Weaker Wraith

[WraithQueenH]

Keller holding off that one Wraith with basic defensive movements from a small stick is pretty silly. But I think some fans on gateworld concluded that Wraith must have been like a sort of drunken rookie or something.

Drunken Rookie?! ROTFLOL Maybe it was Wraith Thanksgiving and he ate too much.. half asleep and all that.

And here I thought that Ronon must have been teaching her how to fight and he's a great teacher. silly me.

[Infinite-Possibilities]

I could try and find the threads where that was discussed if you want.

Wraith are supposed to be stronger and more savage than most humans. And logically I really couldn't see Keller being able to hold on off like she did even with self defense lessons from Ronon (or was it Teyla?). But if you actually look at the fight he just sorta of wildly swings his arm around at here and she weakly tries to move a stick to block him.

By contrast, in back Season 1: Steve and Teyla fought back and forth in what looked at least somewhat more like an actual martial arts duel. And she actually sort of lost.

[Guest]

I could try and find the threads where that was discussed if you want.

Wraith are supposed to be stronger and more savage than most humans. And logically I really couldn't see Keller being able to hold on off like she did even with self defense lessons from Ronon (or was it Teyla?). But if you actually look at the fight he just sorta of wildly swings his arm around at here and she weakly tries to move a stick to block him.

By contrast, in back Season 1: Steve and Teyla fought back and forth in what looked somewhat more like an actual martial arts duel. And she actually sort of lost.

Just an addition, but Keller fought a Wraith that was after a Runner...

I think if a Wraith is going to take the time to hunt something for fun/sport, then he's not all that hungry.

nice with teh Steve Vs Teyla comparison Green for you!

[jelgate]

I could try and find the threads where that was discussed if you want.

Wraith are supposed to be stronger and more savage than most humans. And logically I really couldn't see Keller being able to hold on off like she did even with self defense lessons from Ronon (or was it Teyla?). But if you actually look at the fight he just sorta of wildly swings his arm around at here and she weakly tries to move a stick to block him.

By contrast, in back Season 1: Steve and Teyla fought back and forth in what looked at least somewhat more like an actual martial arts duel. And she actually sort of lost.

You have to look at how Keller and Teyla were fighting. Teyla was not only trying to block the attacks she was also trying attacking while Keller was purely defensive. A person becomes more vulernable to attack when he or she goes on the offensive.

[WraithQueenH]

Don't forget..the Hoffan drug.
These are a few quotes from different episodes,

"TODD: Effective, yes; admittedly creative, but the truth is all of the existing Wraith factions have been adversely affected by this. Our food supply is being so randomly tainted, we have no way of knowing if our next meal will be our last."

Mackay stated that....
"McKAY: Let's not forget that Michael spread the modified Hoffan drug to dozens of worlds -- possibly more. I mean, no-one knows for sure, right? Which means that every time you feed, you're takin' a risk."

Then at the time of the death of Michael, Teyla then stated....
"TEYLA: Unfortunately there will be somebody else to take his place. Of this I am certain."

So that itself made the wraith fraction weaker, the fear of encountering a possible victim(s) of the Hoffan drug.
Wouldn't it be wise for them to start feeding on one another to ensure survival, instead of killing each other.

Think about it,..why would you risk being engaged into a battle... destroying your own hive in order to feed on a world that has already been (possibly) poisoned.

They can only feed on each other for so long under the best of circumstances. At some point, the lack of wraith numbers would be their undoing.

While they are feeding on each other, they are decreasing their numbers. Humans that have been tainted by the Hoffan drug would be reproducing and increasing their numbers.

The combination of these would be far worse for the wraith as a whole then losing a few wraith as the feed and find out what worlds have been compromised.

[Aer'ki]

But it wasn't written that way.

For the first and into the second season, the Wraith were a credible threat. By the fifth season, Keller was able to hold one off in HAND TO HAND combat long enough for Rodney to use his Beretta of doom (probably stole it from Daniel) to take it down.

The Defiant One showed a fully regenerative Wraith, and how much damage did it soak up? I think if a creature goes from taking dozens of bullets and getting hit with an fragmentation grenade to going down from a quick three shot burst, that's a MAJOR nerfing.

The Wraith are supposed to be tougher, stronger, faster than humans. Yet what do we see? Equality in toughness i'd say.

it's less that i'm dissatisfied wth the series (because i do enjoy it) it's more that it's not consistent and it's noticeable.

I can understand the dynamic behind it too, like someone earlier said, "Die faster!" in order to keep pacing proper. It's a sad fact and i accept it, but why can't the writers try and figure out a way past it?

Also note, in that episode Sheppard doesn't agree with what McKay tells him is Carson's theory about the strength of the Wraith being in proportion to how recently they'd fed. Sheppard says..."There's gotta be more to it than that."

I agree.

[Aer'ki]

You have to look at how Keller and Teyla were fighting. Teyla was not only trying to block the attacks she was also trying attacking while Keller was purely defensive. A person becomes more vulernable to attack when he or she goes on the offensive.

Keller is a powder puff...and I dare anyone to disagree.

She is less able than even Rodney...and we know he can't fight.

[jelgate]

Keller is a powder puff...and I dare anyone to disagree.

She is less able than even Rodney...and we know he can't fight.

I disagree.

[Aer'ki]

I disagree.

[WraithQueenH]

Keller is a powder puff...and I dare anyone to disagree.

She is less able than even Rodney...and we know he can't fight.

I strongly disagree. Rodney cannot shoot a gun with his eyes open after 5 years in the field. (I love Rodney but that's the way it is.. if I was John I'd never let him carry a firearm. Everytime he shot I wanted to duck because he's shots were THAT bad.) Kelley can shoot well enough and she wasn't in the field for that long. Even Keller's hand-to-hand was better... she is not a power puff.

[Confessor Rahl]

It may be a reality that it was lazy writers, but the explanation given above is actually more than logical enough for me!

[mjwalshe]

well we only really see the drone wraith getting shot (for the most part) and they would probly be the ones that get less food, as they are controlled by the more powerful wraith such as queens and the ones that dont wear masks.



They still use 9mm and P-90, granted they might now use some sort of piercing bullet or one of those funky exploding bullets that rip their insides, but we have seen no change

there are hot (more powerfull) versions of the p90 rounds availble for milatery use and of course the genva conventions about expaqnding (dumdum) bullets dont aply to wraith.

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

there are hot (more powerfull) versions of the p90 rounds availble for milatery use and of course the genva conventions about expaqnding (dumdum) bullets dont aply to wraith.

Eh? There aren’t “hot” rounds. There is armour piercing ammunition, which will punch through body armour with ease. And hollow point ammunition would be pretty ineffective against the Wraith, especially the warriors since they wear armour.

On the subject of Wraith, I hate the perception that the wraith somehow got weaker, I recently watched Rising again, all the Wraith in the room, except the Keeper herself go down with only a few shorts. Hell Ford nails one with a single shot to the head.

[Astrum porta]

I think the Wraith being weaker is similar to the way the Jaffa evolved during the course of SG-1. They started out as fairly nasty enemies, then devolved into guys that went down with one shot. In Season 5, many Wraith just existed to run around corners into bullets. I guess that's an easier way to make a firefight happen if you're the writers.

You should see the original stargate movie! The jaffa in that were season 1 SGA strong!

[Quetzocoetl]

The Wraith in "Rising" were taken down in a few shots.
Same thing for various other early episodes, but I do agree that Beckett's explanation works for any discrepancy in Wraith resilience.
Also... didn't the wraith in "The Defiant One" feed on what-his-name, as well as a couple of other Wraith prior to entering stasis?
Saying he was hard to take down seems to reinforce the Beckett/Escyos explanation.
I would also imagine that cannibalism in Wraith society is frowned upon, but not as much as it is in human culture.
I think they treat it as an absolute last resort if they know they won't be eating for a loong time.