Ancients/Wraith war

[Bhousden]

Is there anywhere that explicitly states exactly how long the war between the Ancients and the Wraith actually lasted before the left Atlantis to return to Earth?

[thekillman]

100 years. I think it's in "Rising" or "the Siege".

[mandogater]

That sounds about right. I also remember Todd talking about the war in a couple of season 4 and 5 epsiodes.

[Bhousden]

100 years. I think it's in "Rising" or "the Siege".

I find it hard to believe that the Wraith could have evolved that quickly and assimilated so much Ancient knowledge and become such a threat to the galaxy in just a hundred years. Granted they did managed to take over an Aurora class ship and take the ZPM to power a cloning facility. It don't make sense to me how a person, human or Ancient could've encountered and Iratus bug, evolved into a Wraith and become a scourge on an entire galaxy in just hundred years. I'm thinking the Wraith were a lot older than that, and it wasn't until 100 years prior to their return to Earth that the Ancients encountered them and realized they were fighting a war they couldn't win, IMHO.

[thekillman]

I find it hard to believe that the Wraith could have evolved that quickly and assimilated so much Ancient knowledge and become such a threat to the galaxy in just a hundred years. Granted they did managed to take over an Aurora class ship and take the ZPM to power a cloning facility. It don't make sense to me how a person, human or Ancient could've encountered and Iratus bug, evolved into a Wraith and become a scourge on an entire galaxy in just hundred years. I'm thinking the Wraith were a lot older than that, and it wasn't until 100 years prior to their return to Earth that the Ancients encountered them and realized they were fighting a war they couldn't win, IMHO.

The Wraith didn't evolve in those 100 years. In fact the two origin stories of the Wraith needn't be contradictory: the Ancients were in Pegasus for a minimum of 5 million years. If they seeded human life when they arrived, that's enough time for the Wraith to evolve and develop on their own, possibly assimilating Ancient technology left on the planet.

Then, 10 000 years ago at the start of the war, the Ancients encounter the Wraith in a hibernation cycle.

Lastly, i think we vastly overestimate the amount of Ancients in Pegasus. We know of only 2 cityships. We know of only a few bases. The Ancients didn't have a massive sprawling civilization, and why would they? they came to ascend not continue their civilization.

[Bhousden]

The only reason they wanted to ascend was to escape the war. At least that was stated in Tao of Rodney

[thekillman]

The only reason they wanted to ascend was to escape the war. At least that was stated in Tao of Rodney

The ancients in the Milky way wanted to ascend.

[Bhousden]

Not all the Ancients in the MW ascended either. Some were wiped out by a plaque

[thekillman]

Not all the Ancients in the MW ascended either. Some were wiped out by a plaque

If it were easy, the ancient's would done so ages ago. Besides the ones fleeing to Pegasus would be the ones that couldn't ascend, and then they spent a couple million years trying some more. And even then the Lanteans struggled to ascend.

[briangreen1984]

That whole sucking out the life force seems a bit weird to me. First of all, it is unclear how it works, so the whole series become less scientific. And at the same time, what are their advantages exactly ? Their only food source is pretty demanding and slow growing.

[thekillman]

That whole sucking out the life force seems a bit weird to me. First of all, it is unclear how it works, so the whole series become less scientific. And at the same time, what are their advantages exactly ? Their only food source is pretty demanding and slow growing.

It seems to give them mental powers, insane regeneration beyond the Goa'uld and superstrength.

[The Flyattractor]

That and how the Wraith went from being a race that could stand toe to toe with the Ancients and actually WIN in a battle/war in the pilot to being downgraded to just a pesky nuisance in the series.

[thekillman]

That and how the Wraith went from being a race that could stand toe to toe with the Ancients and actually WIN in a battle/war in the pilot to being downgraded to just a pesky nuisance in the series.

Well it's likely that in their 10 000 years of hibernation they fought among themselves already. The wraith we awoke were nothing like the Wraith that defeated the ancients.

[The Flyattractor]

Well it's likely that in their 10 000 years of hibernation they fought among themselves already. The wraith we awoke were nothing like the Wraith that defeated the ancients.

That also doesn't help the "Wraith" any either. I mean 10,000 years has gone by and they haven't gotten their crap together or advanced any in all that time?

But then technological advancement in the SG Universe is almost as stagnant as it is in the Star Wars U.

[thekillman]

That also doesn't help the "Wraith" any either. I mean 10,000 years has gone by and they haven't gotten their crap together or advanced any in all that time?

But then technological advancement in the SG Universe is almost as stagnant as it is in the Star Wars U.

Technological innovation in Stargate is almost zero yea.

But consider this: after the war they must've had massive numbers. They entered hibernation to ensure there's enough food. It seems strange to me that there never would have been a wraith that thought "maybe we should just reduce our numbers" and blows up a rival sleeping hive.