When SG-1 is accused of stealing an alien device called the Touchstone that can control the weather on its planet, the team has reason to believe that the real culprits are operating from Earth using the second stargate.
First appearance of Major (later Colonel) Reynolds and formal introduction of The NID.
"Touchstone" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Area 51: The team pays a visit to determine whether the Touchstone has been sent there.
- Buffy Speak:O'Neill: Carter wants to take a closer look with some of her special... doohickeys.
Hammond: "Doohickeys"?
O'Neill: I believe that's the technical term, sir. - Chekhov's Gun: The second stargate makes another appearance.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Though he doesn't do much in this episode, Major Reynolds would later take command of SG-3 (after a promotion) and become a fairly important recurring character.
- Continuity Nod:
- Several to "Solitudes", as that was when the second gate was discovered.
- The "meaning of life stuff" is being studied at Area 51, as are the two Death Gliders SG1 used to escape Apophis' mothership.
- Teal'c makes it clear to Maybourne that he hasn't forgotten their last meeting.
- Death Glare: Teal'c gives a pretty epic one to Maybourne.Teal'c: In my culture, I would be well within my rights to dismember you.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- Carter detects that the second Stargate is being used by looking for a wormhole overload similar to when she and O'Neill were accidentally sent to that gate in "Solitudes". Later episodes would establish that connecting the DHD to the second Stargate redirected all wormholes without any overload required.
- Major Reynolds is depicted as an Air Force officer in this episode while all his later appearances had him as a Marine.
- An SG team is remarked as being galaxies away, despite the seven-chevron Stargate network being limited to the Milky Way galaxy.
- First-Name Ultimatum: When O'Neill and Maybourne start calling each other "Jack" and "Harry", it's a sure sign that they're about two seconds away from trading punches.
- Hero of Another Story: According to Reynolds, SG-5 brought back a potential cure for Alzheimer's Disease.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Between the military SGC and the civilian intelligence NID. There is some suggestion that this is being done deliberately by government higher-ups.
- Not Proven: Hammond and SG-1 know Maybourne was involved in the Second Stargate shenanigans, even if they can't prove it at this time.
- Overt Rendezvous: Hammond meets in a public park with his intelligence contact, who is so paranoid that he won't even have the conversation sitting down; they have to be walking.
- Present Company Excluded:Reynolds: There are no alien lifeforms at Area 51.
[everybody looks at Teal'c]
O'Neill: Present company excluded, of course. - Straw Civilian: Official introduction of the NID, who would prove to be the most prominent and antagonist Straw Civilian operation over the course of the series.
- Villain Ball: The NID swiped the second Stargate and put a replacement in place...made of plastic. Needless to say, the SG-1 team figures out that the gate is fake as soon as they tap it. Granted, it's not as if they could have reproduced the material it's made of, but you'd think they'd at least spring for a more convincing fake.
- We Come In Peace: At the beginning of the episode, when the Planet of the Week's inhabitants accuse SG-1 of stealing the Touchstone:O'Neill: Look, we came in peace, and we'd like to leave in one... piece.
- Weather-Control Machine: The Touchstone.
