Why do the Asgard need Clones? (Major S10 spoilers)

[immhotep]

The Asgard died needlessly

Spoiler:

in Unending, they said their genetic deformaty was gone too far and they had tried every method to perfect thier clones.
Why? Not why did they die, or why they couldnt be saved in the end as a plot device but why did they even bother to perfect their clones in the first place!

I recently rewatched new order, and in that episode Thor made a major comment, when the Asgard found new colonies they do not transfer their population intact, they store their minds on ships and then build a new cloning plant when they get there. Big question in my mind would be, why would they download themselves in to something which they al know is ultimately going to kill them. Given the fact that having a body serves them no purpose whatsoever because they can interface with their ships and "do whatever they want", they can listen through, power up, create, scan, holographically represent themselves.(which is tactically more useful because the asgard cant exactly kick ass)
Why would a being which relys on technology and has massively superior ships, technology and the ability to transfer consciences ever download themselve in to a body which is completely and fatally useless to them.
The Asgard as a race doomed themsevles by adopting faultly clones and degrading them over the millenia but i think there has never been a good explaination as to why the Asgard need a physical existance in the first place. could they not have engineered a system where they can be the ship through a computer, we know they have that abilty, oniel was the asgard ship, thor controlled a hatak and they transfered the entire asgard population to the new colony by ship.

It makes no logical sense why the Asgard ever needed a body in the first place, after the developed to the point where they can make their minds and technology interface independant of the body.

[Hypochondriac]

I guess there nostalgic for bodies. I really wouldn't like living in a computer all my life.

[immhotep]

They put such weight on thier massively superior intelects you would think they could use an entire ship and be as confortable as they liked, VR within the computer, holographic representations which would allow them to interact with the ship via hologram, with a progam which corelated thier holographic selves with the ships computers and thier minds. So that if thier hologram moved to which a button or do something the computer would do it as if they had a body. It wouldnt be the same but it may have saved their race.

[Vash]

Maybe they were scard when replicators were aroud and absorb their tech; their minds get absorb too?

[immhotep]

So they die virtually instead of Physically. How does that relate to the preservation of their race, you would think that rebuilding thier civilzation after the replicators, they would have been planning and exploring alternative means of existance, including Virtual and non-corporeal existance.

[garhkal]

Perhaps they were worried about somethig fubaring up the computer core, so the imnds would get lost/damaged, where as livig in a clone body would allow them to live without that worry.

[fugiman]

I think they would just miss being able to eat, touch, feel, express emotion (not to much of course), and all the other good things that we do (other then sex) I mean it would make sense to put there minds in a computer but when they are a computer are they really living?

[NATIK]

Could be as simple as the fact that their computers cant contain an active Asgaard mind. When they transfer minds normally they are merely storing them, in which format they could be either compressed or using a special type of storage space.

When Thor got uploaded into the Hatak he clearly did not have very many abilities, he just kept repeating the same message and perhaps open a door or two and killed a few Jaffa.

When O'niell were interfaced with Thors computer he was just that interfaced, his mind was still in his body Thor just linked the two, there is no knowing whether or not a normal Asgaard ships computer core can contain an active mind as in not dormant and uncompressed.

[Kidwizz]

well... i thought it was obvious. sensors and whatnot can pick up false readings. real bodies cant.

also when the replicators ate the ships then many would die. and because the replicators will know that they are in there and delete them quickly. where as when the upload themselves they can eject it or what ever. less risck of them dying. and plus they cant create other asgards only use the existing ones.


oh and they love their food cubes.

[MechaThor]

Firsty we do not know much about Asgard culture and socal life (if they even have 1? I mean can you picture an asgard hand gliding on Its day off?)
As far as we know the Asgard may have tried to live as computers but their culture and morals stopped them. Maybe once they saw the replicators a mirror to their exsistance as never ending clones. They decided that they may end up like the replicators if they lived within a machine.

Also i am sure when the asgard started to use clone technology they did not know about the long term side effect. As not only do we not know how long asgard have been cloning them selves and when they started to devolve loosing their breeding abilities? If they 1rst started to use cloning at a still early stage of development they may have overlooked the possible side effects in the excitment of the chance of "living 4ever" Like are own rush into cars and energy which when 1rst created we did not know the long term effects it would have on the enviroment.

[immhotep]

But this does mean, beside these arguments that the Asgard died needlessly. They didnt have to commit mass suicide, they could have stored thier entire race on computers, and projected themselves leaving one asgard per ship on virtual watch, or only having one clone per ship, swapping souls so they wouldnt continue to make copys just use one copy for a ships' load of asgard. When they needed something done the relevent member of ships crew was downloaded in to the standby clone while the rest were in status. In terms of longevity it would have made far more sense to stop and adapt to thier situation by only using clones when they had too.
It would have given them far more time to find a solution and frankly there has always been a solution. They should have Geneticly or scientificly engineer themselves a host. The way i see it was that even if they were scared, beaten and dying, their surival instincts should have kicked in. Make yourself a cyborb, that mock up of thor on top of the T-2000 shouldnt have been a joke. with a highly advanced computer system and technology that can replicate anything in the mind virtually. They could have easily designed a Cyborg which could hold thier minds. They should have learned from the replicators not been affraid of them. The Asgard could have made themselves a Human form replicator. In doing so saved thier race andaquired the physical strength to turn the tide of the war. Fight fire with fire, if they are killing you by using advanced computing and robotics, use it agaisnt them. Develop your own cyborg armies, create computer viruses to shut down thier communications. The Asgard were not beyond beating the replicators and were perfectly capable of saving themselves from thier cloning issue. They shouldnt have been trying to fix the clones, they should have been trying to look for another viable means by which to live.

[jds1982]

well... i thought it was obvious. sensors and whatnot can pick up false readings. real bodies cant.

Tell that to anyone who's ever hallucinated.

[Ravroz]

I thought they had said that they first started the genetic manipulation to lengthen their lives and to possibly increase their abilities. I'm not sure about the last part but their genetic manipulation had given them a kind of immortality. At least until the genetic degredation started kicking in. I also remember him saying something about their last ditch effort to save their race had given them all a degenerative disease that would eventually destroy them. They wanted to die on their feet without turning into a bunch of short gray drooling vegetables. (Although that would have been pretty cool to see you gotta admit.....)

[immhotep]

But my point is that when they realised they were ultimately doomed why did they continue down that road when they already had alternatives as part of the degenerative production line.

When you cant cure something or solve something you have two options, continue til the end, or adapt and find alternatives. The asgard clearly didnt do that but i cant fathom why we tried to solve their problem, if half this forum could realise they have spent millenia trying to sort it out and now was the time to adapt why didnt the SGC figure it out and tell them..

[ancientaction]

Tell that to anyone who's ever hallucinated.

el oh el