Ancient technology in Stargate
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- This article provides a more exhaustive list of the fictional technologies used by the Ancient race in the Stargate universe.
- For a listing of their more prominent technologies see the main technology article.
The Ancients—also known as the "Alterans" and Lanteans—are an advanced race discovered by the SGC. Among their many achievements, their transportational methods deserve praise, having built extremely advanced ships, flying cities, and the entire Stargate Network. Much of the Ancients' weapons technology was used or designed for use in the centuries-long war with the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy. They were also extremely advanced in the areas of healing, power generation, and biology. All known Ancient technology was created prior to ascension, with the exception of the Velona weapon assisted by Orlin and the weapon created by Merlin to destroy ascended beings. The superiority of Ancient technology is challenged only by Ori technology, which was possibly created with ascended knowledge provided by the Ori themselves. Ori and Ancient technology is also similar, as both the Ancients and the Ori lived together once as a single race. However, not all the technology they build are a complete success.
[edit] Ancient City Ship
Massive city-sized spacecraft, and centers of Ancient civilization. These enormous space craft hold many secrets and technology far in advance of that mastered by the Tau'ri. One of these cities, Atlantis, is currently inhabited by a human expedition.[1] The city has a shield capable of withstanding any form of attack, but Atlantis did not obtain the energy resources necessary to power the shield for over a year, with the arrival of the Daedalus.[2] It also has the ability to travel through space, or submerge itself beneath an ocean, although this is currently above the capabilities of the Expedition inhabiting it.[1]
The cities also possess internal sensors capable of locating power sources, such as ZPM's, and life forms inside the ship, as well as long range and deep space sensors.[2] It is also capable of sensing threats, including chemical and biological ones, and can automatically seal or open sections of the city to secure its population.[3] Drone Weapons launched from an Ancient Control Chair compose the City's defensive systems.[2]
[edit] Ancient Control Chair
The Ancient Control Chair is a device for controlling various systems within an Ancient City Ship or smaller Ancient outposts such as the one in Antarctica. The Control Chair, like much Ancient technology, works on a neural interface system and requires the ATA gene. While the primary use for the Control Chair is accessing Drone Weapons, it has shown the ability to control secondary systems, such as holographic projectors and controlling a city ships power systems.
[edit] Ancient Technology Activation (ATA)
Gene present in all Ancients, one of the factors that differentiates them from humans. Technology considered dangerous or sensitive was restricted by the Ancients to be used only by someone with the ATA Gene, i.e. themselves. If the user does not possess the gene, the technology will either not activate or will be useless. Since a small percentage of humans from Earth are directly descended from the Ancients, such as John Sheppard and Jack O'Neill, some of them already have this gene. Some technology, like a Personal Shield, requires only to be "activated" by someone with the gene. It generally remains usable by those without the gene afterward. Whether or not this gene occurred natural in the Ancients remains unknown.
The Atlantis expedition team began to employ in vivo retroviral gene therapy to transfer the Ancient gene expression into humans, however only around half of those who undergo the procedure eventually receive the ATA gene. The gene therapy also has known side-effects, including diseases.
[edit] Ancient Mainframe
A highly advanced computer used aboard Ancient City Ships. On Atlantis, the Expedition has full access to it. The Mainframe is capable of making many automated decisions, such as alerting users to threats from long-range sensors,[2] quarantining appropriate sections of the City if deemed necessary,[3] and prioritizing certain sections of the City in case of catastrophic shield failure.[1]
The Atlantis Mainframe also contains an impressive database of massive proportions. In fact, it was so enormous that even with an effective compression method conceived by Dr. Rodney McKay, only 7% to 8% could be stored on the Atlantis Expedition's hard drives . It is also incredibly redundant, and if even the smallest part of the hard ware is recovered, the entire database can be reconstructed. Information stored in the Atlantis database included Stargate addresses of both the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies, the names of human civilizations and known creatures native to Pegasus, the list of Lanteans in the city, research on ascension, ZPM's, advanced weapons and notes on space travel.[2] The database can be accessed from several computer consoles across the City, although first time users prefer using the holographic interface, an Ancient program designed to teach Lantean children about their history and science.[4]
Some information in the Atlantis database, such as the names of the Lanteans who fled back to Earth after their people lost the war with the Wraith, has been sent back to Earth for study.[5]
[edit] "Arthur's Mantle"
Ancient computer device built by Merlin. The device was used to conceal his research on a weapon capable of destroying ascended beings, the so-called Sangraal, in another dimension. The console was hidden away concealed in the Avalon cave under Glastonbury Tor in England. The device that effectively rendered people invisible, was called Arthur's Mantle by Merlin's trusted aids, the Knights of the Round Table.
Using the "Mantle", the user could make himself out of phase, where he would be hidden from the ascended Ancients. On the other side, the information stored in its database would be projected, including technical specifications regarding construction and location of the Sangraal. The keyboard was accessible from either dimension, allowing a person to enter and exit. The power source for the unit is not infinite, and reducing the energy which powers it makes it dangerously unstable. Although being out of phase hides the user from both the Ancients and conventional observers, someone wearing a Sodan personal cloaking device still can see the person in question.
The device was accidentally accessed by Samantha Carter and Cameron Mitchell, who were rendered out of phase by the device. With the eventual help of Daniel Jackson, some information in the database could be retrieved and the persons affected could be returned to normal. However, its power source was permanently depleted.[6]. The potential of the technology as a defensive weapon would be once again used by Colonel Carter who attempted to use the device in order to send a village out of phase in order for it to escape an Ori cleansing of the villagers.[7] In an alternate reality, Carter was also able to supply it with enough power to turn the Earth itself invisible[8] Based on this information, it seems that the device, whilst compact and seemingly fragile, is virtually limitless in capacity for precisely how much matter it can shift out of phase.
[edit] Asurans
The Asurans are a race of machines, similar, and possibly even ancestral, to the Replicators encountered by SG-1 on several occasions.
The Asurans were the ultimate result of the extensive Ancient research into far smaller and potentially more effective weapons for use during their war against the Wraith. The alternative of smaller nanites capable of infecting and attacking the Wraith on a microscopic level was eventually conceived. As the nanites began to replicate and became more advanced, they combined with each other, eventually forming humanoid constructs similar to their creators. The Asurans were however hardcoded to be unable to harm any of the Ancients, who continued the experiment. Eventually, the Ancients felt the Asurans would never become the weapon they had hoped, and then proceeded to attack and destroy the Asurans prior to their leaving for the Milky Way. However, some nanites survived and replicated, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Asuran city and society, both of which were modeled on that of their creators, the Ancients.
The Asurans later became an enemy of the Atlantis Expedition when they realised that the Tau'ri were from Earth and descendants of the Ancients. It also appeared that they were able to modify their own programming, eventually making them capable of harming the Ancients.
[edit] Aurora class battleship
The Aurora class battleships were Ancient battlecruisers used in their war with the Wraith. The ships out-mass the Daedalus class battlecruiser by at least four times, and are far superior to a Wraith Hive-Ship. It has cryogenic suspension systems to keep its crew alive for an extended period of time. The battlecruisers are armed with Drone Weapons and protected from attacks by powerful shields.
The first Aurora class vessel encountered by the Atlantis Expedition was eventually destroyed to keep it from falling into the hands of the Wraith. A second vessel - nicknamed the Orion by John Sheppard - was discovered on a planet about to be destroyed by a supervolcano. It was in far better repair than its sister ship, and while still unable to fly using its sublight engines, it was able to open a hyperspace window on the planet's surface and escape into orbit. The ship was eventually pressed into action prematurely in order to stop two Wraith hive ships headed for Earth. Though it managed to destroy one of the hive ships, the Orion was also destroyed in the battle. The Tria, another Ancient ship traveling at near light speeds, containing live Ancients due to relativity, was discovered by the crew of the Daedalus.
[edit] Brain Scan Device ("Ascendometer")
Ancient device used to measure a person's synaptic activity. Designed to work alongside an Ancient DNA Resequencer, the scanner analyzes a subject's current physiological status and feeds the information back into the resequencer. It was able to locate the areas of the brain that were used for advanced abilities such as telekinesis, and was apparently used by the Ancients during their search for ascension.
One of these scanners was discovered in the lab where Anubis created and experimented on Khalek, a genetic hybrid intended to be the prototype of an ascended warrior with which Anubis had hoped to defeat the Ancients. After the SGC brought Khalek back to Earth for study, the scanner was brought with them and used to monitor his development. The device was nicknamed "ascendometer" by Colonel Mitchell.[9]. Apparently, the device was later sent to Atlantis and used on Rodney McKay after he accidentally manipulated his own DNA.[10]
[edit] Communication Device
A dome device with a blue crystal designed to communicate across galaxies. Daniel Jackson theorized that it could help find Ancients who would share knowledge with them freely. The device allows the exchange of minds between bodies when used in conjunction with communication stones. The receiving body has to be however in close proximity of a similar stone to receive the mind. The device draws its power directly from subspace, and also uses it to allow communication over astonishing distances. Transporting it to another world does not cease the connection, as it does not need to be in proximity to any set of host bodies. According to the number of slots on the device, it can link twelve individuals simultaneously. Placing the stone into a slot at the base of the unit initiates the device, and a blue crystal at the top lights when it is active.
One of these devices was discovered under Glastonbury Tor, and it was subsequently used by Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran. It transported their minds to the Ori galaxy into the bodies of a married couple, Harrid and Sallis.[5] Their minds were sent back by another similar device, but the transfer was cut short by a Prior. Cameron Mitchell and Teal'c eventually destroyed it by throwing it into the Stargate's unstable vortex, bringing Daniel and Vala back.[11] Several months later, Vala Mal Doran contacted the SGC from the Ori Galaxy using the device thanks to the Ori underground resistance, and warned SG-1 about the nearing Ori invasion of the Milky Way. However, the link was cut by her husband Tomin.[12]
[edit] Communication Stone
A small stone-like device allowing two individuals with the ATA Gene to periodically see through the other's eyes.[13] When interfaced with a long-range communication device, the stones allow the user to take direct control over the body of another being, but without giving access to the host's memories. The stones have to be activated by someone with the Ancient gene before being used on the long-range communication device,[5] and also have to be in close proximity to the user.
SG-1 retrieved one of these stones from P3R-233, the same planet where the quantum mirror was discovered. The devices were eventually stored in Daniel Jackson's lab above the SGC's briefing room. One of the stones was activated by Jack O'Neill, which established a psychic link with Joe Spencer, a barber from Indiana who owned a similar stone retrieved from an archeological dig in Egypt. Joe was able to see O'Neills memories recalled during O'Neills briefings, and subsequently based several stories on these vision-like experiences.[13] The two stones were later used by Jackson and Vala Mal Doran to access the Ancient long-range communication device. Another two stones were owned by Harrid and Sallis in the Ori Galaxy.[11]
[edit] Containment Device
Device that encapsulates its contents in a layer of subspace. The Ancients were using this technology during the height of their war with the Wraith. Because the substance contained is stored in subspace, an object of virtually any manageable size can be encased within. The only thusfar encountered containment device was modified to emit a specific type of radiation meant to attract a non-corporeal energy-consuming being.
Only weeks after the Atlantis Expedition had taken up residence in Atlantis, one of these devices was discovered, and its contents let loose in the City. In the device was an energy-consuming non-corporeal being, studied by the Ancients during their research on ascension. However, the consuming of energy was hazardous to human life, and prolonged direct contact with the being was lethal. Eventually, the creature was lured through the Stargate to another planet.[14]
[edit] Dakara superweapon
The Dakara Superweapon was an Ancient device located on Dakara. Enclosed within a mountain, only the console was visible. This console was used to calibrate the weapon. Once activated, the weapon released a disruption field that reduces any compounds matching the console's calibration into their basic atoms. At its most general settings, the weapon is capable of causing anything in its blast-radius to cease to exist. The blast is also able to extend its radius by passing through the Stargate Network; if a local gate is set to dial every other gate in the galaxy, the blast radius can extend indefinitely, and as such can be used to destroy all life in the galaxy.
This weapon was used to eliminate the entire Replicator threat, by calibrating the disruption wave to match that emitted by the Replicator Disruptor.[15] The weapon was supposed to be destroyed by the newly formed Free Jaffa Nation to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands (such as the hands of Anubis, who had intended to wipe out all life in the galaxy so that he could remake everything to his own design).[16] It was however later used against the Ori in a failed attempt to take over one of their battlecruisers, and eventually destroyed by Adria.[17]
[edit] DNA Resequencer
The DNA Resequencer was a device used by the Ancients to biologically alter people into a more advanced state. It may be the reason that some (if not all) Ancients have the powers of telekinesis, telepathy, super-human senses and strength, supernatural health and self healing, perfect memories, and the power to heal by touch. It also may be one of the contributing factors to Ascension.
[edit] Drone weapon
Drone Weapons are a hybrid between projectile and energy weapons, and are shaped like a meter-long jellyfish, capable of autonomously targeting and destroying a small vessel, even if the vessel is moving extremely quickly. These small projectiles were the Ancient's main type of weapon and were used on Atlantis, Aurora class battlecruisers and Ancients outposts such as the one in Antarctica.
Drones are mostly launched from a Control Chair, the only exceptions being the drones on Aurora class battlecruisers and Puddle jumpers. In large numbers, drones can easily destroy Wraith Hive-Ships and Ha'taks, although the latter can be achieved with as little as two drones if targeted at a critical system. The drones are also able to penetrate Goa'uld energy shields.
[edit] "Eye of the Gods"
A big obelisk located not far from the Stargate. The obelisk, called the Eye of the Gods by the Sodan, transports people to another location where a similar transporter is located to get back.
One of these obelisks was located on the Sodan homeworld, and connected the Sodan village to the Stargate, across the Mountains of Dor Tanak. An energy signature was detected within the column of stone, although it remains unknown how the device functions.[18] However, a control crystal is required to activate the obelisk. Without this crystal, the obelisk can be transported to, but cannot transport individuals back.[6]
Morgan le Fay later used transporter obelisks to transport Merlin and those with him to various planets throughout the Milky Way, which also contained command overrides for the DHD and was able to distinguish between a regular human and an Orici.[19]
[edit] Gate Overloader
Weapon believed to be constructed by the Ancients, able to target another Stargate and turn its naquadah into a deadly weapon. The enormous weapon would send massive amounts of energy through a Stargate to be stored in the receiving gate. Because the Stargate is a superconductor, it would keep absorbing energy until it can't hold anymore, eventually exploding with a devastating power. The resulting blast would be big enough to destroy Colorado, and the ensuing dust cloud would destroy human life on the planet in question. Due to the energy based nature of the weapon, it is also capable of maintaining an active wormhole between two Stargates indefinitely, or until the targeted gate is destroyed, by supplying a supposedly limitless source of power.
This weapon was used against the Tau'ri by Anubis although the SGC was able to dispose themselves of the gate, transporting it to space before it exploded. The weapon itself was later destroyed by Teal'c, Bra'tac and Rya'c.[20]
[edit] Geological Drilling Station
The drilling station was a facility located on the planet Lantea and was a mobile structure that existed beneath the oceans of the world. The drilling platform's purpose was to find a weak region of the oceans depths where the crust could be easily penetrated in order to gain access to the geothermal energy present. This would allow the platform to tap this energy for use, however, it would be abandoned by the Ancients after the war with the Wraith. It would be discovered by the Atlantis Expedition who began the process of reactivating the station for its original purpose.[21]
The platform would be able to add the geothermal energy it gathered to aid Atlantis after the retailitory strike by the Asurans where it powered the city ship in its escape from the Lantean system, though Dr. McKay anticipated that the station would suffer serious damage during Atlantis' takeoff.[22]
[edit] Hand weapon
Small hand weapon carried by the crew of the Aurora, assumed to be a standard issue hand-weapon among Ancients. They have a slim handle attached to a larger section, and are capable of stunning enemies. Whether the weapon can be set to be fatal remains unknown. It should be noted that this weapon has a design similar to the transporter generator on Wraith darts, and that the Asurans used energy weapons of a different design, suggesting that the Ancients did as well.[23]
[edit] Healing Device
Device with the power to rejuvenate tissue, restore dead life, and even animate non-living tissue. The device was used by the Goa'uld Telchak to develop the sarcophagus technology thousands of years ago. The device is cube-shaped, covered with inscriptions.
After Anubis defeated Telchak, the device remained hidden away beneath a waterfall in Honduras for many centuries, where its effects became the source of the Fountain of Youth mythlogy. Later, after he ascended, Anubis gained access to the Ancients' technology and was able to construct his own version, which he used to animate an army of Kull warriors. Daniel Jackson and Bill Lee eventually sought the device to develop a weapon that can counter-act the device's life-giving energy, and thus defeat a Kull warrior.
[edit] Holographic sentry
A hologram used as a security measure by Merlin in his vault in Avalon and at his library in Camelot. The hologram was capable of interacting with people and certain other projected objects, particularly holographic swords, but bullets would pass straight through it when fired at it.
The cavern under Glastonbury Tor was protected by a hologram, designed to resemble a medieval knight, to test the worthiness of those who entered. If the program had determined the visitors to be "worthy", the treasures and hidden technology inside the cave would be revealed. When SG-1 gained access to the cavern, the sentry was eventually defeated by Cameron Mitchell.[5]
Another holographic knight guarded Merlin's library on the planet Camelot, where his research on an anti-Ori weapon, the Sangraal, was kept. Instead of battling those who trespass within the library, the hologram, which was known to the locals as the Black Knight, emerged in the village to incite terror and discourage re-admittance.
When SG-1 visited Camelot in search for more information on the weapon, the hologram almost killed Cameron Mitchell, before Daniel Jackson was able to destroy the control crystals governing the program.[24]
[edit] Interdimensional Visibility Device
A cylindrical device believed to be of Ancient origin. Although the complete purpose of the device remains unknown, the device is known to have the ability to allow humans to perceive alien creatures that exist in another dimension. These creatures do interact with our dimension is a limited way, as they appear to be resting on objects we perceive as solid. Anyone who touches the device receives the extra-sensory perception, and becomes able to detect the creatures. This ability is spread via physical contact. The device emits a type of radiation that appears to attract the creatures, and is controlled by reordering the crystals that power the mechanism in various positions.
Apparently, the Ancients constructed the device to study these extra-dimensional creatures millennia ago. In 2003, the device was brought back to Earth by SG-1, after which several SGC personnel began seeing the creatures. The effect was transmitted outside the base, although SG-1 was eventually able to contain the outbreak.[25]
[edit] Lagrangian Point defense satellite
Enormous satellite floating in deep space, as large as a Goa'uld mothership, equipped with an energy beam weapon powerful enough to cut a Wraith Hive-Ship in half. Puddle Jumpers can dock with it. Curiously, the satellite does not require a ZPM to fire and can be powered by a Naqahdah generator, storing power in a capacitor from a relatively low charge until it has enough energy to fire.
During the Ancient's war with the Wraith, Atlantis was guarded by a network of these satellites placed at the Lagrangian points to help protect the City from the Wraith. However, during the long war, most satellites were destroyed until only one of them remained, damaged and without power. When the Wraith decided to attack Atlantis again after the Atlantis Expedition had taken up residence there, a team led by Rodney McKay attempted to repair the last satellite to use it to destroy the Wraith fleet. The repairs allowed the weapon to fire once, destroying one Hive-Ship, but the repairs did not hold and the weapon went offline. The satellite was then destroyed by a massive barrage of fire from the remaining ships, killing Grodin, who had stayed behind to operate it.[2]
[edit] Life Signs Detector
A PDA-shaped device of Ancient design that can detect and locate life signs of humans, Wraiths, and some signs of radiation and power. It also seems to have other functions that only a person with the ATA gene can access. When used in combination with another, smaller, hand held device, it serves as a medical scanner. The name was introduced by the character Lieutenant Aiden Ford.[1]
In "Rising", the life signs detector was capable of differentiating between human (blue) and Wraith (red) life signs. In "The Siege", Sheppard states that the detector does not differentiate between life signs.
[edit] Molecular construction device
This device was used by Merlin in conjunction with the Repository of the Ancients. The device allowed someone to visualize and design something, using base molecules as a start, and could allow one to make modifications to it as well. The device requires a great degree of concentration by the person controlling it. Merlin used it to work on the Sangraal but his body had deteriorated too much to allow him to finish, so he transferred his memories to Daniel Jackson. Jackson was able to complete two phases of the device, but it took a great deal of his mental concentration, causing more of Merlin's memories to surface.[19]
In appearance, the device is similar to the Repositry of Ancient Knowledge, except that it's interface glows green and it doesn't have the piece that grabs your head.
[edit] Observation Satellite
These satellites were designed by the Ancients to monitor planets on which they had planted human civilizations in the Pegasus Galaxy. Deployed in a perfect grid over a planet's surface, these satellites were connected to a ground based terminal and a central computer database located in Atlantis. They were capable of scanning every facet of the world and inform the central database of factors such as hidden deposits of ore or underground supplies of water.
The Ancients used these satellites as part of an elaborate sociological experiment in the development of various human cultures. By both relaying orders from the Ancients in Atlantis to ground based terminals and monitoring the developing societies, the Lanteans manipulated the human population below by posing as their god and manipulating their culture. Unfortunately, the war with the Wraith had diminished the Ancients' presence in the Pegasus Galaxy and, thus, the last instruction they left to these worlds was to remain on a primitive technological level to avoid the detection of the Wraith who were known to destroy advanced worlds. By the time of the Atlantis Expedition, this remained in effect except for a few cullings made by the Wraith.
When Rodney McKay and John Sheppard discovered the Ancient terminals in Atlantis, they believed the device was displaying a computer simulation. Under the impression that they were essentially playing an Ancient computer game, they manipulated two societies into opposing each other. Only when the truth about the Ancients' experiment was uncovered and the respective civilizations were informed about the nature of their "gods", a war could be avoided.[26]
[edit] Personal cloaking device
The personal cloaking device consists of a triangular crystal worn around the arm,[18] allowing a user to exist out of phase. Users collectively out of phase can still see and interact with each other. Apparently, the cloaking device works similar to the Ancient device known as Arthur's Mantle, as the cloak's user will be able to interact with someone rendered out of phase by the Mantle, though they would still pass right through them if touched.[6] These devices were mostly used by the Sodan, although the SGC has acquired several of them after the Sodan were exterminated by the Ori.
The cloaking device however has the side effect of allowing parasitic beings from another dimension, capable of transforming benign creatures into violent monsters, enter our own. In order to prevent this, the Ancients modified the device to emit a specific kind of radiation to repulse the creatures. This radiation is harmful to humans, although Jaffa are resistant to it because of their Goa'uld symbiont. Earth made safeguards to cover the radiation and accidentally released the slugs.[27]
[edit] Personal shield
An Ancient artifact about the size of an apple that sticks to a person when pressed onto them, and then projects a defensive force field around them that deflects all solid and liquid objects and dampens inertia almost to the point of nullifying most of its effects, making the wearer practically invulnerable.
The shield is activated by ATA, and, like most Ancient technology, the personal shield is controlled by the user's mind, although the user must be trained in the mind-control lest his subconscious override his conscious desires in the use of the device. For example, the user may believe he does not need the shield, but his subconscious mind may realize the shield is needed, and the shield will stay active until the danger has passed. In addition, if the subconscious mind realizes that wearing the device places the wearer in a situation that is disliked, the shield will go down. Once a person has activated a shield, only that person can use it in the future.[14] However, on at least one occasion, a personal shield was worn by several users.[28]
The shield can prove problematic to an untrained user. Due to its innate purpose of deflecting solid and liquid objects, the shield can prevent the user from eating or drinking while the device is active.[14] However, experienced users have been known to eat and drink while wearing the shield. Also, as the user still required air to breathe, he will not be protected from drowning, or being buried alive.[28]
Three personal shields have thusfar been encountered. One of these devices was discovered in Atlantis and used by Rodney McKay. It's power source was eventually depleted by an energy-absorbing creature.[14] Another personal shield was used by a Rodney "Rod" McKay from an alternate universe to cross over to our universe.[29] A third personal shield was used by Lucius Lavin, although it's power source was later also depleted.[28]
[edit] 'Portal' Computer Terminal
The 'Portal' was a computer platform found on worlds seeded by the Ancients with Human life. These computer terminals were connected to the observation satellites as part of a socialogical experiment by the Ancients who aided the development of such worlds. The 'Portal' was the name given to these computer terminals by the inhabitants of the world who believed they were receiving guidance from the godly 'Oracles' who guided their civilisation. Each Computer Portal would receive instructions from the main computer database at Atlantis to aid in the worlds development.
These computer terminals could be hijacked and sent 'false' data through the satellites as was seen in the episode.[26]
[edit] Project Arcturus
Project Arcturus was an ambitious scientific project aimed at the development of a new energy source, far more powerful than a ZPM. However, the project eventually was a failure and was abandoned after it killed several scientists. The remains of the project were encountered by the Atlantis expedition and Dr. McKay tried to finish the project. His (failed) efforts resulted in the destruction of five-sixths of the solar system in which the project was stored.
[edit] Puddle Jumper
A cylindrical-shaped spacecraft developed by the Ancients for quick transportation and reconnaissance missions through the Stargate. It has high maneuverability and hovering vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. The vehicle is equipped with Ancient Drone weapons, inertial dampeners, a cloaking device, and a DHD. Unlike the Goa'uld cargo ship or Wraith dart, it does not possess transporter technology, requiring it to land in order to allow its occupants to disembark.
In one instance the cloaking device was modified to function as a defense shield, although this severely depleted its power source. Two other Puddle Jumper were outfitted with a time travel device, one in the Pegasus Galaxy, and another one in the Milky Way, apparently developed by Janus
[edit] Replicator Disruptor
The most effective weapon to combat Replicators, targeting the Keron Pathways within a Replicator cell. It disrupts communication between the individual cells, rendering each one inert. When fired any Replicator in its blast-radius has its individual cells blocked out from each other, causing the robot to fall apart. Whereas standard Replicators could be stopped or halted by the use of projectile weapons, only the Disruptor could stop and kill a human-form-Replicator.
The weapon was created by Jack O'Neill, who had had the entire Ancient Database downloaded into his mind at the time, in conjunction with an Asgard computer.[30] However, after studying the weapon, the Replicators were able to become immune to the device, requiring the recalibration of the disruptor.[31] They were defeated through use of the Ancient weapon on Dakara, modifying it to work on only the Replicators.[15]
Eventually, Samantha Carter improved upon the Repicator Disruptor specifically to combat the Asurans. It has been streamlined from the original bulky design to a smaller and more manageable pistol or carbine size, calling it an "Anti-Replicator Gun" or ARG. It has proved to be equally effective on the Asurans.[32]
[edit] Repository of the Ancients
A device that stores the collective knowledge of the Ancients. These devices are usually attached to a wall and prove impossible to remove, leading some to suggest that the visible devices are merely the consoles for larger devices hidden behind the wall. The console is designed to allow a human to place his head into it, whereupon the device grabs them by the temples and downloads the entire database into their mind, thus expunging itself of energy. The transfer of knowledge from this device can cause serious problems for beings whose physiology is not prepared to take the mental strain. It however, can only work on humans , as it did not work on Teal'c. The device was used on two separate occasions by Jack O'Neill, both times threatening his life, and once by Daniel Jackson. Daniel Jackson acquires powers of telekinesis and weather control rather than the healing power.
[edit] Ring Transporter
A teleportation system in use today by the Goa'uld and Tok'ra, and used by humans aboard the BC-303 and Daedalus class battlecruisers. Although not explicitly stated, the abundance of these devices suggests that the Goa'uld are capable of manufacturing them. When activated, a set of five rings descend onto a specifically constructed platform to form a cylinder, after which anything inside the cylinder is transported to a complementary platform somewhere else, or otherwise the rings themselves move to the destination. It must be noted that anything partially under the rings will teleport without the rest of the item. This happened to one of Ra's warriors in the original movie, where only his head was within the cylinder and thus appeared without the body attached on Ra's ship.
The Ori also use ring transporters. These ring transporters are a brilliant white color, but otherwise function exactly the same. It is likely that they possess other technologies similar to Ancient technologies, as they are an offshoot of the Ancients.
[edit] Sangraal
The Sangraal, also known as the Holy Grail or the Blood Stone, is a device designed by the Ancient Merlin to neutralize ascended beings. The weapon was designed to combat the Ori. However, the weapon cannot target a specific group of ascendeds but rather wipes all of them out.
[edit] Shields
Shields were used by the Ancients aboard their warships and outposts.
Unlike shields used by other races, the shield of an Aurora class battleship was contoured around the ship, like an extra hull, instead of the ordinary bubble.[33] These shields were incredibly powerful, and had a yellow gold-like color. The Orion's shields were able to withstand a supervolcano's eruption for 4.1 seconds (note that the Orion was not operating at full power and the shields were not receiving much power, so if the shields were at full strength the Orion would presumably have been able to withstand the explosion for considerably longer) while using the eruption to propel it out of its hangar.[34]
A similar shield was used on Ancient City Ships, including Atlantis. This massive dome-like force field protected the City from enemy attacks,[1] extreme weather (such as cyclones and tsunamis),[35] and water pressure when submerged in an epipelagic ocean depth.[1] The power required to operate the shield depends heavily on what the shield is doing at the time. When interfaced with a Puddle Jumper's cloak generator, it draws much less power than it normally would, though it offers absolutely no protection other than that of invisibility. During normal operation with no strain, the shield can be sustained by a single ZPM nearly indefinitely. The shield draws a substantial amount of power when under heavy strain. Under attack from several Wraith ships, a single fully charged ZPM was only able to maintain the shield for a short period of time (days).[2] Under the pressure of thousands of feet of water, a single ZPM connected in series will sustain the city shield for a little over three thousand years however the 3 ZPMs are usually used in parallel.[36]
[edit] Stargate
The Stargates, called the Astria Porta in Ancient,[5] were created and distributed by the Ancients across several galaxies, along with Dial-Home Devices"[37] to control them, forming the Stargate Network.[38] A traveller may use any Stargate to travel almost instantaneously to any other Stargate in the system, so long as he knows that Stargate's 'address,' a combination of at least seven symbols (six for the 3D position and one for the point of origin) that must be entered on the DHD. The Stargate is often considered to be the Ancients most famous creation, and the Ancients are often called the "Gate Builders".[39]
Because the Goa'uld are scavengers, they claimed that they were the builders of the Stargates to make the populations of the planets they enslaved worship them as gods.
[edit] Stargate Iris Shield
Much like the iris back at Stargate Command, the Atlantean Stargate is protected by an energy shield that can be activated at the touch of a button to prevent any matter from materializing beyond the event horizon.
[edit] Stasis Chamber
A cylindrical device designed to put whoever is in it in suspended animation. However, it can only prolong the aging process. In long periods of times like one million years, the person inside gets so old that, if revived, they will eventually die.[36]
One of these devices was located inside the Ancient outpost in Antarctica, and was used by Colonel Jack O'Neill who put himself in the stasis unit to slow the Ancient knowledge in his brain from killing him.[40] Another stasis chamber was encountered on Atlantis where an alternate version of Elizabeth Weir had survived for 10000 years, reawakening every 3300 years to rotates Atlantis' ZPM.[36] The third and last stasis chamber was encountered by SG-1, and contained Khalek, the prototype of a new type of ascended warrior to destroy the Ancients, created by Anubis.[9]
Similar devices are used on Aurora class battleships, to be used as a last resort for the crew. These stasis chambers were egg-shaped, and required the user to lie down instead of standing up. These pods can be modified so that their occupants can participate in a virtual construct, allowing their minds to remain active during long voyages. The pods interface directly with the ship's computer so the crew may work on tasks while they are asleep, even allowing the alteration and deletion of files from the ships computers.[23]
Another device, similar to the one used by General O'Neill, is found containing Merlin himself. Having stayed in suspended animation for thousands of years, SG-1 enlist his help in the creation of the Sangraal.
[edit] Teleporters
There are several matter teleporters in Atlantis, housed in chambers resembling elevators (though originally confused with storage closets by the expedition). Judging from their function of transposing objects in two separate locations, the teleporters are probably an advancement of the ring platform.[14]
[edit] Time Dilation Device
A device capable of altering the speed at which time passes in an area around itself. One of these devices was encountered on a planet in the Pegasus Galaxy, where an area was temporally cordoned off to allow the inhabitants on the inside greater amounts of time to enlighten themselves towards Ascension. The device was powered by a ZPM.
In Unending, the Odyssey also had a Time dialation device aboard. The device was powered by a ZPM too.
Known races with Time dialation technology: the Ancients, the Asgard, and the Replicators. Now the Tau'ri have the technology too, after the Asgard gave them all their technology.
The Asurans, and the Ori could have it too, since both are equal, or even superior in technology to the Ancients and the Asgard, though it has never been shown.
[edit] Time Travel Machine
Device designed by the Ancient scientist Janus. This time machine was shaped to fit in the rear compartment of a Puddle Jumper, and, if used correctly, can transport the entire ship through time. However, the experimental technology was banned by the Atlantean Council, on the grounds that the timeline would be abused by the use of the device.
In an alternate time line, when the Atlantis Expedition originally traveled to the City, the shield began to fail due to lack of power. John Sheppard, Elizabeth Weir and Radek Zelenka became trapped within a Puddle Jumper equipped with the time device. After the Jumper bay flooded, Sheppard tried to pilot the ship, and accidentally activated the time device. Weir traveled back through time to the last days of the Ancient's war with the Wraith, what prompted the Atlantean Council to destroy the prototype.[36]
However, another time device, also presumably constructed by Janus, was discovered on a planet in the Milky Way, where the ship had been abandoned.[41] This Puddle Jumper was eventually used to take SG-1 back to ancient Egypt to steal a Zero Point Module from Ra, accidentally changing history. Fortunately, alternate versions of the members of SG-1 were able to travel back through time and correct history.[42]
A similar device was discovered a few years earlier on another planet in the Milky Way. This was a much larger time machine, which dialed several planets through the Stargate to form a subspace bubble. However, the machine was flawed, and instead of travelling back through time, it created a short-term time loop, which forced the planets that the device dialed to relive the same ten hours over and over again. The Ancient originally created it to stop the plague that was wiping out their kind, although it eventually only forced them to keep doing the same thing over and over. In the end, they were forced to shut down the device and face their own doom.[43]
[edit] Zero Point Module
The Zero-Point Module is an Ancient power source, used to power their cities and outposts using zero-point energy. It is more powerful and efficient than any energy source on Earth, and can last for thousands of years. While the energy output is huge - significantly larger than that of Naqahdah generators - it appears that the ZPM is based on an irreversible thermodynamic process and will ultimately reach its maximum entropy limit, at which point it becomes practically useless.
Each ZPM contains a separate self-contained time-space continuum. The concept of the ZPM is derived from the physical concept of zero-point energy, which appears in quantum field theoretical calculations as infinite, and that of vacuum energy. In reality, however, as the concept of infinities arising within physical calculations is not unusual and even appears in calculations of classical mechanics that are well known not to be infinite in their energy, most field theorists believe this to be an artifact of the calculation itself. Furthermore, because of the equation E = mc², the equivalency of energy and mass, the vacuum energy content has been measured in the universe to be extremely small and unlikely to be a useful power source. This has led some to classify the ZPM as a MacGuffin.
Jack O'Neill managed to obtain one at an abandoned Ancient outpost and used it to power Ancient weaponry left behind on Earth to repel Anubis’ attack on Earth at the climax of Season 7. It was the same ZPM that allowed Stargate Command to open a wormhole to the Pegasus Galaxy and the city of Atlantis, in the premiere episode of Stargate Atlantis, "Rising". Another ZPM was found on Earth when SG-1 traveled back in time in the episode "Moebius". This allowed them to send supplies and reinforcements to Atlantis. The Asurans managed to perfect the technology, making it suitable for mass production. In The Return the Asurans supplied atlantis with two more ZPM's so they could activate the stardrive. When the city was recaptured earth had 3 more ZPM's , one for Atlantis, one for the Odyssey and one for the Antarctic outpost, giving earth significant protection. When jackson was a prior, he managed to cloak the Odyssey, saying that "having a ZPM helps".
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f "Rising" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Siege" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b "Hot Zone" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "The Pegasus Project" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b c d e "Avalon" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b c "Arthur's Mantle" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Line in the Sand" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "The Road Not Taken" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b "Prototype" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Tao of Rodney" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b "Origin" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Crusade" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b "Citizen Joe" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b c d e "Hide and Seek" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b "Reckoning" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Threads" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Counterstrike" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b "Babylon" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b "The Quest" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Redemption" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Submersion" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "First Strike" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b "Aurora" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "Camelot" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Sight Unseen" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b "The Game" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "Uninvited" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ a b c "Irresponsible" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "McKay and Mrs. Miller" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "New Order" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Gemini" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "The Return" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "No Man's Land" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "Inferno" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "The Storm" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ a b c d "Before I Sleep" (Stargate Atlantis)
- ^ "Children of the Gods" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Stargate"
- ^ "The Fifth Race" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Lost City" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "It's Good to Be King" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Moebius" (Stargate SG-1)
- ^ "Window of Opportunity" (Stargate SG-1)
