Editing Teal'c (section)

==Role in ''Stargate''==
===Character arc===
Teal'c is a [[Jaffa (Stargate)|Jaffa]] from the planet Chulak. In the decades before the events of ''Stargate SG-1'', the Goa'uld System Lord [[Cronus (Stargate)|Cronus]] executed Teal'c's father (Cronus' First Prime, the most senior Jaffa rank) for retreating during a battle that could not be won. In the hopes of avenging his father's death one day, Teal'c joined the armies of the rival System Lord Apophis.<ref>{{cite episode|title = Fair Game| episode-link = Fair Game (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title = Crossroads| episode-link = Crossroads (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref> Under the direction of Apophis' then-First Prime, [[Bra'tac]], Teal'c learned the ways of a warrior and rose in the ranks to become Apophis's new First Prime. His interaction with Bra'tac and his own personal experiences eventually led Teal'c to doubt the divinity of the Goa'uld.<ref>{{cite episode|title = Threshold| episode-link = Threshold (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref>

When the SG-1 team is captured on Chulak in the pilot episode of ''Stargate SG-1'', Teal'c defects from Apophis and joins the SG-1 team. He believes this will provide an opportunity eventually to defeat the Goa'uld and bring freedom to all Jaffa.<ref>"[[Children of the Gods (Stargate SG-1)|Children of the Gods]]"</ref> Teal'c finds a home at [[Stargate Command]] (SGC) on Earth and occasionally visits his wife [[Drey'auc]] and his young son [[Rya'c]] on Chulak ''(see section [[#Relationships|Relationships]])''. SG-1 joins forces with Bra'tac in many missions against Apophis in the next four seasons. Teal'c's integrity in the team is tested after he kills Daniel's wife [[Sha're]] in season 3's "Forever in a Day" to stop her torturing Daniel. After SG-1 succeeds in killing Apophis in the season 5 premiere, "[[Enemies (Stargate SG-1)|Enemies]]", Chulak becomes a free planet.

The first major group of Jaffa Resistance warriors is shown in season 5's "[[The Warrior (Stargate SG-1)|The Warrior]]". By season six, Teal'c and Bra'tac have become prominent leaders of the Jaffa Resistance. Earth's [[Alpha site (Stargate)|Alpha site]] serves as a main site of operation for the Rebel Jaffa and later the [[Tok'ra]], but the two races have difficulty with trust and collaboration in defeating the Goa'uld as their enemy.<ref>"Death Knell"</ref> Teal'c and Bra'tac lose their symbiotes after a sabotaged Rebel Jaffa summit in season 6's "[[The Changeling (Stargate SG-1)|The Changeling]]", but the Tok'ra drug Tretonin sustains them from then on. Tretonin eventually becomes instrumental in liberating Jaffa from physiological reliance on Goa'uld symbiotes. No longer presenting a security risk to Earth, Teal'c attempts to have a normal life and moves out of the SGC in season 8's "Affinity". However, Teal'c's alien behavior and a murder case make life difficult for him.

Teal'c and Bra'tac eventually lead the Jaffa to victory over the Goa'uld in season 8's "[[Reckoning (Stargate SG-1)|Reckoning]]"/"[[Threads (Stargate SG-1)|Threads]]". The Goa'uld have long weakened one another by continuous civil war amongst the System Lords, and the Jaffa see the Goa'uld's inability to save themselves from the [[Replicator (Stargate)|Replicators]] as proof that they are false Gods. The new Jaffa Nation immediately becomes a major power, inheriting part of the fleets of the System Lords. Teal'c and Bra'tac are knighted Bloodkin to all Jaffa, the highest honour that can be bestowed on any Jaffa. The planet Dakara serves as the nation's new capital, and Chulak becomes a major stronghold for the Free Jaffa Nation in season 9.

Teal'c is chosen as a member of the new Jaffa High Council, but the nation is divided between the [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] progressives (including Teal'c and Bra'tac) with a vision of a [[representative democracy]], and the ruling traditionalists who support the military [[oligarchy]]. Many of the councilors are the former leaders of the Jaffa Resistance, and initially resist the Ori religion after having worshiped false gods for too long. After the death of the traditionalist leader [[Gerak]] in season 9's "[[The Fourth Horseman (Stargate SG-1)|The Fourth Horseman]]", Teal'c supports Bra'tac as an interim leader before the nation adopts a constitution based on Earth [[Representative democracy|representative democracies]] in "[[Stronghold (Stargate SG-1)|Stronghold]]". After the events of season 9's "[[Camelot (Stargate SG-1)|Camelot]]", the Ori take control of Chulak. The Jaffa suffer greatly against the Ori forces, and Dakara is completely destroyed. The last Jaffa episode is season 10's "[[Talion (Stargate SG-1)|Talion]]", in which Teal'c kills the Jaffa leader of an Ori-devout group named Arkad. The fate of the Jaffa Nation and Teal'c's standing among the Jaffa remain unresolved at the end of the series. In the series finale, "[[Unending]]", Teal'c spends fifty years frozen in time on the ''Odyssey'' with the rest of SG-1 when Carter triggers a time dilation device to prevent them being destroyed by an Ori battlecruiser, but when she finds a way to escape and save the ''Odyssey'' that requires one person to go back to the moment before time froze, Teal'c volunteers as his Jaffa nature meant that aging fifty years wouldn't be as significant to him as it would be to his human colleagues. As a result, Teal'c is the only one who remembers what took place during the time dilation device, but he vowed to never share that information with others, and apart from having gained a white streak in his hair his physical potential remains relatively unaffected.

Teal'c appears in the direct-to-DVD films ''[[Stargate: The Ark of Truth]]'' and ''[[Stargate: Continuum]]''. He also appears in two episodes of ''Stargate Atlantis'', set before the events of ''Continuum''. In "[[Reunion (Stargate Atlantis)|Reunion]]", he wishes Colonel Carter farewell before she leaves to become the new leader of [[Atlantis (Stargate)|Atlantis]]. In "[[Midway (Stargate Atlantis)|Midway]]", he comes to Atlantis at Carter's request to teach Satedan warrior [[Ronon Dex]] how to deal with [[IOA (Stargate)|IOA]] interviews. While there, they develop a friendly rivalry, culminating in an hour-long sparring match which ended in a draw. When the [[Wraith (Stargate)|Wraith]] leave the Pegasus galaxy and set foot at the SGC, Teal'c and Ronon work together to stop the enemy.

===Characterization===
Teal'c is a [[Jaffa (Stargate)|Jaffa]] from the planet Chulak, a planet orbiting a binary star system. Jaffa have a human appearance but have an abdominal pouch which serves as an incubator for a larval [[Goa'uld]].<ref name="Hathor">{{cite episode|title = Hathor| episode-link = Hathor (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref> The larval symbiote grants enhanced strength, health, healing, and longevity. Teal'c states he is 101 years old in season 4's "[[The Light (Stargate SG-1)|The Light]]", and ages an additional 50 years in season 10's "[[Unending]]". But since the symbiote also replaces the Jaffa's immune system, its removal is known to cause a long and painful death.<ref name="The Serpent's Lair">{{cite episode|title = The Serpent's Lair| episode-link = The Serpent's Lair (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref> As a Jaffa, Teal'c does not require sleep, but must engage in a form of meditation called ''kel'no'reem'' in order to synchronize with his symbiote.<ref name="Holiday">{{cite episode|title = Holiday| episode-link = Holiday (Stargate SG-1)| series = Stargate SG-1| series-link = Stargate SG-1}}</ref> However, he later had his symbiote removed and survived on a drug called tretonin. After this, he was weaker, could not perform kel'no'reem and needed sleep.

Teal'c is a "stalwart alien with the unfathomable &ndash; and mostly silent &ndash; demeanor"<ref name=approaching_51/> and "the most straight-faced member of SG-1".<ref name=approaching_19/> Teal'c's catchphrase is "Indeed". Christopher Judge described Teal'c as a liberator who tries to end his people's enslavement.<ref name=approaching_19>{{cite book | last = Storm | first = Jo | title = Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1 | publisher = ECW Press | location = Toronto, Canada | year = 2005 | pages = 19&ndash;27 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=T196lU-jXI8C | isbn = 1-55022-705-X }}</ref> Although Teal'c has certain advanced physical abilities and powers, he is very much human in his heart and in his mind.<ref name=approaching_19/> Judge also described Teal'c as a "rebel in a society that doesn't tolerate rebels".<ref name=approaching_51>{{cite book | last = Storm | first = Jo | title = Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1 | publisher = ECW Press | location = Toronto, Canada | year = 2005 | pages = 51&ndash;56 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=T196lU-jXI8C | isbn = 1-55022-705-X }}</ref> Teal'c is all about honor.<ref name=tvzones55_20/> By season 7, Teal'c has become more vocal about expressing his feelings towards situations and other characters.<ref name=tvzones55_20/> Teal'c became more accustomed to life on Earth, developed a taste for doughnuts  and has gone on fishing trips with O'Neill, though he is puzzled as to why O'Neill fishes in a lake known to be devoid of fish. His favorite movie is Star Wars; he has seen it 9 times as of the season 5 episode [[Ascension (Stargate SG-1)|Ascension]]. He once stated a dislike for "[[milk|bovine lactose]]",<ref>Season 6, Episode 19 "The Changeling</ref> which may be due to an earlier episode ("Unnatural Selection"), in which Teal'c is seen gorging himself on ice cream and even stealing O'Neill's pint of ice cream from his hand when the Asgard beamed the refrigerated stores onto the Prometheus, implying that Teal'c may be lactose intolerant. In season 8, Judge wanted to take Teal'c one step closer to being more aware of Earth customs with a more Earth-like behavior, without him losing his alien perspective. He considered the first half of season 8 "the most my character has been given to do since we first started work on the series".<ref name=tvzones58_28/>

===Relationships===
At the beginning of the series, Teal'c is married to [[Drey'auc]] and has a son, [[Rya'c]]. When Teal'c defects to Earth, he leaves them behind on his homeworld, Chulak. Teal'c briefly reunites with his family in season 1's "[[Bloodlines (Stargate SG-1)|Bloodlines]]" and season 2's "[[Family (Stargate SG-1)|Family]]" to prevent Goa'uld influence on their life. Drey'auc marries Teal'c's childhood friend, Frotak, but Rya'c and Drey'auc leave Chulak to live in the Land of Light (from season 1's "[[The Broca Divide]]") soon after Frotak's death in "Family". Teal'c rekindles his feelings with a Tuk'ac temple priestess named Shau'nac in season 4's "[[Crossroads (Stargate SG-1)|Crossroads]]", but she is murdered soon thereafter. Drey'auc dies in a rebel Jaffa camp in season 6's "[[Redemption (Stargate SG-1)|Redemption]]" after refusing a new larval symbiote. Teal'c begins a relationship with the [[Hak'tyl]] leader [[Ishta (Stargate)|Ishta]] in season 7's "[[Birthright (Stargate SG-1)|Birthright]]". He continues this relationship until at least season 8's "[[Sacrifices (Stargate SG-1)|Sacrifices]]", where Rya'c also marries Kar'yn, a student of Ishta. Teal'c would also have a brief relationship with his neighbor, Krista.

O'Neill is suspicious of aliens in general except of Teal'c.<ref name=tvzones46_4>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven | title=Richard Dean Anderson &ndash; Mr Anderson &ndash; Colonel O'Neill |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 46 |pages=4&ndash;9 |date=July 2002}}</ref> At the beginning of the series, Hammond does not accept Teal'c but comes to trust and respect him after realizing Teal'c's devotion to the Stargate Program.<ref name=tvzones46_30>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven | title=Don S. Davis &ndash; The Don &ndash; General Hammond |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 46 |pages=30&ndash;33 |date=July 2002}}</ref> General Landry also respects Teal'c as a warrior.<ref name=tvzones74_44>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven |title=Actor Beau Bridges &ndash; Building Bridges |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 74 |pages=44&ndash;46 |date=January 2007}}</ref>

The writers at first wanted to establish animosity between Teal'c and Daniel, particularly since Teal'c is indirectly responsible for the abduction of Daniel's wife Sha're, who was subsequent selected as a host for the Goa'uld Amaunet by Teal'c's then-master Apophis. "Forever in a Day" almost tries to flesh out this animosity. Judge and Michael Shanks, in real life best friends, protested, as they thought that Daniel would be fascinated by Teal'c's background, and Teal'c would be quite respectful to humans who have similar nobility despite behaving in a different manner. The producers eventually allowed the actors to show how much their characters care about and respect each other, although the characters may not get on with one another.<ref name=tvzones55_20>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven | title=Michael Shanks & Christopher Judge &ndash; The Buddy System |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 46 |pages=20&ndash;25 |date=February 2004}}</ref>

For most of the run of ''SG-1'', Teal'c is the only SG-1 member who is not from Earth. With the introduction of the human alien [[Jonas Quinn]] in season 6, the writers developed a relationship between the two aliens of the team "without making it seem exclusionary", and Teal'c is no longer the "Other" of the show.<ref name=approaching_64>{{cite book | last = Storm | first = Jo | title = Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1 | publisher = ECW Press | location = Toronto, Canada | year = 2005 | page = 64 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=T196lU-jXI8C | isbn = 1-55022-705-X }}</ref> Teal'c and Jonas end up bonding because they have similar backgrounds.<ref name=tvzones46_22>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven | title=Corin Nemec &ndash; Jonas Quinn |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 46 |pages=22&ndash;26 |date=July 2002}}</ref> Christopher Judge explained that his character's amusement with Vala in seasons 9 and 10 contributed to Teal'c's loosening up.<ref name=tvzones71_24>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven |title=Actor Christopher Judge &ndash; Out Of The Box |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 74 |pages=24&ndash;27 |date=July 2006}}</ref>

When Cameron Mitchell is introduced in season 9, Teal'c first reacts taken aback to Mitchell's enthusiasm, being more used to O'Neill's reserved attitude.<ref name=tvzones67_30>{{Cite journal |last=Eramo |first=Steven | title=Amanda Tapping &ndash; Coming Home |journal=[[TV Zone]] |issue=Special 67 |pages=30&ndash;33 |date=December 2005}}</ref> Teal'c is unsure if he likes Mitchell at first, but Mitchell forces Teal'c to interact with him. By not letting Teal'c step back and observe, Mitchell makes Teal'c an active part of the scene.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sumner|first=Darren|url=https://gateworld.net/news/2005/05/judgement-day/|title=Judgement Day: GateWorld talks with Christopher Judge|publisher=[[GateWorld]]|date=May 1, 2005|access-date=2009-03-01}}</ref> Teal'c and Mitchell are both warriors and leaders, but as Teal'c was established as a powerful warrior,<ref name=gw_action>{{cite web|last=Read|first=David|url=https://gateworld.net/news/2008/03/action-man/|title=Action Man: GateWorld talks with Ben Browder|publisher=[[GateWorld]]|date=March 20, 2008|access-date=2009-02-19}}</ref> the producers eventually established that Mitchell gets beat up all the time in fights.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://totalscifionline.com/interviews/1562-ben-browder-the-ice-storm |title=Ben Browder: The ice storm |magazine=[[Dreamwatch|Total Sci-Fi Online]] |date=February 13, 2008 |access-date=2010-09-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223081052/http://totalscifionline.com/interviews/1562-ben-browder-the-ice-storm |archive-date=December 23, 2010 }}</ref>