Vegetarian Wrath?

[MechaThor]

Although the basics of what Wrath can infact feed on is unclear? I mean can you feed a wrath a squirrel or a cow? Or dose it have to be a human? Or do they not feed on cows and squirrels because they may end up with cow DNA and become energy sucking Cow monsters?
Is it only humans as that was the original Exotic and alien DNA that entered the iratus bug ecosystem and so caused the mutation?

If not I am sure wrath feed on Humans and not squirrels because we have longer lives and so a lot of energy! But Trees are living things and can live for hundreds of years so they would have loads more lifeforce energy in them right? There4 could you get a Vegetarian wrath sucking the life out of trees?

It may sound stupid but still think about it! Also I am sorry if this thread is already around!

[BerrySciFi]

That's not at all stupid. You ask questions that I think of when I'm watching Stargate, but I forget when I go to GateWorld! I think the Wraith can only feed on animal life- but what if Atlantis could find some way to make it possible for a Wraith to feed on plant life. It reads rather silly when I type it, but then the Wraith would have no food shortage problems. I think that would be a creative, albeit boring way to 'combat' the Wraith. I see no reason why a Wraith could not feed on other animals besides humans. Perhaps the life force in smaller animals just isn't enough to be worth their effort? But what about larger, non-human animal life? I'm not throwing animals under the Wraith bus (I love animals)- I'm just wondering...

[ciannwn]

I see no reason why a Wraith could not feed on other animals besides humans. Perhaps the life force in smaller animals just isn't enough to be worth their effort? But what about larger, non-human animal life?

The mysterious life force which Wraith feed on has never been explained. As for Wraith feeding on other animals, Ellia (Instinct) hated what she was so it's logical to imagine that she tried other creatures and found she couldn't survive.

[Promethius30]

Also in the episode condemned in SGA season 2 you see wraith feed on soom meet not sure what meet it was but he says

WRAITH: Our lineage may have diverged, but there are those of us who still retain an appreciation for finer things. (It lifts another forkful of food and looks at it.) And although it may provide a moment's pleasure, it does not sustain me.

So that sounds that they cant eat food that is not human but i supposes if the animal is alive it could sustain them but i dont think it would
Who knows it may be look at in another episode

[Team SG-1*save the show*]

^I noticed that too. maybe some of the wraith are less evolved than others, so they retain the ability to eat normal foods. We have seen that the wraith can survive much longer without food than a human, and the lifeforce must sustain them longer than normal foods would.
As for vegetarian wraith- i think that would be a No.

i think they would be able to feed off the 'lifeforce' of an animal but it would probably be more of a snack than a meal. Humans would have a larger lifeforce than a smaller animal such as a squirrel- although i cant recall seeing a squirrel on stargate Atlantis If humans had the choice of a snack such as crisps everyday or a nice steak/meal everday they would choose the meal- well i would.

[ciannwn]

^I noticed that too. maybe some of the wraith are less evolved than others, so they retain the ability to eat normal foods.

Ellia was able to live on normal food until she reached a certain age. She then had to feed on humans in order to survive. Zaddik had no idea she was doing this because he thought his potion was working - this suggests that she continued to eat normal food in his presence otherwise he would have noticed something odd. Going by what the Commander from 'Condemned' said, some Wraith just eat normal food because they enjoy the taste even though they get no nourishment from it. This Commander was able to judge vintage wines and find some chefs' meals better than others so he obviously got something out of it even though his arrangement with the Magistrates was designed to supply him with humans on a regular basis.

Wraith:... This arrangement I have made with you and your predecessors has served both of us well. While others of my kind have been forced to sleep between cullings, I have enjoyed a steady stream of humans for my consumption

i think they would be able to feed off the 'lifeforce' of an animal but it would probably be more of a snack than a meal.

In 'Poisoning The Well' we learn that Sheppard had offered Steve all kinds of different live animals to feed on but humans were the only thing on the menu. As Steve was imprisoned in the cell for two weeks and was prepared to give information in exchange for a meal, this indicates that Wraith are adapted to feeding on humans only. This kind of thing is hardly unusual in nature - koalas have to eat eucalyptus leaves, pandas are stuck with bamboo shoots etc.

Humans would have a larger lifeforce than a smaller animal such as a squirrel- although i cant recall seeing a squirrel on stargate Atlantis If humans had the choice of a snack such as crisps everyday or a nice steak/meal everday they would choose the meal- well i would.

If humans were starving and had the choice of crisps or nothing, I'm guessing most humans would choose the crisps. I'm guessing that Steve would have opted for squirrels rather than nothing as well. Ellia hated feeding on humans and took Beckett's retrovirus because of it. Why would she have been driven to desperate measures like that if she could have fed on other animals?

PS: The Wraith are now in a precarious position due to having woken up before there are enough humans to go round. If they could live on other animals it's likely they'd be doing it in order to survive.

[Ripple in Space]

Well remember that Wraith are descended from human & Iratis Bugs both of which (presumably) live off animals, mammals specifically.

I think the best guess is that this "life force" that the Wraith drain has a specific correlation to sentience (since cows & such are larger and would contain more kcal than people). I imagine that Wraith can "drain" other mammals it just doesn't have enough "life force" to satisfy the hunger.

Meaning, feeding a hungry Wraith a chicken or cow would be like feeding a hungry human a grain of rice.

[Team SG-1*save the show*]

I forgot that Ellia could eat normal foods. oops. thanks for pointing that out ciannwn

If humans were starving and had the choice of crisps or nothing, I'm guessing most humans would choose the crisps. I'm guessing that Steve would have opted for squirrels rather than nothing as well. Ellia hated feeding on humans and took Beckett's retrovirus because of it. Why would she have been driven to desperate measures like that if she could have fed on other animals?
.

I see your point. i suppose if they could feed on animals they would have done it by now.


hopefully we will find out more about the wraith in season 4. We need more wraith episodes!!!

[ciannwn]

Well remember that Wraith are descended from human & Iratis Bugs both of which (presumably) live off animals, mammals specifically.

We don't know what Iratus Bugs live on when there aren't any humans around. Perhaps they adapted to their natural prey so they aren't affected by absorbing DNA when they feed.

I think the best guess is that this "life force" that the Wraith drain has a specific correlation to sentience (since cows & such are larger and would contain more kcal than people). I imagine that Wraith can "drain" other mammals it just doesn't have enough "life force" to satisfy the hunger.

Meaning, feeding a hungry Wraith a chicken or cow would be like feeding a hungry human a grain of rice.

It's all very mysterious. If Iratus Bugs just feed on energy alone, why would they absorb DNA from it? If Wraith just feed on energy alone, why do they end up with blood on their hands? Going by what Wraith say, strong emotions such as defiance or whatever seem to affect 'taste' but this could be a purely physical thing - strong emotions release chemicals into the body and this could make a difference.

It's difficult to see how sentience could have anything to do with food value - if it did it would take Wraith feeding out of the physical into the metaphysical. There's no such thing as the supernatural in the Stargate universe - everything has a materialistic explanation.

The other thing to consider is the Hoffian drug which was supposed to make humans unpalatable. It ended up killing Steve as well as half the Hoffian population. How could a drug alter 'life energy' to the extent that it made Steve's internal organs shut down?

[Pocus]

I am not sure about the Wraith being able to feed on other animals, but I do recall there being a difference in life force among humans.

Rising

Sumner and the Keeper

SUMNER: Then we're done talking.

WRAITH: I think not. Kneel. (Sumner doesn't move. She reaches towards his head. He grabs for her hand but she runs a fingernail down the side of his face. Her voice echoes in his mind.) Kneel. (Sumner falls to his knees.) I have not tasted such strength in so long. (She reaches down and rips his shirt open.)

Commom Ground

Spoiler:

SHEPPARD (weakly): You know, I could've sworn I was gonna wake up dead today.

WRAITH: You are strong. Stronger than any human I have ever fed upon.

Maybe the Wraith need Humans because we have a will to live and an awareness of death. It makes our life force stronger and therefore more sustaining and tastier.

**goes back to lurking**

[Rudy Pena]

Although the basics of what Wrath can infact feed on is unclear? I mean can you feed a wrath a squirrel or a cow? Or dose it have to be a human? Or do they not feed on cows and squirrels because they may end up with cow DNA and become energy sucking Cow monsters?
Is it only humans as that was the original Exotic and alien DNA that entered the iratus bug ecosystem and so caused the mutation?

If not I am sure wrath feed on Humans and not squirrels because we have longer lives and so a lot of energy! But Trees are living things and can live for hundreds of years so they would have loads more lifeforce energy in them right? There4 could you get a Vegetarian wrath sucking the life out of trees?

It may sound stupid but still think about it! Also I am sorry if this thread is already around!

Thats a great idea. Then when are the trees are gone all the life forms in the PG are killed. Then the Wraith will have Atlantis and they will find a way to upgrade their hyperdrives and then they come here the Milky Way and they will start culling many hundreds of planets. Then the Wraith will be truely hard to kill.

[Ouroboros]

They're probably limited to feeding on human lifeforce because it's similar to their own, being that they're human hybrids. Lifeforce from drastically different forms of life, especially something like a tree, might not work for the same reason you can't feed your cat cabbage.

[ciannwn]

There's still the question of what this 'life force' actually is. 'Poisoning The Well' has something to say about how Wraith feeding operates.

PERNA: ....Ferrel and his team discovered that this man possessed a unique protein, one that enabled him to resist the chemical released by the Wraith to precipitate draining of life from their victims.

BECKETT (looking at the book): Ferrel made a copy of the protein.

PERNA: He was eventually able to create a prototype of a drug designed to interfere with the Wraith feeding process.

We also learn that Wraith absorb some kind of 'physical stuff' from their food. Beckett's explanation of why Steve died -

BECKETT: Initial tests revealed a significant amount of Hoffan serum in his bloodstream. I'm guessing we'll find similar trace amounts in each of his organs once we analyse those as well.

More about the serum -

BECKETT: From the Hoffans' research, we know that when the Wraith feed, they release a chemical into their victims' bodies. What it actually does, we don't yet understand, but I can only assume that it prepares the human body in some way to be drained of life. The serum is designed to shield the victim from that initial chemical release, blocking it.

BECKETT: I think the serum protein may have mutated when it was exposed to the Wraith chemical, triggering some sort of toxic reaction.

SHEPPARD: So instead of feeding off of him ...

BECKETT: ... he was poisoned. So if the serum did this, then it's more than just a defence against the Wraith.

There is no way that Steve could have got the Hoffian drug into his own system by trying to absorb 'energy'. He had to be syphoning off some kind of 'physical substance' which the Hoffian drug could be carried in. This would also explain why Iratus Bugs absorb human DNA when they feed - DNA can only be carried by something 'physical' which is syphoned out of lunch's body.

[MechaThor]

Thats a great idea. Then when are the trees are gone all the life forms in the PG are killed. Then the Wraith will have Atlantis and they will find a way to upgrade their hyperdrives and then they come here the Milky Way and they will start culling many hundreds of planets. Then the Wraith will be truely hard to kill.

I am sure it would take millions of years to eat all the Trees in the PG!
I mean after all it is Stargate so EVERY planet is full of pine tree forests! Plus the Wrath are gd at sustanable development, only eating enought to let their stocks regrow!

Also i just remembered something! In "The Defiant one" the Wrath lives off the Human stock then his own wrath! and that kepts him alive for thousands of years! That would suggest that its not Just Humans! But thats may only be a possible food source to east another wrath becuase of their mutant Human DNA?

Also some have stated that Sentiant life may be better for Wrath due to the idea that they are stronger and have more "energy" as they can understand their life is being sucked! There4 would one of the Atlantis Whales also know that? I mean theres got to be alot of lifeforce in a whale!

[Rudy Pena]

I am sure it would take millions of years to eat all the Trees in the PG!
I mean after all it is Stargate so EVERY planet is full of pine tree forests! Plus the Wrath are gd at sustanable development, only eating enought to let their stocks regrow!

Also i just remembered something! In "The Defiant one" the Wrath lives off the Human stock then his own wrath! and that kepts him alive for thousands of years! That would suggest that its not Just Humans! But thats may only be a possible food source to east another wrath becuase of their mutant Human DNA?

Also some have stated that Sentiant life may be better for Wrath due to the idea that they are stronger and have more "energy" as they can understand their life is being sucked! There4 would one of the Atlantis Whales also know that? I mean theres got to be alot of lifeforce in a whale!

MechaThor, How hard is it to add a i in Wraith? I don't mean to offend you.