Icarus Project
Summary
Icarus Project is the codename for the investigation into the nine-chevron destination written about in the Ancient Database in Atlantis. The actual destination was not known, but the fact that there needed to be an extraordinary amount of energy to power the Stargate was a given. Icarus Project began with the search for the precise conditions necessary to draw power from a planet's core. It was funded by the U.S. Government ($1.6 billion) and managed by a committee within the Senate, chaired by Senator Alan Armstrong.
Stargate References
One of the treasures found in the Lost City of the Ancients, Atlantis, was the vast Ancient Database, which contained medical information about Ancient physiology, historical and technical records, and research and personal journals. Packets of the Database were transmitted on a regular basis from Atlantis to Stargate Command on Earth. Scientists located both in Atlantis in the Pegasus galaxy and on Earth delved into the many Ancient writings. It was from this Database that reference to a nine-chevron destination was made.
The Stargate has nine chevrons. Seven of these chevrons lock to produce an address within the galactic network in which the Stargate is configured. In order to make a lock on an address that is in another galaxy, an eighth chevron is required to add a distance calculation. Additionally, dialing the eight-chevron address requires a tremendous amount of energy. Atlantis uses the rare Zero Point Module (ZPM) to power its Stargate, but Earth itself cannot dial the Atlantis Base in Pegasus because it has no such power source.
It was upon the discovery of a nine-symbol destination in the Database that kicked off the search for a planet that had a core from which power could be drawn to create a wormhole that was presumed to go even farther out than to a neighboring galaxy. In 2007, a planet with the powerful, but highly unstable, naquadria in its core became the site for Icarus Base.
Early in 2009, personnel were being assigned to the finished base. Dr. Nicholas Rush was the lead scientist, Col. Everett Young was the base commander, Camile Wray of the IOA was the human resource manager, and Col. David Telford was the commander of the team that was to step through the Stargate once a connection was made. Six months later, Dr. Daniel Jackson, the world's foremost expert on the Ancients (and the man who figured out the seven-symbol address to unlock the Stargate itself), was asked to film a set of orientation videos on various subjects concerning the Stargate Program, including information on the Ancients, the Stargate itself, and various alien groups and technology. The orientation video for the Icarus Project is as follows:
- Hello, I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson and behind me is a Stargate. Found in Giza, Egypt, in 1928, we now know it was originally built millennia ago by an alien race who we call the Ancients. Over the next few hours, we'll be touching on some of the things you need to know about the Stargate and how it works. There are 39 symbols representing star constellations as seen from Earth, capable of transporting people—objects—hundreds of thousands of light years via an interstellar wormhole. Within the Milky Way galaxy, a seven-symbol address is used. The first six symbols lock down a point in space, while the seventh symbol represents the point of origin. When a connection is made between two Stargates, an unstable energy vortex emerges from the 'gate and settles into the event horizon, or "puddle," as we like to call it. Later, it was discovered that using an eighth symbol would actually dial another galaxy. It is believed that an unprecedented amount of power is required to reach the near-mythical nine-chevron destination. Icarus Base was established on a planet discovered two years ago to have the uniquely powerful core made up of the mineral naquadria. The entire purpose of the Project is to hopefully one day dial the nine-chevron address found in the Ancient Database.
Dr. Rush was having difficulty coming up with the proper mathematical formula to successfully draw power from the planet's core. The Project was in jeopardy. Then, Senator Armstrong's daughter and aide, Chloe Armstrong, came up with an idea: incorporate the problem in an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called Prometheus. The problem was encoded as the Dakara Weapons Puzzle and it was solved by a brilliant gamer named Eli Wallace. Once Eli was recruited by Lt. Gen. Jack O'Neill of Homeworld Security and Dr. Rush, he was placed in a room aboard the U.S.S. George Hammond to view the orientation videos put together by Dr. Jackson.
On the day that Rush announced that the problem of drawing the power from the core was solved, Senator Armstrong, Chloe, and Eli were taken to Icarus Base to meet the Project personnel and the team that Telford would be leading through the Stargate. Unfortunately, the Base was attacked by the Lucian Alliance and an evacuation was ordered. Seeing that the energy blasts were causing the core to go unstable, Rush opted to dial the nine-chevron destination rather than Earth, fearing that an explosion would translate through the Stargate. The nine-chevron destination was actually a code that sent the evacuees several billion light years away aboard the Ancient exploration spaceship called Destiny. Icarus Base was obliterated when the planet blew apart, taking the Alliance fleet with it. Col. Telford was not among the evacuees because he was piloting an F-302 to defend the Base and was recalled to the Hammond when the planet's imminent destruction was detected.
Col. Young had the presence of mind to take a case containing Ancient Long-Range Communication Stones and their supporting console with him as he was the last to evacuate. Senator Armstrong died on the ship, but most everyone else who evacuated there survived. Col. Telford sits by the Communication Stones housed at Homeworld Command in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., feeling it is his duty and responsibility to wait for his people to contact him so that he can offer aid.
Icarus Project now appears to be focused on finding a way to get these people home.
Episodes
Gallery
Related Characters
- Lt. Gen. Jack O'Neill
- Dr. Daniel Jackson
- Sen. Alan Armstrong
- Chloe Armstrong
- Dr. Nicholas Rush
- Eli Wallace
- Camile Wray
- Col. Everett Young
Related Articles
- Ancient Communication Stones
- Ancient Database in Atlantis
- Ancients
- Atlantis
- Dakara Weapons Puzzle
- Destiny
- George Hammond (Ship)
- Homeworld Command
- Homeworld Security
- Icarus Base
- International Oversight Advisory (IOA)
- Lucian Alliance
- Naquadria
- Pentagon
- Prometheus (Game)
- Stargate
- Stargate Command (SGC)
- Stargate Program
- Zero Point Module (ZPM)
Related Links
- Dr. Daniel Jackson on the Stargate Orientation Video
- Solutions: Dr. Daniel Jackson Explains It All For You, October 14, 2009
--DeeKayP 22:00, 16 October 2009 (UTC)