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P8X-412

P8X-412

P8X-412 is a desert world of simple nomads, similar to Abydos and ancient Egypt. A large pyramid towers over small tent dwellings and a nearly barren and forgotten naquadah mine. It had been one of the many planets ruled by the Goa'uld Qetesh when Vala had been her host, but so isolated was the little mining outpost that the news of Qetesh's demise and the fall of the Goa'uld had not reached the inhabitants. Although the Tok'ra had removed the symbiote from Vala, she had been tortured and left with nothing. Desolate, she had returned to P8X-412 as a safe haven, and she had impersonated their god Qetesh, ruling in her place and keeping the mine active until she could get back on her feet. Vala had been a compassionate ruler, however, greatly beloved by her people, and when she departed the planet, they anxiously awaited her return.

P8X-412 was among the first planets visited by a Prior when the Ori began sending their messengers into this galaxy. The Prior preached that Qetesh was a false god and that the true gods, the Ori, awaited their devotion. To prove the power of the Ori, the Prior performed a miracle, healing Vachna, one of the inhabitants who had long been ill and unable to walk. Although many remained loyal to Qetesh, others feared she had abandoned them, and when SG-1 arrived on the planet, hoping to expose the Ori as false gods, they discovered that many had already begun to turn to Origin.

With Vala's arrival, the inhabitants celebrated Qetesh's return, however, when Daniel convinced Vala that she must confess the truth and expose herself as a fraud in order to convince the people that the Ori were also false gods, the inhabitants immediately turned on her, arrested her, and prepared for her execution. SG-1 convinced the inhabitants to hold a "Mal Doran," a system of justice that Vala had instated during her rule and had named for herself, but as the public trial concluded with a verdict, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

When the Prior returned, he warned that those who did not follow the path would be punished, and an illness began to spread through the community. Vachna was among the first to fall, as was Azdak, a leader in the community, as the Prior plague swept throughout the population. SG-1 was powerless to cure the disease or to halt its spread, and even Mitchell fell ill. The Prior insisted that only faith could heal them, and as Azdak became the first victim to die, the population begged for mercy and forgiveness. As the glow of the Prior's staff penetrated the village, all those touched by the disease were restored, including Azdak and Mitchell. The planet had fallen to the power of the Ori.

Cross Reference: Azdak, Mal Doran, Vala Mal Doran, Ori, Prior, Prior Plague, Qetesh, Vachna

Episode Reference: The Powers That Be