In the infirmary, Teal'c explains they emerged onto P4A-771 under fire by unseen enemies with Goa'uld energy weapons. Cover fire was laid as Jackson dialled home, but O'Neil and Carter were less than two meters behind Teal'c as they evacuated and to it seems impossible they have not returned. General Hammond explains that because of the energy overload the Stargate is inoperative, but assures Teal'c a probe will be sent through as soon as possible.

Colonel O'Neil regains consciousness with a broken leg, which Captain Carter splints much to Jack's agony. This is O'Neil's ninth fracture, he explains, counting one to the skull sustained in a mission to Iraq when his parachute failed; the unofficial mission prevented a rescue operation and Jack spent nine days trying to reach medical help, spurred on by the need to see his then wife Sarah again.
Carter explains they are deep inside a glacier on a planet in the middle of an ice age, though a long shaft provides a possible route to the surface. Carter suspects Daniel misdialled the Stargate but can't find him or Teal'c, so the only other possibility is that the Stargate malfunctioned mid-transit and sent the four travellers to two different destinations. Exploring the cavern, Carter finds the local DHD buried in ice having been separated from the Stargate. O'Neil and Carter begin to dig out the device, but Carter realises Jack has cracked ribs.

Daniel Jackson regains consciousness insisting his team-mates should have made it through the Stargate. A probe sent through the repaired Stargate, althrough destroyed by the local populous, shows no sign of O'Neil or Carter on the planet. Because of the risk involved General Hammond decides against any rescue attempt.

Carter and Jackson simultaneously come to the same conclusion as to what happened: as SG-1 escaped, the energy bolts that hit the Stargate were absorbed by the device. The extra energy had to be discharged and so the wormhole 'forked' to another Stargate between Earth and P4A-771. Jackson points out that such a malfunction would mean O'Neil and Carter are on another planet somewhere near the wormhole's path and SGC launches a search.

Colonel O'Neil and Captain Carter succeed in digging up the DHD but the device is faulty and won't allow them to dial home. After food and rest Carter digs deeper in an effort to fix the device, but O'Neil is bleeding internally and developing frostbite. After several unsuccessful attempts to repair the DHD, Jack urges Sam to leave him and look for help but this only reinforces her determination to get them home.

At the SGC, search parties to the various planets emerge fruitless, and with the last of the planets fitting the forked wormhole theory explored the search is called off. Daniel Jackson, however, insists the search continues.

Captain Carter succeeds in repairing the local Stargate and, identifying the point-of-origin chevron, proceeds to dial home. When Carter enters the chevrons, SGC's Stargate signals an incoming traveller but when Carter tries to activate the wormhole, the Stargate refuses to open. With all other avenues exhausted Samantha climbs to the surface to find help but there is only ice as far as the eye can see and she returns to Colonel O'Neil.

Daniel Jackson, observing the failed activation attempt, realises there is a second Stargate on Earth. A second Stargate may have been placed when the first became lost, and also explains why so many Earth-based cultures post-dating the burial of Egypt's Stargate have been found on other planets. SGC's Stargate has tremour dampeners but a Stargate without such devices will vibrate enough to show its location on a seismograph. The location of the second Stargate is determined to be in Antarctica, a mere 50 miles from McMurdo Station and a rescue mission is mounted.

The injured SG-1 members are secured and preparations are made for an SGC team to secure the second Stargate. When a barely-conscious Carter sees Hammond she is overjoyed: "General, you came through the Stargate for us!"
"Not exactly, Captain," Hammond insists.

Though Solitudes has essentially no plot movement, it does have some of the finest direction seen in an episode. It has it all: barely-comprehensible Stargate science, humour, angst....it's just so well directed that it's my favourite of the first season.

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