The Broca Divide

Plot: SGs 1 and 3 head to a planet that is populated by both primeval and bronze age people, seperated by light and dark areas of the planet. Upon returning to the SGC, several members of the mission develop symptoms, turning them in to savage primeval men, just like on the planet. It is up to Daniel, Teal'c and Dr. Frasier to develop a cure for the dangerously contagious disease.


All told, not a bad episode. The intensity really ramps up towards the end, with the discovery of a cure and a bid to rescue Daniel from the primeval people on the planet. It makes for quite an unbalanced episode and a lot of the early build up seems superfluous when contrasted with what actually ends up happening. In particular, the Minoan style culture, which seves little purpose other than to develop a mechanic for allowing missions to be of scientific and cultural importance, on top of being of military importance.

The title, Broca Divide, refers to Paul Broca, a 19th century anthropologist, who studied the area of the brain related to language processing and comprehension. The Broca Divide in this context is the difference between the primeval and bronze age populations.

This episode is notable for being the first appearance by Teryl Rothery in the role of Janet Frasier and set the standard for Stargate doctors that was later followed by Lexa Doig, Paul McGillion and most recently, Jewel Staite.

7 out of 10