Wraith Dart
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| Wraith Dart | |
|---|---|
 A Wraith Dart in the atmosphere of Lantea |
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| First appearance | "Rising" |
| Affiliation | Wraith |
| References | "The Brotherhood" |
| General Characteristics | |
| Armaments | 2 Pulsed energy cannons |
| Propulsion | Sublight engines |
The Wraith Dart is a small, fast, one-man attack craft in the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, the Dart is used by the Wraith, generally for culling planets of humans and also for space combat.
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[edit] Overview
The primary mission role of a Dart is the culling of humans for the Hive ships. They usually are dispatched through a Stargate or start from the larger ships if needed. If they reach the targeted area they use their culling beams to collect as many people as possible, which are later re-materialized on the Hive ships or on other locations to be fed on.[1] Each Hive contains hundreds of Darts, which are dispatched during a culling run or battle. It was later revealed that Wraith cruisers also house Darts but it is unknown how much such a ship carries.[2]
If necessary, the Darts can also be used as fighters deployed against other ships of similar size, or to attack a bigger target in large swarms. In battle, they use their energy weapons but also their culling beams. The culling beams can be used to beam away enemies from the ground or to beam Wraith soldiers directly to the attacking target. If their Hive ship is destroyed during an attack, the Darts generally start a kamikaze attack upon hostile targets in the area.[3] Furthermore, the large number of darts a Hive ship carries allows them to be effectively a form of 'shield' as the Darts are capable of sacrificing themselves in order to intercept missiles or drones, though drones have been seen dodging Darts attempting to intercept them.[4]
[edit] Technology
The Wraith Dart is capable of travel through a Stargate and is instrumental in acquiring humans to feed on.[1] Like all Wraith ships, the Dart has an organic design.[5] All Darts are assigned to a specific Wraith Hive-Ship. When the Dart approaches its mothership, it automatically activates an autopilot which flies the ship until it lands to allow for smooth docking. If the Dart has something stored in its storage device, the Dart gives the pilot the option of re-materializing the cargo.[6]
As the main mission role of a Dart is to cull humans, they are equipped with transport beams that sweep over the ground, de-materializing every person which comes into the beam without harming them.[1] The beams have also been used to transport Wraith soldiers to and from the surface of a planet, serving as a troop transport in addition to a culling craft.[3] The culling beam can also be used to scan targets, presumably for life forms to be transported.[7]
Because the Darts are built to fly through a Stargate, they are equipped with their own DHD to dial the nearest Stargate, similar to a Puddle Jumper. Also, the canopy appears to be a type of energy field that protects the pilot and becomes completely opaque. To fly it, the canopy is also used as a giant HUD projected on the roof of the cockpit that shows all information required to pilot the Dart.[6]
[edit] Tactical systems
The only weapons which a Dart houses are two forward firing energy weapons that fire in short pulses.[1] A head on, direct hit with a burst from the Dart's energy weapons is capable of destroying a Puddle Jumper instantly.[7] They do not possess guided weapon systems of any variety, meaning that they are at a great disadvantage when combating Puddle Jumpers (which possess the guided Drone weapons) or missile-armed F-302s.[5] Darts are also equipped with a self-destruct system, and can be modified for deep-penetration reconnaissance missions where they are capable of journeying from one system to another.[7]
Sustained machine gun fire from three M249 SAWs is enough to cause a Dart to crash land[8] and one shot from an AT4 is enough to destroy a dart mid-flight[1] as is even a glancing hit from an Earth railgun emplacement [3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Rising". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ "Travelers". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ a b c "The Siege". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ "No Man's Land". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ a b "Allies". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ a b "The Lost Boys". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ a b c "The Brotherhood". Stargate Atlantis.
- ^ "Duet". Stargate Atlantis.
[edit] External links
- "Wraith Dart" at GateWorld Omnipedia.
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