Remember the invasion Daniel warned everybody about last episode?
First appearance of Senator Kinsey.
"Politics" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Hammond briefly laughs at O'Neill's idea for holding a car wash charity to fund the Stargate Program
- And You Were There: Snarkily referenced by O'Neill when Daniel tries to explain the alternate reality to the others.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Considering everything else they've been through so far, it seems a little odd that the rest of the team are so unwilling to believe that Daniel could have experienced an alternate reality, especially given that he came back with an otherwise-unexplained injury and an ominous message.
- Artistic Licence – Politics: Invoked, with O'Neill saying he's not familiar with politics, but asks why the President can't simply overrule Kinsey because O'Neill thinks the former outranks the latter. The U.S. President doesn't "outrank" a U.S. Senator, as they're in separate branches of government, and while the President commands the military, Congress controls its funding. For better or worse, a Senator managing to tank a President's chosen agenda is a feature, not a bug, in American federal politics.
- Breather Episode: Largely a filler episode to bridge the gap between the previous installment dealing with alternate realities and the Season Finale.
- But Now I Must Go: When Kinsey states his intentions to close the gate for good, Teal'c announces that he needs to return home, as his place can't be with the people of Earth if they don't intend to continue the fight against the Goa'uld.
- Cassandra Truth: Daniel spends much of the episode trying to convince everyone else that he really did go to an alternate universe and there really is an attack headed for Earth. Naturally, none of them believe him, although the rest of SG-1 at least do appear to be coming round by the end of the episode.
- Clip Show: The first of five that would be used throughout the series.
- Continuity Nod: Given the nature of the episode, there are frequent references to events that took place throughout the series.
- Draft Dodging: It's heavily implied Kinsey was one during the Vietnam War. He mentions a 'medical condition' which robbed him of the chance to serve in the American military... which is an excuse common to many Vietnam-era politicians.
- Easily Thwarted Alien Invasion: Kinsey thinks that this will be the case if Earth is ever attacked. He's not completely wrong about that, but he does seriously underestimate the advanced technology of the Goa'uld and seems to think they'll be no match for the good old United States military.
- Flashback: Several flashbacks to previous episodes are used as a framing device as the corresponding mission reports are read aloud.
- The Fundamentalist: Kinsey seems to have Christian fundamentalist leanings, though it isn't explicitly stated which political party he belongs to.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Kinsey in this episode isn't exactly wrong about how SG-1 has essentially gotten both the United States and the entire Earth into a shadow war that could very well lead to the entire planet being destroyed. Not to mention, he's still within his rights as a Senator to wonder why all this money is going to a secret Air Force project; it's part of his job to hold the military accountable for their spending on behalf of his constituents.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Kinsey decides to shut down the program at the worst conceivable time.
- Precision F-Strike:Daniel: With all due respect, the Senator is an ass.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Kinsey thinks the stargate itself is one, likening it to Pandora's Box. The team points out that they've already opened the box and at this point the smart thing would be to prepare themselves as best they can by using the stargate to gather resources and intel.
- Take That!: Daniel sarcastically suggests they can take out the Goa'uld by uploading a computer virus to the mothership.
