Mythology of Stargate

In the fictional universe of the Stargate franchise, the people of Earth have encountered numerous extraterrestrial races on their travels through the Stargate. In addition to a diversity of alien life, there is also an abundance of other humans, scattered across the cosmos by advanced aliens in the distant past. Some of the most significant species in Stargate SG-1 are the Goa'uld, the Asgard, and the Replicators. Stargate Atlantis, set in the Pegasus galaxy, introduced the Wraith and the Asurans. One of the most influential species in Stargate, the Ancients, have moved on to a higher plane of existence.

Humans

Main articles: Human civilizations in Stargate SG-1 and Human civilizations in Stargate Atlantis

Most planets in the Stargate universe are populated by humans. In the Milky Way galaxy, this is explained by the alien Goa'uld transplanting humans from Earth to other planets for slave labor. Many of these populations were subsequently abandoned, often when deposits of the precious fictional mineral naqahdah were exhausted, and developed into their own unique societies. Some of these extra-terrestrial human civilizations have become much more technologically advanced than Earth, the in-show rationale being that they never suffered the setback of the Dark Ages. The human populations of the Pegasus galaxy are the product of Ancient seeding. Very few human races in Pegasus are technologically advanced, as the Wraith destroy any civilization that could potentially pose a threat. There are also large numbers of humans in the Ori galaxy, where they empower the Ori through worship.

People of Earth

Main articles: Stargate Program, List of Earth characters in Stargate SG-1, List of Earth characters in Stargate Atlantis, and Earth technology in Stargate

The humans of Earth play a central role in the story and mythology of the Stargate fictional universe. According to the Stargate film and Stargate SG-1, the parasitic Goa'uld ruled Earth thousands of years ago, posing as gods of ancient Earth mythologies, and transplanted Earth humans throughout the galaxy via the Stargate. Thus, the Goa'uld and their Jaffa servants know the humans of Earth as the Tau'ri (['tɔːɹi] or ['taʊːɹi]), which means "the first ones" or "those of the first world" in their fictional language. Earth is also known as "Midgard" by offworld humans protected by the Asgard, who masquerade as Norse gods. Stargate SG-1 further extended the backstory of Earth humans by introducing the Ancients, an advanced race of humans from another galaxy. The Ancients regard the humans of Earth as their "second evolution", and some of their number merged with primitive human populations 10,000 years ago after they returned to Earth from Atlantis.

Five thousand years ago, the people of Earth rose up against their Goa'uld oppressors, and buried their Stargate. The modern history of Earth and the Stargate begins when it is unearthed in Egypt in 1928. The device is eventually brought to the United States in 1939 to keep it out of Nazi hands and eventually installed in a facility in Creek Mountain, Colorado (Cheyenne Mountain in Stargate SG-1). In the events of the Stargate film, Dr. Daniel Jackson deciphers the workings of the Stargate and a team is sent through to the planet on the other side. In Template:Sgcite, taking place a year after the film, Stargate Command is established in response to an attack by the Goa'uld Apophis, and given the mandate to explore other worlds and obtain technologies that can be used to defend Earth. In the Stargate SG-1 spin-off Stargate Atlantis, the people of Earth establish a presence in the Pegasus galaxy. The people of Pegasus know Earth humans as the Atlanteans, after their occupation of Atlantis.

Alliance of four great races

In the Stargate series, the alliance of four great races is an extinct alliance of four advanced species that was built over many millennia and existed before the rise of the Goa'uld. In "The Torment of Tantalus", SG-1 discovers a meeting place for the alliance on the planet Heliopolis. There they find a chamber showing the written languages of the four races, as well as a hologram of a common language based on graphical representations of the 146 known (to them) chemical elements.

In the season 2 episode "The Fifth Race", Jack O'Neill learns from the Asgard that the alliance consisted of the Ancients, the Asgard, the Furlings, and the Nox. The Asgard also say that humanity has taken the first steps towards becoming "the Fifth Race". In the Stargate SG-1 finale "Unending", Thor declares the humans of Earth the Fifth Race.

Ancients

Main articles: Ancient (Stargate), Ancient characters in Stargate, and Ancient technology in Stargate

The original builders of the Stargate network, who by the time of Stargate SG-1 have Ascended beyond corporeal form into a higher plane of existence. The humans of Earth are the "second evolution" of the Ancients. The Ancients (originally known as the Alterans) colonized the Milky Way galaxy millions of years ago and built a great empire. They also colonized the Pegasus galaxy and seeded human life there, before being driven out by the Wraith. The civilization of the Ancients in the Milky Way was decimated thousands of years ago by a plague, and those who did not learn to Ascend died out. With few exceptions, the Ascended Ancients respect free will and refuse to interfere in the affairs of the material galaxy. However, their legacy is felt profoundly throughout Stargate universe, from their technologies such as Stargates and Atlantis, to the Ancient Technology Activation gene, that they introduced into the human genome through interbreeding.

Asgard

Main article: Asgard (Stargate)

A benevolent race that, according to the mythology of Stargate, gave rise to Norse mythology on Earth and inspired accounts of the Roswell Greys. The Asgard can no longer reproduce and perpetuate themselves by transferring their minds into new clone bodies as necessary. Extremely advanced technologically, the threat of their intervention shields many planets in the Milky Way from Goa'uld attack, including Earth. They also provide much assistance to Earth in the way of technology, equipment, and expertise. Their main adversary in Stargate SG-1 are the mechanical Replicators, against which they enlist the aid of SG-1 on several occasions. The entire Asgard civilization chooses to self-destruct in "Unending", due to the degenerative effects of repeated cloning.

Furlings

The Furlings are revealed as one of the alliance of four great races in Template:Sgcite, but virtually nothing else has been revealed about them in the series. In "Paradise Lost", Harry Maybourne leads SG-1 to a Furling teleporation arch that leads to an intended Utopian colony. Furling skeletons were originally planned to be featured in the episode, but the production of such proved to be too expensive. Jack O'Neill concludes that the Furlings must be cute and cuddly creatures, based solely on their name. In "Citizen Joe", another character equates the Furlings to Ewoks based on their name.

The length of time that the Furling nature has remained a mystery in the series has given the producers the opportunity to tease fans with a running gag. When Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper was asked "Will we ever meet the Furlings?", his answer was "Who says we haven't?". However, the writers later went on to state that although we have seen Furling technology and the Furling legacy, no actual Furling has ever appeared on the show. Joseph Mallozzi claimed that more about the Furlings would finally be revealed in Stargate SG-1's tenth season. In a Sci Fi Channel advertisement for the 200th episode, Cooper stated that "We're finally going to get to see the Furlings." What was actually shown was an imagined scene from a script for a movie based on the fictional television series "Wormhole X-Treme!", a parody of Stargate SG-1 set in the Stargate SG-1 universe. The Furlings were depicted as Ewok-like creatures that are destroyed by the Goa'uld soon after making contact with SG-1.

Nox

File:StarGateNox.jpg

A family of Nox.

A fairy-like people encountered by SG-1 on P3X-774 in "The Nox". They want nothing to do with humanity, viewing them as "young" and having "much to learn". The Nox can live to hundreds of years old and have a great desire for wisdom and understanding. They are extreme pacifists and never employ violence for any reason, even to defend themselves. As they have the ability to render themselves and other objects invisible and intangible, as well as the ability to resurrect the dead, they never need to fight. Although they outwardly seem to be primitive forest-dwellers, they possess advanced technology beyond that of the Goa'uld, including a floating city. The Nox also appear in "Enigma" and "Pretense".

Milky Way aliens

Goa'uld

Main articles: Goa'uld, Goa'uld characters in Stargate, and Goa'uld technology in Stargate

The Goa'uld are the dominant race in the Milky Way and the primary adversaries from seasons 1 to 8 of Stargate SG-1. They are a parasitic species that resemble finned snakes, which can burrow themselves into a humanoid's neck and wrap around the spinal column. The Goa'uld symbiote then takes control of its host's body and mind, while providing longevity and perfect health. Thousands of years ago, the Goa'uld ruled over Earth, masquerading as gods from ancient mythologies. They transplanted humans throughout the galaxy to serve as slaves and hosts, and they created the Jaffa to serve as incubators for their larvae. The most powerful Goa'uld in the galaxy are collectively known as the System Lords.

Jaffa

Main articles: Jaffa (Stargate) and Jaffa characters in Stargate

The Jaffa are an offshoot of humanity, genetically engineered by the Goa'uld. They have an abdominal pouch which serves to incubate larval Goa'uld. The infant Goa'uld provides strength, longevity, and good health, at the cost of supplanting the Jaffa's natural immune system, making them dependant on the Goa'uld for more symbiotes. The Jaffa have a warrior culture and form the armies of the Goa'uld. In season 8 of Stargate SG-1, the Jaffa Resistance wins their race's freedom from Goa'uld oppression, resulting in the Free Jaffa Nation.

Kull Warriors

Main article: Kull Warrior

Creatures created by the Goa'uld Anubis to replace his Jaffa as foot soldiers. They consist of a genetically engineered humanoid form given life using Ancient healing technology, and implanted with a mentally "blank" Goa'uld symbiote to make it subservient. The Kull Warrior is bonded to armor that is impervious to almost all firearms, energy weapons, and explosives. Stargate Command and the Tok'ra eventually find a way to counteract the Kull Warriors' life-sustaining energy.

Tok'ra

Main article: Tok'ra

The Tok'ra (literally "against Ra", the Supreme System Lord) are a faction of Goa'uld symbiotes who are opposed to the Goa'uld culturally and militarily. Spawned by the queen Egeria, they live in true symbiosis with their hosts, both beings sharing the body equally and benefitting from each other. The Tok'ra have fought the Goa'uld for thousands of years, favoring covert tactics and balancing the various System Lords against one another. Since season 2 of Stargate SG-1, the Tok'ra have become valuable allies of Earth.

Unas

File:Stargate Unas.jpg

The Unas Chaka.

The Unas (meaning "First Ones") are the original hosts used by the Goa'uld on their homeworld of P3X-888, first seen in "Thor's Hammer". A race of large and primitive humanoids, the Unas possess great physical strength and have been exploited for physical labor by both Goa'uld and humans. Their strength is enhanced even further when they are taken as Goa'uld hosts, and the symbiote is additionally able to heal even grievous injuries.

The Unas are a tribal society living in close-knit communities with defined territories. Each tribe is led by a dominant alpha male leader. They have limited stone age-level technology, but are more culturally sophisticated than is apparent at first glance and have established codes of behavior and honor. One of the most valuable possessions of an Unas is a necklace made of bone, which prevents Goa'uld symbiotes from burrowing into their necks. The Unas speak their own language that varies between planets but is close enough to be mutually intelligible. Only Goa'uld-possessed Unas have been shown to speak any language other than their own. In "The First Ones", Daniel Jackson is able to decipher the Unas language and befriend a young Unas named Chaka.

Minor aliens

• Aliens from "Entity" Living software from a world covered in technology, from Template:Sgcite. They are damaged by radio energy from a MALP sent to their world, so they transmit a sentient program back through the Stargate with the goal of destroying the SGC. The program infects the SGC mainframe and eventually displaces Samantha Carter's mind from her body.
• Aliens from "Grace" The mysterious operators of a ship that attacks the Prometheus in "Grace". They abduct the crew of the Prometheus (except for Samantha Carter), but both ships become trapped in a strange nebula during the battle. At the end of the episode, Carter trades them a way to escape the nebula in exchange for releasing the crew.
• Aliens from "Foothold" Mysterious aliens who try to take over the SGC in "Foothold", using technology that allows them to mimic the appearance of other beings. It is discovered that a certain sound frequency disrupts that technology, and so to prevent such incidents in the future that sound is played every time the Stargate activates.
• Aliens from "Watergate" Microscopic beings that live in, and control, water. A sample of them is inadvertently brought back to Earth by a Russian team in Template:Sgcite, where they break free and attempt to return home through the Stargate. They can control human bodies and emit enough energy to keep a Stargate open indefinitely.
• Aliens of M4C-862 Spark-like energy entities from the research outpost moon M4C-862 in the episode Template:Sgcite. They exhibit some signs of intelligence, possibly attributable to fluctuations in the ambient magnetic field. A similar life-form is encountered by John Sheppard in the Pegasus galaxy in Template:Sgcite.
• Aliens of P5C-353 Microscopic aliens that feed on energy, from "Message in a Bottle". When their homeworld became inhospitable they preserved themselves in an orb, which is brought back to Earth by SG-1. The orb shoots out spikes inside the gate room, pinning Jack O'Neill to the wall, and the aliens begin to infect both the base and its personnel. Eventually, they grow strong enough to speak through O'Neill, and agree to be relocated to P4G-881.
• Aliens of PJ2-445 Species from Template:Sgcite that resembles humans, but with a vastly different physiology. They live in symbiosis with large plants, a relationship mediated by singing. SG-1 is forced to set things right after a UAV crash disturbs the flora and causes the aliens to fall ill.
• Ataniks An advanced race that predates the rise of the Goa'uld, mentioned in "Upgrades". The Ataniks created armbands that granted the user extraordinary speed and strength by means of a virus, but they died out after their population developed an immunity. The Tok'ra Anise brought several of the armbands to the SGC for testing.
• Gadmeer A non-humanoid sulfur-based race from "Scorched Earth". Facing extinction in a war, the Gadmeer created a ship that would preserve elements of their civilization and terraform a new planet as their home. However, their chosen planet had been recently settled by Enkaran refugees. SG-1 brokered a deal by which the Gadmeer ship would transport the Enkarans to their original homeworld before resuming its work.
• "Giant Aliens" Name given by Nicholas Ballard (Daniel Jackson's grandfather) to the beings that live in a lepton-rich environment on planet P7X-377, and had contact with the ancient Mayan civilization. Their forms are vaguely humanoid but insubstantial, and can only be seen by those who have been exposed to radiation emanating from a crystal skull. They are enemies of the Goa'uld, and thus befriend the people of Earth in Template:Sgcite.
• Oannes An amphibious species (inspired by the mythical being Oannes) from Template:Sgcite, where Nem, one of this species, kidnaps Daniel Jackson to find out what happened to his mate Omoroca, who went to Earth to fight the Goa'uld. He searches Daniel's mind and finds that Omoroca was killed long ago.
• Oranians Golden-eyed humanoids. The bumbling mercenaries Jup and Tenat, who work for the Lucian Alliance, are of this species. They are first seen in "Prometheus Unbound".
• R-75 Also known as "Prior bugs", an asexual, fast-reproducing, omnivorous insect engineered by the Ori as a bioweapon. When given meat, its numbers increase dramatically and they become voracious swarming predators, able to strip a human to the bone in moments. They prefer darkness and spend most of their time underground, where they hunt via echolocation. In Template:Sgcite, R-75 overruns the SGC's Gamma Site, consuming most of the base personnel.
• Reetou A non-humanoid race that exists 180 degrees out of phase from normal reality, making them invisible unless illuminated with a Transphase Eradication Rod. They appear in "Show and Tell", and are mentioned in other episodes. The presence of a Reetou is distressing to a Goa'uld symbiote, and the Goa'uld attempted to exterminate them. A minority of the Reetou wage war on the Goa'uld by eliminating their potential hosts: humans. They operate in 5-man suicide units, which are capable of setting off an explosion equivalent to a small tactical nuke.
• Reol Lanky humanoids nearly hunted to extinction by the Goa'uld, seen in "The Fifth Man". They naturally secrete a chemical that implants false memories and illusions in others, making strangers believe that the Reol is someone they are familiar with. One Reol disguised himself as a member of SG-1 in this manner, assuming the identity of "Lt. Tyler". The Tok'ra later create a version of the Reol chemical, which is used for undercover missions in "Summit" and "Company of Thieves".
• Salish Spirits A humanoid race seen in the episode Template:Sgcite. A millennium ago they freed the Salish people from the Goa'uld, and live amongst them posing as the spirits of the natural world. They have innate powers of shapeshifting and teleportation, and the ability to send adversaries away to a "place of nothingness".
• Serrakin An advanced race featured in "Forsaken" and "Space Race", the Serrakin helped free the human Hebridans from the Goa'uld millennia ago. Since then, the two peoples have lived together and there is frequent interspecies marriage, which is opposed by a minority of human racial purists. Serrakin bounty hunters are seen in "Bounty". The season 10 episode "Counterstrike" mentions that their homeworld has been conquered by the Ori.
• Unity Intelligent crystals from the episode Template:Sgcite, almost destroyed by the Goa'uld. The Unity crystals are able to create a duplicate of any being that touches them. When SG-1 arrives on their planet, Colonel O'Neill touches one of the crystals and is knocked unconscious while his duplicate returns to Earth. The duplicate has no ill intentions, and the real O'Neill helps him return home.

Pegasus aliens

Asurans

Main article: Asuran

Artificial life-forms composed of nanites, introduced in season 2 of Stargate Atlantis. They are similar to the human-form Replicators of Stargate SG-1 and so are called that in the show. The Asurans were created by the Ancients to combat the Wraith but were ultimately abandoned for being too dangerous. Extremely aggressive, the nanites thrived and built an advanced civilization. In season 4, Rodney McKay activates the Asurans' attack code, causing them to attack the Wraith, but this eventually comes to threaten all the inhabitants of Pegasus.

Hybrids

A new race created by the Wraith Michael, first seen in "Vengeance". After being outcast by his own kind, Michael sought to combinie iratus bug and human DNA to create new followers with the strengths of the Wraith but not their weaknesses. He destroys the Taranians, amongst others, as test subjects for his experiments. The first Hybrids are bestial in appearance, with carapaces and claws. The two-part episode "The Kindred" reveals that Michael has created more "refined" Hybrids using the abducted Athosian population. These Hybrids resemble the Wraith, but do not need to feed on humans. In Template:Sgcite, many of the Hybrids are killed by the destruction of Michael's cruiser, and the rest are captured by the Atlantis Expedition. They are transformed back into their original selves using Beckett's retrovirus. They are interred in a camp on the mainland by the IOA, before being allowed to return to their people. In the episode Template:Sgcite, an Atlantis team discovers one of Michael's labs, containing earlier versions of his Hybrids that incorporate DNA from several other organisms in addition to the iratus bug. These vicious creatures are blind and hunt by sound, and can extrude a fog from gill slits on their necks that interferes with electronics.

Wraith

Main article: Wraith (Stargate)

The main adversaries on Stargate Atlantis, the Wraith are the dominant species in the Pegasus galaxy. They are biologically immortal hive-based humanoids who feed on the "life-force" of humans, causing them to "lose years" in a way similar to aging. The Wraith drove the Ancients out of Pegasus 10,000 years ago, and now maintain the human worlds of Pegasus as sources of food. The arrival of the Atlantis Expedition in the Pegasus galaxy leads to the Wraith waking prematurely from their hibernation, and the human population of Pegasus is not enough to sustain all of them.

Minor aliens

• Aliens from "Hide and Seek" A "living shadow" that threatens the inhabitants of Atlantis in "Hide and Seek". The being is accidentally released from a container where the Ancients were studying it, whereupon it roams the city looking for energy to feed on. It is eventually lured through the Stargate to M4X-337 using a naqahdah generator.
• Aliens from "The Daedalus Variations" A large, highly aggressive human-like creature with technological body enhancements, first seen in "The Daedalus Variations". They attack the universe-jumping Daedalus after it has jumped two dimensions from the Atlantis team's reality.
• Aliens of M3X-387 Entities that inhabit crystals, meant to be an homage to Unity from "Cold Lazarus". The beings can travel through electrical conductors and enter the minds of humans through touch, where they cause nightmares that can eventually be fatal. One such entity is unknowingly brought to Atlantis in "Doppelganger", where it kills Dr. Kate Heightmeyer before being returned to the crystal and sent back to its planet.
• Aliens of M5S-224 Energy beings that take the form of mist, from the episode "Home". The Stargate on their planet draws energy from the beings every time it activates, costing lives. These beings trap the minds of the Atlantis team in an illusory version of Earth in order to prevent them from opening a wormhole to Earth, which would have killed millions of their kind. They agree to let the team go with an assurance from Elizabeth Weir that they will never return.
• Flagisalis A whale-like species the length of a football field, found in the oceans of Lantea. One such creature helps the Atlantis team find Rodney McKay's downed puddle jumper in "Grace Under Pressure". In "Echoes", a large number of flagisalis congregate beneath Atlantis, where their sonar-like low-frequency pulses and electromagnetic fields begin to adversely affect the humans. It is revealed that they have a genetic memory and that they are trying to warn Atlantis about a periodic solar flare that threatens life on the planet.
• Iratus bug A large, highly aggressive beetle-like creature first seen in "Thirty-Eight Minutes". It spins large webs capable of entangling a human, and feeds on its victim's "life-force". The Wraith originated when iratus bugs fed on the humans introduced by the Ancients into the Pegasus galaxy. This knowledge allows Dr. Carson Beckett to create a retrovirus that would theoretically separate the iratus bug DNA from a Wraith. In "Conversion", the Atlantis team is forced to obtain iratus bug eggs from their communal nesting caves. In "Vengeance", it is revealed that Michael is using iratus bugs to create a new race of Hybrids.

Other aliens

Ori

Main article: Ori (Stargate)

A major threat in the cosmos, the Ori are Ascended beings who use their infinite knowledge of the universe to force lesser beings to worship them. In essence, they used to be Ancients, however they split into separate groups due to different views of life. The Ori are religious while the Ancients prefer science. The Ori sway lesser-developed planets into worshipping them by promising Ascension through an invented and empty religion called "Origin". This religion states that they created humanity and as such are to be worshipped by their creations. It also promises its followers that, on death, they will Ascend. However, Origin was designed to channel energy from the human worshippers to the Ori. As such, the Ori never help anyone else Ascend because then they would have to share the power that they sap from their worshippers. Their ultimate goal is to completely destroy the Ascended Ancients, who they know as "the Others". All of their efforts, including their technology, are for the purpose of garnering worshippers.

As Ascended beings, the Ori do not interfere directly in the mortal plane. They use instead humans called Priors, which they artificially evolve so that they are one step from Ascension, giving the Priors godly powers. Because the Ori have worshippers across the entire home galaxy of the Ancients, and using their knowledge to spread, they are nearly unstoppable.

Replicators

Main article: Replicator (Stargate)

A potent mechanical lifeform using a quiron-based technology composed of building blocks using nanotechnology. They strive to increase their numbers and spread across the universe by assimilating advanced technologies. They are hostile to all other lifeforms in the universe, but are opposed primarily by the Asgard. In the episode "Unnatural Selection", the Replicators had developed human-form Replicators, based on the technology they extracted from their Android creator, that appear just like humans and are able to change their form. Standard Replicators are resistant to energy weapons, and can only be destroyed by projectile weapons. Human-form Replicators, on the other hand, are resistant to projectile weapons as well due to the change in their nature from large blocks to smaller units the size of organic cells (cell blocks).

In the episode "New Order (Part 2)", an Ancient weapon called the Replicator Disruptor was developed by Jack O'Neill while he still had the knowledge of the Ancients in his mind. It works by blocking the cohesion between the blocks that make up the Replicators. The Replicators in the Milky Way galaxy were wiped out by the Dakara Superweapon in the two-part episode "Reckoning" at the climax of Season 8. It has been indicated that the Asgard used the same technology to defeat the Replicators in their own home galaxy as well.