Why didn't the Ancients return with Atlantis ?

[KaiLynn]

The only thing you could think of is that they planned on coming back but something went horribly wrong....

I think the solutions are two:

1) they build simple Atlantis based on materials found on Earth and they submerged it too

2). they ascended

I personally opt for the second solution, cause I don't believe they drown so easily )

[Dragon_Heart]

They really should have. There is no excuse for it not returning.


All of you saying they would have been destroyed in space by the hives are completely wrong. If the hives had the power to take down the shield they would have done it.

Think about it. The city survived on the ocean for 100 years, where the wraith hive ships remained in perfect geostationary orbit, with perfect positioning for their best ark for weapons.
If atlantis took off into space amongst the hives, they would have received less fire if anything because of the ark of some weapons would render them useless. Coupled with the fact the shield would not have fallen, it is a major plot hole.

Reasons for taking Atlantis back? it would have been a safe haven, no need to rebuild, no need to farm etc.


It raises the question, why did they not take the jumpers with them? easy transport and they could explore the planet far more efficiently.


So so many plot holes.

[s09119]

They would have to be a heck of a lot older than that. 5000 years ago, Ra was already ruling on Earth. This means a few things would've had to happen in their history prior to that:

1. First, they would've had to figure out how to use the gate on the Goa'uld homeworld. Who KNOWS how long that would've taken.
2. They would've had to figure out how to use humans as hosts (maybe difficult, maybe not). At first, remember, they used the Unas exclusively.
3. Then, they would've had to master hyperdrive and other advanced technologies.
4. And last, they would've had to have found Earth. Whether this was by use of the stargate, or by ship, it would've taken a dang long time.

So personally, I think the Goa'uld were already at large by the time the Ancients got back from Pegasus. Perhaps they weren't on Earth yet, but, IMO, they were already enslaving parts of the galaxy. This might explain why the Ancients died off or ascended rather than continuing their existence in the corporal form.

Or (yes, OT I know) MAYBE, the Ancients actually were responsible for 'waking up' the Goa'uld. It would be fairly the same as what happened in Pegasus, where a team of scientists re-explore the gate network because they had been gone for a million years or so. They get to the Goa'uld homeworld and get goa'ulded. That would actually explain how they knew about how to use the gate network, and, well, anything the scientists knew including hyperdrive tech.

Well, that is all.

[/off topic rant]

If that's how the Goa'uld got their start, they'd know a heck of a lot more than they did about technology, and Anubis wouldn't have had to upgrade his ship with Ancient-level weapons and shields. We know the story, anyway; the Unas lived on the Goa'uld homeworld, got taken over by symbiotes, used the Unas's bodies to give a parasite's sentience a vessel, and then went from there.

[AVFan]

If that's how the Goa'uld got their start, they'd know a heck of a lot more than they did about technology, and Anubis wouldn't have had to upgrade his ship with Ancient-level weapons and shields. We know the story, anyway; the Unas lived on the Goa'uld homeworld, got taken over by symbiotes, used the Unas's bodies to give a parasite's sentience a vessel, and then went from there.

Well maybe they were fairly stupid Ancient scientists...

[s09119]

Well maybe they were fairly stupid Ancient scientists...

...maybe the Goa'uld ran into the ones who came up with the idea of the wormhole drive...

[AVFan]

...maybe the Goa'uld ran into the ones who came up with the idea of the wormhole drive...

OHH! Now we're on to something!

[KaiLynn]

OHH! Now we're on to something!

too many "maybes" and "plot holes". They ascended and end of the game.

[Steelbox]

Direct copy from Gateworld transcript from Before I Sleep.

JANIS: We are about to evacuate this city in the hope that it will lie safe for many years and then, one day, our kind will return. (He looks at Elizabeth.) And they have. It is because of my experiments that we now have the opportunity ...

They left it there in the hopes of coming back.

[lordofseas]

Direct copy from Gateworld transcript from Before I Sleep.

JANIS: We are about to evacuate this city in the hope that it will lie safe for many years and then, one day, our kind will return. (He looks at Elizabeth.) And they have. It is because of my experiments that we now have the opportunity ...

They left it there in the hopes of coming back.

I do hope that isn't. They spelt Janus wrong.

[Werewolfhero]

It was the will of those meddling Powers that Be that made the overly confident, highly intelligent Ancients completely forget about the city's star drive. X'D

[Laxian of Earth]

well our ancients are not all scientists and if you are no scientist you might only know the basics of your technology and so if the goa'uld would take over these people and then try out to build some fancy technology with their knowledge then it would a) take very long (they would only know how it is supposed to work and not really why) and b) never be as good as the original (if they'd captured a top notch scientist, then they would have ruled all of the milkyway and no one would have been able to get up to their level (as they would have prevented it)....so this is a real possibility

as for leaving the city: if you are already ascending (some ascended before those that left) then technology is not worth much to you anymore, even more so if you are only a few hundred individuals - so why take the city?

(that is not how i think, that is how i think they did - imho i would have taken the city. i would have looked for a quiet place and would have build drones (hundreds of thousands of them), installed energy weapons on atlantis (powered by another set of ZPMs) and then i would have returned and kicked some serious wraith-ass - even if i ascended later as i could not condone leaving the helpless peg.-humans behind (to fight against something i created - even if i didn't mean to)

greetings LAX

[Copper4ever]

People would get suspicious if a city appeared in the middle of their planet with shields and space ships.

[vszulc]

Well that's an easy one! They'd probably get shot down by the wraith, so evacuating through the gate, and leaving it hoping to return another day was safer.

One thing that REALLY bugs me though is this: Remember when Weir went 10.000 years back in the past and actually met Janus? Why the hell didn't she ask this: "By the way, could you write down the address where your ZPM factory is? Just out it in my pocket, kthanxby!"
(Or even better, leave the constructionplans for the ZPM for her!)

[beire]

Everybody says they could never get passed the wraith ships..
If you ask me they didnt have to.. There was still the (dont shoot me for saying it ) wormholedrive..
That should have worked under water i guess, and even if it does not then still they could have gone back up and fired up the wormholedrive.
Yes it asks a lot of power but they do not need to go to the milkyway at once, just a small distance further, away from the wraith, and then go to earth using hyperdrive/wormholedrive..
Are there any opinions on this idea?

Greets
Beire

[sman789]

I have two points here...

1) They could easily have remained on Atlantis for a few weeks, rebuilt their drone supplies, fired one last drone swarm to clear a path and then full thrust out of the water and into hyperspace at maximum speed. It was said that the Ancients could easily win every battle they faught, it's just that more Wraith kept coming, so that plan should work. (And yes, drones do work underwater )

2) Atlantis was intended to be left and rediscovered by non-Ancients - the wiered floor console in the gate room is proof that Atlantis' systems are designed to be run by non-Ancients but also to be able to identify and reject those connections instantly when the override program was activated by a true Ancient. If it wasn't designed to be rediscovered by non-Ancients then that program would always be running and would never allow all these Tau'ri computers and personell to control Atlantis.