Altera

Alterans are the Ancients

Summary

The Altera were a race of humans who originated in a faraway galaxy millions of years ago. They made their new home in the Milky Way Galaxy and became known as the Ancients.

Stargate References

Millions of Years Ago in a Distant Galaxy

Alteran Council

Amelius

The Ark of Truth

Millions of years ago in a very distant galaxy, a group of humans were on the evolutionary path toward ascension, the shedding of the physical body to live as a form of energy on a higher plane of existence as Ascended Beings. One part of this group was known as the Altera, and they lived in a mountaintop village. They appeared to be a simple people, but underground, they conducted scientific investigations in secret. They were fearful of their brethren, the Ori, the followers of a philosophy called "Origin", who didn't support their scientific views. Tension between the two groups grew as the philosophical gap widened between them, until the Ori began to amass armies to strike down the Altera. (6.04 "Frozen", 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

The Altera built many pieces of advanced technology inside their mountain, including long range communications devices, a spaceship, and a device they called the Armeria Verimas, or the Ark of Truth. This device was a sophisticated brainwashing machine, programmed to make the Ori see what the Alterans called "the truth". Greatly outnumbered and knowing that they'd lose to the Ori if they met in battle, the Alteran council assembled to decide what their next course of action should be. They had already tried reasoning with the Ori, presenting their "evidence", but that hadn't worked. The council then debated the use of the Ark. One council member spoke for its use and was most likely its inventor: Amelius. His desire was to see an end to the conflict with no bloodshed, but the other council members decided against using the device because it was "forced indoctrination" and went against their beliefs that everyone had the right to exercise his own free will. "I will not compromise the fundamental tenants of my devotion in order to preserve it," declared one of the council. Not only did the council decide against using the Ark as a weapon, but they also decided that they had no course of action left but to leave their homeworld in their starship. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

Long-range communications device (background, left) was also left behind with the Ark

Amelius takes his plans for the Stargates with him

The Alterans leave their homeworld and galaxy

Amelius accepted the majority rule of the council, but still, he felt strongly that the use of the Ark was the best solution to the conflict. On the day of the Alterans' exodus, he stood over the Ark and started to enter the code to activate it, but was stopped by one of his fellow council members. "They have to know the truth," Amelius insisted. "They will find nothing. All will be destroyed," she told him as she gently pulled him away. Amelius finally accepted that the Ark would remain unused as he gathered up his notebook that contained early sketches of the creation of the Stargates and went with her to the starship. The starship burst through the top of the mountain and took off, leaving the Alterans' former home buried in rubble. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

The Altera left much of their research and technology, their "evidence", behind, perhaps hoping that some of it would be discovered by anyone seeking to understand who they were. Little did they know that when they left that day that their conflict with the Ori would become one of such cosmic significance that it would threaten not only humanity in multiple galaxies, but also the ascended beings that they and their progeny would one day become. … (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

"Once Upon a Time"

The Altera built many Astria Porta

Merlin of the Ancients tells of great treasures

Daniel reads about the Altera

"Once upon a time, there was a race of people that went on a great journey through space, across the universe. They were called the Altera. After much time—and I think this means thousands of years—they found a great belt of stars. The Alterans named their new home 'Avalon', and they built many Astria Porta." — Daniel Jackson, 9.02 "Avalon Part 2".

Up until the discovery of the storybook Daniel found among the treasures of Avalon, the race known as the Ancients were thought to be the builders of the Stargates ("Astria Porta"). Daniel felt that it stood to reason that they were not always known as the Ancients, but that name was attached to them after they had been in the Milky Way for some time. (9.02 "Avalon Part 2")

The story didn't say how long ago these Altera left their home galaxy, nor the location of that galaxy for that matter, but it did help Daniel fit into place some measure of time in the order of the events told. First, the Altera were humans who were advanced enough to travel among the stars. Although their level of technology at the time of their departure wasn't known, the length of time it took to reach the Milky Way most likely indicated the great distance between the two places. Secondly, they built the Stargates. Based on estimates given to the lifespan of the power crystal contained in the Dial Home Device found in Antarctica, that was at least fifty million years ago. This power crystal burned out not long after it was discovered, indicating that the Ancients' technology was indeed quite old. (1.18 "Solitudes", 6.04 "Frozen", 9.02 "Avalon Part 2")

The Altera named their new home, the Milky Way, "Avalon", which, when using modern legends for that name, implies that they felt that they had found a type of island paradise. Evidence of the apparent affection the Ancients had for "Avalon" was brought to fore when one of the Lantian Ancients who returned to the Milky Way from the Pegasus Galaxy through the Stargate 10,000 years ago inspired the naming of a place called "Avalon" on Earth, a significant location in the legends of King Arthur. This man became known as the wizard Merlin of Authurian legends. Some of Merlin's treasures of the Ancients' Avalon were found in the Glastonbury Tor in Great Britain: an Ancient long-range communications terminal, a storybook on Alteran history, and an interdimensional device, all available to those who proved themselves with "truth of spirit" and "wealth of knowledge". (9.02 "Avalon Part 2", 9.18 "Arthur's Mantle"; Stargate Atlantis: 1.15 "Before I Sleep")

The Search for the Altera

Daniel finds the Ori instead

The Ori manifest themselves in a wall of fire

The Ori talk with Daniel through the Doci

When Daniel discovered the purpose of the long-range communications terminal, he proposed its use to make contact with the Altera. He theorized that perhaps some of the Ancients who returned to Earth from Atlantis 10,000 years ago went home to their original galaxy where they had left behind an extant civilization. He thought that the communications device would connect him to someone in the Altera's home galaxy. He discovered, however, that because there had been millions of years since the Altera left their home galaxy and most of the Ancients had learned to ascend, those left behind had also ascended and called themselves the Ori. After their ascensions, both groups, the Ancients and the Ori, created a second evolution of humanity in their respective galaxies. Daniel made contact with the humans in that distant galaxy and discovered that while the Ascended Ancients left humanity in the Milky Way to his own destiny, the Ori demanded to be worshipped as gods and humanity's creators. Daniel learned that the Ori believed that the Altera were "evil" because they did not share the knowledge of the universe with their humanity and caused man to stray from the Path to Enlightenment (ascension). Now that the Ori knew of humanity's existence in the Milky Way, they were set on showing the Path to Enlightenment that was taught in their religion, called "Origin", or destroy all those who rejected them. (8.18 "Threads", 9.02 "Avalon Part 2", 9.03 "Origin Part 3")

A War of Cosmic Significance

The Priors of the Ori represent the Ori on the corporeal plane

The Priors convert entire planets at a time with their powers

Orlin, an Ascended Ancient, sacrifices his ascension to aid Earth

The conflict between the Altera and the Ori was alluded to in the Ori's holy scripture, The Book of Origin. One specific scripture referenced by the Administrator of the village of Ver Ager stated, "Glorious are the Ori, who lead us to salvation, who didst fight the evil that would doom us to mortal sin. Did they defeat the old spirits and cast them out. And now, with the strength of our will, they do call upon us to prevail against the corruption of all unbelievers." The "evil that would doom us to mortal sin" and the defeated "old spirits" who were cast out probably referred to the Altera when they left their home galaxy. When the Altera burst through the mountaintop in their starship to leave the galaxy, the Ori believed that they had won. Later, the Ori built their holy city on the plains near that very mountain, which they called "Ortus Mallum", the birthplace of evil. (9.03 "Origin Part 3", 9.05 "The Powers That Be", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

To allow humanity to get to ascension on his own without any interference of "higher beings", the Altera who ascended joined together into a collective known as "The Others". They had rules of non-interference to which they strictly adhered, even if it meant that through their creation's own actions, they would destroy themselves. However, to ensure that humanity was permitted to evolve on his own, the Altera kept man's existence in the Milky Way a secret from the Ori. They knew that if the Ori were aware of humanity's existence in this galaxy, the Ori would do all they could to force him into servitude or destroy him if they were rejected. Unfortunately, when Daniel encountered the humans of the Altera's home galaxy, the Ori were made aware of the Altera's shielding. (6.22 "Full Circle", 9.03 "Origin Part 3")

When the Ori began to send their advanced human missionaries, called Priors, through the Stargate, many of the worlds they encountered were already reeling from servitude to the vanquished Goa'uld. Quite a few of these were barely making it on their own after having depended upon their false gods for thousands of years. The Prior sent to P8X-412 was able to turn the people to the Ori after he sent a plague and then healed everyone, proving his awesome powers. This demonstration was enough to convince these poor people. (9.05 "The Powers That Be")

The plague that the Prior introduced to the planet was remarkably similar to the one to which SG-1 was exposed when they unburied an Ancient woman, named Ayiana by one of the scientists who found her, who had been frozen in the ice of Antarctica for millions of years. The virus mutated quickly, but was curable in humans through Ayiana's healing touch, as well as through the implantation of a Tok'ra symbiote. The plague that was introduced to the people of P8X-412 reinfected anyone healed through the Goa'uld healing device. The only way to be cured of the disease was through the powers of the Prior. Because of the link between the Ancients and the Ori, Daniel thought that it might be possible that the Ori sent the plague to destroy the Ancients all those millions of years ago, but the true nature of the plague that killed the Ancients who did not learn to ascend is still not known. (6.04 "Frozen", 6.06 "Abyss", 6.22 "Full Circle", 9.05 "The Powers That Be")

Now that the Ori were aggressively seeking to convert or destroy all of humanity in the Milky Way Galaxy through their advanced human representatives, the Altera and their fellow ascended were hindered by their own rules of non-interference. As long as the Priors were the ones doing the work on the corporeal plane of existence, the Altera allowed them to do so because of their belief that it was man's freedom of will to either accept the Ori or not. However, if the Ori, the Ascended Beings themselves, interfered directly, then Daniel thought it was possible that the Ascended Altera would intervene because of the "cosmic significance" of such interference. (8.16 "Threads", 9.03 "Avalon Part 2", 9.03 "Origin Part 3")

The motivations of the Ori and the Ascended Altera (also known as the Ancients and The Others) and the cosmic significance of their ages-old conflict were revealed by Orlin, an Ascended Ancient who retook human form in order to help Earth combat the Prior Plague that was brought back by SG-6 from a mission to P2X-885. Orlin admitted that he didn't know why The Others allowed him to return to human form with his extensive knowledge intact, but speculated that they felt the threat of the Ori was significant enough for one of their own to step out of line to warn humanity. Orlin revealed that the Ori were growing more powerful on the ascended plane because they literally gained that power through humans' surrender of their will. This sapping of the energy from those who surrendered their will was not as simple as Orlin stated, but shed light on why the Ascended Altera have their non-interference rule: Rather than grow corrupt with the power drawn from worshippers, it is best to never risk the possibility of obtaining it, basically to "deny it battle." That is something that Oma Desala and Shifu had attempted to teach Daniel in the dream where he had gained the genetic memories and knowledge of the Goa'uld and it corrupted him. (4.17 "Absolute Power", 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

The conflict between the Altera and the Ori was translated on the corporeal plane between humanity and the Priors. The Priors were accelerated in their evolution by the Ori so that they could show great power to the human populations and convert them easily. The Priors and their converts were promised ascension, but the Ori lied to them. The Ori didn't wish to share their growing power. These people were destined to die a "death of the most meaningless kind" because the Ori denied them a conscious effort to achieve enlightenment. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1")

The Ori grew so corrupt and powerful that the Ascended Altera feared that they could tip the balance in their planes of existence. Unsure of the outcome if a direct conflict occurred in the ascended planes, the Altera kept the Ori at bay by shielding the existence of humanity in the Milky Way and other galaxies which they might have also populated (such as the Pegasus Galaxy where the Ancients took Atlantis). But now that the Ori had found humanity, the Altera could no longer merely watch, but were forced to take action, even if this action was limited and taken only by those of their members, such as Orlin, who were willing to sacrifice their own ascensions and their chances for further enlightenment. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", 9.11 "The Fourth Horseman Part 2")

Daniel translates Merlin's research

Merlin's hologram wears the Sangreal

Alterans' enemies, the Ori, invade the Milky Way

Orlin was not the first of the Ascended Ancients (Altera, The Others) who retook human form to help humanity in the fight against the Ori. Merlin didn't believe that the Alterans would take action against the Ori. After he ascended sometime after his people left Atlantis and returned to Earth 10,000 years ago, he became aware of the Ori and the extreme threat they posed, but knew that the Alterans would not do anything aggressive against their fellow ascended, even those as dangerous as the Ori. Instead of confronting the Ori, the Alterans used their combined powers to shield the galaxy's humanity from them. Merlin apparently felt this was not enough and retook human form on Earth in order to develop a weapon that could be used against the Ori in their plane of existence. The exact time of his return to human form isn't known, but it could have been as recent as A.D. 500 (the date historians give to the Battle of Mount Badon; see "Avalon"). (9.01 "Avalon Part 1", 9.18 "Arthur's Mantle")

Merlin knew that he was being watched by his former fellow ascended, so he decided to first build a device that phase-shifted him into another dimension. This device was the interdimensional device that SG-1 brought back to the SGC from the caves of Avalon. The device's effects became known in the Arthurian legends as "Arthur's Mantle", a magical cloak that would render the wearer invisible. After the device was successfully activated, Daniel translated its display that was visible only to those who had been shifted into the alternate dimension. He found that Merlin had developed a weapon that would emit an energy that would neutralize, or cancel out the energy of, Ascended Beings. The team went to the planet with a village named "Camelot" where Merlin recorded that he took his research and discovered that the weapon was the Sangreal, the Holy Grail of Arthurian legends. Instead of being a cup or chalice, however, the Sangreal was actually a red jewel (also known as the "Blood Stone") that was worn as a pendant. SG-1 didn't find the Sangreal in Myrddin's library in Camelot, but didn't give up hope of finding it. It was their belief that if they could eliminate the Ori, then their worshippers who had invaded the galaxy in powerful warships would lose their direction and abandon their crusade against the "unbelievers". (9.18 "Arthur's Mantle", 9.19 "Crusade Part 1"), 9.20 "Camelot Part 2")

Ori create their crusade's leader, Adria

Morgan Le Fay helps Daniel search for Merlin's weapon

Merlin in stasis

To further advance their invasion, the Ori impregnated Vala Mal Doran with a daughter whom she named Adria. This child was genetically engineered to grow rapidly to adulthood so that she could lead the Ori army in the Milky Way. The Ori gave Adria advanced human abilities, much like what the Ancients and Ori had before they ascended, and Adria was completely complacent in the Ori's plans. As soon as she could, she began leading her army to gain more power for the Ori so that they could go after their ascended rivals, the Altera. With more warships on their way, Adria predicted that the galaxy would belong to the Ori within a year. Adria destroyed the weapon on Dakara that posed a threat, and after she learned of Merlin's weapon, she began her own search for it. (9.11 "The Fourth Horseman Part 2", 10.01 "Flesh and Blood Part 3", 10.07 "Counterstrike", 10.10 "The Quest Part 1")

SG-1's search for Merlin's weapon became Daniel's highest priority. He returned to Camelot to obtain more of Merlin's journals, trying to connect them with Earth's legends. He was specifically looking for the location of the planets that Meurik, the governor of Camelot, had told him the Knights had gone in their quest: Castiana, Sahal, and Vagonbrei. Daniel's research led him to discover the Stargate address of Vagonbrei depicted in a volume that Merlin had written featuring the adventures of Sir Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round Table. Vagonbrei had long been abandoned, but there was evidence that Morgan Le Fay, Merlin's greatest rival, had been there. Daniel had learned in Camelot that Merlin had disappeared at the same time as Arthur and his Knights left for their quest and believed that Morgan had taken the Sangreal. One of the last entries in the Vagonbrei archives told of the villagers' belief that Morgan had cursed them with a sleeping sickness as punishment for revealing her location to the Knights. Daniel knew about the rivalry between Morgan Le Fay and Merlin, and reasoned that if she had taken the Sangreal, then it was possible that the stories about Merlin's being cursed by Morgan had some measure of truth. That would explain his disappearance at the same time the Knights had left on their quest. (10.02 "Morpheus")

The team next took the Odyssey to Atlantis since it had been referenced in the last records in the Vagonbrei archives. Before their arrival, Daniel asked Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the leader of the Atlantis Expedition, to search the archives for the names Castiana and Sahal and any other variations. Her research come up empty, so Daniel decided to start at the beginning of the Ancients' time in the Milky Way and obtain the names of all of the settlements. He hoped to associate the Ancient names with the Old English names of the planets Castiana and Sahal. Weir showed the holographic interface to the database to Daniel and Vala where they could interact with a female avatar. Daniel asked the avatar his question once again, not expecting an answer, but to his complete shock, the avatar not only gave him the Ancient names of the planets, but also their Stargate addresses. Daniel stared at the projection in silence for a while, trying to understand how it was that the avatar knew the Old English names of the planets since that language didn't come into being until several thousand years after the avatar was created. Daniel's further queries revealed that Merlin was actually Moros, the last High Councilor of Atlantis, and after he listened to and watched the avatar closely, he challenged her with his assertion that she was not an avatar, but an Ascended Being, specifically, Morgan Le Fay. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Morgan, whose Ancient name was Ganos Lal, told Daniel that both she and Moros had ascended after arriving on Earth 10,000 years ago. But then, Moros decided to return to human form to develop his weapon. Amazingly, he returned in an advanced human form, keeping his knowledge and powers. At the time that he retook this form, he was the most powerful being on Earth. He formed the Round Table, established Camelot, and took Arthur and his Knights into his confidence. These men were entrusted with the knowledge of Merlin's nature and the existence of the weapon. Morgan was sent by The Others, the Ascended Ancients, to watch Merlin's development of the weapon because it threatened all Ascended Beings, not just the Ori. She was also told to stop him if necessary, and she apparently did so by taking the weapon from him. This act was what sent Arthur and his Knights on their quest. What happened to Merlin, however, wasn't addressed in Daniel's brief interview. Although she was Merlin's greatest rival back in the days of legend, she had changed her mind about the threat the Ori posed and wished to help Daniel in his search, but was pulled away by The Others while saying, "Merlin's weapon is not..." Through this action, the Ascended Ancients were telling Daniel that they did not intend to intervene in the war against the Ori. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project")

Morgan's support of Merlin's cause had been won when she was assigned by The Others to watch Merlin's progress in building his weapon. Even though Merlin intended for the weapon to be used only against the Ori, the Ascended Altera knew that they themselves could just as easily be destroyed with its use. They sent Morgan to stop Merlin if necessary, which she did by taking the completed weapon from Merlin and then destroying it. Apparently satisfied with the weapon's destruction, The Others continued their shielding of humanity, but Morgan placed Merlin in an Ancient stasis chamber so that if necessary, he could build the weapon once more. She also designed an elaborate network of planets that had clues to Merlin's location, stipulating that only one "true of spirit" could possess the prize. (10.03 "The Pegasus Project", 10.10 "The Quest Part 1", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2")

Merlin gives Daniel advanced powers to protect his team and the weapon

Adria turns Daniel into a Prior

Merlin's activated anti-ascended weapon is sent to the Ori's home galaxy

SG-1's and Adria's searches brought them to the same location, but Adria was prevented from finding Merlin because of her Ori roots. SG-1 revived Merlin, and he began to build his weapon once more after he determined that Daniel and the others were sincere. But Merlin's body was greatly weakened after spending well over a thousand years in the stasis chamber, and he was a frail old man; he didn't think that he could finish the weapon on his own, so he uploaded his consciousness into an Ancient Repository of Knowledge and wished Daniel luck before he died. Daniel figured out what Merlin had done and took the download, thus gaining the knowledge and abilities to create and protect the weapon. Unfortunately, Adria managed to find him as he completed Stage 2 (the red jewel was the final stage and the key to making the device work), and Daniel and she fought each other with advanced human powers while the rest of SG-1 escaped through the Stargate. Daniel stayed behind with the incomplete weapon, knowing that Adria would take him as her prisoner and force him to finish his work so that she could use the weapon against the Ancients. (10.11 "The Quest Part 2", 10.14 "The Shroud")

While with Adria, Daniel and Merlin devised a plan to win Adria's trust, complete the weapon, steal an Ori warship and take it through the Supergate, and detonate the weapon in the Ori's home galaxy. In order to do this, Daniel convinced Adria that she had converted him into a believer, and as a reward for his devotion to both her and the Ori, she converted him into a Prior. This gave Daniel the genetic code needed to pilot an Ori warship. With the help of SG-1, Daniel and Merlin saw their plan through, and the weapon was sent to the Ori's home galaxy where it detonated. The weapon worked, and the Ori's Flames of Enlightenment went out. The Priors, however, took this as a sign that the Ori were not pleased with their efforts in the crusade and wanted them to do more. Merlin left Daniel right before the weapon was sent through the Supergate, sacrificing himself to see his plan through, but never knowing the results of his efforts. (10.14 "The Shroud", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

Daniel's brief time as both a Prior and the host to Merlin had additional benefits: the Odyssey was given a cloak that couldn't be sensed by the Ori warships or by the Priors, and Carter was given technical information on how to pilot an Ori warship and how to dial the Ori's Supergate. With these advantages, as well as the plasma beam weapon installed on the Odyssey by the Asgard, a mission to the Ori's home galaxy was possible. (10.14 "The Shroud", 10.20 "Unending", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

The Goa'uld Ba'al was also after Merlin's weapon, but since he couldn't get it, he decided on the next best thing: he'd capture Adria, implant one of his clone symbiotes into her, and rule the galaxy in her place. He got as far as implanting the symbiote before SG-1 captured Adria, but in their effort to remove the Ba'al symbiote and replace it with a Tok'ra who could get reliable information about the Ori's state, Adria ascended. Because the Ori were indeed gone, Adria, as the only Ori, took their place and gained all of their power for herself alone. (10.04 "Insiders", 10.10 "The Quest Part 1", 10.11 "The Quest Part 2", 10.19 "Dominion", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

Altera-Ori Conflict Finally Comes to an End

SG-1 takes the Odyssey to the Ori's home galaxy

Doci is enlightened by the Ark of Truth

Morgan Le Fay as she announces her intent to overcome Adria

During this time, Morgan was watching SG-1's efforts in the war against the Ori. She had been banished by The Others when she helped Daniel on Atlantis, so she had some measure of liberty to interfere. She began giving Daniel visions of Merlin's leading him to the Ark of Truth on Dakara. The team went there, but after they dug up the ark depicted in Daniel's visions, an Ori patrol attacked them. The Prior had the soldiers blast open the ark that Daniel found, but it was merely a container for old parchments. The Prior ordered that SG-1 be killed, but Mitchell managed to kill him instead. Amazed that the Prior had no powers, the Commander of the patrol, Vala's husband Tomin, surrendered. Carter had used the Anti-Prior Device that Orlin had helped her to create that neutralized the Prior's advanced human powers. Tomin was overwhelmed with the knowledge that the Prior did not draw his power from the Ori as he claimed. And on top of that, Tomin was devastated to learn that the Ori were probably dead because of the use of Merlin's technology. He realized that he had spent his whole life worshipping false gods and had killed thousands of innocent people in their name. (9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1", Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

Tomin helped SG-1 mount a mission to the Ori's home galaxy to find the real Ark. He was well-versed in the teachings of The Book of Origin and was familiar with the story of Ortus Mallum. The Book described the birthplace of evil as an exploding mountain, similar to what Daniel had seen in his visions. He went with SG-1 to the Ori's home galaxy through the Supergate and helped them find someone who could tell them where Ortus Mallum was believed to be. Daniel, Vala, Teal'c, and Tomin found the Ark in the rubble of the underground chamber where Amelius had left it all those millions of years ago. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

The four were ambushed by an Ori patrol, and Daniel, Vala, Tomin, and the Ark were taken to the City of the Gods. Teal'c was left behind for dead, but Morgan secretly healed him and helped him find his teammates. Vala met with Adria, who claimed that she didn't want to use the Ark because it wasn't "the same" as converting people by her current methods, but was apparently so confident that no one else could use it that she didn't readily destroy it. Morgan visited a tortured and downtrodden Daniel in his prison cell where she revealed that Adria was too powerful for her to take on herself, but that if he used the Ark against the Doci, the head Prior, then Adria's powers would be greatly reduced because all the Priors were connected through a subspace communications link through their orbed staffs. Teal'c released Daniel, Vala released Tomin, and together, the four of them made it to the Hall of Fire where Adria presided. Morgan had given Vala a hint as to how to activate the Ark after distracting Adria during their mother-daughter talk, and after the Doci and Adria appeared in the room and Adria spoke the words, "There is only one path: The power and glory of Origin," Daniel realized that the activation code on the Ark was the Ancient word for "Origin". He activated the Ark, Teal'c tilted the table with a staff blast to its leg so that the Ark would fall open in front of the Doci, and a bright white light shown in the Doci's face. At that moment, the remaining Priors in the galaxy were exposed to the truth that the Ori were not gods and that they had been used and lied to by the Ori. Adria lost enough power that Morgan could overcome her. The two Ascended Beings took their struggle into the unseen ascended planes. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

The team took the Ark to the Milky Way and exposed one Prior to its beam. Through him, all of the other Priors in the galaxy were "enlightened", and thus, the Ori's legacy of hatred ended. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth)

"If I can help you speak the reality of our existence to your people, maybe one day in turn, you will spread that word back here. Harrid, Sallis, and I, all those who believe as we do, have known for some time that we may give our lives for our cause. We can only hope one day the truth comes to bear as a result." — Fannis, a human unbeliever from the village of Ver Ager in the Ori's home galaxy who was killed by a Prior after he helped Daniel warn others in the Milky Way about the Ori threat, 10.03 "Origin Part 3".

Notable Characters

• Amelius - The Alteran who invented the Stargate and possibly the Ark of Truth.
• The Others - These are the Ascended Ancients, some of whom may be the original Altera who left their home galaxy those millions of years ago.

Alliances

The Ascended Altera have rules of non-interference as a whole, but there are individuals among them who chose to interact with humanity in the fight against the Ori. The following Ascended Ancients have sacrificed their ascensions:

• Merlin - He died in human form, but left behind a legacy that gave humanity hope in winning the war against the Ori: his anti-ascended weapon, Odyssey's cloak, and instructions on how to pilot an Ori warship and how to dial the Ori's Supergate to reach the Ori's home galaxy.
• Orlin - He lost his memories and was left in the human form of a 12-year-old boy who was brain damaged and committed to a mental care facility on Earth. His legacy included the instructions on how to complete the Anti-Prior Device, the cure for the Prior Plague, and important information concerning the history and motivations of the Ori in the war against the Ancients.
• Morgan Le Fay - She committed herself to help Daniel find Merlin's anti-ascended weapon, find the Ark of Truth, and use the Ark to diminish Adria's powers so that she could engage Adria in an eternal struggle in the ascended planes.

Enemies

• Ori - These were the Ascended Beings of those left behind by the Altera when they left their home galaxy millions of years ago. The Ori took their hatred toward the Altera with them when they ascended and vowed to destroy the Altera once they had enough power that they gained through human worship. The Ori were destroyed with the use of Merlin's anti-ascended weapon, and their lone survivor Adria was engaged in an eternal struggle by the Ascended Morgan Le Fay.

Episodes

• 1.18 "Solitudes"
• 7.17 "Absolute Power"
• 6.04 "Frozen"
• 6.06 "Abyss"
• 6.22 "Full Circle"
• 8.18 "Threads"
• 9.02 "Avalon Part 2"
• 9.03 "Origin Part 3"
• 9.05 "The Powers That Be"
• 9.10 "The Fourth Horseman Part 1"
• 9.11 "The Fourth Horseman Part 2"
• 9.18 "Arthur's Mantle"
• 9.19 "Crusade Part 1"
• 9.20 "Camelot Part 2"
• 10.01 "Flesh And Blood Part 3"
• 10.02 "Morpheus"
• 10.03 "The Pegasus Project"
• 10.04 "Insiders"
• 10.07 "Counterstrike"
• 10.10 "The Quest Part 1"
• 10.11 "The Quest Part 2"
• 10.14 "The Shroud"
• 10.19 "Dominion"
• 10.20 "Unending"
• Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Related Articles

Characters

• Dr. Daniel Jackson
• Vala Mal Doran
• Administrator
• Adria
• Amelius
• Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
• Ayiana
• Ba'al
• Fannis
• Harrid
• Merlin
• Meurik
• Morgan Le Fay
• Oma Desala
• Orlin
• Sallis
• Shifu
• Dr. Elizabeth Weir

Keywords

• Ancient Communications Terminal
• Ancient Stasis Chamber
• Ancients
• Antarctica
• Anti-Prior Device
• Ark of Truth
• Arthur's Mantle
• Ascended Beings
• Asgard
• Atlantis
• Atlantis Expedition
• Avalon
• Camelot
• Castiana
• Dakara
• Earth
• Goa'uld
• Healing Device
• Odyssey
• Ori
• Ori Army
• Ori Warships
• Ortus Mallum
• P2X-885
• P8X-412
• Prior Plague
• Priors of the Ori
• Repository of Knowledge
• Sahal
• Sangreal
• SG-6
• Stargate
• Stargate Command (SGC)
• Supergate
• Symbiote
• Tok'ra
• Vagonbrei
• Ver Ager
• Weapon on Dakara

Other

• Stargate Atlantis: 1.15 "Before I Sleep"

Further Reading

• Dictionary.com: Avalon

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--DeeKayP 16:22, 31 Aug 2005 (PDT)