"So you were done slaying system lords and decided to move on to more pressing agricultural concerns?"
— Worrell
The team attempts to investigate the production of kassa, an extremely addictive crop being sold on the intergalactic black market, only to end up captured by the Lucian Alliance when the planet's stargate is mysteriously beamed away. After learning that several stargates have disappeared in such a manner, Landry interrogates Nerus, now a prisoner at Area 51, to find out who is responsible.
First appearance of the Odyssey.
"Off the Grid" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Blatant Lies: Lampshaded when Worrell promises to release the team unharmed if they tell him what he wants to hear.Worrell: I don't wanna torture you. In fact, if you tell me the location of the stargate, I'm prepared to release you.Mitchell: No, you are not! (to Daniel) Can you believe he just said that?
- Call-Back: Mitchell uses the alias "Shaft" while posing as a drug dealer.
- Continuity Nod:
- Landry states that following the events of "Ethon", the team has now been implanted with subcutaneous locator beacons allowing them to be beamed up to the Odyssey.
- Walter mentions that the Trust once tried to steal Earth's stargate.
- SG-1 uses a stargate to escape a ship that's about to be destroyed.
- Continuity Overlap: Minor example. After debuting over in Season Two of Stargate Atlantis earlier that year (during "The Siege, Part 3"), the Daedalus-class cruisers now make their first appearance on the parent show (and will remain part of SG-1 throuigh the remainder of the series and into The Ark of Truth).
- Despite the Plan: Lampshaded when Worrell accuses the team of being the ones to steal his stargate, despite Daniel pointing out how little sense that makes.Worrell: Do things always go according to plan in your world, Dr. Jackson?Daniel: ...No. Not usually, no.
- Famed In-Story: Worrell addresses the team as "the infamous SG-1" after capturing them.
- Fantastic Drug: The team initially set out to investigate the production of kassa, a kind of addictive space corn that happens to be a major source of income for the Lucian Alliance.
- Forced to Watch: Worrell instructs his underlings to kill Mitchell last, so he can watch the other three die.
- Guns Akimbo: Teal'c does this with two MP7 submachine guns while on Ba'al's ship.
- I Warned You: As the team is running for their lives from the Lucian Alliance:Teal'c: I did advise that you were a most unlikely drug smuggler, Colonel Mitchell.
- In Medias Res: The episode opens with the team running to the stargate pursued by several heavily armed men, then cuts back after the title sequence to show the events leading up to the mission.
- The Infiltration: Mitchell decides that one of the team needs to go undercover as a drug smuggler in order to obtain information about the kassa operation, leading to a protracted argument over who would be the most convincing.Mitchell: I have no intention of taking anybody on. I'm just gonna pose as a buyer.Daniel: You?Mitchell: Well, no offense Jackson, but you do not strike me as the drug dealer type. In fact, you're not even close.Daniel: I think I'm as close as you are.Carter: Come on, you're miles away.Mitchell: Teal'c, which one of us is closer?Teal'c: I believe the three of you to be equidistant.Mitchell: Oh, please! Mary Poppins is not even in the running.Carter: Hey!Mitchell: (to Teal'c) And neither are you, because I'm going.
- In-Joke: According to the DVD commentary, Nerus' final words ("But I'm so interesting!") are one. During pre-production, the creative team was divided on killing off the Goa'uld. The pro-Nerus supporters had enjoyed Maury Chaykin's performance in "Beachhead" and felt the character was too interesting to kill off in his return appearance. So Nerus' final words are thus an in-joke reference to that internal debate.
- Jabba Table Manners: Landry comments that Nerus has the most disgusting table manners of anybody he's ever met after the "feast" Landry bribes him with ends up all over the inside of his cell. Nerus replies that the general is forgetting he isn't actually human.
- Just in Time: The Odyssey arrives and beams the team to safety just as they're about to be executed by firing squad.Mitchell: How 'bout that timing, Jackson?!
- Literal Metaphor: This exchange after Landry releases Nerus after using his "going-away present" of cupcakes to plant a locator beacon on him.Walter: Sir, if you don't mind my asking...?Landry: How did we plant the beacon on Nerus?Walter: Yes, sir.Landry: It was a piece of cake.
- Make an Example of Them: Worrell states that by killing SG-1, he will be sending a message to Earth not to meddle in the affairs of the Lucian Alliance again.
- Of Corsets Sexy: Part of Carter's "undercover" outfit when SG-1 investigates a kassa dealer.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Used by Nerus to impress upon Landry the fact that he won't give up Ba'al's location for anything less than his freedom, no matter how much food Landry attempts to bribe him with.Nerus: My dear General. I rarely say this, so please take it to heart when I say that for the moment... I'm full.
- Spanner in the Works: The Lucian Alliance showing up and attacking Ba'al's ship while the team are still on board trying to plant locator beacons on all the stolen stargates.
- Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard:Daniel: I have a question: why would we make the gate magically disappear before we had a chance to escape through it?Worrell: Bad timing?Daniel: That's gotta be the single stupidest thing I've ever heard.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The Odyssey is introduced as Earth's new state-of-the-art warship, one episode after the destruction of the Prometheus. Its commander, Colonel Emerson, also counts as a replacement for Colonel Pendergast.
- Wasn't That Fun?: Mitchell's reaction at the end of the episode, once the team returns home after being captured, beaten up and nearly getting killed several times over:Mitchell: We have got the best jobs in the world, don't we?Carter: I'm gonna hit the shower. (Exits)Daniel: I'm gonna find the doctor. (Exits)Teal'c: We are indeed suitably employed. (Exits)Mitchell: (to himself) Yeah, it was a good day...
- You Have Failed Me: Ba'al kills Nerus after he unwittingly uploads a virus to Ba'al's ship and disables all his systems.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After realizing that the team isn't, in fact, the ones who stole the stargate, Worrell shuts down Mitchell's gloating by pointing out that it just means he no longer has a reason to keep them alive.Mitchell: Well, you can't say we didn't tell you so.Worrell: It is far worse news for you. I no longer have any reason to keep you alive.Daniel: Wait, I can think of a reason. (Long pause)Carter: We're more valuable alive.Daniel: Yes! We're more valuable alive. Good one.
