Fictional materials in the Stargate universe
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The fictional Stargate setting contains a number of elements and other compounds unique to it, as well as fictional properties for real elements and compounds.
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[edit] Naqahdah
Naqahdah [ˈnækwɪdʌ] (also spelled "Naquahdah" or "Naquadah") is a fictional, superheavy metal used in Stargate SG-1. It is also in the original Stargate movie, though never named, only described as a quartzite-like material; it was not stated why it was quartzite-like, but fans speculate that it turns physical impacts against it into electricity, the so called piezoelectric effect. It has a dull grey sheen in its natural form, and glows green in a liquid form.
A variant spelling of the name, "naquahdah", is sometimes seen in various sources (including the official sites) but the "u" is not present in the instances where the word is spelled on-screen. The name originates from the Egyptian village Naqada.
Naqahdah is the basis for all Goa'uld technology, and the material is used to handle the massive energy requirements in order to create a stable wormhole by a device known as a Stargate, which is composed almost entirely of Naqahdah.
At least 4 variants exist: Liquid Naqahdah, used to power staff weapons, Heavy Liquid Naqahdah (mentioned in a dream sequence [1], leaving its existence in true Stargate canon questionable); and Naqahdria, which is an unstable heavy Naqahdah isotope. The Goa'uld have many mining operations on various planets extracting the mineral to be refined into Weapons-Grade Naqahdah, which is even more rare than the raw ore and is considerably more dense. Weapons-Grade Naqahdah is so dense, in fact, that it generally requires two Jaffa to carry a small brick of it.
Naqahdah is very rare, and does not exist naturally in Earth's solar system. At least some of Earth's naqahdah supply comes from P3X-403, where, as a result of a treaty negotiated by Daniel Jackson with the native Unas, the Unas work the mines and turn over the naqahdah to the SGC. The Unas agreed to do this both to prevent the humans from desecrating Unas holy sites while mining it themselves and to facilitate the SGC's war against the Goa'uld, whom the Unas hate.
Technologically, naqahdah is very important for most advanced races. As the only known material to interact with neutrinos, which are used to energize the material, and a superconductor capable of storing and converting many types of energy, including electrical and thermal forms, naqahdah is important in high-energy applications such as weapons, propulsion mechanisms (including hyperdrives) and force-field technologies. The refined weapons-grade metal has been shown to amplify the effects of both standard chemical and nuclear explosions, exploited by the System Lord Ra to create an enhanced nuclear warhead which was ultimately used against him. This effect has also been used by Earth forces to produce enhanced warheads and bombs, including a 'gate-buster' capable of producing a multi-gigaton blast. Naquadah itself can be used as an explosive; compact reactors utilising its energy-production properties can be set to overload, producing an uncontrollable chain reaction. The use of naquadah as an energy source appears akin to standard nuclear fission reactors, although the radiation generated appears to be far more limited, shown by the lack of shielding used on naqahdah generators. Naquadah has also been seen to react violently with potassium. The mechanism of this reaction is unknown, but not believed to be entirely chemical, evidenced by radiation release. The Goa'uld used this property to create a bomb implanted within a living person in order to destroy the Earth Stargate.[2]
Naqahdah is also an integral part of the Goa'uld's physiology, giving them the ability to use their technology, and to sense the presence of other Goa'uld within a close range, which also holds true with Tok'ra and Jaffa. The host of a Goa'uld symbiote carries naqahdah in his or her blood which remains in their system, even if the symbiote is removed, the only exceptions being artificially cloned symbiotes and the Goa'uld who remained on their native homeworld (known only by its SGC designation, P3X-888), found to have no naqahdah. To explain this inconsistency, it is believed that heavy use of naqahdah-based technology, such as the sarcophagus, may have introduced the metal into their systems centuries after they left P3X-888.
Naqahdah is apparently also the standard medium of exchange within the area that is or has been under the dominion of the Goa'uld; weapons-grade naqahdah is preferred by the traders of the Lucian Alliance.
[edit] Naqahdriah
Naqahdriah (also spelled "Naquahdriah" or "Naquadria") is a highly unstable variant isotope of naqahdah with greater explosive properties. It can also be used for the powering of hyperspace engines with far smaller quantities than with naqahdah, and the greater amount of energy produced allows for intergalactic travel with reasonable transit times. Naqahdriah is formed from naqahdah in an artificial chain reaction. The only known planet containing naqahdriah is Langara, where large deposits were created millennia ago by the Goa'uld Thanos, with other deposits being created when the Kelownans detonated a naqahdriah bomb, an incident that almost resulted in the detonation of a large underground pocket of naqahdriah which would have rendered the planet uninhabitable. Unprotected exposure to naqadriah can lead to brain damage, delusions and/or schizophrenia.
The Earth Mark IX "Gatebuster" nuclear bomb is enhanced with naqahdriah, allowing it to detonate the naqahdah in a Stargate, creating a truly massive explosion. The energy released is sufficient to render most shields useless.
[edit] Trinium
Trinium is a metal that is very brittle in raw form but can be refined into a substance 100 times stronger and lighter than steel. It is a key component in Tollan technology. Stargate Command has attempted to acquire reserves of it several times. It has been put to good use as the iris installed on the SGC's Stargate is a trinium-titanium alloy. It is also used for the hulls of Earth's battlecruisers such as the Prometheus and its Daedalus class ships.
The Asgard use a Trinium, Carbon, and Naquahdah alloy as the hull for their newest ship the O'Neill.
It should be noted that trinium is distinct from tritium.
[edit] Maclarium
Maclarium is an artificially-synthesized super-heavy element, named after its fictional creator, Dr. MacLaren. It has an atomic weight of over 200 and was first referenced in the episode "Red Sky." Originally named HU-2340, it was introduced into a sun to render foreign plutonium atoms inert as they were changing the sun's nuclear reaction enough to eventually destroy all life on a nearby planet.
[edit] Tretonin
Tretonin is a drug extracted from Goa'uld symbiotes. The drug reproduces the symbiote's ability to almost magically heal its host of physical damage within a short while, in addition to drastically increasing their resistance to disease. Unfortunately, also emulating the effects of a symbiote, the drug suppresses the user's own immune system. This effectively makes a tretonin user dependent on the drug for the rest of his or her life. However, the Tok'ra were able to develop a cure which restored the user's original immune system, making it safe to permanently halt use of the drug.
The drug was developed by the Pangarans as a miracle drug to cure any disease, hopefully eventually eradicating it from their entire planet. The Pangarans got the Goa'uld symbiotes from the mother of the Tok'ra resistance movement, the queen Egeria.[3]
The Tok'ra, using Pangaran knowledge, have developed a purely synthetic Tretonin, used by the Jaffa in place of immature Goa'uld symbiotes. The first test subjects were Teal'c and Bra'tac.[4]
A small number of Jaffa may be contraindicated with regard to tretonin treatment; in such patients, the tretonin simply does not work, the symbiote can be reintroduced, but if the Jaffa does wait too long, both symbiote and Jaffa die; the first instance of this was with Mala, the second-in-command of Ishta, leader of the Hak'tyl.[5]
[edit] Neutronium
Neutronium is an element basic for the Asgard technology and essential to build human Replicators. Superdense, neutronium is composed entirely of super-packed neutrons that are truly massive in weight. Incredibly rare, Neutronium is the only known inhibitor of both the Asgard and Replicator populations, and it is found only in the cores of super-cooled neutron stars; chunks of dark matter that would otherwise appear to be normal planetoids. Supreme Commander Thor once stated that their homeworld Orilla was the location of the only sizable source of Neutronium remaining in the Asgard galaxy.
[edit] Wraith enzyme
When a Wraith feeds on a human, it injects a special enzyme into the victim's bloodstream. This enables the victim to withstand the feeding process longer by making them stronger. Without it, humans succumb to the trauma associated with a feeding sooner. A user is invulnerable to Wraith stunners. It was first mentioned in "The Siege, Part 3", when Dr. Carson Beckett found the substance in Lieutenant Aiden Ford who later set up a gang of enzyme addicted men to battle the Wraith in "The Lost Boys".
[edit] References
- ^ "Absolute Power"
- ^ Cassandra, see "Singularity"
- ^ "Cure"
- ^ "The Changeling"
- ^ "Birthright"
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| Factions in Stargate | Tau'ri, Jaffa Resistance, Tok'ra, Asgard, Ancients Goa'uld, Jaffa, System Lords, Replicators, Ori, Wraith, Lucian Alliance, The Trust, NID, IOA |
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