Extraterrestrial Races in Stargate SG|-1: Criticism of American Society Bachelor’S Diploma Thesis

Home , Ascension (miniseries), Avalon (Stargate SG-1), Brad Wright, Christopher Judge, Enemies (Stargate SG-1), Heroes (Stargate SG-1)

Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Kateřina Čajánková

Extraterrestrial Races in Stargate SG|-1: Criticism of American Society Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D.

2016

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

…………………………………………….. Kateřina Čajánková

I would like to thank doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. for supervising my work, my mother for being mine sounding board, even though she had not even seen one episode, and my brothers for being so supportive and cheerful, and my father for not saying that he thinks that this is a foolish topic.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 5 General information ...... 7 Goa’ulds ...... 9 Tok’ra ...... 11 Jaffa ...... 14 Alterans ...... 19 Ancients ...... 22 Ori ...... 25 Asgards ...... 29 Replicators ...... 35 Conclusion ...... 42 List of Figures ...... 44 Works Cited ...... 45 Summary ...... 48 Resumé ...... 49

Introduction

Since the emergence of the science fiction, this genre comments on the culture, politics and the society. Even though, Stargate SG-1 is not a controversial TV series that would target the specific political events or notable particular cultural affairs; the analysis shows that it reflects the themes that are not specifically related to only America but also world culture.

This bachelor thesis addresses several of the themes that appear in the depiction of the extraterrestrial races. The race is introduced and linked to the other races, and then one or several issues are addressed that are in particular associated with this race, and in the end it is explained, how are these issues connected to the context of the entire TV series.

Thesis analyses the depiction of the alien races in Stargate SG-1 and how the way they were written, reflects the politics, culture and society of the United States of America. The fact that this work studies the extraterrestrial races, enables to study features of human civilization from the side of the "other". Therefore, it is an interesting concept that expresses the traits of "us" in the depiction of "other". This point of view, allows the writers to be more objective in their depiction, because they can reflect on the themes from the open-minded and biased perspective that makes their allegories more understandable in the contemporary setting.

The work does not study all the extraterrestrial races that were introduced in the

Stargate SG-1; because in the first place, it focuses on the non-human alien races and secondly, this thesis writes about the races that more frequently appeared in the TV show, and therefore, they have the greater influence on the story and their background is more developed.

At the beginning, thesis informs about the general information about the Stargate franchise. Explains the concept of the stargates and the importance of their function for the narrative of the Stargate franchise.

The first three chapters deal with the theme of the slavery. Goa’ulds represent the slavers, Tok’ra the abolitionists. In connection to previous two chapters, the depiction of the

Jaffa describes the narrative of the African American slaves through slavery and fight for freedom to the independence.

Chapter about Ancients discusses the merits of their non-interference policy and its reflection in the American politics. In contrast to the former, Ori’s intervention with the peace in the Milky Way galaxy has the marks of the radical Islam.

Last two chapters warn against the dangers of the future. Asgards’ life story serves as the warning of the possible catastrophic extinction of humanity, should it follow their way.

The chapter draws attention to the risk of the cloning and the ethics of this actions. Chapter about Replicators highlights the danger of the overly advanced technology that in the future could hypothetically take over humanity and potentially endanger their existence.

General information

Stargate SG-1 is a science fiction TV series that is a part of the Stargate franchise.

This franchise begins in 1994, when the movie Stargate is released, written by Roland

Emmerich and Dean Devlin, who are not involved in later franchise. It includes TV series

Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) developed by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, Stargate

Atlantis (2004-2009), Stargate Universe (2009-2011), animated Stargate Infinity (2002-2003) and another two movies, Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008) and Stargate Continuum (2008).

Franchise also contains over fifty novels and numerous short fiction. It expanded to the several short-living games involving pinball, trading card game and others, it also inspired the production of several Stargate-themed video games.

The central theme of the Stargate franchise is the stargate. It is a ring-like device that is used for the space transportation. It uses seven and more symbols that form an address, after entering this address it connects to another gate. It creates a wormhole to the stargate on another planet, which enables people to transport within several seconds on the other side of the galaxy, many light years from their original position.

The Earth stargate is located in the Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, where it is controlled by the SGC (Stargate Command), which is the representation of the American military and politics for the whole Milky Way galaxy. Stargate Program is classified and the general public do not know about it. It is known only to the small group of Americans, in later seasons this knowledge is disclosed to the leaders of the other countries. Because of this,

Stargate SG-1 is predominately represented by the American characters that serve as the representatives of the population of the entire planet

Storyline regularly follows the adventures of the team SG-1. SG-1 is the designation of the team of the main characters that during the course of the TV series slightly changes its

7 cast and extends to five members. The SG-1 is a very diverse team, where every member brings their specialisation and experience and presents different perspective on the same problem.

The role of the military is represented by Colonel (later General) Jack O’Neill, later replaced by Colonel Cameron Mitchell, who bring the military point and the authority of the

SGC. Science and technology provides theoretical astrophysicist Captain (later Colonel)

Samantha Carter. As the counterweight serves Daniel Jackson, anthropologist, archaeologist, expert on ancient and alien languages and history. He brings the diplomacy and the humanistic perspective. The aliens are represented by are the native guides, experts on the galaxy and extraterrestrial races. Teal’c, Jaffa fighting for the freedom of his people, is an expert on Jaffa and Goa’ulds. And later joining, Vala Mal Doran and her knowledge of the

Goa’ulds and the Lucian Alliance, human space crime organisation.

Another important aspect of the success of the Stargate SG-1 is its unique mythology and how the fictional myths are connected to the real mythology. TV show is modifying the

Egyptian, Norse, Greek and Roman mythologies, and many others for example the Arthurian myth with Merlin, Morgan Le Fay and Excalibur.

Stargate SG-1 is successful TV series that have many different reasons for its success, however, only together they are able to create this franchise that has many fans worldwide.

Goa’ulds

Goa’ulds is a race of serpentine-like parasites, who invade the body of the host and then suppresses their consciousness, and take control over the body of the host. They are egoistical, power hungry beings genetically conditioned to be evil. Most of them, at some point in the past, visited Earth and kidnapped humans, who nowadays worship them as their gods. The most powerful of them form the elite class called the System Lords, who most of the time fight against each other. They are the primary enemies of the peace in the galaxy and the perpetual antagonists in all seasons of Stargate SG-1.

Fig. 1. The sketch of the Goa’uld.

The depiction of the Goa’ulds, as evident in Fig. 1., shows the combination of the snake and parasite qualities, which in audience creates an immediate impression of the fear or danger. Julien R. Fielding claims:

"For many decades, Hollywood has terrified its audiences with the suggestion

that parasitic entities were poised to take over our bodies and minds. All

writers had to do was couple our natural aversion to foreign invaders with our

fear of the unknown and voila – you get a winning formula that gets regular

play in projects that are destined for the big and small screens" (189).

Goa’ulds are presented as the ultimate slavers. They enslave the body and the mind of the host. They are also masters of the Jaffas. And they also are the slavers of the people they kidnapped from Earth. They own their bodies for the work, loyalty and faith, because they impersonate their gods.

In "Fair Game", Asgards and Goa’ulds are negotiating treaty about the fate of Earth.

The conditions enable the further development of the slavery. "According to Treaty Law

Section 326, no human planet will be allowed to advance technologically to a point where they may become a threat to the Goa'uld." And more relevant statement: "The treaty recognises that the human species exists for the purpose of serving the Goa'uld as hosts and slaves."

Stan Beeler claims that:

“The idea that these creatures are masquerading as gods is also a moral trigger

for North American culture, which, because of its monotheist background,

might find offensive the notion of a host of gods who manipulate their

devotees into war. The Goa’uld are also a postcolonial theorist’s ideal enemy,

since they not only transport and enslave the natives but also physically

possess their bodies” (Beeler 275).

The impersonation of the gods, and therefore the creation of the false gods enabled writers of the Stargate SG-1 to use the mythology, technology and symbols of the ancient civilizations, predominately the Egypt. Michael W. Young supports this:

"They have deliberately used stolen technology to appear as gods to the

inhabitants of the planets they conquer. Adding to the mythological quality of

these villains is the fact that they bear the names of many Earthly gods from

many cultures, although primarily they are those of ancient Egypt. Their names

include Ra, god of the sun, Apophis, god of the night, Ammomenet, Hathor,

Heru-ur, Sokar, Seth, Cronus, Nirrti, Osiris, Ba’al, Mot, and the most powerful

of them all so far, Anubis, lord of the dead (Young 96)."

Daniel Jackson, while he is pretending to be a slave, says: " I believe the Goa'uld are powerful beings, that use humans like us as hosts. I believe they use their power to portray Gods so the masses will follow and serve them" ("Last Stand Part II").

Goa’ulds is the only extraterrestrial race in Stargate SG-1 that is completely depicted as evil, there is no individual that would not be portrayed as an egomaniac or cruel. This fact is greatly supported by their appearance of the mix of serpent and the parasite. They represent the slavery in all possible forms.

Tok’ra

Tok’ra is the small group of Goa’ulds, who do not agree with their practises of taking the unwilling host. They believe in the symbiosis of the host and the symbiote. They lead the guerrilla war with the Goa’ulds.

Tok’ra in the plot represent the anti-slavery faction, the North in American Civil War, which fights against the slavery, because they are persuaded that host and the symbiote can live in harmonic symbiosis.

"The Tok’ra claim to be different from the Goa’uld rests on the statement that

they do not take the complete control over the host but instead share the body

and mind equally with its original owner, asking permission before taking

possession. They state outright that they do not ever take an unwilling host,

preferring to die if permission is not given” (Mains 71).

Even though, Tok’ra present the friendlier and more peaceful version of the Goa’ulds they are not without mistakes. They are openly dismissive to the Jaffa, who they consider to be the slaves, and do not consider the Earthlings to be the worthy allies. Tok’ra scientist Anise offers the SG-1 technology for the testing and refers to this situation as "human trial experiments" ("Upgrades").

Delek, one of the Tok’ra, says about the Earth people: "The Tau'ri are unlike other humans in the galaxy. Their will has not been eroded by thousands of years of slavery. This can be a valuable asset, but it can also make them dangerous — particularly as hosts" (“Death

Knell”).

Mains adds: "The Tok’ra’s once-strong conviction that symbiotes and hosts must live in harmony has clearly eroded by their millennia-long struggle, so that the difference between the Goa’uld and the Tok’ra, […] is not much more that between political rivals for power”

(74).

Furthermore, it is the conflict on the small-scale, no outright war. Tok’ra are living or more like "hiding" in the caves dug under the surface, which symbolically expresses the fact that in reality, they are not causing almost no problems for the Goa’ulds, and the burden of the Goa’ulds’ attacks lies on the other races. "The Tok'ra have never had the military resources of the Goa'uld. We use disguise and subterfuge to achieve our goals, our bases are designed to be hidden. We are just not equipped to repulse such a large enemy force"

("Summit Part I").

This is supported by the first meeting between Tok’ra and the SG-1, where is Carter unwillingly taken as a host, which is completely against the Tok’ra philosophy. Admittedly it was the only chance for the Tok’ra to survive, but it is symbolic for all the dealing with them.

They adhere to the original rules, but if they can, they modify them.

In the end, the notion of the ending of the slavery fades away and only the desire for the dominance over the Goa’ulds stays unchanged.

Jaffa

Jaffa are the warriors that serve Goa’ulds, whom they worship as gods. Later, they start to break this bond of the slavery and fight for their freedom against their former masters.

In the end, they succeed and free themselves from the Goa’ulds’ oppression and create an independent Free Jaffa Nation.

Fig. 2. Symbiote in the symbiote pouch. Fig. 3. Forehead brand.

Jaffa is the race of the warriors, who serve and fight for honour of their gods, and carry their brands on their foreheads (Fig. 3.) that marks them as the property of their god.

Their faith is supported by the advanced technology Goa’ulds possess that in the eyes of their slaves gives them the supernatural attributes and makes them gods (refer to Goa’ulds chapter).

Jaffa are the significant element of the Goa’ulds power, they are the reason, why Goa’ulds are so powerful and seemingly invincible. Daniel Jackson explains: “The warrior Jaffa class are the foundation of Goa'uld power; they serve as both incubators for their young and as their army. An army made almost invulnerable by the restorative powers of the Goa'uld larva they carry. I mean, it's, it's literally a Faustian bargain” (“Bloodlines”).

Jaffa are biologically dependant on Goa’ulds , they are the “breeding place” for the juvenile specimen (Fig. 2.). It is a mutually beneficial relationship; the infant Goa’uld enables

Jaffa to be stronger, to have more stamina and a longer life. However, Jaffa’s physiology cannot live without their symbiote and it is one of the method of the Goa’ulds, how to keep

Jaffa under their control.

“TEAL'C: ‘I am a Jaffa. Bred to serve, that they [Goa’ulds’] may live.’

DANIEL: ‘I…I don't understand.’

[Teal'c stops and reveals his pouch and his symbiote.[…]]

O'NEILL: ‘What the hell is that?’

TEAL'C: ‘It is an infant Goa'uld, the larval form of the gods, I have

carried one since I was a child, as all Jaffa carry one.’

O'NEILL: ‘Get it out of there.’

TEAL'C: ‘In exchange for carrying the infant Goa'uld until maturity, a

Jaffa receives perfect health and long life. If I were to remove it, I would

eventually die’” (“The Children Of The Gods Part 1”).

In “Bloodlines”, Rya’c, the son of Teal’c, is supposed to go through the ritual Primta to obtain his symbiote, however, Teal’c does not agree with this, because according to him, this ritual is one of “the means by which the Goa'uld enslave the Jaffa”. After the symbiote is implanted, Jaffa cannot sever their bond with the Goa’uld without dying, so in order to survive they stay under their thumb.

“TEAL'C: ‘My son will not be a slave, Drey'auc. He will taste freedom. As I have.’

DREY'AUC: ‘Freedom, Teal'c? You have condemned your son to death.’

DREY'AUC: ‘Your heresy is an abomination, Teal'c. Even by the outcasts I am shunned.’

TEAL'C: ‘The abomination is my people enslaved by the Goa'uld.’

DREY'AUC: ‘How can you call the gods that you served for so long, your enemy?’

TEAL'C: ‘Since the Earth people opened my eyes. The Primta is slavery.’”

Later, the drug called Tretonin is invented, which substitutes the effect of the symbiote in the Jaffa’s physiology. Ironically, the substance is created from the symbiotes and it enables Jaffa to be independent from the Goa’ulds. It is an important step in the fight for the freedom of the Jaffa, because it proves that Jaffa can live without the assistance of the

Goa’ulds.

“ISHTA: ‘Have you really the belief that this…tretonin is our way to

freedom?’

TEAL'C: ‘If it is successful it may be the first step. As long as Jaffa

require symbiotes we will continue to be enslaved by the Goa'uld. The benefit

a symbiote provides is not a Jaffa's true strength. And we as a people must

begin to realise that sacrifices must be made if we are ever truly to be free’”

(“Birthright”).

The depiction of the Jaffa’s fight for the freedom is similar to the history of the

African Americans and their fight against their slavery and the white oppression. This impression is enhanced by the fact that many of the recurring actors, who play Jaffa, are

African American. The African American actor Christopher Judge plays Teal’c, Jaffa member of the SG-1, who is the leading Jaffa figure in the Stargate SG-1. The second most important is Gerak, the first leader of the Free Jaffa Nation, he is portrayed by Louis Gossett, Jr.; who is

16 also an African American. The exception is the Bra’tac, the teacher of Teal’c, one of the first who believed that Goa’ulds are not the gods; he is played by the Tony Amendola, who is not an African American, however, it still fits the hypothesis. He portrays the role of the old wise

“white” Jaffa teacher and mentor, who supports the fight of the “black” Jaffa for their freedom.

Stan Beeler says that the fact that the African American actors represent Jaffa correspond with the overall theme of the liberation that is present in Stargate SG-1: “using people of African descent as enslaved people mixes well with the Goa’uld as alien slave masters to resonate with American history. The Jaffa […] allow the introduction of master-slave narratives familiar to the audience” (276).

Kim Louise Parrent claims that the whiteness in the Stargate SG-1 is the symbol of the superiority and the normality. On the other hand, the blackness is presented as an evil, foreign and inferior quality.

“The Goa’uld and, by extension the Jaffa, represent a dramatic construction of

alienness or otherness. The human and animal are merged into the

Goa’uld/human hybrid. Like early nineteenth century western stereotypes of

nonwhite others, the Goa’uld, as represented by Apophis, are depicted as

savage, bestial, untrustworthy and cruel. Teal’c is depicted as savage and

bestial. He contains the animalistic parasite of the Goa’uld and has aided

Apophis in the destruction and enslavement of worlds. These racial stereotypes

act as a foil against which white humanity, as exemplified by SG-1, is

reassuringly held up as morally superior” (37-38).

According to the Christopher Judge, Teal’c is the emancipator, who’s main role is to free his people from the Goa’uld oppression. Judge strengthens the association with the

African Americans by likening his character to the significant figures in the fight for the freedom of the blacks. He says:

"It has surprised me how much people understand that Teal’c is a

liberator. I hate to draw between a real person and a fictional alien, but Teal’c

is very much like Martin Luther King, George Washington, or Abraham

Lincoln. In the fictional world of Jaffa, he’s trying to end his people’s

enslavement. My friends down to the last one, have really gotten that. That

makes me feel good" (Storm 23).

However, because Teal’c is black, he cannot save his people without the "white" assistance. Even though, Jaffa are technologically more advanced, in accordance with

Parrent’s claim that the white are presented as a superior race; Jaffa cannot independently gain freedom. Scott Simpson and Jessica Sheffield explain that: "there are the rumblings of rebellion within the Jaffa people, but they need the help of Earth to achieve their freedom.

This is a part of the neocolonial narrative: native people cannot liberate themselves without the enlightment and help of dominant white society" (90).

The depiction of the Jaffa in Stargate SG-1 is the allegory of the African Americans and their fight for the freedom, where Goa’ulds represent the white oppressors and Jaffa the black slaves. This portrayal also reinforces the white superiority and the impossibility of the blacks to liberate themselves independently.

Alterans

Alterans is the race of the beings, who at present are ascended and living at another plane of existence as entities of the pure energy. Millions years ago, Alterans divided into two factions, Ori and Ancients; because of their philosophical differences. Both factions were trying to achieve the ascension, but they have the divergent approach how to achieve this. Ori believed in religion, whereas Ancients relied on science.

Even though between Ancients and Ori are many differences, there is one important matter that unites them. Their desire for Ascension. This is a spiritual or evolutional process at which end, being separates itself from its physical body and becomes an energy. This is the

Stargate’s version of the paradise; many races are trying to ascend and not only Alterans accomplish that. However, it is a very difficult process and is often used as a tool of the manipulation or control. Goa’ulds promise their Jaffa that they ascend when they will obey their orders. The Ori claim that their followers will achieve the ascension if they will heed

Origin, their religion. In the end, it forces the separation of the Alterans.

Orlin, descended Ancient explains: "A long time ago, the Ori and the Alterans were one society, human, on an evolutionary path to ascension, but a philosophical division grew.

The Ori grew more and more fervent in their religious belief. The Alterans…for lack of a better way of putting it…believed in science. The Ori tried to wipe them out" ("The Fourth

Horseman Part I").

This discussion between the science and the religion is the ongoing theme of the

Stargate SG-1. Throughout the series, technology is used and often misused to fight against extraterrestrial races, who are often impersonating gods. According to Brad Wright, the

19 central topic of the Stargate franchise is that: "‘aliens playing gods’ and ‘false gods’ and the relationship between aliens as gods and ordinary human folk, poor humans in the galaxy".

Stargate SG-1 is a TV series that actively fights against the concepts of the false gods and religious intolerance usually by using violence to stop their actions or outright killing of the false gods. Friedrich Nietzsche writes: “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him” (125). He means by this that humanity killed the God by stopping to believe in him and therefore he ceased to exist. Stargate SG-1 take this thought a step further and literary kills the god. This attack towards religion is alleviated by the fact that this “god” is in reality an evil alien and not an “existing” religious figure like Jesus or Prophet Muhammad.

However, the fight against the Goa’uld and the Ori has the different implications.

Phillip Kneiss writes:

"The Ori are different as the conflict is now internal: The galaxy is torn

between the theology of the Ancients and the Ori; it is a religious war between

two sects. Whereas the fight against the Goa’uld was the fight against

paganism, the fight against the Ori is a fight over Deutungshoheit and

orthodoxy, about who gets to define religion and the legitimacy of power

structures" (85).

Arthur C. Clark claims: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (21). Extraterrestrial beings for instance Goa’ulds, Ori and Asgards are using advanced technology to impersonate gods to the primitive inhabitants of the galaxy; the former two abuse this notion and exploit undeveloped civilization, the latter protects them.

However, this problem does not apply only to the non-Earth beings, but also to the SG teams, when they are encountering other cultures in the galaxy.

“The SG-1 team is often thought of by the inhabitants of more primitive

cultures as messengers of the gods or gods themselves. […] Only the gods and

their ordained servants, it seems, are thought able to use the device [Stargate].

[…] the inhabitants of these many worlds have been conditioned to view any

traveller through the gate as a god” (Young 100).

In "The First Commandment", the local population regards Hanson, the leader of the

SG-9 as a god. Due to the catastrophic environmental conditions, he goes insane and starts to act as if he truly is their religious figure. He rules over them and kills those that does not agree with his doings. This episode shows that not only the extraterrestrial races have to be careful about their actions, and how they can be interpreted.

Ancients

Ancients is the race of the ascended beings that live at other plane of existence.

Millions years ago, before they ascended, their technology was the most advanced in the entire galaxy and it is still nowadays. They are also called the Gate Builders, because they built the system of the stargates. They have several unexplained powers that can influence the physical world. However, they have the policy of the non-interference that forbids them to interfere in the lives of the less advanced races. Those, who do not obey are punished by the others.

The non-interference policy that Ancients uses can be seen as the idealistic representation of the non-interventionism that in its approach demonstrates the errors of its usage. This enables the American see how this policy works, even though this depicted in science fiction TV series it still displays the main features and the audience can learn about this notion.

In the current political situation, when Donald Trump as one of the candidates for the office of the President of the United States, informs that the policy of the non-interventionism is one of the points of his program, it is important to observe if it would be doable and this depiction of the Ancients enables it. Trump says:

" ‘I do think it’s a different world today, and I don’t think we should be nation-

building anymore […] At what point do you say, Hey, we have to take care of

ourselves? […] So, I know the outer world exists and I’ll be very cognizant of that.

But at the same time, our country is disintegrating, large sections of it, especially the

inner cities" (Klapper).

Many Americans agree with the thought of the non-interventionism. "According to a recent [from 2014] Pew survey, 52 percent of Americans now prefer that the U.S. ‘mind its own business in international affairs’" (Larison).

The non-interference policy in the Stargate SG-1 does not work. Although in theory

Ancients do not influence the matters of the "lesser" beings, there are exceptions such as

Morgan La Fay, Merlin, Oma Desala or Orlin, who assist the humans, however, they are either punished by others or in the end they sacrifice their lives. Despite this little assistance,

Ancients, who are generally worshipped by the peaceful planets in the galaxy, are starting to lose their popularity and are starting being regarded as selfish and non-caring about the lives of their descendants, because they do not help them.

Taking into account, that the Earth population in Stargate SG-1 is the representation of the real American inhabitants, this situation can also be interpreted differently. This can also be seen as the allegory of the government or ruling class, who have the sources and the a to help and abilities to save the lives, but they decide to completely ignore the situation and not help the needy and the helpless citizens.

During the course of the series, Daniel Jackson twice ascends and later is descended, because even though his hands are tied by the Ancients’ policy, he can influence others to fight for him. He persuades Oma Desala, the Ancient who helped him to ascend, to fight

Anubis, an ascended Goa’uld, whose armies at that time are attacking Earth. This also helps him to understand that although ascension is seen as the top of the evolution chain, it makes him more powerless than being a human, because he has to follow the restrictive rules.

“Unable to keep from interfering in his team-mates’ battles, Daniel decides

that enlightenment has too high a cost. Possessed of all the knowledge of the

universe, possessed by the collective wisdom of the Ascended, Daniel can no

longer choose knowledge for its own sake over information of use to the SGC.

He chooses action as a warrior rather than inaction as a philosopher, and as a

consequence loses possession of that knowledge when his memories are

removed by the Ascended” (Mains 77).

Mains suggest different reason, why Ancients do not interfere: “The Ascended, perhaps as a result of their own ancient wars refuse to allow the knowledge that they gain through enlightenment to be put to actual use” (77).

Stargate SG-1 often works with the notion that advanced technology is more harmful than useful. In "Fifth Race" accidently and in "Lost City Part 1" deliberately, O’Neill uses

Ancient technology called Repository of knowledge. It is a device that stores all the information about history, technology and language of the Ancients; it downloads all knowledge into the user’s brain. O’Neill gains access to the most advanced technology that exists in the galaxy, however, he is not able to consciously use it, because human brain is not evolved sufficiently enough to handle this amount of information.

In both cases, Earth acquires the strategic and technological advantages; firstly, the addresses of the gates that Goa’ulds do not know about, and secondly, the protection of the whole planet against the Anubis’s attack on Earth. However, these actions almost cost O’Neill his life, he is saved by Asgards, who as the more technologically advanced race have the resources to help him. This situation is the warning against the use of technologies that initially have the positive impact, but later have the negative consequences that at the beginning were not evident.

Ori

The term Ori in the context of the Stargate SG-1 refers to both, the group of the ascended beings as well as their human followers and the believers of the religion of the

Origin. They are the main adversaries of Earth in the last two seasons of this TV show.

Fig. 4. Doci and the Ori. Fig. 5. Prior’s magic powers.

The portrayal of the Ori religion can be considered as a description of any fundamental religion, such as medieval Christianity, Islam, Judaism or Hindu. However, due to the time of running of the TV show and the fact Ori first appeared in 2005, when the War on Terror took place, it is logical to presume that the fictional enemy of Earth is depicted represents the radical Islamists. This is specifically reflected in the American situation after 9/11. The story of Ori believers fighting against Earth is an allegory of terrorists of Muslim faith, who are threatening American integrity.

However, Charlene P. E. Burns claims that the portrayal of the Ori is the reflection of the political situation in the United States, specifically the religious orientation of George W.

Bush’s politics and his connection to right-wing Christian political factions:

"The Ori appeared on the scene at a time when American society was

becoming increasingly polarized over religious issues. The alliance of George

Bush and the Religious Right had begun to transform political into religious

rhetoric: everything from marriage to education to national security came to be

defined in terms of so-called ‘Christian values’. This has become so pervasive

that one ought not to be faulted into thinking ‘Those who abandon the Path are

evil’ could be a statement from American politics rather than the Ori’s Book of

Origin" (397).

Michael Shanks, one of the stars of the TV show says: "the introduction of the Ori to the mythology of Stargate … allowed us to be … a little bit more contemporary with our usage of the word ‘god’ in the context of science fiction" (Behind the Mythology of Stargate

SG-1). The writers can also express their concerns or warnings about what can happen. In the episode ("The Fourth Horseman Part I), the outbreak of the Prior plague occurs on Earth, people worldwide are infected and many of them die. This can be seen as a warning of the possible biological or chemical terroristic attack in the territory of the United States or anywhere in the world.

Christine Mains explains: “While Stargate SG-1 never explicitly makes the connection between the SGC’s fictional war with alien enemies and America’s war on terror, it is impossible to ignore the implications of the show’s depiction of the ethical concerns surrounding the subordination of the pursuit of knowledge to military needs” (65).

The structure of Ori religion is a mix of the organizational structure of the Roman

Catholic Church and the Church of Islam. Ori as the ascended beings are depicted as an entity formed from flames (Fig. 4.) with no physical connection to the human body, which could illustrate the fact that Islam forbids the Allah to be depicted and illustrated, Ori therefore do not have a physical appearance. Doci and Priors (Fig. 5.), who have similar duties as the Pope and the priests, perform the ecclesiastical ceremonies and rituals. The highest in the hierarchy is Orici, she is a representation of the Ori on this plane of existence. She can be compared to

Jesus, due to the way she was born. She has no human father, her mother was impregnated by

Ori and the outcome of this situation is a "the virgin birth of her daughter Adria, also called the Orici, something like the Ori messiah" (Kneis 86). She leads the armies of the followers of the Ori in the war-like crusade similar to a Prophet Muhammad or the Last Prophet, who is foretold to lead the Islam to the victory.

The main source of Ori faith is the Book of Origin. It is a collection of stories and parables according to which people can live. It is a guide how to live and be a good believer.

Its importance can be compared to the Qur'an, the Ori religion is also based on the interpretation of the holy book. The varieties of the interpretation of the Qur'an, is the reason for the existence of the Islam factions; as well as the radical terrorists, who worship the violent and the intolerant interpretation of the Qur'an.

Ori are trying to convert atheists on their faith based on their decision of whet ether to convert or to be killed. This can be seen as a reference to current terrorist attacks, where

Muslims are killing the non-Muslims, because of difference in their beliefs. Kneiss claims:

"the enemy is enemy because of otherness; sameness is to be spread via a crusade" (85). The

Ori are depicted as the evil extra-terrestrial race, which emphasizes their similarity to radical

Islamists. According to Stan Beeler: "the Ori are the evil side of that spirituality" (276), where

Americans are considered to be the heroes of this story.

The depiction of Ori society has many references to the Islamic culture. For example,

Ori society has a strict system of punishments, which is similar to the Islamic legal system of

Sharia law. In ("Avalon Part II"), Vala Mal Doran is burnt to death in the ring of the fire, because she is accused of being heretic. This is an apparent reference to the Islamic traditional punishment of burning the victim to death. In the light of the recent events, this occurrence can also be seen as the premonition of the actions of the Islamic State and the burning of their captives.

The Ori society can be considered to be technologically undeveloped, because the Ori forbid their followers to develop not only in technology but also in culture and science. They cannot research their own history, because it is against the Origin to do it. According to

Charlene P. E. Burns, this is the similarity between the Ori and the American culture:

"The Ori control by suppression of scientific and technological development;

the Bush administration and the Religious Right hamstring medical progress

by vetoing stem cell research and advocate the teaching of ‘intelligent design’

and Creationism in all science classrooms. The Ori demonstrate their power

and gain converts by spreading plagues which they then ‘cure:’ the Bush

administration demonstrates power and attempts to gain converts democracy

by declaring war without just cause in the name of ending terrorism" (397).

The depiction of Ori symbolises the political situation in the United States, specifically the situation with the George W. Bush and the Religious Right. Ori are depicted as evil beings similar to to radical Muslims, references and similarities of Ori religion and society to Islam are undisputable. The portrayal of Ori reflects political, cultural and religious aspects of Muslim society such as the law of Sharia or the interpretation of the Qur'an. The depiction of war between Earth and the Ori warns against this religious and political war between the United States and the radical Muslims.

Asgards

The term Asgard in the context of the Stargate SG-1 refers to the race of extraterrestrial beings who are more advanced than the humans. They play the role of their allies and the mentors and the guardians of the less advanced planets as member of the

Alliance of Fourth Great Races. In the course of the TV show, Asgards are the supporting and helping alien race.

Fig. 6. Picture of Thor. Fig. 7. Illustration of the Roswell Greys.

The appearance of the Asgards (Fig. 6.) in the Stargate SG-1 confirms the stereotypical image of the aliens in the popular culture according to the concept of the "little green or grey men" or Roswell Greys (Fig. 7.), which draws from the descriptions of alien bodies from the alleged crash of the flying saucer in Roswell in 1947. Asgards have thin bodies one-meter-tall, with large head that is out of proportion in relation to its body, and the black eyes and skinny long limbs. This generic depiction contributes to the creation of the expectations, how the extraterrestrial life is supposed to look like.

However, the image of the Roswell Greys is the description of the contemporary

Asgards. Their psychology over the time changed drastically to reflect the decline of their race. Before this decline started, they were beings of humanoid appearance with a height over two meters. Then Asgards started to scientifically extend their natural life span, which led to the loss of their ability to procreate sexually. Therefore, they resorted to the cloning as means to keep their race alive, while they were searching for the cure for their infertility. However, they were unsuccessful and in the end their race become extinct.

Their fate serves as a warning for the humans to do not the same mistakes as the

Asgards, as Thor warns: "The end of my people has been a long time coming. We have made too many irreversible mistakes in our development. Hopefully, you can learn something from it" ("Unending"). Daniel Jackson explains that even though this is a fate of the extraterrestrial race, it is still relevant to the humans, because there are not many differences between human and Asgard desires: "I mean, all they wanted to do was live a little longer. We're no different.

Sequence DNA. Cure diseases. One fatal mistake, and they doom their entire race"

(“Unending”).

While the effect of cloning in the Stargate SG-1 is not applied to the humans and therefore they do not share Asgards’ fate, it still brings into question the moral ethics of the cloning and the moral and biological impact of the scientific extension of the longevity of the natural lifespan. Nicholas Agar in his essay summarises the conclusions arising from his book

Humanity’s End: Why We Should Reject Radical Enhancement. He argues that while some of the arguments for the acceptance of the cloning are tolerable, others are not, and therefore he proposes that humanity should reject the radical enhancement:

“I argue that our shared humanity imposes moral and prudential limits on

enhancement. Many of the enhancements people most want are fully

compatible with their humanity. They’re valued by human beings precisely,

because of their promotion of enduring and significant human values. In

matters of human enhancement, however, more is not always better. Proper

scrutiny reveals radical enhancement to be incompatible with our humanity,

and worth avoiding because of that fact” (24).

Although this concept is not addressed in the Stargate SG-1, because only the final consequences of the cloning were visible, it belongs amongst the issues that are connected to the problematics of the cloning, such as the religious rejection, transhumanists’ expectations or the possibility of the end of humanity as we now know it.

The episode "The Other Side" questions the morality of the eugenics and the approval of the war for the sake of the gain of the advanced technology. SG-1 encounters the civilization of evolved humans called Eurondans, who claim that they are being attacked by powerful enemy. Eurodans live in the underground base, because the atmosphere is poisoned, and the enemy is frequently attacking them. Alar, their leader offers to teach the Earthlings their technology in exchange for the heavy water, and the SGC wants to obtain this deal.

However, not all is at is seems, Eurodans are very biologically similar and Alar is ill at ease in

Teal’c company and labels him as "not … like us". In the end, SG-1 finds out that the war was started by the Eurondans by the poisoning of the atmosphere with fumes from the processing of the oxid deuteria, because they practise the eugenics and they believe in the purity of their race, which is not the case of their enemy.

In this scene Daniel Jackson is trying to find more information about the enemy of the

Eurodans’:

"DANIEL. ‘Err, I just thought that since we're going to be allies, I thought we

should get to know a little bit more about our new enemy.’

DANIEL. ‘Ok, err…well you call them 'the enemy'. Understandably they are

your enemy but they must have a name. For example I'm American. My

grandfather was Dutch. What do you call them?’

FARRELL. ‘Sometimes we call them breeders.’

DANIEL. ‘Breeders?’

FARRELL. ‘How they reproduce, indiscriminately with no regard for genetic

purity.’

DANIEL. ‘Really! So basically they come in all shapes and sizes?’

FARRELL. ‘Yes.’

DANIEL. ‘Colors?’

FARRELL. ‘Yes!’"

The question of the identity of the copy and its rights is discussed in the "Fragile

Balance". Jack O'Neill is abducted by an Asgard Loki and replaced with his teenage copy; who genuinely believes that he is the real O'Neill, who somehow became decades younger.

In this scene members of the SG-1 altogether disregard the rights and emotions of the

Young Jack, the copy; and focuse entirely on finding of the original Jack O'Neill:

"DANIEL. ‘We've calculated approximately a seven day gap between

abductions, which puts us at tonight.’

YOUNG JACK. ‘This plan sucks. Look, I know you don't think I am who I

am, but, as far as I'm concerned, I am. Who I am.’

CARTER. ‘The switch is the only chance we have of capturing whoever's

behind this.’

YOUNG JACK. ‘What about the fact that this body is dying? I mean, has

anyone even thought about that for a second? (No one responds.) Oh, I see.

You don't care as long as you get the original back.’"

This episode also connects the Asgards further with the Roswell Grey problematics, because Loki in Stargate SG-1 is that mysterious alien visitor, who abducts the people. He takes their DNA therefore experiments on them, replaces them with their copy and after few days returns them back to Earth. Loki is trying to find the cure for the degeneration of his race by experimenting on humans, because of humans’ physiological resemblance to the original

Asgards, but his research is unsuccessful and the clone always dies. In the end, both O'Neill’s are alive and out of captivity; however, even though they have the same memories and experiences, they both cannot have the same job, and therefore the Young Jack is dismissed to the high school.

In "Tin Man", the consciousness of all members of the SG-1 have been transferred into their android double bodies, later their find out that they are the android clones of the real SG-

1. Once again, the originals are allowed to return to Earth while the copies have to stay away.

However, in "Double Jeopardy", these android clones return and save the real SG-1, and prove that they are not inferior and do not differ from the originals:

"CLONE O'NEILL. ‘Carter, Teal'c?’

O'NEILL. ‘Yours don't look so good. The real ones, they're okay.’

CLONE O'NEILL. ‘Are we still so far from real to you?’

O'NEILL. ‘No. I guess not.’

CLONE O'NEILL. ‘Then I believe we are done.’

[Clone O'Neill closes his eyes and dies.]"

In the episode "Unending" Asgards commit a mass suicide, because their attempts to stop the degenerations are unsuccessful, however, before they kill themselves, they leave their legacy to the humans. They pass over their position as the protectors of the less advanced races; it is a symbolical conclusion of the journey the human race went through. In "The Fifth

Race", which is one of the first episodes where SG-1 meets Asgards; humankind is by the

Asgards considered to not be evolved enough to belong to the Alliance of Fourth Great Races.

However, in the end, they decide that the human race is their worthy successor, Thor says:

"You are the Fifth Race. Your role is clear. If there is any hope in preserving the future, it lies with you and your people" ("Unending").

Even nowadays humans have to think about what will be their bequest for the future generations. This is linked not only to the legacy of the history, culture or to material and non- material things; however, it also concerns moral and existential matters. Whether the future descendants’ heritage will include Earth destroyed by the climate change or by World War

III., it is the challenge, which Asgards laid, when they handed out their legacy to the humans.

The depiction of the Asgards in the Stargate SG-1 criticises their stereotypical appearance that can bring problems in the future encounters with the extraterrestrial beings.

Their life and their end also bring the warning for the humans to avoid the cloning to scientifically extend natural lifespan of the humans. Asgards’ death also raise the question of the legacy of humanity and their role in the future.

Replicators

Replicators are bug-like machines, who uncontrollably replicating and consuming everything and transforming that into the material for their further expansion. They seek the most advanced technology in order to evolve more. Later, they achieve the human-like forms that can feel the emotions. In Stargate SG-1, Replicators represent the enemy, with whom one cannot negotiate, because they act on the base of their programming, and therefore are seemingly unable to make mistakes.

Fig. 8. The image of the Replicator.

Replicators are the machines, whose only reason for living is to replicate themselves.

In order to do this, they destroy and kill other races in the universe, so they can acquire further material for their another evolution, the more advanced is better. At the beginning, they act according to their flawed programming and uncontrollably spread themselves. However, their attempt to fix the error leads to their extinction. They gain human emotions and therefore become more predictable for the people to predict their actions.

In the “Menace”, SG-1 discovers the original purpose of the Replicators. Android called Reece with the mentality of a child created them as her toys, however, she was not able to control them, and they destroyed her entire home planet. Daniel Jackson calls her “a kid who unwittingly taught her toys to become a weapon of destruction”. Technology is primarily

35 created to help people, however, sometimes it spins out of control and on contrary is harmful and dangerous.

“JONAS: ‘[…] We have a human scientist who creates this android

girl, who then goes on to create these Replicators as a toy. Well, at least the

concept of something that starts out so innocent becomes so evil, that’s got to

be fascinating to you.’

TEAL'C: ‘Replicators exist merely to increase their numbers and do so

without prejudice. They are no more evil that a virus.’

O'NEILL: ‘A really evil virus.’

JONAS: ‘Well, yes, we can all agree that any living thing that isn’t

inherently evil in and of itself is capable of undertaking actions that are evil’”

(“Unnatural Selection”).

Michael Arnold and Chris Pearce do not agree with the idea of the innocence of the technology. According to them, technology must be held responsible for its actions; otherwise, these activities would never be correctly assessed. Therefore, not only the humans are guilty for the actions caused by the technology.

“One might think here of napalm, cluster bombs, CF2 spray, dioxin,

battery cages, and automated spam. To blame humans and only humans for the

acts of napalm or CF2 spray, and to direct moral outrage at humans and only

humans, while implicitly or explicitly finding the napalm or the CF2 spray in

themselves irrelevant to a moral assessment, lying outside an ethical

jurisdiction, and thereby innocent of all moral wrong, is perverse. These

technologies act in the world, the world is different for their actions, and at the

very least, they share responsibility for the outcomes of their actions in the

world” (50).

Replicators evolve from the bug-like creatures into the beings similar to the people, six human-like Replicators exist, five of them with the same flaw in programming that is inherited from the Reese. Therefore, they do not identify themselves with people and consider themselves to be the only ones who are entitled to be alive. Replicators believe that because they are the dominant race in the universe and apparently undefeatable; they in accordance with Darwin’s theory of evolution have the absolute right to succeed in this process.

“FIRST: ‘Was it not in the same way that you became the dominant

species of your world? Is it not a process of natural selection? The strong

survive.’

JONAS: ‘Yeah, but there’s nothing truly natural about you. I mean,

you’ve seen into our minds, I’m quite certain that you can all tell the

difference.’

FIRST: ‘Of course. We are far superior. And if you could see into the

mind of an animal you would blindly feed upon, you would reach the same

conclusion’” (“Unnatural Selection”).

However, the Fifth Replicator that was created in order to correct the flaw, is different from the rest of them, he has the capacity for the emotions and is willing to stop his brethren from destroying the universe; he even falls in love with Major Carter. But, he is betrayed by her and forms his army of Replicators that are the threat for the continuation of the life in the universe. The Fifth creates the Replicator Carter, the Replicator double of the real Carter; who also is capable to feel the emotions. This ability to understand the emotions humanizes the

Replicators and gives them the opportunity to not obey their programming. However,

Replicator Carter decides to continue in their quest to conquer the universe, because she claims that this desire for the conquering is inherited from the real Samantha Carter:

"CARTER: ‘So this whole thing was a setup. You just wanted to get rid

of Fifth.’

REPLICATOR CARTER: ‘Fifth was pathetic. And to think, he

expected us to love him.’

CARTER: ‘Fifth was flawed. And if I had to destroy him, I would.

But…’

REPLICATOR CARTER: ‘But what? You feel sorry for him? Don't

bother. He was never fit to lead an army and he certainly wasn't fit to rule this

galaxy.’

CARTER: ‘But you are?’

REPLICATOR CARTER: ‘I am what I am because of you.’

CARTER: ‘You're not me. you're what Fifth made you.’

REPLICATOR CARTER: ‘You have untapped greatness inside you,

Sam. But you're limited by your own fears. You play by the rules, you do as

you're told and you deny yourself your own desires.’

CARTER: ‘I have no desire to rule the galaxy, believe me.’

REPLICATOR CARTER: ‘All humans desire power. It's just that most

of them are never in a position to attain it’" ("Gemini").

Human-like Replicators can be likened to the robots or other advanced technology that can control and threaten the live of the humans. This situation can be compared to the contemporary technological situation, when science is continually evolving, and humans do not completely control this process. In the future, technology will probably evolve more than the humans could understand; and people worry that technology will then start to control them because they will be less evolved. Stephen Hawking warns that against this state of affairs:

“The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved

very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could

spell the end of the human race. Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it

will take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans,

who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be

superseded.”

People are very curious and to study something or experiment and not realise the consequences. In "Nemesis", Asgards display this particular human trait and it is the cause of their destruction. In this episode, SG-1 finds out that extension of the Replicators was enabled by the Asgards; who found them and studied them. However, they did not understand the danger and the Replicators escaped and started to destroy everything.

"THOR: ‘The replicators were brought aboard an Asgard ship for study before

the danger could be fully comprehended.’

O'NEILL: ‘We do that all the time. I kinda expected more from you guys.’

TEAL'C: ‘Overconfidence in our technologies has been out undoing.’"

However, even though, the humans are aware of the danger the Replicators represent, they still want to study them and gain the advanced technology.

"DAVIS: ‘The Pentagon has requested that we take measures to preserve a

number of specimens for study.’

O'NEILL: ‘The Asgard already tried that. These buggers are on the verge of

wiping out their entire race.’" ("Small Victories Part 2").

Michael W. Young says that the depiction of the danger of the Replicators pose for humanity carries the warning for humans: “[Replicator Carter] and her kind may be warnings to our own scientists to calculate the consequences of playing with power” (105).

Replicators are the type of technology that could aid in the creation of the new technologies, such as weapons; however, it would be at the expanse of the enormous losses that could of course be justified by the technological advance. The thirst for the advanced technology that would help to protect Earth from the extraterrestrial enemies is projected in

Stargate SG-1 from the first season, when the humans entered into the galaxy which was controlled by more technologically advanced Goa’ulds. Many episodes, for example "The

Other Side" (refer to Asgards chapter), discuss the ethics of the obtaining these advanced technologies regardless the consequences.

According to Robert Jay Lifton, this urge for the weapons is adamantly ingrained in the mentality of the humans, even though, they have the ability to destroy the mankind:

"This kind of commitment to the weapons for deterrence and much else are

aspects of nuclearism–an embrace of the weapons and of their ultimate power

as a means of maintaining peace, keeping the world going, saving us from

ourselves. That embrace can render them virtual deities, entities that can do

what in the past only God could do: destroy the world. Nuclearism is the

ultimate spiritual disease of our era, involving as it does the near-worship of

the technology that threatens to destroy humanity" (14).

The depiction of the Replicators in Stargate SG-1 expresses the threat the technology represents nowadays and in the future. The actions of the Replicators reflect the fear that the overly advanced technology will cause the end of the human race. People worry that humans will create the technology that at the beginning was supposed to help people, but in the end spun out of the control and nobody will be not able to reverse the damage it caused.

Conclusion

Even though, Stargate SG-1 was aired from 1997 to 2008, it still carries the message that is relevant to the current political, cultural and social events.

This thesis analyses these events are found in the depiction of the extraterrestrial non- human races in this TV series, which allows these themes be more objectively and in-depth examined from the perspective of "us" versus the "other".

Goa’ulds represent the slavery, and not only the slavery of the body, but also of the mind and faith. They are the prototype of the evil alien, who personify the status of the slavers.

Tok’ra depict themselves as the abolitionists against the slavery, however the deeper analysis disproves initial hypothesis and expresses that they forget their original intentions and their only current goal is the defeat of the Goa’uld.

The depiction of the Jaffa shows many similarities with the history of the African

American people. The most significant is the casting of the Jaffa characters that most of them is played by the actors of African American appearance, which is inconsistent with casting of other extraterrestrial races. Another similarity is in the fact that the journey of the Jaffa to their freedom includes identical stages to the African American fight for the freedom. Slavery, fight for the freedom and in the end independence.

Chapter about Alterans addresses the theme of the relationship between the religion and the science, and how this influenced two groups that Alteran nation divided into. It also explains the ongoing theme of the false gods and their killing, either metaphorically or literary.

Ancients draw attention to the policy of the non-interventionism, which is in Stargate

SG-1 depicted from the negative perspective. The Ancients are the most technologically advanced race, and their refusal to help their descendants against more powerful enemy, shows their deliberate refusal to help the needed, which in another interpretation is interpreted as the unconcern the government has for its citizens.

On the other hand, Ori interfere in the physical world, and are the allegory of the radical Islamist threat. Ori as well as Muslims declared the war on the unbelievers of their religion, Islam and in Ori’s case, the Origin. There are similarities in the structure of the religion, system of the punishment of the religious crimes. It also informs of a possibility of the biological or chemical attack by the depiction of the Ori plague.

Asgards serve as a warning for the humans to be cautious about the cloning. Even though, in TV series only the final stages of the decline are present, it shows the extinction of the whole race that is not that different from humans.

Replicators represent the fear of the humanity that the technology in the future may overtake the people and start to control them or kill them.

This bachelor thesis proves that the analysis of the themes that appear in the depiction of the extraterrestrial races can be relevant to the existing cultural, political and religious events.

List of Figures

Fig. 1. The sketch of the Goa’uld., Web. 24. Apr. 2016.

Fig. 2. Symbiote in the symbiote pouch., Web. 24. Apr. 2016.

< http://www.stargate-sg1-solutions.com/wg/symbiotes/101-cotg1-jaffa-carrying-amaunet- symbiote.html>

Fig. 3. Forehead brand., Web. 24. Apr. 2016.

=20080327055020>

Fig. 4. Doci and the Ori., Web. 24. Apr. 2016.

< http://spacegypsies.com/archives/6154>

Fig. 5. Prior’s magic powers., Web. 24. Apr. 2016.

< http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/Prior>

Fig. 6. Picture of Thor., Web. 24: Apr. 2016.

Fig. 7. Illustration of the Roswell Greys., Web. Apr. 2016.

< http://www.paranormalvibe.com/greys-zeta-reticulans/>

Fig. 8. The image of the Replicator.

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Summary

This bachelor thesis analyses the depiction of the alien races in TV series Stargate SG-

1 and how the way they were written, reflects the politics, culture and society of the United

States of America. At the beginning, thesis informs about the general information about the

Stargate franchise. Explains the concept of the stargates and the importance of their function for the narrative of the Stargate franchise.

The first three chapters deal with the theme of the slavery. Goa’ulds represent the slavers, Tok’ra the abolitionists., the depiction of the Jaffa describes the narrative of the

African American slaves through slavery and fight for freedom to the independence.

Next three chapters deal with the ascended beings living at another plane of existence that still influence the physical world. Chapter about Alterans explains the relationship between the science and religion in the context of the Stargate SG-1, and how is this related to the Ancients and Ori dispute. Chapter about Ancients discusses the merits of their non- interference policy and its reflection in the American politics. In contrast to the former, Ori’s intervention with the peace in the Milky Way galaxy has the marks of the radical Islam.

Last two chapters warn against the dangers of the future. Asgards’ life story serves as the warning of the possible catastrophic extinction of humanity, should it follow their way.

This bachelor thesis proves that the analysis of the themes that appear in the depiction of the extraterrestrial races can be relevant to the existing cultural, political and religious events.

Resumé

Tato bakalářská práce analyzuje zobrazení mimozemských druhů v seriálu Hvězdná brána, a to jak jsou napsány, odráží politiku, kulturu a společnost USA. Na začátku práce informuje o obecných informací týkajících se seriálu Hvězdná brána. Vysvětluje koncept hvězdných bran a důležitost jejich funkce pro příběh.

První tři kapitoly pojednávají o tématu otroctví. Goa’uldi představují otrokáře, Tok’ra odpůrci otroctví, a zobrazení Jaffa popisuje příběh Afroameričanů od otroctví, boj za svobodu, až k samostatnosti.

Další tři kapitoly se zabývají povznesenými bytosti žijícími na jiné úrovni existence, které stále ovlivňují fyzický svět. Kapitola o Alteranech objasňuje vztah mezi vědou a náboženstvím v kontextu Hvězdné brány, a jak se tato problematika vztahuje k rozkolu mezi

Antiky a Orii. Kapitola o Anticích diskutuje opodstatněnost jejich praktiky nezasahování a její odraz v americké politice. Na rozdíl od Antiků, Ori zasahují do míru v Mléčné dráze, jejich počínání nese stopy radikálního Islámu.

Poslední dvě kapitoly varují proti nebezpečí budoucnosti, Životní příběh Asgardů upozorňuje na možný katastrofický zánik lidstva, pokud by následovalo jejich cestu. Kapitula přitahuje pozornost k riskům klonování a etice těchto praktik. Kapitola o Relikátorech zdůrazňuje nebezpečí, že nadměrně vyspělé technologie v budoucnosti ovládnou lidstvo a potencionálně ohrozí jeho existenci.

Tato bakalářská práce dokazuje, že analýza témat, které se objevují v zobrazení mimozemských druhů je relevantní ke skutečným kulturním, politických a náboženským událostem.