"Heroes" (Parts 1 and 2) are the seventeenth and eighteenth episodes from the seventh season of the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by showrunner Robert C. Cooper and directed by frequent series director Andy Mikita. "Heroes" first aired on Sky One in the United Kingdom, with part 1 being shown on February 3, 2004, and part 2, being shown on February 10, 2004. In the United States, part 1 aired February 13 on and February 20 on Sci-fi Channel. Part 2 is the 150th episode of the show.
In this episode, the United States government has commissioned journalist Emmett Bregman (Saul Rubinek) to create a time-capsule video documentary, showing inner workings and goings-on within the top secret Stargate Command facility. Bregman's presence is met with resistance from many of the base personnel who are reluctant to appear in his film, with some exceptions, including Dr. Janet Fraiser (Teryl Rothery).
"Heroes" was originally imagined by Cooper as a single, inexpensive episode that would be shot entirely by the second-unit of photography, on the show's existing sets. After assembling a first cut that ran too long, Cooper and Mikita felt that instead of trimming the episode down, they should instead re-work it into a two-part arc. The story was reorganized, with new scenes written by Cooper and sporadically filmed by Mikita across a number of months in 2003.
The episodes are regarded by both fans and critics as being among the best of the show's ten-year run, with four Leo Awards nominations and one nomination for a Hugo Award.
Plot
Part 1
The President of the United States, nearing the end of his time in office, is concerned over how the public will react when the Stargate Program becomes public knowledge after he leaves office. Hoping that he will be able to put a positive spin on his association with the program, his office commissions Emmett Bregman (Saul Rubinek) to create a documentary on the personnel of Stargate Command and their activities. Whilst unenthusiastic about the idea, General Hammond (Don S. Davis) promises to follow the president's orders.
Bregman is given access to past mission reports and interviews members of Stargate Command. Bregman is dodged by Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) who suggests the journalist try sending him a memo. Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) is unable to recall his time as an ascended being for the reporter and proceeds to toy with Bregman by running away, to see whether the film crew will follow him. Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) explains the science of the Stargate in great detail, only to be asked by Bregman if they can see the Gate spin. Teal'c (Christopher Judge) is almost entirely unwilling to give any responses to his questions.
Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox), who is in the running to become the Vice President of the United States, uses the occasion in an attempt to coerce O'Neill into pledging his vote to Kinsey's party on-camera. As Bregman becomes frustrated by the resistance he is being met with, he interviews Dr. Janet Fraiser, becoming increasingly smitten as the two have lunch together.
SG-13 and SG-3 journey through the Stargate to explore a previously unvisited planet. After discovering an Ancient ruin, SG-13 encounters a Goa'uld probe that they disable. Believing there to be no further threat, the teams continue their exploration of the ruins and have the probe sent back to Stargate Command. Carter, Daniel and Teal'c determine that prior to its destruction, the probe communicated back to the Goa'uld.
On the alien planet, Senior Airman Simon Wells (Julius Chapple) is struck by weapons fire from ambushing Goa'uld ground forces. With Wells needing medical attention, another member of SG-13 retreats to the Gate to get help while the rest take up defensive positions. Back at Stargate Command, Bregman is held at bay as SG troops begin mobilizing for a mission to rescue SG-3 and SG-13.
Part 2 As SG-3 and SG-13 are under attack, SG-1, SG-5 and SG-7 are sent in to back them up while Dr. Fraiser and her field team treat the wounded including Airman Wells. Colonel O'Neill takes a Goa'uld staff blast to the torso and falls to the ground. The embattled SG teams return to Earth and, while the camera crews are forced from the Gateroom, an unidentified individual stretched lifeless on a gurney is visible, concerning Bregman. Reports that there was a fatality during the mission filter through the SGC, piquing the interest of the reporter. With a member of Stargate Command dead, Agent Woolsey (Robert Picardo) is sent by the Intelligence Oversight Committee to investigate who is responsible, questioning the decisions of General Hammond, Dr. Jackson, and Major Carter. Bregman also tries to determine what happened.
An infuriated Bregman makes a strong stand about the importance of the media, especially with regard to a top secret program which is to be made public anyway. He highlights the importance of documenting the sacrifice and loss associated with war. After continued pressure, Dr. Jackson allows the reporter to view the tape he made of the mission. Bregman sees Dr. Fraiser tending to Wells and, almost immediately after stabilizing him for travel, taking a fatal staff blast to her torso.
As O'Neill recovers in the infirmary, Daniel visits Wells and his wife, where he is introduced to their newborn baby, who they have named Janet in Fraiser's honor. Stargate Command personnel gather for the memorial service, with Carter reading a eulogy of the names of those whom Fraiser saved. After Bregman shows Hammond his film, Hammond admits that he was wrong about the journalist's intentions, believing the documentary to be a fitting testimonial to those who have served and in some cases, given their lives for the Stargate Program and protection of Earth. Colonel O'Neill agrees to sit down and talk to Bregman.
Production Development
Robert C. Cooper's initial inspiration came from an episode of the television series M*A*S*H he had always enjoyed called "Yankee Doodle Doctor", which follows a documentary being made. Using the documentary premise, Cooper wanted to take a step back and examine "just how incredible" a feat the Stargate Program was, exploring the secrecy surrounding the project. Cooper wanted to examine the personnel involved, specifically tackling how the characters felt about their extraordinary jobs, where they were "essentially saving the world every week", something he believed they were doing without expectation of reward. Around the time Cooper was working on the story, the 2003 invasion of Iraq was also taking place. Although it was not Cooper's intent to make a commentary on the real world events, he felt that there was an almost inevitable bleed through to his story, especially how news reporters were embedded along with the military and how that affected both the actions of those involved and the subsequent coverage. Writer and producer Joseph Mallozzi described initial drafts of "Heroes" as "light-hearted documentary-style take on Stargate Command." As Cooper's script developed, Peter DeLuise suggested that one of the recurring characters should be killed off. Although he did not suggest who that should be, he recommended that it be a character the audience had feelings for. Cooper subsequently made the decision to kill off the recurring character of Dr. Janet Fraiser to further his examination of the characters and look at how they dealt with loss and sacrifice.
There was heavy debate amongst the writing staff regarding Cooper's proposal to kill Dr. Fraiser off; not all the writers agreed with his decision. It was Cooper's belief that these characters, including Fraiser, were imagined as "living in a real world—they're living in a world we can identify with and this is the real military, this is the Air Force". He felt it was important that the show acknowledge the fact that both "in real life and on the show, people do die." Cooper also believed it would be "cheap" to introduce a new character for the episode only to kill them off, noting that Stargate SG-1 could not have "real jeopardy unless once in a while you prove that something is going to happen that has consequence". DeLuise also encouraged Cooper to not have the character "die and come back", as Daniel Jackson had, in order to give the show credibility. Cooper phoned Rothery in January 2003 to discuss production of the seventh season, breaking it to her that he planned to kill Fraiser off. Although Rothery was upset that her character was being killed off, she thought the story was "beautiful", believing it was a fitting way for her character to go.
As a gag, Cooper wrote a scene for Walter Harriman (Gary Jones) where the character would joke about Air Force Technicians playing Space Invaders on the computers in the Gateroom. This was a response to an earlier note Cooper had received from the United States Air Force, telling him that Air Force personnel would not play computer games whilst on active duty.
After the episode had been written, shot and edited, the abundance of additional material led to it being redeveloped into a two-part episode. This meant that Cooper had to write additional material. Cooper still had a clear beginning, middle and end to his story, which he wanted to preserve, and instead looked at expanding upon the existing story by introducing a new subplot, adding 35 pages to his script. The notion that Stargate Command's personnel were under investigation following the death of one of its personnel was already indicated in Cooper's original story, but he developed this into a fully-fledged subplot that would be interwoven throughout the finished episodes. This led to the introduction of the character of Richard Woolsey, who would be conducting the investigation. The Woolsey subplot was the turning point for Cooper in developing "Heroes" into two episodes, believing that the new subplot would complement the existing story, commenting that Bregman "is try[ing] to use freedoms and liberties that are supposedly afforded to the press, to get the true story about what's going on in the SGC and doing an investigation. Woolsey is doing another investigation that is in many ways attempting to crucify those same people." The production schedule and broadcast order had to be revised, as "Heroes" had originally been intended for broadcast amongst the first 10 episode of season seven.
After Saul Rubinek was cast, the actor in his discussions to Cooper felt as though the show was "missing an opportunity" to further the importance of the press. Rubinek encouraged Cooper to include a passionate speech for his character detailing how crucial freedom of the press, "true reporting and how important that is to a democratic society". Rubinek later recalled that Cooper was "very open" and seemingly appreciative of his contribution, whilst affirming it was still "all Robert Cooper" who was ultimately responsible.
Cast