Nox (Stargate)

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Nox
Species Nox
Homeworld Nox homeworld P3X-774
Governing body The Elders
Alliances as of season 10 Tollan
Prior Alliances Four Great Races
Key episodes "The Nox" (first appearance)

The Nox are a fictional race on the television series Stargate SG-1.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Nox are a peaceful, humanoid and fairy-like people, so technologically advanced that they are capable of reviving the dead and rendering even large objects invisible and insubstantial through unknown means (in one instance, a Tollan ion cannon for planetary defense). They were also capable of learning other languages at an accelerated rate as the Nox that encountered SG-1 took a short amount of time before they learned the English language. Their lifespan is not known but the oldest of the Nox encountered in the episode was hundreds of years old.

Non-interventionist in the extreme, they feel morally obliged to help both sides of an argument until a fair and balanced decision is reached, even if one side is thoroughly evil. For instance, they will aid both the Goa'uld and the Tau'ri (Earth humans) equally when they are present during combat between the two. They will not even fight to protect themselves (and often do not need to, given their ability to render objects invisible). However, they have been known to walk a very fine line, as when one of their kind hid a Tollan Ion cannon to prevent it from being destroyed in a Goa'uld surprise attack, and the cannon was then operated by Teal'c to destroy a Goa'uld Ha'tak; this did not go against the Nox value system, since a Nox did not actually operate the weapon.

The Nox's advanced technology was explicitly shown when they revealed their floating city to the SG-1 team on the Nox's planet, giving scientific basis for the impressive powers they had displayed throughout the episode. They can also establish a wormhole without the unstable vortex-like "kawoosh" effect that normally accompanies a Stargate's activiation (the Asgard also possessed this ability). In this instance, it seems that the gate was also pre-dialed back to the Nox homeworld.

[edit] History

The Nox are considered to be one of the "four great races" of the Stargate universe, along with the Ancients, Asgard, and Furlings. Even though the Nox buried their Gate in the Season 1 episode The Nox, they unburied it later that year in Enigma after receiving a message from the Tollan. Later in Season 3's Shades of Grey, they were one of the races who threatened to cut all ties with Earth if more of their technology was stolen; this suggests that they remain connected with the Tau'ri (as well as the Asgard and possibly even the Furlings), and could be seen again in the future. Despite this, they have not been seen again or mentioned in the TV show, and their status with respect to the Ori invasion of the galaxy is unknown.

[edit] Speculation

If they (and the Furlings for that matter) still operate as a member of the Four-Great Races with the Asgard, they would obviously have been told about the Wraith and the Ori. How they would interact with these races is not completely certain.

[edit] Mythological Inspiration

In keeping with the theme of earthly deities and pantheons it may not seem like the race known as the Nox fit into this theme. However, in Greek mythology, one of the primordial gods (before the Titans and the Olympians) was named Nyx, the goddess of the night. The Roman translation of Nyx is Nox.

There could also be a connection with the Nix of German myth. The Nox also bear a strong resemblance to the Fey of Celtic Mythos who could turn invisible at will, among other wonderous abilities.


Alien races in the Stargate universe Edit
 Five Great Races  Ancients, Asgard, Furling, Nox, Tau'ri
 Humans  Tau'ri, Tollan, Aschen, Genii, Athosians, Prior
 Jaffa  Sodan, Free Jaffa, Hak'tyl, Illac Renin
  Ascended beings  Ancient, Ori
 Goa'uld  System Lords, Tok'ra, Kull Warrior
 Other  Asurans, Iratus bug, R-75, Re'ol, Re'tu, Replicator, "Spirits", Unas, Wraith
Topics in Stargate  v  d  e 
 Story of Stargate  Stargate, Stargate SG-1 (episodes), Stargate Atlantis (episodes), Stargate Infinity (episodes), Stargate Universe
Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum, Comics, Literature
 Stargate Universe  Alien Races, Planets, Technology, Characters, The SGC, SG-1, SG Team, Atlantis, The Stargate, Ascension
 Factions in Stargate  Tau'ri, Jaffa Resistance, Tok'ra, Asgard, Ancients
Goa'uld, Jaffa, System Lords, Replicators, Ori, Asuran, Wraith, Lucian Alliance, The Trust, NID, IOA