Free Jaffa Nation
The Free Jaffa Nation is a government that features in Stargate SG-1.
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History
Jaffa were originally slaves to the Goa'uld, the former dominant galactic power. The Jaffa were originally humans brought from Earth, bred and possibly genetically engineered for strength and eventually for reliance on Goa'uld symbiotes. It is said that the enslavement of all Jaffa originated at the Temple of Dakara, where the Jaffa were first implanted with Goa'uld symbiotes and given their strength. Dakara is the ultimate holy ground and symbol of enslavement and freedom (for it is the last place they were free before rebelling) for the Jaffa.
The Jaffa Nation is the product of years of resistance; the uprising of the Sodan in about 3000 BC marks the first stirring of revolt among the Jaffa. Gerak's father apparently died for the cause of Jaffa freedom at the Battle of Sazak-Sur on Chulak ("The Fourth Horseman, Part 2"). However the modern Jaffa rebellion only began when Teal'c defected to the Tau'ri and joined SG-1. Following Teal'c's defection, and the defection of his mentor Master Bra'tac, the Jaffa Resistance grew swiftly, forming into a coalition of guerrilla-style freedom fighters. The movement culminated with the attack on Dakara. The success of the battle proved the weakness and fallibility of the Goa'uld and marked the beginning of the ultimate success of the Jaffa Resistance. With the destruction of the Goa'uld by the Replicators and the defeat of the Replicators by the Dakara Superweapon the Jaffa began the process of forming a nation.
The Jaffa Resistance and the destruction of the System Lords gave birth to the Free Jaffa Nation, with the planet Dakara as its new capital. The new nation immediately became a major power, inheriting part of the fleets of the System Lords, partially filling the power vacuum left by their defeat. In an elaborate ceremony marking the official founding of the Jaffa Nation, Teal'c and Bra'tac were knighted Bloodkin to all Jaffa, the highest honour that can be bestowed on any Jaffa. The nation was initially ruled by the Jaffa High Council, on which votes were appropriated based on unconfirmed military assets, the nation is divided between at least two major political factions: the opposition progressives who support Teal'c and Master Bra'tac's vision of a representative democracy and the ruling traditionalists who support the military oligarchy with Gerak at the head of the High Council.
To govern the nation, the High Council was established with Teal'c and Bra'tac both serving as interim members. Stargate Command offered their assistance with Major Paul Davis and SG-9 being dispatched to provide guidance. However, many Jaffa viewed the Tau'ri with distrust and believed that this guidance was an attempt to subvert their newly acquired freedom and take control over them. (Episode: Avalon, Part 1)
With the arrival of the Ori, things began to become difficult for the Jaffa Nation. The nation was initially committed to resisting the spread of Origin and its attendant Priors; most Jaffa were horrified at the idea of worshipping false gods once more, as the resistance of the Jaffa of Kallana showed ("Beachhead"). However, Gerak was converted to Origin and as a result the Ori gained a powerful ally in the form of the Jaffa loyal to them. However, Gerak's choice threatened to split the Jaffa with civil war as the progressives and even some of Gerak's fellow traditionalists were opposed to this idea; even Gerak's aide Yat'Yir had doubts. In the end, however, Gerak chose to rebel against the Ori by curing the SGC personnel, a decision that ended up killing him, the result of a biological kill switch within him.
The future of the Free Jaffa Nation is unknown, but a resolution passed by the High Council mandated a referendum to determine whether the nation would adopt a constitution based on Earth representative democracies. It passed in Stronghold (January 2006), with elections to be held two months later.
Currently, the Jaffa have been suffering greatly against the followers of the Ori with their ships being almost completely ineffective at stopping the recently arrived Ori battlecruisers. One of the first Jaffa worlds to fall to the Ori was Teal'c's home planet of Chulak.
Recently, the Jaffa leader Se'tak had taken matters into his own hands to deal with the Ori. This was done with the Dakara Superweapon which, in fact, was not destroyed. This weapon was used to target Ori worlds to wipe out the followers of Origin. The first targeted world was a human planet which possessed an Ori battlecruiser that had landed. A Jaffa strike force arrived on the ship to commandeer it, in the hopes of gaining enough warships to challenge the Ori more effectively. The strike force faced competition in the form of SG-1 and Adria, who was the only survivor on the planet. She killed those Jaffa that challenged her and learnt of the weapons location and set course for the homeworld of Dakara. Dakara had been evacuvated at this point and Se'tak attempted to use the weapon again on the Ori ship which did not affect it (as Adria possessed a personal shield that immunized her to the radiation of the weapon). Adria targeted the Dakara device and destroyed it, along with Se'tak and his loyal followers.
Master Bra'tac survived the devastation of Dakara. However, there are now fears that without the homeworld that was taken from the Goa'uld, the Jaffa will fracture even more and the freedom they worked so hard for may have been for nothing. It has also been learnt that there are many other Jaffa worlds that have bowed down to the Ori; either through fear or having actually been converted is unknown. Several Jaffa worlds had willingly fallen into the hand of the Ori crusaders though small resistance movements still existed that gained intelligence on these enemies. Some groups, such as the Illac Renin, became devoted to the path the Ori showed them though many resisted it. In order to help stabilise the leadership of the Jaffa, a peaceful summit was called on the Jaffa world of Dar Eshkalon but a deceptive strike killed many of it attendees. It was revealed that this was done by radical Jaffa who followed the Ori and were led by a former First Prime known as Arkad who wished to steer the Jaffa's destiny into the hands of the Ori. Furthermore, to gain the favour of his new masters, he attempted to stockpile weapons grade naquadah to use against the Tau'ri but he was killed by Teal'c before he could accomplish this. Currently, the fate of the Jaffa Nation is unknown beyond the elimination of this single threat. (Talion)
Overview
Governance was presided over by the High Council. (Episode: Avalon, Part 1) There was a faction of traditionalists that existed within the nation. Outsiders were not permitted to address the council. (Episode: Ex Deus Machina)
The Jaffa High Council was divided between Traditionalists, favoring old-style government based on military strength, and Progressives, favoring some form of republic. The Traditionalist faction was led by Gerak and Yat'Yir, both former servants of Montu. In "Ex Deus Machina", it is revealed that the former followers of Yu tend to be traditionalists. The most vocal and committed progressives seem to be the former servants of Apophis, and to a lesser extent those of Moloc. A likely explanation is that these Jaffa were among the first to be freed by the rebellion (for Apophis Jaffa, it had been four years; for Moloc's women Jaffa it had been longer), and hence might be more willing to experiment. Other groups are known to exist as the episode "Talion" revealed a group that worships the path of ascension the Ori bring to the galaxy. This group, known as the Illac Renin, which is Ancient that loosely translates as 'Kingdom of the Path'. This cult willingly believe in the Ori's goals and attempted to gain power, however, this was blocked by the other Jaffa factions. It was led by the Jaffa known as Arkad before his death.
The Jaffa are a warrior culture, with an emphasis on honor and strength. The lives of men are governed by a complex code of honor; insults are often implications of weakness, as exemplified by the double meaning of the word khek as both "death" and "weakness". Women are also trained as warriors and are also expected to be able to hold their own in a fair fight. However, traditionally women were tasked to defend their homes while their men were away at war.
The Jaffa generally have given up worship of the Goa'uld and are religiously undecided, though there have been Jaffa who still serve Goa'uld, these were mostly those that served Ba'al. The vast majority do seek Ascension.
Burial rituals seem to vary with some Jaffa dead being burned while the episode Talion showed that small 'sticks' are placed at graves as reminders of those who had died. A small ribbon is tied on the 'stick'.
The Jaffa are a warrior culture, and the original nature of the Jaffa High Council reveals as much. The Jaffa have inherited the System Lords' military system. The Jaffa armies are equipped with staff weapons, but inferior armour (they can be killed with a single shot of a crossbow), and the Jaffa space fleet consists of Ha'tak motherships, Al'kesh bombers, Tel'tak cargo ships, and Death Gliders.
Members
- Gerak :
- Bra'tac :
- Teal'c :
Appearances
- Stargate: SG-1:
External Links
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