Mythology of Stargate

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Goa’uld
)
The opening credits of Stargate SG-1's first five seasons show Ra's mask in close-up, which is similar to Tutankhamun's golden mask (pictured).

The mythology of the Stargate franchise is a complex and eclectic fictional backstory, which is presented as being historical, of the Stargate premise. A "rich mythology and world-building" are used to establish "a vast cosmology and an interesting alternate take on the history of Earth";[1] a defining feature is "its use of ancient mythology, with stories that take inspiration from multiple places around the globe".[2] Narratives center around xeno-mythology as experienced by humans during episodic contact with alien races. Audiences across a variety of platforms - including TV series, novels, comics and movies - witness the people of Earth exploring a fictional universe using the Stargate. Species established early on in the franchise recur throughout, with one adversary often dominating a particular story arc, which can continue across several seasons.

In addition to a diversity of

Ancients, are revealed to have moved on to a higher plane of existence. "There’s no shortage of familiar myths to be found in the Stargate franchise, even if they are transformed to fit sci-fi parameters."[2]

Petroglyphs from Val Camonica, Italy, cited by proponents as evidence of ancient astronauts.

Frederic Krueger notes the re-emergence of the Ancient Astronaut Discourse (AAD) in the 1990s, and points to "the continuous mutual influence between the AAD and popular culture, exemplified via the rather spectacular case of Stargate".[3] For example, an origin theory for human populations shown to inhabit the Milky Way galaxy in Stargate SG-1 holds that the Goa'uld transplanted humans from Earth to other planets for slave labor. Many of these populations were abandoned, often when deposits of the fictional precious mineral naquadah were exhausted, and subsequently developed their own unique societies.[S 1]

Some of these extraterrestrial human civilizations are shown to have become much more technologically advanced than those on Earth, the in-show rationale being that they never suffered the setback of the

Season 5's Between Two Fires.[S 2] Another example of AAD in the mythos is the creation of human populations in the Pegasus galaxy by the Ancients,[S 3] few of which are technologically advanced, as the Wraith destroy any civilization that could potentially pose a threat.[S 4] Audiences are also made aware of large numbers of humans in the Ori galaxy, where human worship enhances the power of the Ori.[S 5]

Eclectic borrowings

Scholars have remarked on the multiple borrowings of real-world mythology to provide Stargate settings. Mariella Scerri and David Zammit note numerous such uses in Stargate.[4]

Cōātlīcue bears a "remarkably convenient resemblance" to Stargate's Goa'uld queen Hathor.[4] 15th century statue, Mexico City
Examples from Mariella Scerri and David Zammit's analysis of mythological figures in Stargate[4]
Real world mythology Figure Stargate
Ancient Egyptian "a key aspect of its appeal"
Aztec Cōātlīcue "remarkably convenient resemblance" to Goa'uld queen Hathor
Biblical mentioned in Exogenesis
Ancient Greek Atlas, king of Atlantis Moros, leader of Atlantis; possible grudge with Atlas
Sumerian epic Gilgamesh Ea, "god of primordial waters" "terraforming engineer" aka creation god, avoiding
"potentially delicate marketing issue of using the Judeo-Christian God"

Frederic Krueger analyses the use of Ancient Egyptian mythology, and concludes: "From a critical standpoint, Stargate gives the initial impression of a very confused pop-cultural salad, randomly tossed together out of the vegetable bins of sci-fi, American military triumphalism, and a lot of Orientalizing Egyptomania. Yet the film was a lasting hit".[3] Ultimately, he concludes that Stargate "serves as a neo-mythology able to re-enchant the world, to present an attractive anti-authoritarian option for identity formation and yet functionally equivalent to religion (according to traditional modern definitions) in its creationist tenet".

Stargate's Horus guards wear falcon-headed helmets, recalling the Egyptian war god Horus,[3] shown here in statuary from the Twentieth Dynasty, early 12th century BC.
Examples from Frederic Krueger's analysis of Ancient Egyptian elements in Stargate[3]
Ancient Egyptian element Stargate
Abydos, a city Abydos, a desert planet
Temples, pyramids Similar artefacts; planet is populated by descendants of enslaved Ancient Egyptians
Ra, god of the sun Tyrant has "assumed the persona" of Ra
Horus, falcon-headed war god "Horus guards" wear "frightful helmets" like falcon heads
Anubis, jackal-headed funerary god Captain of the guards, Anubis, wears jackal head helmet

Angela Ndalianis examines the mythology behind Stargate SG-1, noting the way it is created by "rewriting centuries-old human mythologies—Egyptian, Norse, Aztec, Greek, Arthurian, Roman—the series takes these myths and 'reboots' them as scientific fact."[5] Norse mythology appears in the shape of the "good-guy aliens the Asgard", deriving explicitly in the fiction from Norse Asgard. In her view, the "layered mythology ... borrows shamelessly" from real-world mythologies, giving examples from several of them.[5]

Among Stargate's eclectic borrowings is the Arthurian figure of Morgan le Fay.[5] Painting by Frederick Sandys, 1864
Examples from Angela Ndalianis's analysis of borrowings from real-world mythologies in Stargate[5]
Mythology Borrowed figures
Ancient Egypt Anubis, Apophis, Osiris
Ancient Greek Cronus
Phoenician Ba'al, Moloc
Shinto Amaterasu
Celtic Camulus, The Morrígan
Hindu Kali, Nirṛti
Babylonian Marduk, Ishkur
Arthurian legend Merlin, Morgan le Fay
Norse Asgard

Franchise-spanning mythology

The film

Nazi hands and eventually installed in a facility in Creek Mountain, Colorado (Cheyenne Mountain in Stargate SG-1). In the events of the film Dr. Daniel Jackson
deciphers the workings of the Stargate and a team is sent through to the planet on the other side.

Stargate SG-1 resumes the story of the film, but establishes that Ra was one of many parasitic

Ancients
, an advanced race of humans from another galaxy who lived on Earth until approximately 10,000 years ago.

Stargate device

Depiction of the Stargate portal device at Cheyenne Mountain

A Stargate is a device that allows practical, rapid travel between two distant locations. The first Stargate appears in the 1994 film

plot generator
, allowing the main characters to visit alien planets without the need for spaceships or any other fictional technology.

Within the Stargate fictional universe, Stargates are large metal rings with nine "

Egyptologist Daniel Jackson
deciphers their workings in the Stargate film.

The Stargate device sets apart SG-1 from other science fiction shows by allowing modern-day people to travel to other planets in an instant,[S 10] although scholar Dave Hipple argued that SG-1 "also deploys [science fiction] stereotypes both to acknowledge forebears and to position itself as a deserving heir".[6] With the help of the central Stargate device, the premise of Stargate SG-1 combines ancient cultures, present-day political and social concerns, aliens and advanced technologies.[7] Near-instantaneous interplanetary travel allows a fundamental difference in plot structure and set design from other series. There is a disjunction between politics on Earth and the realities of fighting an interstellar war.[8] The Stargate also helps to speed up the exposition of the setting.[9]

Ancients

The race of the Ancients is first mentioned in the Stargate SG-1 season 2 episode "

Alliance of four great races. They were considered humanity's predecessors, originally establishing Earth as their homeworld after they migrated to the Milky Way and having seeded multiple galaxies to allow life to evolve on uninhabited worlds. At the time that the Stargate franchise takes place, the Ancients have long since "ascended", i.e. they shed their physical bodies and live eternally as pure energy on a higher plane of existence
with an increased power and capacity for learning. While they are no longer physically present in the universe, their highly advanced technology—including the Stargate—remains behind, all of which has shown to be almost entirely resilient to the decay of time, and has also proven to be the most advanced technology anyone has ever encountered. With humans from Earth as their closest descendants both from a genetic standpoint and an evolutionary standpoint, they have shown the most proclivity in utilizing Ancient technology when they encounter it.

For the first six seasons of Stargate SG-1, the ascended Ancients maintain a strict rule of noninterference in mortal affairs of the material galaxy, and the interactions between humans of Earth and the Ancients are restricted to the outcast Ancient characters

Orlin. The Ancients' ascension was also used as a plot device for the departure of actor Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) in season 6 of Stargate SG-1. The fictional background of the Ancients was extended with the franchise's Atlantis mythos that began in the Stargate SG-1 season 6 finale "Full Circle", and which also served as the basis for spin-off show Stargate Atlantis. The Ori arc
of Stargate SG-1's seasons 9 and 10 expanded the Ancient mythos further.

Asgard

A benevolent race that, according to the mythology of Stargate, gave rise to

SG-1 on several occasions. The entire Asgard civilization chooses to self-destruct in "Unending
", due to the degenerative effects of repeated cloning. A small rogue colony of Asgard, known as the Vanir, still exist in the Pegasus galaxy. They were able to slow cloning's negative side effects by experimenting on humans.

Mythology of Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1 takes place mostly in the Milky Way galaxy. Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner tried to stay true to the feature film, but also wanted Stargate SG-1 to be unique in its own way.

Ancient ally), and many other mythologies like Greek and Roman mythology. SG-1 does not introduce new alien races as often as some other science fiction television series.[11] Most civilizations that the Goa'uld had transplanted maintain much of their original Earth culture, and Stargate SG-1 does not equate civilization with technology like many other sci-fi shows do.[12] Newly encountered races or visited planets are integrated into the mythology, although plotlines of individual episodes are often new, self-standing and accessible for new audiences, giving a compelling internal coherence.[9]

The writers had to strike a balance in the interaction between the explorers from Earth and advanced races (of which there were only few in the story) so that alliances could be developed where the advanced races do not give Earth all their technology and knowledge.

Stargate Program was revealed to over a dozen nations, which further helped the international appeal of Stargate SG-1.[14]

Alliance of four great races

SG-1 learns in season 1's "

Thor
declares the humans from Earth the Fifth Race.)

SG-1 had encountered the Nox in season 1's "

Pretense
".

However, Stargate SG-1 revealed virtually nothing about the Furlings, beside making them the story backdrop of an abandoned site in season 6's "

Citizen Joe", another character equates the Furlings to Ewoks based on their name. The length of time that the Furling nature remained a mystery in the series turned into 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?".[16] The writers later went on to state that apart from showing Furling technology and legacy, no member of the Furling race has ever appeared on the show. Producer Joseph Mallozzi claimed that more about the Furlings would finally be revealed in SG-1's tenth season,[S 15] which turned out to be an imagined scene from a movie script 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, or koala-like creatures that are destroyed by the Goa'uld soon after making contact with SG-1.

Goa'uld

The Goa'uld are the primary adversaries in Stargate SG-1 from seasons 1 to 8. Stargate SG-1 creators

parasitic species that resemble finned snakes, which can burrow themselves into a humanoid's neck and wrap around the spinal column.[S 16] The Goa'uld parasite (generally referred to as a "symbiote") then takes control of its host's body and mind, while providing longevity and perfect health. The Goa'uld are branded as evil by their pretending to be gods and forcing people to submit to their quasi-religious pronouncements.[11]
The most powerful Goa'uld in the galaxy are collectively known as the System Lords.

The fictional backstory is established over the course of the series. In season 4's "

The Tok'ra
" and become close allies with, formed in opposition to the Goa'uld culturally and militarily millennia ago to live in true symbiosis with their hosts, both beings sharing the body equally and benefiting from each other.

The Goa'uld modified humans to create the Jaffa to serve as soldiers and as incubators for their young via an abdominal pouch. The story of the Jaffa is primarily told through the main character

Talion
".

The planet Dakara, a holy ground for the Goa'uld and Jaffa alike, is the turning point in the Goa'uld–Jaffa power struggle in season 8's "

Ba'al
.

Ori

A major threat in the cosmos, the Ori are Ascended beings who use their advanced 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 worshiped by their creations. It also promises its followers that, on death, they will Ascend. However, Origin was designed to channel energy from the human worshipers 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 worshipers. 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. Instead, they use humans called

Priors
, which they artificially evolve so that they are one step from Ascension, giving the Priors godlike powers. Because the Ori have worshipers across the entire home galaxy of the Ancients, and use their knowledge to spread, they are nearly unstoppable. For example: Ori warships, built using conventional means while operated through the supernatural abilities of the Priors, are generally considered to be the most powerful vessels in the Stargate universe.

The Ori might be regarded as a shadow form of the Goa'uld, with the significant difference that the Ori promise ascension to their followers but never provide it.[11]

Mythology of Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis explores the adventures of an elite expedition from Earth, the "Atlantis Expedition", in the Pegasus Galaxy.

New Order", Daniel Jackson discovers the gate address to the legendary city Atlantis of Greek mythology. The Atlantis Expedition has a multi-nation civilian leadership and a predominantly United States military faction providing security. Their intent is to establish diplomacy with inhabitants of the galaxy and a permanent human base in the city of Atlantis for scientific and military research and exploration.[S 18]

Atlantis

The pilot episode "

The Defiant One", the Wraith drove the Ancients from their holdings until only Atlantis was left, defended by its powerful shield and a network of armed satellites. The Atlantis Expedition learn during their arrival in Atlantis in "Rising" that the Ancients submerged the city in Lantea's ocean to evade detection by the Wraith and returned via stargate to Earth, where survivor recollections formed the basis for the ancient Greek accounts of Lost City of Atlantis. In the Atlantis series finale "Enemy at the Gate", Atlantis returns to Earth and lands in the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco.[citation needed
]

The producers intended the city of Atlantis to be the size of Manhattan.[20]: 251  Many sets used for Atlantis are part of a large sound stage that was built for almost US$2 million. This stage is used for rooms like the brig, several balconies, and other interior parts of Atlantis. Green screens were used if an outdoor view was required in an episode.[21] According to digital effects artist Bruce Woloshyn, the series' original CGI model of the city of Atlantis was over four million polygons, which was feature film in size. This allows the city model to still look good and detailed in extreme close view. Since most of the city is modelled rather than textured, the details appear more realistic when the virtual camera revolves around the city model.[21]

Wraith

The Wraith are the main antagonists in Stargate Atlantis and the dominant species in the Pegasus Galaxy. They are

Ancients was fed upon by an insect called the irratus bug, which has the ability to draw upon a human's life to heal itself. As they fed, the bugs incorporated human DNA into themselves, giving rise to the Wraith. The Wraith have destroyed any civilizations with the potential to threaten their dominance, and few human races in Pegasus surpass Earth in technological advancement when the Earth expedition arrives.[citation needed
]

The existence of the Wraith is restricted to waking en masse every few centuries to replenish their health by galaxy-wide abductions of humans called "cullings", but the arrival of the Atlantis Expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy in the pilot episode "Rising" leads to the Wraith waking prematurely from their hibernation. To sate their hunger, the Wraith try to get to Earth whose population is much bigger than that of the whole Pegasus Galaxy. This can only be achieved either through the Stargate or by getting more advanced Hyper drive technology, both of which are present in the city of Atlantis.[citation needed]

Mythology of Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe was conceived as "a completely separate, third entity" in the live-action Stargate franchise.[22] Although it was firmly entrenched in pre-established Stargate mythology, Stargate Universe diverged in a new direction.[S 19] Like the first two series in the franchise, Stargate Universe takes place during the present time, not in the distant future.[22] Unlike SG-1 and Atlantis, no single dominant villain race is featured.[S 20]

The show is set on the Ancient ship Destiny, which is established as a part of an Ancient experiment to seed the universe with

ascension.[23] The series starts when a team of soldiers and scientists from Earth step through the Stargate to find the Destiny and are unable to return to Earth.[24] The show focuses mostly on the people aboard the ship and their survival instead of planet-based exploration,[S 21][S 22] and according to Brad Wright, would also "focus on exploration and adventure – and, by extension, the occasional alien encounter as well".[S 22] In Brad Wright's words, the show was to be "hopefully exploring the truly alien, and avoiding the rubber faced English-speaking one".[S 20]

Notes

  1. ^ Stargate Atlantis never explicitly states if the fictional Pegasus Galaxy refers to the real Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, the real Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy, or neither.

References

Primary

  1. ^
    Children of the Gods". Stargate SG-1
    .
  2. .
  3. ^ "Rising". Stargate Atlantis.
  4. Poisoning the Well". Stargate Atlantis
    .
  5. ^ "Avalon". Stargate SG-1.
  6. Thor's Hammer". Stargate SG-1
    .
  7. )
  8. ^ "Redemption". Stargate SG-1.
  9. The Fifth Race". Stargate SG-1
    .
  10. ^ Wright, Brad and Glassner, Jonathan (2001). Stargate SG-1: Season 3 – Producing Stargate (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment.
  11. Fair Game". Stargate SG-1
    .
  12. ^ Wright, Brad; Glassner, Jonathan; Greenburg, Michael; Anderson, Richard Dean; Shanks, Michael (2001). Stargate SG-1: Season 3 – Timeline To The Future – Part 1: Legacy Of The Gate (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment.
  13. ^ Cooper, Robert C (2002). Stargate SG-1: Season 4 – Allies & Foes (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment.
  14. The Nox". Stargate SG-1
    .
  15. GateWorld
    . Retrieved 2006-03-19.
  16. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAHgB-k-jD8 Stargate: Instructional videos by Daniel Jackson
  17. The Serpent's Lair". Stargate SG-1
    .
  18. ^ "Official Stargate Website: Series: Stargate Atlantis". Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  19. ^ Mallozzi, Joseph (September 18, 2008). "September 18, 2008: Saying Goodbye to SGA, Looking Forward to SGU". josephmallozzi.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  20. ^ a b Mallozzi, Joseph and Wright, Brad (January 2, 2009). "January 2, 2009: Brad Wright Answers Your Questions". josephmallozzi.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2009-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. About.com. Archived from the original
    on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  22. ^ a b Mallozzi, Joseph (March 20, 2009). "March 20, 2009: Promo Particulars, DeLuise Directs, and a Modest Mailbag". josephmallozzi.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2009-03-21.

Secondary

  1. ^ Jay, Johnny (September 14, 2019). "Classic Sci Fi TV: Stargate SG-1 (1997)". Cancelled Sci Fi. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hynes, Annabel (February 9, 2023). "Stargate: How Does The Franchise Use Ancient Mythology?". GameRant.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Krueger, Frederic (2017). "The Stargate Simulacrum: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Aliens, and Postmodern Dynamics of Occulture". Aegyptiaca. Journal of the History of Reception of Ancient Egypt. 1: 47–74.
  4. ^ a b c Scerri, Mariella; Zammit, David (2016). "Mythology in Science Fiction". Science Fiction Research Association Review (316: Spring 2016): 15–21. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ a b Hipple, Dave, "Stargate SG-1: Self-possessed Science Fiction". In Beeler 2005, pages 27–28.
  7. ^ a b Beeler and Dickson 2005. "Introduction", pp. 1–5.
  8. ^ Beeler 2008, p. 269.
  9. ^ a b Beeler 2008, p. 273.
  10. ^ Beeler 2008, pp. 272-273.
  11. ^ a b c Beeler 2008, pp. 274-277.
  12. ^ Booker 2004, pp. 181–182.
  13. ^ Covington, Richard (October 2, 1997). "Tailoring Film and TV for the World". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  14. ^ Brennan, Steve (June 27, 2006). "'Stargate' on global trek that spans 200 episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  15. ^ "Paradise Lost"'s commentator track
  16. Sci Fi magazine
    . February 2006.
  17. ^ Eramo, Steven (July 2002). "Jan Newman – Born With It – Make-up". TV Zone (Special 46): 62–65.
  18. ^ Eramo, Steven (July 2004). "Christopher Judge – Judge For Yourself". TV Zone (Special 58): 28–32.
  19. ^ Eramo, Steven (July 2005). "Stargate SG-1 Season 9 preview - Nine Lives". TV Zone. No. Special #64. pp. 24–30, 44–48 56–60.
  20. .
  21. ^ a b DVD-Video "Behind the Gate" of the SGA Season 1 DVDs.
  22. ^
    GateWorld
    . Retrieved 2007-04-03.
  23. GateWorld
    . Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  24. GateWorld
    . Retrieved 2008-12-08.

Bibliography