THE NAQUADAH GENERATOR: An advanced power unit that uses the mineral naquadah to generate
large amounts of energy.
Reverse-engineered from a similar device built by the Orbanian civilization, naquadah generators
became a staple for portable power generation utilized for offworld operations by Stargate
Command and the Atlantis expedition.
In their third year exploring the galaxy Stargate Command made contact with the planet Orban,
a technologically advanced human civilization in the Milky Way Galaxy.
As part of a cultural and technological exchange the Orbanians loaned one of their generators
to Earth for study.
The Orbanian generator is rectangular in design, approximately 10 inches tall and 18 inches wide.
Inside the box are two spherical chambers, positions on opposing ends of the device
for generating and regulating the charge.
Accompanying the device to Earth was Merrin, a brilliant young girl who possessed full
knowledge of how the technology is constructed – thanks to the cognitive enhancements provided
by microscopic nanites in her system.
With Merrin’s help, Major Samantha Carter studied the device in the hopes of reproducing
it for use by Earth.
The first, rough-and-ready prototype was the naquadah reactor, which Major Carter tested
on the base ... much to General Hammond’s chagrin.
After an initial power surge the device was successful at generating clean energy.
Some months later the Earth-built device was field tested when SG-1 traveled to the planet
designated P2X-416.
After sending through a M.A.L.P. the S.G.C. determined that the planet was inhabited by
a people eager to make contact with off-worlders, but there was no evidence of a dial-home device
that would allow them to return.
SG-1 brought along a naquadah generator in order to power the gate and manually dial home.
But after the D.H.D. was unburied and SG-1 forced to flee the planet under fire, the
prototype power generator was left behind.
Eventually the prototype reactor was refined into the naquadah generator.
The device uses a small amount of naquadah, the mineral that the Stargate itself is made of.
Naquadah is volatile, and the generator appears to create power by means of
a controlled explosive reaction.
(If this is the case, the portion of naquadah inside the device would be burned as fuel
and periodically need replacing.)
The self-contained unit is around one meter long and relatively light-weight, making it
highly portable for off-world use.
This allows S.G. units to use the generator to power alien technology, by attaching output
cables from either end of the device to a compatible receptor.
The technology would eventually be shared with Russia and perhaps other nations on Earth
for the generation of clean power.
The generator’s output is even capable of powering the Stargate itself, allowing a team
to manually dial out when a gate is not connected to a functioning dial-home device –
which normally powers the Stargate's operations.
This allowed Stargate Command to begin sending teams to worlds lacking a dialing device.
Earth scientists continued to refine the technology, improving its efficiency, portability,
and raw power output.
The Mark II naquadah generator was delivered to Atlantis during a siege of the city by
the Wraith, aiding in the city’s defense by powering the drone weapon chair.
This version can be modified to increase the power output by 600 percent, by operating
in a state of barely controlled overload.
Later the naquadah generator was miniaturized, allowing it to serve as an on-board power
supply for an Earth-made energy weapon – the X-699 prototype plasma cannon.
Because the technology generates power through a controlled naquadah reaction, when necessary
it can also be rigged to overload and function as a high-yield explosive device.
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