Technology in Stargate - Goa'uld Technology

Goa'uld Technology

Main article: Goa'uld technology in Stargate See also: Goa'uld starships in Stargate

The Goa'uld are the main adversaries for most of the run of Stargate SG-1. They scavenged or conquered most of their advanced technologies from other races. However, there are innovators amongst the Goa'uld; Anubis and Ba'al in particular have been depicted with a great deal of technological ingenuity. Many Goa'uld devices, such as the staff weapon, are designed to be more showy than practical, meant to intimidate and reinforce their position as gods to their followers. Some pieces of Goa'uld technology, such as the hand device and the healing device, respond only to mental commands and require naqahdah in the bloodstream of the user to operate. Prominent Goa'uld technologies include:

• Force shield An energy barrier, also called a force-field or simply a shield. Goa'uld force shields work on a frequency oscillation principle, so a relatively slow moving object can bypass it at the right moment. Goa'uld motherships are protected by force shields, as are some ground-based facilities. Force shields are also installed inside ships to restrict access to certain areas, and to contain hull breaches. Some powerful Goa'uld are equipped with personal force shields activated with a button on their hand device. These shields react proportionally to the amount of kinetic energy of incoming matter, so they can be penetrated by relatively slow-moving objects such as a thrown knife. The Tok'ra have made force shield technology available to the SGC.
• Hand device Also known as a "ribbon device", the hand device is a metal, glove-like object with a large red gem set in the palm. It is the personal weapon of the Goa'uld and requires naqahdah in the bloodstream to operate. They utilize a modified version of a staff weapon's power source channeled through amplification crystals, and are thought-controlled. The hand device can generate a shockwave that throws back anyone in its path with great force. The Jaffa attribute the Goa'uld ability to hurl people through the air as a sign of their divine power. The hand device can also generate an energy stream to a person's head that causes severe pain and eventual death. This function creates a mental link between Goa'uld and victim, which may allow the Goa'uld host to send a message through. Hand devices can also be used to block zat blasts, and have buttons on the wrist for controlling Goa'uld technology.
• Sarcophagus Coffin-like chamber capable of vastly extending life, healing almost any illness, repairing grievous injuries, and even reviving the recently dead. However, frequent use of the sarcophagus becomes addictive and has a deteriorating effect upon the mind; This is a main factor in why the Goa'uld are evil, and why the Tok'ra refuse to use the sarcophagus. Sarcophagi are sometimes used to preserve individuals for thousands of years, although there is a limit to how long a sarcophagus can extend a person's life. The first sarcophagus was created by the Goa'uld Telchak, using a less potent version of the energy emitted by an Ancient healing device.
• Staff weapon Standard weapon used by the Jaffa, consisting of a metal quarterstaff with an almond-shaped head that splits open to fire a powerful energy blast. There is a counterbalancing club on the back end, allowing the weapon to be used in melee combat at close ranges. It is powered by liquid naqahdah. In skilled hands it can be quite effective, but it is less accurate and slower to fire than Earth-made firearms; Jack O'Neill describes it as a "weapon of terror" rather than of war. Heavier models of the weapon can be slung at the waist by a strap, or mounted on fixed or mobile platforms to act as artillery support. Goa'uld ships are equipped with large-scale versions of these weapons. The Sodan use a variant of the staff weapon with the back half removed, making it light and easier to carry.
• Zat'nik'tel (Zat) (pronounced "ZAT-nik-a-tel", usually shortened to "zat") A commonly used sidearm shaped like a small snake curved into an "S" shape, that springs forward when activated. One shot from the zat stuns (though its effectiveness varies with different people), a second shot kills, and a third shot disintegrates. The producers eventually regretted introducing the disintegration feature and retconned it out of existence after season 3; an in-joke is made of this in the episode "Wormhole X-Treme!", where Martin Lloyd suggests it and a character replies "that's quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say." Zat blasts can be transmitted through conductive materials like metals, and can also be used to either destroy electronic equipment or as a power source.