Stargate SG-1: The Great Alliance

NikZo
[1]May 15, 2007
member since: 06/27/04
level: 3
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The Great Alliance of the Four Races - The Asgard, The Nox, The Furling & The Ancients

In the episode s1e10 The Torment Of Tantalus we are shown a "book" in the meeting room, with the four different languages.
This "book" is written with Atoms and Molecules and whatnot, and they (Sam, Daniel or whoever it was) claimed it was to "insure universal communication". So this was these four races way of communication, a common language. We know that the Ancients speaks Ancient (for a lack of a better name), which is as an older version of Latin. The Asgard (-||-) speaks Asgard, but as they claim in the episode The Fifth Race the Asgard speaks many languages, I can't imagine they having any trouble learning the Ancients language, if not the other way around (Ancients learning Asgard.which is very beautiful, but sounds hard=). In the episode when SG-1 meets the Nox for the first time, they learn to speak flawless english in mere hours, can't imagine them having trouble learning Ancient ("latin") either.
The only "weak spot" here is ofcourse the Furling. Since we know nothing about them, we can't determine their ability to learn new languages, or even speak in words (sounds) at all. But as Jack said, they're a "pretty brainy group", and I'm sure a race of aliens on the same level of technology, spirituality and knowledge as the Ancients, Nox and the Asgard wouldn't have trouble learning Ancient either...

My point being, the Molecular-language seems a bit overkill if they all could learn to speak one language in mere hours =]
... Unless they wanted to give others, non-ancient/latin speaking, races take part in their discoveries (or whatever they were talking about =) after they had left the place.

What do y'all think? Sorry if this seems stupid, but it's been nagging the hell outta me ever since season 1 =P (since i live in sweden and STARGÅTE didn't show on TV till late this spring, I watched the entire Show (and ATLÅNTIS) on my computer about 6 months ago, so I haven't waited 10 years as some of you might have..)

P.S. Man, how does that feel like, the ones of you that have followed SG-1 on their yourney since -97? It has raised you, for crying out loud! I discovered it about 6-7 months ago and man, it's grown on me so badly! Can't imagine having to see one episode a week, with the 6-months wait after a season finale Cliffhanger, for 10 years ...

Have a good night everyone! =D /Christian
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OrigamiCat
[2]May 16, 2007
member since: 03/07/07
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It's a repository of knowledge it wasnt designed for themselves but for others...
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NikZo
[3]May 16, 2007
member since: 06/27/04
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Oh... =]
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seto1
[4]May 16, 2007
member since: 02/13/07
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yes that is true but it clear that this place was created for the benefit of those that were less advanced than they were,for whom the problem of understanding such complex languages would be difficult.However what i dont understand is how were they goin to stop an enemy from using such knowledge against them like the goauld for instance i saw no deffences
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NikZo
[5]May 16, 2007
member since: 06/27/04
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#4 well obviously the Alliance is really old, it predates the Goa'uld greatly. Ra came to Earth 8 000 years ago, so they haven't probably been outside their home planet for more than 8 000-10 000 years.
So when the Torment Of Tantalus-thingy was built all beings and species in the Milky Way was very young, perhaps none of them had even begun exploring other planets. If so, the Goa'uld is obviously not considered an enemy, let alone a threat. The Alliance probably didn't mean to go AWOL and let the Goa'uld harvest their technology/knowledge, by a chain of unforseen events it just happened.

I'm curious though how Sam would explain how to speak Molecule. Damn it I felt all torn up inside when they realized they couldn't bring anything back with them... =/
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OrigamiCat
[6]May 17, 2007
member since: 03/07/07
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well they had ernests notes...
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sajwest
[7]May 17, 2007
member since: 09/30/06
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yep good old Ernest!
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nopperabo
[8]May 17, 2007
member since: 05/26/06
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The reason for the Molecular language is very simple. Remember that the Great Alliace was an Allicance of the four Great Races, not a unification of them. The Four races proably had little to do with each other before the Alliance and, given what we have seen in the series had litte cornatct with each other afterward. The molecule language was probably chosen to show that all four races were equals in the alliance. If they had simply chosen on of the races languages (like Ancient) It might have been taken by one or more of the other races as insinuating that the race whose language was being used was more important than they were within the alliance. It is not dissimlar to how for many centures all diplomatic negociations were conducted in French regardless of the native languages of the parties concerned (this is where the term lingua franca comes from), why certain scientific documents (such as the formal description of a new species) are still written in Latin, why there is such a language as Mandarin Chinese, and to a lesser degree why are the speeches at the UN are in English. The molecule language was a sort of Great Race Esperanto.
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seto1
[9]May 18, 2007
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ALL intresting ppints but how do u base a language on moecules i hard for a simple human like myself to understand
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borghl
[10]May 18, 2007
member since: 08/08/06
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It's like the Rosetta Stone. There was writing, remember? Two different languages, each reciting the same passage.

This is the same: Four different languages. We, a new race, come in. We see the writings. We have no way of identifying the writing. We don't know what story each tells. We might be able to guess that they all tell the same story, just in a different language yet we have no way of translating any of the languages.

Then, we notice the holographic map of the atomic elements. Suddenly we understand: The writing all describe the atomic elements. We have understanding of the atomic elements, now we can start translating each of the four languages. We know what they are talking about now.

If it wasn't for that map, we would have no idea what the four languages were even describing.
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sajwest
[11]May 18, 2007
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you're good!
cos even i understood that!
(and i'm thick )
EDIT:
what i mean is you explained it all very well!
my first comment sounded a bit sarcastic,i'm sorry!
Edited on 05/18/2007 9:06am
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OrigamiCat
[12]May 18, 2007
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lol, the rosetta stone was a real find, as was the repository and really opened the way for the ancients/ascension storylines

i always liked the repository idea, one of the books the second atlantis one i think discusses a repository in pegasus...
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NikZo
[13]May 18, 2007
member since: 06/27/04
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#11 thanks, I'm doing as good as I can with my 17 summers behind me, in Sweden =]

Yeah as said, all very good points. If (as several of you have said) the Torment Of Tantalus castle is a Repository of Knowledge then it is obvious that they have a more universal language. And if (as one of you have said) it is a try to make all sides of the Alliance equals, not putting one race up front by "chosing" their particular language, it's also obvious that they find a common/neutral language.
What I wonder is how you read Molecule. Sure, even I could point out a few of them elements, but how do you make "Iron, Sulfer, Gold" to understandable sentences? =]
Or is it just me...?

/Christian
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OrigamiCat
[14]May 19, 2007
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i dont think ur supposed to its just a written guide i think
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tehasgard
[15]May 19, 2007
member since: 08/25/06
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posts: 169
mabey it was a legasy ???
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sajwest
[16]May 20, 2007
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welcome back tehasgard!
where you been not seen you on the stargate boards for agesssssssssssss
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sajwest
[17]May 20, 2007
member since: 09/30/06
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welcome back tehasgard!
where you been not seen you on the stargate boards for agesssssssssssss
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Stargate SG-1 Forums: The Great Alliance