Atlantis: Could the city be sentient?

[Tain]

Think about it. The Ancient's had the technology to create and destroy life itself, not just imitations of it, on a vast scale. I don't think it would be difficult at all for them to make their technology self aware. The question is, would they? Is it possible that Atlantis itself is aware of the expedition in ways they have not even considered?

[aaobuttons]

It's possible. Just look at Hot Zone and how it reacts to the virus.

[Jonzey]

I reckon in a few seasons it will be flying through space on the back of a giant turtle, supported by four giant elephants...

[Jolinar of Malkshur]

Since Hot Zone, I do believe that Atlantis itself is sentient. I think the Atlantis AI is aware of everything and truly controlls the city, the crew only doesn't knows it yet since Atlantis doesn't interferes with their orders as long as they don't endanger the city.

Of course, that would make it very interesting to find out what happens if they ever do something that Atlantis considers too dangerous or downright wrong...

[sarge]

I reckon in a few seasons it will be flying through space on the back of a giant turtle, supported by four giant elephants...

but will the turtle be sentient?

[immhotep]

Since Hot Zone, I do believe that Atlantis itself is sentient. I think the Atlantis AI is aware of everything and truly controlls the city, the crew only doesn't knows it yet since Atlantis doesn't interferes with their orders as long as they don't endanger the city.

Of course, that would make it very interesting to find out what happens if they ever do something that Atlantis considers too dangerous or downright wrong...

i think in S2 the team will have to deal with some pretty cool things the city has to offer, but in doing so they might of playe with a bit to much and the city decides to simply shut itself off so we cant break it.
the city could be semi sentient at the mo but when the ZPM comes all those cool sensors we saw at the back end of S1 and the other cool stuff there is will burst in to life and the citry will once again sit back but help out to save its own ass every now and then..........the perfect serario, a super advanced city 1/3 powered under childrens control but with the toys in control, toy story just WAY more out there!

[Wass]

It would make a great epsiode, it would a nice way of bringing Janus back as hologram.

[immhotep]

what saying
" ha ha you messed around, get ureself out of this one because the citys offline.as well as against you"
*cut to super alien thread gloating*
makay" oh fantasic (sarcasm)

lol it would be a brilliant episode! could be a WoO/avatar type episode, mckays nightmare, no technology, no help form the anceints, nothing to do but sit and wait for his only use to destroy him.

[tomchris45]

I wouldn't have thought that the city would be sentient. If it was, and was interested in its self preservation, then surely when the "First" expedition came through in before I sleep, the city would have saved itself and floated to the surface. Instead that fail save had to be programmed in seperatly. All it had was a basic fail save, i.e. the hull was breached so it sealed doors. This would also be useful when flying through space.

This is what we saw in Hot Zone. After all the ancients knew that the virus was on atlantis, as they put it there. So it would be logical to assume they made sure that the sensors were looking for it, in case it breached the lab.

[TST]

I don't know.

On the one hand, I agree with the idea that if it was sentient it would've risen when the shield failed. However;
Firstly it wouldn't know the Wraith had gone, and it wouldn't necessarily be damaged by the flooding, and therefore would be safer underwater.
Secondly, the shield was failing due to a lack of power. The AI might have shut itself off to some degree to conserve power, and wouldn't necessarily have known there were people inside to save. Although, one would think that it would have arranged itself to be awoken when the gate was activated, at least.

Additionally, if it was sentient you would perhaps think it would try to make contact with the expedition, and/or make it easier for them to use the Ancient tech. Again, however;
I would suppose the way it would contact them would be through manifestation as a hologram. As we have seen, this uses power, which there isn't much of. As it would no doubt need power to survive, nevermind look after the expedition, until there is a good deal more power (i.e. charged ZPM...) I wouldn't expect to see any communicatory holograms...
Also, if it obeys the general Benevolent Advanced Species Law Number One, it wouldn't make it any easier for them to use the Ancient tech, as this would be "artificially advancing" them. The expedition finding the city and using it is already on the border, but at we know the Ancients wanted this to happen, at least.

Spoiler:

We know/suspect that the city is shielded and sunk again during Season Two. This means that the shield is up...and also it is sunken. We haven't seen the Atlantis team being able to do much, and so call me pessemistic but I don't think they'd be able to figure out how to raise the shield and sink the city during a battle. (This is of course assuming it can't be done by Sheppard from the chair.) But if the city is sentient, but currently dormant, as I suspect, events would run a little like this;
ZPM plugged in
AI auto-boots up fully
AI sees Wraith/battle in orbit
AI detects power levels sufficient to sustain shield for some time
AI raises shield
Expedition shocked
AI says "Hi"

I think I had more to say, but I've forgotten

[immhotep]

AI creates a swarm of drones starts firing a few blasts of warning shots
AI creates a small fleet of automated defence satalites and launches in to low orbit
AI detects daedalus and the 'other' ships ( asgard or wraith)
AI detects wraith entering hyperspace and remote views from the low orbit satalite for the SGA team to celebrate with that view as the back drop.

HI guys ill be your host for the next miillenium please enjoy your cooperative stay and/or imprisionment on the lovevly island of atlantis.....................

[Bobby\Jolinar]

It would make a great epsiode, it would a nice way of bringing Janus back as hologram.

Awwwwww. Yeah we have to bring Janus back at least once to the series. He played a huge part and influence to a few timelines and both stargate shows / galaxies. What do you think? There should be a thread for this .... or is there already? He was a really awesome charactor and I wonder where or when he went to? lol. I wonder if the ancients ever found out or if they even know what happened to him. I bet that older guy would be P.O'd if he knew

[Jolinar of Malkshur]

HI guys ill be your host for the next miillenium please enjoy your cooperative stay and/or imprisionment on the lovevly island of atlantis.....................

That would be so cool!

And it does make me wonder how the AI would treat the Atlantis expedition. Would it consider them inferior bugs to it's former masters like some ascended beings see the non-ascended one and try to boss them around/control them since it would think they don't know any better? Or would it be the friendly and dutiful Atlantis AI? Depending on whether it has feelings, it could also be a bit crazy from all that time spent in isolation, provided that it hadn't shut itself down to save power, as I agree that it probably would.

I think it would make for some interesting episodes if the crew and the AI wouldn't get along at first and Weir would first have to prove to it that they are truly worthy of Atlantis.

Also, for why the AI didn't made itself known earlier, it also could have chosen to watch the Atlantis expedition to find out if they have evil intentions. When no one knew that it existed, they would move and act freely, while an evil Atlantis crew that knew of the AI would either have tried to disable it before the AI found a way to prevent that. After all, the Pegasus galaxy isn't exactly a friendly place and when you look at people like the Genii, not all of them are exactly friendly in the ways they attain their technology. And just that some expedition members had the ATA gene didn't needed to mean that they didn't come to Pegasus as conquerors.

[Spimman]

I would say the city has quite a few automated systems with degrees of AI incorperated into the mix, but as far as being sentient...I don't think so. We don't have a computer that talks back to us or seems to have feelings, I hope they don't go in that direction...just because Lexa Doig is going to be on Season 9 SG-1 doesn't mean we want Andromeda running around Atlantis.

[immhotep]

what is there was a 'computer' AI type interface that ment the team could actually interact with the city itslef through the computer/database medium, sounds trekky but i think it would work very well, the com system and other feature are likely to become mind operated or voice activated in S2 im sure so if the database,stargate iris/dialing, door controls and 'other' features will to.