Among the many powerful foes that the heroes from Stargate Command have contended with,
the invasive technological terrors known as the Replicators proved themselves to be one
of the greatest threats they would ever face.
In this video I’d like to talk about the rise of the replicators and their systematic
invasion that threatened all biological life in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Spoiler Warning as I will be talking about significant plot details that occur throughout
the Stargate SG1 series.
The Replicators are first known only by their fearsome reputation as the enemy of the highly
advanced and benevolent Asgard race.
A malevolent force far more lethal than any that the members of the SGC had ever encountered
before.
The replicators are technological lifeforms with the singular purpose to consume all available
resources in order to make more of themselves, to replicate.
These machines originated in the milky way galaxy on the world designated P3S-517.
On this world a highly advanced human civilization once thrived until one day when their technological
achievements would be their undoing.
A scientist created an incredibly sophisticated android which apparently was designed with
the purpose of mimicking humans.
The android named Reese looked like a human female and was even built so as to have a
pulse to help maintain the illusion of her humanity.
Reese was powered by an internal power cell and her systems were maintained by millions
of microscopic nanites designed to work together as a self repair mechanism.
Despite being a technological marvel Reese’s complex neurological systems were flawed as
she displayed a child-like immaturity that belied sinister inclinations.
The population grew fearful when Reese began to amuse herself by using her nanites to reorder
matter from raw materials in order to create mechanical insects she called toys.
Reese’s emotional immaturity coupled with such powerful abilities ended up being a lethal
combination.
Fearing the impending destruction of herself and her toys, she taught her creations to
defend themselves and how to replicate on their own.
A single replicator is composed of multiple blocks which communicate with each other to
form links and assemble into various forms depending on their current objective.
Several blocks are required to work together to make new blocks.
Their most common and numerous form came to be that of a large mechanical spider.
Once they reached a large enough number Reese lost control of her creations and the swarm
swiftly overwhelmed and destroyed the civilization of her homeworld.
Each machine is capable of independent behavior yet they all act with a common purpose.
Self-Replication.
With this ever present directive they abandoned their creator and the planet to seek out raw
materials with which to increase their number.
This objective is also coupled with their programming to protect or defend themselves.
Consequently, they seek out the most advanced technology they can find to incorporate it
into the next models they create, upgrading their defensive capabilities as they replicate.
Their pursuit is also unwavering in that no matter the size of their population, no matter
the upgrades they receive they will always seek to replicate no matter the consequences
to biological life.
In consuming Asgard technology they became far stronger, smarter and more numerous than
ever before.
While the exact details of the Asgard’s first encounter with the replicators are unknown,
it is likely they first discovered the machines somewhere in the Milky Way perhaps after detecting
their unique energy signature.
They either brought remnants of a replicator or an already fully operational machine on
board one of their ships for study unaware of the enormous threat they posed and the
disastrous consequences this would have on their race.
Replicators are highly adaptable and once able to run loose on an Asgard ship would
immediately begin harvesting the non-essential raw materials found in the vessel’s hull.
They would only stop replication so as to avoid compromising the ship’s integrity.
As they multiply they simultaneously infest their environment’s technology hindering
any efforts to contain and defend against them
During this process the techno bugs only attack when threatened.
However doing so after a certain point is risky as once they infest a vessel’s technology
they can use it to serve their own purpose.
They can disable sensors capable of detecting them and tamper with vital functions such
as life support, transporters and medical systems turning them into weapons.
The replicators possess an impressive capacity for learning.
After discovering Asgard technology they quickly assimilated their knowledge, and by engaging
in combat with them were able to adapt and overcome any tactic used against them.
Upon accessing Asgard computer systems they were able to locate a figurative gold mine
in the resource rich Asgard home galaxy of Ida.
Replicator controlled ships then invaded, sweeping across their various outposts and
vessels like a plague, destroying everything in their path.
The replicators consumed the majority of the Asgard’s resources, limiting the aid they
were able to provide the humans of the Milky Way as they struggled against the spread of
the Goa’uld Empire.
After a lengthy conflict the mighty Asgard found themselves losing the war against the
machine menace.
One reason for this was their overconfidence in their intellect and technology when engaging
the replicators.The Asgard thought the key to victory was to develop stronger alloys
for their ships, more advanced technology to help them in their fight, but in the end
the replicators became all the more advanced and formidable in the process of the war as
they adapted and absorbed the Asgard’s technological discoveries.
Another reason for the replicator’s victory in the Ida galaxy is that they also possessed
knowledge from other sources that enabled them to modify the Asgard’s own weapon technology
to a level that surpassed their understanding.
Their alliance with the far less advanced humans of Stargate Command helped the Asgard
to achieve several key victories against the replicator horde.
This was accomplished with the deployment of less sophisticated resources and tactics.
The Asgard found themselves no longer capable of such thinking which continued to be their
weakness.
Subsequently their propensity to fight technology with more advanced technology would backfire
spectacularly.
SG1’s discovery of the android Reece led to the Asgard enacting a plan to use Reece’s
activation signal to lure all replicators to a planet where they intended to trap them
within a time dilation field wherein time would pass significantly slower essentially
putting them in a state of suspension long enough for a blackhole to finish the job.
This would drastically change the tide of war.
Upon the discovery of their long lost creator the machines realized that the design of the
android’s nanites were superior and thus set about creating human form replicators
composed of the microscopic nanite cells.
With the creation of this new generation of nanite based human form replicators they were
then able to access and reverse the Asgard time dilation device and speed up the passage
of time.
Several different human replicators were created and the entire planet’s resources were consumed.
The human form machines are able to control their insect brethren and are immune to both
energy and traditional weapons fire.
They also have the ability to directly access the minds of humans by inserting their hands
into a subject’s brain in order to learn all of their knowledge and memories.
When SG1 was sent to the planet to fix the time dilation device they experienced this
torturous process.
The one called 5th however was different from the others, displaying curiosity and sympathy
towards humans and a particular fascination with Samantha Carter.
He was created with the capacity for emotion with the intent of fixing the emotional flaws
Reece had suffered however he was ultimately considered a failure.
SG1, aware of the enormous risk to the Ida and Milky Way galaxies, used Fifth’s human
traits against him in order to enlist his help to restore the time dilation device's
original functionality.
Thinking he’d be allowed safe passage off the planet in exchange for his help, SG1 conspired
to keep him trapped on the planet as well.
Fifth had much time to contemplate this betrayal and his malevolent inclinations hidden behind
his childlike naivety were revealed.
He became the leader of the replicator horde, managing to escape the blackhole’s destruction
by manipulating the time dilation device.
With the goal of rebuilding their forces Fifth set his sights on the Asgard world of Orilla,
a planet rich in neutronium, a crucial element in Asgard technology and in the creation of
human form replicators.
During this time Colonel Jack O’Neill, his mind filled with the vast knowledge of the
Gate Builders themselves designed a new kind of weapon that permanently severed the communication
between Replicator blocks and cells rendering them inert.
With this new disruptor weapon threatening their existence, Fifth and a small swarm of
replicators fled the planet but not without obtaining enough neutronium to make one more
human form replicator, one with the exact likeness, knowledge and memories of Major
Samantha Carter.
The tauri-Asgard alliance now presented a significant threat to the replicators and
the milky way galaxy came directly into the crosshairs for an invasion by Fifth.
However Replicator Carter was not the consort he had originally intended her to be, feigning
loyalty and a form of love while in reality seeing Fifth as flawed and weak, she came
to despise him.
With knowledge of the original Carter’s character and memories she manipulated and
betrayed both Fifth and those of Stargate Command to accomplish her twofold purpose
of finding a defense against the disruptor weapon while arranging for Fifth’s destruction.
Thereafter she took over as leader of the Replicator army with a newfound immunity to
disruptor technology.
With the ruthless Replicator Carter now leading the technological swarm there appeared no
way to stop them from conquering the galaxy.
Upon entering the Milky Way she first engaged in a massive assault against the Goa’uld
systematically conquering and assimilating their territories, technology, and resources.
Once they were finished all other populated worlds would be at risk including Earth.
While increasing their foothold in the milky way, Replicator Carter had the simultaneous
goal to eliminate anything that could lead to the creation of another weapon capable
of destroying their race.
After kidnapping Daniel Jackson she sought to gain the knowledge of the Ancients he possessed.
Through interrogation and deception she found the information she was looking for.
On the planet Dakara, once home to the Ancient Stargate Builders, it was discovered that
a device once used to seed human life throughout the galaxy could be reconfigured to destroy
the replicators once and for all.
This Ancient device was capable of reducing all matter to its basic elements and could
be reprogrammed so that its wave output matched that of an enhanced Replicator disruptor.
If this reconfiguration was successful this meant that it would only decompile Replicators.
By programming the Dakara Stargate to dial every gate in the Milky Way network in conjunction
with the deployment of the superweapon, the simultaneous destruction of all Replicators
scattered across the galaxy was made possible.
This plan would give the Replicators no time to adapt to the weapon.
With all biological life at stake the heroes of Stargate Command along with their allies
were successful in activating the Weapon and ending the Replicator plague once and for
all.
Amazingly, the Invasion of the Replicators proved to be enough of a threat to unite the
various factions of the Milky Way.
This includes those who had long been mortal enemies.
This development serves to indicate the dire gravity of the situation and the supreme threat
the replicators posed especially given how close all biological life came to being wiped
out by the machine menace.
But I’m curious to know what you think.of the invasion of the replicators.
Is there a particular phase in their evolution and history that stands out as your favorite?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Thank you all so much for your support and as always have a very nerdy day.