This makes no sense.

[Kratos_Goauld_of_War]

In "Lost City." Jack says Daniel can't use the ancient repository because he was the only one who could translate for the person who goes Ancient. However, in "Window of Opportunity" both he and Teal'c learned Latin and, I assumed, Ancient as a result. So was it just Jack being himself in not wanting Daniel to eventually die or a mistake by the writers?

Also, I always assumed that the repository would only work for an Ancient or someone with the ATA Gene. In "The Fifth Race" the thing didn't pop out of the wall until Jack stepped in the circle.

So, how come Daniel could use Merlin's? Was it a special case?

It makes my brain hurt.

[RingThing]

I think Jack didnt want Daniel to die - seem to remember the thingie jumpin at Daniel in "The Fifth Race" - only not Teal'c b/c of the symbiote. Or maybe the writer forgot - wouldnt be the first time

[Betelgeuze]

Jack and Teal'c are nowhere near as proficient in Ancient as Daniel. But i think that Jack wanting to protect Daniel also played a role.

Don't know if the ATA gene is neccessary, but it would make sense. The Ancients probably would not want to have their knowledge fall into the wrong hands. So maybe the response of the repository to Daniel in Lost City was a plothole, or the ATA gene isn't necessary. Merlins's device might have been different. It was not a repository, but somekind of interface.

[jasminaGo]

Jack and Teal'c didn't really learn Ancient, they mostly just memorised the text Daniel already translated. So in LC, Jack didn't want Daniel to download the info since there won't be anyone left to really translate.

As for The Quest, when Merlin went inside Daniel he changed his DNA.

[Mclean]

Jack and Teal'c learned Latin to try and understand the Ancient time machine. But the Latin language isn't actual Ancient, so Jack and Teal'c wouldn't have understood what Daniel was saying if he had the repository downloaded into his mind.

[Kratos_Goauld_of_War]

Jack and Teal'c learned Latin to try and understand the Ancient time machine. But the Latin language isn't actual Ancient, so Jack and Teal'c wouldn't have understood what Daniel was saying if he had the repository downloaded into his mind.

But I thought that Daniel said Ancient is very simmilar to Latin. Maybe that's where I'm confused. I could be misremembering.

[Professor D.H.D. Puddlejumper]

But I thought that Daniel said Ancient is very simmilar to Latin. Maybe that's where I'm confused. I could be misremembering.

I believe your right. Daniel did say that somewhere. But the key world is "similar". Perhaps the two aren't similar enough.

[s09119]

But I thought that Daniel said Ancient is very simmilar to Latin. Maybe that's where I'm confused. I could be misremembering.

They're similar but different enough that you wouldn't be able to easily go back and forth.

[bungeeguy245]

I don't know, to me it is a simple conclusion. In a fight I want Jack in my corner over Daniel no questions asked. But when I need something translated, wether Jack might have had some training or not, I want Daniel. Jack is great at fighting and ticking off the bad guys, but really who wants to rely on him for something intellectual?

[ASAKATA]

1. Jack has the gene and since he already did it once before, he is the best candidate.
2. Daniel has the gene now after returning from ascention, at least this is what Im gathering, otherwise
3. You dont have to have the gene to use those head devices

Just a thought

[Sly12]

To put it simply the point of the wall devices is to provide general information, it's like a legacy of the ancients as a load of gate addresses and general knowledge of the universe is something to be shared, it's not like it covers all there research of security from what we've seen. It's just Teal'c has a different physiology, the ancients want humans to someday ascend aswell, this information could help.

so it probably doesn't use the gene...

the same for Merlins device, he wanted Daniel to use it after all.

Plus, Jack did it because he was still the best choice, having a small amount of ancient from years ago is nothing compared to Daniel's expertise. It's spoken like Latin but it's written form is completely unique and when your looking for a Lost City you don't know where you might need a quick translation.

[Kratos_Goauld_of_War]

To put it simply the point of the wall devices is to provide general information, it's like a legacy of the ancients as a load of gate addresses and general knowledge of the universe is something to be shared, it's not like it covers all there research of security from what we've seen. It's just Teal'c has a different physiology, the ancients want humans to someday ascend aswell, this information could help.

so it probably doesn't use the gene...

the same for Merlins device, he wanted Daniel to use it after all.

Plus, Jack did it because he was still the best choice, having a small amount of ancient from years ago is nothing compared to Daniel's expertise. It's spoken like Latin but it's written form is completely unique and when your looking for a Lost City you don't know where you might need a quick translation.

That is a good point on the quick translations thing. I never thought of it. I'm still gonna stick to the ATA gene though with the obvious exception of Merlin, who was an Ancient so he could modify the thing.

ALso, I don't think Daniel would acquire a whole new gene just by ascending. He didn't become and ancient he just became like them.

[SheppardsAngel]

It is also possible that they were programmed differently, so only some require someone with the gene while others it is simply proximity to them that activates them.

[Mclean]

But I thought that Daniel said Ancient is very simmilar to Latin. Maybe that's where I'm confused. I could be misremembering.

Daniel says the Ancient language has similar sounds to medieval Latin but they're still quite different. In the Fifth Race, O'Niell uses the Ancient word falatus when describing he had lost the ability to speak, and Daniel says it sounds similar to the medieval latin word faculatus.

[Crichiel]

Daniel says the Ancient language has similar sounds to medieval Latin but they're still quite different. In the Fifth Race, O'Niell uses the Ancient word falatus when describing he had lost the ability to speak, and Daniel says it sounds similar to the medieval latin word faculatus.

Exactly. And 'similar' is a pretty vague description. There are thousands of German words that are very similar to English, but I couldn't translate the actual German language if my life depended on it. But for someone with Daniel's linguistics skills, 'similar' could be enough to totally crack the code of a new language.

Also, if any of you took a language in school and then never used it, how long until you forgot even the basics? For myself, it sadly only took a few years. Jack only learned the Latin/Ancient pertinent to translating the time loop device and then never used it again for the three years between WoO and LC.