Teal'c

Teal'c [ˈtiːəlk] (born c. 1899^[1]) is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.

History

Teal'c is a Jaffa who is one of the leading authorities on the Goa'uld on Earth. Once serving the System Lord Apophis as his First Prime, Teal'c defected in the first episode of the series ("Children of the Gods"). Teal'c believed that the "warriors" of the Tau'ri (Humans) presented actual hope for the eventual defeat of the Goa'uld. After Jack O'Neill asked for Teal'c's help while about to be executed, Teal'c turned his weapon on his fellow Jaffa and returned with SG-1 to the SGC.

Teal'c's father was once the First Prime of Cronus, a rival System Lord. However, when his father retreated in a battle that could not be won, Cronos personally executed him for failure. The procedure was painful, as Cronos reached into the prim'tah (symbiote carrying pouch all Jaffa have) and crushed the larval Goa'uld within him. Teal'c and his mother fled to Apophis' territory, and Teal'c joined the Serpent God's army in the hopes of one day encountering Cronos and avenging his father's death (Teal'c would later get revenge in the Season Four episode "Double Jeopardy," where Teal'c along with his Robot Duplicate killed Cronos together). Under the direction of Bra'tac, the then First Prime, he learned the ways of a warrior and rose in the ranks to become Apophis's new First Prime.

Although Apophis was very fond of him, the lessons he learned from Bra'tac's wisdom and his own personal experiences led him to doubt the divinity of the Goa'uld. But the truly defining moment of Teal'c's belief in the falsehood of the Goa'uld's divinity came about immediately before he became First Prime. Valar, a close friend of Teal'c's, failed Apophis in an important battle. Apophis ordered Teal'c to kill Valar. Teal'c took Valar to the surface of the planet, and despite Valar's protests refused to kill him. Taking the symbiote from a nearby fallen Jaffa, he returned to Apophis' Mothership and presented the symbiote to Apophis. Apophis took the symbiote to be Valar's, and gave Teal'c the praise of "You have promise." Teal'c's belief in the falsehood of the Gods was irreversibly confirmed. Unfortunately, he was unable do to anything about it without the certainty of execution as a traitor, until he encountered SG-1.

Around four years after he joined the SGC, Teal'c was captured in battle by Apophis, and brainwashed into believing that he was once again the First Prime of Apophis. SG-1 managed to recapture Teal'c, and killed Apophis once and for all in the process, but the damage was still done. It took Master Bra'tac and the Rite of Mal'shuran to restore Teal'c's true beliefs. Teal'c later used this incident to bond with his son, who was similarly brainwashed in the Season 2 episode "Family."

Teal'c's main drive throughout the series is to topple the Goa'uld regime and bring freedom to all Jaffa. After several battles with the Goa'uld, during which they suffered several highly visible defeats, an organized Jaffa resistance eventually came to fruition. In "The Warrior," the First Prime of a minor Goa'uld, Imhotep, organizes Jaffa of several other Goa'uld into a small army. Though this gathering was only subterfuge by Imhotep, Teal'c and SG-1 were able to save the bulk of this resistance from slaughter by moving them to the Alpha Site. However, the Tok'ra later took refuge at the Alpha site as well and soon clashed with the ideals of the Jaffa Resistance. Teal'c, Bra'tac, and SG-1 could not quell the tension between the two factions so they simply went their separate ways. Yet, these many events permanently planted the seed of Jaffa resistance to millennia of enslavement by the Goa'uld. Apparently, due to Teal'c's infamy among the Goa'uld (more often than not, he is referred to as shol'va or "traitor" by many Jaffa and Goa'uld), the ranks of the Jaffa Rebellion have increased as more Jaffa catch wind of Teal'c's brazen actions.

About six years after Teal'c joined the SGC, Teal'c and Master Bra'tac attended a summit of Rebel Jaffa. The Rebels were massacred by Jaffa loyal to the Goa'uld, and only Teal'c and Bra'tac survived, with a single Goa'uld symbiote between them. Teal'c transferred the single symbiote between the pair of them, and eventually began to hallucinate, slipping between visions of his life in the SGC and a fictional life as a firefighter. With the help from an Ascended Daniel Jackson, Teal'c kept himself and Bra'tac alive long enough for SG-1 to rescue them. Jacob Carter arrived at the SGC with a modified version of the Tretonin medicine (Season Six Episode "Cure"). Both Teal'c and Bra'tac now sustain themselves with the use of Tretonin, and the drug has become instrumental in liberating Jaffa from physiological reliance on Goa'uld symbiotes (though some Jaffa simply see this as transferring reliance from the Goa'uld to the Tau'ri).

Teal'c and Bra'tac took an influential role over the free Jaffa and eventually mobilized and led them to victory over the Goa'uld at Dakara, where a new Jaffa democracy was established. From the day of victory on Dakara, Teal'c and Bra'tac were hailed as "blood kin to all Jaffa."

He is currently a member of the Jaffa High Council and a leader of the liberal faction that supports Tau'ri-based representative democracy for the new Free Jaffa Nation, opposed to the traditionalist faction headed by Gerak. Since Gerak's death, it would appear that Teal'c has supported Bra'tac as an interim leader before a type of government is solidified. However, since the destruction of Dakara by the Ori, and Bra'tac's news of the Jaffa being scattered by the destruction of their power base, his current standing among them is unknown.

Personality

In the Goa'uld/Jaffa language, 'teal'c' means 'strength' and the name was chosen by his father. This facet is dominant in Teal'c's personality, as he does not run from difficult circumstances but faces his checkered past, and uses the present to atone for past misdeeds ("Cor-ai") and amplify the fight against the oppression of the Goa'uld. Moreover, he is a firm proponent of the SGC's maxim of "never leaving [our] people behind." On more than one occasion, he was dismayed at being denied the chance to rescue SG-1 or other people, even with overwhelming odds against achieving that goal.

Teal'c, in contrast to the stereotypical warrior one might expect, has a very rich vocabulary and a good command of the English language; in almost all situations he speaks tersely and calmly. He rarely uses the words yes and no, preferring short but complete affirmative or negative sentences, such as I did or we were not; this is the form used in some languages lacking own words for yes and no, such as Latin. He uses the word indeed very often.

File:Teal'c.JPG

Teal'c

He has amazing self-control, restraining himself to calm actions when others would often become extremely angry, but he makes no claim to a lack of emotion and he has been known to lose his temper when his close friends and family are threatened. He places his honor and duty above his own personal welfare and would gladly give up his life if it meant freedom for the Jaffa and the continued existence of Earth. In addition, Teal'c usually accepts death as a normal part of life, seeing it as a necessary side-effect of the difficult path he walks. Teal'c is by no means heartless, however, expressing emotion and grievances in a more suppressed, solemn fashion. After Daniel Jackson dies in "Meridian" (he actually Ascends, but this was a relatively new concept in the show), Teal'c is berated by Carter for giving her "the way of the warrior crap," saying that she didn't care if Daniel had obtained something of "great cosmic significance," she would rather have him back, to which Teal'c quietly replies "As would I." He breaks down into tears in front of Daniel Jackson, although it is not explicitly shown on screen.

Teal'c rarely becomes irritated with anyone, although he has been shown to express dislike at certain Earth activities (particularly fishing, which O'Neill is fanatically devoted to). During the 9th season onward, the only character who truly appears to bother him is Vala Mal Doran, who not only feigns an attraction to Teal'c because of his rather well-maintained body, but also asks him more questions than he'd like to answer (and usually does so with one word).

Though Senator/Vice-President/Mister Kinsey says Teal'c "switches sides more often than I change the oil in my car," he has long since proven his loyalty and martial skill to Stargate Command on numerous occasions. From saving members of the SGC to providing critical intelligence on Goa'uld System Lords and troop movements, he is the one person the SGC can count on to continue the fight, no matter what happens. It is worth noting that, as early as Season 2, Teal'c is referred to as "Sir" by most enlisted men in the SGC, and is confirmed to have the "Highest security clearance available" in the Season 7 episode "Inauguration." Despite not being an officially enlisted member of the United States Military, or even considered a true citizen of Earth, to the men and women serving in the SGC he is tantamount to a high-ranking officer. Interestingly, despite being an alien in both species and place of origin, Teal'c is often singlehandedly responsible for preserving the Earth from destruction.

In season four (Small Victories), Teal'c started with a small beard, a kind of long vertical soul patch, because Christopher Judge insisted on it. Daniel notices it, but O'Neill replies Teal'c doesn't want to explain it. It disappears later in the same season. Since season eight (New Order), he has stopped shaving his head and now grows hair. Oddly, while Teal'c's beard was blonde, his later head hair is black. Whether the implication is that this discrepancy is natural or the result of dying one or the other areas is not addressed. However it is most likely that the soul patch was dyed, as an alternate universe Teal'c in Point of View wore a thin, spiked soul patch, which was black, and other alternate-reality Teal'c have had black head hair.

Throughout the series Teal'c displays a quiet but fierce loyalty towards the entire SGC but focuses it primarily towards O'Neill, whom he regards as the one who set him free from Apophis.

Clichés

Teal'c frequently misquotes common earth clichés. Below are some of them.

"Are you considering the tactic I am considering?" (are you thinking what I'm thinking) Thor's Hammer
"Things will not calm down, Daniel Jackson. Things will, in fact, calm up." (things will escalate) Thor's Chariot
"I believe a "medical attack" could be successful." (surgical strike) Within the Serpent's Grasp
"It is a lengthy tale, O'Neill." (long story) Secrets
"I will purchase time for you..." (buy time) Foothold
"Undomesticated equines could not remove me." (wild horses) Message in a Bottle (This is not a direct misquote, as dialogue immediately afterward establishes that Teal'c was making a joke).
"I will, in fact, keep both eyes on it, Dr. Jackson." (Keep an eye on it) One False Step

Humor

Teal'c has been known to show a humorous side in several episodes. In Unending, during a montage passing through several years, Teal'c is seen laughing with the rest of SG-1 and General Landry. Teal'c even wipes a tear from his eye. Below are some of Teal'c's jokes or attempts at humor from various seasons and episodes of Stargate SG-1.

Wild Horses

One of his first jokes was to Col. O'Neill when he was stuck to the wall in Message in a Bottle, O'Neill said "Teal'c, you don't have to stick around," to which Teal'c responded "Undomesticated equines could not move me." O'Neill initially attempted to correct his apparent mis-quoting of yet another cliché when he realized that Teal'c was making a joke. Teal'c used this same joke in the third episode of the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis when bidding goodbye to Samantha Carter before she took control of the Atlantis Expedition.

Jaffa Joke

Once, Col. O'Neill asked Teal'c to tell him a Jaffa joke, upon learning such jokes actually existed. He responded with:

A Serpent guard, a Horus guard and a Setesh guard meet on a neutral planet. It is a tense moment. The Serpent guard's eyes glow. The Horus guard's beak glistens. The Setesh guard's nose...drips.

Teal'c began then laughing out loud (the only time he ever did so in all of the ten seasons) while the others looked puzzled. (Episode Seth)

Abilities and skills

While not possessing any preternatural abilities as such, Teal'c makes up for it with his superior combat training and proficiency in Jaffa close-quarter combat styles, as well as his ability to quickly adapt to new weaponry. Because of his training as Apophis' First Prime, Teal'c has been trained in various skills that are essential to a System Lord's First Prime, which are now used in the services of SG-1. Teal'c is an accomplished tracker, having demonstrating this on many occasions, and has exceptional sensory skills. Occasionally this has inadvertently gotten him into trouble with local law enforcement - on one occasion, he prevented a carjacking, taking down three men at once (and in the same episode, throwing an avocado precisely to hit a purse-snatcher from a long distance, knocking him out). These incidents nevertheless highlight Teal'c's lawfulness and reliability.

As stated by O'Neill, Teal'c is physically much stronger than anyone he knows, even after having his Goa'uld Symbiote removed; a trait he puts to great use in combat. While it would appear that great physical strength is something of a Jaffa trait it does seem that Teal'c is even stronger than most of his race. Before having his Goa'uld permanently removed, Teal'c possessed an impressive healing and recovery rate, a long lifespan, perfect health, an immunity to a great range of diseases, poisons, and toxins, and the ability to survive an extended period without oxygen under water. Because of the presence of naqahdah within his Goa'uld symbiote, Teal'c has the ability to sense the presence of other symbiotes and, because their presence disturbs the Goa'uld, the Re'tu as well. However, since he began to use Tretonin in substitute of his symbiote, he has lost many of these traits, though some remain.

The Prototypical Jaffa

The first member of his race with prolonged contact with members of the Tau'ri, giving Earth humans their first look into Jaffa culture and traditions, Teal'c transformed his race from anonymous and irredeemable villains (in the early seasons of the show) into a rich society further developed by the writers of each episode. In the process, Teal'c has come to symbolize the Jaffa as his cultural perspectives become key points in story plots throughout the series.

Family and Love Life

While still in service to Apophis, Teal'c was married to Drey'auc (now deceased) of the Cordai Plains and had a son, Rya'c. He left his family behind when he betrayed Apophis, hoping to return and bring them the freedom he had found, and they were forced to live as pariahs. He returned to Chulak to prevent his son from being implanted with a symbiote, but Rya'c was too ill and ultimately Teal'c gave him his own symbiote. Teal'c later received another that SG-1 had captured ("Bloodlines").

After he left again, Drey'auc married Fro'tak, a childhood friend of Teal'c, in order to give her son a better life. However, even with such an influential new husband, Drey-auc was unable to prevent Apophis from abducting Rya'c and brainwashing him into publicly denouncing his father. Teal'c believed Rya'c would not succumb to such manipulation, but SG-1 eventually rescued Rya'c and brought him and Drey'auc back to Earth (Fro'tak was killed trying to betray SG-1) where Teal'c soon discovered Rya'c truly was brainwashed and conditioned to immolate himself to destroy Stargate Command. Teal'c had to shoot him with the zat to break the conditioning. Rya'c and Drey'auc left to live in the Land of Light (P3X-797 by designation) soon after ("Family"), and eventually moved to a rebel Jaffa camp, wherein Drey'auc died as a result of refusal of a new larval symbiote when hers matured, not wanting to deprive another Jaffa of life ("Redemption (part 1)").

Shau'nac of the Red Hills was a priestess on Chulak and an old love of Teal'c. They rekindled their feelings when she reappeared in his life, but she was killed soon thereafter ("Crossroads").

Ishta is the leader of the female Jaffa on Hak'tyl. They rebelled against the Goa'uld Moloc because he ordered the murder of any female Jaffa baby, forcing her and her fellow priestesses to secretly smuggle female children off the planet instead of murdering them. She felt the Jaffa rebellion was useless, believing it better to indiscriminantly kill any Goa'uld who posed an immediate threat (particularly Moloc). The other Jaffa Rebel leaders, meanwhile, tried to see the "bigger picture" and not allow a single Goa'uld to become powerful by killing too many prospective opponents. This difference in philosophies strained Teal'c's and Ishta's relationship for a time. After Moloc was eventually killed, however, Baal took over Moloc's territory, and Ishta came to see the wisdom of Teal'c and the other Rebel Jaffa's strategy. Teal'c and Ishta still keep in touch months later, however, as Rya'c tells Teal'c that things would be easier for everyone else if he and Ishta just admit they love each other ("Birthright", "Sacrifices").

He was against his son's marriage to Kar'yn, a student of Ishta, believing he was too young, but he finally accepted it ("Sacrifices").

Weaponry

Originally, Teal'c used the traditional Jaffa staff weapon and a Zat'nik'tel, or a "Zat gun". However, as the series progressed he was more and more often seen using human weapons, mainly the classic FN P90, typically taking advantage of his superior arm strength by wielding it one-handed and occasionally dual-wielding.

In the episode "Off The Grid," Teal'c wields two Heckler & Koch MP7s. However, he returns to the P90 in "The Scourge." Teal'c has also been seen with M249 & GAU-5A/A/M203 in "Full Circle," and even two staff weapons in "Sacrifices."

Teal'c has also used a a staff cannon from a Goa'uld glider, which he took from a downed glider in The Fifth Man. It is very powerful, but very difficult to use; Teal'c himself has to strap it over his shoulder and use two hands to operate it. It can be seen in several episodes, particularly in Season 5.

Trivia

As a result of the events in Unending, Teal'c is now 157 years old, surpassing Bra'tac, Teal'c's surrogate father, by over a decade. However, he looks much younger.
In a handful of episodes, Teal'c wears a floppy-brimmed hat and assumes the pseudonym "Murray" when trying to pose as human. This is first seen in "Point of No Return".
Christopher Judge, who plays Teal'c, has appeared in more episodes of Stargate SG-1 than anyone else. The only episode in which he does not appear is "Prometheus Unbound"[1].
In the episode "Avatar"[2], Teal'c comments that he plays Def Jam Vendetta. Christopher Judge was the voice actor for D-Mob, the main villain of the game.
In the 200th episode pre-show, Judge joked that in the first 9 seasons, Teal'c had said the word "indeed" 27,896 times (which would have required him to use the word an average of 143 times per episode.) This, however, was a number he made up on the spot.
Teal'c says the word "indeed" 143 times throughout the series.
Teal'c's favorite movie is Star Wars. He has seen it nine times since this was first addressed in Season 5.
Teal'c Apeared in Reunion from Stargate Atlantis and will apear in Midway which will mark his First trip to Peagasus (He missed out in The Peagesus Project to make the supergate connection

Key episodes

References

^ "The Light". Stargate SG-1. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)

External links

Character description from GateWorld. Visited May 29, 2006.
Character biography from StargateWiki. Visited May 29, 2006.

Preceded by None	Leader of the Jaffa Progressive Caucus 2005-2006	Succeeded by Master Bra'tac

Template:Stargate SG-1 regulars

[1] "The Light". Stargate SG-1. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)

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