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Recap / Stargate SG 1 S 7 E 10 Birthright

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"You speak of progress and shedding of the old ways, and yet you still think a woman needs your protection."
— Ishta

SG-1 encounters an all-female group of rebel Jaffa called the Hak'tyl who request the team's help in procuring symbiotes for the children among them, prompting Carter to offer them tretonin as an alternative. Teal'c experiences a mutual attraction with Ishta, the leader of the Hak'tyl, but their growing closeness causes some of her followers to question her judgement.


"Birthright" provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Amazon Brigade: The Hak'tyl, an all-female group of rebel Jaffa. Daniel even references the original Amazon myth at one point.
  • Amazon Chaser: Teal'c quickly falls for Ishta, the leader of the Hak'tyl.
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: Between Teal'c and Ishta, at first.
  • Big Damn Kiss: Ishta plants one on Teal'c right in the middle of the gate room at the end of the episode, with the other members of the team awkwardly averting their eyes.
  • Black Dude Dies First: Out of the four Jaffa who volunteer to be test subjects for the tretonin, Mala is the only black woman, and the only one to die.
  • Boldly Coming: While the team is being escorted to the Hak'tyl settlement, Daniel relates some of the legend of the Amazons; in particular, he mentions how the Amazons would occasionally abduct men to mate with. O'Neill seems okay with the idea, stating that he's, "all for helping people." Carter can only manage an amused-and-mortified "Oh, God!"
  • The Caligula: From what we hear of him, Moloc makes even some of the System Lords (the saner ones, at least) seem like Buddha by comparison.
  • Call-Back:
  • *Click* Hello: Daniel is woken by Neith activating her staff weapon inches from his face after she finds out he's been talking to her younger sister Nesa against her wishes.
  • Come with Me If You Want to Live: Mala greets the team this way after saving them from an ambush at the beginning of the episode.
  • Continuity Nod:
  • Could Say It, But...: A variant where Daniel goes to talk to Nesa to find out how she feels about the tretonin, but pretends he's talking to somebody else as her sister has forbidden her from speaking with the team.
  • The Coup: Neith attempts to overthrow Ishta, believing that she has been compromised by her feelings for Teal'c. It ends badly for her.
  • Cutting the Knot: During their negotiations, Ishta explains that she needs supplies and symbiotes to run her sanctuary, which is dedicated to rescuing female children from Moloc, who wants them killed at birth. Carter proposes simply killing Moloc, much to Ishta's astonishment. Given that SG-1 has already wiped out half the System Lords at this point, Carter's confidence that they could knock off a C-list Goa'uld is well founded, though ultimately nothing comes of it in this episode. The team does deal with Moloc one season later in "Sacrifices", about as easily as Carter makes it sound in this one.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Neith is by far the most aggressive of the Hak'tyl towards the team, but thaws out considerably by the end of the episode after the tretonin works on both her and her sister.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: While Daniel and O'Neill discuss the reactions of the Hak'tyl to them and remark on Sam being the one invited in for a discussion, Daniel is trying to open up a energy bar with his teeth. Just shortly after he rips the top off, and before pushing the bar up out of the wrapper, O'Neill remarks "Why? Is it because we have penises?" Daniel gets a weird on his face, then offers O'Neill the bar instead.note 
  • Famed In-Story: Ishta refers to Teal'c as a "legend" on first meeting him.
  • Hypocrite: Ishta accuses Teal'c of being one for extolling the benefits of tretonin but not admitting to taking it himself. It is worth noting that Teal'c never said he didn't take it, however.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: Ishta's justification for killing other Jaffa and taking their symbiotes, since the young girls that the Hak'tyl rescue from Moloc would die without them.
  • I Die Free: The phrase spoken in Goa'uld is used as a password among the free Jaffa.
  • In the Back:
    • Neith is shot in the back by one of Moloc's Jaffa while arguing with Ishta after the two of them go to procure a symbiote for Nesa. As a result, Neith's own symbiote is damaged, forcing her to either take the tretonin or die.
    • The Jaffa soldier who encounters SG-1 at the beginning is shot in the back by his fellow soldiers just after asking to join the Free Jaffa movement.
  • The Kindnapper: The Hak'tyl rescue baby girls born to the Jaffa who serve Moloc, since he has a nasty habit of having them executed. Ishta admits that most of the time they can't even inform the girls' parents, since they're likely to be loyal followers and can't be trusted not to blow the operation.
  • Knight Templar Big Brother: Neith acts this way in her protectiveness over Nesa; most of her behavior can be explained by the fact that she has already lost two sisters under Moloc's rule and she is willing to do anything it takes to ensure that Nesa gets a symbiote before she comes of age.
  • Lady Land: Downplayed. The male members of the team are welcomed and, for the most part, treated with respect by the Hak'tyl, but it's mentioned that most of the children have never seen a man before, and Ishta initially insists on speaking with Carter alone about forming an alliance while the men wait outside.
    O'Neill: Well, this is... odd.
    Daniel: Maybe they just feel more comfortable talking to Sam.
    O'Neill: Why? Because we have penises?
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Ishta is horrified when a dying Jaffa whose symbiote she is about to take utters the phrase "I Die Free", and wonders how many other potential allies she has killed.
  • Politically Incorrect Villain: Even for a Goa'uld, Moloc stands out, having any female Jaffa born under his rule burned to death as he considers them worthless. Carter even lampshades how this will inevitably destroy his army, although the lifespan of the Jaffa means Moloc still has a few decades before he'd have to deal with that particular problem.
  • Precocious Crush: Neith claims that her sister has "developed quite an affection" for Daniel by the end of the episode, to Nesa's mortification.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
    Daniel: Don't you want to give Nesa a chance to live free of the Goa'uld?
    Neith: Not. Your. Way.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Neith claims that she had to kill her own father in order to save Nesa from being sacrificed to Moloc.
  • Sexy Discretion Shot: The screen fades to black as Teal'c and Ishta kiss more and more passionately on the floor of her cabin.
  • Ship Tease: Carter gets rather flustered when Mala asks her about the nature of her relationship with O'Neill.
    Mala: You are close to Colonel O'Neill?
    Carter: Yeah. I like to think we have a special relationship.
    Mala: I hope to someday have a special relationship.
    Carter: Oh! No, no, it's not like that.
    Mala: Like what?
    Carter: We aren't... You know, I mean we don't—
    Mala: I was speaking of the mutual respect you share
    Carter: ...I knew that (clears throat awkwardly).
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Mala tells Carter that when she was a temple handmaiden she fell in love with a palace guard, but a relationship between them was forbidden due to their respective stations and after she fell pregnant by him, both he and the child were executed.
  • Stealth Hi/Bye: Teal'c commends Ishta on her ability to sneak up on him without his noticing.

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