Genii

"You do not want to make an enemy of the Genii."

- Cowen

The Genii are humans from a planet in the Pegasus galaxy. To other humans, they appear to be simple farmers, but this is a ruse to disguise their true nature: a technologically advanced military society.

Overview
The Genii are at a technological level resembling that of 1940s Earth. As this level of technology is sufficient for the Wraith to consider them a potential threat, the Genii have used extreme measures to defend their society. Most of their civilization is hidden in massive Underground Bunkers, originally built as shelters from long-since forgotten conflicts. Within these bunkers, the Genii train their military and develop new technology in secret. On the surface, a small contingent of farmers presents the facade of a simple people to outsiders, though their farming operations are equally important to providing for the Genii below. To outsiders, the Genii are known for their tava beans, and frequently trade them with other worlds. Among their allies and trade partners are the Athosians, and to a more limited degree, the Manarians.

The Genii go to great lengths to protect this image of themselves as simple farmers. Their trading partners, with rare exceptions, are never made aware of the true nature of the Genii, and any who discover it, should they not prove useful, are summarily executed to preserve the secret. The Genii view outsiders with suspicion, seeing them not as potential allies but merely as a resource to be exploited for their own gain, though this seems to have changed somewhat after Ladon Radim's rise to power.

Even with their relatively advanced technology, the Genii could never hope to defeat the Wraith on their own. Nevertheless, they began developing nuclear weapons with which to strike back at the Wraith. They intended to launch a coordinated strike which would destroy as many Hive ships as possible during their hibernation, when the Wraith were at their weakest. However, this plan suffered from several flaws. The Atlantis expedition had woken the Wraith, rendering it impossible to strike many of the now-active ships. In addition, the sheer number of Hive ships in the galaxy prevented any possible coordinated strike, and the planet-bound Genii had no means of destroying vessels on worlds where the Stargate was placed in orbit.

Military strength
The Genii are run by a military dictatorship, and as such have a significant military force at their disposal. They maintain multiple safe houses and military outposts on many Stargate-accessible worlds across the Pegasus Galaxy. These locations are watched by Genii caretakers. They also have a large network of spies and covert informants that allow the Genii a broad understanding of the events in distant parts of the Pegasus Galaxy. Though their original plan to use nuclear weapons on the dormant Wraith Hive ships has been rendered untenable, Ladon Radim claims that the Genii still have several attacks against the Wraith planned, attacks that could supposedly severely cripple their species.

Civilians seem to be rare if not entirely absent in Genii society. All the Genii encountered thus far, regardless of profession, have held military rank. During Cowen's rule of the Genii, he possessed an elite guard who served as his personal enforcers until their destruction during Ladon's coup.

Due to the Genii's relatively advanced technology, they are desired trading partners to those they reveal their true natures to (e.g. the Manarians). Teyla Emmagan considered the Genii the Pegasus galaxy's best hope after the Atlantis expedition had temporarily been forced to retreat back to Earth.

Technology
"We're about sixty years ahead of you."

- Rodney McKay

The Genii have technology roughly equivalent to that of Earth near the end of World War II. Their dress and aesthetics are suggestive of this era, as well. They have developed various projectile firearms, ranging from pistols and shotguns to automatic weapons. They also have computer technology consistent with the WW2 era, as well as Cathode Ray Tube technology for audio and visual projection. Their radio technology is advanced enough to send analog video transmissions. Needless to say, however, the Stargate is their only means of interplanetary travel.

The Genii have the ability to construct and power significant Underground Bunkers, some the size of a small city. Their power generation abilities are great enough for Wraith Hive ships to be able to pick them up on scanners while active, so the Genii deactivate them in preparation for a Wraith attack.

The Genii have directed much effort into developing nuclear weapons to use against the Wraith; however, their research into that field is lacking in several key areas. They have insufficient radiation shielding, and until educated otherwise believed the radiation to be harmless. They had no means of treating the resulting radiation poisoning, either, until aided by the Atlantis expedition. They had difficulty separating weapons-grade Uranium-235 from the undesirable Uranium-238, though they had managed to build up a fair supply regardless, and they lacked the necessary explosives expertise to initiate fission in a critical mass.

With the help of Dr. Rodney McKay, the Genii were able to develop prototype A-bombs, two of which were given to Atlantis for use in defending the city during the siege of Atlantis. The initial prototypes were incomplete, but they eventually managed to perfect working versions. The Genii employ fully-functional nuclear devices for the first time a year later. It should be noted that the Genii possess no weapons platform from which to deploy these bombs; they are simply very powerful explosives.

Before discovery by the Tau'ri
"The Genii were once a great confederation of planets. Millennium ago, the Wraith had driven us to the brink of total annihilation. Our forefathers sought the protection of bunkers such as these -- originally created for wars long forgotten &mdash; and it was here that a small number of our people managed to survive undetected."

- Cowen

Approximately one thousand years ago, the Genii were the focal point of a great multi-planetary Confederation. However, when the Wraith emerged as a galactic power, they immediately began destroying any who might be able to challenge them, and the Genii were eventually driven to the brink of annihilation. The ancestors of the Genii sought protection within Underground Bunkers that were originally created for wars. It was there that a small number of Genii managed to survive, undetected by the Wraith, where they made technological developments entirely in secret.

Many generations ago, during a culling, the Genii successfully shot down a Wraith Dart. Though lives were lost in the event, the ability to resist in even the slightest way gave the Genii hope. This Dart contained a Wraith data storage device, which allowed the Genii to study their enemy's technology, as well as begin to mount plans against them. They endeavored to perfect a nuclear weapon, with which to destroy the majority of the Wraith fleet while they were hibernating. However, although they could produce plutonium, they couldn't perfect a triggering mechanism.

Early contact with the Atlantis expedition
When the food supply of the Atlantis expedition occupying Atlantis began to run out, they were forced to seek trading partners. Relying on their Athosian allies, a team led by Major John Sheppard travelled to the Genii homeworld to initiate negotiations. When Dr. Rodney McKay discovered an entrance to the Genii Underground Bunker complex and realized the truth about the Genii's two-faced identity, the team was threatened by the Genii leader Cowen. However, Sheppard pressed that both societies' ultimate enemy was the Wraith, and that attacking each other would only benefit their mutual enemy.

A joint strike force was formed to steal valuable intelligence from a Wraith Hive ship. Though successful in their mission, Tyrus was abandoned on the Hive ship and the Genii held Teyla Emmagan responsible. The Genii subsequently betrayed the team and tried to steal their C-4 explosives, which they believed could help their triggering problems, as well as a Puddle Jumper. However, the Atlantis team had expected the change of heart and brought two additional Jumpers as backup. Sheppard and his team were able to escape back to Atlantis, and Sheppard took the stolen Wraith data device as payment, further infuriating Cowen.

After that the Genii and the Atlantis expedition considered each other enemies. When Atlantis was threatened by a huge storm and most of the expedition was forced to relocate to Manaria, the Genii attempted to take over the city. Two Tau'ri soldiers were lost, and the city was almost destroyed, but eventually the Genii failed. However, they lost more than sixty soldiers in the process, most at the hands of John Sheppard himself, who activated the Stargate shield, killing the arriving support troops.

Several months later, Sheppard's team was again confronted by the Genii. During their search for a Zero Point Module on the planet Dagan, the team was captured by Commander Acastus Kolya, who had also commanded the Genii's attempted takeover of Atlantis. It was only when the ZPM had been found that the team was able to turn the tables on their captors. Sheppard allowed Kolya to escape, although he did promise not to be so forgiving during their next encounter.

Détente and change of leadership
As the Wraith had been awakened from hibernation, they finally came to cull the Genii homeworld. Although their nuclear weapons were operational at the time, they had no way to deliver the weapons to the approaching Hive ships, and the Genii had no other defense against the invaders. Still, with advance knowledge of the incoming attack, they were able to deactivate their underground reactors before being detected by the Wraith. Though hundreds of lives were lost on the surface, thousands more survived in the bunkers below.

When Atlantis itself came under attack by three Hive ships six days later, the Atlantis expedition had no weapons left to defend themselves with. Knowing the Genii were anxious to test one of their new Nuclear warheads on the Wraith, Dr. Elizabeth Weir brokered an agreement with their leaders. Two of their warheads were sent to Atlantis. The first was detonated inside a Hive ship by sneaking it in using a Puddle Jumper.

When Ladon Radim toppled his own government by killing Cowen, the relationship between the Genii and the Atlantis expedition significantly improved, most likely in gratitude for medical aid the expedition provided for the many Genii, including Radim's sister, suffering as a result of their poor understanding of radiation poisoning.

In demonstration of their improved ties with the expedition, Ladon and the new Genii government helped Atlantis in tracking down a group of renegades, led by Commander Acastus Kolya, who had abducted Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. However, as Kolya considered himself the only rightful leader of the Genii and was bent on eventually staging a coup, Radim's help was not only motivated by altruism. Radim has since helped the Atlantis expedition, and even offers Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex a place with the Genii when they are temporarily evicted from Atlantis.

Sheppard, his team and Dr. Carson Beckett came into contact with Kolya and his group of rogue Genii again, most of whom had become mercenaries after the fall of Cowen as they didn't want to work for Ladon. Kolya's forces were defeated with help from Lucius Lavin and the villagers on the planet. The confrontation took place on and Kolya was finally killed by Sheppard.

Later while escorting Harmony to some ruins on her planet as part of her becoming queen, Sheppard and Dr. Rodney McKay ended up coming against Genii soldiers hired by Harmony's sister, Mardola to kill her. After their leader, Toran was killed by Sheppard and the Mini-drones, the rest retreated. Ladon claimed to have no knowledge of the event saying those soldiers acted on their own.

Atlantis came on trial by the new Coalition of Planets, which the Genii were a part of. Richard Woolsey figured out that the Genii were in fact behind the trial as, with the expedition out of the way, they'd be the most advanced civilization in the Coalition and would be the military power behind it. Ultimately, this attempt failed but, it is unknown how this has affected the relationship between the Genii and the expedition.

Worlds under Genii control

 * Genii homeworld
 * M1K-177
 * Kolya's planet
 * M1B-129
 * M5V-801 (Genii Mining facility, abandoned)
 * Unnamed Planet (Genii armory)
 * Unknown number of planets in Genii Confederation

Notable Genii

 * Acastus Kolya
 * Cassel Massan
 * Dahlia Radim
 * Ladon Radim
 * Athor
 * Cowen
 * Fortnum
 * Haemon
 * Heiron
 * Idos
 * Lanko
 * Pranos
 * Prenum
 * Sora Tyrus
 * Tathal
 * Toran
 * Tyrus