Puddle Jumper

"It's a ship; it goes through the Gate."

- Rodney McKay

Gateships, more often dubbed Puddle Jumpers by the Tau'ri, are small spacecraft created by the Ancients. Several of these ships were discovered in various hangars in Atlantis, and are used by the Atlantis Expedition for various purposes. Gateships feature retractable thrusters that allow them to travel through a Stargate, as well as powerful drone weapons for self-defense and a cloaking device to avoid detection. They are operated via neural interface, and so the ATA gene is required to activate and pilot the ship.

The name "puddle jumper" is a pun on the ship's ability to travel through the event horizon of a Stargate, which resembles a pool of water. It was coined by John Sheppard, an experienced pilot, who found a serendipitous double meaning when describing the craft. The nomenclature of the ship was immediately protested by Rodney McKay and Aiden Ford, who preferred "gateship", although their suggestion was rejected.

Ironically, the Asurans referred to these ships as "gateships", possibly indicating that the Ancients also called them that in their language.

Design
"Ancients like to fly in style."

- Daniel Jackson

The design of a Puddle Jumper is a small, roughly cylindrical shape with an angled front and rear, allowing it to slide perfectly through open Stargates. The front section contains the cockpit of the vessel with all control functions, four seats for passengers, and a large viewport at the front of the ship. The aft section contains a passenger and storage area with a hatch in the back to access the ship.

Similar to the Tel'tak, the craft is split into two sections, the cockpit and cargo hold, with a bulkhead door to separate them. This door is quite strong, capable of holding back the pressure of deep ocean water and retaining atmosphere in space.

Entry and exit to the puddle jumper is provided through the use of the cargo bay door in the rear. This door can be lowered and raised in normal operation, or can be jettisoned by use of the emergency release located in the rear section of the cargo bay. A smaller hatch also exists in the ceiling of the cargo section allowing for entry. The cargo area also serves for additional seating within the jumper for more than the flight crew. Jumpers have a limited power supply, but it is presumably rechargeable. The vessel contains an arsenal of Drones and engines pods on both the port and starboard sides. The jumpers also carry a portable DHD to dial addresses regardless if the Stargate is orbital or not.

The Jumpers can be used as bombers by attaching explosives to the bottom of the craft and later releasing them. There are also lights built into the Jumper's underside for seeing underwater. Jumpers gating to Atlantis go into autopilot upon entering a certain distance of the gate.


 * Gateships are susceptible to electromagnetic fields, which can actually disrupt their systems enough to down them if the field is strong enough, such as on M7G-677. 

Control Console
There have been at least three different designs of main control consoles for the puddle jumpers. The reason for the changes was never explained. The original console featured many colored panels and knobs which would glow when the jumper was started up by a person with the ATA Gene. Most of the console was brown-colored.




 * The second jumper console featured a rigid gray panel without any type of lights. The light colored buttons and dials were replaced with gray sliders and other controls. The control panels on board the Orion and at the center of Project Arcturus were similar. It is implied by Dr. McKay that these control panels were the Ancient's "latest stuff" - the latest being 10,000 years old. This would indicate that the second jumper console is actually more advanced than the first, but it is not explained how the team came across the newer design. It is possible that they were obtained from Atlantis' sister ship.


 * The third jumper console was first introduced in the puddle jumper stolen from the Asuran City Ship, and has been featured ever since 2006. It appears as a mix of the two previous jumper consoles with a solid panel but with many small buttons, blue lights and sliders while in the previous jumpers there were two sticks controlling speed and direction. In this there is one which moves up, down, and side to side for direction and another controlling speed. When moved completely forward it is at zero, and when pulled fully back it is at max throttle, This design has only 4 bench seats in the rear compartment, as opposed to the first two designs which had 6 bench seats.

It should also be noted that the Atlantis Expedition members have been seen using the control stick to fly instead of piloting the vessel by mental interface, though the drones were still required to be launched with the mental interface.

Technology
"You said you want a tactical advantage?"

- John Sheppard

Weapon Systems
The Jumper's weapon systems consist of at least 12 Ancient Drone Weapons, housed in two weapon pods located on both sides in front of the engine pods. These pods must be extended before the drones can be fired. Each jumper utilizes Drones which fire by command of the pilot's thoughts. Because of its use of such powerful weapons, Puddle Jumpers can inflict serious damage to even Wraith Hive Ships, although they would in all probability be destroyed within seconds of entering the Hive Ship's weapons range if they were used as a serious part of an attack force.

It was theorized by Dr. Rodney McKay that these drones could also be used to pilot the jumper, although this was never tested. It is assumed that the craft would not be very maneuverable or fast, however, it would require very little power. Eventually, Rodney McKay discovered the jumper's own engines could be controlled wirelessly through an Ancient Control Chair in this way.

Cloaking generator
A Puddle Jumper has no true shields at all, suggesting that it is an exploration and trading ship. Its only defense consists of an advanced cloaking generator capable of masking the ship to both the naked eye and sensors, much like those on Goa'uld Cargo ships and Al'kesh bombers, although far smaller and more powerful. The Jumper's cloak cannot be penetrated by Wraith, Tau'ri, or Asgard sensors and the cloak cloaks the full interior of the vessel and its occupants even if the hatch is open. The jumper's cloak is not limited to the size of the craft, as it can be extended around other objects.

However, through major system modifications, the cloaking generator can be "reversed" to act as a shield, but this drains the jumper's power far too rapidly, making it almost useless in a combat situation. During the Asuran control of Atlantis, the jumper's shield blocked one Drone weapon hit inflicting severe damage on the jumper and causing its shield to fail.

The cloaking generator can only project either the cloak or the shield, as both are generated from the same device. Therefore it is impossible to have both running at the same time.Radek Zelenka was able to modify the cloak on a puddle jumper to act as a shield against the pressure of ocean water. McKay was also able to modify the jumper's cloak to emit an Anti-Replicator field that would destroy all Asurans in range. Furthermore, Michael Kenmore was able to interface Wraith technology with a stolen Jumper to emit a Stun field around the ship.

Communications
The Puddle jumper utilizes a subspace communications system to facilitate real-time communications between locations, although it is not as powerful as the ones on the rest of the Ancient fleet or the Tau'ri Deep space carriers.

Tau'ri Equipment
A various assortment of items can be attached to a Puddle jumper, typically on the underside of the vessel, or can be carried. Examples include objects that need to be launched (that can be carried, such as a Naquadah Generator), or a grapple.

As the jumpers are used on a regular basis by the Atlantis Expedition to explore planets in the Pegasus galaxy, their jumpers have been equipped with a large amount of Earth equipment. All of their jumpers possess plenty of food, medicine, weapons and other supplies on board, suspended over the seats in the rear compartment by rubber netting and behind the seats in the forward compartment.

As off-world teams are likely to come under fire, there is a healthy supply of weapons, ammunition and tactical vests on board, including P90's, M4 Carbines, M249 SAWs, and pistols, usually Beretta 92s. In addition, there are at least two AT4 rocket launchers on either side of the rear hatch in the back of the jumper. There is also enough equipment in the jumper, including laptops and tools to fix the jumper in case of a breakdown.

During the brief time that Rodney McKay was being accelerated towards ascension, he designed a virtual prototype for a hyperspace window generator for the puddle jumper. At one time, Rodney and Zelenka formulated a plan to use the experimental jumper hyperdrive, so the team are able to fly from the stranded Atlantis to the Asuran homeworld. Unfortunately this took a lot of power and the only way they would have been able to fly it back would be to hook up the ZPM they stole.



Time machine
An Ancient scientist named Janus created at least one puddle jumper capable of traveling through time known as a the Time-Jumper, by means of a device installed in the cargo hold. In the main timeline, this experimental technology was banned by the Atlantean Council in order to prevent dangers associated with time travel. This Time-Jumper has been encountered by the Atlantis Expedition in an alternate timeline and the SGC in the current timeline.

Control crystals
Gateships, like other Ancient technology, utilize crystals to control its systems. These crystals are located in the rear section of the ship behind the bench seats and in panels hanging from the ceiling. As most of the control conduits go to the rear section of the Gateship, it is possible to control the ship from that location as well. The control crystals, such as the one for the cloaking generator, can be removed from a Jumper and implemented on other Ancient ships, such as Atlantis.

Engines
Gateships are equipped with two anti-gravity drive pods, which may either be extended or retracted during flight. However, the drive pods when extended are capable of propelling the craft at far greater speeds, but must be retracted in order to go through a Stargate. The engines of gateships also allow the craft to hover silently above ground in one spot. This, in conjunction with the cloak, has proven to be a useful ability in surprise attacks. Gateships are also capable of reverse flight. As they are also capable of operating underwater, gateships may also be used as submersibles.

The power of these engines, while impressive for a craft of their size (capable of flying through a star system in a matter of hours) is greatly exceeded by that of larger capital ships, such as those of the Daedalus-class, capable of making the same cross-star system trip in a matter of minutes.



Heads up display
Like many of the other onboard systems, the HUD of a Gateship is entirely intuitive. Appearing on the main viewing window of the Jumper, it displays pertinent information about anything the pilot is thinking about. It also activates automatically to display important information to the pilot, such as nearby vessels, weapons fire or anomalous energy readings.

Atlantis Expedition
The city of Atlantis is equipped with a full hangar of Puddle Jumpers, with the ability to leave the city through the retractable roof, or enter the gate room to be sent through the Stargate. While escaping from the Wraith, a team from Atlantis led by Major John Sheppard on a Puddle Jumper got stuck mid-way through the gate when one of its engine pods did not retract properly, wedging the ship the gate.

While assisting the Genii in their effort to combat the Wraith, John Sheppard piloted a cloaked Puddle Jumper and infiltrated a Wraith Hive Ship. After escaping, the Genii betrayed the Atlantis team at gunpoint. However, thinking ahead, Sheppard called on his communicator and two other Puddle Jumpers uncloaked allowing the team to escape. Witnessing the power of the Atlanteans first hand, the Genii sent an invasion force to Atlantis to retrieve essential supplies, including a puddle jumper (ignorant of the fact that the ATA gene is required for their operation). At the time, another puddle jumper was stuck on the mainland during a massive storm that kept it grounded. When the eye of the storm passed over the mainland, Dr. Beckett flew back to Atlantis to assist Sheppard in regaining control from the Genii.

Sheppard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Gaul, and Abrams, later took Jumper One to the far edges of the Lantean system for research. They were able to locate an Ancient defense satellite and a downed Wraith ship on the satellite-orbiting planet. Landing on the planet, a lone Wraith survivor was able to access the Jumper while Sheppard and his team were investigating the crashed Wraith ship. The Wraith was able to activate a shield around the jumper through extensive system modification, forcing McKay to determine how to access the shield after the Wraith was killed.


 * "It is unknown how McKay was able to disable the shield on the jumper."

In 2005, a Wraith Dart arrived at Atlantis to scan it in a prelude to a Wraith incursion. Jumpers 1, 2 and 3 intercepted the dart to prevent it from reaching Atlantis, but it was able to destroy Jumper 3 and self-destructed after it successfully scanned Atlantis.

The power systems of a Puddle jumper can be linked to other sources, and Dr. McKay was able to connect the power system of Jumper 4 to the Atlantis power grid to allow for a brief Stargate wormhole connection to Earth.

The control systems of a puddle jumper can be controlled by an Ancient control chair for sending Jumpers into unsafe areas. This idea was implemented when hive-ships were over Atlantis and jumpers were to be sent at the hive-ships with nuclear warheads onboard. Unfortunately the power supply of the control chair failed just before the plan was to be implemented and the jumpers had to be sent manually. The jumper was destroyed, taking a hive-ship with it, but its pilot was saved by the Daedalus.

A puddle jumper was used to investigate an Ancient planet with the power source known as Project Arcturus. When the power source began to overload and the outpost's weapon turret started to fire erratically, Sheppard and McKay had to use the Puddle jumper to evade the turret's weapon's fire and return to Atlantis with protection by the Daedalus.

While visiting Olesia, one of Atlantis' puddle jumpers was shot down by prisoners on the planet's penal colony. Another puddle jumper under the command of Dr. Weir went to investigate and assisted in evacuating the prisoners through the Stargate during a Wraith culling and rescuing the team of the downed puddle jumper, which was retrieved and repared be Zalenka.

When Sheppard was trapped in the time dilation field of the planet Cloister, McKay, with Elizabeth Weir and Dr. Beckett, took a jumper to the planet to launch a probe to investigate the field in order to shut it down.

Testing out a Puddle Jumper's systems after it was damaged, McKay and Griffen were flying Jumper 6 over Lantea's ocean until its engine failures and crashed into the ocean. After a certain depth, the front cockpit's window broke due to the pressure, and McKay took refuge in the aft area while the officer remained in the cockpit to save McKay. After some time, the jumper landed on the ocean floor, but the impact fractured the bottom hull and caused the water to slowly leak in. In the meantime, Sheppard and Zelenka were able to figure out how to convert a jumper's cloak into a shield, thus protecting it from the pressure of the ocean. They were able to locate McKay's jumper and extend the shield, saving McKay, but leaving his jumper on the ocean floor.

In exchange for medicine and overall assistance, Atlantis received a number of puddle jumpers that were in stored in a derelict and nearly powerless city-ship. The power core of the jumpers had long since drained and they were collecting dust, as the people of that planet had neither the technological know-how to restore power or the ATA gene to fly them.

After investigating a planet, Sheppard and his team rescued Phoebus' pod while Jumper 6, under the command of Lorne, retrieved the pod used by Thalen.

Around the end of 2006, Atlantis had around 10 known jumpers in its possession. During this time, when the Genii coup d’état was occurring, Atlantis special ops used a cloaked jumper to investigate a Genii facility on M6R-867. When Sheppard and his team arrived at the planet in an attempt to acquire a ZPM, they were captured by Cowen who put them up as hostages in exchange for Atlantis' jumpers. The imminent coup d’état allowed Sheppard and his team to be freed.

Uses on Earth
SG-1, investigating the Arkhan's World, discovered a single Puddle Jumper after finding monuments with Ancient writing. With his gene, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill was able to use the Puddle Jumper to destroy the Goa'uld Ares' Ha'tak to prevent an invasion of Arkhan's World. The Puddle Jumper was then taken to Earth for further study.

After reading an article of text, Daniel Jackson discovered that Ra had a ZPM while he was ruling Egypt. SG-1, along with O'Neill, used the Puddle Jumper they retrieved and went back in time to retrieve the ZPM. Although they retrieved the ZPM, the cloaked Jumper had developed a dune of sand and was discovered by Ra's Jaffa preventing SG-1 from returning to the present, changing the future.

In the alternate timeline, the Puddle Jumper was found in Egypt and brought to Cheyenne Mountain for investigation. After discovering a tape left by Daniel Jackson in the past, gate addresses stated were dialed through the Jumper with no visible effect. However, the alternate Samantha Carter discovered that, after dialing, seismic activity had occurred in Antarctica, signaling the location of the hidden Antarctic Stargate.

With the help of the alternate O'Neill, the Jumper was used to dial and travel through the newly discovered gate to Chulak to locate the alternate Teal'c. Though the two teams that went were kidnapped by Apophis, they were able to escape with help by Teal'c and escaped in the Jumper, traveling through to the past then returning to Egypt. The location of the landed Jumper was the restart of the standard timeline where the uprising against Ra went as normal and the ZPM was found in the normal timeline, thus preventing the real SG-1 from using the Jumper to go to the past.

A Puddle jumper from Atlantis was brought to Earth through the Midway Station where it was kept in storage in Stargate Command. It was later stolen by John Sheppard and his team to return to Atlantis to regain control of it.

Uses by others
The puddle jumper was commonly used by the Ancients, who would use them to explore other planets and travel around the Atlantis outpost in Antarctica on Earth. A number of puddle jumpers were in storage in The Tower. After some time, they lost power and started to collect dust in storage until some were given to Atlantis. The Asurans, mirroring the technology of the Ancients, were able to develop puddle jumpers based off of those used by the Ancients.

The Wraith-Human hybrid Michael Kenmore obtained a jumper from Sheppard's team and used it to escape his cruiser when its destruction was imminent. He later used it to infiltrate Atlantis where half of it was destroyed by the unstable vortex of a wormhole activated by Dr. Rodney McKay for that very purpose. It is unlikely to be repairable.

Behind the scenes



 * "Puddle jumper" is a colloquial term for a light passenger plane incapable of flying long distances without refuelling.


 * Stargate Atlantis: The DVD Collection 65 states that the Gateship is equipped with "six drone weapons, which are located in the drive pods on the sides of the ship". This has proven to be untrue in several episodes where jumpers have fired more than 6 drones. Since only 6 are visible at any one time (3 in each pod,) it can be assumed that there is a reload function where more drones are stored inside the jumper itself.