Drone weapon origin

[Evil_Genius_McKay]

Ok this has been bugging me quite a while. If it has already been talked about let me know. The drone weapons in Atlantis have a very organic bio-tech look to them kind of like a squid. But when you look at all of the other Lantean tech you don't see anything of similar design, in fact most of their tech is very geometric in its design.

Drones look like they may have been developed after encounters with the wraith and maybe that is where the got the organic look and maybe some of tech that goes into it, because really the drone looks more like a Wraith weapon.

Finally think back to the episode "Fifth Race" in SG-1 the Ancient tech O'Neill encountered was also very organic in appearance and looked nothing like the stuff on Atlantis. Did they just decided to change designs or what? Maybe the anicients in the Milky Way differed greatly in technology than those in the Pegasus.

[.jolinar.]

We can't really be certain of anything because as far as I understand, the Ancients originated in the Milky Way or another galaxy the came to the milky way, inhabited the galaxy, built Atlantis, Went to the pegasus galaxy after the plauge, Encountered/created the wraith then retreated to the Mily Way. So on two occasions the Ancients inhabited the Milky Way. So I figure we can only be sure of this by what they left behind. In this instance, the drone weapons and the Ancient knowlege database device. Both organic in appearance.
As the function of the data storage devices are to pass on their legacy it is apparent these would have been built and left here after the Ancients returned from Atlantis. There would have been no need for them before the Ancients moved to Pegasus.

However as the drone weapons were in the Antartica outpost which was identical to the Proklaroush Taonas outpost I assume there would have been drones in that outpost.
Also as O'Neill in 'lost City' had to find where the outpost was on Earth from the Proklaroush Taonas outpost database, and that the Ancients that returned from Pegasus inhabited Earth and I assume they did not return to the Proklaroush Taonas outpost, which at that time would not be covered in lava as it is now but may have been in worse shape since they had last been there, I belive the Drone weapons were created before Atlantis was created and therefore either the first time the Ancients inhabited the Milky way or when they inhabited the Galaxy before the Milky Way.

[Heaven]

In this instance, the drone weapons and the Ancient knowlege database device. Both organic in appearance.

and don't forget the control chair.

[Boxytheboxed]

It might be because there are few onther designs of uber-weapons. There small and fast. Im geussing it waas because they wanted an uber-weapon. Plus there might be different sset designers for the drones and Atlantias

[Mister Oragahn]

The drones predate the Wraith by a far margin.

[Evil_Genius_McKay]

Good points all around everyone!

Yes the chair I forgot about because it does have a lattice like design similar to Wraith designs. Don't forget about the Heliopolus either which had a stone architecture.

Yeah I agree though the drones predate the ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy and since the Ancients had at least some part of wraith development it would be logical to assume the drones and wraith aren't connected.

[Dev Corvin]

Ancient technology has evolved between several distinct designs, possibly due to the fact that the ancients had incredibly advanced technology for at LEAST a period of 50 million years (that's just from their time outside the Alterran home galaxy).

It stands to reason that their technology would have advanced in leaps and bounds during that time.

Also, notice how drones were NOT the Ancient's primary offensive weapon during the war with the Wraith; instead, they relied heavily on their defense satellites which were energy-based weapons.

I think that if the drones could be compared to any other form of Ancient technology, my bet would have to be on ZPMs. It's evident they possess an incredibly powerful energy source, stands to reason it be based onthe ancients other known form of advanced power source.

[Evil_Genius_McKay]

That brings me to an interesting point, I have to admit that when you first see the Lanteans in Atlantis season one they are kind of disappointing. I was expecting, I don't know something more.

One thing that strikes me is that they don't use long-range visual communication like the Goa'uld do but yet they are supposed to be far more advanced. Their communication systems and view screens don't seem that advanced compaired to other races even the Tau'ri and then some things they are insanely advanced at. Seems odd. Their handheld scanners can't even identify whether something is human or not. There are just a lot of holes in the explanation of their technology.

I think a lot these things were done to try to stay away from a Star Trek feel, viewscreens, tricorders that seem to be able to scan anything, etc.

[Jimbo-DR]

I agree, it seems like the Ancients went from this incredible unreachable goal of a race to something we should try to avoid in Atlantis. As Mckay loves to point out, they weren't all that smart. :/

[immhotep]

I think Ancient technology went through Phases of evolution as thier needs changed. The ancient in pegasus were at war, the needed to be functional, efficent and easy to opperate.
In the MW they didnt have enemies, they had the plague. Which is a different kind of enemy than the wraith. Also think of the Phases.

Ring platforms/ stargates; first generation from Ori galaxy/first period in MW
Continual and gradual development, lantian architecture in the elaborate, stylised forms appeared.

Plague struck, they couldnt use thier own technology to solve the plague.

They adapted, went back to basics and built atlantis. The ZPM's, the Drones shields, PJ's etc. It was a hybrid of the classic ancient technology used and rushed in production with no room for ornate stone carved computer terminals.

War with the wraith, they had the drones etc from the MW, which was a leftover from their most developed style of design. But needed something functional, which resulted in the Satalites, the Aurora's, Geothermal power.
But also needed something power productive than the ZPM which had been built to be a powerful and portable power source. The Arcturis project was a result.

When the ancients went back to the MW they were faced with thier own styles and has to work with that because all thier new gadgets were gone, and thier own more advanced architecture was all that wa left. They built the repositories and Ascended.

It basicly goes:
Start off advanced but basic
Gets complicated and the advanced tech is covered over by fancy riddles and stone tablets.
Go back to basics after their fancyness hinders them during the plauge crisis but so so back to basics as to be primitive and abandon everything( like a digital stargate, ZPM, Chair).
Wraith war leads them to face the reality that their technology is too advanced to face the wraith in it current state, they down style so they can build more and even the odds.
The lose, return to MW and are faced with the issue of matching old to new and eventually they succeed in leaving a legacy, by which time they are dead.

[Evil_Genius_McKay]

I can believe they went through stylistic and even philosphical changes with their tech, but I just think it is ill defined and somewhat erratic and confusing to the viewers.

[ManiacMike]

I think it was developed by the same anicents which were the first victims of the Eratus bug. The technology they developed was the beginnings of the Wraiths tech.

The drones are basically remote controlled missiles which have a better AI system than anything we can create. They are able to operate on their own without a "controller" and can change their yeilds in exploding.

I think they made these primarily to fight the wraith, but started developing them LONG before the Wraith evolved.

[Dev Corvin]

"One thing that strikes me is that they don't use long-range visual communication like the Goa'uld do but yet they are supposed to be far more advanced."

Oh yes, because that ship full of Lanteans they discovered in Season 3 weren't able to project a hologram while travelling AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT or anything, were they.

--------------

Tbh, one of the most interesting questions is whether or not Atlantis was built before or after they arrived in the Milky Way. I think, based on the evolution of the physical appearance of stargates between the MW and Pegasus, that it's more likely that Atlantis was built as their "escape ship" towards the end of their stay in the Milky Way.

It's probable that they journeyed to the Milky Way either via Stargate (after sending a small ship ahead with a gate), or via convoy of sleeper ships, perhaps predecessors of the Aurora.

This also explains why things like the repository of knowledge, Heliopolis, the weapon on Dakara, the time-loop device, and Anubis' gate-destroying weapon all fit in more with the design seen in traditional Milky Way Ancient architecture, like the Stargate, DHDs, and ring platforms. It's also possible that the Goa'uld ship designs are also adaptations of the original vessels used to carry the Ancients from the Ori galaxy to the Milky Way some 50 million years ago; it would explain the common presence of Naquadah in the construction of both, and the immense difference in style between more recent "Lantean" designs.

I'd like to propose the use of the term "Alterran" to refer to MW Ancient tech, and "Lantean" to refer to Pegasus/post-Atlantis tech, as I think it draws an important distinction between the two distinct forms of Ancient technology present in the SG universe.

[Heaven]

maybe there were two factions of Alterans that came to the MW
the Lantians being one of them, and the ones from WoO Dakara etc were the other group

I'm thinking the other group was probably the more advanced
the lantians suck

maybe when the plague came, most of the other group managed to ascend but the Lantians couldn't so they ran off to pegasus.

[immhotep]

Well i wont go in to my full theory but i have believed for along time that the four races of the allience are all different sects and branch cultures of the ancients which came to the MW 50my ago. With exception of the Asgard who evolved later i think the Nox, Ancients, Furlings and Lantians were all sectos of the Alterans after they split from the Ori.
Nox are pacifists
Furlings might have been the explorers and colonisers which is why there isnty much evidence in the MW, they maybe were the ones which set up bases in Pegasus or Ida first (and found the asgard).
The Lantians were the military who build the war craft, simple yet effective.
the Ancients were the scientists and philosophers who developed the culture and technology and thats why there are lots of different styles of ancient technology. Because they were built by lots of different races within the ancient superrace, which eventually after the plague divided fully and became the Ancients, Nox, furlings and when the lantians were believed to be lost to pegasus, the Asgard replaced them or perhaps were even mistaken for the Lantians. as part of the allience for the four great races, we just didnt get the of the ancients part at the end.