Lantean Satellite

[strider2289]

I've read the threads on this with ridiculous people who seem to think they know what kind if energy is being fired (its sci-fi people not reality). Anyway I was just wondering about any thoughts on the composition of these satellites as despite being the size of a Ha'tak they only seem to consist of the one weapon which doesn't look like it takes up a large percentage of the overall structure. I was thinking it was almost definite that a fully functioning one would have shielding as they get blown apart like tissue paper otherwise but what about all the other spines? Point defence maybe?

[stargater1990]

my guess is that when fully charged and opperational, with power being sent through primary conduits, it would be able to take out 3 hives and proboly way way more really really fast to the point where any hive approaching it would only have like a second to fire before it got blown out of the water, which if this speed was combined with a shield of aurora strength or better, it would be able to pick off hive ships like fish in a barrel all day long.

and considering there was a network of dozens, i believe, it would have been an extraordinary defence but what else would you expect from the ancients. it proboly took a lot of hive ships to destroy or disable them all and then they would have had atlantis's drones so honestly if the wraiths numbers werent virtually infinite, the wraith wouldnt have stood a chance.

[Gate-builder]

Maybe all the spines are like different 'barrels' for the same weapon. The beam can be fired from any of them (maybe more than one at the same time) so the the satellite does not have to waste time orienting itself to aim at the target.

[thekillman]

i think they are supercapacitors so even several thousand AA batteries can get the charge. and alot of space seems wasted by being a "station," ie people are in it

[Rise Of The Phoenix]

The spines could be more weapons or they could be parts of a long range omni-directional sensor array or both, like some function as weapons and some as sensors.
I like the idea of the satellite not having to change it's position much to acquire it's target and if that's the case it could just shoot Hives and Cruisers all day, maybe getting the odd Dart here and there.

IMO the Ancients would have been very silly not place shields of some kind on each of the satellites as even if each of them can hit Hives and Cruisers the moment they come into range if the Wraith ships dropped out of hyperspace just out of range of the weapons all they'd have to do to destroy each satellite would be to send a bunch of Darts in and they could potentially dodge the satellite's shots and take them out pretty quickly.

[Splitsecond]

Aesthetics is a possibility or it could've been designed to use the shell of an older model or had space for upgrades.

[strider2289]

I'm fairly certain there's only one main weapon, as they only spoke of power getting to 'the weapon' not weapons plus they had to fix it if there'd been other options why bother?

[Rise Of The Phoenix]

I'm fairly certain there's only one main weapon, as they only spoke of power getting to 'the weapon' not weapons plus they had to fix it if there'd been other options why bother?

It's been a while since I last watched The Siege Part 1 but wasn't the satellite pretty banged up?
Maybe the other weapons, if the satellite had any had been permanently disabled in some way.
I seem to recall it being said that some of the conduits were damaged before the Wraith got there so perhaps the only remaining conduits were leading to the one remaining semi-operational weapon and sensors for targeting.
It's just a guess but I could see those things as being possibilities.