The technology in the Stargate universe is vastly diverse. It ranges from incredibly primitive to unbelievably advanced. Today, let's take a look at some of the more common technology from Stargate SG-1. We'll start with the most well known piece of technology, the Stargate.
Stargate
The Stargate is a ring-shaped device that can create an artificial wormhole linking two points in space, specifically two Stargates. The wormhole allows for near-instantaneous travel between the points. The Ancients, who created the gates, are often called the Gate Builders, because the Stargates are often considered their greatest creation. It's the central piece of technology to the entire series, like an always looming protector.
Tau'ri Technology
The technology of the Tau'ri, or the Earthlings, is at the level of 20th century Earth. Everything that is designed and built on Earth reflects the technological level of the late '90s. As the series advanced, Earth obtained more advanced technology, but within "realistic" limits.While some of the technology the Tau'ri obtain comes from good ole human ingenuity, a good deal comes from upgrades performed by the Asgard and from information gleaned from the Ancient database and from outposts around the galaxy.
Ancient Technology
Ancient technology is the most advanced in the universe, as far as anyone can determine. In their
Goa'uld Technology
While more advanced than the Tau'ri, it is considerably inferior to both the Ancients and the Asgard. Goa'uld technology is mostly an amalgamation of technology from the various species and worlds they have conquered over the centuries.
Those are the three main technological groups present in Stargate SG-1. There are a few more, such as the Asgard and the Nox, but they will be talked about as they appear in the show. Since this is the last installment of "Stargate SG-1: The Basics", we will be starting the reviews of the series shortly. Look forward to that soon!
that possesses a human host to survive. The resulting combination is an exceptionally strong creature with enhanced strength and extreme longevity (when paired with their resurrection device, the Sarcophagus). They use this and their advanced technology to set themselves up as gods. Taking humans from Earth thousands of years ago, they spread them throughout the galaxy and began to rule over them as various gods from human mythology. Notable Goa'uld System Lords include Apophis, Anubis, Hathor, and Sokar.
The Jaffa are the slaves of the Goa'uld. They are descendants of humans that have been modified to that they have to serve as an living incubator for larval Goa'uld. Without a larval Goa'uld, the Jaffa will die soon after hitting puberty due to a failing immune system. In fact, if the symbiote is removed from an adult Jaffa, they will die a slow, painful death within a matter of hours. They must either acquire a new symbiote, or they require regular injections of a drug developed by the Tok'ra, called tretonin. The Jaffa often where armor with a helmet resembling the a specific animal. For instance, all of Apophis' Jaffa wore helmets resembling serpents.
The Replicators are mechanical beings composed of nanotechnology. Their main goal is to increase their numbers and spread across the universe by assimilating the advanced technology of other species. For this reason, the Replicators are opposed to all other life-forms. They started out as an arachnid-type androids, but in "Unnatural Selection", they developed human-form Replicators. Normal Replicators are resistant to energy weapons, like the Jaffa staff weapon, but can be broken apart and destroyed by projectile weapons. However, human Replicators are resistant to both types of weapons because they're make up of smaller blocks that resemble cells. They were eventually completely destroyed by the Dakara Superweapon in Season 8.
The Ori are a group of Ascending beings who are incredibly similar to the Ancients. They use their ascended powers and infinite knowledge of the universe to force other lesser beings to worship them. The Ori differ from the Ancients in one key way, their life view. The Ancients value science while the Ori value religion. They created a fake religion known as "Origin" to sway beings to worshipping them. Origin is designed to channel the energy created by the human worshippers to the Ori. So, while they promise Ascension to their followers, they won't acually help other Ascend because they would have to share the energy they sap.
Jack O’Neill – Jack is the leader of the SG-1 team for seasons 1-7 of the series. He was on the original mission to go through the Stargate in the movie Stargate and comes out of retirement to help counter the Goa’uld threat. After being promoted to Brigadier General in Season 8, O’Neill takes command of Stargate Command (SGC) and, after a brief stint in Washington in Season 9 (and being promoted to Major General), he returns and maintains command of SGC through both Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe (where he receives his promotion to Lieutenant General).
Dr. Samantha Carter – Sam is the resident brain of the SG-1 team, with a Ph. D in theoretical astrophysics. Before the start of SGC, she had spent years at the Pentagon trying to get the Stargate working. After the discovery of the Abydos cartouche, which contained the locations of all Goa’uld known Stargates, Captain Carter was responsible for the algorithm that corrected the addresses for stellar drift. In Season 2, she is briefly taken by the Tok’ra Jolinar, after which she retains many memories and has the ability to control Goa’uld technology, a major advantage for SG-1. She is promoted to Major in Season 3, and then to Lieutenant Colonel in Season 8 when O’Neill is promoted to Brigadier General, and assumes command of SG-1. Sam briefly leaves SG-1 in Season 9, but rejoins in Episode 7 to help counter the Ori threat.
Dr. Daniel Jackson – Daniel is a great archeology who specializes in all things Egyptian. In the original movie Stargate, he is responsible for deciphering the gate address for Abydos. He stayed on Abydos after the events of Stargate, but returned to Earth at the beginning of Stargate SG-1, after Apophis attacked Earth and Abydos. He joins SG-1 to locate his wife, Sha’re, who was kidnapped by Apophis and possessed by a Goa’uld, Amonet. This is his primary goal throughout the first few seasons, followed by finding the lost city of the Ancients in seasons 6 and 7, and discovering how to dial the 9-chevron address in the last 2 season.
Teal’c – Teal’c is a Jaffa warrior who joins the Tau’ri (what the Goa’uld call the people of Earth) in order to free his people from Goa’uld oppression. The Jaffa are human-like, but have pouch that houses a larval Goa’uld in exchange for enhanced abilities and long life. But the Jaffa are treated as slaves, and Teal’c sees joining SG-1 as a means to eventually freeing his people. Over time, Teal’c becomes an integral part of the SG-1 team, and is present through all 10 seasons. He also appears briefly in Stargate Atlantis, once to wish Carter good luck before she assumes command of Atlantis, and again to teach Ronon Dex how to deal with IOA interviews.
