ZPM manufacture

[LionHamster]

It seems odd to me that a civilisation with a city like Atlantis would have some method of manufacturing ZPMs added at some point during the war

[Coco Pops]

It seems odd to me that a civilisation with a city like Atlantis would have some method of manufacturing ZPMs added at some point during the war

Not if the war caught them by surprise..

[thekillman]

It seems odd to me that a civilisation with a city like Atlantis would have some method of manufacturing ZPMs added at some point during the war

We don't know how they're made in the first place. it may take a facility the size of a dwarf planet for all we know.

Secondly, Atlantis is a city foremost, not a manufacturing site.

[LionHamster]

Not if the war caught them by surprise..

But it didnt really and with the gate network it wouldn't be that difficult to do so in the centuries during the war

[jelgate]

I thought the whole point of the war is that the Ancients were pretty much stranded on Atlantis because of the Wraith's numbers

[LionHamster]

I thought the whole point of the war is that the Ancients were pretty much stranded on Atlantis because of the Wraith's numbers

The war was very long and they had the gate network and enough aurora they should have been able to get the resources for it form the milky way if nothing else

[jelgate]

You are underestimating the numbers of the Wraith during the war. They were everywhere that they probably occupied all the advanced Ancient outposts. The Milky Way was mostly abandoned of Ancient technology

[Xaeden]

The problem, as I see it, is not that they could not make new ZPMs, but they couldn't produce them fast enough to replace the ones they lost fighting the Wraith. The Wraith were simply too numerous and therefore taxed the Ancient's resources too quickly. Where the Wraith could grow ships anywhere, anytime so long as they had sufficient power, buildings ships for the Ancients involved months of work at a static site. If the Ancients were to target a Wraith growing site, it's not a big deal. They could just start growing ships elsewhere and they probably didn't grow too many ships together to begin with so they probably didn't lose that much time (I imagine them going through the Stargate with power sources in hand and growing one or a few ships on hundreds of individuals worlds all at once). On the other hand, if the Wraith target an Ancient shipyard, that's months of work gone, plus months more to rebuild and start over. If the Wraith take out a mine that's another huge setback, as is taking out a drone or ZPM factory.

So I would imagine that is exactly what happened; the Wraith targeted the Ancient's production capabilities, which led to a decline in the Ancient's output of war materials while the Wraith's output grew. This gave them an increasing advantage which allowed them to better take out the Ancient's production capabilities and thus made the Ancients increasingly weaker. Eventually they laid siege to Atlantis and Atlantis held out for a years but the Wraith probably took out the last Ancient ZPM factory at some point. Thus, with a finite amount of ZPMs at their disposal, they sunk the city and later left the galaxy altogether.

But it didnt really

It kind of did actually...

Then one day our people stepped foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept. Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivalled our own. In our over-confidence, we were unprepared and outnumbered. The enemy fed upon defenceless human worlds like a great scourge until finally only Atlantis remained.

-Rising.

and with the gate network it wouldn't be that difficult to do so in the centuries during the war

Correction: A century of war, not centuries.

[thekillman]

The problem, as I see it, is not that they could not make new ZPMs, but they couldn't produce them fast enough to replace the ones they lost fighting the Wraith.

Having debated the wraith war extensively, yes, i share your view. The ancients won every battle but lost the war. This can only be true if the Ancients simply lost the capacity to wage war. E.g they used drones and ZPM's faster than they could build them. Considering a Wraith Fleet could defeat atlantis' shields in ten days time.... well i doubt they can make a ZPM in ten days.

[LionHamster]

We don't know how they're made in the first place. it may take a facility the size of a dwarf planet for all we know.

Secondly, Atlantis is a city foremost, not a manufacturing site.

yes but the molecular assembly devises would make it easy to make them any time and quite convenient

[Xaeden]

yes but the molecular assembly devises would make it easy to make them any time and quite convenient

An artificial region of subspace time cannot be created by moving molecules around. While the device likely could make the ZPM casing, creating the aforementioned artificial region cannot be done either with Merlin's device or the Asgard's energy to matter converter (subspace time is not matter). Whatever technology was involved in creating that and the time involved in the whole process is completely unknown to us.

[garhkal]

An artificial region of subspace time cannot be created by moving molecules around. While the device likely could make the ZPM casing, creating the aforementioned artificial region cannot be done either with Merlin's device or the Asgard's energy to matter converter (subspace time is not matter). Whatever technology was involved in creating that and the time involved in the whole process is completely unknown to us.

Exactly. We still have never found out how the even made the subspace region that ZPM's draw from, let alone how they tie each to it's own ZPM.

[thekillman]

yes but the molecular assembly devises would make it easy to make them any time and quite convenient

Conservation of energy would make ZPM's batteries when produced like that.

[Coco Pops]

And later in Atlantis they tried making a ZPM type device by funneling energy into another universe. That didn't go too well now did it?

[McAvoy]

Actually I do think the Ancients can build ZPMs fast enough to keep the shield at full strength indefinitely. I think they left because they knew the war was lost and it was pointless to stay.