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JONAS QUINN

Jonas Quinn

Jonas Quinn had been the Special Advisor to the High Minister of Kelowna, responsible for overseeing scientific research from an ethical perspective. With a brilliant and educated mind, Jonas was considered a man of unique talents on his world. He attended the most honored educational institution on Kelowna, and earned several degrees including those in social studies and ancient history. He studied with Dr. Kieran, a professor and researcher at the Academy of Science, and was recruited by his friend and mentor into the Naquadria Project. They had been working together for six years when SG-1 first arrived on Kelowna.

Jonas enthusiastically welcomed the visitors to his world, sharing cultural and scientific information, and acting as a liaison. He was present when tragedy struck, and he witnessed the lab accident which exposed Daniel Jackson to lethal radiation. He reported the incident to his superiors, but was ashamed by his government's attempt to conceal not only the dangers of a naquadria weapon, but also the circumstances of Daniel's sacrifice. He risked being considered a traitor by his people and took a sample of naquadria, bringing it to the SGC in the hope of developing and sharing defensive technology.

Unable to return to his homeworld, Jonas settled in at the SGC and began enthusiastically learning and experiencing everything he could about his adopted homeworld. He recorded detailed journals and notebooks, eagerly tasted every new food he could find, including bananas, lollipops, medium rare hamburgers, onion rings dipped in milkshakes, ginger ale, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and an ever-present mug of tea, and he found fascination in everything from fish, to boxing, to classical music, to the Weather Channel. With the ability to learn and retain information much more quickly than the average human, and with unusually acute powers of observation, he began to absorb all the reading material on the base. Over the next few months he memorized all of SG-1's mission reports, almost all of Daniel's work, all the recent naquadria research, hundreds of scientific schematics, and most of the journals in the base library. He honed his ability to read and translate a number of languages including pre-dynastic Egyptian, Celtic, Goa'uld, and the language of the Ancients. What Jonas longed for, however, was the opportunity to prove himself, to join the exploration of the galaxy, to fight the Goa'uld, and to find a way to help make up for the loss of Daniel. After three months at the SGC, Jonas was recommended by O'Neill as the tenth replacement for Daniel's position on the team, and he became an official member of SG-1.

Jonas's dream of making a contribution to the SGC had come true, and with each mission through the gate, his superior intelligence, enthusiasm, and insight made him an invaluable member of SG-1, as a scientist, historian, linguist, and colleague. At first he experienced self doubt about his ability to react in a crisis, but he proved himself worthy in combat situations, not to mention demonstrating an ability to hold his breath under water for nearly two minutes. Initially, Jonas carried an in'tar handgun on missions through the gate, but as he received training from O'Neill in the use of a P-90, he gradually added combat skills to his list of contributions as a team member.

When a Kelownan delegation arrived seeking military support from Earth, First Minister Valis offered Jonas a full pardon to return home and to be reinstated in his position at the Academy of Science, but Jonas chose to remain with SG-1. The delegation also presented a bittersweet reunion with Dr. Kieran when it became apparent that the increasingly erratic behavior of Jonas's friend was due to a unique form of brain damage caused by prolonged exposure to naquadria radiation, although tests on Jonas for the same disorder were negative. Jonas's unique abilities were again recognized when SG-1 was captured by Nirrti and subjected to her DNA resequencer. Although the Kelownan ancestors were human, taken from Earth thousands of years ago, the device detected genetic changes in Jonas that gave him capabilities beyond the average human. The device was also responsible for the development, some weeks later, of an unusual brain tumor, a life threatening nonmalignant astrocytoma that caused headaches, seizures, and limited precognitive abilities. However, emergency surgery to remove the tumor was successful, and Jonas's precognitive flashes vanished.

Jonas's translations of the Ancient tablet from Abydos led the team to Vis Uban where they were reunited with Daniel Jackson, and he cooperated with Daniel in infiltrating Anubis's mothership. However, he was captured by Anubis and subjected to a mind probe, through which Anubis learned of the naquadria on his homeworld. Jonas's role in helping to defeat Anubis at Kelowna served to redeem him in the eyes of his countrymen, and the quarreling nations of Tirania and the Andari Federation agreed to participate in a joint ruling council with Kelowna only on the condition that Jonas serve as the Kelownan representative. Jonas left the SGC and returned home to Kelowna as a hero and a leader among his people.

A crisis on his homeworld brought Jonas back to the SGC when his research led to the discovery that unstable naquadria deep below the planet's surface threatened to obliterate Kelowna. He and his research partner, Kianna Cyr, cooperated with Carter and Teal'c to pilot a deep underground excavation vehicle 20 kilometers beneath the planet's surface to halt the advancing vein of naquadria that threatened to destroy the planet. The mission was a success, and Jonas returned to Kelowna, having saved his homeworld a second time.

Portrayed by: Corin Nemec

Cross Reference: Anubis, Samantha Carter, Kianna Cyr, Deep Underground Excavation Vehicle, DNA Resequencer, Janet Fraiser, George Hammond, Daniel Jackson, Kelowna, Dr. Kieran, Langara, Mind Probe, Naquadria, Nirrti, Jack O'Neill, P2S-4C3, SG Teams, Teal'c, Sandy Van Densen, William Waring

First Introduced: Meridian

Significant Episode Reference: Redemption, Shadow Play, Metamorphosis, Prophecy, Homecoming, Fallout