Inconsistencies of Goa'uld Timeline

[gordonliu]

I realize this is my first post, and if I have violated someone's opinions about proper forum etiquette, I apologize...


given everything that has been explained in the series, this is the only possibility for a rough timeline of the Goa'uld (their hosts/source):


Swamps ---> Unas ---> ???? ---> Humans



this is based on the following information

1) they steal technology and/or do very limited development..

there are no Goa'uld based societies with large engineering and scientific resources that developed Goa'uld technology independently

this is opposed to the limited tweaking/modification/expression/expansion of "stolen" knowledge

2) their first hosts, the unas, were a stone age culture with absolutely no knowledge of science or engineering..

in fact, when the Goa'uld first took Unas as hosts, they didnt learn anything...


3) their eventual hosts, humans, were first contacted when humans were at an extremely basic level of civilization (just barely beginining organized agriculture in africa) and no physics/math

it was at least 10,000 years ago (this is a commonly and oft repeated timeframe for the construction of the pyramids, which was predated by initial contact/host taking

4) contact with earth requires knowledge of the stargate or space travel.


this means that they had technology before humans were involved....


so the only possible hosts that could have been taken before humans, which then taught the Goa'uld about science:


the ancients
extremely unlikely, but possible... we know that the Ancients still existed as an organized race in our galaxy (and probably the surrounding galaxies) less than 100,000 years ago

the asgard
also unlikely, as they came from another galaxy and had little or no significant investment in our galaxy until humans were eventually spread by the Goa'uld

the nox
unlikely but more likely than the previous 2.... the Nox live exclusively in the Milky way and have done so for at least several 10s of thousands of years

the furlings
no comment... no info


the unnamed fish creatures from "Fire and water" season 1
Ama-Roca... these people existed side by side with early humans/Goa'ulds on earth... yet they had advanced technology


The Serrakin
In my opinion this is probably the most likely answer....

[Skadi]

According to the show, the Goa'uld took much of the technology they found (mostly from the Ancients - like Stargate and the healing Cube Telchak found and used as inspiration for sarcophagi), examined it, and made their own versions of it.

Aside from this, they also do research themselves. Thoth is a scientist, as is Nirrti. The Tok'ra are excellent scientists, especially in biochemistry - they have invented many things, and quickly, that are later used on the show. For instance, they also changed the tretonin on Pangar to be synthetic and to be used for making the Jaffa independent of their primta.

The Goa'uld (and Tok'ra) are highly intelligent, and no where is it said that they do not do research, just that most of their technology came from ideas gotten from things they had found/stolen. Their main problem is that they are not very many, and that only a few focus on research. Their problem is the same as any feudal society face - a few people working mostly on their own will take a long time to discover things, no matter how intelligent.

So...they invented some things on their own, and found a lot of abandoned things from the Ancients, which they used to create their technology. No need for any step between Unas and humans.

[escyos]

we have no idea how long the Goa'uld were in Unas bodies and on P3X-888, they could have spent hundreds of years on there and finally all left through the gate.

came out on a world with technology, studied it for years, built their own tech and kept going on for hundreds of years.

[lordofseas]

They could have also come across advanced, non-human societies from whom they stole technology from as well.

[Quetzocoetl]

They could have also come across advanced, non-human societies from whom they stole technology from as well.

Only if those societies were full of ancients.
The Go'auld themselves transported humans from Earth all across the galaxy.

My theory is this: The Go'auld took Unas hosts on their homeworld. They developed for quite a while, and probably learned how to use the Stargates, and begun an Unas-enslaving empire that lacked ships. As time went on, they discovered technology of the 4 races, studied it, and began to develop their own ships. The Go'auld eventually stumbled on Earth, enslaved some societies, and made the switch over to humans, primarily because of their vanity. There was a revolt on Earth, but by that time the Go'auld had already populated various worlds with humans, so they just left.

[Snowman37]

Goa'uld evolve from water snakes to parasitical life forms and take Unas as hosts. They wander the galaxy via stargate and slowly build an empire off left behind technology and ships thanks to the long-gone ancients. Eventually, Ra found Earth, and then you know the rest from there. In the movie, it's said that Ra was dieing and the last of his race. In SG-1's first episode, it was thought impossible for there to be another alien out there like Ra. There are story inconsistancies, but basically the Unas were Goa'uld hosts until Ra found Earth, then they all switched over to human hosts.

[gordonliu]

the only option is that a species alien to the planet came through the Stargate or ships (if they had ships, they probably also already knew how the Stargates worked), got infested, and subsequently transferred their knowledge to the infesting Symbiotes... These symbiotes reproduced with primordial queens, and then infested the native Unas for use as laborers by using the new offspring who possessed the genetic memory of the technologically advanced aliens that were just infested. this group of aliens and Unas then used the technology of the Alien species to leave the planet (with queens in tow). They conquered or infested more aliens, repeated the process of reproduction with the queens (to spread the genetic knowledge). They repeated this process until they found earth, at which point they must have decided that Humans were superior hosts, despite being primitive.





That is really the only option if you accept the evidence given in the series as canon.



No technological or scientific development of any kind whatsoever could have occurred on the planet itself.


When the SG teams were there in the episode "The First Ones" there was no evidence of metal tools, a written language, or mathematics.


there is no way that a Goa'uld infested Unas could have figured out the stargate by themselves, even if they just sat in front of the DHD and dialed random addresses for hundreds of years on end.



The only option is this:



The Unas were not the hosts that "brought" the Goa'uld into the galactic stage. It was some other unnamed alien race.

[D Toccs]

Just because the Unas have not evolved a more advanced society, does not mean that the Goa'uld using Unas did not.
Just because the Goa'uld did not invent all of their technology does not mean that are not capable of figuring it out on their own.

Once the Goa'uld began taking Unas hosts, they were free to explore more of the planet and begin advancing their knowledge. The Goa'uld's naturally long lifespan and genetic memory would greatly enhance the rate at which their society would advance.
I would guess that between the primitive Goa'uld first taking Unas hosts, to when they were capable of using the Stargate was probably a period of several thousand years during which time they most likely developed a culture more advanced then the non blended Unas possessed.
Although it is worth noting that the Goa'uld society while incredibly technological, was still fairly primitive being a feudal system where power comes from strength of arms. Not very much of a step up from the Unas' natural tribal society.

There is plenty of evidence within the canon that the Goa'uld were using Unas hosts when they first arrived on Earth.
Sokar was stated to be in an Unas host while in Egypt.
Season 5 Beast of Burden, the humans from that world were first brought to the planet and oppressed by Goa'uld using Unas as hosts who at that time were already using staff weapons.

So while the Goa'uld using other species as hosts is possible (Teal'c even said as much in Thor's Hammer). You're conclusion that the Goa'uld could not have advanced using the Unas as hosts is not correct.

[Selkhet]

That is really the only option if you accept the evidence given in the series as canon.

Since the show never hints at anything else. I'm afraid we must take it for canon. While I agree your idea intrigues me. And it would easily explain events as we know them. I might even debate on your side as to its merits, for it puts everything in a nice neat box. Unfortunately, just because a hypothesis fits inside the parameters does not mean it is the correct one. There is a Stargate quote here .....I just know it, but cannot remember it.

there is no way that a Goa'uld infested Unas could have figured out the stargate by themselves, even if they just sat in front of the DHD and dialed random addresses for hundreds of years on end.

You are telling me that a Goa'uld in a hundred years could not figure the DHD out?