My apologies in advance if this is repetitive and redundant.
Merlin and Arthurian mythology seemed set to take centre stage at the start of Season 9, yet curiously much of the man and what aspects of the mythology are 'real' remain mysterious and speculatory on behalf of the characters and the audience. Now, mere hours before we encounter The Pegasus Project, let's recount some of what we know of Merlin and identify some key questions that need answering.
We are virtually positive that Merlin is an Atlantean who returned to Earth from the Pegasus galaxy, roughly 10,000 years ago. We also know from various holograms that he was in action posing as a magician within the last 2,000 years. We also know that he was working on a weapon capable of destroying Ascended beings and needed to keep this work secret from his "fellow Ascended", implying that he did at some point Ascend and then descended. As an Ascended being, he would certainly be aware of the threat the Ori posed and presumably was creating the weapon to combat them.
This is where the tale becomes intriguing ; the Ori still exist. Obviously, something had gone wrong if killing them was his intent. Instead, Merlin has vanished and curiously left notes on his research in the treasure hoard at Avalon (which could only be accessed by people using advanced sensors and ring transporters), along with a historical tract explaining part of the Alterran story and long range communicator that just happens to be connected to the Ori home galaxy.
Meanwhile on a planet whose location is included in his notes, he leaves behind a library and test that contains clues to the Holy Grail's appearance and to locations made in local legend. Interestingly, it seems that a trail has been deliberately left for a culturally and technologically advanced race to follow, a race that Merlin has set up for a deadly encounter with the Ori.
This poses the question of what game Merlin is playing, and why he would feel the need to go to such measures. Is it to lead someone else into finding and using the weapon against the Ori ? To begin to understand this situation, there are several key issues/questions that i think need to be resolved :
- What is the relationship between Merlin and Arthur ? What is Arthur's nature ? Daniel speculated that at Avalon, Merlin helped Arthur to Ascend.
- The prophecy at Camelot indicates that when someone comes following Merlin's trail (i.e. triggering the knight and thus unlocking the sword), Arthur's return is not far behind. Is Arthur going to descend and come to the aid of those who seek to destroy the Ori (i.e. find the Holy Grail)
- Who is Morgan LeFay ? By legend, she is related to Merlin and it appears that she is at odds with Arthur. If she is Ascended and an Ancient, Arthur must be formidable if him tracking her down is something that actually concerned her and caused her to seek revenge on collaborators (if that is actually what happened at the Morpheus village).
- What is Merlin's relationship to Janus ? In Season 8, a time travel capable puddle jumper was left behind for the Tau'ri to use. Janus is the only one with the necessary knowledge to build it, though it's possible other Ancients could figure it out. Legends that Daniel references say that Merlin had knowledge of the future and aged backwards. Did Merlin have access to a time machine and is he manipulating the present to create the desired future ?
Merlin and Arthurian mythology seemed set to take centre stage at the start of Season 9, yet curiously much of the man and what aspects of the mythology are 'real' remain mysterious and speculatory on behalf of the characters and the audience. Now, mere hours before we encounter The Pegasus Project, let's recount some of what we know of Merlin and identify some key questions that need answering.
We are virtually positive that Merlin is an Atlantean who returned to Earth from the Pegasus galaxy, roughly 10,000 years ago. We also know from various holograms that he was in action posing as a magician within the last 2,000 years. We also know that he was working on a weapon capable of destroying Ascended beings and needed to keep this work secret from his "fellow Ascended", implying that he did at some point Ascend and then descended. As an Ascended being, he would certainly be aware of the threat the Ori posed and presumably was creating the weapon to combat them.
This is where the tale becomes intriguing ; the Ori still exist. Obviously, something had gone wrong if killing them was his intent. Instead, Merlin has vanished and curiously left notes on his research in the treasure hoard at Avalon (which could only be accessed by people using advanced sensors and ring transporters), along with a historical tract explaining part of the Alterran story and long range communicator that just happens to be connected to the Ori home galaxy.
Meanwhile on a planet whose location is included in his notes, he leaves behind a library and test that contains clues to the Holy Grail's appearance and to locations made in local legend. Interestingly, it seems that a trail has been deliberately left for a culturally and technologically advanced race to follow, a race that Merlin has set up for a deadly encounter with the Ori.
This poses the question of what game Merlin is playing, and why he would feel the need to go to such measures. Is it to lead someone else into finding and using the weapon against the Ori ? To begin to understand this situation, there are several key issues/questions that i think need to be resolved :
- What is the relationship between Merlin and Arthur ? What is Arthur's nature ? Daniel speculated that at Avalon, Merlin helped Arthur to Ascend.
- The prophecy at Camelot indicates that when someone comes following Merlin's trail (i.e. triggering the knight and thus unlocking the sword), Arthur's return is not far behind. Is Arthur going to descend and come to the aid of those who seek to destroy the Ori (i.e. find the Holy Grail)
- Who is Morgan LeFay ? By legend, she is related to Merlin and it appears that she is at odds with Arthur. If she is Ascended and an Ancient, Arthur must be formidable if him tracking her down is something that actually concerned her and caused her to seek revenge on collaborators (if that is actually what happened at the Morpheus village).
- What is Merlin's relationship to Janus ? In Season 8, a time travel capable puddle jumper was left behind for the Tau'ri to use. Janus is the only one with the necessary knowledge to build it, though it's possible other Ancients could figure it out. Legends that Daniel references say that Merlin had knowledge of the future and aged backwards. Did Merlin have access to a time machine and is he manipulating the present to create the desired future ?
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