Apophis (Stargate)
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In the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1, Apophis was a Goa'uld based on the Apophis of Egyptian mythology. Apophis first appeared in the pilot episode Children of the Gods and was the show's main antagonist and the principal enemy of SG-1 for a long time. Apophis had all the standard characteristics of the Goa'uld, including arrogance, cruelty, and megalomania. He was also extremely lucky and very resourceful, having managed to escape what appeared to be certain death on several occasions. The character was portrayed by Peter Williams.
Just as in Egyptian mythology, Apophis was the nemesis of Ra, the leader of the Goa'ulds. When Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill killed Ra in the Stargate movie, they inadvertently increased Apophis' power and allowed him to launch attacks against both Earth and Abydos through the Stargate. During these attacks, Apophis kidnapped Daniel's wife Sha'uri, who became the host of Apophis' queen Amonet. SG-1's war against Apophis and their quest to find and rescue Sha'uri were one of the main focuses of the show in the first few seasons.
After several minor skirmishes between SG-1 and Apophis' forces, Apophis eventually launched all-out attack on Earth with two motherships and an army of Jaffa. Earth's nuclear arsenal proved ineffective against Apophis' Goa'uld technology, but the attack was ultimately foiled by SG-1, resulting in the loss of Apophis' fleet and army. Apophis himself was thought to have perished along with his mothership, but in fact he had escaped at the last minute through the ship's onboard Stargate. However, the destroyed motherships and Jaffa represented a significant portion of Apophis' forces, and his standing amongst the other Goa'uld was severely weakened. He soon came under attack from the most powerful and evil Goa'uld, Sokar.
Sokar crushed Apophis' remaining forces and captured and tortured Apophis, but Apophis eventually managed to escape. After being pursued by Sokar's minions, he was found on a planet by SG-1 after his deathglider crashed. Apophis demanded asylum from SG-1, his greatest enemies, who (reluctantly) granted it to him. While he was in Earth custody as a prisoner of the SGC, each member of SG-1 had the opportunity to confront Apophis one-on-one as he lay on his deathbed. (Apophis' host, a young Egyptian scribe, also briefly reasserted himself, describing the torture of being forced to watch for thousands of years as Apophis used his body to commit unspeakable crimes.) Apophis eventually died from his torture injuries, and his body was returned to Sokar, who promised not to destroy Earth. Sokar then revived Apophis through the use of a sarcophagus, in order to torture him for the rest of eternity.
Apophis eventually managed to lead a rebellion on Sokar's prison moon of Netu (on which SG-1 was also being held captive), during which he saved the life of Major Samantha Carter, only so he could torture her for information later. Once again, each member of SG-1 (except for Teal'c) had a one-on-one confrontation with Apophis, during which they were able to resist his torture and bravely declare their defiance against him.
Apophis eventually beamed up to Sokar's mothership, culminating in a face to face showdown between Apophis and Sokar. Apophis' actions combined with the efforts of SG-1 and the Tok'ra (who blew up the moon while Sokar was in orbit around it) managed to bring about the destruction of Sokar's mothership and Sokar himself. Apophis was thought to have perished along with Sokar, but in fact he had once again managed to escape at the last moment, this time by taking a Ring Transporter to Sokar's palace.
After the death of Sokar, Apophis gained control of Sokar's massive fleet and became the most powerful Goa'uld up to that time. He also adopted Sokar's style of dress, switching from his old Egyptian look to the more Satanic wardrobe favored by Sokar. He attacked and reclaimed Chulak, killed several other Goa'uld including his long-time rival Heru-ur, and was one step away from destroying the System Lords and conquering the galaxy when his fleet was incinerated by an artificial supernova created by SG-1 and the Tok'ra. Apophis once again managed to escape the destruction of his fleet, only to find himself confronted by an enemy even he couldn't survive: the great nemesis of the Asgard, the replicators. The replicators overran Apophis' mothership and wiped out most of his Jaffa. Apophis attempted to seize SG-1's mothership with the aide of a captured and brainwashed Teal'c, but that ship was also taken over by the replicators, and Apophis could only watch helplessly as his remaining Jaffa were killed by the invading techno-bugs. SG-1 managed to sabotage the mothership, causing it to crash into a planet with both Apophis and the replicators onboard. The resulting explosion was massive enough to be seen from space. The last we ever see of Apophis, he was trapped at the helm of the ship, surrounded by replicators and unable to do anything except scream when he saw that his ship was about to collide with the planet. Even in death Apophis managed to strike one last blow against SG-1 in the form of his brainwashing of Teal'c, which lasted even after Apophis' death and required extreme measures to cure that almost cost Teal'c his life.
It seems highly unlikely that Apophis could have escaped the explosion, and Jack O'Neill is "100 percent sure... 99 percent sure that Apophis is dead." Nonetheless, Apophis would make a couple more appearances in later episodes, albeit only as an imaginary character in the flashbacks and nightmares of Teal'c.
Apophis' penchant for escaping what appeared to be certain death multiple times is similar to that of Murdoc, the greatest enemy of MacGyver, another television show starring Richard Dean Anderson.