Would a symbiote stop the degeneration?

[spinny magee]

As I assume we all know the Asgard had a degenerative disease that went on from clone to clone, and that the Gou'ald can heal almost all diseases including Cancer.

So it made me wonder what if(I know this is a scary thought) the Asgard could of been implanted with a Tok'ra preferably or Gou'ald? Implant all the Asgard currently alive with symbiotes heal that and no more diseases going from clone to clone?
And once these Asgard eventually died out and "moved apartment" the disease would not be there and there would be no need for anymore symbiotes.

Is it even possible and would it work?

[jelgate]

I would say no. Because the problem with a Goa'uld you can heal viral and bacterial problems but not a problem with a genetics. Remember Bane. It took more then just the symbiote when Teal'c was being genetically changed into a bug

[CSESL]

Asgard are degenerating due to constant cloning of their bodies (Law of Diminishing returns or something).
A goauld symbiot will not be able to solve that effect...

But may be, it could have lengthened the life span of an asgard through healing bodily decay and deceases etc
This could have resulted in the frequency of cloning being less
That may have given a temporary solution to prolong their genetic makeup just a while longer... But not a very permanent solution.

[Ishay]

i would think the asgaud body would be to advanced the symbiote wouldn't be able to take over

[TrueLordOfNetu]

It's not very likely. The genetic degradation of the cloned Asgard bodies isn't actually a disease as such, but is more the loss of parts of their DNA coding, described much as the fading and loss of clarity that occurs as an image is photocopied and the copy is then copied and so on. Without intimate knowledge gained by being a long term occupant in an uncloned Asgard, the Goa'uld would be unable to compensate for this loss probably resulting in rejection and/or death for both Asgard and Goa'uld.

Also, a simpler way to look at it is that the Asgard knew about Tretonin and so if Goa'uld were the solution to their problem, they would probably ask us for a sample to try to modify and test. Although if they were as smart as everyone seems to think and a medicine was the solution, they would have created it themselves some time ago. (And don't use the Replicator war as an excuse for them, they knew what was coming and had scientists working on it.)

[Alteran of Atlantis]

I don't think so. Like someone else said, the Asgard suffer from a genetic disease, symbiotes don't heal that. But it might have helped a little, we can't know for sure.

[CSESL]

May be the Asgard weren't dumb enough to think of a solution such as this

[Nadji]

No, even a Goa'uld cannot prevent degeneration at a celluar level. There are only so many times that these cells can continue to split before mutation (disease) occurs.

[DetriusXii]

Selmak cured cancer. It's a disease at the cellular level. So I think a symbiote could repair an Asgard body.

[clauz89]

Selmak cured cancer. It's a disease at the cellular level. So I think a symbiote could repair an Asgard body.

Asgard body has problems with every single cell, not with a small group.
maybe a symbiote woulde have slowed down the degeneration, but not repaired it.

[CSESL]

Selmak cured cancer. It's a disease at the cellular level. So I think a symbiote could repair an Asgard body.

No. Cancer as you correctly said can be cured at Cellular level. (though scientists have now found some DNA may have links with cancer)

But the Asgard problem lies at their DNA and RNA levels. I.e they can not transfer their genetics to children through the normal process. That's why they had to rely on cloning. Even that had the problem of diminishing returns (Their genetic make up declined & some of it lost at each stage of cloning)

So a Symbiote probably would not have been able to repair an Asgard, though it would have been nice as a concept

[Butlersgate]

Asgard body has problems with every single cell, not with a small group.
maybe a symbiote woulde have slowed down the degeneration, but not repaired it.

a symbiote managed to keep the kull warriors alive even though they had multiple organ failures n whatnot so i think it could.

[kyrean86]

a symbiote managed to keep the kull warriors alive even though they had multiple organ failures n whatnot so i think it could.

Humans can deal with organ failures and cancer. Symbiotes can do it a hell of a lot better with little to no dangerous side effects (the ridiculous need to be overdressed notwithstanding.) Yet degenerative genetic problems are a whole different ball game. If symbiotes could deal with genetic problems you would never need worry about dying, Apophis' host's body falling apart in Serpent's Song (S02Ep18) being a prime example.

[Butlersgate]

Humans can deal with organ failures and cancer. Symbiotes can do it a hell of a lot better with little to no dangerous side effects (the ridiculous need to be overdressed notwithstanding.) Yet degenerative genetic problems are a whole different ball game. If symbiotes could deal with genetic problems you would never need worry about dying, Apophis' host's body falling apart in Serpent's Song (S02Ep18) being a prime example.

that was age not genetic problems though

[thor_is_cool]

Couldn't the Asgard just transfer themselves into a "blank" symbiote?