Do you like the Goa'uld?

[Ahrima]

(Who doesn't?!)

Well, if you do- join this new group: http://forum.gateworld.net/group.php?groupid=373 ^_^

I hope I can advertise my group, if not... My apologies.

[Pharaoh Atem]

I loved them as villains

[ZRFTS]

They're okay I guess but I wouldn't say I like them. Something about them pretending to be gods does not sit well with me.

[LT. COL. John Sheppard]

i hated all Goa'ulds i loved the hosts the only Goa'uld/Host i liked was Ba'al

[SF_and_Coffee]

Conceptually, the Goa'uld make great villains. The idea of a parasitic species that takes over an intelligent host and then completely dominates that host, trapping the host's own mind indefinitely within its body, is terrifying.

Add to that genetic memory and the ability to live for millennia by use of the sarcophagus, and you have a recipe for sheer horror.

Spoiler:

Remember the host of Apophis, as seen in "Serpent's Song"... this poor Egyptian scribe had been trapped in his own body for thousands of years.

The Goa'uld have long memories, carry strong grudges, and are more than a little bit mentally unbalanced (megalomania, anyone?) from their use of the sarcophagus. Scary combination, that, and their ruthless nature and their possession of advanced technology make them a formidable adversary.

As a race, no, I can't say they give me warm and fuzzy feelings. As individual characters, however, many of them were intriguingly written and well-portrayed by the respective actors who played them. Hathor, for example, was a well-actualized character. That Apophis was as well goes without saying. The way they were written and portrayed gave the Goa'uld overall a high degree of dimensionality.

As a writer of fanfiction, I find it fascinating to speculate on the various facets of their history, culture and society that we were either never shown or saw only glimpses of. So I guess that means that I do like them as food for creative thought.

The Tok'ra interest me even more. Here is a group of Goa'uld spawned by a single queen who radically altered her own beliefs and then genetically passed those on to her offspring for the specific purpose of defeating what she saw as evil ways and (I think) in the hope that one day her race would be reformed and redeemed. I love writing about Tok'ra characters and exploring the relationship between host and symbiote in a truly mutual and beneficial symbiosis rather than the parasitism practiced by the Goa'uld. The interplay between host and symbiote personalities can take all sorts of forms, and the ethics of symbiosis present a ripe field for exploration.

I will admit that I disliked the way the Tok'ra were often portrayed by the show's writers, especially in later seasons. There was so much potential in the beginning, but then the Tok'ra seemed to become cold and distant. I'd have far preferred a better exploration of their culture, and better development of their characters and storyline as a whole. Oh well, that's what fanfic is for, isn't it? I write in an alternate universe where many details differ from the primary Gateverse, and in mine, the Tok'ra are not the monolithic group they were made out to be in canon. (Neither are my Goa'uld, entirely, but that's a whole different topic.) I pit one group of Tok'ra somewhat against the mainstream, and it opens up a whole new area for the storyline.

But I digress...

In short, yes, the Goa'uld are interesting as a group of villains, as a biological species, and as a concept... but I really wouldn't want to meet one. On the other hand, I'd sign up today to host a Tok'ra.

[Ahrima]

That's a well said opinion, SF_and_Coffee ^_^ But I, personally, would never "Sign up today to host a Tok'ra." XD I think I'll just stay human. But if I had to pick something else, it would be Goa'uld. No second guessing there.

[SF_and_Coffee]

You do realize, don't you, that if you were the host of a Goa'uld, you would permanently lose control of your body, and be trapped forever in your own mind while another consciousness utilized your body for its own purposes? You wouldn't get the power and the prestige, you wouldn't get to enjoy any of the privileges of the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld parasite inside you would get all of that, and you'd basically be stuffed into a corner of your own brain and told to shut up. Physical and mental slavery.

I can't imagine wanting that, which is why if I were to join with a symbiote, I'd want a Tok'ra. That way I'd have a constant companion, perfect health and long life, and access to thousands of years worth of knowledge. And I'd be allowed to actually enjoy it!

[Ahrima]

I do realize that. :3 However, I could "whisper" to my symbiote to eventually have partial control. (Like in Thor's Hammer)

But would it be possible to have a Tok'ra symbiote that acts like a Goa'uld, but lets me be in partial control?

[SF_and_Coffee]

I do realize that. :3 However, I could "whisper" to my symbiote to eventually have partial control. (Like in Thor's Hammer)

Unlikely... those were very rare instances.

But would it be possible to have a Tok'ra symbiote that acts like a Goa'uld, but lets me be in partial control?

The Tok'ra don't operate that way. Why would you want that, anyway?

[Ahrima]

Ah, I see ^_^

Ugg. Darn. And I am not too sure, actually... I've just always accepted the fact that I like the Goa'uld more. ^_^

[Dave2]

I was always thinking that Baal would have been one goa'uld who could have been rehabilitated given the right circumstances......

[SF_and_Coffee]

Baal maybe could've been rehabilitated.

As for liking/not liking the Tok'ra, I was less than satisfied with the way they were portrayed as the series went on... which is why I do something a bit different with them in my fic... They're still Tok'ra, and they still oppose the Goa'uld, but they're a lot more three-dimensional and individual, and they actually have some various factions within their own movement that are somewhat at odds with each other in both philosophical and tactical terms, and have been for a while. Makes things more interesting...

[lordofseas]

I loved to hate some, and I simply loved others.

[AlbinoMonkeyC]

Ba'al was a charmer!!

[QuantumIguana]

They were good villains. But if I was a Gou'ald, I would NEVER be the one doing harm to my subjects. Rather, I would have a subordinate Gou'ald pose as a demon. I would then be always seen as a good God, saving them from the demon.

The Tok'ra were interesting, but they still seem to have a degree of contempt for humans, and don't seem to treat their hosts as equal partners. They are much better than the Gou'ald, of course, but that same arrogance is present, if to a lesser degree.