Disclaimer: Not Witten for Profit. All tags based on episodes of Stargate SG-1, part of the Stargate Franchise.
Episode 1-19 Tin Man
Episode Summary: SG-1 gates to a planet with a lone survivor. He claims to make SG-1 better, when they return home they find out they are now in robotic bodies.
Author's note: This is the first episode of Stargate SG-1 I had ever seen. I came across it on a Saturday afternoon when it was playing in syndication on my local (non cable) Fox channel. I became instantly addicted. I continued to watch it in syndication, a year or two behind current episodes until 2005 when we finally got cable. This episode, although not my favorite, holds a special place in my heart.
Robot Daniel and Robot Carter spent days, weeks even, discussing their new life. What it meant to be a clone essentially. What living for so long would mean. The philosophy and the science of it all fascinated them. But O'Neill was just angry. He was not a robot; he was a soldier. He wasn't meant to be underground patching together an underground shelter over a thousand years old. He was supposed to be exploring, making allies, and fighting the Goa'uld.
He spent a majority of his time sulking in dark corners, avoiding the others. The complex was huge, and Hiram didn't use even a quarter of it. There were many rooms, and entire wings, he could roam through for hours without seeing anyone else.
He thought about the strategic advantages a robotic body could mean in battle. All he needed was a power source. He was stronger, faster, didn't need food or sleep. He was a super soldier. And instead of being used to the best of his abilities, he would waste away the next few hundred years, or longer, underground, fixing pipes and opening vents.
On this particular day he found himself in a dark room that looked like an old library. It surprised him he could still read the titles of the books without light, but hey, robot. A small part of him said to find Daniel, give the guy something to do, make him happy. But another part of him said keep it secret, this can be your own little hide away.
He was dismayed to realize the books were all written in an alien language. But as he scanned through, he realized he had been given the ability to read the alien language. Over the next few days, he fixed the light in the room and brought in something to sit on. He passed countless hours of countless days reading both fiction and nonfiction, learning all about the alien home world.
When the sirens would go off, he would close up the room and go to whatever needed repair. But as soon as he was done, he would make himself scarce again. He knew Danial and Carter were worried about him. He knew they spent time looking for him. He just didn't care. He had a few centuries to live, he could spend the first few months brooding about it if he wanted to.