"If one is weak, one may as well be dead."
— Teal'c
Teal'c loses his confidence after he is injured in battle and finds that he can't heal as quickly as he used to now that he no longer has a symbiote. Daniel begins to recover some lost memories from his time as an ascended being and realizes that Bra'tac and Rya'c are being held prisoner in a forced labor camp owned by Ba'al.
"Orpheus" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Alien Sky: Erebus has two moons.
- All-Powerful Bystander: Daniel is rather disgusted with his ascended self after realizing that he stood by and did nothing as Bra'tac and Rya'c were captured on Erebus. O'Neill eventually convinces him that he wouldn't have been able to do anything, as Oma Desala and the other ascended would've stopped him if he had tried, so it wasn't his fault.
- Badass Bystander: During the prison camp uprising a number of the prisoners, some of whom seem to be only slightly older than Rya'c, show off some truly impressive martial arts moves against the Jaffa guards. Makes sense as all the prisoners are Jaffa too, and thus Proud Warrior Race Guys themselves.
- Boom, Headshot!: Averted. O'Neill and the other snipers correctly aim for center of mass just like real snipers do.
- Brought Down to Normal: Well, Teal'c thinks this has happened to him, anyway. Daniel is pretty sure it's just a crisis of confidence, and by the end of the episode Teal'c's proven that at most he's been Brought Down to Badass.
- Continuity Nod:
- Daniel mentions that he now has nearly all of his memories back from before he "died", though he still doesn't remember most of his time as an ascended being.
- After he completes his physical recovery, Fraiser tells Teal'c that he's lifted, pushed and pulled more weight than anyone on base ever has, "alien technology notwithstanding".
- Teal'c tells Daniel that the latter helped him through his ordeal as he was dying in "The Changeling".
- The episode itself continues the ongoing plotline regarding tretonin and the Jaffa. In particular it comes up that while tretonin provides Jaffa with an immune system it does not give them the same regenerative powers as a symbiote.
- Conversational Troping: Carter casually picks apart the plot of Signs whilst working out in the gym.Daniel: Why do you watch those movies if all you're gonna do is cut 'em up?Carter: Oh, come on. Don't you occasionally like to see if they're getting it anywhere close to right?
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: At the end of the episode, Daniel admits to Teal'c that he mostly felt as though he was doing this prior to his ascension, but that this is no longer the case as he now feels that he's part of something important.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Teal'c repeatedly snarls at the others for showing him sympathy after his injury, not wanting to be perceived as weak.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Daniel suddenly thinks to look at the Alpha Site records for the force field code for Erebus.
- Flashback: Daniel practicing kel'no'reem with Teal'c triggers a flashback to being on Erebus while he was ascended and witnessing the capture of Bra'tac and Rya'c.
- Friendly Sniper: O'Neill takes out several of the Jaffa guarding the labor camp on Erebus with deadly accuracy.
- Friendship Moment: Daniel and Teal'c get a lot of these, most notably Teal'c teaching Daniel how to kel'no'reem and telling him about his visits to Teal'c during the events of "The Changeling", and then the final scene where they both agree that they feel like they belong for the first time ever.
- He's Back!: When Teal'c rallies himself and ruthlessly kills the head Jaffa on Erebus, despite being severely wounded.
- Heroic BSoD: Teal'c hits this hard due to his perceived weakness over not being able to recover from his injury as quickly as he used to. It takes almost getting killed and then personally killing the Jaffa in charge of the prison camp to snap him out of it.
- I Let You Win: This exchange when Bra'tac tries to give Teal'c a pep talk to get him out of his funk:Bra'tac: You have forgotten that a warrior's true strength comes from his heart and his mind. You have had a physical advantage over me for a long time, and yet I have never lost a sparring match to you.Teal'c: Because for years, old man, I have let you win.Bra'tac: Better. Much better.
- Internal Reveal: A variation. Due to the Others wiping his memory, Daniel doesn't remember the events of "The Changeling" and his watching over the dying Teal'c and Bra'tac (until the former tells him here).
- It's All My Fault: Daniel feels responsible for the current situation since he didn't put an end to the prison camp when he actually had the power to. O'Neill points out that if he'd tried to intervene then, it's likely he would've just been kicked out of the ascended club sooner.
- Locked Out of the Loop: While Teal'c informed the rest of SG-1 of his encounter with the then-Ascended Daniel during "The Changeling", it's definitively confirmed they still remain unaware of the specific details of Daniel's role in saving Teal'c and Bra'tac's lives. Teal'c left it out of the official report, regarding it as a private matter and out of respect for Daniel.
- Make an Example of Them: Any Jaffa perceived as not pulling their weight in the camp is executed in front of the others as incentive to work harder.
- Motor Mouth: As he's preparing to join Teal'c in kel'no'reem, Daniel starts rambling on in his usual way about the significance of meditation for humans until Teal'c not-so-subtly tells him to shut up.Teal'c: For a successful kel'no'reem there is one element required above all others.Daniel: What?Teal'c: Silence.
- Neck Snap: Teal'c eventually kills the head Jaffa this way.
- The Neidermeyer: The head Jaffa seems to be one of these, if Daniel's translations of his address to another guard are any indication.O'Neill: What's this?Daniel: Uh, he's dressing that warrior down. "You do the bidding of Ba'al, shut up..."O'Neill: "Shut up"?Daniel: Yeah, I'm paraphrasing.Head Jaffa: Tel mar tokeem. Tal mak kree. Meg tal.Daniel: "You're poison, you're cursed by the wearer of horns, you're sloppy..."
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It's mentioned that it's largely thanks to the efforts of the team that Ba'al has been able to amass so much power in such a short space of time.
- POW Camp: Erebus functions as one, with Jaffa captured in battle by Ba'al's forces used as slave labor to build his motherships.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Played for drama with Teal'c struggling to accept that he can no longer heal as quickly as he used to without a symbiote, despite the fact that he's still twice as strong as anybody else on base.
- Seen It All: Hammond instantly believes Daniel's claims that the intel about Bra'tac and Rya'c came to him while meditating, citing this trope when he notices Daniel's confusion.Hammond: The things I've heard sitting in this chair.
- Some Kind Of Forcefield: The stargate on Erebus is protected by a forcefield similar to Earth's iris. Fortunately, Daniel was able to remember that Bra'tac used the deactivation code to try to get to the alpha site which recorded it.
- Take Care of the Kids: Still suffering from a lack of confidence, Teal'c asks O'Neill to take care of Rya'c for him if he doesn't survive the mission.
- Take Me Instead: Teal'c does this when the head Jaffa takes Rya'c to be executed; he accepts, since Rya'c is still young and strong enough to be a valuable worker while Teal'c can barely stand.
- A Taste of the Lash: In one of Daniel's flashbacks he sees Bra'tac and Rya'c being flogged while working on Erebus. Teal'c and Rak'nor are later subjected to the same treatment after they're caught trying to infiltrate the camp.
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Rya'c stops Rak'nor from intervening in the fight between Teal'c and the head Jaffa, believing that Teal'c needs to finish it himself in order to get his confidence back.
- Time for Plan B: After Teal'c and Rak'nor are captured:O'Neill: It's time for plan B.Carter: We have a plan B?O'Neill: No. But it's time for one.
- We Need a Distraction: Carter and Daniel sabotage the half-finished mothership hovering above the camp in order to provide a big enough distraction for the rescue team to overpower the guards.
- Workout Fanservice: The gym scene, with Daniel and Carter working out in tank tops while a shirtless Teal'c completes his physical therapy nearby. Something for everybody!
