Asurans are NOT Replicators!

[ranchan2]

I'd say that construction-wise, the Asurans and the Replicators are the same, but this discussion is going farther than that. In terms of goals, the two are definitely different. The Replicators do just that, "replicate", while the Asurans seem to just have it out for the Ancients and Humans. It doesn't appear as though the Asurans have that strong desire to replicate. I only really thought of that in The Return Part II when they were repairing the damage to the control tower. They didn't use any of their own cells to repair the damage. If they did, then I doubt Weir would've been so satisfied with the Asurans work.

[prion]

I'd say that construction-wise, the Asurans and the Replicators are the same, but this discussion is going farther than that. In terms of goals, the two are definitely different. The Replicators do just that, "replicate", while the Asurans seem to just have it out for the Ancients and Humans. It doesn't appear as though the Asurans have that strong desire to replicate. I only really thought of that in The Return Part II when they were repairing the damage to the control tower. They didn't use any of their own cells to repair the damage. If they did, then I doubt Weir would've been so satisfied with the Asurans work.

Asurans are replicators. If they walk like one, talk like one, stick their hands in people's heads like one, and fall apart from anti-replicator weapons, they're replicators I'm talking physicality, not necessarily mindset (as that's two different galaxies).

[FallenAngelII]

Asurans are replicators. If they walk like one, talk like one, stick their hands in people's heads like one, and fall apart from anti-replicator weapons, they're replicators I'm talking physicality, not necessarily mindset (as that's two different galaxies).

Of course. You must be an Indian because you walk like one, you talk like one (not the same language but you speak using your tongue, etc.), you eat meat, etc.

[SoulReaver]

asurans are not replicators strictly speaking, however I find it odd that the ancient disruptors were effective on the asurans. Now these guns didn't look like the originals (they were a lot slimmer) but this would mean 2 things:

1) either the tauri modified the disruptors to work on asurans (which means they had to know what the asurans were made of, and know how exactly to modify the disruptors - which I find very unlikely given that the primitive tauri have been unable to reverse-engineer less advanced weaponry such as goauld zat guns & energy weapons, so fat chance with ancient tech - besides they would also need asurans nanite samples to begin with if they hoped to make the necessary adjustments to the disruptors)

or

2) they simply extracted the "core" of the disruptor (whatever it is that makes the things work - crytals, circuits etc) and simply transplanted it in a slimmer case for easier handling - in which case the new guns were simply an esthetic departure from the original thing. That's believable, but on the other hand it wouldn't explain how the disruptors could work on asurans who are supposed to be of radically different construction from the replicators

[FallenAngelII]

asurans are not replicators strictly speaking, however I find it odd that the ancient disruptors were effective on the asurans. Now these guns didn't look like the originals (they were a lot slimmer) but this would mean 2 things:

1) either the tauri modified the disruptors to work on asurans (which means they had to know what the asurans were made of, and know how exactly to modify the disruptors - which I find very unlikely given that the primitive tauri have been unable to reverse-engineer less advanced weaponry such as goauld zat guns & energy weapons, so fat chance with ancient tech - besides they would also need asurans nanite samples to begin with if they hoped to make the necessary adjustments to the disruptors)

or

2) they simply extracted the "core" of the disruptor (whatever it is that makes the things work - crytals, circuits etc) and simply transplanted it in a slimmer case for easier handling - in which case the new guns were simply an esthetic departure from the original thing. That's believable, but on the other hand it wouldn't explain how the disruptors could work on asurans who are supposed to be of radically different construction from the replicators

Or, even less likely:
The Ancients on the Tria told them how to make an Asuran disruptor just in case.

[PG15]

asurans are not replicators strictly speaking, however I find it odd that the ancient disruptors were effective on the asurans. Now these guns didn't look like the originals (they were a lot slimmer) but this would mean 2 things:

1) either the tauri modified the disruptors to work on asurans (which means they had to know what the asurans were made of, and know how exactly to modify the disruptors - which I find very unlikely given that the primitive tauri have been unable to reverse-engineer less advanced weaponry such as goauld zat guns & energy weapons, so fat chance with ancient tech - besides they would also need asurans nanite samples to begin with if they hoped to make the necessary adjustments to the disruptors)

I thought the nanites were those Hot Zone viruses? If so, the we've had the samples since Season 1, and knew what they were for since Progeny.

[SoulReaver]

I thought the nanites were those Hot Zone viruses?

nope

[PG15]

Uh...why not?

[kirmit]

The nanites in 'hot zone' were the asurans at the very first stage in their evolution, before they evolved and took on the appearance of their creators.

[PG15]

But what did they mean by evolution? Did the nanites themselves actually change, or did they just combine together to form the Asurans?

[kirmit]

But what did they mean by evolution? Did the nanites themselves actually change, or did they just combine together to form the Asurans?

Well considering the Asurans are partly organic I'd say they combined together to become sumthing bigger with more functions (maybe replicator bugs) and at some point assimilated sum organic tissue to become what they are now. They are actually very similar to the borg imo.

[PG15]

Indeed. However, I don't see why we can't use the nanites found in Hot Zone as a stepping stone towards those weapons.

And don't forget those "evolved" nanites within Weir in The Real World.

[kirmit]

Indeed. However, I don't see why we can't use the nanites found in Hot Zone as a stepping stone towards those weapons.

And don't forget those "evolved" nanites within Weir in The Real World.

The nanites are worth looking into if they can be securely studied, I'm not sure earth would risk another 'hot zone' situation. However the asurans are very different now from those nanites, much more complex beings now. Basically I see you have having three results from studying the nanites, one being you find out how to seperate them from each other though we've already done that with the replicator guns, which we know they can adapt to. Second fine out how to change their base code, we know how to do that, though so far have been unsuccessful everytime tried. Lastly work out how to simply turn them off, I believe will be the best course of action, any other method the Asurans can adapt or counter. They might be part organic, part machine but the organic can't work without the machine, turn the machine off you're sorted.

[SaberBlade]

But what did they mean by evolution? Did the nanites themselves actually change, or did they just combine together to form the Asurans?

Bit of both.

When Niam was talking about their past, we saw Oberoth's evolution as a pretty quick thing. We got told how their replication lead to them creating more complex forms, which eventually lead Oberoth taking Lantean form because it was the most effective and efficent form they knew off. So it seems mostly like they did change, and eventually decded to combine into the form they have now because it was the best thing they could evolve into.

[prion]

Of course. You must be an Indian because you walk like one, you talk like one (not the same language but you speak using your tongue, etc.), you eat meat, etc.

No, that's cultural. This a physical thing. Anti-replicator weapons DESTROY the asurans. Point it at a human, it won't.