How did the Seed Ships gather the materials for the gates?

[sgc]

You are welcome, SGC. And thanks for the tip and advice on how to use the "spoiler" tags. I'm just covering all bases until I get the hang of it here. I'd hate to ruin plot details for those who have not watched quite yet.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the SG-1 season 4, episode 9 "Scorched Earth," which is the closest living example of an on air episode, which may show clues as to how the Ancients did it. You can read the episode summary and analysis in gateworlds 'episode' section, or if you can find the video then I strongly recommend watching it.


Again, Hope This Helps


Cheers!

No problem. We are always happy to help new members.

Good catch on that episode! What do you mean by their method? Do you mean that they convert the planets to hold naquadah and then gather it? If so, that's a decent idea.

Maybe there are special spacecraft aboard the seed ships that go to the planet to mine the naquadah, similar in design to a shuttle but meant for cargo.

[Lord Phantasm]

No problem. We are always happy to help new members.

Good catch on that episode! What do you mean by their method? Do you mean that they convert the planets to hold naquadah and then gather it? If so, that's a decent idea.

Maybe there are special spacecraft aboard the seed ships that go to the planet to mine the naquadah, similar in design to a shuttle but meant for cargo.

I like your suggestion that perhaps there sits somewhere, in an unexplored section of the ship, these special mining cargo ships?! Remember, there still remains a ton of ship, hallway and sections yet to be discovered.

It is stated by Gateworld in the technology section under the category: stargate, “Perhaps the oldest gates in existence are in the style of the Destiny Stargate, and those gates manufactured and placed on planets by automated Ancient vessels in various galaxies beyond our own. This gate seems cruder, spinning entirely (without an inner track) and without moving chevrons.”

Well, there you have it. Just maybe these mining craft are also automated, like the gate countdown, except the mining ships deploy; while the ‘seeder’ ship remains in orbit around the selected planet, until all suitable elements are gathered, gates are manufactured and then seeded on these planets.

This line of thinking is also consistent with the ships “intelligence” theory we’ve discussed.

Think about it for a moment...To launch such an epic, unmanned mission and, to have the ship travel unimaginable distances to reach the edge of the universe, while on the way having to seek out suitable building materials (for gates) in parts of the universe even foreign to the ship (and Ancients) itself. Not to mention that these new gate networks being constructed require calibration using the star constellation “address” technique. By the way, is naquadah even a naturally occurring element found throughout the stargate universe itself?? I mean, after all, it’s the primary element used in the construction of Milky Way gates. What about the Pegasus galaxy? Is naquadah naturally occurring there, or did the Ancients have to import it from Milky Way? And what about the SGU gates...What about all the other (unknown at the time of the mission) planets, solar systems and galaxies the Destiny mission ships will surely encounter while on mission...Can we assume naquadah is available in these foreign places? What if the seeder ships can't find naquadah? If not then of what are these gates (SGU) made of?

Either way I highly doubt the seeder ships could even terra-form each and every planet it chose for a stargate to include naquadah (where there was none to begin with), even if this process was achievable because of the mission epic scale (It would just deplete too many resources, energy and time to see it through over and over again). Besides, I suspect naquadah in itself is a natural occuring element to a planet, which would take a milenia to develope like fossil fuels have done here on Earth (In the stargate universe naquadah is a foreign element to Earth). Again, what if the seeder ships can't find naquadah--Or it doesn't exist to the galaxy the ship currently occupies? If this is the case, then what are the gates made of??

Anyway, looking back at the SG- 1 episode “Scorched Earth” we can now theorize how the Ancients may have undertaken such a mission. The episode even tells us that the Gadmeer race was only 10,000 years old in technological terms (Light-years and even more light-years behind the Ancients, even at the point of the Destiny mission). It also demonstrates the Gadmeer ship did have a conscious intelligence onboard, which by the way could think independently from the ships programming and, took human form to interact with the SG-1 crew (Rush’s hallucinations/conversations while secretly on the Destiny bridge...Is this the ships “intelligence” he is speaking?). Uh, the mission of the Gadmeer ship was to search space for a new, suitable home world for the nearly extinct Gadmeer race, then re-seed the civilization on a chosen planet. It was even mentioned in the episode that it was unknown exactly what amounts of distance and time had passed from launch to when the Gadmeer ‘ark’ ship finally settled on the planet it was to terra-form. So if the Gadmeer at 10,000 years can undertake a similar mission objective (Even in being very primitive in comparison to the Destiny mission) then why not the Ancients? They just did it on the grandest of universal scales!

That said I’m absolutely confident the Ancients along with their knowledge, technology and ships at the time of mission, very capable of accomplishing the task at hand. I’m going to even theorize that the consciousness of an Ancient (Perhaps a mission volunteer whom essentially gives up their human body existence to become the ships conscious mind?) may have survived all this time, existing within the ships computers and is the caretaker of the ship. There are just an infinite number of factors that could go wrong on a mission scale such as this to fully accept that a computer program, no matter how advanced, could make certain unforeseen decisions that require the ingenuity of a “conscious” not programmed intelligence. Either way, in my opinion the ship is definitely way beyond computer programmable “smart” performing the tasks it’s conducting. Something has got to give? Again, what are the SGU gates made of? What do you think??

[Starsaber]

And those mining shuttles probably would have been used to place the gates too. After all, they all have their ramp bases, so they would have had to land a specific way. If it weren't for that gate assembly line, I would probably think the gates were constructed on-planet by the shuttle robots without the resources ever getting to the seeder ship itself.

[sgc]

Well, the Ancients wouldn't have any way of knowing for sure that there was naquadah out there, so maybe the gates can be made of any superconductive element, where not all of them have naquadah, some are completely naquadah, and some are a mix. The seed ships prefer the naquadah, but if there isn't any right there, it takes whatever elements will be suitable and then mix them with the naquadah, to even the build quality.

@Starsaber: Maybe they did, or there was a different craft built specifically to do that job. The gates could be set up in the ramp (they are probably built in the ramp, or the ramp is built around the gate) and then dropped from a low altitude and make it settle nicely in the most viable position.

[Lord Phantasm]

And those mining shuttles probably would have been used to place the gates too. After all, they all have their ramp bases, so they would have had to land a specific way. If it weren't for that gate assembly line, I would probably think the gates were constructed on-planet by the shuttle robots without the resources ever getting to the seeder ship itself.

Yeah, seeing all those gates lined up row by row like an assembly line convinced me this manufacturing process is somehow done in-house.
We don't even know the full design details of Destiny let alone the Seeder ships as well. The assembly line room we saw could have instead been a gate storage room?

There could be titanic rooms or even be entire section spaces on board the seeder ship designed to be like coal mining and production plants here on earth. Of course if mineral is being refined and gates are being stored in hangar rooms than rooms dedicated to the assembly of the gates are most surely on board the seeder ships as well. How do you suppose the gates were actually assembled once the mined minerals was refined and produced--By robot arms like we do with cars or like Captain Picard does when ordering his earl grey tea?? I’m still undecided. Are there any other thoughts?

And since the seeder ships wouldn’t necessarily need shuttles, maybe there are hangar bays on board that house the mining cargo ships? What if these vehicles look more like a tank with wings than a shuttle ship? I’m imagining some sort of Ancient version of a Transformer or something like that. It’s obviously clear that the spider drones can be used to repair the ships FTL drive while exposed to outer space. So why not have the Ancients make an oversized version that can fly like a shuttle into a planet, land and then modify its design to become an mean roving, Ancient mining tank!

[Lord Phantasm]

And those mining shuttles probably would have been used to place the gates too. After all, they all have their ramp bases, so they would have had to land a specific way. If it weren't for that gate assembly line, I would probably think the gates were constructed on-planet by the shuttle robots without the resources ever getting to the seeder ship itself.

I agree the gates are definitely placed neatly and precisely! Perhaps the mining tanks also served as the 'transport' vessel taking the gate with ramp to planet’s surface.

[Lord Phantasm]

Well, the Ancients wouldn't have any way of knowing for sure that there was naquadah out there, so maybe the gates can be made of any superconductive element, where not all of them have naquadah, some are completely naquadah, and some are a mix. The seed ships prefer the naquadah, but if there isn't any right there, it takes whatever elements will be suitable and then mix them with the naquadah, to even the build quality.

@Starsaber: Maybe they did, or there was a different craft built specifically to do that job. The gates could be set up in the ramp (they are probably built in the ramp, or the ramp is built around the gate) and then dropped from a low altitude and make it settle nicely in the most viable position.

Yes, the Ancients would have had no way of knowing for sure but, still...I'm thinking the SGU gates are made of still foreign substances. I wouldn't count on naquadah to be available if I was an Ancient planning this mission.

I agree SGC, perhaps naquadah is the absolute best 'super' conductor the Ancients had "ever" discovered...It would explain why these gates are inferior to the Milky Way and Pegasus versions. Because a wormhole is a wormhole and always will be a wormhole; seven, eight or even using nine chevrons to connect but, the material used to conduct its energy determines its full potential.

Thanks for helping me figure this one out, sir.

[sgc]

Yes, the Ancients would have had no way of knowing for sure but, still...I'm thinking the SGU gates are made of still foreign substances. I wouldn't count on naquadah to be available if I was an Ancient planning this mission.

I agree SGC, perhaps naquadah is the absolute best 'super' conductor the Ancients had "ever" discovered...It would explain why these gates are inferior to the Milky Way and Pegasus versions. Because a wormhole is a wormhole and always will be a wormhole; seven, eight or even using nine chevrons to connect but, the material used to conduct its energy determines its full potential.

Thanks for helping me figure this one out, sir.

I'm not saying that the gates AREN'T made of naquadah, but I am saying that maybe some of the gates are and some aren't, depending on what was available at the time.

<<<For example>>> Let's say the one on the Time planet is made of naquadah, but the one on the Air Pt 3 planet has only trace amounts, because there wasn't much naquadah nearby, so the seed ship used a little naquadah and other superconductive materials. <<<That was just an example. No actual canon fact has been stated.>>>

In order to be able to dial Earth, the gate would HAVE to be entirely made of naquadah. Obviously, the Destiny gate was manufactured on Earth before Destiny's launch, so there's no problem there.

[Greenfire32]

I'm not saying that the gates AREN'T made of naquadah, but I am saying that maybe some of the gates are and some aren't, depending on what was available at the time.

<<<For example>>> Let's say the one on the Time planet is made of naquadah, but the one on the Air Pt 3 planet has only trace amounts, because there wasn't much naquadah nearby, so the seed ship used a little naquadah and other superconductive materials. <<<That was just an example. No actual canon fact has been stated.>>>

In order to be able to dial Earth, the gate would HAVE to be entirely made of naquadah. Obviously, the Destiny gate was manufactured on Earth before Destiny's launch, so there's no problem there.

Originally posted in another thread here:

Carter: Woah...you've been busy.

Orlin: I didn't think they'd let me go back to Velona through their Stargate.

Carter: So you built one?

Orlin: Sort of...this one won't dial multiple addresses; it'll only create a wormhole once and probably burn out.

My point is, a Stargate that is reusable and efficient must be made out of super conductive materials be it Naquadah or another similar element. A Stargate made out of non-super conductive materials will burn out very quickly resulting in a one-time use. This is what leads me to believe that the Destiny gates are A) made out of Naquadah or B) Made out of a similar element that is also superconductive.

[sgc]

Originally posted in another thread here:

What I'm theorizing is that not each gate has the same ratio of naquadah to other superconductors. Some are naquadah > other, sometimes other = 0, others are other > naquadah. It's a mix depending on whatever materials are accessible to the ships. Sorry about the code, I'm a programmer

[Greenfire32]

What I'm theorizing is that not each gate has the same ratio of naquadah to other superconductors. Some are naquadah > other, sometimes other = 0, others are other > naquadah. It's a mix depending on whatever materials are accessible to the ships. Sorry about the code, I'm a programmer

My theory is that any Stargate that needs to be used and reused must be made of superconductive materials. Now, Naquadah has been stated in official cannon to be quite common amongst the universe so it's more than likely that each gate is made of that. However, it's also possible that some gates aren't made of Naquadah specifically. In those cases, a superconductive material is still required though.

[garhkal]

How do you suppose the gates were actually assembled once the mined minerals was refined and produced--By robot arms like we do with cars or like Captain Picard does when ordering his earl grey tea?? I’m still undecided. Are there any other thoughts? k!

I am leaning more towards the Picard way..

[Control_Chair]

Yeah, seeing all those gates lined up row by row like an assembly line convinced me this manufacturing process is somehow done in-house.
We don't even know the full design details of Destiny let alone the Seeder ships as well. The assembly line room we saw could have instead been a gate storage room?

There could be titanic rooms or even be entire section spaces on board the seeder ship designed to be like coal mining and production plants here on earth. Of course if mineral is being refined and gates are being stored in hangar rooms than rooms dedicated to the assembly of the gates are most surely on board the seeder ships as well. How do you suppose the gates were actually assembled once the mined minerals was refined and produced--By robot arms like we do with cars or like Captain Picard does when ordering his earl grey tea?? I’m still undecided. Are there any other thoughts?

If you look at this image below the front gate is in the process of being assembled in what look like quarter sections

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ufacturing.png

My guess is the gate in manufactured in separate parts from resources gathered by the ship and “welded” together by robotic arms, as to how the gate is placed on the planet, it must be either via a shuttle or maybe at the end of the production line the gate is enclosed in a capsule and fired down from orbit, which unfolds to become the ramp.

[D Toccs]

Being that it is an element afterall, Naquadah is bound to be found at least somewhere in every galaxy visited.
Isn't it likely that the Seed Ship is able to store excess Naquadah in order to still make gates when there is no ready source to be found?

[sgc]

If you look at this image below the front gate is in the process of being assembled in what look like quarter sections

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ufacturing.png

My guess is the gate in manufactured in separate parts from resources gathered by the ship and “welded” together by robotic arms, as to how the gate is placed on the planet, it must be either via a shuttle or maybe at the end of the production line the gate is enclosed in a capsule and fired down from orbit, which unfolds to become the ramp.

I really love the capsule idea. It seems that they are manufactured in thirds, and then put together with some sort of Ancient device. However, they have slots in them, so they fit together to snap in place.

[Control_Chair]

I hope we get to explore more of the seed ship in the second part of season 2, and see more of how the gates are manufactured, like how they extract and process Naquadah ore, something like the ore processors on Deep Space 9 would be cool and would fit in with the aesthetic of the ship.

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__..._processor.jpg

[Bekas]

We dont know how the ancients mine materials, how they build structures/ships/devices, or there technological level at the time.

At that time they already had some type of matter conversion technology. ( Stargate 101 )

The lifts on the ship probably act like the rings.

So why can they use that technology to selectively transport minerals from astroids and reform them in stargate parts.

Spoiler:

On the last episode from Sg1 Carter was able to modify a transporter to create food and stuff.

I think it was on the episode earth, we know that when destiny is recharging the full power of the star is available. The seed ships can probably do the same.
And with the power they could simple create the parts needed.

[garhkal]

I actually think carter used the Asgard matter replicator for that.. not the transporter.

[Nth Chevron]

Garkhal is right, although it had the same SFX as the Transport beam - entirely different use.

How about the Stargates and bases are manufactured aboard ship from whatever the Seeder ship comes across, stored until used, then dropped in a flat pack (space IKEA) and either auto assembled themselves or a repair bot like the one that repaired the dome of Destiny is sent down to facilitate said screw, bolt and widget assembly.

N.C

[QuantumDragon]

I actually think carter used the Asgard matter replicator for that.. not the transporter.

the asgard matter replicator IS the transporter

but on the OT..... The seedships probably use a Bussard ramscoop to collect raw materials from interstellar dust. there were at least a dozen gates in the assembaly line so if the ship comes into a region with a low incidence of whatever material the gates are made of (naquida or other) the ship has some gates in reserve.