The Torment of Tantalus 

Daniel Jackson discovers that the Stargate was activated in 1945 and a young professor went through, never to return. Together with his still living fiancée, the SG1 team discover the now ... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Glassner

Writers:

Brad Wright (developed for television by), Jonathan Glassner (developed for television by)

Stars:

Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Richard Dean Anderson	...	Colonel Jack O'Neill
Michael Shanks	...	Dr. Daniel Jackson
Amanda Tapping	...	Captain Samantha Carter
Christopher Judge	...	Teal'c
Don S. Davis	...	Major General George Hammond
Elizabeth Hoffman	...	Catherine Langford
Keene Curtis	...	Ernest Littlefield
Gary Jones	...	Sgt. Walter Harriman
Duncan Fraser	...	Professor Langford
Nancy Hillis	...	Young Catherine Langford (as Nancy McClure)
Paul McGillion	...	Young Ernest Littlefield
Sheelah Megill	...	Maid Martha

Storyline

Daniel Jackson discovers that the Stargate was activated in 1945 and a young professor went through, never to return. Together with his still living fiancée, the SG1 team discover the now aged professor, naked and trapped in a decaying fortress, containing the secrets of an Ancient alliance. Will they be able to rescue him and escape to earth in time?

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Plot Keywords:

world war two | film footage | old footage | united nations | experiment | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul McGillion plays the role of the young Ernest Littlefield. He later played Dr. Carson Beckett in Stargate: Atlantis (2004).

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Goofs

After the rocks have fallen down in front of the Stargate, Jack touches one of the rocks, revealing that it's fake (it is light as a feather).

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Quotes

Dr. Daniel Jackson: There's no conclusion to the file. No summary, no notes, no reason to explain why they gave up.
Jack O'Neill: Well, whole boxes of material could be missing.
Dr. Daniel Jackson: The Pentagon said this was everything.
Jack O'Neill: Oh, please. The Pentagon's lost entire countries.

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Connections

Referenced in Stargate: Atlantis: The Eye (2004)

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Soundtracks

End Title
Written by Joel Goldsmith

User Reviews

Alone for Fifty Years

The Stargate Command (SGC) receives classified information from the Pentagon and Daniel learns that the Stargate was manually activated in 1945. Further, Professor Ernest Littlefield crossed the Stargate and has gone missing. The SG-1 and Ernest's fiancée Catherine convince General Hammond to let them go to the same coordinates to seek out Ernest. They find him alive and alone in a decayed castle and he shows to Daniel information from four alien races about the Universe. However the castle is collapsing under a storm and the Stargate is not working, and Sam and Teal'c need to get power to activate the Stargate.

"The Torment of Tantalus" is an interesting episode of Stargate SG-1, with parallel stories in different times. I question whether a person would be sane after living fifty years alone in a desert place. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The Torment of Tantalus"

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1997 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Bridge Studios, Gekko Film Corp., MGM Worldwide Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9