The Ancients are one of the most technologically advanced races in Stargate, and this is reflected in their starships. Duplicates of these ships are utilized by their nanite creations, the Asurans, as they also possess knowledge of Ancient technology.
Puddle jumper
A puddle jumper, rarely referred to as a gateship,[1][2][3] is a small spacecraft created by the Ancients. Several of these ships are discovered in Atlantis, and are used by the Atlantis Expedition to travel to other planets. The name "puddle jumper" is applied by John Sheppard in "Rising". Puddle jumpers are cylindrical ships with an angled front and rear that can fit through a Stargate. The interior is divided into the cockpit and the aft section; despite a statement in "Thirty-Eight Minutes", the bulkhead door between the two is airtight and can hold against the pressure of the deep ocean.[4] Access to the jumper is provided by a rear hatch. Puddle jumpers have built-in DHDs that can dial Stargates in both the Milky Way and in Pegasus.[1][3] The original cockpit console from the first season was made out of plexiglass,[5] while different console designs are seen in later seasons. As with many pieces of Ancient technology, operating a puddle jumper requires the ATA gene;[1] commands can be given mentally[3] or using physical controls. Information is given to the pilot via a holographic HUD.[1]
During normal flight, a puddle jumper is propelled by two sublight engine pods that extend from the hull; these pods are retracted when the ship is landed or needs to move through a Stargate.[6] Puddle jumpers can operate underwater.[4] They have inertial dampeners that negate g-forces inside,[7] which can also be used to change the jumper's weight.[8] After having his mind enhanced by an Ancient device, Rodney McKay develops a way to install a hyperdrive in a jumper.[9]. The modified jumper is later used to steal a ZPM from Asuras, though the hyperdrive has a range of only 2,000 light-years and McKay believed they would be lucky to complete two jumps in it.[10] Puddle jumpers are armed with drone weapons housed in two retractable pods forward of the engines. They normally do not have shields, but are equipped with a cloaking device to evade enemies.[1] A puddle jumper's cloaking generator can be set to create a shield instead, but this drains the jumper's power very quickly.[4] McKay has also modified the cloaking generator to generate an Replicator disruptor field.[11] The puddle jumpers used by the Atlantis Expedition are stocked with Earth equipment, including various weapons, emergency supplies, and tools.[6] The Ancient Janus created puddle jumpers capable of traveling through time.[12][13]
[edit] Aurora-class battleship
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The Aurora-class battleship[14] is a warship utilized by the Ancients at the time of their war with the Wraith,[15] first seen in "Aurora". In that episode, the Aurora is a crippled battleship whose crew have preserved themselves in stasis pods, which self-destructs to avoid falling into the hands of the Wraith. The Atlantis Expedition gains control of an Aurora-class battleship discovered by the Taranians in "Inferno"; it is named Orion by John Sheppard (who dislikes its original name Hippaforalkus). The Orion is barely operational when it is called upon to intercept two Wraith hive ships heading for Earth. Dr. Zelenka brings the weapons online at the cost of the shields, and the Orion manages to destroy one hive ship before being destroyed itself.[16] The battleship Tria is encountered along with its Ancient crew in "The Return". The Travelers take control of a derelict battleship with Sheppard's help in "Travelers". In season 4, it is revealed that the Asurans have built 38 Aurora-class battleships for their war with the Wraith. The Daedalus and the Apollo destroy a few of them, and the rest are destroyed in the explosion of Asuras. One more battleship is known to exist, commanded by a duplicate Elizabeth Weir.[17][18]
Aurora-class battleships are much larger than an Earth Daedalus-class battlecruiser and are substantially superior to Wraith hive ships. They are armed with drone weapons and are protected by energy shields.[16] Large turrets line the ship, which are seen in action in "Be All My Sins Remember'd". They have intergalactic hyperdrives though they are not designed for such long trips,[19] and their sublight engines can accelerate the ship to 99.9% of the speed of light.[2] They can be powered by a Zero Point Module.[2][20] The ship can project holograms remotely for communication purposes.[2] They contain numerous stasis pods, which can be connected to allow the crew to interact in a virtual reality.[19] The ship has hangar bays that can accommodate puddle jumpers[18] or Wraith darts.[21]
The City ship
An Ancient city ship is a city-sized spaceship constructed by the Ancients. The best-known Ancient city ship is Atlantis, once the Ancients' capital in the Pegasus galaxy and the main setting for Stargate Atlantis. The Ancients abandoned Atlantis 10,000 years ago due to Wraith attacks; the city resided at the bottom of the ocean on Lantea until it is occupied by the Atlantis Expedition from Earth in "Rising". A city ship is a snowflake-shaped platform dotted with buildings, with an internal volume comparable to every building in Manhattan.[22] They are powered by three Zero Point Modules.[1] The main defensive systems of a city ship are drone weapons,[23] and an all-encompassing shield.[8] The massive ventral stardrive allows city ships to launch into space and traverse galaxies via hyperspace.[1] The city itself is not airtight, so its shield must be active during space flight to hold in the atmosphere.[10] City ships carry a complement of smaller ships, dubbed "puddle jumpers" by John Sheppard.[1] The Atlantis Expedition has discovered a multitude of advanced technologies on Atlantis, including long-range sensors,[24] internal transporters,[25] and sophisticated computer systems.[22][23]
In "The Tower", the Atlantis team discovers a second city ship on another planet. Although largely buried with much of its structure collapsed except for the central spire, some systems are still operational and the city's drone weapons and puddle jumpers are transferred to Atlantis. The Asurans were created in a city ship that was leveled when the Ancients deemed their experiment a failure. The Asurans rebuilt the ship, and in "Progeny" it is launched by Oberoth to attack Atlantis. The city ship is destroyed over Lantea when the Atlantis team overload its ZPMs. Another Asuran city ship, a duplicate of Atlantis created by Niam's followers, appears in "This Mortal Coil" and in a prescient vision in "The Seer". It is destroyed by an Aurora-class battleship sent by Oberoth.
Minor ships
- Science vessel One of these ships, the Adaris, suffered severe damage fifteen thousand years ago in an encounter with a coronal mass ejection from the Lantean sun. The entire crew was killed except for the pilot, who managed to reach Atlantis and warn them.[26]
- Transport ship These vessels are mentioned in "Before I Sleep" as carrying the last offworld Ancients to Atlantis for evacuation. They are equipped with cloaking devices, shields, and weapons. The last of these ships is destroyed by the Wraith over Atlantis, with over three hundred people onboard.
Asgard starships
The starships of the Asgard are among the most advanced ever encountered by the SGC. All Asgard vessels in the series are depicted as being operated by only a single Asgard, although Thor makes a reference to evacuating his crew in "Nemesis".
Mothership
The Asgard mothership is the first type of Asgard vessel seen in the series. In "Thor's Chariot", the Beliskner is the ship of Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. It appears near the end of the episode to remove the forces of the Goa'uld Heru'ur from Cimmeria. The Beliskner is destroyed in the third season episode "Nemesis", where SG-1 crashes it into Earth's ocean after it becomes infested with Replicators. Several ships of this type also appear in "Small Victories", some of which are controlled by the Replicators. The last appearance thus far of this type of ship is in "Revelations", where one commanded by Thor is destroyed in battle with Osiris's enhanced Ha'tak.
Asgard motherships are equipped with intergalactic hyperdrives, two rear thrusters for sublight propulsion, and a forward-mounted deceleration drive to control planetary reentry.[27] They are also equipped with Asgard beaming technology.[28] The ship is powered by four neutrino ion generators.[27] Armed with advanced energy weapons and protected by powerful shields, Asgard motherships can comfortably expect victory against Goa'uld Ha'taks even if outnumbered. However, Anubis develops enhanced shielding based on Ancient technology that is resistant to the mothership's weaponry.[29] Asgard motherships utilize cloaking devices that render them invisible to radar,[30] and have internal dampening fields that prevent explosives from detonating inside the ship. Each ship has automated medical treatment systems, including medical stasis pods that can be used in dire emergencies. There are advanced AI systems onboard that allow the ship to be operated by a very small number of crew, and the main computer stores all the collected knowledge of the Asgard.[27]
O'Neill-type vessel
The O'Neill is the most advanced starship ever constructed by the Asgard, incorporating all of their latest technology, and is designed specifically to fight the Replicators. Its hull is composed of an alloy of trinium, carbon and naqahdah.[31] Its armaments and defenses are substantially superior to earlier Asgard motherships.[29] The O'Neill dwarfs the Earth-built Prometheus in size. It is equipped with intergalactic hyperdrives and beaming technology.[32] The first ship of this type, the O'Neill, is named after Colonel Jack O'Neill of SG-1, in recognition of his actions on the behalf of the Asgard, particularly against the Replicators. The incomplete O'Neill is the Asgard's last hope against a Replicator invasion. However, Samantha Carter suggests instead using the O'Neill as bait to draw the Replicators away, giving the Asgard time to evacuate their civilization. The Replicators pursue the O'Neill into hyperspace, where their shields will not function, and are destroyed by the O'Neill's self-destruct.[31] More O'Neill-type ships appear in later episodes; three ships of this type force Anubis to retreat in "Revelations", and six ships, led by the Valhalla, ambush Fifth's Replicator ship over Orilla.[33] The last appearance of this ship is in battle against the Ori in "Camelot". The ship's fate is unknown, though its pilot Kvasir survived.
Science vessel
The Asgard science vessel is first seen in "Fragile Balance", used by the renegade Asgard scientist Loki. Another ship of this type, the Daniel Jackson, is Thor's ship in "New Order". Due to a Replicator threat, Thor takes the Daniel Jackson to Earth for Jack O'Neill and the knowledge of the Ancients in his mind, from which he synthesizes a Replicator disruptor and incorporates it into the Daniel Jackson to eliminate all the Replicators on Orilla. Thor and the Daniel Jackson return in "Reckoning", to assist SG-1 during the Replicator invasion of the Milky Way. The ship is infested by Replicators, and Thor sends it into deep space to protect Earth before abandoning it. The science vessel is comparable in size to a Goa'uld Ha'tak.[33] Like other Asgard vessels the ship is equipped with beaming technology, intergalactic hyperdrives, and shields, though they are ineffective against Replicator blocks.[33][34]
Earth starships
Throughout Stargate SG-1, a progression of Earth-built spacecraft incorporating alien technologies have been depicted. By season ten of the show, Earth possesses a small fleet of hyperspace-capable warships and spaceworthy fighters equipped with technology from Goa'uld, Asgard, Ancient, and other sources.
- X-301 The first Earth fighter capable of space travel, seen in "Tangent". Essentially a retrofitted Goa'uld Death Glider, the alien components caused problems after launch.
- F-302: The standard interceptor used by Earth space forces, first seen in "Redemption". Based on the X-301 but using only Earth-built materials, it is capable of flying in both an atmosphere and in space, and is hyperspace-capable.
- X-303 Prometheus Earth's first experimental spacefaring warship, first seen in "Prometheus". It utilizes both Earth and alien technologies, and has been upgraded several times in the series, notably by the Asgard. The ship is destroyed in the ninth season episode "Ethon".
- X-304 Daedalus-class battlecruiser Earth's second-generation line of starships, designed to better integrate the alien technologies that had been tested on the Prometheus. The first ship of the class, the Daedalus, appeared in "The Siege, Part 3". Additional ships of the class appear in later episodes.
Goa'uld starships -
The Goa'uld operate a variety of starships. The control systems of Goa'uld ships are based on crystals,[35] a feature copied by the Earth ship Prometheus.[32] Since the collapse of the Goa'uld order in "Reckoning", most of their fleet have fallen into the hands of the Free Jaffa Nation[36] and the Lucian Alliance.[37]
Death glider
The Goa'uld death glider is a fast attack fighter
