Possible New Tactic?

[jenks]

Didn't they say in the episode that the infection was spread because of an exchange in bodily fluids between the hibernating Wraith and the ship? Seem it would be difficult infecting the ship at all, never mind weaponizing the disease...

[rsanchez]

if it gets sick it can develope an immunity, too like any living thing. Kill off most hive ships and the ones that survive will be stronger.

The ones that survive would be beam fodder. Also, the beams one-on-one are suprior to hives, but run into two or more and you're in trouble. Another way to launch the weapon would be to launch it as a cluster bomb, with several space needles hitting multiple hives from one firing, and then a quick jump back into hyperspace. Finally, with regards to bodily fluids, the nanites carrying the virus could make their way into the ship's circulatory system. After delivering the gene, they could mess with some of the ship's systems to distract the Wraith from the true weapon.

[FallenAngelII]

Hives ships heal (have immune systems). I don't think a single needle would do the job.

[SoulAssassino]

Special railgun shells with small vials with the disease in them. Small shot burrows itself into the hull, small explosive charge detonates, disease in the hull. And it seems that if only one of these delivers the disease it will spread. But with the railgun firing rate, i'm sure that a lot of shots would survive and delover their minimal, but effective payload.

[wise one]

if you infect a wraith then the other wraith will notice he cant feed

the virus will take time to infect the the hive ship since todds hive took ages getting to atlantis

[ciannwn]

. But hey that would kinda ruin the entire premise of the show, good guys vs bad guys

I'm sure TPTB would invent another race for the expedition members to slaughter so they can look 'heroic'.

[FallenAngelII]

Special railgun shells with small vials with the disease in them.

Again, Hive hulls are not made of soft pliable human tissue or something. They're made out of super-hardened armor.

They are armor. You'd need something hard enough to not only not be destroyed upon impact but also hard enough to pierce that armor.

[rsanchez]

Nanites will get into the minute cracks made after the impact of the rail gun shells, getting into the ship's circulatory system and infecting the ship that way. Although I wonder if rail guns would be the preferred method. The force of impact of a rail gun might vaporize the gene therapy before the nanites would have a chance to deliver it. A 'needle' with a tough casing to protect the gene-carrying nanites is a better delivery method. Even if the needle doesn't penetrate the hull, the nanites can make it in and cause problems little by little, eventually leading to the ship's collapse.