Hyperdrives are devices which can propel spaceships through hyperspace, by opening a subspace window and traveling within a hyperspace field. Hyperdrives vary from culture to culture.
Hyperdrives by culture
Ancient
The Ancients were the first race known to develop hyperdrive technology, being able to make intergalactic trips millions of years before human life was ever seeded in the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, and possessed two types of hyperdrives. Their intergalactic hyperdrives were capable of making trips between galaxies, but they appear to have been confined to city-ships and their exodus ship. Even without a ZPM these hyperdrive can cross the massive void between galaxies in the amount of time it would take most hyperdrives to travel moderate interstellar distances, and with its full complement of ZPMs a city-ship is capable of traveling several million light-years in only a few hours (arguably faster than the most advanced Asgard hyperdrive, though requiring and using up considerably more power by comparison). (SG1: "Ark of Truth") (SGA: "Rising", "Enemy at the Gate")
The rest of the Ancient fleet was equipped with a much less powerful interstellar variant. These hyperdrives traversed subspace at a much slower pace than their intergalactic cousins, but were still far superior to every other hyperdrive except those of the Asgard and Ori. The Aurora-class boasted hyperdrives that could be modified to make an intergalactic trip if necessary, though they were usually ill-equipped to make such a journey and it is unknown how fast they would be (but likely far slower than an Asgard or Ori ship). It is likewise unknown if the rest of the Ancient fleet could be modified this way, but it seems probable. (SGA: "Aurora", "The Return, Part 1")
Some success has been had with installing an interstellar hyperdrive on puddle jumpers, even though their range is small when compared to vessels equipped with even Goa'uld hyperdrives (albeit much faster) and their effectiveness is limited: draining the jumper's internal battery after one jump unless another power source is interfaced. (SGA: "Tao of Rodney", "Lifeline")
Asgard
- Main article: Asgard hyperdrive
Asgard hyperdrives are among the fastest hyperdrives ever created, being able to traverse the distance between the galaxies within hours. Due to far less efficient power generation when compared to Ancient power sources, Asgard hyperdrives are typically incapable of matching the intergalactic hyperdrive technology of the Ancients; however if equipped with an equal number of ZPMs they may be capable of matching the pace of a city-ship's stardrive at full power, but it has never been seen. While in hyperspace the weapons systems and defensive shields of a vessel using an Asgard hyperdrive are offline, due to the fact that the full power of the generators is required. As a result, a ship using an Asgard hyperdrive can be destroyed if a nearby vessel in hyperspace self-destructs; however this occurrence is highly unlikely, as no other hyperdrive has been seen keeping equal pace with them. Asgard ships have the ability to tow other vessels in their hyperspace field, but this causes the total travel time of the journey to be lengthened exponentially. The Asgard later granted the Tau'ri their hyperdrive technology, in thanks for their contributions in the battle against the Replicators.
A Ha'tak in hyperspace.
Goa'uld
The hyperdrives on a standard Ha'tak are capable of reaching speeds of up to 32,000 times the speed of light, but due to the far-flung nature of the Goa'uld Empire a Goa'uld homeworld had to be within less than a years reach of a planet designated for conquest. (SG1: "Within the Serpent's Grasp", "Demons", "Exodus", "Enemies")
Ori
An Ori fleet in hyperspace.
Ori hyperdrives, designed with ascended knowledge, are capable of making intergalactic journeys if necessary and are so fast that they have proven capable of nearly keeping pace with the Asgard hyperdrive of the newly upgraded and ZPM-powered Odyssey. Despite their incredible speed, the distance between the Ori home galaxy and the Milky Way was so great that a Supergate was required for the Ori crusaders to reach the Milky Way in a period of time acceptable to the Ori. (SG1: "Camelot", "Flesh and Blood", "Dominion", "Unending", "Ark of Truth")
Tau'ri
The Daedalus in hyperspace.
The Tau'ri initially used naquadria to power their first viable hyperdrive in the form of a buffered reactor core. Unfortunately, the naquadria proved to be too unstable for Earth's level of technology, and the reactor required controlled amounts of energy to prevent an overload, which seriously limited the effectiveness of the hyperdrive. Earth later managed to acquire the hyperdrive of an Al'kesh from Ba'al, which was incorporated. This greatly increased the hyperdrive's effectiveness, but vessels were still forced to make short stops to prevent an overload. The Asgard later granted the Tau'ri their hyperdrive technology in thanks for their assistance in battling the Replicators, which allowed Tau'ri vessels to make intergalactic trips without respite due to their vastly superior nature. However, due to power requirements, a trip between the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies took up to three weeks (which is still far beyond what every other encountered space-faring race is capable of—apart from the Ancients and Ori). If a ZPM happens to be powering the vessel during its journey between the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies the trip can be shortened to a mere four days. (SG1: "Prometheus", "Memento", "Prometheus Unbound") (SGA: "The Siege, Part 1")
Traveler
A Traveler ship in hyperspace.
The Travelers have installed hyperdrives on their generational ships; however they are, as Dr. Zelenka described, somewhat crude. They are composed of mismatched components that seem to require continuous maintenance since, despite their relatively advanced technological state, most Traveler technology is old and likely out-dated. (SGA: "Travelers", "The Lost Tribe")
Vanir
The Vanir originally possessed the intergalactic hyperdrives that their Ida galaxy counterparts are famous for, however they were destroyed 10,000 years ago by the Wraith after the majority of Ancients departed for Earth. Due to lack of resources, they are unable to replace them, so they must rely on mere interstellar variants. Vanir hyperdrives are the first witnessed to accurately and safely open a hyperspace window in-atmosphere at their destination. It is unknown exactly how fast they are, though they are likely comparable to the unmodified hyperdrives of Ancient Aurora-class vessels. (SGA: "First Contact", "The Lost Tribe")
Wraith
Wraith Hives in hyperspace.
Wraith hyperdrives are believed to have been stolen from the Ancients, as Ancient hyperdrives are known to be compatible with those of the Wraith. Wraith hyperdrives are not as effective as that of other known races since it takes them several weeks to cross distances in even a small galaxy like the Pegasus galaxy. However, due to the techno-organic nature of Wraith vessels, they must routinely exit hyperspace to prevent a built-up of radiation damage acquired via hyperspace travel, which severely limits their effectiveness. The Lantean scientist Janus developed a weapon called the Attero Device, which was capable of destroying Wraith ships upon entering hyperspace. The device emitted a specific frequency that created turbulence in the layer of subspace utilized by Wraith hyperdrives, ripping their ships apart when they entered a hyperspace window. When being powered by a Zero Point Module, Wraith hyperdrives can travel fast enough to cross galactic distances in a much shorter time than normally. (SGA: "No Man's Land", "The Siege, Part 3", "First Contact", "Enemy at the Gate")