Technology
In the show, Standard Replicators are composed of modular blocks, comparable to individual computers, that come together to perform tasks. According to Thor, the blocks generate a "reactive modulating monopolar energy field" that allows them to self-assemble into various configurations. Each Replicator block contains two million "isolated keron pathways". All Replicators are interconnected via a subspace network. Replicator blocks can assemble into any form needed; the most commonly encountered shape is a small "bug" with four limbs and "wings" on its back. The bug can upgrade itself into a larger "queen" to facilitate replication. Large numbers of Replicators can form into starships, which are first seen in "New Order". In "Enemies", many Replicator bugs assemble into a larger structure to enhance the hyperdrive of a Goa'uld mothership. In Stargate: The Ark of Truth, the Replicators form a skeletal structure that implants into Marrick's body, to gain access to his mind. The Replicator structure continues to function even after Marrick's body is destroyed.
The main Replicator directives in the show are to multiply and to assimilate new technologies. Replicators utilize whatever materials are available; in "Small Victories", the Replicators created from a Russian submarine are made of steel and susceptible to rusting. Multiple blocks are required for replication, and the process requires a large amount of energy. Replicators are attracted to the most advanced technologies available, thus they ignore the relatively crude technology of the Earth ship Prometheus in "Unnatural Selection". Replicators adapt very quickly to new technologies and they are capable of enhancing technology they encounter beyond its original specifications. Replicators are impervious to all known handheld energy weapons, including zat'nik'tels and staff weapons. They can be shattered by projectile firearms, though given time and relative proximity to each other, the blocks will re-assemble. Replicator bugs produce a corrosive liquid ("Replicator spray") capable of dissolving through any known material but concrete and glass, including the nigh-invulnerable armor of Kull Warriors. In close quarters, they can produce an electrical discharge to kill their opponents. Replicator bugs are strong for their size; a single one held open the hydraulic blast doors of the SGC's gate room in "Reckoning".
Read more about this topic: Replicator (Stargate)
Famous quotes containing the word technology:
“Technology is not an image of the world but a way of operating on reality. The nihilism of technology lies not only in the fact that it is the most perfect expression of the will to power ... but also in the fact that it lacks meaning.”
—Octavio Paz (b. 1914)