.

Carter brings Daniel to a door. Taking out her keycard, she swipes it through the lock, disengaging it.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 18/DANIEL'S LAB

Opening the door, Carter holds it open for Daniel. He steps inside his new laboratory. It's equipped with a desk, several packed bookshelves, and a state-of-the-art computer setup complete with 3D printer. Daniel's mouth falls agape.

CARTER

It's alright?

DANIEL

Just feeling a bit agoraphobic.

Daniel steps deeper into the lab, thumbing through the books on the shelves, examining the 3D printer.

SHA'URE

(O.S.) Daniel.

Daniel spins 'round. Kawalsky's arrived with Sha'ure. Like a deer caught in headlights, Daniel freezes, just staring at his lover. Four months have elapsed since she arrived on Earth; aside from the blue jumpsuit she now wears, she hasn't changed in the interim.

DANIEL

Sha'ure….

Embracing, they hold each other close, tears forming in their eyes. After several moments, they finally work up the courage to let go. Eyes of richest brown meeting eyes of intense blue, they come together again, kissing deeply, passionately.

Kawalsky smiles warmly.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 15/SHA'URE'S QUARTERS

The lights've been turned low. Daniel and Sha'ure lie together naked atop her sheets, spooning. Sha'ure kisses his hand. He, in turn, kisses her shoulder.

SHA'URE

In the days before, my people had only rumours — vague traditions of other worlds beyond the stargate. When you arrived, you made those traditions real.

DANIEL

Are you afraid Imperium troops will come through the stargate? That's what Carter and the soldiers are guarding against.

SHA'URE

We have brothers out there, Daniel. They're still slaves to the vultures who served Atum. But I hope to change that.

DANIEL

Change? How?

SHA'URE

You're the one who knows the stargate best. I know you could find the keys to other worlds. Then we could take the struggle to those living enslaved, and bring them freedom!

DANIEL

(sighing) Sha'ure, you were there when we found the cartouche holding the glyphs for Earth. From our troubles then you must know how hard it is to find the routes between stargates.

SHA'URE

But, Daniel, your wisdom —

DANIEL

(interrupting) I'm merely a scholar; I'm not Atum. And I'll tell you honestly, even if West unsealed the ring, I could spend all the rest of my life trying to find stargate addresses for somewhere — anywhere — and not find the key to another world. (beat) Besides, it may be in everyone's best interest if we keep to our corner of the universe. We don't need another Abdju.

Bitter disappointment shows on Sha'ure's face.

INT. CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 27/CARTER'S OFFICE

Carter is at her desk.

SUPERIMPOSE: "TWO WEEKS LATER"

There comes a knock at the door.

CARTER

Come in.

Daniel enters, a file folder in his hand.

CARTER

You've found something.

DANIEL

The Imperium uses a cursive script unrelated to Egyptian hieroglyphs. I didn't recognize any similiarites to scripts I was familiar with, but my speciality's the Afro-Asiatic languages. I sent samples of the script to universities and institutes around the world to learn whether or not it matched any non-Erythraean writing systems.

Daniel places the folder on the desk. Opening it, Carter begins looking through the print-outs. There're photos of a shattered stele, descriptions, and a sketched map.

DANIEL

(cont'd) There was one find, a stele, which carried some of the script. According to this, the find was made by a German expedition that went to the eastern delta of the Nile back in the '60s. The location seemed to be the ruins of a temple, but they were unable to place the dynasty. And, after discovering the dubious signs in the inscription, there was some suspicion of fraud.

CARTER

What does it say?

DANIEL

The hieroglyphic portion contains an invocation to Sutekh.

Carter raises an eyebrow.

DANIEL

Otherwise known as Setesh, Set, Seteh, Seth. As Egyptian culture went through the millennia, Sutekh went from a brave warrior deity defending the sun god Ra to the personification of evil, fighting Ra.

Carter looks at a photo of the stele afforing a clear shot of a representation of Sutekh. The god has erect, flat-topped ears and a long, curved muzzle.

CARTER

What kind of head is that?

DANIEL

Nobody's been able to identify it from the pictures. Some scholars have identified it a gazelle's head. Others think it's the pig — unclean flesh, and all that.

CARTER

That's a pretty wide range there.

DANIEL

Still others think Sutekh was represented by an animal that's either mythical or now extinct. Most likely the former rather than the latter, since paleontologists haven't discovered any fossils to point to a species like this ever existing. That's why a lot of people in the field just call it the Typhonic beast. (beat) Anyway, the rest of the hieroglyphs make a reference to the god's centre of power to the east, where his strength was measured. The portion in Imperial script seems to be about "godpowers".

CARTER

Godpowers?

DANIEL

Power ratings and constants.

CARTER

You mean derived units? For technology? Weapon yields?

DANIEL

(shrugging) I wish those Germans had recovered the whole stele. (beat) The delta was one of the strongest areas of Sutekh-worship. And, because it's low-lying, often flooded, and still the seat of Egypt's agricultural production, proportionally less has been found there in terms of archaeological sites.

The captain's interest's definitely been aroused.

CARTER

We'll have to re-excavate where they dug.

Stargate Reimagined

Stargate '94 has amazing costumes, sets, music, and lore, but weak writing and characterization. Stargate SG-1 has decent characterization and writing, but it feels like a Trek knockoff, complete with generic English-speaking extraterrestrial civilizations and technobabble. My ultimate dream is to craft a Stargate reboot which contains all the best elements of SG '94, SG-1, SGU, and the Bill McCay tie-in novels, with none of their worst.

I completed an SG '94 rewrite in 2016:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10pWz63Qs1xT4CmcH67rm0WHl3pXe73G1/view?usp=sharing

Written at the height of my postmodern phase, it’s a pretty thorough deconstruction of the original film (American imperialism doesn’t save the day; it gets an entire world killed.). It was meant to be the first part of a trilogy, but shortly after starting on the sequel, development stalled; a casualty of the burnout I suffered while working on my Star Wars Prequel Trilogy rewrite at the time.

I never completely abandoned the project. I continued to brainstorm, write notes, etc. to lay the foundation for my personal Stargate universe.

• Ra is Atum. I made this change because Atum is an older god than Ra, was worshipped earlier than Ra, and also because the pharaonic Ra of Stargate more closely resembles Atum than the hawk-headed Ra of myth.
• Atum isn’t a Goa’uld. He's one of the Ancients, who in this universe were amoral gray-skinned reptilian humanoids who reigned in the Andromeda/Triangulum galaxies prior to their extinction. The Goa’uld are a separate, unrelated species native to the Milky Way who were conquered by Atum’s underlords some 5000 years after the Rebellion on Earth.
• Atum has a minimum of fourteen underlords under him: Anpu (Anubis); Apis; Aset (Isis); Ausir (Osiris); Djehuti (Thoth); Hapi; Heru (Horus); Hut-Hor (Hathor); Khnum; Nekhbet; Ptah; Sebek; Sekhmet; and Wadjet. Each underlord serves a different function in maintaining the Imperium. When an underlord dies/abdicates/is ousted, their first prime takes their place, assuming their name and position.
• Atum was originally a benevolent ruler. After 2000 years of rule, ennui drove him to relegate command of the Imperium to his underlords and go into seclusion. His underlords then turned the Imperium to a totalitarian state, inciting the failed Rebellions on Nubt and Abdju and the successful Rebellion on Earth. With the passage of 10,000 years and countless civil wars and regime changes, the Imperium has fragmented and ossilated between authoritarian and liberal governments.
• The Goa’uld were genetically modified by Khnum to curtail their ability to reproduce and take hosts. Only a single fertile queen exists, and its offspring are incapable of growing to maturity. These neutered Goa’uld, known as "primtah", are placed within underlords and first primes, boosting their immune systems, resilency, and lifespans.
• The Imperium consists of several hundred worlds concentrated within the Milky Way. Most are inhabited by humans and genetically engineered human offshoots, all descendants of peoples taken from North Africa in 10,000-8000 BCE.
• A small number of non-human species joined the Imperium. The most notable of these was the Setim. A caninoid race native to Tuat, they agreed to provide Atum the technological infrastructure to build his empire in exchange for help repairing their planet’s damaged ecosystem. This arrangement was mutually beneficial at first, but following the underlords’ rise to power, the Setim were displaced from positions of influence and forcibly relocated to the ice planet Nubt. With the Rebellion on Nubt, the Setim were exterminated by Sekhmet. Disgusted by this and other atrocities committed by the Imperium, one of the first primes, Sutekh, went renegade. Wearing a helm fashioned after the Setim likeness, he established a revolutionary movement across the Imperium, culminating in the Rebellion on Earth.
• The Apep are a species of giant tentacled serpents, former enemy of the Ancients, present enemy of the Imperium. They aren't nice guys.
• Heru Guards wear retractable, full-body power armour; this armour is impervious to any terrestrial ordnance short of .50 caliber machine guns. Heru Guards are armed with over/under pulse rifles; the primary barrel discharges a plasma blast which can kill, the secondary barrel discharges an electrolaser which only stuns.
• The staff weapon is a ceremonial weapon wielded by Nekhbet Guards alone.
• The zat gun is a sidearm primarily carried by Wadjet Guards. One shot from a zat causes debilitating pain; two shots renders one unconscious; three shots are usually fatal.
• The Imperium has developed lingual nanites. Injected within the language areas of the brain, they link the individual to a vast language database, enabling them to understand/speak/read/write any language stored within the database while also uploading any languages they know to the database. Daniel Jackson was injected with these nanites after being captured by Sekhmet’s forces during the Abdju Mission. Following Daniel’s return to Earth, some of these nanites were extracted and replicated, giving the SGC access to this technology.
• FTL propulsion/communicators don’t exist. Conventional interstellar travel/communication is only possible through the stargate/supergate networks. Atum’s intergalactic voyage from his homeworld to Earth took 2.5 million years.
• Stargate addresses consist of nine symbols each. Each address corresponds to an individual gate.
• All stargates are semitranslucent black, with chevrons/engravings which glow white when active.
• Stargate/supergate travel is two-way.
• Apep stargates are simpler in design than Ancient stargates, triangular in shape, with no moving parts. Though utilizing the same wormhole physics, Ancient and Apep stargates aren't compatible without the application of an adapter.

Stargate Reimagined: Part II (Rough Draft/Fragment)

I completed my first draft of Stargate Reimagined: Part I in July 2016. Almost a year later, I began writing Part II, but quickly pushed it aside due to all the stuff I had on my plate at the time. Almost three years later, I'm finally ready to get back to work on the script.

What follows is the incomplete rough draft I wrote in 2017. It consists of a recap of Part I, the opening titles, and a single scene introducing Samantha Carter. I'll be taking the story down a different direction from the one I initially envisioned, so most of this won't carry over into the first draft.

* * *

FADE IN

On the Haru Guard SIHATHOR standing within the pyramid on the planet Abdju, a pendant bearing the Eye of Atum held up to the iridescent black stargate rising before him. Behind him, crumpled upon the floor, is CAPTAIN JACK O'NEAL of the United States Air Force.

As the pendant glows in Sihathor’s hand, the nine panels on the stargate bearing the symbols for Earth light up. Within a second the entire stargate powers up, unleashing a geyser blast of glowing quicksilver to form a bridge back to Terra.

As Sihathor stands there, basking in the silver light of the rippling puddle, O’Neal picks himself up and staggers over to an energy rifle lying upon the floor. Picking it up, he takes aim, wavers on unsteady knees, then fires. The plasma bolt blasts right through the bomb’s arming mechanism, disabling it automatically. Spinning around, Sihathor finds O’Neal standing there with the rifle in hand. Growling, he takes a running leap for the captain.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS -- TWILIGHT

Aboard the starship perched atop the pyramid, FAIZAH, first prime of the war goddess Sekhmet, strides forward, dark folds of her brown robe unfurling behind her like the wings of a fallen angel as she approaches SHA’URE, a young Abdjuan woman. Battered but alert, Sha’ure scurries backward, fishing around inside her robes until she gets her hands on a pistol. As she pulls it out, Faizah lunges, seizing the girl’s wrist in her right hand, knocking her aim off as she pulls the trigger. Activating the punishment jewel worn over her palm, the demigoddess begins to rearrange the atoms in Sha’ure’s forearm.

SHA’URE: NGHAAAAAAH!!!

Faizah releases Sha’ure’s arm before the jewel can work any serious damage, taking a step back as the Nagadan girl cradles her wrist in agony, evaluating the helpless creature. Faizah brings her hand up again, reactivating the punishment jewel -- not to realign the molecules of Sha’ure’s body this time, but to pulverize it into the floor with a force blast.

DANIEL: No!

Collecting himself, Egyptologist DANIEL JACKSON rushes headlong for Faizah, but the demigoddess is quick to redirect her blast, knocking him back as he comes within reach of her.

FAIZAH: (frowns) I am no longer amused.

Leaving Sha’ure where she lies, Faizah moves over to Daniel. Crouching over him, she seizes the crown of his head in her right hand, engaging the dark jewel within the centre of her palm to deliver him a most grisly finale.

INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

O’Neal seizes Sihathor in a bear hug as he comes to him. Wheeling him around, the captain then headbutts him, breaking the Haru Guard’s nose and knocking his head back. Using fists, knees, and elbows, O’Neal turns the tables against Faizah’s first. Locking his leg around Sihathor’s, he brings the Haru Guard crashing down.

Pinning Sihathor in place, O’Neal then brings his heavy, armoured boot down on his throat, crushing it, bringing this conflict to a close.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/FAIZAH’S CHAMBERS -- TWILIGHT

Faizah and Daniel are locked together, her hand upon his head, the energies of her punishment jewel wreaking havoc upon his nervous system, paralysing him in place. Daniel’s very face begins to ripple, the molecules swelling and contracting. Within seconds, Daniel will be dead.

Sha’ure then comes to Daniel’s aid. Attacking Faizah, she elbows the larger woman in the back. Distracted, Faizah’s concentration breaks and the punishment jewel goes dim. Turning on her heel, she backhands Sha’ure across the face, sending her sprawling and quickly ending her role in this fight. With the matter-displacing energies of the punishment jewel no longer working upon him, however, Daniel’s been bought the opportunity he needs. Lunging at Faizah, Daniel sends his hand forth, plunging it deep into her abdominal pouch. Pulling out a white worm -- Faizah's prim’ta -- Daniel tosses the alien creature clear across the room.

FAIZAH: NGHAAAAAAH!!!

All thoughts of anything else forgotten, Faizah’s rushes over to the prim’ta, intent on preserving its health. Daniel and Sha’ure are quick to use this opportunity to escape.

INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

O’Neal steps into the antechamber, dragging the dead form of Sihathor behind him. Bringing it around, he deposits it directly beneath the inactive ring transporter.

O’NEAL: Give my regards to the Pussy Queen, asshole.

The captain presses down on the colourless crystal adorning his left gauntlet, activating the ring transporter.

INT. LADY OF SLAUGHTER/BRIDGE -- TWILIGHT

Having returned to the bridge, Daniel and Sha’ure head on over to the ring transporter. Climbing atop the platform, they then hear the mindless raging of Faizah in the distance. Entering the chamber, face red and contorted with rage, the demigoddess charges them.

The ring transporter activates at that very moment. White light shining up from the platform under their feet, the five iridescent black rings of the ring transporter rise up to surround the pair, cutting Faizah off from them. With a flash of silver light, they are teleported away, Sihathor’s severed head taking their place upon the platform.

Faizah ROARS.

INT. PYRAMID/ANTECHAMBER -- TWILIGHT

The ring transporter disengages. Daniel and Sha’ure find themselves back down inside the pyramid. O’Neal is there waiting for them, face hard, the pendant clasped in his hand. Sha’ure recoils when she spots the decapitated body lying at their feet.

INT. PYRAMID/STARGATE CHAMBER -- EVENING

O’Neal, Daniel, and Sha’ure enter the stargate chamber. The stargate has returned to its dormant state, the connection to Earth severed. Raising the pendant up before the gate, the captain closes his eyes, his brow furrowing as he concentrates. In moments the Eye of Atum glows anew and the stargate reopens.

O’NEAL: (hands pendant to Daniel) It’s a key to the stargate. It can open the door to Earth. It can probably open other doors, too.

Taking Sha’ure by the arm, Daniel takes a step forward toward the gate. She stops him from stepping through, though, when she hears a GROAN. Leaving the gate, they walk over to MASTER SERGEANT ADAM KAWALSKY. Picking Kawalsky’s limp form up between them, Daniel and Sha’ure head for the stargate. They only stop when they notice O’Neal isn’t joining them. Indeed, he has turned his attentions to the bomb. A makeshift dead man’s switch has been jury-rigged into the weapon.

DANIEL: (dumbfounded) I thought we agreed to dismantle the gate on the other side.

O’NEAL: And you will. That’s your job now.

Taking hold of the switch, O’Neal engages it.

O’NEAL: (cont’d) I’m gonna stay here, make sure this goes off.

Daniel is ready to protest, but the captain silences him with a steely gaze.

O’NEAL: (face softens) I’ll be seeing you around, Dr. Jackson.

Resigned to the captain’s decision, Daniel exchanges solemn glances with Sha’ure. Together, Kawalsky held between them, they step through the stargate, leaving the pyramid and the whole of Abdju behind for all time. O’Neal watches the lovers vanish through the portal, his gaze lingering there for several moments.

As the ring transporter activates, O’Neal turns his attention to the antechamber. The ten rings pile up over the floor, white light shining down through them. Silver light passes down through the rings, then the transporter deactivates, leaving Faizah and seven Haru Guards standing there, all attired in their armour, armed with energy rifles.

Capt. Jack O’Neal releases the switch and the world goes white.

INT. CREEK MOUNTAIN/LEVEL 28/EMBARKATION ROOM -- DAY

Daniel, Sha’ure, and Kawalsky are spewed from the gate into the dark abyss of the embarkation room in the Creek Mountain military installation. Hitting the ramp, they take a roll, tumbling end-over-end until they come to a stop near the base.

After tending to Sha’ure as her first bout of gate sickness takes hold, after checking Kawalsky to make certain the sergeant suffered no further injuries transiting through the stargate, Daniel turns to look upon the glowing doorway which links Earth with Abdju. There then is a sudden burst of intense white light and that link is violently severed, casting them in pitch darkness.

CROSSFADE TO & PAN ACROSS

The details of an inactive stargate.

TITLE: STARGATE II

ZOOM OUT

To reveal this stargate is installed within a dark, frozen chamber of extraterrestrial design.

FADE TO

A shot of the moon hanging ghostly in the clear blue sky.

ZOOM OUT & PAN DOWN

To a panoramic shot of an archaeological excavation site centred around a partially unearthed Egyptian-style temple situated in a desert landscape of large dunes.

SUPERIMPOSE: "THE RUB' AL KHALI, FOUR MONTHS LATER"

INT. TEMPLE/ANTECHAMBER -- DAY

The antechamber, without doors or windows, sealed since construction, is dark. That darkness, undisturbed for eight millennia, is quickly dispersed as shaped charges in the north wall go off, blowing the wall in and admitting dim light from the other side.

As loose stones and debris are cleared out of the way, FIVE INDIVIDUALS enter the antechamber, all attired in the Airman Battle Uniform of the USAF. Leading this outfit, heavy-duty flashlight in hand, is CAPTAIN SAMANTHA CARTER, commanding officer of this operation. Though blonde, blue-eyed, and very beautiful, Carter is no stereotypical Hollywood ditz. Everything about the captain's manner -- her relaxed but disciplined stance, her keen, attentive gaze -- indicates she is quite the intelligent, resourceful woman.

The south wall of the chamber, unlike the surrounding walls of bare, unadorned stone, is decorated with a beautiful, intricate mosaic of precious gemstones. This mosaic, circular in pattern, surrounds a round depression set three-fourths of the way down the length the wall, at about chest height.

CARTER: Lieutenant.

LIEUTENANT ROBERT ROTHMAN, Carter's archaeological consultant, motions for an airman to come over. The airman steps up to Rothman, a small, latched case in his hands. Opening the lid, Rothman reveals what appears to be an oversized, jewel-encrusted gold doorknob nestled inside. Taking the "doorknob", the lieutenant turns and gingerly approaches the decorated wall. Bringing the knob forth, he slides it into the depression; its jewels come alive with varicoloured light.

CARTER: Careful.

Rothman takes a folded print-out from his left breast pocket. Unfolding it, following the archaic Arabic instructions, he begins cautiously turning the knob. Counter-clockwise; clockwise; clockwise; counter-clockwise. Once he has finished entering the combination, the mosaic lights up, glowing along with the knob. Pulling the knob free from the depression, the lieutenant steps back as the wall slides up into the ceiling.

INT. TEMPLE/BURIAL CHAMBER -- DAY

Carter and her men enter the burial chamber. The chamber is circular, devoid of decoration, empty save for the stone sarcophagus at its heart. Approaching the sarcophagus, the Americans find a coffin inside. Decorated with gems and hieroglyphs, arms crossed over its chest, it brings to mind the gorgeous coffins used by the pharaohs. Unlike the pharaonic coffins, however, its been carved from dark gray naqahdah, its non-humanoid face bearing a long, curved snout and long, flat-topped ears.

CARTER: (rests hand on coffin) Magnificent….