Originally aired January 17, 1997
Written by Scott Smith Miller
Directed by Adam Nimoy
On a world influenced by Ancient Egyptian culture, Quinn is thought to be dead after being used in a deadly experiment, while Rembrandt, Wade, and Arturo become trapped inside a pyramid where they are pursued by a giant scarab.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Alternate History: Professor Arturo theorises that Ancient Egypt became the most powerful empire in the world because Alexander the Great was defeated.
- Ambition Is Evil: The Kheri-Heb. He currently serves as regent until a new pharaoh is chosen, and he certainly wants to receive that appointment. His involvement in the reanimation experiments was in part a way to boost his standing, which is why he has his underlings trying to apprehend Quinn.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Thinking Quinn is lost, Rembrandt attacks one of the doctors involved in the procedure.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: The giant scarab in the pyramid.
- Big Damn Heroes: Arturo clubs the guard that was going to take Wade into the pyramid.
- Break the Cutie: Wade in particular is devastated by Quinn's apparent death.
- Dead Person Conversation: In the afterlife, Quinn reunites with his late father Michael, and the two have a brief conversation until Michael persuades Quinn to return to life.
- Death Is Cheap: The purpose of Deera's experiments is to induce death and try to bring the person back in order to learn what they saw. Quinn is the first successful attempt, having been dead for roughly five minutes.
- Disposable Vagrant: Deera had been told those she was experimenting on were terminally ill. Instead, her colleagues lied to her and just used whatever poor soul they could find that wouldn't be missed. Quinn almost suffers this.
- I Choose to Stay: The group misses the slide on the chance that Quinn is still alive.
- In Spite of a Nail: The culture of Ancient Egypt survives into the present day and dominates the world. In spite of this, everyone in New Cairo speaks English, a language influenced by Latin, the language of the Roman Empire.
- Irony: Wade muses they thought Quinn was dead before entering the pyramid, but now he's probably alive while they're trapped.
- It's All My Fault: Wade blames herself for Quinn's apparent death because trying to help that girl triggered the other events.
- Karmic Death: The Kheri-Heb had no problem ordering Quinn and other innocents be used for Deera's experiments (lying to her about their medical conditions in the process) or condemning Wade and Sheilah to be food for the giant scarab. He ultimately gets eaten by the scarab at the end of the tunnel, with Deera ensuring this by deliberately lying about Quinn being there.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Justified when Quinn and Wade are captured and taken to different locations. Arturo goes to the pyramid to save Wade, while Rembrandt heads for the hospital to look for Quinn.
- Like a Son to Me: Arturo recalls something Quinn once told him:"He told me once he dreamt I was his father. I never had the courage to tell him that so often I wished he was my son."
- Little "No": Sheilah, as she's taken away to be sealed inside the tomb with the scarab.
- Nerves of Steel: Quinn reminds Deera he can't be intimidated since he's been to the other side and come back.
- New Neo City: On this world, New Cairo is a major city of the Egyptian Empire that is located in the same place as Los Angeles on Earth Prime.
- No One Left Behind: The rest of the group misses the slide on the chance that Quinn is still alive.
- Plot Device: The Sliders get a new timer in this episode.
- The Power of Friendship: It's what convinces the other Sliders to miss the slide.
- Race Against the Clock: Because Quinn apparently died trying to save Sheilah, the rest of the group tries to save her before the slide. They succeed with seconds to spare, only to learn that Quinn could still be alive.
- Sadistic Choice: After being told Quinn was subjected to a revival experiment and that there's a chance he might be alive.Rembrandt: If we go back, we lose all home of ever returning home. We'll spend 29 years here because we've gambled on some miraculous breakthrough.
- Shout-Out: To Star Trek with this line from Rembrandt:Rembrandt: (after zapping the scarab with an Improvised Weapon) Call it an impromptu phaser.
- Spanner in the Works:
- Activating the timer in the pyramid causes the scarab to panic and break loose, which in turn causes the pyramid to seal up and trap the Sliders.
- Quinn discovers a new timer hidden in the architect's office. He reasons those that were to be sealed in the pyramid intended to use it to escape. The pyramid being sealed early, though, wrecks that plan for the architect, but it does benefit the Sliders.
- Status Quo Is God:
- The Sliders can't use the old timer but they get a new one by the end of the episode.
- The new timer should allow them to keep returning to the one place and have some control over their slides. Instead, they have to slide before the end of the timer window just like they had to at the start of the series, thereby forcing them right back into random sliding.
- Wham Episode: The old timer can't be used for another 29 years, but the group gets a new one.
- What Measure Is a Mook?: A number of people were to be sealed inside the pyramid in order to be food for the scarab.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: How Quinn views briefly encountering his father on the other side.
