Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
"Who am I kidding? I knew you were an asshole the moment we met."
—Mitchell to Replicator Marrick

Warning: Spoilers for Stargate, Stargate SG-1 and this movie follow. Actually... one spoiler is in the lead quote. Oops.

A direct-to-DVD movie concluding the storyline of Stargate SG-1, post Retool.

After Daniel Jackson receives visions of an artifact that can end the war with the Ori in one strike, SG-1 decide to travel to the Ori galaxy in the belief that the Ori followers are just going to let them dig said artifact right next to their capital city instead of vaporizing their ship as soon as it enters their galaxy. The Ark needs to be used on just one Prior to instantly strip Adria (who succeeded the Ori killed by the Sangraal) of her power, and one was stupid enough to waltz straight into Stargate Command and let himself be captured. It's a simple plan, nothing can possibly go wrong, right?

Wrong! Thanks to IOA agent James Marrick, who almost doomed both galaxies by an untimely release of a Replicator on the Odyssey and the fact that none of the military officers in the room had regular guns ready (that, as well as the fact that the one definite weakness of the replicators they had [Ancient-infused O'Neill's disruptive wave generator gun] was programmed out of its system).

But other than that everything's going exactly according to plan.


Tropes used in Stargate: The Ark of Truth include:
  • And Starring: Michael Shanks continues to be credited as "And Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson," as he had been since Season 7.
  • Big Bad: Adria.
  • Circling Monologue: Adria again.
  • Clipped-Wing Angel: Replicator Marrick's final form goes down without a fight due to Samantha Carter and the other SGC members managing to activate the self-destruct code for the replicators on the ship at the last possible second.
  • Cosmic Deadline.
  • Deus Ex Machina: The Ark itself, implausibly convenient and never mentioned in the show before. Of course, the plotline was supposed to be a complete new season, but then the show got canceled. That might explain why they easily found an artifact they were supposed to look for during 15 episodes or so.
    • The nature of it is also justified. As the Ori/Adria were on a higher plane, SG-1 couldn't simply kill them to prove they weren't Gods. Mass brainwashing really would be the only way to convince people.
  • Distant Prologue
  • Flash Back: The very first scene, and then an additional one along the way.
  • Grand Finale: Since the series was canceled without a chance for a proper one.
  • Heel Face Mind Screw
  • Heroic Second Wind: Teal'c demonstrates just how Badass he truly is by traveling what's implied to be hundreds of miles, on foot, with a near-fatal back wound, to the City of Celestis.
  • I Cannot Self-Terminate: Provided the page quote.
  • Idiot Ball: Seriously, IOA, what the hell were you thinking when you came up with the whole Replicator idea?
  • Instrumental Theme Tune: Mostly carried over from the original movie, but with a new ending.
  • Jossed: As it turned out, Celestis is not some kind of alternate dimension. It's just a planet.
  • Mook Face Turn: Tomin, and then the Doci when exposed to the Ark, and all Priors.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: The Doci after being exposed to the Ark.

Teal'c: One day others may try to convince you they have forgiven you. That is more about them than you. For them, imparting forgiveness is a blessing.
Tomin: How do you go on?
Teal'c: It is simple. You will never forgive yourself. Accept it. You hurt others, many others. That cannot be undone. You will never find personal retribution. But your life does not have to end. That which is right, just, and true can still prevail. If you do not fight for what you believe in, all may be lost for everyone else. But do not fight for yourself. Fight for others, others that may be saved through your effort. That is the least you can do.

  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
  • The Movie
  • Outrun the Fireball: Done so over the top it looks like a parody, which it probably was. Simultaneously subverted by Replicator Marrick being charred to a husk.
    • Also subverted in that Mitchell is blown across the room by the explosion, and is badly injured by it.
      • He's not just blown across the room. He only takes half a step before his leg gives out, probably from the brutal beat-down Repli Marrick just gave him.
  • Plot Time: The time on the spaceship fighting the replicators seems to take less than a day, however Teal'c goes on an epic journey through mountains on foot in that same span of time.
  • Reverse Psychology: Daniel uses it to get Tomin's Prior to open the fake Ark.
  • Shout-Out: At least to Star Wars ("Millions of years ago, in a distant galaxy...") and Terminator, complete with The Jimmy Hart Version of the theme music (the "skeleton" of Replicator Marrick).
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: It didn't actually happen in the end, but the producers were prepared to substitute the Doci in case Julian Sands couldn't reprise the role, rather than just cut out the character.
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