THE ASCHEN: An advanced race of humans in the Milky Way Galaxy, who have assembled a
confederation of allied worlds.
While they readily share their technology with their allies, the Aschen operate out
of their own self-interest – and with sinister ulterior motives.
Faced with the slow extinction of the human race, SG-1 took extreme actions to bring an
end to Earth’s alliance with the Aschen people.
Likely hailing from the planet designated P4C-970, the Aschen are a technologically
advanced people who, although they have a Stargate, for a long time remained isolated
from other worlds.
They discovered a Stargate buried on their planet, but no D.H.D. with which to operate
it – or to compensate for millennia of stellar drift, like the S.G.C.’s dialing computer.
While they seemed to have an understanding of what the Stargate is and what it is capable
of, they had no valid addresses to make use of it.
But the Aschen civilization continued to advance technologically, and they developed ships
capable of space travel.
The Aschen visited nearby worlds, and found a number of them inhabited.
They forged alliances with many of these peoples, sharing their technology in exchange for resources.
Two centuries ago the Aschen established a trade partnership with the developing world
of Volia, providing a vaccine that cured a deadline influenza pandemic.
Eventually a Stargate was also found on Volia, and the Aschen were able to establish a two-way
connection.
Over time, out of this union of worlds was born the Aschen Confederation – which ostensibly
exists for the mutual benefit of all planets.
But the Aschen hid their true intentions from their supposed allies.
The Aschen Mollem, Borren, and others encountered by SG-1 are highly rational and reserved in
their disposition – in the words of Jack O’Neill, “like an entire planet of accountants.”
This helps to conceal their hostile intentions: when they encounter a new world the Aschen
appear non-threatening, freely offering their advanced technology and peaceful cooperation.
In truth, however, the Aschen effectively conquer the peoples with whom they are allied
– but slowly, over time, not by combat but by attrition.
One common method is by means of their medical advancements: a vaccine is presented as an
effective cure for a variety of ailments.
But the Aschen vaccine is engineered to also cause widespread sterility throughout a population.
This is not severe enough to be noticed all at once.
But only after many years, their victims’ birthrate drops so steadily that successive
generations are unable to rise up against them ... if they even realize what their friends
have perpetrated.
The Aschen are patient: though it may take decades or even generations to transform a
planet and its population to suit their needs, they are willing to wait.
No shot is fired, no blade is drawn, no extensive commitment of war resources is made ... and
the Aschen slowly conquer one world after the next.
On Volia, a once thriving, urban civilization that approximated Earth at the turn of the
twentieth century was reduced to a few thousand farmers.
Once working toward their own technological advancements, the Volians allowed their planet
to be transformed into vast tracks of farmland.
With help from the Aschen and their harvester vessels, they became a chief supplier of crops
for the Aschen homeworld.
Yet they continued to regard the Aschen as benevolent allies and saviors, unaware that
they were responsible for the slow subjugation of Volia.
The Aschen evidently intended to conquer Earth in much the same way.
When SG-1 visited P4C-970 they found the Aschen to be a willing ally.
The Aschen provided Earth with advanced defensive technologies, which helped Earth and its allies
to defeat the Goa’uld once and for all.
In exchange, Earth taught the Aschen how to use the Stargate network.
We provided numerous gate addresses, and presumably introduced the Aschen to other allies that
would help their Confederation to spread out across the galaxy.
The Stargate program on Earth went public.
As a friendly ally the Aschen established a presence here, helping to implement and
operate their advanced technologies – matter-energy transporters, solar monitoring sensors, a
cure for cancer, and other astonishing advancements in medicine.
Diseases were eradicated, the human lifespan was nearly doubled, and Earth entered a new
era of peace and prosperity.
A project was even underway to transform Jupiter into a second star, which could double the
planet’s growing season ... just as the Aschen had done for the Volians.
Stargate Command was turned into a museum for tourists.
Only after a decade did the former members of SG-1 discover that the Aschen were not
the benevolent partners they presented themselves to be.
Secret intelligence held by the Aschen – and covered up by the U.S. government under President
Kinsey – revealed that the birthrate on Earth had plummeted more than 90 percent in
just two years.
Earth was on its way to being conquered, over the course of decades, its population radically
reduced so that the Aschen could use the planet and its resources as they saw fit.
The team realized that there was no way for Earth to rise up and fight back.
But if they could access the Stargate, they could prevent the alliance with the enemy
from ever taking place.
Using the Aschen’s solar monitoring systems, SG-1 identified an impending solar flare that
could enable them to use the Stargate to send a message back in time.
So as not to otherwise pollute the timeline, they kept the message simple: “Under no
circumstances go to P4C-970.”
The team reunited in this cause, and ultimately gave their lives to break through the security
systems surrounding the Stargate and send the message through to the year 2000.
There, in the past, Colonel Jack O’Neill recognized the blood-stained note as bearing
his own handwriting and signature.
General Hammond ordered the planet locked out of the dialing computer, and first contact
with the Aschen was averted.
One year later, though, SG-1 met the Aschen anyway – a chance encounter on the planet
Volia.
Unaware of the Aschen’s role in the averted timeline, they began trade negotiations once
again.
But as they learned more about their new friends, the team discovered that there is a one-in-four
chance that the Aschen were from P4C-970.
They began investigating, learning of the Volians’ centuries-old history and the collapse
of their once thriving civilization.
With the Aschen plot exposed, the team cut off negotiations and fled the planet.
Earth Ambassador Joseph Faxon was left behind in the struggle.
And the Aschen also walked away with a set of Stargate addresses, offered by Earth as
a gesture of good faith during the negotiations.
The Aschen were unaware, however, that SG-1 had already discerned their sinister intentions:
should they attempt to dial the addresses, the Aschen would have been subjected to the
destructive forces of a black hole, as well as other undesirable destinations.
Since contact with the Aschen was cut off, it is not known if they attempted to dial
any of these addresses, or have otherwise made contact with other worlds.
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