Alteran

A race of people who who originated in a distant galaxy and eventually travelled to the Milky Way Galaxy, where they became known as the Ancients. Many evolved to live on a higher plane of existence, and came to believe that they should not interfere with the lives of mortal beings.

The Alterans left some behind in their home galaxy, who also learned to ascend and became the Ori. The Ori took on an entirely different philosophy, believing they should be worshipped. They regarded the Alterans as evil, as those who abandoned the path of enlightenment -- and who kept the existence of human life in the Milky Way Galaxy a secret from them.

It is not clear whether or not the two groups were originally from the same species, the Alterans.