"It's like someone tried to genetically engineer the perfect athlete without any concern for longevity."
— Jacob Carter
After Teal'c and Bra'tac are attacked by a mysterious assailant who appears to be immune to their weapons, the team discovers that Anubis has genetically engineered a new breed of invulnerable super soldiers called Kull warriors to do his bidding. O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c and Bra'tac set out to capture one of the warriors alive in the hopes of extracting information from it, while Daniel and Dr. Lee travel to Honduras in search of an Ancient healing device that Selmak believes could be the key to understanding these new enemies.
"Evolution, Part 1" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Adventurer Archaeologist: Daniel is clearly in his element running around Central America in search of lost ruins. Dr. Lee is somewhat less so.
- Alien Autopsy: Carter and Jacob perform one on the dead Kull warrior that Teal'c and Bra'tac bring back.
- Artificial Human: Inside their armor, the Kull warriors are artificially grown humans each controlled by a Goa'uld symbiote, genetically engineered for maximum physical endurance at the cost of longevity.
- The Blank: The symbiotes controlling the Kull warriors have none of the usual personality traits associated with the Goa'uld, making them little more than mindless drones with advanced healing powers.
- Booby Trap: Daniel and Lee accidentally trigger one when they remove the Telchak device from its chamber, causing rushing water to pour into the temple.
- Breaking Speech:Rafael: (to Daniel) You should know, many prisoners talk as you do. "My friends will come and save me." Gives them hope.
- Bring It Back Alive: Carter states that they need to capture one of the Kull warriors alive in order to learn more about them.
- Call-Back: O'Neill convincing a random Jaffa to help the team after they're taken captive by the Goa'uld Ramius and then telling the guy to come with them as they make their escape echoes his convincing Teal'c to switch sides in the pilot.
- Captain Obvious: As he and Teal'c step out onto a battlefield strewn with dozens of corpses at the beginning of the episode, Bra'tac deduces that "this meeting did not go well".
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Hammond informing the rest of the team that Daniel and Dr. Lee have been taken hostage by Honduran rebels and the government has no idea where they are.
- Continuity Nod:
- Hammond initially asks if the Kull warrior could be an ashrak.
- Daniel mentions that his grandfather was searching for the Telchak device in Central America at one point, though he didn't know what it was for.
- Drowning Pit: Daniel and Lee get trapped in one of these when the underground temple they're exploring begins to fill with water after they remove the Telchak device, though they manage to swim back through the narrow passageways and make it to the surface.Lee: I think I figured out why those passageways were so narrow. It's to prevent people from escaping alive.Daniel: You're good.
- Faux Affably Evil: Rafael, the leader of the Honduran rebels. He makes a point to act outwardly polite and amiable, but he shoots the tour guide without hesitation when he tries to run and makes it clear that he won't hesitate to kill his hostages if he doesn't get what he wants from them.
- Force Field Cage: The team attempt to capture a Kull warrior in one of these, only for it to walk right out.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Bra'tac suggests to O'Neill that they surrender after they're cut off from the stargate on Ramius's planet, optimistic that some of the rebel Jaffa will be able to free them.
- Meaningful Background Event: While Daniel and Lee are negotiating with their tour guide at an outdoor cafe after arriving in Honduras, Rafael can be seen seated at the table behind them, watching their conversation.
- MookâFace Turn: O'Neill and Teal'c convince the Jaffa guarding the team after they're captured by Ramius to spring them from their cell.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: The Kull warrior withstands staff blasts, zat blasts, kinetic weapons fire, claymores, and C4, walking straight through all of it without even flinching.
- Oh, Crap!: When Teal'c and Bra'tac first encounter the Kull warrior and realize that their weapons are completely ineffective.
- Right Behind Me: When their guide picks up the Telchak device, Daniel and Lee immediately put their hands up in surrender. Confused, the guide tries to reassure them that he isn't going to rob them, then realizes that they're both staring at something behind him and turns to find himself facing several heavily armed rebels.
- Super-Soldier: The Kull warriors. Carter even uses this exact term to describe them.O'Neill: "Super Soldier"?Carter: No?O'Neill: It has a ring.
- Talking Your Way Out: Subverted; Daniel tries to reason with the rebels by insisting that they're not worth anything, only for the guide to more or less tell him to shut up before he makes things worse.
- Time for Plan B: Lampshaded:O'Neill: Rig the perimeter with C4 and claymores.Reynolds: Not much faith in Plan A?O'Neill: Since when has Plan A ever worked?
- Tranquillizer Dart: Carter hopes to bring down the Kull warrior with one of these, using a special trinium dart that can pierce through its armor. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have any effect whatsoever.
- We Have Reserves: Teal'c references this in an attempt to win over the Jaffa guarding the team, pointing out that Ramius will allow all his Jaffa to die fighting the Kull warrior while he attempts to flee.
