Teal'c must stand trial for a crime committed while he served as first prime of Apophis when a villager on an alien world identifies him as the Jaffa who killed his father.
"Cor-Ai" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Ancient Grome: Daniel is confused by that fact that the language spoken by the native population seems to have roots in both Latin and Greek.
- Courtroom Episode: Teal'c is put on trial for his past crimes, with the rest of the team acting as his defense.
- Dark and Troubled Past: In addition to Teal'c's being dealt with, O'Neill alludes to his own:"I have spent a lot of years in the service of my country, and I have been ordered to do some damned distateful things."
- Face Death with Dignity: Teal'c is more than willing to accept his punishment.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the final flashback, Hanno’s father is quite clearly signaling to Teal’c to kill him, as they both realize the others can flee more quickly next time.
- Hypocritical Humor:Hammond: The United States is not in the business of interfering in other people's affairs.
O'Neill: ...Since when, sir? - Just Following Orders: O'Neill tries to use this as justification for Teal'c's past actions. Teal'c himself doesn't buy it, and neither does General Hammond for that matter. Notably, Jack walks a fine line with this trope: while he admits it doesn't absolve a soldier of guilt completely, he asserts that it does place some of the responsibility on the guy giving the orders.
- Kangaroo Court: The trial is biased from the get-go, as the son of the victim is playing the roles of judge, jury and executioner. He doesn't even understand the concept of impartiality when Daniel tries to explain it to him, as "everybody has an opinion". O'Neill actually uses the term 'kangaroo court' to describe the proceedings.
- Must Make Amends: Teal'c wants to be found guilty, reasoning that he can at least give retribution to this one man even if he can't give it to all the people he wronged during his time serving Apophis.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Played for drama.
- The locals have a tunnel system that they use to escape the Goa'uld, but their refusal to leave anyone behind means they can only run as fast as their slowest member. This is the reason Teal'c chose to kill Hanno's father, who only had one leg, so that next time the Goa'uld came, the other people would be able to flee faster and hopefully escape.
- Conversely, Jack naturally refuses to abandon Teal'c to the tender mercies of the Byrsa, and is very displeased when General Hammond orders him to let it go.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Averted; Hanno and his people are largely depicted as sympathetic, and nobody is in denial about Teal'c having committed some fairly reprehensible actions; they merely object to his being sentenced to death for them now that he's reformed.
- That Man Is Dead: Hanno declares that the man who killed his father is dead when Teal'c helps to save the locals and then willingly offers up his life.
- Unwanted Assistance: O'Neill's reaction anytime Daniel tries to explain the historical precedent for a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach and the less than impartial judge.Daniel: It's actually rather Talmudic; the wronged party is the only one with the power to forgive —
O'Neill: Will you can it?
Daniel: I'm just... saying. - You Killed My Father: The reason why Teal'c is put on trial.
