"Lost City" is the two-part finale to the seventh season of the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1. The episode was written by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, with Martin Wood directing. The first part originally premiered on October 2, 2003, with the second part showing a week later on October 9, 2003 on Sky One in the United Kingdom. SciFi Channel in the United States then aired part one on October 12, 2003 and part two on October 19, 2003.

"Lost City" was originally conceived as a Stargate SG-1 feature film, with Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper first discussing the project in 2001. As it developed, it was reimagined as a finale to Stargate SG-1 and the beginning of spin-off series Stargate Atlantis. Ultimately, with the knowledge that SG-1 would return for an eighth season, the story was shaped into both a season seven finale as well as informing parts of the Atlantis pilot, "Rising".

The episode had the largest budget since SG-1's pilot, "Children of the Gods". Guest stars including William Devane as President Henry Hayes and James McDaniel as General Francis Maynard returned, having first appeared in previous lead-in episode "Inauguration". Frequent guest stars Ronny Cox and Tony Amendola also returned, as Robert Kinsey and Bra'tac, respectively. Jessica Steen was introduced as Dr. Elizabeth Weir, who would later become one of the lead characters in spin-off Stargate Atlantis played by Torri Higginson. Real world Air Force Chief of Staff John P. Jumper also appeared as himself. This episode was nominated for Emmy, Gemini, and Visual Effects Society awards.

Plot Part 1 Racing against the forces of Anubis, SG-1 travel through the Stargate to an alien world which they know is home to a Repository of the Ancients Knowledge. As the team debate whether one of them should use the device or if they should simply destroy it in order to prevent Anubis from taking the device for himself, his forces arrive and begin their attack. Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), who years before was nearly killed by the overwhelming amount of knowledge after accidentally using an identical device, decides he should be the one to use it, in the hope it will help them defend Earth.

In Washington, D.C., new President Henry Hayes (William Devane) calls upon Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Jessica Steen), an expert in international politics, to replace General Hammond (Don S. Davis) for a three-month review. Vice President Robert Kinsey (Ronny Cox) approaches Weir, expressing in no uncertain terms the undesirability of interfering with his agenda.

As SG-1 retreat back to Earth, General Hammond tells them that he is being replaced. Dr. Weir arrives to a less than happy reception as she ceases all Stargate operations. Not long after, Teal'c's mentor Bra'tac (Tony Amendola) comes through the Stargate with the news that Anubis' fleet will arrive at Earth in three days. Kinsey believes this to be a ploy to keep the SGC running, but Weir hears out SG-1's proposal to find the Lost City of the Ancients, and with it the means to defend Earth. Bra'tac and Teal'c depart for Chulak, to find ships and warriors to aid in Earth's defense.

Part 2 O'Neill, under the influence of Ancient knowledge, writes down what Daniel believes is the location of the Lost City: Praclarush Taonas. Daniel realizes that there is a syllable in the Ancient language for each Stargate symbol, and thus "Praclarush Taonas" is a Stargate address. Unable to make a Stargate connection to Praclarush Taonas, Sam (Amanda Tapping) instead plots the planet's location and SG-1 sets off in a Goa'uld cargo ship along with Bra'tac and a young Jaffa pilot named Ronan. Jack's condition is worsening; his actions are becoming more and more subconscious, and he is losing the ability to communicate. He gives command of the mission to Carter. They arrive at a molten planet and discover Taonas, an Ancient outpost, buried under hardened lava. O'Neill activates a hologram showing Terra Atlantus—Earth and the Lost City of Atlantis, buried in Antarctica. O'Neill removes an advanced power source from the outpost. In orbit, Bra'tac fights and successfully kills Ronan, who was not a Rebel Jaffa but actually an agent working for Anubis. During the fight, Bra'tac is wounded; O'Neill heals him using the healing powers of the Ancients, then enhances the cargo ship's hyperdrive and modifies its ring transporter to be able to melt through the ice upon reaching their destination at Antarctica.

Anubis' scouts reach Earth, but General Hammond and President Hayes believe he is attempting to probe Earth's status and hold back launching their only defense, the Prometheus. As Anubis' full force arrive in orbit, they destroy a fleet of US Navy ships, before turning their attention to Earth's communications network. Anubis appears as a hologram inside the Oval Office and demands Earth's surrender. Still at Stargate Command, Kinsey demands that Weir let him go through the Stargate to Earth's evacuation site, but Anubis dials in with a nuke (stopped only by the iris), thereby preventing his desertion. SG-1's cargo ship arrives above Antarctica and starts drilling; it is protected from a group of death gliders and Al'kesh by the Prometheus, commanded by General Hammond, and its complement of F-302 fighter craft. Once inside the Ancient facility, O'Neill installs the power source, while Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c fend off Anubis' Kull Warriors. As Hammond orders a kamikaze run on Anubis' flagship, O'Neill activates Ancient weapons that obliterate the Goa'uld fleet. A drained O'Neill indicates an Ancient stasis chamber; as it activates, he says "ave, amicis" ("goodbye, friends"). Sam is determined to save him, while Daniel realizes they are in just another outpost, not the Lost City itself. Teal'c wonders where Atlantis is as the three of them look upon the frozen O'Neill.

Production Development

Brad Wright began discussing plans for a Stargate SG-1 feature film and spinoff series in September 2001. In February 2002, he elaborated that Robert C. Cooper was writing the script with him, with the intent to present it to MGM. Wright also revealed that Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), who at that point had left the show was included in the story. In June 2002, Wright revealed that they had submitted their first draft of the script and that the feature film would bridge the end of SG-1 and a new spinoff series called Stargate Atlantis. Later that year, Richard Dean Anderson noted that MGM had instead decided to pursue a sixth season of SG-1, with the hope that it would raise both the interest and capital to produce the feature film. Anderson, who was further reducing his working days on SG-1 also conveyed his interest in being a part of the feature film.

As well as setting up the Atlantis spinoff, Cooper wanted the feature to conclude SG-1, completing their search for the Lost City of the Ancients, which had been introduced the season prior, as well as wrapping up the Anubis arc and revealing the Stargate program to the public. Believing season 7 would be the shows last, the feature film script was later adapted into a finale of SG-1, but after the Sci-Fi Channel and MGM renewed SG-1 for an eight-season which would run simultaneously with Stargate Atlantis, Wright and Cooper decided to adapt their script once more into a two-part season 7 finale as they felt they could not postpone concluding the Anubis arc for another year. There were originally discussions as to whether the season finale might be presented as a complete two-hour piece, or a television movie, although ultimately Sci Fi decided to split the story into two parts.

Wright and Cooper's original, far longer feature script was 120 pages, which meant reducing it to fit within the two hour slot. Revealing the Stargate program to the public of Earth was one of the most significant redactions to the story. There was also originally a greater emphasis on SG-1's search for a ship which could take them to the Ancient Outpost planet, giving the character Jaffa double agent, Ronan a significant role. The original film also featured a huge action sequence involving Anubis' forces attacking and destroying the United States Seventh Fleet, which was reduced to just a phone call in the final script. The romance arc of Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill would have also played a more significant part, with Cooper and Wood teasing that there would have been a kiss between the two on board the Goa'uld cargo ship after O'Neill puts Carter in command. Other elements that would have introduced the lost city of Atlantis on Earth were altered, with some elements instead forming the Atlantis pilot "Rising". Both the feature film and earlier version of the television script would have featured an action sequence involving SG-1 parachuting from the Cargo ship in Antarctica to reach the Ancient outpost below. The writers and producers kept this the sequence in the script until one of the final drafts, but ultimately had to cut it due to the cost. The final version of the script was reduced from 120 pages to 108.

After completing the script, Cooper and Wright decided that in order to put as much money and time into the episode as they could, there would be a clip show prior to "Lost City". Entitled "Inauguration", Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie put together the teleplay, recapping the event that lead to "Lost City", as well as introducing William Devane's newly elected President Henry Hayes.

Cast

William Devane, who had made his first appearance in the episode prior, returns as the newly elected President Henry Hayes, with James McDaniel also returning from the previous instalment as General Francis Maynard.