Amid the standard-issue gold and jewels, Daniel uncovers a horde of books apparently written by the Ancients. They tell a fantastic tale: The highly advanced Ancients may have once called themselves the Altera, and may have evolved in a far distant galaxy. The crew excavating the treasure also finds a piece of Ancient equipment, which Daniel believes is a communications device.
Always eager to uncover more secrets of the Ancients, and excited by the possibility of visiting galaxies beyond the reach of the stargates, Daniel persuades Mitchell and Gen. Landry to let him test the machine.
Within seconds, he and Vala — whose lives are still bound to one another by the Jaffa bracelets — drop to the ground, unconscious. Already developing a keen sense of how things work at Stargate Command, Mitchell deduces that this is a bad sign and puts the two under medical supervision. Similarly worried, Teal'c skips a critical meeting of the new Jaffa council to stay by his friend Daniel's side.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Vala find themselves inhabiting the bodies of two married villagers on a distant planet. Being married to Vala — in even the remotest possible sense — gives Daniel the creeps, even before he learns that the villagers are devout worshippers of all-powerful and unforgiving beings called the Ori. What's worse, the two people whose bodies Daniel and Vala are inhabiting are suspected of heresy against these mysterious gods.
Before long, Vala ends up chained to a sacrificial altar, about to be burned to death by the village's Administrator and his fanatical followers. Restrained by the vehement villagers, there's nothing Daniel can do but watch in horror as the flames are lit. Back on Earth, Mitchell and the others are watching, too, as Vala slips toward death. Because of the bracelets, if she dies, so will Daniel. Apparently, only divine intervention can save the pair now....
special guest star
CLAUDIA BLACK
as Vala
BILL DOW ...... Dr. Lee
LEXA DOIG ...... Dr. Lam
MARTIN CHRISTOPHER ...... Lt. Marks
OBI NDEFO ...... Rak'nor
STEPHEN PARK ...... Harrid
APRIL AMBER TELEK ...... Sallis
PAUL MONIZ DE SA ...... Fannis
GREG ANDERSON ...... Administrator
MARK HOUGHTON ...... Prior Or Ori
GARY JONES ...... Sgt. Walter Harriman
SILYA WIGGENS ...... Therapist
BRAHM TAYLOR ...... Villager
NICK HARRISON ...... Knight
Written by ...... Robert C. Cooper
Director ...... Andy Mikita