Analysis of exactly what the hologram lady said (spoilers for... well, everything)

[Ohper]

Click here for an MP3 of the recording (if someone could mirror that it would ease up my bandwidth, I'd appreciate it)

HOLO-LADY'S SPEECH WILL BE IN BIG RED TEXT. MY ANALYSIS WILL BE IN NORMAL TEXT.

"... in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none.

The fact that this starts in the middle of the sentence is probably something the evil writers did. We could easily interperate it as "We went to Pegasus in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none.", but we can't be sure.

Soon, the new life grew, and prospered.


This means they were keeping tabs on their little life forms. No telling how long it took for the new life to prosper, but what's "soon" to an Ancient? They left Earth between 5-10 million years ago, and they were in the midst of the war with the Wraith 10,000 years ago. How long did the trip take? How long were they under siege? What did they do for the other 4,990,000-9,990,000 years? The city doesn't appear to have been upgraded much...

(Beckett then speaks over the lady for a few seconds... I can make out the words "system" and "civilization")

... exchange knowledge and friendship. In time, a thousand worlds bore the fruit of life in this form.

So, the Ancients were successful. w00t!

Then one day our people set foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept. Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivaled our own. In our overconfidence, we were unprepared, and outnumbered.

The Wraith! Dun dun duuuuunnn.... basically it's what we already knew, and what was confirmed in "Before I Sleep". The Ancients were more advanced and more powerful than the Wraith, but the Wraith outnumber them and thusly, they win.

The enemy fed upon the human worlds like a great scourge until finally, only Atlantis remained.

We're going to have to assume that The worlds clearly had some life left on them (or else our heroes would have nobody to meet and greet), either because the Wraith didn't feel like taking all of them or because they realized they would need some food for later. Hence, the culling every couple hundred years.

This city's great shield was powerful enough to withstand their terrible weapons, but here we were beseiged for many years. In an effort to save the last of our kind, we submerged our great city into the ocean.

Nothing that we don't already know. Just to clarify, it's pretty clear that they submerged the city because all Wraith weapons are plasma or energy based and can't penetrate water. It's doubtful that the Wraith thought Atlantis was destroyed. It's possible (read: we can't be sure) that the Wraith have a weakness to water (specifically, salt water), as evidenced in "38 minutes".

The Atlantis Stargate was the one and only link back to Earth from this galaxy, and those that remained used it to return to that world that was once home. There, the last survivors of Atlantis lived out the remainders of their lives. This city was left to slumber, in the hope that our kind would one day return."

Very poetic. All that can really be analyzed here is "that world that was once home." We could look at this as evidence that the Ancients may have originated on Earth, but if they switched homes one time who's to say they haven't done it before?

PLEASE DON'T GET REDICULOUS. Try to back up everything you say with evidence in the form of references to known facts, unless you make it very clear that you're just speculating.

edit - Let's call her "Bertha"

[aAnubiSs]

Or Melina, from her real name And by some also her Atlantean name.

[Jarnin]

(Beckett then speaks over the lady for a few seconds... I can make out the words "system" and "civilization")

... exchange knowledge and friendship. In time, a thousand worlds bore the fruit of life in this form.

The part you're missing would be:

Here, as before, we built a system of stargates so that fledgling civilizations could travel to the stars, exchange knowledge, and friendship.

The fact that this starts in the middle of the sentence is probably something the evil writers did. We could easily interperate it as "We went to Pegasus in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none.", but we can't be sure.

Yes, we can be sure. Here's a quote from "Preview to Atlantis" that confirms it:

The ancient city, which is actually a sort of more a ship-city than a city or a ship, it's kind of a city that flies and it takes off and goes to another whole galaxy, and once they're there, they basically do what they do. That is, build stargates, put them on a whole bunch of other planets and then kind of like a big galaxy-wide science experiment, start life, human life, on all the planets capable of supporting human life.

-Robert C. Cooper, From "Preview to Atlantis"

Just to clarify, it's pretty clear that they submerged the city because all Wraith weapons are plasma or energy based and can't penetrate water.

Actually, plasma can easily penetrate water. Since it's a couple thousand degrees higher than the water, it vaporizes it as it travels through it. This of course would cause the plasma bolt to lose energy.
In "Before I sleep" the writers established that the city was submerged during the wraith siege, so the water was probably used as a way to lessen the energy of the plasma that hits their shield in order to prolong their power.

It's possible (read: we can't be sure) that the Wraith have a weakness to water (specifically, salt water), as evidenced in "38 minutes".

The bug was "draining" sheppard of life, however every time that we see a Wraith feed, it always involves the victim having a wound (Read: they bleed). Since blood is basically 99% salt water, I find it highly doubtful that the Wraith have any sort of 'salt water allergy', as they'd be allergic to their food.

Very poetic. All that can really be analyzed here is "that world that was once home." We could look at this as evidence that the Ancients may have originated on Earth, but if they switched homes one time who's to say they haven't done it before?

1. There are no ancient ruins that would indicate they ever inhabited any other landmass on Earth except Antarctica; where the ancient outpost is.

2. No fossils evidence, in either the show or in real life, that would support that the ancients evolved on Earth. You would think that if this would be something Dr. Jackson would have been extremely interested in, and yet the show hasn't mentioned anything about it.

Of course this subject isn't set in stone, as they could always write an episode where they find ancients ruins complete with fossils somewhere on Earth. Then again, the writers could always have the team find the original world of the ancients...

[Fox McCloud]

I thin when she says that the wraith match the ancients in power, i think it meant in power power, rather than technological ship blowing up power.

"Then one day our people set foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept. Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivaled our own. In our overconfidence, we were unprepared, and outnumbered."

i.e in Rising the Wraith threw that dude back by doing a hand "gould ribbon" gesture at the guy, and there was abit of energy.

If she ment technological power, surly she wouldve said "We have never met a race with such power like our own" or something along those lines, not "beings whose powers rival our own" ...get my drift ?

We know the Ancients have healing and healthy powers, what other powers do they have ?

[Gregorius]

We know the Ancients have healing and healthy powers, what other powers do they have ?

They're hok'taurs, so they would have the kind of powers the people in metamorphis have and Cassie in Rite of Passage has. Like Telekineses, empathy (Feeling the emotions others have), thought reading etc...

[Jarnin]

I thin when she says that the wraith match the ancients in power, i think it meant in power power, rather than technological ship blowing up power.

You mean natural ability. That would make more sense, considering the Wraith technology isn't equal to the Atlanteans'.

We know the Ancients have healing and healthy powers, what other powers do they have ?

Besides their ability to regenerate damage to themselves and others, they seem to also have empathic abilities.

In "Frozen", Ayiana was able to communicate with Jonas because she knew what he was saying, even though she didn't know the language.
Ayiana also seemed to have an empathic conversation with another ancient in the beginning of "Rising", but this is just what it looked like; they could have been having a staring contest.

[Ancients Rising]

The Hologram lady's name is MELIA.

M E L I A

Right now I feel gratified

Wraith “powers” obviously meant natural ability powers. Not technology.

I mean TPTB had over 7 seasons built the Ancients up as this “god-like race” who had achieved everything physically possible. It would have been very strange and IMO a bit silly for them to suddenly introduce a race who is more advanced. That’s why I never brought the idea that Wraith tech was superior to Ancient tech.

The brief skirmishes in Rising and the fact that Atlantis’ shield could not be penetrated by plasma volleys from tens of Hive ships solidified that belief.

However I like the way TPTB introduced a new spin on events: The Ancients got their assess whooped. This didn’t shatter the “all knowing” reputation of the Ancients because it was only due to a lack of numbers and overconfidence that the Ancients lost. That sort of freshened up the whole thing, provided a bit of a shock while managing not to denigrate what had been built up in SG-1 S1-S7. Now the Atlantis storyline has potential to really come on leaps and bounds.

I can't wait to watch Before I Sleep!

[Biscuit]

Speaking of "... in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none..." This idea has been driving me crazy, and maybe now that we have all the clever people assembled in one thread, somebody can figure it out.

Are they seriously suggesting that the entire Pegasus Galaxy was just sitting vacant until the Ancients came along and seeded it with life from the Milky Way? (Well, except for the Wraith, whom they somehow overlooked when they looked out over billions of star systems and said, "Meh. Nobody home. Hey! Let's spruce up the joint with some humans! And trees! And birds! And earthworms!")

Or maybe Pegasus appeared to be lifeless because the Wraith had sucked the life out of everything in sight? Ugh. Disturbing.

What bugs me (aside from the mathematical improbability and/or self-defeating gluttony of the Wraith) is the idea that no matter where the Atlantis teams go, the only intelligent life they'll likely bump into are Wraith/Ancient/transplanted humans.

Where's the fun in that? No other weird native Pegasus aliens? No little green men? Not even on planets with no Stargate?

In SG-1, the Goa'uld spread human colonies through the Milky Way to serve as their slave population. But at least you ran into the occasional Nox or Unas or sentient crystal or those...little naked guys with the screaming plants.

And voila! My very first post!

[Gregorius]

Are they seriously suggesting that the entire Pegasus Galaxy was just sitting vacant until the Ancients came along and seeded it with life from the Milky Way? (Well, except for the Wraith, whom they somehow overlooked when they looked out over billions of star systems and said, "Meh. Nobody home. Hey! Let's spruce up the joint with some humans! And trees! And birds! And earthworms!")

It's highly possible that with ".. in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none..." they meant that there were no intelligent life-forms there.

The problem is that we TPTB haven't showed us much of the Ancient culture. It would be like studying Ancient Egypt without the Rosetta Stone. So unless TPTB decide to show us more of the culture/society the Ancients had it's impossible to tell what they meant.

[keppiezbt]

Speaking of "... in the hope of spreading new life in a galaxy where there appeared to be none..." This idea has been driving me crazy, and maybe now that we have all the clever people assembled in one thread, somebody can figure it out.

Are they seriously suggesting that the entire Pegasus Galaxy was just sitting vacant until the Ancients came along and seeded it with life from the Milky Way? (Well, except for the Wraith, whom they somehow overlooked when they looked out over billions of star systems and said, "Meh. Nobody home. Hey! Let's spruce up the joint with some humans! And trees! And birds! And earthworms!")

Or maybe Pegasus appeared to be lifeless because the Wraith had sucked the life out of everything in sight? Ugh. Disturbing.

What bugs me (aside from the mathematical improbability and/or self-defeating gluttony of the Wraith) is the idea that no matter where the Atlantis teams go, the only intelligent life they'll likely bump into are Wraith/Ancient/transplanted humans.

Where's the fun in that? No other weird native Pegasus aliens? No little green men? Not even on planets with no Stargate?

In SG-1, the Goa'uld spread human colonies through the Milky Way to serve as their slave population. But at least you ran into the occasional Nox or Unas or sentient crystal or those...little naked guys with the screaming plants.

And voila! My very first post!

the wraith probably wiped out all life- i mean she did say they found an enemy that sulmbered- maybe the wraith were sleeping b/c no food left- they are like gluttons, eat everything in site.

i mean ur right, the ancients seeded the galaxy with life in the MW and we can see that it was a variety of life, so where is that variety in the pegasus? all we have seen are the energy beings from home.

[Lexx]

Or maybe Pegasus appeared to be lifeless because the Wraith had sucked the life out of everything in sight? Ugh. Disturbing.

That's the idea I go with. That originally there were other advanced races in Pegasus, but the Wraith wiped ALL of them out. Then when they realized there was nothing else to eat they were forced to hibernate for god knows how long. Then the Ancients woke them, the Wraith found their galaxy completely replenished with food, and they went to war with the one group that posed a threat. After that they developed the whole "cull then sleep for a couple hundred years" thing to avoid running out of food like they originally did.

Also...(Hot Zone spoilers)

Spoiler:

It's said that the nanite virus wasn't created by the Ancients or the Wraith. That implies some other significantly advanced race created it.

[Mr Prophet]

You mean natural ability. That would make more sense, considering the Wraith technology isn't equal to the Atlanteans'.

The ancient city, which is actually a sort of more a ship-city than a city or a ship, it's kind of a city that flies and it takes off and goes to another whole galaxy, and once they're there, they basically do what they do. That is, build stargates, put them on a whole bunch of other planets and then kind of like a big galaxy-wide science experiment, start life, human life, on all the planets capable of supporting human life.

I'd just like to say SEE! Lab rats! Lab rats! I told you so!

Other than that and to my own extreme horror, I agree with everything Jarnin said. Weird, no?

And I also go along with the idea that there was no advanced life to be found in Pegasus for the same reason that there's no food at the all you can eat buffet after Homer Simpson's finished lunch.

[OfF3nSiV3]

Here you go mate =)
Mirror

[Ohper]

The part you're missing would be:

Here, as before, we built a system of stargates so that fledgling civilizations could travel to the stars, exchange knowledge, and friendship.

Thanks, you've got quite the pair of ears

The idea of Ancients being Hok'taurs (spelling?) was kind of amusing, I never thought of it that way. This brings up the question of "Can Ancients be hosts to Goa'uld?" which brings up the question of whether or not Anubis inhabited some kind of advanced being in order to learn to Ascend (or maybe he just cruised over to Kheb and asked Oma, we'll have to wait for "Threads").

By the way, was "Melina" derived from credits at some point? I don't remember hearing it spoken.

[UnknownJ]

Thanks, you've got quite the pair of ears

The idea of Ancients being Hok'taurs (spelling?) was kind of amusing, I never thought of it that way. This brings up the question of "Can Ancients be hosts to Goa'uld?" which brings up the question of whether or not Anubis inhabited some kind of advanced being in order to learn to Ascend (or maybe he just cruised over to Kheb and asked Oma, we'll have to wait for "Threads").

By the way, was "Melina" derived from credits at some point? I don't remember hearing it spoken.

Everyone keeps calling the character "Melia" because they read it on a spoiler page..

If people care to check, the actress's name is Melia McClure, which is probably where the confusion comes from.. As yet, there's no mention of her character's name anywhere..