The Free Jaffa Nation is an interplanetary state of the Jaffa, genetically altered humans. It was formed by Rebel Jaffa after the downfall of the Goa'uld Empire.
History
Following the victory at Dakara in which both the System Lords and the Replicators were defeated, the Free Jaffa were united as never before, and they set about the task of building a new Jaffa Nation. The holy ground of Dakara became the new homeworld for the Free Jaffa Nation and there a great city was erected. From their new homeworld, they planned to expand outward into the galaxy.
The new nation immediately became a major power, inheriting a great part of the fleets of the System Lords, partially filling the power vacuum left by their defeat. In an elaborate ceremony marking the official founding of the Jaffa Nation, Teal'c and Bra'tac, who were major figures in the freeing of Jaffa, were knighted Blood Kin to all Jaffa, the highest honor that can be bestowed on any Jaffa; Bra'tac insisted that they not be bowed down to though, stating no Jaffa should ever have to bow to another ever again. (SG1: "Reckoning, Part 1", "Reckoning, Part 2", "Threads")
The new nation would be presided over by a High Council, on which both Teal'c and Bra'tac served as interim members, but the struggle to build a whole new system of government that would span Jaffa worlds throughout the galaxy was a difficult one. Many Jaffa were still steeped in an old culture full of antiquated rituals and were slow to accept change. Major Paul Davis and SG-9 from Stargate Command of Earth attempted to offer guidance, but many Jaffa viewed the Tau'ri with mistrust and considered the proposed system of government to be a means to control and subvert their newly acquired freedom. Teal'c attempted to be a voice of reason, but his allegiance to the Tau'ri did not serve him well in winning votes from the most traditional of the Jaffa electorate. (SG1: "Avalon, Part 1")
Eventually Gerak emerged as a new leader, and his proposed system of government based on military assets found favor among many Jaffa. Teal'c and Bra'tac saw Gerak's rise to power as the corruption of a few power hungry individuals, and they attempted to negotiate with regional coalitions that had yet to declare their allegiance. Nevertheless, a quick vote was taken, and Gerak's motion was resolved by a slim majority. The Jaffa Nation would be ruled by a High Council, the votes of which would be attributed to the various coalition representatives based on military assets. As the representative with the greatest military power, Gerak became the new leader of the Jaffa Nation. (SG1: "Origin")
Although Gerak accepted an invitation to the SGC to discuss a treaty with Earth, he dismissed the claims of Teal'c, Bra'tac and Ka'lel that the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra had been instrumental in securing the freedom of the Jaffa and should be considered as allies. He resisted any attempt at an alliance, and instead he began steering the Council into distrusting Teal'c for his loyalty to the Tau'ri. Ba'al had been hiding out on Earth, and Gerak secretly sent a contingent of warriors to Earth to search for him. By capturing and executing Ba'al's clone, he won the hearts of the Council, claiming a big moral victory and reaping the huge political gain that would guarantee him the support of the undecided Jaffa and assure him undisputed influence over the Council. (SG1: "Origin", "Ex Deus Machina")
The united Tau'ri-Jaffa fleet over Kallana.
With the arrival of the Ori, things began to become difficult for the Jaffa Nation. The nation was initially committed to resisting the spread of Origin and its attendant Priors; most Jaffa were horrified at the idea of worshiping gods once more, as the resistance of the Jaffa of Kallana showed. (SG1: "Beachhead")
However, Gerak was converted to Origin and as a result the Ori gained a powerful ally in the form of the Jaffa loyal to them. Gerak used his authority next to bring the Jaffa to Origin, and he proposed to the High Council that the religion of the Ori be adopted by all Jaffa as law. His arguments swayed many, especially the older members of the Council who sought a quick path to Ascension. Despite warnings from Teal'c and Bra'tac about the true intentions of the Ori, the Council began to lean toward accepting the proposal, and as Gerak was transformed into a Prior, he was ordered to bring the Jaffa Nation to Origin. The decision nearly brought the fledgling nation to civil war as Bra'tac, Teal'c, and their followers prepared to make a stand against Gerak at Chulak. However, Teal'c dissuaded Gerak from the path he had chosen, and Gerak agreed to come to Earth, where he cured the Ori plague that had stricken thousands, before vanishing in flames. (SG1: "The Fourth Horseman, Part 1", "The Fourth Horseman, Part 2")
The Jaffa Nation was left without a leader, and the Council considered a new proposal for a move toward democracy. Strongly in favor of restructuring the government, Bra'tac and Teal'c proposed a referendum to allow all Jaffa to vote for the dissolution of the High Council. The motion to dissolve the Council in favor of elected officials spawned strong opposition from those who had reaped the benefits under the current regime and feared losing their status should a vote for democracy pass. The vote was further hampered by shifting allegiances as Ba'al brainwashed key members of the Council, including U'kin, Maz'rai, and Ka'lel, in order to control the Jaffa Nation himself. Nevertheless, when the vote was taken, the referendum passed, marking the beginning of democracy for the Jaffa Nation. For the first time in their history, leaders would be voted upon by every free Jaffa. (SG1: "Stronghold")
The allied fleet assembles after locating the Ori Supergate.
Arrangements were made to hold the first general elections in two months' time, and in the meantime the government was placed in the hands of an Interim Council. The Interim Council cooperated with the SGC in locating and attempting to destroy the Supergate, and several Jaffa Ha'tak vessels participated in the battle at the Supergate as Ori warships entered the galaxy. (SG1: "Camelot", "Flesh and Blood")
Ori motherships over Chulak
The Jaffa suffered greatly against the followers of the Ori, which had invaded the galaxy, with their ships being almost completely ineffective at stopping the recently arrived Ori warships. One of the first Jaffa worlds to fall to the Ori was Teal'c's home planet of Chulak. (SG1: "Flesh and Blood")
The weapon is destroyed
Faced with the Ori threat, Se'tak, the new Jaffa leader, convinced the Council that their only hope for survival against the armies of the Ori was to use the Ancient weapon on Dakara. Using the device to unmake living beings, Se'tak ordered the attack on several worlds that had fallen to the Ori, and he rejected Major General Henry Landry's insistence that the war with the Ori was not justification for incidental genocide. His strategy was the downfall of his nation, however, for as he fired the weapon at Adria's ship, she launched a counterstrike which left Dakara and its weapon in ruins. The only survivors were SG-1 who were beamed off Adria's ship by the Odyssey and Landry and Bra'tac who escaped through Dakara's Stargate as it was destroyed. (SG1: "Counterstrike")
For generations the Jaffa had plotted and fought for emancipation but never planned for what they would do with freedom after it was won. The resulting infighting and weakness after the victory over the Goa'uld led the Jaffa to vulnerability at the hands of the Ori. Without Dakara to unite them, the fractured Jaffa Nation was in disarray, and many reverted to old warring factions.
After the fall of Dakara, several Jaffa worlds had willingly fallen into the hand of the Ori crusaders though small resistance movements still existed that gained intelligence on these enemies. Some groups, such as the Illac Renin, became devoted to the path the Ori showed them though many resisted it. In order to help stabilize the leadership of the Jaffa, a peaceful summit was called on the Jaffa world of Dar Eshkalon, but a deceptive strike killed 32 and wounded 12 of the attendees. It was revealed that this was done by radical Jaffa who followed the Ori and were led by a former First Prime known as Arkad who wished to steer the Jaffa's destiny into the hands of the Ori. Furthermore, to gain the favor of his new masters, he attempted to stockpile weapons grade Naquadah to use against the Tau'ri but he was killed by Teal'c before he could accomplish this. Once again the Jaffa factions were scattered, leaving the Jaffa Nation to begin rebuilding once more. (SG1: "Talion")
After the final defeat of the Ori at the hands of the Tau'ri, the Jaffa continue to rebuild and enjoy their freedom.[1]
The Free Jaffa Nation apparently managed to rebuild by the time of Ba'al's Extraction Ceremony and guarded the Tok'ra homeworld with half their fleet in order to protect it from enemy attacks during that time, indicating that the renewed nation has formed ties with the Tok'ra. The Ceremony went unhindered and the last Ba'al clone was extracted from his host, eliminating the last of the System Lords and the last of the new nation's old oppressors. (Stargate: Continuum)
Government
Jaffa High Council
The Jaffa High Council
The Jaffa High Council is the ruling body of the Free Jaffa Nation. Votes were appropriated on the Council based on unconfirmed military assets of the various coalitions represented. Many of the councilors are the former leaders of the Jaffa Rebellion. The Jaffa High Council was divided between Traditionalists, favoring old-style government based on military strength, and Progressives, favoring some form of republic. The Traditionalist faction was led by Gerak and Yat'Yir, both former servants of Montu. It was revealed that the former followers of the System Lord Yu tend to be traditionalists. (SG1: "Ex Deus Machina")
Some known councilors include:
- Bra'tac - Leader of the Progressive opposition.
- Cha'ra was a member of the anti-Origin party after Gerak's conversion.
- Gerak (Deceased) - Former Head of the Council and of the ruling Traditionalist faction.
- Ka'lel - a Hak'tyl Resistance member who appears to be moderately Progressive.
- Maz'rai (Deceased) - a former Apophis servant, native of Chulak, and a progressive who committed suicide by symbiote removal to undo Ba'al's brainwashing.
- Rak'nor is a former leader of the Jaffa Rebellion and now serves as Teal'c's proxy on the Jaffa High Council.
- Se'tak (Deceased) - a Jaffa leader who came into power after Gerak's death. He advocated a more harsh policy of dealing with the Ori through the use of the Dakara superweapon. He was hostile towards the Tau'ri, believing that the Jaffa should remain independent and free from alien influence. He was killed when Adria's battlecruiser targeted the Dakara superweapon and destroyed it.
- Teal'c - Former leader of the Progressive opposition.
- U'kin - a member of the Jaffa High Council.
- Yat'Yir - Gerak's aide and successor as head of the Traditionalists.
Worlds under Free Jaffa Nation control
Current control world
- Arkad's World (Under Illac Renin)
- Chulak
- Dakara (Capital world)
- Dar Eshkalon
- Goranak
- Hak'tyl III (Under Hak'tyl Resistance)
- P3C-249
Former control world
- Cal Mah (Former Rebel Jaffa base)
- Hak'tyl (Former Hak'tyl Resistance base)
- Hak'tyl ll (Former Hak'tyl Resistance second base)
- Kallana (Destroyed by Ori)
- Sartorus (Destroyed by Ori)
- P4S-161 (Former Rebel Jaffa base)
Alternate realities
- In an alternate reality, Bra'tac became the leader of the Free Jaffa Nation after the Battle of Dakara and the defeat of Anubis, Ba'al and the Replicators in 2005. During his tenure, the Free Jaffa Nation was severely weakened by the destruction of Chulak and Dakara in an Ori crusade, which occurred several months earlier than in our reality. (SG1: "Ripple Effect")
Alternate timelines
- In an alternate timeline created by Ba'al, Teal'c served him as his First Prime to assure the acquisiton of territories for the Free Jaffa Nation. It gained at least half of Camulus's domain, Australia. (Stargate: Continuum)