More Adventures in Stargate Science

[ultranos]

Why I keep doing this to myself, I'll never know. But, once again, I am trying to make sense of Gate'verse science. May god have mercy upon my soul.

Question: how effective is the ATA gene therapy? 30%? 50%? 60%? 85%? All I remember is McKay at one point got the therapy and it took, so he could fly the jumper. Aaand...that's about it. How much does the city respond to just people, regardless of the gene or not? Because if Atlantis requires that you have the gene to open a door, the gene therapy better damn well have at least 97% effectiveness, or people like Sheppard would be running around the entire time opening doors for people. Which, um, no.

On the other hand, if the gene just lets you play with the really cool stuff, like jumpers, then I can believe a 50% or lower success rate. But that doesn't really make much sense, if the Ancients wanted to make sure no one but them or people like them (read: NOT THE WRAITH) could play with their toys or city. Then again, I may be giving the Ancients too much credit.

(Can you people tell it's the end of the semester? Whee, I can't control my brain anymore.)

Comments

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, we are all victims of the Atlantis Writers Being Very, Very Lazy (AUGH!)

I think I wrote into my apocafic that the gene wouldn't take in Cam (and Sam?) - I gotta figure once it got perfected pretty much every member of SGC (on Earth or Atlantis) got the therapy - no reason not to have as many people as possible who can fly jumpers, use the Antarctic chair, etc, etc.

I still want to know about Daniel - he doesn't seem to have it, but sometimes it seems like having been a glowy squid gave him something (mostly in that whether or not the mindsucker in "Lost City" would have sucked his brain even if he HAD stuck his head in it. But then he could use Merlin's device, but that was 1 ascension later and only after Merlin had rigged it)

(OMG I NEED TO BE STUDYING NAVIER-STOKES NOT THINKING ABOUT FICTIONAL GENES)

[ultranos-fic.livejournal.com]

Lazy Atlantis Writers are currently one of the banes of my existence. *kicks tabletop rulebook*

Exactly! Only having 10 people in the entire city who can use the jumpers or the chair is so incredibly stupid. They should have either tried to perfect it, or create work-arounds for ANYONE (theoretically) to use the jumpers at least.

Daniel's...a funny case. Maybe he has a lazy ATA gene? It only works when the Plot requires?

(OMG, NAVIER-STOKES. EXAM NEXT WEEK. PANIC IMMINENT.)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

I know! What kind of long-running show like that doesn't use a series bible? They lost so much when de Luise (however you spell his name) left.

Well, not just the city but Earth too - I mean extra dumb in the city, but Earth runs into Ancient tech and has the Antarctic chair too...

I think Daniel's case *is* plot-dependent (I do think the only time we've for sure seen him use Ancient tech is...Merlin's device (that Merlin messed with first and then he had Merlin in him which could mean ANYTHING) and first on Atlantis talking with the chick who was Morgayne but Liz did it too which makes me think they made it not gene-neceesary.

(OMG NAVIER-STOKES EXAM WEDNESDAY! ACTUALLY, IF IT WAS MOSTLY NAVIER-STOKES RATHER THAN ALL THIS GEOLOGY CRAP I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT, I MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY LESS FUCKED)

(I am terrible. I actually went and calculated what grade I'd need on the exam for my grade)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Daniel doesn't have an ATA gene.

(But I still maintain you don't *have* to have the ancient gene to get sucked by the giant head sucky thing. It activated for Vala and/or after one of them turned things on in Quest. And it came on for Sam and Daniel in Lost City.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Do you know that completely for sure? About Daniel? [initially someone with the gene had to activate the Ancient hologram on the city, but later he and Vala were....]

(I don't think you need the gene for it to pop out of the wall. I do think you need to gene for it to actually grab your head - if that makes any sense - I mean, in "Fifth Race" if only popped out of the wall when Jack walked across the mark on the floor and only headsucked Jack who had the gene, not others. In Lost City it didn't headsuck (or really have the chance) either Sam or Daniel - we don't know for sure either way)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

I know JoeM has said Daniel doesn't have the gene.

Basically, it's proving a negative, but the fact they had to get General Jack to Harry's planet in It's Good to Be King confirms the only one who had the gene in S8 is Jack.

Weir turned the hologram on for them in "Pegasus Project", but that was something anyone was working once stuff was turning on. I think it was just "people" activated--at least for their "we're not home because we left and sunk our city. Please leave no message after the beep."

After Atlantis developed the gene therapy and was back in touch with SGC, have not seen any of SG-1 (aside from Jack) use anything/do anything Ancienty.

Head sucky device.

Nothing there. Jack walks across circle. Doodad activates. (Was it because someone walked across the circle or because *Jack* did is an open question). Teal'c looks in and sees pretty lights. He moves away as Jack takes a gander...was that finishing the warmup or was it because it was a non-Jaffa, or because of Jack's gene? Another open question.

Later exploration revealed that Jack sucked the head sucky thing dry (it comes up in a later episode, perhaps even Lost City).

Second time, in Lost City.
Daniel reads translation and hits certain words as Sam notices an energy build up. It comes up in front of her and she backs away, so obviously she was worried about head suckiness herself. Daniel and Jack give it wide berth until Daniel starts to try but Jack pulls him away and then takes his place.

The Quest. Vala gets close to a sucky thing and it immediately activates, but she dodges the device. Daniel warned her to be careful, so he too was worried about potential suckiness factors for her.

(you know, out of context, this could sound very very dirty. ;-)

[ultranos-fic.livejournal.com]

(Not needing the gene to use some parts of Ancient technology makes things easier, logistic-wise. (You don't need gene carriers running around all day pushing buttons for you) But, well, where's the line between what needs the gene and what doesn't? Because the headsucker, since it theoretically contains LOTS, if not ALL, of the sum of the Ancients' knowledge, probably should require the gene, if the Ancients didn't want just anyone getting all their knowledge.

On the other hand, I may, once again, be giving the Ancients too much credit. )

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

But they are kind of the message in a bottle things (maybe their way of thumbing their nose at ori brethren? Hah. Like people were thinking that far ahead).

They are major litterbugs after all. Stargate system, giant time loopy machines, Rubik's cube of zombification. In a galaxy without the Wraith threat, they were pretty damn lax.

[ultranos-fic.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* You know, this just reinforces my impression that the Ancients are either malicious or bumbling incompetents. It's just...gah! Do they not THINK about the long-term? About ANYTHING? I mean, they KNEW there were other races out there, AND that there was a younger evolution of themselves coming up (at least, in the Pegasus they did). Overall, they seem remarkably unethical and careless.