Why are the ancients so stupid

[Stevos]

Okay we know they lost to the wraith because of there overconfidence in their tech. The same mistake the asgards made with the replicators. You can forgive them doing it once, but when they all got killed by the asurians they did it a second time. Surely after 10k years they would at least consider the fact that something may have changed and had a backup plan (i.e. shields raised and all jumpers launched). Any half decent plan has a backup plan.

So why are they so stupid.

Also they were completely wiped out by the waith, so why did they kick out the atlantis team before checking that the waith threat had reduced etc.

For such a super advanced race, they seem to act very stupidly.

[Kirath]

not stupid mopre like arrogant. in their pride they ignored or didn't take problems as serious as they should until it was too late.

Spoiler:

A perfect example of this is seen in the Retirn part 1. They assumed the Assurans couldn't harm them and didn't even attempt to raise the shields until it was too late.

[Tanith]

Hadn't the ancients in The Return pt 1 only experienced a few years due to the speed they were travelling through the void? I doubt that while in stasis they bothered to think of a backup plan against attack from an enemy they were leaving behind.

[wise one]

well thet didnt seem like scientists more like a small army or cookers

[Blitz]

Just because they are technologically advanced, why does that mean they don't make mistakes? Why does it mean they wouldnt make mistakes we ourselves would more than likely make.

As far as they know, the asurans are still unable to attack them. I don't see them as stupid or ignorant....or over confident.

[PG15]

They were acting like humans.

[PSp2gamer]

This totally shows how they lost to the Wraith. They think that they are better then everyone and dont look at the big picture. I think the fact that they died this way shows easily how they lost to the Wraith. I wish they were as smart mentally as they were technilogicly.

[TheReturnOfTheLantian]

the ancients are not stupid but very arogrant' with the ancient believing non of there enemy's cannot hurt them when they created them and with the return part1 like some1 has already said they didnt no that they have rewritten their base code.

[FallenAngelII]

not stupid mopre like arrogant. in their pride they ignored or didn't take problems as serious as they should until it was too late.

Spoiler:

A perfect example of this is seen in the Retirn part 1. They assumed the Assurans couldn't harm them and didn't even attempt to raise the shields until it was too late.

And they shouldn't have assumed this because? "Oh, hey, that computer program I programmed is open. I should shut it down in case it's somehow reprogrammed itself!".

[Dutch_Razor]

SG1 doesn't have a plan B half of the time, although it's time for one

[Stevos]

They were at war for years and years, and so you would think they would learn how to think / plan for failure. After all they were used to failing/losing.

I agree sg1 doesn't have a backup plan very often but most of the time they don't even have a plan a, they just play it as they see it because they don't have prior knowledge of what they will see on the other side of the gate.

However the ancients did have time to say, hay wait a minute things over 10k years can change lets don't jump to conclusions.

[ZPM_Plant]

They were at war for years and years, and so you would think they would learn how to think / plan for failure. After all they were used to failing/losing.

I agree sg1 doesn't have a backup plan very often but most of the time they don't even have a plan a, they just play it as they see it because they don't have prior knowledge of what they will see on the other side of the gate.

However the ancients did have time to say, hay wait a minute things over 10k years can change lets don't jump to conclusions.

I think Tanith got it right. For the Ancients traveling at near the speed of light on the Tria only a short time had past. Their thinking in their "return" was likely quite similar to when they left. That said, these past two episodes have really painted the Ancients as incompetent.

However, parallels with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire could be drawn here, and offer some comfort. The remnant Ancients inhabiting Atlantis were not necessarily of the same stature of those who created the stargates and mapped the Milky Way. Remember, many of their bretheren had ascended. Just like the Eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire, that continued on after the fall of Rome in 476 AD was not of the same composition or capacities of the Roman Empire at its pinnacle. The Byzantines of Constantinople called themselves Romans until they fell to the Ottomans in the 1400s, but were they really of the same stuff that made Rome great?

Unfortunately we don't know all of the back story, but I hope it comes out in the second DVD movie. How did the Ancients go from a thriving, unstoppable race, whose scope was unrivaled to bumbling idiots who operate off of flawed assumptions and who have no tactical wherewithal?

[PG15]

They were a thriving, unstoppable race because there was no one to stop them. It's only when real enemies like the Wraith and Asurans show up that we see what they're really like in a war.

[Beej]

They were a thriving, unstoppable race because there was no one to stop them. It's only when real enemies like the Wraith and Asurans show up that we see what they're really like in a war.

yes, and both of their nemesi were created by them...oh the ironic parody.

[Skythe]

yes, and both of their nemesi were created by them...oh the ironic parody.

I found the title of the post rather ironic:

Why are the "acients" so stupid

What? Who are the acients? Are we watching the same show, because i'm pretty sure i know not of these "acients"!