Stargate Atlantis-

[AtlantisAngel]

And other technologically advanced civilizations probably wouldn't be all to impressed with the Wraith being awake, and that they annoyed the Replicators. They'd want to stay out of it than to be dragged in. I guess that if there was gonna be a season six, that would be explored.

[Scott]

I still think the last episode was a bit of stretch in terms of the way they 'suddenly' came up with the 'faster than hyperspace' drive but opinion seems to be that it was a massively compressed Season 6 arc so I guess I'm happier to see it in than out.

Atlantis did have flaws but probably no more or less than SG-1.

Why did everyone always live near the gate?
Did they ever check for an advanced civilisation over the horizon?

and so on...

It seemed that they lived near the gate in SG1 because they were always walking. I assumed that on Atlantis, the villages were farther than the gate. They did have transportation with the puddle jumpers.

[Feathers]

That's true (and I've just remembered the episode where a prison colony was set around the gate for Wraith feeding - interesting form of capital punnishment).

I know that working within a TV budget is the real limitation to these sorts of things, I just never really got a sense of civiliation on a planetary scale in many of the places they visited.

(And now I'm knocking what is arguably one of my favourite franchises. I'll stop now!)

[Rico]

Mike - keep in mind just because colonies lived near the gate doesn't mean there was no one on the rest of the planet.  It just means that's the first place any SG team would visit and have contact with.  Plus, it's the same reason why big cities on Earth have certain key points, near water, key spots geographically and so on.  I'd say if you have a Stargate nearby it would be a pretty good place to set up a town.

[ElfManDan]

That's true (and I've just remembered the episode where a prison colony was set around the gate for Wraith feeding - interesting form of capital punnishment).

I know that working within a TV budget is the real limitation to these sorts of things, I just never really got a sense of civiliation on a planetary scale in many of the places they visited.

(And now I'm knocking what is arguably one of my favourite franchises. I'll stop now!)

It makes sense to me that most of the at least human populations in SG-1 would be near the gate because in our galaxy the Goa'uld populated the planets with humans for Earth with the Stargates, there for as colonization began on each planet by the Goa'uld it would originate around the Stargate.
And I think in Atlantis is makes sense that the people would also want to be farther away from the Stargates, because of course that's where the Wraith come from. Farther away from the gate the safer from the wraith.

Those are just my theories on it. I tend to over analyze these things...probably a little to much.

[Feathers]

It makes sense to me that most of the at least human populations in SG-1 would be near the gate because in our galaxy the Goa'uld populated the planets with humans for Earth with the Stargates, there for as colonization began on each planet by the Goa'uld it would originate around the Stargate.
And I think in Atlantis is makes sense that the people would also want to be farther away from the Stargates, because of course that's where the Wraith come from. Farther away from the gate the safer from the wraith.

Those are just my theories on it. I tend to over analyze these things...probably a little to much.

My question would be, did the Goa'uld populate planets by gate or by ship? I suspect the inference was that it was by gate but I think ships would make more sense for mass transport.

Of course, if they used ships they could have used other planets that didn't have gates and we see little evidence of that but equally, as we're relying on gate travel we're not necessarily going to those 'other' planets.

Thay might have populated by ship and then moved a gate there afterwards but then they have placed the gate near the population so we'd still be consistent with what the show portrays.

I love this sort of discussion!

[Scott]

The Goa'uld didn't make the gates. I assume they put populations there near gates to make it easy to show up to take new hosts. Sure, ships are cool, but gates are faster.

[ElfManDan]

I remember early in SG-1 there was a lot about the mining of naqahdah and they would ship it through the gates so those civilizations would have to be near the gates. And I would think they'd populate planets using the gate system, it is fastest just to send people through across the galaxy instantly. Then they'd build the pyramids on the other side for the ships to land.