Lockdown (803)

[Anubis]

Ah, but Anubis is no longer a Goa'uld symbiote. The normal rules don't apply!

lol I guess you're right *grins*

[Elwe Singollo]

Was Anubis a Goa'uld symbiote ever since his first appearance on the show?

[Andy867]

But if you remember, both Vaselov and Daniel described themselves as being simply observers in their own body, which is what a symbiote does, especially a goa'uld. And the fact that Vaselov's immune system was failing would also show that a symbiote's genetic make-up was also present, since a symbiote replaces a host's own immune system.

[Elwe Singollo]

But while Anubis was in Vaselov's body, he didn't really replace his immune system, he was damaging it, but i guess i can't be sure of anything anymore since the last thing we see of him is on the freezing planet.

[Nolamom]

Because Anubis isn't an actual symbiote, per se, but rather an ascended being, he woudn't necessarily have the capability of replacing the host's immune system. He may *suppress* it, leading to all sorts of acquired immune deficiencies...

[Andy867]

Well, maybe not replace, but I agree that like tretonin, the symbiote/larval goa'uld does suppress the host's own immune system, but my guess is that it would take time to suppress it, which Anubis had while in Vaselov.

Having been ascended and finding out about what Anubis really was, he might have remembered what kind of energy Anubis gave off when Daniel confronted him in Full Circle (when Anubis exposed himself to Daniel), and when Anubis possessed him and Daniel felt the energy, and later recollected it, he knew it was Anubis.

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

But if you remember, both Vaselov and Daniel described themselves as being simply observers in their own body, which is what a symbiote does, especially a goa'uld. And the fact that Vaselov's immune system was failing would also show that a symbiote's genetic make-up was also present, since a symbiote replaces a host's own immune system.

Would an energy-based creature have genes?

I know, I know: so why is the immune system the first to go? I haven't a clue.

I don't think Anubis is a Goa'uld, since his forced descension, but I do think that he still thinks like a Goa'uld, and thus, uses hosts the way he's always used them.

Maybe he'd been out of a physical body for such a long time that he couldn't remember how to keep control. Is blending like riding a bike?

[Anubis]

lol Riding a bike is quite a good example. You may be correct. He might not be a Gou'ald at all. Perhaps he was a ordinary person who wanted to be as evil as the Gou'ald, and figured out how to ascend and become this very evil system lord!

[VixyOwl (~~Ani)]

Because Anubis isn't an actual symbiote, per se, but rather an ascended being, he woudn't necessarily have the capability of replacing the host's immune system. He may *suppress* it, leading to all sorts of acquired immune deficiencies...

Yes. If only Earth had a viable drug to replace immune systems decimated by a Goa'uld...

Wait a minute?!?!?

[VirtualCLD]

But Anubis's presence was more of an infection, the immune system was working to fight the infection, but losing badly. Even the "miracle" drug/cure would probably not have worked. There are limits to our immune system as well as the drug. Even a symbiote/parasite can't heal everything.

[VixyOwl (~~Ani)]

My point is: they didn't try tretonin.

TRETONIN! Hello... worth a try, no?

[ShadowMaat]

I thought the same thing. A larval symbiote replaces the immune system and the tretonin replaces the larva, so... Worth a shot, desperate thing tho it may be. If he's gonna die anyway, right?

[VixyOwl (~~Ani)]

Yes. I mean, the bottom line is that writers wanted him to be dying.

Why, I don't know. If he'd been healthy, he would have made an even more noble sacrifice--actually, they probably wanted him to be dying so that the SGC folks don't feel the need to go after him to try to save him.

Anyway, they wanted him to be dying, so anything they *would* have tried wouldn't have worked. But what they actually *chose* to have killing him was something that the show has dealt with at least twice a season, ie immune system disorder. So they had a lot of things to try.

It's a minor point, but it just seems sloppy. And those minor, sloppy points add up.

If they didn't want to take the time to say, "We can't contact the Tok'ra, we've tried the healing device, and we've tried tretonin--and they didn't work. Now we're trying the drug cocktail used to treat HIV, but I don't have much hope" then they'd have done better to say "we don't have any idea what's going on, but he's dying."

[Andy867]

It is possible the tretonin wouldnt have worked since it didnt work on the one female Jaffa in Birthright. So, like a symbiote, tretonin might only have a 50/50 chance of working in an individual. But I agree with the notion that in order to prevent people from "liking" Vaselov, the writers "wrote" him off quickly by having him go to an Ice planet.

[VixyOwl (~~Ani)]

Well, that's a slightly different point. And one I hadn't thought of.

I wasn't thinking that they wanted Vaselov to be unlikable. Actually, having someone dying usually makes them *more* likable to me (even Apophis...) But it does mean "Hey! Don't get attached; we're killing this one off."

But I was thinking that as long as Vaselov's a goner anyway, no rescue attempts would be necessary.