Why didn't they just send a nuke through the stargate into the wraith hive???

[AscendedThor]

they dialed earth and opened a gate to the wraith hive in orbit.
so why didn't they just a few nukes?
instead they sent in the team. what for??

we saw that one nuke destroyed the ship in the end, so why not just send a nuke from atlantis??

[cobraR478]

they dialed earth and opened a gate to the wraith hive in orbit.
so why didn't they just a few nukes?
instead they sent in the team. what for??

we saw that one nuke destroyed the ship in the end, so why not just send a nuke from atlantis??

Do they have nukes in Atlantis?

Maybe they could have rigged a naquadah generator to explode, but I don't know how those supposedly compare to a nuke.

[ckwongau]

you can't be sure ,where the hive ship were ,the Hive ship could have been landed on the whitehouse area.

And i don't think Atlantis has many nuke,plus if they send rigged a naquadah generator or bomb.What if they have a drt right next to the gate and dematerialise it.

[Hotpoint]

Do they have nukes in Atlantis?

Maybe they could have rigged a naquadah generator to explode, but I don't know how those supposedly compare to a nuke.

If I recall correctly a Mark I Naquadah Generator has a 20kt yield if it explodes. Hiroshima was a 13kt warhead if you want a comparison.

you can't be sure ,where the hive ship were ,the Hive ship could have been landed on the whitehouse area.

Does that really matter? Even if you lost a whole city that's better than losing the planet.

And i don't think Atlantis has many nuke,plus if they send rigged a naquadah generator or bomb.What if they have a drt right next to the gate and dematerialise it.

Send through a MALP. If all clear send through the nuke.

Then do it again if you have to...

[Prenim]

I wondered this.

Considering how intent Woolsey was on using M.A.L.Ps after the whole McKay/Pegasus Alzheimer's thing, you'd think they'd have at least used one there.

[rarocks24]

I think personally, the writers knew then that they made a mistake. They were like, oh, we have to keep Earth from being able to dial out, so we'll take one of our gates along with us.

But then, they were like, wow, thats some serious back door crap.

And Earth dialling out really wouldn't have helped them too much.

[sg1adam]

I guess for the same reason that they didn't fire the beam weapon from the Deadalus again and again until they got a result..... I mean, why fire just the once??? Are they unable to aim it? Shep managed to get into the Hive with just a couple(?) of drones being fred. They could've done that with the beam and fire it at the Hives weapons array.

[P-51D Mustang]

yea the Deadalus could have fired more beams at it but since when does a F-302 carry "Drones" it dosent it carries missiles

[Skydiver]

because the show would have ended too soon

To my unmilitary mind, the tactical decision would have been to have nuked it and at least tried to damage it instead of risking the lives of a team and their failure

[Briangate78]

they dialed earth and opened a gate to the wraith hive in orbit.
so why didn't they just a few nukes?
instead they sent in the team. what for??

we saw that one nuke destroyed the ship in the end, so why not just send a nuke from atlantis??

They could not..

1.) They likely had no nukes on Atlantis.
2.) They had no idea where the Hive was, it could of been right in Earth's atmosphere. Remember, they lost contact with Earth. It would be sending a nuke blind.

3.) They needed to do more intel, and likely wanted to salvage more ZPMs.

[Hotpoint]

They could not..

1.) They likely had no nukes on Atlantis.

They have plenty of naquadah generators and previously turned one into a nuke in Atlantis episode 1:13

2.) They had no idea where the Hive was, it could of been right in Earth's atmosphere. Remember, they lost contact with Earth. It would be sending a nuke blind.

Why does it matter where the Hive is? Even if the thing is in the atmosphere, or even if it's landed, you're still better off nuking it and sacrificing part of the Earth to save the rest.

3.) They needed to do more intel, and likely wanted to salvage more ZPMs.

The risk is far too great for the reward.

[gateraid]

This has been done to death in the general discussion thread, yet it keeps coming up again and again, so.............

They could not..

1.) They likely had no nukes on Atlantis.

But they have more than one naquadah generator. They use them for backup power. They also have a bay full of jumpers, which they would only need to bring into the jumper bay and fire drones through the gate, and repeat ad infinitum (the hive isn't shielded from the inside, only the outside)

2.) They had no idea where the Hive was, it could of been right in Earth's atmosphere. Remember, they lost contact with Earth. It would be sending a nuke blind.

McKay has detonated a nuke directly above Atlantis before. Why would it matter if the hive was in any part (upper or lower) of the atmosphere? And really, do you think that a small fraction of earth covered in radiation (which could have blown away if it was in the lower atmosphere, or dissapated if was in the upper atmosphere) is not a small price to pay compared to the entire frakking planet becoming food?

3.) They needed to do more intel, and likely wanted to salvage more ZPMs.

Malp malp malp malp malp. They never send a team through a gate (unless it's within a jumper) until they have at least confirmed there is a DHD so they can dial back out again. Standard procedure, which Woolsey seems so keen on.


Sorry Brian, i don't mean to sound pissed at you, but this should be in the general ep discussion thread. There's probably a good couple of pages there (and yet the question is still asked 30 odd pages later) discussing this. It's a plot whole people. Get over it. The ep is only 40-odd minutes long. There's bound to be a few

[Orion Antreas]

Why does it matter where the Hive is? Even if the thing is in the atmosphere, or even if it's landed, you're still better off nuking it and sacrificing part of the Earth to save the rest.

Have you happen to see the size of that explosion when that Hive ship exploded? If that was in the atmosphere or even on the planet's surface, who knows how devastating the damage could have been...

When the Superhive blew up, the Stargate's naquadah most likely enhanced the strength of the nuke plus whatever else...That would be a huge "part" to be sacrificed...I'm sorry, but there are other ways around it then the path you are suggesting.

[CFAmerica]

If you they blew up the superhive in atmo, it would have been devastating to earth.

In fact, an explosion that size would have a horrible effect on not just a certain area of earth, but quite possibly all of earth's ecosystem. That destruction could take out an entire country, if not more.

And yes, they blew up a nuke right above Atlantis, but guess what?

Atlantis had a frackin' shield, the earth does not.

[Hotpoint]

Have you happen to see the size of that explosion when that Hive ship exploded? If that was in the atmosphere or even on the planet's surface, who knows how devastating the damage could have been...

Given standard Wraith tactics of orbital bombardment (as the show pointed out itself as it happens) the chances were very good it wouldn't have been either landed or in the atmosphere but even if it was I stand by the argument that it's better to nuke the hive on the basis that it's too much of a risk not to.

If you they blew up the superhive in atmo, it would have been devastating to earth.

In fact, an explosion that size would have a horrible effect on not just a certain area of earth, but quite possibly all of earth's ecosystem. That destruction could take out an entire country, if not more.

Even if you destroyed an entire continent and caused global damage effects that's still better than risking the entire planet which is what you do by not taking out the hive as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

For that matter after they feasted on Earth and multiplied the Wraith would have consumed the Human and Jaffa population of the rest of the Milky Way so you'd actually be better off sacrificing Earth itself than the human race.

Remember, they only destroyed the Hive because of blind luck, by not throwing a nuke through the gate they were gambling a long-shot with the stakes our entire species.