Weird Though Regarding the Wraith's Need to Feed (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

[Lord of Nightmares]

Not sure if this has ever been brought up, but it's been bugging me ever since Atlantis first began airing.

We know that the Wraith are technologically advanced, just not on par with the Ancients and a handful of other races. Meaning, cloning shouldn't be beyond their means, considering we've already achieved it with our current level of technology.

If so, why didn't the Wraith just extract some DNA samples from the humans and mass clone them, perhaps in facilities set up on each Hive-ship? That would solve the food shortage problem for all the Wraith, and the 'original' humans would be left alone, with their descendants every few dozen generations or so having to donate some fresh DNA when the cloning degradation reaches a certain point. Yeah, I know it's horrible from a morality standpoint (I'm thinking something like 'The Island'), but at least it'd have addressed the issue, and then the Wraith wouldn't have had to resort to the mass and extended hibernations, food rationing, infighting and all those other desparate measures.

I wonder if TPTB will eventually address this (why the Wraith never bothered to clone humans) in SGA, or if they've already done so at some point.

Edit: Should've been 'Thought' in my topic title, not 'Though', sorry.

[Mister Oragahn]

It could also forward a few plots about clones who, for some reason, found themselves free.

But it raises several questions as well. The Wraith are very similar as well. One set of DNA obviously serves as a template to create whole groups of individuals.
Maybe it would make their food too much like them to have it appear in duplicates as well.

Besides, maybe the cloned food isn't as good? Well, that would be cheap, but you know... from the moment the writers believe that cloning makes you unworthy of ascension (Unending), what to expect really?

[Wraith_Boy]

The problem with that is the clones would be blank & lifeless!

In 'PTW', he examined Merell & knew he was weak. In 'Rising', the keeper fed on Sumner & said: "I have not tasted such strength in so long."

In 'The Hive' from S2, the Queen says: "I shall savour your defiance!"

So it seems pretty clear that they actually get some major stuff from the person. Obviously from the way they lived their lives.

Therefore if a bunch of mindless clones were grown in a lab they wouldn't have lived a life. They'd essentially be a blank slate. So might not be too useful to the Wraith.

What really would be logical is for them to clone 1000's of humans. Then put them on an isolated world with no stargate on the surface. Do the same to a few 100 planets. Let them grow & spread their populations. Experience lives, memories etc. Then come down & cull them every 50/100 years or so. If Wraith were starving, technically advanced enough then they'd probably do this. Pretty stupid to sit back & starve to death when you had the ability to start reseeding life in the galaxy yourself.

However I honestly don't think we'd get a proper story out of it if it was done by the current writers. Lucius would probably show up as the mayor of the village or whatever & we'd see all these young big boobed females with low cut tops running around everywhere! They'd do a few light hearted jokes. Perhaps have Sheps team teach the villagers how to defend themselves from the big bad beasties. They'd have an uprising & the Wraith would flee. Then right at the end of the ep, a beautiful female would come on screen & slap Lucius for sleeping with her sister. He'd say sopmething, then they'd both giggle & he'd walk away with his arms around both of them. McKay would shoot him a jealous stare, then Shep would make a snarky comment. Teyla would grin. The team would be walking away, McKay still not paying attention would be standing there. Ronon walking past would grab him by the collar & drag him away. Then the credits would roll & 'The Clones of Clonesville' would officially be over & done with!

[Colonel Vincent MacLeod]

The problem with that is the clones would be blank & lifeless!

In 'PTW', he examined Merell & knew he was weak. In 'Rising', the keeper fed on Sumner & said: "I have not tasted such strength in so long."

In 'The Hive' from S2, the Queen says: "I shall savour your defiance!"

So it seems pretty clear that they actually get some major stuff from the person. Obviously from the way they lived their lives.

Therefore if a bunch of mindless clones were grown in a lab they wouldn't have lived a life. They'd essentially be a blank slate. So might not be too useful to the Wraith.

What really would be logical is for them to clone 1000's of humans. Then put them on an isolated world with no stargate on the surface. Do the same to a few 100 planets. Let them grow & spread their populations. Experience lives, memories etc. Then come down & cull them every 50/100 years or so. If Wraith were starving, technically advanced enough then they'd probably do this. Pretty stupid to sit back & starve to death when you had the ability to start reseeding life in the galaxy yourself.

However I honestly don't think we'd get a proper story out of it if it was done by the current writers. Lucius would probably show up as the mayor of the village or whatever & we'd see all these young big boobed females with low cut tops running around everywhere! They'd do a few light hearted jokes. Perhaps have Sheps team teach the villagers how to defend themselves from the big bad beasties. They'd have an uprising & the Wraith would flee. Then right at the end of the ep, a beautiful female would come on screen & slap Lucius for sleeping with her sister. He'd say sopmething, then they'd both giggle & he'd walk away with his arms around both of them. McKay would shoot him a jealous stare, then Shep would make a snarky comment. Teyla would grin. The team would be walking away, McKay still not paying attention would be standing there. Ronon walking past would grab him by the collar & drag him away. Then the credits would roll & 'The Clones of Clonesville' would officially be over & done with!

You obviously forgotten about Baal's clones. His clones exhibits all the memories and the characteristic of his original copy.

So far, if my memory serve me right, only Asgard is having the cloning technology. So, it is safe to assume that only Asgard science level can develop cloning technology.

[LostCityGuardian]

I suppose its about resources. Its probably easier to let Pegasus humans replenish themselves without Wraith interference and then take what they want that use large amounts of resources to set up cloning programs big enough to feed a significant number of Wraith.

[Wraith_Boy]

You obviously forgotten about Baal's clones. His clones exhibits all the memories and the characteristic of his original copy.

So far, if my memory serve me right, only Asgard is having the cloning technology. So, it is safe to assume that only Asgard science level can develop cloning technology.

Lol, Goa'uld = MW. Wraith = Pegasus!

So why would Ba'al have anything to do with how the Wraith done their clones. In 'Covenant', human scientists cloned an Asgard & it came out blank.

What's the link between human & Goa'uld cloning. Simply that they are both over 3 million light years away in another galaxy. Therefore nothing to do with Atlantis or especially the Wraith!

As to your last part, humans have cloning tech. We know Asgard have it. We know Goa'uld have it. Lanteans were able to create all the human life in Pegasus. Wraith are pretty advanced. So I think they will be able to create their own clones if they needed. Humans were able to do it in real-life before any valid technology would have come back from the Stargate when you stepped over into the virtual Stargate universe. So if humans could create clones without any advanced technology or knowledge taken from aliens. Then what's the bet that the Wraith, the race that defeated the Lanteans could create clones if they wanted to!

[g.o.d]

or they can use Ark of truth and convince the Wraith that eaitng humans is bad

[LostCityGuardian]

or they can use Ark of truth and convince the Wraith that eaitng humans is bad

You think they would start wondering why they were getting so hungry, and why food wasn't quite hitting the spot?

[Mister Oragahn]

The problem with that is the clones would be blank & lifeless!

Why? The purpose is to create a good duplicate.
From that moment, it may not have the mind, but it will surely have the life.

In 'PTW', he examined Merell & knew he was weak. In 'Rising', the keeper fed on Sumner & said: "I have not tasted such strength in so long."

A military man. Most of those who've been sucked were defenseless peasants.

Wraith also like to gloat. They like to instill fear. It helps them swallow the pill.

I think you're reading too much into the defiance thing.
This is purely a mental thing.

[fugiman]

Everytime I have a Wraith evil argument I bring this point up

I mean why don't they clone, they have the tech to capture a Replicator something that even the Asgard couldn't do so I think its safe to say that the wraith could clone if they wanted to I mean if the Goa'uld can do it why not the Wraith?

[ciannwn]

I mean why don't they clone, they have the tech to capture a Replicator something that even the Asgard couldn't do so I think its safe to say that the wraith could clone if they wanted to I mean if the Goa'uld can do it why not the Wraith?

They don't clone humans because TPTB won't let them. The Wraith have to be a bit stupid in the way they go about things so they can remain a sinister, hissing threat to everyone but Sheppard and Ronon with his magic gun.

Yes, I'm being cynical here.

[Colonel Vincent MacLeod]

Everytime I have a Wraith evil argument I bring this point up

I mean why don't they clone, they have the tech to capture a Replicator something that even the Asgard couldn't do so I think its safe to say that the wraith could clone if they wanted to I mean if the Goa'uld can do it why not the Wraith?

The Goa'uld can do it because Anubis gain the Asgard technology by probing Thors mind.

[Womble]

I suppose its about resources. Its probably easier to let Pegasus humans replenish themselves without Wraith interference and then take what they want that use large amounts of resources to set up cloning programs big enough to feed a significant number of Wraith.

But they are having obvious food shortage issues with this method, hence the need to keep most of their population hybernating for centuries, leading to a rather pointless sleep-feed-sleep existence. Surely they should have thought up some method of speeding up human reproduction? If cloning isn't the way, why didn't they at least spray some kind of fertility drugs into the human planets' atmosphere? Viagra in the water could help a lot, too.

[LostCityGuardian]

But they are having obvious food shortage issues with this method, hence the need to keep most of their population hybernating for centuries, leading to a rather pointless sleep-feed-sleep existence. Surely they should have thought up some method of speeding up human reproduction? If cloning isn't the way, why didn't they at least spray some kind of fertility drugs into the human planets' atmosphere? Viagra in the water could help a lot, too.

The problem that they are having at the moment is that the human population didn't have time to replenish itself from the last culling, since Sheppard woke them up early. It wouldn't be the feast that Earth and the Milky Way would be for the Wraith (remember the Keeper probing Sumner's mind and savouring the fact that there were millions/billions of people on Earth) but the Pegasus Galaxy would certainly increase in population if it had been allowed to continue to recover while the Wraith slept, and provide enough food.

[fugiman]

The Goa'uld can do it because Anubis gain the Asgard technology by probing Thors mind.

When was that said?