Atomic Weight of Naquadah

[Mr Prophet]

However, there is a rather large (137km) asteroid floating around out there that was composed of 45% naquadah. With the need for naquadah to build BC-303s ("Enemy Mine"), you'd think they'd have gone out there and mined that rock already.

Well, aside from the fact that the SGC have sneck-all space mining capability and no spacebound heavy transport vessels, the Tok'ra probably ponced it while they were shuttling SG-1 home.

You can just see the looks of feigned innocence on the Council's faces as they ask: "You lost what? An eighty-five mile asteroid? How careless."

[Beatrice Otter]

Did we skip Fail Safe in Seaon 5?

Oh ... right. I've seen it, but it's been a while, and I completely forgot about the Nq on that asteroid. Thanks.

[Beatrice Otter]

Well, aside from the fact that the SGC have sneck-all space mining capability and no spacebound heavy transport vessels, the Tok'ra probably ponced it while they were shuttling SG-1 home.

You can just see the looks of feigned innocence on the Council's faces as they ask: "You lost what? An eighty-five mile asteroid? How careless."

::snicker:: Ooh, that's good.

Unfortunately for your theory, we've never seen anything which even hinted that the Tok'ra have any manufacturing capacity of their own. In fact, the frequency with which they must change bases and the small amount of equipment they take with them when they do indicates (to me, at any rate) that they have no manufacturing ability of their own. In which case, what would they do with it?

[Mr Prophet]

::snicker:: Ooh, that's good.

Unfortunately for your theory, we've never seen anything which even hinted that the Tok'ra have any manufacturing capacity of their own. In fact, the frequency with which they must change bases and the small amount of equipment they take with them when they do indicates (to me, at any rate) that they have no manufacturing ability of their own. In which case, what would they do with it?

They have more chance of having - or at least getting - a space miner than Earth does.

[Beatrice Otter]

True, they could pick it up lots easier. But then, how do they refine it? How do they take the refined Naquadah and make it into something? Without the facilities to do so, I just don't see it happening. And in an emergency evacuation of the kind the Tok'ra have so frequently, toting a huge asteroid around has got to slow you down, y'know?

[LtNOWIS]

Also, just in case you were interested this web page (http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iupac/AtWt/element.html) about really heavy atomic weights suggests the writers have been in a few chemistry classes. Element 130 is Untrinilium, which sounds familiar to trinium in the show, and element 140 is Unquadnilium which sounds familiar to naquadah. Maybe this means that naquadah is in the 140's as far as atomic numbers are concerned?

Sorry, all unnamed elements that start with "Un" are named directly from Latin. See, Un means 1, quad means 4, nil means 0. Thus, Un-quad-nil-ium. Same with Untrilium. The problem with this system is that you sound stupid sounding out element 111, "unununium."

[Mr Prophet]

True, they could pick it up lots easier. But then, how do they refine it? How do they take the refined Naquadah and make it into something? Without the facilities to do so, I just don't see it happening. And in an emergency evacuation of the kind the Tok'ra have so frequently, toting a huge asteroid around has got to slow you down, y'know?

Not if you put an engine on it; park up a few teltacs as temporary living space, slap a Stargate on the back of it and you don't need a planet.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go and make note of a plot bunny...

[Beatrice Otter]

Not if you put an engine on it; park up a few teltacs as temporary living space, slap a Stargate on the back of it and you don't need a planet.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go and make note of a plot bunny...

Glad I could be of help, Mr. Prophet

[iLemon]

I've read that to maintain a stable wormhole you need an anti-gravity material, which is Naquadah. And also the reason we havent got a Stargate yet is because an element like Naquadah hasn't been found yet, or that it doesn't exist.

[Lord Osiris]

in upgrades u see 2 jaffa carrying 1 small slap of refined naquadah so i think in realit these are powerfull then all other current resources because to lift an lead bar u also need two men to lift it

[BruceDickinson]

Perhaps it is a very cohesive element. As in, if there is a vein on a planet, it is the only location you will find it. And as far as it not making sense that more of it does not replenish itself, perhaps it requires very rare occurances to create the necessary conditions for it to form, such as a supernova.

Maybe when Naquadah is in a solar system during its early formation, it bonds together into an asteroid like cluster and when another body finally reaches a mass heavy enough to attract it, it crashess into the surface forming a localized deposit. It could posses certain properties that increase the likelyhood that it ends up on an Earthlike planet. That's all a half baked notion for sure, but maybe the logic works somehow...

[Lord Osiris]

if that is supposed so we can assume that naquadah is formed in outerspace so we can search it in space rather than on planets

[BruceDickinson]

if that is supposed so we can assume that naquadah is formed in outerspace so we can search it in space rather than on planets

Perhaps, if were to happen upon a solar system in the right stage of formation. But considering the volume of asteroid sized projectiles that would likely be crashin around through orbit, it may prove quite difficult... Besides the fact you would have to scan an area the size of a solar system as opposed to scanning a planet, and also considering most solar systems would likely have no Naquadah, it may prove quite impossible.

[Lord Osiris]

your absolutely right we could have an problem with an naquadah astroid but whe could search for pure naquadah on inhabital planets so we can have an deposit first

[BruceDickinson]

your absolutely right we could have an problem with an naquadah astroid but whe could search for pure naquadah on inhabital planets so we can have an deposit first

Right, but considering the billions upon billions of star sytems in just our galaxy, coming up with an efficient method to search for an extremely rare element would probably prove the most difficult problem of any.

It seems the Goa'uld have relied soley on systematic searching of gate network solar systems to find their supply of the resource, and even then, they are doing it in areas likely scoured by the Ancients and other races before them.