Google on Atlantis Database?

[fugiman]

Ok not really google but how does the atlantis expedition search through the Atantis Database? I mean do they just look through random things or do they search for things such as shields, weapons, curses to diesease and many other things.

This has been bugging me for a while as it seems that Earth can't look up anything or do anything with the knowledge. I know the ancinet tech is way above us but what is the point of even trying to get that knowledge if we can't find anything we can use.

So I guess my question is how do we search through the database? Is it random or do we have a way to do it?

[Raj_2006]

Ok not really google but how does the atlantis expedition search through the Atantis Database? I mean do they just look through random things or do they search for things such as shields, weapons, curses to diesease and many other things.

This has been bugging me for a while as it seems that Earth can't look up anything or do anything with the knowledge. I know the ancinet tech is way above us but what is the point of even trying to get that knowledge if we can't find anything we can use.

So I guess my question is how do we search through the database? Is it random or do we have a way to do it?

Good point there. It has been bugging me as well. What are they using to copy the knowledge on to?

I thought it was mentioned in one of the episodes tht is it random search?

[Buba uognarf]

There's a hologram interface that tells you exactly what you ask to know and the computer terminals allow you to search. It's just mostly above our understanding.

It would be stupid if no one could access information

[Master_Templar]

Yeah, it is easily accessed, just we don't fully understand. As the Ancients would have had a different form of physics/science/maths/chemistry etc to us, so it is translating one to another, which would be a long and arduous task.

[Wraith_Boy]

Ok not really google but how does the atlantis expedition search through the Atantis Database? I mean do they just look through random things or do they search for things such as shields, weapons, curses to diesease and many other things.

This has been bugging me for a while as it seems that Earth can't look up anything or do anything with the knowledge. I know the ancinet tech is way above us but what is the point of even trying to get that knowledge if we can't find anything we can use.

So I guess my question is how do we search through the database? Is it random or do we have a way to do it?

It's a plothole that they continuously choose to ignore. Since they have direct & interactive access to the database, then they should easily be able to find out whatever it is that they need. I know stuff like ZPM's & that aren't beyond them because in Janus knew what Weir was saying in S1 when she described it, Niam knew what McKay was referring to. Then they were smart enough to screw around with 'Arcturus'. The biggest one thogh was in 'McKay & Mrs Miller', they had a way to take the energy out of multiple universes.

However it's never addressed or seen in the show. Yet when they need something in other eps, they can find it quick as you like when it suits them. Such as McKay getting access to all the Whale stuff easily in 'Echoes' when he needed it in a hurry. I've seen them get other stuff from it in other eps as well.

McKAY (loudly): According to the database, the Ancient biologists used it to study animal life on the planet. Look, there may be some more information stored there.

McKAY: Check it out. Found it in the Ancient database. They have a whole subsection on indigenous Lantean animal life. Did you know that there was a lobster-like crustacean down there the size of a Buick?

McKAY: Oh, because I cross-referenced the renderings in the database with the whale outside and, you’ll see ... (he types on the tablet to pull up a new image to show to her) ... the males have a rather prominent ...

McKAY (loudly, still looking at his screen): Hey! I found mention of a bio-lab in the database!

SHEPPARD: Adaris is a ship we found in the Ancient database.

McKAY: It’s an Ancient science vessel. About fifteen thousand years ago, it ran into some trouble. The entire crew was killed except for the pilot.


This for me is the biggest plothole since the show started, the fact that they can use the database perfectly to cross-reference this & that when the story suits it, yet they can't manage to get the worthwhile stuff from it that really matters. S1 could be explained away since they could say they didn't have full access to the database because of power problems. Since S2 though, as well as them sending stuff back to Earth, they haven't found squat in it.

I can see theiur dilema, if they could get all the info from it at will, then they'd know how to make all the advanced Lantean technologies at this point. The noenemy would ever truly threaten them in a way that would be threatning if they had ZPM's, drones, energy weapons, cloaks & all the rest. Whereas if they had a single ZPM & nothing else, then it's a lot more terrifying. However in saying that, blindly ignoring it, really makes it much more of a problem to me.

At least they could have addressed it, then prevented them from accessing it. Say something like the Lanteans encrypted all their most sensitive info inside the database & they are trying to break it to get access to the info. This way they could say they got through it bit by bity. Each time revealing more of the advanced knowlege to them.

The only real thing to do is to suspend your belief when watching it, this way you won;t actually have to think about all tyhe screw-ups that they regularly make. Not to mention by doing that, you won't end up being disappointed when they leave out the obvious.

[gopher65]

I also think that part of it is that they don't know what to search for. As someone pointed out in another thread, if you are searching the internets for a specific quote from Stargate it is easy to find it. But if you don't know what episode it is from, or what season it is from, and you don't remember the exact line, then it is darn hard.

It is even harder if you don't remember what TV show it is from. And it is even harder in the case of the people on Atlantis. To keep the simile going, it's as if they are in desperate need of a certain SG quote (to fight the wraith with. Arrrr matey. Those Stargate quotes make fine ammo!), but they haven't even heard of the show before, and are not even familiar with the idea of a TV, or of the basic concept of moving pictures, or electronics, or electricity, or even simple machines. How would they go about searching for something if they don't even know what they are searching for, or any of the concepts that it is built upon?

[gopher65]

It's a plothole that they continuously choose to ignore. Since they have direct & interactive access to the database, then they should easily be able to find out whatever it is that they need. I know stuff like ZPM's & that aren't beyond them because in Janus knew what Weir was saying in S1 when she described it, Niam knew what McKay was referring to. Then they were smart enough to screw around with 'Arcturus'. The biggest one thogh was in 'McKay & Mrs Miller', they had a way to take the energy out of multiple universes.

I don't think it is a plothole that they can't find stuff in the database. I think it is a plothole that they were able to do that stuff in Trinity and McKay & Mrs Miller. It is ridiculous that they are attempting to build a device capable of accessing other universes, but they can't build a basic beam or pulse weapon for their ships.

If you took out those obvious problems with the show (the fact that they are WAY more advanced in certain episodes than they should be), then their inability to properly use the database makes more sense.

Either way (your explanation or mine), it is bad writing.

[Morrolan]

I don't think it is a plothole that they can't find stuff in the database. I think it is a plothole that they were able to do that stuff in Trinity and McKay & Mrs Miller. It is ridiculous that they are attempting to build a device capable of accessing other universes, but they can't build a basic beam or pulse weapon for their ships.

If you took out those obvious problems with the show (the fact that they are WAY more advanced in certain episodes than they should be), then their inability to properly use the database makes more sense.

Either way (your explanation or mine), it is bad writing.

You're missing alot with that explanation. Someone has used the analogy "if I gave you plans to build a nuclear reaction, it doesn't mean you could." That fits here. You could build a nuclear reactor with parts and plans, but you most likely would not be able to make it work properly. They may have plenty of plans on how to build beam or pulse weapons for ships, but have not perfected their use. There is so much going on off-screen that is alluded to. Hell, Sam wouldn't have ever figured out the naquadah generator without the young girl to help her.

[gopher65]

You're missing alot with that explanation. Someone has used the analogy "if I gave you plans to build a nuclear reaction, it doesn't mean you could." That fits here. You could build a nuclear reactor with parts and plans, but you most likely would not be able to make it work properly. They may have plenty of plans on how to build beam or pulse weapons for ships, but have not perfected their use. There is so much going on off-screen that is alluded to. Hell, Sam wouldn't have ever figured out the naquadah generator without the young girl to help her.

Yeah, that too. So even if they DID manage to learn enough about something to do a search on it, and the database just poofed up plans for them, they couldn't necessarily build it, as you said. Instead of using a fictional person trying to build Nuclear Reactor though, I'd use the real world example of Da Vinci's flying machine.

He knew how to build a glider. But why couldn't he build a glider? Cause back then they didn't have the manufacturing techniques necessary to create light enough materials to build a working glider. If they'd had Titanium and vinyl he could have built one just fine.

So he had the plans for a glider down, but he didn't have the 500 years of advancement in other areas of science necessary to build one that worked. Poor guy.

Our Atlantis team is the same way.

(I liked that Voyager episode heh)

[ManiacMike]

I think its all about how the ancients brains functioned.

They have the little study tool thats the holographic interface which was made to help kids learn. Now, if you remember the questions asked (Daniel and Vala) it showed that you needed a certain amount of knowledge to ask good questions.

There very well might be a search engine but the Atlantis expedition might not of found it yet.

[squishy1984]

It might help if they could find out what the ancients called 'ZPMs'. I imagine subspace power source being entered into their 'google' search engine brings up hundreds of pages of equations and math that no one could really understand or work through.

[fugiman]

It might help if they could find out what the ancients called 'ZPMs'. I imagine subspace power source being entered into their 'google' search engine brings up hundreds of pages of equations and math that no one could really understand or work through.

True but shouldn't Danial Jackson or someone else who knows the language try and figure it out so we can look it up and make them

[brod]

The only real thing to do is to suspend your belief when watching it

Couldn't not correct this - the saying is "Suspend your disbelief". What you said makes no sense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief

[squishy1984]

well i would of thought so too but i think that might be something to be revealed in the future. Although i do have another theory. In the episode brotherhood the ZPM was refered to as the Pendantium. Just an idea but sounds like a good ancient name for a ZPM to me.

[s09119]

Yeah, that too. So even if they DID manage to learn enough about something to do a search on it, and the database just poofed up plans for them, they couldn't necessarily build it, as you said. Instead of using a fictional person trying to build Nuclear Reactor though, I'd use the real world example of Da Vinci's flying machine.

He knew how to build a glider. But why couldn't he build a glider? Cause back then they didn't have the manufacturing techniques necessary to create light enough materials to build a working glider. If they'd had Titanium and vinyl he could have built one just fine.

So he had the plans for a glider down, but he didn't have the 500 years of advancement in other areas of science necessary to build one that worked. Poor guy.

Our Atlantis team is the same way.

(I liked that Voyager episode heh)

I'm sorry, I have to say it... I hated that episode of Voyager lol