John Sheppard is a Ancient

[jelgate]

Their is nothing to suggest intelligence has anything to do with the gene

[LionHamster]

Their is nothing to suggest intelligence has anything to do with the gene

But if hes got more ancient in his heritage he would have there intelligence more strongly

[jelgate]

That makes no sense

[LionHamster]

That makes no sense

well the ancients were more evolved ie Rodney when he was under the effects of the machine so it would make sense that the genes he inherited from the ancients would cause increased intelligence

[Falcon Horus]

Then how do you explain McKay's intelligence, or Radek's. Both of whom didn't have the ancient gene?

[jelgate]

The Ancient gene is not the same as one advancing towards ascension. Everyone who is evolved enough is technically able to ascend. They are not all Ancients though.

[Arica15]

Maybe he didn't inherit intelligence from the Ancients; the hair on the other hand........

[LionHamster]

Then how do you explain McKay's intelligence, or Radek's. Both of whom didn't have the ancient gene?

well not the ata but there are other genes in a human and they could have it normally

[LionHamster]

The Ancient gene is not the same as one advancing towards ascension. Everyone who is evolved enough is technically able to ascend. They are not all Ancients though.

well no but naturally it is slower and thus would have only partially increased his intelligence as it would have degraded over time

[jelgate]

No. The gene has nothing to do with increasing intelligence.

[LionHamster]

No. The gene has nothing to do with increasing intelligence.

yes but it was a quality of the ancients that whey would pass along just like the ata

[Britta]

yes but it was a quality of the ancients that whey would pass along just like the ata

Counterbalanced by the human capacity to be very, very stupid.

[jelgate]

yes but it was a quality of the ancients that whey would pass along just like the ata

Now you are just making things up. ATA is the ancient gene

[LionHamster]

Now you are just making things up. ATA is the ancient gene

ata is the ancient technology activation gene they have other genes too

[SGalisa]

If anything, he has the ancient gene through inheriting it - just like Jack O'Neil, Carson Beckett, and others.

It seems like he has a stronger manifestation of the gene than anyone else who has it naturally in the Stargate program (except maybe Jack). I don't think he is an Ancient, but he's closer than most.

Wherever the ATA gene came from, it was exciting watching the early episodes when John Sheppard triggered the ancient technology just by touching it or passing thru the motion detectors, which recognized the ATA gene. Yes, too many scenes of that might tended to get boring to some viewers, but I kept waiting to see more exploration all of the different ways the gene could be affected or generated, but that just never happened. It would have been interesting too to see if his brother also had the gene, and the possible eps that could have been written from that angle.

It was super intriguing when John started

Spoiler:

turning into the big bug, and how the storylines might turn out, but it seemed to fizzle into nothing after he got infected by the bug -- episode. It would have been interesting to see how the bug mutation might affect his ATA,

but alas I don't think that was ever explored, even tho (I personally thought) it should have been.

I did like one of the GW member banners that had the Atlantis city superimposed thru a portrait of John, and the banner simply said -- "Welcome Home, John"
It was a very beautiful artistic banner on these forums, but it disappeared shortly after I first saw it.