Tau'ri

"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."

- Thor

Tau'ri is the term used by the inhabitants of the Milky Way to refer to human beings from Earth. The word means "first ones" or "those from the first world", in the Goa'uld language, in the sense that all human life in the Milky Way began on Earth. While the term "Tau'ri" originally applied to all human beings in the galaxy, it has come to apply specifically to those who currently live on Earth as the Stargate Program proceeded to explore the galaxy.

The Tau'ri have also become known as the "Lanteans" by the races of the Pegasus Galaxy due to their habitation of the city of Atlantis, and Earth has been referred to as "Midgard" by the peoples of planets under the protection of the Asgard. When the Asgard race approached extinction, they declared the Tau'ri as the "Fifth Race", an allusion to the now-broken Alliance of Four Great Races.

History
"There is a tale of a primitive world the Goa'uld discovered millennia ago. The Tau'ri. The First World where forms of this type first evolved. It is said the Goa'uld harvested among the primitives, some became Goa'uld hosts, others became Jaffa, the rest were taken as slaves and seeded among the stars to serve them."

- Teal'c

Several million years ago, an advanced race of humanoid beings (now referred to as the Ancients) abandoned their home galaxy for the Milky Way. Upon their arrival, they settled on Earth, from which they created a vast empire spanning the entire galaxy and enduring for millions of years. However, only a few million years ago, a great plague swept the galaxy, decimating its population. Before abandoning the Milky Way for the Pegasus galaxy to rebuilt their great civilization, the Ancients enacted measures to reseed the galaxy of life. The Tau'ri are one species who resulted from this endeavor. During the Ancient's habitation of the Pegasus galaxy, humans were able to develop and flourish on Earth for thousands of years. 10,000 years ago, a number of the Ancients returned to Earth after the end of their devastating war with the Wraith. When they returned, some decided to live among the native population, passing on their Ancient Technology Activation gene as they interbred. This gene, which occurs randomly among the population, has predisposed a large population of modern humans to use Ancient technology, thereby making the humans of Earth the decendants of the Ancients and the inheritors of their technology.

In 9,177 BC, the Tau'ri were discovered by the Goa'uld Ra. Realizing they would make suitable hosts for goa'uld symbiotes and suitable laborers, Ra abducted vast numbers of humans from earth and distributed them among planets throughout the galaxy using the Stargate network. On these planets, various cultures of humans were able to develop independently of each other. Around 3,000 BC on Earth, a rebellion against the imposed Goa'uld slavery occurred, after which Ra fled from earth and the Stargate was buried in Egypt. The Tau'ri rediscovered the Stargate in 1928, and the truth of the galaxy about sixty years later.

The time of the Second World War (1939-1945) marked the first experiments with the Stargate. The United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was "curious" about its potential, authorized experimentation to learn what it was capable of. Professor Paul Langford and Ernest Littlefield lead experiments in it, but it was abandoned after Littlefield was presumed killed after stepping through the Gate.

The experimentation, and eventually exploration, were later continued many years later in July 1997 when in the aftermath of the Goa'uld System Lord, Apophis attacking the SGC and kidnapping Airman Carol Weterings the U.S.A commissioned nine teams (with many more later on) to go off world to assess threats to Earth, open negotiations with other civilizations, and procure technology to protect Earth. The first mission was headed by SG-1 and SG-2 who went to Chulak. However, SG-1 were captured, but was later freed by the efforts of Teal'c of Chulak, First Prime of Apophis, who permanently defected from the Goa'uld and eventually ended up joining the SGC and SG-1.

After many missions, Senator Robert Kinsey attempted to shut down the Stargate Program because it was a global risk, ignoring the fact that Earth would be attacked by the Goa'uld as warned by Dr. Daniel Jackson. SG-1 however disobeyed orders and went through the gate to the co-ordinates Daniel found in an alternate reality. With the help of Bra'tac, Teal'c's teacher, they destroyed Apophis' two Ha'taks and stopped the invasion of Earth. As a result of that, Stargate Command and the Stargate Program were both reopened, this on a permanent basis so that they could continue to fight against the Goa'uld as well as any other future threats. The Tau'ri later came into contact with the Asgard, who, at the time, believed that the Tau'ri were too young a race to ally with. Then they met the Tok'ra, a race of Goa'uld who are opposed to the System Lord's enslavement of the galaxy. They eventually formed an alliance and fought against the System Lords.

in the year 2000, SG-1 first encountered the Replicators, a small robotic insectoid race impervious to most energy weapons, yet vulnerable to projectile weapons. SG-1 eventually crashed the visiting Asgard ship Biliskner, previously commanded by Thor, that had become infested with Replicators into the Pacific Ocean. The heat of re-entry caused the ship to break up in the atmosphere. This was the first of many victories over the Replicators, until they were eventually defeated by the Tau'ri.

In the year 2004, Earth discovered the address to the Lost City of the Ancients, known from their myths as Atlantis: a city that held numerous technologies that could give any who re-discovered it ultimate power in the Milky Way. However, it was in another galaxy called Pegasus. Stargate Command sent an expedition through the Stargate to locate the city, using the Zero Point Module recovered from the Ancient outpost on Proclarush Taonas. Upon arriving, they learned that the Ancients had also seeded human life in the Pegasus galaxy and met a powerful enemy known as the Wraith with the ongoing Tau'ri-Wraith War being started as a result.

After eight long years of fighting against the Goa'uld, the Tau'ri was eventually able to defeat the System Lords, along with the Replicators, aided by the Jaffa Rebellion, the Tok'ra, and the Asgard, with the help of the Ancient's Superweapon on Dakara.

After the defeat of the Goa'uld, Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran eventually contacted the technologically superior Ori and alerted them to the human presence in the Milky Way. The Tau'ri were subsequently forced to battle against the Ori and their servants, the Priors, looking for a weapon to effectively fight them, and prevent humanity from being forced into the servitude of another race once more.

In 2007, the Tau'ri managed to acquire a weapon capable of destroying the Ori, the Sangraal, and sent it to the Alteran Home Galaxy in an attempt to destroy the energy beings, and prevent them from enslaving humanity. Months later, the Tau'ri gained a great advantage over the Ori forces still present in the Milky Way in the form of a library of Asgard knowledge installed on the Odyssey. Unfortunately, this incredible advantage came at a heavy price: the extinction of the Asgard. The Asgard database gave the Tau'ri access to extremely advanced knowledge and technology that, when combined with their access to the knowledge in Atlantis, gave them an unparalleled superiority over the other known races in the known universe.

Sometime in the same year, the Tau'ri discovered a reference to the nine chevron address minus the point of origin in the Atlantis database. The Tau'ri soon set up Icarus Base on P4X-351 to start research on the Icarus project, an attempt to dial the nine chevron address. However with the research done on the base, the Tau'ri still were unable to unlock the mystery of the ninth chevron.

The Tau'ri would, almost a year later, acquire a relic of the Ancients known as the Ark of Truth. This device had the ability of making anyone believe whatever was programmed into it. This artifact would eventually lead to the final downfall of the Ori. The Tau'ri exposed the Doci, the Speaker of the Ori, to the Ark, instantly turning all Priors in the galaxy away from Origin and stripping the final Ori, Adria, of a large portion of her faith-generated power. The Ancient known as Morgan Le Fay subsequently engaged Adria in combat, and the two presumably destroyed each other, or locked themselves in an everlasting duel. After the Ark was used on a Prior in the Milky Way the Ori crusade was ended once and for all, with the Tau'ri standing victorious while also having saved the Milky Way galaxy once again.

In early 2009, Atlantis came to defend Earth against a powerful Super-hive. The Hive ship was eventually destroyed, but Atlantis was forced to make a dangerous landing on Earth's surface. This marked the first time Atlantis had been situated on Earth in millions of years.

Days later, Eli Wallace, a genius civilian, joined the Stargate Program. He discovered that the nine chevron addresses were actually a code with Earth as the point of origin and the Tau'ri were able to unlock the ninth chevron. However the discovery came at a heavy price as the Lucian Alliance attacked Icarus Base, prompting the Icarus base personnel to evacuate through the Stargate. The core of the planet then destabilized, destroying the Icarus Base and the planet itself. However, unknown to most of Icarus personnel and those back on Earth, instead of emerging on Earth, they emerged on the Destiny, an automated exploration ship launched by the Ancients from Earth as part of an experiment to further their knowledge of the universe several million years ago.

Political climate
The United States of America, by virtue of its control of the Stargate, was largely responsible for Earth's interstellar policy. However, more nations have gradually come to take part in its use. After the Asgard ship Biliskner crashed into international waters, Russia was able to recover a Stargate that SG-1 had beamed aboard and used it to briefly establish their own Stargate program based in Siberia, although this was eventually terminated and merged with the United States program running out of Cheyenne Mountain. The Russians currently operate their own SG team under Stargate Command's authority. After the System Lord Anubis became an increasing threat and his planned attack on Earth seemed to be coming in the immediate future, the United States and Russia informed the other three permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: the United Kingdom, France, and China. This was done in the hopes of pooling their combined military resources to defend Earth against Anubis's fleet.

As a consequence of this, the eventual arrival of Anubis' fleet prompted President Henry Hayes to inform these 5 nations, as well as long-time ally Canada about Stargate Command's fleet engagement plans. After the defeat of Anubis's fleet and the subsequent discovery of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica, an international committee was established to oversee it and the Atlantis expedition. These new nations were informed of the Stargate's existence because they were all signatories to treaties establishing Antarctica as neutral territory (the outpost is located in the region not claimed by any government).

The three main branches of Earth's involvement with alien technology include:
 * Oversight of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica
 * Stargate Command (also its associated research facility at Area 51 and the Alpha Site)
 * The construction of the fleet of Earth-built space battleships, such as the Daedalus-class battlecruiser and the BC-303

The efforts of the United States in these three branches are coordinated by the United States Department of Defense's Office of Homeworld Security.

Many of the nations that are now aware of the existence of the Stargate still don't agree on many issues regarding interstellar and domestic policy. From the onset, China has expressed its distaste at not informing the public about the Stargate's existence; however, this was largely a political posture taken in opposition to the United States out of displeasure that Washington never informed China about the existence of the alien threat; in reality, the Chinese have deferred to the United States' policy of secrecy, as they have seen that the revelation of the existence of an alien threat to Earth could create mass panic among the Chinese public. Of course, in return for their silence, China expected to share in the technological rewards of the Stargate Command and Atlantis expedition programs. As a reward for their cooperation, China's People Liberation Army was given one of the advanced Daedalus-class battlecruisers, the Sun Tzu. SG teams have accidentally sparked planetary wars on industrial, World War II/Cold War-era worlds by informing their populations about the true nature of the Stargate, the most notable being Tegalus, where first contact caused a fundamentalist coup d'etat and full-scale nuclear warfare.

Russian officials have intimated in private that one of their major motivations in supporting the United States' control of access to advanced alien technologies is that they want the USA to be the one that spends billions of dollars and risks a great deal developing prototype technologies, such as for the BC-303s, and that once they are perfected the Russians planned on building their own BC-303s, for a fraction of the cost and no risk. In the end, they did not build their own ships, but did receive a more advanced American-built Daedalus-class battlecruiser, the RFS Korolev.

Public knowledge of the SGC
Over the years, all attempts have been made to keep the existence of the Stargate secret, assuming there would be mass panic if the public found out. This has been shown by several alternate-universe experiences, as the reason of the survival of was due to Colonel Samantha Carter joining the military, and possibly Stargate Command remaining a secret. The SGC has been remarkably successful at this, even when Earth was under direct attack by Anubis, an assault which included the apparent destruction of the entire Nimitz Carrier Battle Group, and when a skyscraper disappeared in downtown Seattle with no apparent explosion. Nevertheless, conspiracy theorists, especially those with business ties to the United States Air Force like Alec Colson, have suspected that some kind of extraterrestrial activity is going on at the highest levels of the military. A very few select civilians not in government are aware of the SGC's existence, such as Martin Lloyd (who is himself an alien), and Joe Spencer and his wife, as well as Jeannie Miller, the sister of Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay, the Chief Science Officer of the Atlantis Expedition and her husband Kaleb Miller. For the civilians who do know of the existence of the Stargate Program, they must sign in a Non-disclosure agreement form.


 * In the year 2010 of an alternate timeline in which the Goa'uld had been defeated by an alliance between the Tau'ri and the Aschen, the entire Earth knew about the Stargate, and appeared to treat it in much the same way as air travel. However, that future was erased to prevent Earth from being influenced by the Aschen.


 * In an alternate reality, Stargate Command was forced to reveal the Stargate's existence after Anubis' attack in 2004. This ultimately caused global panic and the world's governments were in arguments. The U.S. barely got the Ancient Control chair out of the Antarctic outpost before Russian troops moved in. Also, major riots broke out in the United States, and President Henry Landry was forced to issue martial law. As a result, civil rights were severely limited.

Relationships with other cultures
"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."

- Delek

The Tau'ri had a strong alliance with the Jaffa Rebellion, after effectively being responsible for its creation, beginning with Teal'c's defection. However, many Jaffa believe that the Tau'ri merely accelerated the inevitable Jaffa uprising, a process that had started by the rebellion of the Sodan, continued by smaller rebellions such as the Battle of Tazek'sur on Chulak where several Jaffa, including Gerak's father, died for their eventual freedom.

Nevertheless, the Tau'ri are largely responsible for the eventual formation of the modern Free Jaffa Nation. Those Jaffa factions who fought alongside the Tau'ri felt very indebted to Earth and wanted to establish a democratic system of their own. By stumbling across the Pangarans, combined with their special relationship with the Tok'ra, the Tau'ri were also able to free the Jaffa from their mortal dependence on Goa'uld larvae by adapting the Tretonin for widespread use.

The relationship between the Tau'ri and the new Free Jaffa Nation has been more difficult than in the past due to the fact that many Jaffa continue to view the Tau'ri with a certain amount of mistrust, leading to several threats against Earth. Before the destruction of Dakara, however, the Jaffa were valuable allies against the Ori.

In 1998, the Tau'ri made contact with rebel Goa'uld known as the Tok'ra, whose goal was to overthrow the System Lords. The Tau'ri and the Tok'ra eventually signed a treaty thanks to Sam Carter's father, Jacob Carter becoming a host to the Tok'ra symbiote, Selmak and they have been valuable allies ever since. The Tok'ra have been instrumental in defeating both the Goa'uld and the Replicators, and also joined the fight against the Ori. Although Jacob and Selmak both eventually died due to old age, the alliance between the Tau'ri and Tok'ra still stands strong thanks to Jacob's daughter, Sam now acting as the new liaison between the two races.

The Tau'ri also had strong ties with the Tollan before their destruction, despite their frustration at the Tollan's refusal to share any of their technology with Earth. Tollan society was destroyed, however, by Anubis when Narim and SG-1 destroyed the Tollan's super weapons. Which were powerful bombs capable of penetrating Earth's Iris. Anubis forced the Tollan to build him the weapons in return for their survival, however once the bombs were destroyed, Anubis became angry at the Tollans's acts of defiance and wiped out the Tollan.

In 2002, it was discovered that Earth was also the homeworld of the Ancients after they left their own galaxy for the Milky Way. The Ancients, one of the most advanced civilizations to ever live, were the original constructors of the Stargates and continue to affect the societies of the galaxy. Although not necessarily direct ancestors of the Tau'ri, the Ancients consider human beings in general, and the Tau'ri in particular, to be the "second evolution" of their species, a fact that would later come to haunt the Tau'ri with the discovery of the Asurans. Some Tau'ri possess genetic markers (called the Ancient Technology Activation gene) unique to the Ancients that allow them to use Ancient technology, as a result of interbreeding with a group of Ancients that returned to Earth ten thousand years ago from their city of Atlantis when there was no hope of defeating the Wraith.

The Asurans view the Tau'ri with great envy and hatred due to the fact that they are from Earth, the former homeworld of the Ancients, their creators, as well as the fact that many are direct descendants of the Ancients and now inhabit Atlantis. As such, the Asurans have attempted to destroy Atlantis numerous times, only for their efforts to fail.

The Asgard once described the Tau'ri as being well on their way to becoming the "Fifth Race", a reference to the Alliance of Four Great Races that both the Asgard and Ancients were part of, and had seen their great potential long ago. Although the Asgard were originally hesitant to form an alliance with the Tau'ri, as the difference in their levels of technology was at the time too great, they would eventually come to depend on the Tau'ri in their fight against the Replicators: the Replicators, accustomed with the sophisticated Asgard, were unprepared to counter the more simple approaches of the Tau'ri. In return, the Asgard have become Earth's greatest and most powerful friends, and have gifted to them many of their technologies, most notably hyperdrive, shielding, and beaming technology which have all been installed on the battlecruisers that the Tau'ri have developed. Unfortunately, the alliance would come to an untimely and tragic end when the Asgard were unable find the flaw in their degrading genome, ultimately leading to their extinction. Before their deaths, the Asgard gave the Tau'ri all of their knowledge and technology, despite strong reservations at the young stage of Tau'ri development, and self-destructed their home of Orilla; finally pronouncing the Tau'ri as the Fifth Race of the Great Alliance.

When dealing with less advanced human races, the Tau'ri have adopted a policy on the sharing of technology similar to the Tollan, but nowhere near as strict: while the Tollan refuse to share any of their technology, Earth will usually refuse to share only their military technology. They will, however, often provide these cultures with humanitarian technologies, such as medical supplies. They also often refuse to intervene in the political situations of other planets, however exceptions have been made when they feel it will be for the better.

In the Pegasus Galaxy, where they have become known as the Atlanteans, Earth has made multiple relations with the less advanced humans there with the help of the Athosians, their closest allies in that galaxy. Some alliances have been made in order to gain food to replenish their stocks and others have been made to fight the Wraith together (which usually end rather quickly). One of their most prominent alliances was with the Genii, a military dictatorship possessing technology that, while advanced compared to the natives of the Pegasus Galaxy, was nowhere near as advanced as that of the Tau'ri. A shaky alliance with the Genii was forged in an attempt to fight the Wraith, as they were the most advanced culture they had so far encountered, but due to the rampant corruption in the Genii leadership, all communication with them was abandoned. An uneasy truce was reached, however, when the Genii leadership changed, which the Tau'ri helped happen.

In 2006, the Lucian Alliance, a highly organized group of drug dealing criminals that had stepped in to fill the power vacuum left by the Goa'uld, made an attempt to capture the Battle cruiser Odyssey, resulting in the death of its commander Colonel Paul Emerson. The leader of the Alliance, Netan had sent a Second Anateo on what he had hoped would be a fool’s errand, believing that the Tau'ri were too strong for the plan to succeed. This backfired on Netan as Anateo almost succeeded in taking the ship. Although the crew was eventually able to retake their ship, the Tau'ri have declared war on the Lucian Alliance, something they were seeking to avoid. However in 2007, the Lucian Alliance set up a bounty on SG-1 because their drug dealing was being disrupted by Earth's elite Stargate team, causing Netan to become weak in the eyes of the Lucian Alliance; they then turned the strongest of bounty hunters against Netan to kill him and take his place of power in an attempt to set things right. However, the Lucian Alliance continues to be an ongoing threat to Earth, as evident by their attack on Icarus Base and their invasion of Destiny.

Humans were initially seen as a weak species by the Ori, who viewed them only as a means to gain more power. Eventually, however, Earth steadily grew into an increasing threat that the Ori had to either convert or destroy. First, they released a plague on Earth, which was foiled when the ascended being known as Orlin returned to the lower planes to provide the Tau'ri with a cure (at great cost to himself). Because most of their forces were stuck in their own galaxy, the Ori turned to their Jaffa allies, who were eager to destroy Earth; SG-1 was able to foil their plot. With their first attempts at removing the Tau'ri as a threat foiled, they determined that a different approach would be needed and turned SG-1's own Dr. Daniel Jackson into a Prior for that purpose. However, protected by the consciousness of the Ancient Merlin, Jackson was able to recreate the Sangraal, the only weapon that could destroy the Ori, and send it to their galaxy, destroying them.

Ultimately, Earth came to pose the greatest threat the Ori had ever faced on the lower planes, in the form of devices that could negate the powers of their Priors and ships boasting weapons that could penetrate the shields of their warships in a handful of shots while at the same time resisting their ships' primary energy weapon for several minutes due to advanced shielding technology. Realizing the very real danger the Tau'ri now posed, Adria, the Ori's leader and also the daughter of SG-1 member, Vala Mal Doran mounted plans to launch a full-scale assault against Earth, but was thwarted when SG-1 learned of the Ark of Truth and activated it, thus removing their follower's belief in Origin. The ascended being Morgan Le Fay quickly engaged the weakened Adria in a never-ending duel, permanently ending the Ori crusade.

Tau'ri on the Intergalactic Stage
"The last thing the Atlanteans need is more power."

- Acastus Kolya

The Tau'ri have rapidly risen to prominence and have become a major superpower in both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies. They have caused the downfall of many other galactic powers, including the Goa'uld Empire, the Replicators, the Ori, the Asurans, and they are well on their way to ending the Wraith domination of the Pegasus Galaxy where even the Ancients had failed. As a result, they are often treated with caution by other major races, and even one of their closest allies, the Free Jaffa Nation, has shown great mistrust towards the Tau'ri as many of their population believe that the Jaffa should remain independent and free from any non-Jaffa influence.

Many members of the Lucian Alliance, one of Earth's enemies, believe the Tau'ri to be a major threat to their organization, and that they have caused more grief to them than any other adversary, including the Ori. A small minority, including their leader Netan, are of the opinion that the Tau'ri are of no or little consequence however.

In 2007, the Tau'ri were proclaimed the fifth member of the Alliance of Four Great Races by the Asgard, who left all their knowledge and history to the Tau'ri, thus placing on them the responsibility of being the first line of defense for preserving the hope of the future.

Conflicts

 * Tau'ri-Goa'uld War
 * Second Tau'ri-Goa'uld war
 * Replicator invasion
 * Tau'ri-Wraith war
 * Asuran-Tau'ri-Wraith war
 * Tau'ri-Genii conflict
 * Ori crusade
 * Tau'ri-Lucian Alliance war
 * Tau'ri-Nakai war
 * Tau'ri-Drone war
 * Ursini-Drone war

Technology
"Knowledge is power, but how you use that power defines whether you are good, or evil."

- Daniel Jackson

The Tau'ri were a fairly advanced race even before the exploration of the Milky Way, capable of simple space travel and nuclear warfare. Tau'ri weapons are capable of rivaling the Goa'uld Staff weapons and, interestingly enough, Tau'ri weapons were the only known weaponry to permanently damage the Replicators before the re-invention of the Replicator disruptor.

The Tau'ri's first (successful) attempt of constructing an advanced spaceship of their own design resulted in the F-302 fighter-interceptor, an air and space superiority vehicle constructed in part using reversed engineered alien technologies procured through the Stargate program. Since then, one of Stargate Command's primary objectives has been the development and construction of a fleet of Earth-built space battleships, notably of the Daedalus-class, with many such vessels currently in service.

Alien technology
The Tau'ri have developed many technologies based on what SG teams have brought back from trips to other planets via the use of the Stargate on Earth. While Earth's level of technology prior even to Stargate travel far supersedes the level found on most planets throughout the galaxy (and indeed others), several races far surpass it. Much of the early alien technologies that Stargate Command was able to procure was of Goa'uld origins. One such piece of advanced technology was the Goauld Death Glider, which the Tauri utilized and reverse engineered several of its systems to develop the first space capable aircraft, the X-302 hyperspace fighter and its production variant, the F-302 fighter-interceptor. Earths second spacecraft that made use of reverse engineered Goa'uld technologies was the X-303 Prometheus. The greatest share of alien technologies that Earth uses for its spacecrafts and for defense is of Asgard origins. The Asgard have donated several key technologies to the Tauri, such as Asgard beam transport system, Asgard designed Hyperdrives for faster than light travel, defense shields and sensors for the Prometheus and the Daedalus class battlecruisers. Although initially refusing to provide Earth with offensive weapons technologies, the Asgard later design Plasma beam weapons to be retrofitted onto Earth's Daedalus class battlecruisers. In addition, the Asgard donated their entire database and latest technology to the people of Earth before they perished, and with Atlantis now on Earth and access to its database, the Tau'ri are now effectively the most advanced known race in at least two galaxies.

Military strength
"He's a coward, choosing to run and hide rather than face the wrath of the Tau'ri"

- Anateo speaking about Netan's caution of the Tau'ri

Earth has several offworld teams, mostly under the control of Stargate Command, who are to open negotiations with other planets and procure advanced technology that could be used to defend Earth. They usually operate as teams of four, although that is not a requirement. A few off-world bases have a number of military personnel for operation.

In addition to this, Earth presumably possesses a conventional military capability dispersed throughout the many nations that occupy its surface. The potential effectiveness of these Forces in defending Earth against external attack is unknown, as SG Teams using current military equipment have shown weapons such as FIM-92 Stinger missiles to be somewhat effective against Goa'uld vehicles. However, the decentralized nature of Military Forces on Earth, as well as the great variations in standards of training and equipment present the possibility that an external attack would at least at first meet confused and relatively ineffective resistance. In addition, many nations appear to have no knowledge of the Stargate and as such would have no way of preparing and planning for such an attack. Finally the ease with which forces of Anubis managed to annihilate a US Navy Carrier Battle Group indicates that much of Earth's military capabilities would be of limited use against external threats.

Currently, the Tau'ri have at least 25 SG teams and 11 Atlantis teams, which are actively working off-world. They are highly-trained units, which specialize in several skills that enable them to successfully deal with whatever threat they may be facing.

In addition, numerous aliens from planets in the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxy have been allowed to join the main SGC and Atlantis teams, prime examples being Teal'c of Chulak, Jonas Quinn of Langara and Vala Mal Doran, three aliens who joined the SGC's main flagship team, SG-1 and Athosian Teyla Emmagan and Satedan Ronon Dex, two members of the Atlantis Expedition's flagship team, the First Atlantis Reconnaissance Team or AR-1 for short. It should be noted that Jonas has since returned to his native planet of Langara while Teal'c, Vala, Teyla and Ronon are all currently active members of their respective teams.

Outposts
The Tau'ri also command several outposts throughout the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies. These outposts were equipped with the latest technology available to the Tau'ri. Among the technology are defensive system, communication system, sensor system and several more systems developed by the Tau'ri. In addition, the Tau'ri also command three powerful Ancient outposts equipped with Ancient Drone weapons, Shield and many more in the Antarctic outpost and Atlantis or defensive energy weapon found on the Destiny.

Spaceships
Earth also operates a small, but highly advanced, fleet of spaceships, consisting of:
 * USS Prometheus (Destroyed in the Battle of Tegalus)
 * USS Daedalus
 * USS Odyssey
 * RFS Korolev (Destroyed during the Battle of P3Y-229) (Russian crewed)
 * USS Apollo
 * PLA Sun Tzu (Chinese crewed)
 * USS George Hammond

Earth also has several squadrons of F-302 fighter-interceptors (space-worthy 2-man fighters), but the exact number remains unknown. F-302s are stationed at several major off-world bases including Atlantis, and Alpha, Betas and Gamma Sites. In addition, every Daedalus-class battlecruiser also carries 16 F-302 fighters.

In addition, Earth also commands several vessels of alien origin, consisting of:

Ancient origin

 * Ancient City-ship Atlantis
 * Aurora-class battleship Orion (Destroyed)
 * Puddle Jumpers
 * Time Jumper
 * Destiny
 * Ancient shuttle

Goa'uld origin

 * Cronus' Ha'tak (Destroyed)
 * Al'kesh
 * Ronan's Tel'tak (Destroyed)
 * Death Glider
 * Needle Threader
 * Incomplete Goa'uld spacecraft (Kept at Area 51)

Wraith origin

 * Atlantis' hive ship (Destroyed)
 * Wraith Dart

The Atlantis Expedition
The Atlantis Project, also called the Atlantis expedition, is Earth's international mission to the Ancient city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. The impetus for the creation of the expedition was the discovery of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica. The reason that it is international is that it was felt that a project of such importance could not be the exclusive province of one nation, as well as the fact that according to American and international law, Antarctica is international territory and hence it would be technically illegal for the United States to operate any facilities without international participation or at least international knowledge. An international committee, originally called the Atlantis Committee was established, creating the first truly international body for the management of Earth's off-world affairs. It is composed of the representatives of several nations, but the leaders of the committee seem to be the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China, however, numerous nations have sent people to Atlantis. It is currently led by Richard Woolsey with the two previous commanders of the Expedition being Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Colonel Samantha Carter while Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard serves as the military commander for the Expedition.

The Destiny Expedition
The Destiny expedition, comprised mainly of members from the Icarus Project team, was an international research team attempting to dial the Stargate ninth chevron after a nine-symbol address (minus the point of origin) was found in the Atlantis database. The nine-symbol "code" was cracked, the Stargate was dialed and the team found themselves stranded aboard the Ancient ship, Destiny, billions of light-years from Earth.

The International Oversight Advisory
The committee created to oversee the Atlantis Project has gone beyond its original purpose and has actively affected other areas of Earth's off-world affairs as the International Oversight Advisory, or IOA Its core is composed of representatives the Big Five: the United States of America, represented by Richard Woolsey, James Marrick and James Coolidge; the United Kingdom, represented by Russel Chapman; France, represented by Jean LaPierre; Russia, represented by Colonel Chekov, the Russian military liaison to Stargate Command (although it is unknown if he survived the Battle of P3Y-229); and China, represented by Dr. Shen Xiaoyi.

The I.O.A. recently agreed to provide Stargate Command with funds which Major General Henry Landry and Dr. Daniel Jackson stated was necessary for the SGC to remain important; since the United States Congress would not appropriate these funds, the committee agreed to on the condition that a civilian watchdog would be permitted to watch over SGC affairs. That watchdog is generally accepted to be Richard Woolsey, the United States representative.

The IOA seem to play an important role in the Icarus Project and later the Destiny expedition after the incident at Icarus Base. It is still unknown what are the major role of IOA in the expedition however it could like those on the Atlantis expedition.

Locations under Tau'ri control

 * Former colonies and bases marked with *

Worlds

 * Earth (Homeworld)
 * P4X-650
 * Lantea (Former location of Atlantis) *
 * M35-117 (Former location of Atlantis) *
 * P4X-351 (Destroyed) *
 * P3X-984 (Abandoned) *

Bases

 * Alpha Site (II) (Major military base) *
 * Alpha Site (Pegasus Galaxy) (Major military base)
 * Beta Site (Major military base)
 * Gamma Site (Major military base)
 * M34-227 (Minor military/exploration base) *
 * M44-5YN (Minor exploration base) *
 * M4C-862 (Major exploration base) *
 * Omega Site (Major military base, formerly shared with the Asgard)
 * Paradise world (Minor military base) *
 * P3X-403 (Mining operations for Naquadah)
 * P4F-221 (Mining operations for Naquadah)
 * P5C-629 (Military base and part of the "Seeker Project")
 * Earth Bases:
 * Antarctic outpost
 * Area 51
 * Area 37-92/NV
 * Kuybyshev Airbase (Russian Airbase)
 * McMurdo (Research Base)
 * McMurdo Air Force Base
 * Peterson Air Force Base
 * The Pentagon (Military Headquarters)
 * Stargate Command
 * P3X-984 Bases:
 * Alpha Site (I) (Major military base) *
 * P4X-650 Bases:
 * Alpha Site (III) (Current location of Milky Way Alpha Site)
 * P4X-351 Bases:
 * Icarus Base (Major military base) *, (Destroyed)

Others

 * Atlantis
 * Destiny

Major Enemies

 * Aschen (Status unknown)
 * Asurans (Confirmed defeated) - see Asuran-Tau'ri-Wraith war
 * Genii (Sporadic enemy/Currently nominal ally)
 * Goa'uld (Active) - see Tau'ri-Goa'uld war/Second Tau'ri-Goa'uld war
 * Lucian Alliance (Active)- see Tau'ri-Lucian Alliance war
 * Michael Kenmore (Confirmed defeated) - see Michael's crusade
 * Nakai (Active) - see Tau'ri-Nakai war
 * Replicators (Confirmed defeated in the known universe) - see Replicator Invasion
 * Ori (Confirmed defeated) - see Ori crusade
 * The Trust (Status unknown)
 * Wraith (Peace) - see Tau'ri-Wraith war
 * Drones (Active) - see Ursini-Drone war

Alternate realities

 * In an alternate reality visited by Daniel Jackson in 1998, the Tau'ri were attacked by Apophis and most major cities were destroyed with the death toll standing at one billion. Efforts to combat the invasion were headed in Cheyenne Mountain by the SGA. Dr. Samantha Carter stated that Washington D.C. and Philadelphia had been lost. Cities that, based on the SGA's map, were almost certainly destroyed include the following: Cairo, Berlin, Rome, Helsinki, London, Moscow, New York City, Paris and Dublin. Colorado Springs was presumably destroyed during the attack on Cheyenne Mountain. The Goa'uld attack started in Europe, Asia and Africa before spreading to the United States of America. Since the destruction started on the East Coast and moved west and Dr. Daniel Jackson left the reality when it reached Colorado, the annihilation of the West Coast was unseen.
 * In another alternate reality, the Tau'ri were attacked by Apophis and the SGA was invaded in 1999. Earth was saved when Doctor Samantha Carter successfully contacted the Asgard, having turned to the SG-1 in this reality for help in doing so.
 * In another alternate reality, the Tau'ri vulnerable to an Ori attack as its only Zero Point Module had been depleted. In 2006, the SG-1 of this reality came to our reality in an attempt to steal a ZPM from Atlantis and return it to their reality to use in securing their Earth from an attack although the Black SG-1 did not clearly care about the fact that if they succeeded, then the Atlantis and eventually Earth in this reality would be left victim to an attack by the Wraith. When the original SG-1 took steps to stop additional SG-1s from arriving, the alternate SG-1 gained control of the Prometheus and set course for Atlantis. Eventually, the original Cameron Mitchell outsmarted his counterpart and his team was captured. The original SG-1 was able to use the alternate SG-1's methods to send the various SG-1s back to their own realities.
 * In another alternate reality, the Tau'ri were attacked by the Prior virus in late 2005, at approximately the same time that the Earth of our reality suffered the same attack. However, the outbreak lasted longer than in our reality. SG-1 - which consisted of Daniel Jackson, Cameron Mitchell, Janet Fraiser and Martouf/Lantash - began searching the galaxy for a cure, as did the other SG teams. In the process of their search, this version of SG-1 were accidentally transported to our reality, where they were given the cure by Major General Henry Landry of our reality. In this reality, Stargate Command was still under the command of Brigadier General Jack O'Neill.
 * In another alternate reality visited by Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter in 2007, the Tau'ri were attacked by Anubis' fleet in 2004, as occurred in our reality. Although they found the Control chair from the Antarctic outpost, they could not power it sufficiently to use it against Anubis' fleet and the attack continued. This forced Stargate Command to reveal the existence of Stargate Program to the general public, creating mass panic and leading to martial law being declared in the United States of America as a result. The SGC of this reality never discovered Atlantis but they did make an enemy of the Ori, which led to the planet coming under attack in 2007. However, it was saved by the Samantha Carter of our reality. This was achieved by using the United States' power grid, the Ancient Control chair from the Antarctic outpost and Arthur's Mantle to take the planet out of phase.  
 * In another alternate reality, the Tau'ri came under attack by a Hive Ship in 2009 but it was destroyed by the Antarctic outpost. A single Wraith survived and was later killed, but not before sending a message that was picked up by the Super-hive in our universe, telling it the location of Earth and about the weapons chair.