10 Greatest "I'm Dead And I Know It" Moments From Stargate

Stargate was known for more than one undo button when it came to character deaths. In fact, Apophis probably died more times than any other villain, with the possible exception of Ba'al. Having said that, whether it was one time or many, the looks on their faces when the end finally came was often priceless.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were known to inflict quite a bit of humour in their stories, which often worked as a counterfoil for some of the darker elements around them. The shows dealt with evil overlords enslaving or executing millions of people. Laughs are sometimes thin on the ground in those cases.

Sometimes those people got close-up shots, and sometimes their oppressors finally got their comeuppances. This list gathers ten of the best moments when the person or persons looked into the eyes of death and knew that, no matter what they tried to do, the abyss and oblivion were rushing up towards them.

Unless of course, their name was Daniel Jackson. In his case, we've just gone ahead and picked one of the many, many times he met his maker.

Now, this may be a little misleading but bear with me. Daniel Jackson was dosed with a fatal amount of radiation in the second-last episode of the fifth season, Meridian. This was also the episode that introduced Jonas Quinn to the team. The entire storyline was conceived due to behind-the-scenes issues, however, a backdoor was left open for Michael Shanks to return.

However, in Meridian, there is little doubt that Daniel is about to meet his maker. Both Carters, Samantha and Jacob, attempt to heal him with a Gou'uld device, to no avail. Dr. Fraiser does what she can, but human science hasn't evolved to the point where this level of radiation poisoning can be reversed. It very much looks like the jig is up.

In steps Oma Desala, an Ancient that Daniel had previously encountered. She tells him that she can help him ascend, though for all intents and purposes this is like dying, as once ascended he can't return to his previous life (that rule was just ignored in the following season).

Jackson shares a final goodbye with O'Neill, explaining what's happening. The man is completely at peace, knowing that he's about to move on. It may be something of a different type of 'I know I'm Dead' moment, but it is no less striking.