Did the Ancients build the ZPM's?

[Seldini]

We've always assumed that the Ancients were the ones who built the ZPMs, but the problem with that was that there was no way to reconcile the lack of a ZPM factory/storage facility in all of the Ancient gadgets and outposts we've found. It wouldn't make sense for them to not have extra power sources on hand.

I'm just throwing it out there, I don't actually know how much I buy into my own theory, but maybe the Ancients did NOT build the ZPMs. Therefore, this would explain the limited number of ZPMs that we've found and the amazing importance that is placed on each one. If a ZPM was something the Ancients could build, why go to the trouble of preserving one so carefully? (The Brotherhood) Why didn't the Ancients leave extra ZPMs for the Atlantis Expedition when they knew they would desparately need them? (Before I Sleep) Why wouldn't the Ancients have used ZPM's to power all their warships, thus making each one nearly invincible? (think Siege III Deddy times ALOT)

The only plausible explanation I can see is that the Ancients FOUND the ZPMs from some other, even more Ancient civilization, and were limited from then on to a set number of ZPMs, and thus couldn't waste them and could not, for all their technology, replicate them. I'm sure this will never be panned out in the show, but its just a late-night idea to throw out to you guys. I'd just like to see some explanation for the lack of ZPMs when there is no plausible reason for the Ancients to not have an unlimited number of them IF they have the capability to build them.

[immhotep]

They built them. there isnt a race other than them that could of. i agree that they could of found them, but ancient technology is powered almost exclusively by them ( the big stuff at least) this mean they must of been totally in tune with the tech, not just a rip off.
apart from anything else who else could of done it? and just because there isnt a ZPM factory doesnt mean anything really, each one oculd be custom made in an atlantis lab. why have a factory for unlimited power supplys?? the wraith could raid it, and beat the crap outta the ancients even more..
so yes the ancinets could have stolen the ZPM, but if they did, who from...and why when they are clearly the most advanced specie in the universe, and could probley build an equal or better PS anyway.

[BlackBaron]

They built them. there isnt a race other than them that could of. i agree that they could of found them, but ancient technology is powered almost exclusively by them ( the big stuff at least) this mean they must of been totally in tune with the tech, not just a rip off.
apart from anything else who else could of done it? and just because there isnt a ZPM factory doesnt mean anything really, each one oculd be custom made in an atlantis lab. why have a factory for unlimited power supplys?? the wraith could raid it, and beat the crap outta the ancients even more..
so yes the ancinets could have stolen the ZPM, but if they did, who from...and why when they are clearly the most advanced specie in the universe, and could probley build an equal or better PS anyway.

It is possible that another powerfull race built the ZPMs. Maybe the ferlings or something. We don't really know for sure. Personally, I think the Ancients built them and at the time had enough of them. But the Wraith were so strong, and in the end they just had a few left , and maybe the Ancients that left Atlantis to earth took alot of them with them.

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

Maybe not many ZPMs have been found because they are expensive to produce. I mean these things look like nuclear reactors of the SG Universes energy generating systems.

[immhotep]

the ZPM's couldnt be mass produced, creating an artificial universe in bottle, and then building an extraction method to get the energy out...thats no small feat. they are likely to be hand crafted, indivualally made for a purpose, eg powering a big new project, ship,citie or weapon...not just s othey are at hand...

[Carl]

Just because there are a few, we shouldn't assume the Ancients got them from elsewhere. Instead, I'd be inclined to wonder:

1) How are they constructed? Does it require a lot of energy or a large amount of time?
2) Did the Ancients have to stop construction for some reason? Not enough time, needed to focus on other things? No need to build any more since they'd be ascending soon?
3) Are ZPMs capable of damaging vacuum space and sub-space? [just as our fuel damages the atmosphere etc.] The fact that they draw their energy from sub-space and a 'vacuum energy-mini-universe type thing' could limit the amount that can be used in one place at any certain time. [I'm getting this from the fact that, in Star Trek, warp drive damages sub-space]

I think the Ancients almost certainly were responsible for ZPM development and construction, but either there's something complex involved in the construction/running of ZPMs, or the Ancients simply had enough to take them to the end of their time on Earth and on Atlantis. No need for a surplus supply when you're about to ascend.

[Chachi]

the ZPM's couldnt be mass produced, creating an artificial universe in bottle, and then building an extraction method to get the energy out...thats no small feat. they are likely to be hand crafted, indivualally made for a purpose, eg powering a big new project, ship,citie or weapon...not just s othey are at hand...

There's no real reason they couldn't be. People once thought that firearms couldn't be mass produced, and Eli Whitney showed the world otherwise.

-Chachi

[immhotep]

theres a massive different between massproducing a a firearm and mass producing a micro universe...beside the fact that the mirco universe's might run out.

[Avatar28]

I don't think that they were really built by another race in the past. We've yet to see any evidence of that. Now, that said, the Universe IS about 14 billion years old. The ancients built the gates about 50 million years ago, give or take. Even if we're VERY generous and say it took them a few million years to reach that point of advancement (which seems doubtful) that still leaves a VEEEERRRY long time for other races to be around.

[ThomasDM]

I'm just wondering what kind of energy source the Ori (and their followers) are using. Maybe they use ZPM to power some of their technology, maybe for ships?

[ddovala]

Maybe they use the power they sap from their followers :-D

[immhotep]

they use black holes, or singularity's to power the supergates. don know about other devices

[SmallTimePerson]

We've always assumed that the Ancients were the ones who built the ZPMs, but the problem with that was that there was no way to reconcile the lack of a ZPM factory/storage facility in all of the Ancient gadgets and outposts we've found. It wouldn't make sense for them to not have extra power sources on hand.

I'm just throwing it out there, I don't actually know how much I buy into my own theory, but maybe the Ancients did NOT build the ZPMs. Therefore, this would explain the limited number of ZPMs that we've found and the amazing importance that is placed on each one. If a ZPM was something the Ancients could build, why go to the trouble of preserving one so carefully? (The Brotherhood) Why didn't the Ancients leave extra ZPMs for the Atlantis Expedition when they knew they would desparately need them? (Before I Sleep) Why wouldn't the Ancients have used ZPM's to power all their warships, thus making each one nearly invincible? (think Siege III Deddy times ALOT)

The only plausible explanation I can see is that the Ancients FOUND the ZPMs from some other, even more Ancient civilization, and were limited from then on to a set number of ZPMs, and thus couldn't waste them and could not, for all their technology, replicate them. I'm sure this will never be panned out in the show, but its just a late-night idea to throw out to you guys. I'd just like to see some explanation for the lack of ZPMs when there is no plausible reason for the Ancients to not have an unlimited number of them IF they have the capability to build them.

i believe they built them, mainly because if they didn't why would their cities be powered by them? you don't generally have a city powered by something that you cant replace quickly unless you are really desperate for power, but the ancient's spent a few million years in PG I dont thinkl time was an issue.
Also the ancient db in Atlantis has alot of notes on ZPMs presumably alot has to do with the improvement and optimum power expendature, maybe even stuff on how to build them.

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

they use black holes, or singularity's to power the supergates. don know about other devices

Its possible they use singularities to power a starship as well? Come on almost every sci fi show has at least one race using a singularity as a weapon or power source

[Seastallion]

No offense to anyone... but I completely reject the idea that the ZPM's were built by anone other than the Ancients. In his first post, Immhotep gave the precise reason why. The Ancients relied heavily on ZPM's to power their Outposts, Atlantis, as well as some of there other critical technology. If they didn't have the means to produce the ZPM in some way then it would have been pointless for them to use them in such a wide scope. Since the average ZPM would last for literally thousands of years, they proboably didn't need to mass produce them at a high rate of speed. They probably were manufactured in something of a laboratory setting rather than in a factory. It might even be possible to make an old ZPM usable again, by repeating the production process on the same ZPM. As they've explained on the show, a ZPM is essentially a micro-universe in a bottle that is usable until it reaches entropy.

In real life, we know in theory at least, how it might be possible to create a new universe ourselves. Given the appropriate technological advancement, it might not be outside the realm of possibility for us to do something similiar. However, like much of the advanced technology imagined on Stargate and other science fiction shows... we are a very long way from reaching them.

Who knows... perhaps they'll find the appropriate information in the Atlantis database somewhere on how to 'recharge' or recreate a ZPM. That would be very cool. I suppose they don't, because that would eliminate a major plot point of Atlantis.