Goa'uld
Goa'uld are a serpentine parasitical species that feature in Stargate: SG-1.
Contents |
History
Origin
The Goa'uld were a species of water dwelling organisms that were believed by archaeologists to had been native to the planet designated P3X-888 where they co-existed with the native Unas. All symbiotes were believed to had originated on this world where they were believed to had been predatory animals but not parasitical. A theory was held that the Goa'uld evolved for millions of years in the prehistoric oceans of P3X-888 before taking on hosts. These early symbiotes even lacked trace amounts of Naquadah and it was believed that this element entered into their makeup later in their evolution. (Episode: The First Ones)
According to a Jaffa, many worlds containing a Stargate had been terraformed by the Goa'uld many centuries ago. (Episode: The First Commandment)
In their early history, the parasitic species managed to spread their rule through space and claimed the planet Dakara which had been the home of the Ancients. (Episode: Reckoning, Part 2) Millennia ago, they discovered a primitive world whose inhabitants were called the Tau'ri or the First World where human form of life had evolved. Upon discovery, the harvested the planet of its primitives with some becoming Goa'uld hosts whilst others were transformed into the Jaffa. (Episode: The Enemy Within) At some point, the Goa'uld created the first Jaffa on the planet Dakara which became the site of the first prim'tah ritual that forever bonded the Human offshoot race to their masters. This enshrined the world in Jaffa beliefs as a sacred world where the Goa'uld first gave their servants their strength and longevity. As a result, for thousands of years Dakara was seen as a sacred world for the Jaffa who saw it as the cradle of their existence. (Episode: Reckoning, Part 1) The remaining were taken as slaves that were seeded among the stars to serve them thus leading to many such planets becoming populated by the ancient cultures of Earth. (Episode: The Enemy Within) Thousands of years ago, a Goa'uld by the name of Telchak had discovered an Ancient healing device that had the power to heal but its effects were so powerful that it was devastating. The Goa'uld reverse engineered the technology he had discovered and used it to create the Sarcophagus. (Episode: Evolution, Part 1) Around 2000 years ago, a Goa'uld Queen by the name of Egeria grew repelled at the cruelty of her people. She decided to come to Earth in order to stop her people from taking humans through the Stargate as slaves. Ra eventually found her and it was believed that he had her killed but not before she spawned the Tok'ra movement. (Episode: Crossroads) After being forced from Earth, knowledge on the location of world had been lost for centuries with the planet of the Tau'ri becoming a tale told among the Jaffa. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
Stargate
In 1996, the Tau'ri of Earth managed to uncover the Stargate and began to study it where they activated it allowing them to journey to Abydos. The team dispatched consisted of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson who had arrived on the world when the Supreme System Lord Ra had arrived to collect his tribute. Ra would capture the Tau'ri with Colonel O'Neill deciding to detonate a nuclear warhead that he had been given in case he had encountered a threat. After learning of Earth, Ra had the device enriched with Naquadah thus enhancing its destructive potential where he intended to send it back to the Tau'ri homeworld. However, Dr. Daniel Jackson would inform the native Abydonians about the truth behid Ra where they rebelled against him forcing him to flee. Both Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson managed to use a ring transporter to transport the bomb to Ra's orbiting vessel where it detonated before Ra could defuse it. (Movie: Stargate)
Fallen Gods
The fall of the Goa'uld came when the Replicators arrived in the Milky Way and initiated an all-out attack against the parasitic aliens. (Episode: Reckoning, Part 1)
Overview
The snake shaped parasite that is the Goa'uld requires a host body to inhabit in order to affect the environment around it. Typically, among the Goa'uld, this is done invasively taking control over the host body and surpressing the mind. As such, its typical among the Goa'uld to state that "Nothing of the host remains." as part of the process. However, strong minds can resist the parasite for brief moments requiring more concentration from the Goa'uld within to maintain its control over the body.
The symbiont typically enters the body of a host either through the mouth or burrowing through the neck. Once inside the body, they attach themselves to the spinal column and begin their control over the body. Young larval Goa'uld can only accomplish this briefly as they have not matured to the point that would allow them complete control over the body. As part of their maturation cycle, a Goa'uld can 'shed' its skin leaving an empty husk behind which can confuse enemies that attempt to surgically remove the Goa'uld.
Entry could be achieved through force with the parasite burrowing through the neck. Upon latching onto a host, the parasite wrapped itself around the spine and wove itself around the nervous system with thin filaments that extended up and into the brain. Immature symbionts at times abandoned their Jaffa incubators out of desperation to survive and forcibly take a host. However, they waged a battle with the host for control of the body with this becoming divided as they forced them to black out and take control before being forced to relinquish command of the body. It was for this reason that the Jaffa were created to be living incubators to the young Goa'uld. Jaffa were generally not able to communicate with the symbiote inside of them. As they matured, the symbiotes were noted to shed their skin as a husk. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
Early prehistoric Goa'uld were believed to be predatory animals that remained in this existence for millions of years before adopting a parastic existence. The early primordial queens were noted for their enlarged pectoral musculature and dorsal structure. (Episode: The First Ones)
One of the conditions required for a larval symbiote to be maintained outside the host was a small electrical current that mimicked that generated by the body. Even if the conditions of the pouch were replicated the Goa'uld larva would still slowly die without this one final element. (Episode: Bane)
Goa'uld possessed a genetic memory where all were born with the knowledge of their kind before them. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
One of the unique traits among the Goa'uld is their genetic memory which allows them access to the accumulated knowledge of their race from the Queen that spawned them. As such, the moment a Goa'uld is born, they possess the memories of their predecessors. This includes the memories of the acts made by their ancestors and parents.
Though not explained, the Goa'uld during their journey across the stars developed Naquadah within their blood. This has provided the Goa'uld several advantages one of which is that it serves as a 'genetic key' that allows them the usage of their technology which only responds to the Naquadah in the users blood. A symbiont is capable of implanting this ability in a host should the Goa'uld itself die.
Another noted advantage of the Naquadah present in a Goa'ulds body is that it allows them to actually sense the location of a Stargate.
Primordial symbiotes from their original homeworld lacked even trace amounts of Naquadah within their makeup with the substance later becoming part of their biology later in their evolution. (Episode: The First Ones)
Certain hosts with proper training could prevent the Symbiote from taking complete control over their mind. They then operated as a voice within the mind of a Goa'uld and were able to influence their actions. (Episode: Thor's Hammer)
Society
As a parasitic race, they were noted to take life and use it for their own purposes. (Episode: The Nox) Traditionally, a Goa'uld were said to be vain about their appearance. (Episode: Evolution, Part 1) It was for this reason that the worlds that fell under their control had their populations fear beauty as curse as such individuals were desirable as perfect hosts. (Episode: Thor's Hammer)
It was said that the Goa'uld would not willingly share their knowledge with others. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
Though they used humans, there were other species that were far older who had been used as hosts some of whom had immeasurable power and savagery. (Episode: Thor's Hammer)
As a civilization, they ruled by force and though they were very few in numbers they were growing. Some of their kind ruled as great kings that lorded over many worlds and portrayed themselves as gods. Many hundreds of worlds were believed to had been under their control. Some of those planets were abandoned leaving their populations to fend for themselves. It was said that they had no need for peace and that if it was in their power they would kill other civilizations. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
Goa'uld lords were often accompanied by a personal guard of Jaffa. (Episode: The Nox)
Knowledge of Goa'uld science or 'magic' was forbidden to their slaves such as the Jaffa. (Episode: The Enemy Within) There were still some technologies that the Goa'uld even sought out to acquire for themselves. (Episode: The Nox)
Technology
The sarcophagus was developed from a study of an Ancient healing device. (Episode: Evolution, Part 1)
They also developed a homing device allowing the user to find a missing Stargate. (Episode: The Nox)
Without the Stargate, they made use of spacecraft in journeys that could take months or years. (Episode: The Enemy Within)
They had built smaller shield devices that were large barrel shaped machines that created an energy force high in the air and protected regions on worlds that had large amounts of radiation reaching the surface. (Episode: The First Commandment)
Notes
- The Goa'uld were introduced as antagonists in the Stargate: SG-1 television series.
Appearances
- Stargate SG-1:
External Links
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