Break out of the frame | Updated March 28, 2005 | Get the frame back

General info

(I know, this is a terrible name for them. But it's the best I can do, since they never gave us a clue during the episode.)

Planet: unknown. Sam believed its coordinates to be years away from any Goa'uld homeworlds by ship, even fast ships. (Demons)

The villagers' ancestors were probably taken from England roughly a thousand years ago -- definitely pre-Chaucer (who lived in the late 1300s). (Demons)

They call the stargate the Circle of Darkness, because only demons ever come through it. They were all forbidden to so much as look upon it. (Demons)

Sokar, playing Satan for these people, sent one of his underlings (a Goa'ulded Unas) to the village regularly for " sacrifices" -- people whom he would use as hosts (presumably that's Sam's guess). If the village failed to provide sufficient sacrifices, the Unas would take even more in retribution. (Demons)

" Possessed" (sick) people who weren't given over to sacrifice had to be cleansed through trepanning -- drilling a hole in the head to let the evil spirits escape, thus saving the person's soul (although not necessarily doing them any favors physically, in the hands of an unskilled trepanner). (Demons)

The village was ruled by a " canon" , its spiritual leader. For generations, the village canon had a Goa'uld weapon -- a ring that could draw (and direct) lightning from the sky (or possibly a huge zat blast, from a geosynchronous platform in orbit). The ring was handed down from one canon to the next. Each canon had the responsibility of judging whose souls were already possessed by evil, making them suitable for sacrifice. (Demons)

There was at least some literacy one older man was reading a book at one point, and there was at least one other book lying about. (Demons)

Known Medieval Christians

Canon:

Actual name unknown. (Demons)

He was well-fed and well-dressed, surrounded by sycophants and followers (and young women kissing his hand in greeting and serving him wine), and also had possession of the village canon's traditional ring. (Demons)

He was in total control of the village, because he controlled who got chosen for sacrifice no one wanted to cross him. (Demons)

He seemed to be convinced that SG-1 were inherently evil, or at least unclean, for having come through the Circle of Darkness he called down lightning upon them, knocking them out, and tossed them in a holding cell. (Demons)

He thought Teal'c's tattoo was a mark of the devil, and put him to the tests of witchcraft: testing the mark for pain sensitivity (it had none, confirming for the canon that it was a mark of the devil) then, after that first proof, putting him to the water test by weighting him down and tossing him in a lake. (Demons)

When Teal'c (apparently) drowned, the canon declared his soul to be clean, and offered to give him a Christian burial. He told the others they were free to go, so long as they stayed in chains until they got back to the Circle of Darkness and returned whence they came, and never came back. When Teal'c revived from his apparent death, the canon changed his mind, insisting that this was proof they were all evil. (Demons)

He chose the four of them to be the sacrifices, and added Mary (presumably to punish Simon for daring to question/doubt him, regarding SG-1). (Demons)

When Simon approached him again, clearly ready to ask more questions/favors about the release of the sacrifices, the canon flat-out told him that he'd be unable to " defend" him when the next sacrifice was called if he didn't knock it off (although not in those exact words). (Demons)

After Simon stole Teal'c's staff weapon and went to help the others, the canon followed, eventually catching up and demanding to know what Simon thought he was doing -- just as the Unas Simon had injured caught up to him. (Demons)

Simon was knocked unconscious, and the canon was infested with the Goa'uld, who left the dying Unas body behind. Sam detected the Goa'uld's presence and told Jack, who shot the canon and killed him. (Demons)

Mary:

In Simon's care possibly his wife, but it's never made clear). (Demons)

She was ill with chicken pox, which marked her as being possessed by evil spirits and thus suitable for sacrifice to Sokar. (Demons)

Her parents had been sacrificed a year earlier they asked Simon to take care of her. (Demons)

Simon preferred to risk trepanning, to save her from the sacrifice. She was scared, but understood. Just as he was about to, Daniel showed up and offered to take both him and Mary back to Earth, where there were no demons. Before they could leave, Teal'c revived from his apparent death, and the canon went back to calling them all evil. (Demons)

He chose SG-1 and Mary to be the five sacrifices demanded by the Unas. (Demons)

She willingly helped with their escape when Jack spotted an opportunity. (Demons)

After everything was taken care of, she and Simon promised to bury the gate as soon as SG-1 left, and stop the sacrifices. (Demons)

Simon:

A very brave man, and very devoted to a woman named Mary (possibly his wife, but it's never made clear). (Demons)He thought SG-1 were demons come to kill her, and dared face them down holding up a cross, begging them not to hurt her. He had prayed his whole life that God would deliver the village from the evil of the sacrifices to Satan (Sokar), and when SG-1 explained to him that the Unas was a creature, not a demon, and that they'd killed one before, he decided they were the answer to those prayers. He stuck by them during Teal'c's " trial" , although there wasn't much he could do to help. (Demons)

Afterward, he asked dispensation from the canon for the other three to be freed (relatively -- they were still in chains, but not in a cage), and again asked them to help. If they didn't, his other choice was to go through with trepanning for Mary, in an attempt to cleanse her soul before the canon chose who would be sacrificed he believed it would be better for her to die in the village as a result than at the hands of the devil himself. He agreed not to (just in the nick of time) when Daniel showed up and offered to take both him and Mary back to Earth, where there were no demons. Before they could leave, Teal'c revived, causing the canon to declare all of SG-1 to be evil after all, and to be chosen as sacrifices, along with Mary. (Demons)

After SG-1 and Mary were chosen to be sacrifices after all, Simon was basically told flat-out by the canon that he'd be the next chosen for sacrifice if he kept questioning the canon. He didn't ask any questions -- he found Teal'c's staff weapon, and went looking for the others to rescue them.

He shot the Unas three times (once at point-blank range), but it wasn't enough to kill him, and the Unas heaved him aside. Simon ran, and then tried to protect the canon, who had caught up and was yelling at him for trying to help SG-1. (Demons)

Simon was knocked unconscious, and the canon was infested with the Goa'uld, who left the Unas body to die. (Demons)

After Jack shot the Goa'ulded canon, Simon recited the prayer for suffering souls over him. He and Mary promised to bury the gate as soon as SG-1 left, and stop the sacrifices. (Demons)

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