The following story contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "The Company of Thieves," the summer finale of "Stargate SG-1."

As I watched The Company Of Thieves, I wanted to weep alongside Sam Carter at the loss of Col. Paul Emerson.

When pirates boarded the Odyssey to commandeer her, Emerson stood up as the ships commander to protect his crew. The pirates matter-of-factly killed him in an attempt to intimidate the other members of the crew.

Its amazing that the murder of a character thats recurred in just a handful of Stargate SG-1 episodes could be so affecting, but it was.

In fact, its hard to realize that Emerson hadnt been around the series longer. But that, I think, was part of his charm.

He was simply a quietly reassuring presence, and in that way, Emerson continued what has been a hallmark of the Stargate series since Day One: a highly positive portrayal of the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.

Which is not to say that portrayal has been jingoistic. It hasnt been. Stargate has been unflinching in the reality of the military, and weve seen more than our share of boneheaded, idiot officers come through the doors of Stargate Command.

But, then, there are plenty of boneheaded, idiot officers in the real life military.

The point is, however, that most are not. Most are just like Paul Emerson.

Most are capable and confident, ready for their mission at hand without much hint of bravado or ego. And like Emerson, they are ready to die for their duty -- heroes without the need to prove they are they heroes, if that makes any sense.

In other words, they are professionals.

Even when he stood up to the pirates and faced his death, Emerson did so not with emotion or boldness -- just a true sense of duty and professionalism.

I suppose Im somewhat in a position to vouch for how common Emersons fine qualities are in our military since I spent two years as a reporter covering the U.S. Army.

Certainly, our troops are (most probably) not fighting and dying elsewhere in the galaxy for our defense.

But they are definitely fighting and dying elsewhere on our planet. And as Emersons cool, easy professionalism proved reassuring on screen, it translates then to be reassured by the caliber of our troops abroad.

Regardless of whether you agree with any given specific political objective handed them to accomplish or not, such as the war in Iraq, the fact that they are willing and able for the job leaves me feeling better about my country and my fellow human beings.

The Pentagon spends millions of dollars annually on public relations and burnishing its image. But in peacetime or wartime, Stargate SG-1 continues to be perhaps the U.S. militarys best advertisement.

The folks behind the series take their commitment to the military seriously. Amanda Tapping, the actress who plays Sam Carter, this summer told attendees of the Shore Leave science fiction convention in Maryland a story of how she visited the troops at war and how one soldier gave her a bracelet as a gift.

She vowed she would wear that bracelet until it broke, or the troops came home. Sadly, she said, it broke first.

That Tapping and her colleagues are so willing to embrace their connection to the real-life military is very much to their credit.

A discussion of the qualities of Col. Paul Emerson wouldnt be complete without offering many kudos to the actor who gave him life, Matthew Glave.

I didnt realize this myself until I Googled him, but Glave also is the actor who played Drew Barrymores crude, thuggish fiance in the 1998 movie The Wedding Singer. Although I didnt make the connection at first, I remember that film well and that character was indeed brutish and not at all likeable.

So it really says something about Glaves skill as an actor to play such an oaf on the one hand, and such a noble figure as Emerson on the other -- and to play both so convincingly.

As I said, the part of Col. Emerson wasnt a huge one. He appeared in just a half-dozen episodes or so. Yet Glave inhabited the role fully and very much made his character an essential part of the team. It is to his credit that Emerson will be so sorely missed.

A former entertainment journalist, Scott Nance is a member of the USS Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, DC, area. He is a columnist for Airlock Alpha, and can be reached at scottnance@airlockalpha.com.