Prometheus

"It's a Greek tragedy, who wants that?"

- Col. O'Neill, who disapproved the name

Prometheus was the first deep-space battleship built by the Tau'ri. The ship was operated by the U.S. Air Force, and its crew consisted of Air Force personnel. Operationally, Prometheus fell under the purview of the Office of Homeworld Security.

The Prometheus used Asgard technology in its hyperdrive engine, weapons, and shields (There may be other uses of Asgard technology installed). This technology was fitted by the Asgard in return for Earth's help in fighting the Replicators. It also relied on some Goa'uld technology, most notably the ring transporter.

Commanding officers

 * Colonel William Ronson (until 2004)
 * Major General George Hammond (March 2004 in the Anubis incident and December 2004 during its mission to Atlantis)
 * Colonel Lionel Pendergast (from 2004)

Other crew

 * Colonel Kirtland - Executive Officer (March 2004)
 * Major Erin Gant - Senior Officer (through March 2004)
 * Major Peter DeLouise - Pilot (2003)
 * Captain Womack - Technician (from 2004)
 * Captain Marks - Pilot/Technician (from 2005)
 * Master Sergeant Walter Harriman - Technician (Antarctic battle, Atlantis mission)

Introduction
Prometheus was originally the code name for the experimental X-303, which was developed and constructed in Nevada by Area 51 R&D, with a great deal of work subcontracted to civilian companies without revealing the true nature of the project. The X-303 was hijacked while still incomplete by rogue NID agents demanding the release of Colonel Frank Simmons and the Goa'uld infested Adrian Conrad. SG-1 managed to reclaim control of the ship, and were promptly enlisted by the Asgard to help them trap the Replicators within a time dilation field. The Asgard later outfitted the ship with advanced shields and weapons as a show of gratitude.

As the ship had not yet been commissioned at the time of this mission, it had no name. Prometheus was first suggested by then-Major Samantha Carter, but then-Colonel Jack O'Neill, who commanded the mission, rejected it as a "Greek tragedy." (He preferred the name Enterprise.) Nonetheless, the ship was officially named Prometheus by the time of its shakedown cruise under Colonel William Ronson.

During the shakedown cruise, a problem with the hyperdrive engines forced the crew to eject the Prometheus' reactor into space, stranding the ship on an alien world until a replacement could be procured.

The ship did not make it home, however, until the following year, using a hyperdrive taken from a captured Al'kesh bomber. This meant that the ship was underpowered, since the Al'kesh reactor was designed for a vessel one-tenth of Prometheus' size. En route back to Earth, the ship was attacked by an unknown alien ship and was forced to hide inside a corrosive nebula.

Battle of Antarctica


When Anubis launched a full-scale attack against Earth, General George Hammond assumed direct command of the Prometheus at the request of President Henry Hayes. The ship engaged Anubis' fleet in Antarctica to protect SG-1 as they sought to activate the Ancient weapons platform in the Antarctic Outpost. During the course of the battle, the Prometheus made a direct run at Anubis' mothership, and would have rammed the larger craft had the activation of the Ancient weapons not made the step unnecessary.

Further duties
Colonel Lionel Pendergast assumed command of the Prometheus later that year; as the ship lacked a reliable hyperdrive, he was tasked with orbital patrols, guarding Earth from potential Goa'uld attack. On one such mission, the ship made contact with the Asgard vessel Daniel Jackson, which was bringing Teal'c back from a mission to the Ida Galaxy.

Following the theft of Earth's Stargate by the Trust, the Prometheus was deployed to locate Osiris' former Al'kesh, which the Trust was using as a base of operations. They were able to recover the Stargate and SG-1, which had infiltrated the ship, though the Trust members themselves escaped with the Al'kesh. In a rematch in 2005, after the Trust had been infiltrated by the Goa'uld and was working to precipitate a nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia, the Prometheus finally managed to destroy the Al'kesh.

Late in 2004, the Prometheus finally received a working intergalactic hyperdrive, courtesy of the Asgard. General Hammond then took the ship on a mission to check on the Atlantis Expedition, which had departed earlier that year and not been heard from since. The ship never made it out of the Milky Way Galaxy, however, as it was hijacked by Vala Mal Doran, who attempted to trade it for a supply of refined naquadah. The deal fell through and the ship was recovered, but not before sustaining too much damage to continue with the mission as it was attacked by several Goa'uld Al'kesh and Death Gliders.

The Prometheus played a small role in discovering the subterranean complex left by Merlin underneath Glastonbury Tor in late 2005, which was accessed via the ship's transport rings. When the Ori made an apparent attempt to create a foothold on the Milky Way, the ship was dispatched to destroy the Stargate being used; these efforts inadvertently facilitated the near completion of a Supergate, which was only barely destroyed before it could become operational.

In 2006, the Prometheus was hijacked once again, this time by an SG-1 from a parallel universe, who intended to use the ship to steal the Zero Point Module from Atlantis. In this instance, the plot was foiled and the ship reclaimed without suffering any major damage.

Destruction


The Prometheus was destroyed in early 2006 in orbit over the planet Tegalus, which had recently come under the influence of Ori Priors. The Prometheus traveled to Tegalus to retrieve Dr. Daniel Jackson and disable an Ori satellite weapon, but was unable to penetrate the satellite's shields. The satellite, however, quickly overwhelmed Prometheus' defenses and crippled the craft. Colonel Pendergast ordered the evacuation of his crew using the Asgard transporter, remaining behind to ensure their departure.

After taking multiple hits, the Prometheus finally split at the neck and exploded. More than 39 of its 115-plus officers and crew died with her.

Alternate realities

 * In an alternate reality, Prometheus was commandeered by president Landry as "Air Force One". As the general public in that reality was aware of the Stargate and as Earth was no longer was interested in defending the galaxy from the Ori, Prometheus was never in the Battle of Tegalus and was therefore not destroyed. It was indicated that it and the Daedalus were the only two ships that Earth had as the Odyssey wasn't mentioned. 

Major campaigns

 * Battle of Antarctica
 * Battle of Kallana
 * Battle of Tegalus

Behind the scenes

 * In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to the human race. It's fitting that humanity's first deep-space vessel, incorporating new technology, would be named after him.


 * In the anime series Macross (adapted in the U.S. as part of Robotech), one of two super carriers attached to the SDF-1 Macross was named Prometheus. Perhaps not coincidentally, the other carrier was christened as the Daedalus.


 * In Star Trek, a starship named Prometheus was an experimental prototype that was hijacked and later recaptured. VOY: Message In A Bottle