- "Love those guys."
- ―Jack O'Neill
The Asgard are a benevolent and highly technologically advanced race from the galaxy of Ida that has visited Earth on many occasions, giving rise to the Nordic legends. They were part of the Alliance of Four Great Races, along with the Nox, the Furlings, and the Ancients. Its policy in the Milky Way is generally against the Goa'uld. (SG1: "Thor's Hammer", "Thor's Chariot", "The Fifth Race")
History
Early history
The Asgard evolved on Othala, in the Ida Galaxy. They began exploring outside their Galaxy around 28,000 BCE. The Asgard eventually began a program of cloning their people and transferring their minds into these bodies. However, the continuing use of clones caused genetic degradation, causing serious health issues.
30,000 Years Ago
An Asgard ship with its crew placed in suspended animation left the Asgard homeworld. However, the navigational computers were damaged at some point, and the ship drifted across galaxies, ultimately ending up in the Milky Way (whether or not the Milky Way was its intended destination is unclear). The ship was recently found by Asgard scientists, and within it was one perfectly preserved Asgard ancestor. Heimdall started research on it because the clone was from a time when their cloning program was "not yet irreversible" (i.e. leading to the contemporary problem of cellular degradation through reclonings).
10,000 Years Ago
They made peaceful contact with the Ancients, the Furlings, and the Nox. They also came into conflict with the Goa'uld, recognizing the Goa'uld for what they were. They took several Humans from Goa'uld worlds and declared themselves their protectors until their cultures had sufficiently evolved, and threatened the Goa'uld with violent retaliation if they attempted to enslave the Humans.
Past to the Current Era
Despite the disapproval of the Asgard, the Goa'uld became a great threat to the Milky Way. The Goa'uld began taking humans as hosts during this time, which angered the Asgard as they realized humanity had a great potential, like its parent race: the Alterans (Ancients). The Asgard and the Goa'uld went to war, but the Asgard were forced to pull out from the war to deal with greater threats in the Ida galaxy.
Unwilling to completely give the galaxy over to the Goa'uld, the Asgard freed or transplanted humans on various worlds and became their protective gods for the ones who couldn't comprehend their advanced technology as anything but divine magic (this is the origin of Norse mythology, and thus far only one protected planet besides Earth has realized its protectors' true power). To ensure the safety of these planets, the Asgard and the Goa'uld agreed in 'The Protected Planets Treaty' that the Asgard would allow the Goa'uld various benefits (the precise terms are unknown) and the Goa'uld would leave the humans alone. The Protected Planets Treaty could be expanded if both sides agreed to include other planets, which later protected Earth. This treaty was one of the few that all Goa'uld obeyed, as none wished to anger their more powerful enemies.
In truth, however, the treaty was a lie on the part of the Asgard. Due to concerns in the Ida galaxy, the Asgard lacked the ability to enforce their treaty, and merely pretended they could, save for occasional shows of power to intimidate the Goa'uld. If the System Lords had decided to disobey the treaty, the Asgard would have been largely powerless to stop them.
The Replicators
- "They are the enemy of the Asgard."
- ―Thor speaking about the Replicators
The Asgard have been mainly incapable to help Earth in the fight against the Goa'uld because of a war with a greater enemy, Replicators. The weapons of the Asgard were ineffective against the Replicators because they were based on energy. Human weapons, on the other hand, used simple chemical reactions to drive training shells. With the aid of SG-1, the Asgard attracted all the replicators in a temporary time dilation field. Unfortunately, they escaped and attacked the Asgard homeworld, Orilla. Aegir attacked the ship that arose from the hyperspace before it could raise his shields. Not all the replicators were destroyed; the replicator known as “Fifth” landed on the planet. Colonel O'Neill, with the knowledge ganied from the Ancients' repository of knowledge, invented a weapon that blocked the network of intercommunication between the replicator cells permanently. Thor designed a bigger version to shoot over the planet. (SG1: "Nemesis", "Small Victories", "Unnatural Selection", "New Order")
After the Replicators
It is uncertain what the Asgard did after the destruction of the replicators and the Jaffa rebellion, but it is reasonable to assume that they focussed their energy in reconstructing their civilization, along with providing aid to humanity. The Goa'uld have been defeated, but there are new threats like the Ori. They also continued to provide technological aid to Earth like the Daedalus class and the Asgard engineer Hermiod. (SG1: "Reckoning", "Camelot", "Flesh and Blood")
Extinction
With their last attempts to fix the genetic degradation suffered by the constant use of clones, the Asgard unleashed a genetic virus onto their population that would slowly and painfully kill them. Unable to cure it, and unwilling to allow their technology to be plundered by other races, the Asgard decided to commit mass suicide and destroy their technology, but not without leaving their legacy intact. They gave the SG-1 an Asgard computer database, and made significant modifications to the Odyssey. After the repairs were complete, however, three Ori battlecruisers arrived and attacked Orilla and the Odyssey. The Odyssey fled with one Ori ship in persuit, while the other two prepared to attack Orilla. At that moment, the Asgard caused Orilla to explode, destroying the planet, the two ships, and the Asgard. (SG1: "Unending")
Physiology
Physiologically, the Asgard average about one meter in height, with grayish skin tones, small, skinny limbs, large heads and black eyes -- bearing a striking resemblance to the Roswell Greys described in countless UFO abduction stories. The Asgard have been incapable of meiosis (sexual reproduction) for tens of thousands of years. They have resorted to a solely enhanced mitosis (cloning) existence, forcing them down a path that will eventually lead to their extinction. Because of this, the Asgard have taken drastic steps to ensure the survival of the species, including kidnapping people from Earth to study human development.
The species possess no adrenaline glands within their bodies and did not have ependephrine pumping through their circulatory system. (SGA: "Allies")
Due to decay in the Asgard genome as a result of excessive cloning, they have lost the ability to reproduce sexually, and all Asgard still alive are clones. They survive by cloning their bodies and transferring their minds into the clones. The lifespan of a specific clone is unknown. Thor states in the Stargate SG-1 finale episode "Unending", "The final attempt to solve our physiological degeneration has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease." As a result of having cloned themselves for so long, the evolutionary process necessary to ascend is no longer possible for the Asgard. "Everything that can be done, has been done," continues Thor; and so the Asgard wish to give the Tau'ri everything: all their knowledge and all their current technology (even though many Asgard still believe humanity is too young). Much as the Ancients silently passed the role of protector of the Milky Way on to the Asgard, so the Asgard have passed it on to the Tau'ri.
30,000 Years Ago
The Asgard were once a tall humanoid species. At the time, they reproduced sexually, like humans do, but have since lost the ability.
Society
Language
- Main article: Asgard/Language
It is considered that the Asgard language has influenced the evolution of Germanic languages. Its written language is made of runes. Whereas the Goa'uld are named on the Earth as Egyptian and Greek gods, the Asgard are named from Nordic mythology. (SG1: "The Fifth Race", "Red Sky")
Interaction with other races
Due to the Protected Planets Treaty, the Asgard have set up protective measures and holographic representations of themselves on a number of planets in the Milky Way galaxy for protection against the Goa'uld and other enemies.
On the planet Cimmeria, the Asgard Thor set up Thor's Hammer, a protective obelisk that transports Goa'uld or symbiote-carriers to an underground labyrinth where only the host can leave with the symbiote dying when going through the 'hammer'. The 'hammer' was destroyed by the Earth team SG-1 when Teal'c got trapped in the labyrinth upon arriving at the planet. (SG1: "Thor's Hammer")
The Asgard were once members of the Alliance of Four Great Races, along with the Ancients, the Furlings, and the Nox. (SG1: "The Torment of Tantalus", "The Fifth Race")
Asgard High Council
The Asgard High Council is the government of the Asgard. The size and structure of the council is not known, but there are seven seated members, including Freyr, Thor, and Penigal. The High Asgard Council makes decisions that affect the whole race. In addition, they negotiate in name of the Tau'ri in the Protected Planets Treaty. The council members meet in a great room with holographic projectors. (SG1: "Fair Game", "Red Sky")
Protected Planets Treaty
On one occasion the Asgard they came to help Earth when the Goa'uld decided to attack. The Asgard met with representatives of the Goa'uld, humans and Asgard, in order to put Earth under the protection of the “Protected Planets Treaty”. This treaty has served to maintain peace between the Goa'uld and the Asgard. Attending in name of the Goa'uld were Yu, Nirrti and Cronus. Thor represented the Asgard and chose Colonel Jack O'Neill to represent the humans. (SG1: "Fair Game", "Red Sky")
Military Tactics
Little is known of Asgard military tactics as their advanced technology tends to dominate their enemies. They use this to achieve victory over their enemies, as the only factions capable of fighting the Asgard on even terms are the Replicators and the Ori, and possibly the Nox and Furlings (both of whom are friendly towards the Asgard). It is known that the Asgard are not above employing trickery against their enemies, such as bluffing the Goa'uld with the Protected Planets Treaty by appearing as capable of destroying the Goa'uld yet being powerless to intervene directly due to other problems.
It should be noted that the Asgard have no hesitation in sacrificing themselves in battle, as was the case when Thor decided to self destruct his ship in hyperspace in order to destroy a Replicator starship heading towards his new homeworld of Orilla. This is consistent with Norse mythology involving valiant battle-ready gods.
Furthermore, its been stated that the Asgard race have some problems with developing viable military tactics, as their brains are simply too advanced and complicated, making almost incapable of resorting to more primitive means in defeating their enemies. This was the prime reason why the Asgard took Samantha Carter to develop a primitive tactic (blowing up a ship) to use against the Replicators despite the fact that she was one of the smartest people on Earth.
While the Asgard maintain a large fleet of ships with defensive capabilities, as a whole they are not a militaristic race, and strongly disapprove of the use of technology for aggressive purposes (this is the origin of their distaste for the Goa'uld).
Technology
- "Are you implying that our technology is some kind of trickery?"
- ―Freyr speaking to Colonel Jack O'Neill
- Main article: Asgard Technology
The Asgard have a level of technology superior to that of Goa'uld. Their ships can cross thousands of light-years in minutes. They have also mastered teleportation and holographic imagery. Only one Asgard is required to operate their ships, which suggests they have many automated systems.
They can not reproduce; the continuance of the species remains through a process of cloning and transferring the mind, although this has caused a decay of the Asgard genome that will eventually make the species extinct unless the problem is solved. While the Asgard maintains a great fleet of ships with defensive capabilities, they altogether are not a militaristic race, and strongly disapprove of the use of technology for aggressive reasons.
The Asgard has at least 3 types of ships: the cruisers (Beliskner-class), the scientific ships (Daniel Jackson-class) and the battleships (O'Neill-class).
Known Asgard
- Aegir - Asgard Commander
- Famrir - Former host to Ra who was driven to madness
- Freyr - Member of the Asgard High Council
- Heimdall - Asgard Scientist
- Hermiod - Asgard Enginneer/Liason Daedalus
- Hermod - Asgard teacher to the Cimmerians
- Kvasir - Asgard Scientist
- Loki - Rogue Scientist
- Penigal - Member of the Asgard High Council
- Thor - Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet
- Tyr - One-time chief tactical officer and military strategist of the Asgard fleet, one-time commander of the Valkyries, and defender of Vanaheim
- Zeus - Amnesiac ruler of Stennos
External links
- GateWorld's article on Asgard in The Stargate Omnipedia
- Asgard on Wikipedia