"I am the real Ba'al."
— Every Ba'al clone
After his ship is shot down over Earth, Ba'al claims that his clones have turned against him and asks for SG-1's help in killing them; in exchange, he promises to help them locate Merlin's weapon. The team set out to round up all the clones, but run into a problem when all of them claim to be the original Ba'al.
"Insiders" provides examples of the following tropes:
- The Alleged Boss: Mitchell admits to being as much when Landry asks whether he'll be able to control Vala without Daniel around to keep her in line; he responds that he can barely control the rest of the team; since Carter is the same rank as him, Teal'c is an alien and Daniel is a civilian, he's never had any real authority over any of them.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: The ending of the episode reveals that Agent Barrett has been brainwashed by Ba'al in much the same way as members of the Jaffa High Council were in "Stronghold".
- Continuity Nod:
- It's mentioned that Ba'al had previously been to Earth without being detected.
- Carter reveals that since Earth's stargate was stolen two years ago, the base has had signal jamming technology installed to prevent anyone from beaming out.
- Ba'al claims that he was trying to brainwash the Jaffa High Council in order to gain control of the Dakara superweapon.
- It's revealed that Merlin's weapon is hidden on one of the planets that O'Neill added to the dialing computer after the first time he received the Ancient repository of knowledge.
- Barrett references the Goa'uld infiltration of the Russian government.
- Deadly Gas: Symbiote poison is pumped through the air vents in an attempt to kill the Ba'al clones before they can make it off the base.
- Expendable Clone: Invoked but ultimately subverted; the first Ba'al to arrive on Earth, who may or may not be the original, tells the team that he needs their help capturing and killing all the clones, but it's ultimately revealed that all the Ba'als are working together.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: In the aftermath of Ba'al's escape, SG-1 and Landry discuss how the Goa'uld's plan only worked because Barrett violated protocol and accidentally gave him the opportunity to escape his cell. Problem is, Ba'al's plan hinged on knowing in advance that he'd be able to escape his cell once all the clones had been collected. He would've had no way of knowing or anticipating Barrett would play 'Cowboy Cop'. So, how did he know Barrett was coming? That's when SG-1 realizes Barrett's been compromised.
- Foreshadowing: The reveal that Ba'al's attempt to take control of the Jaffa governing body in "Stronghold" was to gain access to the Dakra Superweapon in order to use against the Ori. This is an early clue that the Jaffa did not dismantle the weapon as they'd promised back in "Threads" and sets up the events of "Counterstrike".
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: Much of the episode revolved around the team rounding up all the Ba'al clones and bringing them back to the base.
- I Am Spartacus: Referenced. As every Ba'al clone claims to be the original, Mitchell sarcastically refers to one as Spartacus.
- I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: Ba'al gets Carter to enter the base access code into the computer, by threatening to kill all the other hostages, starting with Agent Barrett.
- Interrogation Montage: Used when the team interrogates the various clones.
- Jerkass Ball: Landry treats pre-brainwash reveal Barrett like shit in this episode, for really no reason. While the NID certainly were the SGC's enemy in the past, they've long since become the legitimate intelligence agency they always claimed to be and they are the ones fighting the Trust while SGC is busy with the Ori.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Barrett becomes increasingly frustrated with Landry's refusal to turn the clones over to the NID, though this is implied to be at least partly due to his brainwashing.
- Lame Pun Reaction: This episode really gets its money's worth out of Ba'al's name.Barrett: General, I hear you've got a couple of extra Ba'als.Landry: (Death Glare)
- Malicious Misnaming: Ba'al insists on calling Vala "Qetesh", the name of the Goa'uld she was once host to.
- Me's a Crowd
- The Mole: Barrett is revealed to be an unwilling one.
- Never My Fault: Justified example. Even when presented with proof he was an Unwitting Pawn, Barrett's brainwashing prevents him from accepting he's been compromised or that he helped Ba'al.
- Out-of-Character Alert: Barrett's erratic behavior alerts the team to the fact that he's not quite himself.Mitchell: Your record indicates your entire career has been strictly by-the-book. Now suddenly out of the blue you're a cowboy?
- Reckless Gun Usage: Averted. For her first mission, the armorer issues Vala a P90, only for Mitchell to take it away and give her a zat instead. While she's now a member of SG-1, she doesn't have firearms training.
- Redshirt Army: As usual, the Air Force SFs guarding the SGC are borderline useless. The Ba'al clones manage to overwhelm the ones guarding the detention cells, while the only friendly death is an SF killed in a firefight with the clones.
- Show Some Leg: Vala tries to do this by using Ba'al's lust for Qetesh to trick him into revealing some information, but he calls her bluff.
- Who's on First?: Used in numerous jokes throughout the episode.Mitchell: Chief, got a full count: two strikes, three Ba'als.Walter: (laughing) That's... that's clever, sir.Carter: He was thinking that one up the whole way home.Mitchell: Yep. The whole three seconds.
- You Are Too Late: At the end of the episode, when the Ba'als are about to escape:Carter: You're too late, it's symbiote poison.First Ba'al: You're the one who's too late. (all disappear)
