Prometheus

Summary

The Prometheus was Earth's first space-worthy battle ship created by the Air Force using Earth and alien technology. It was developed under the designation X-303, named the Prometheus after its maiden flight (6.11 "Prometheus"), and given the upgraded designation of BC-303 after it proved its capabilities (7.07 "Enemy Mine"). The ship acted as Earth's first line of defense against alien space attacks, but was also used for exploration and humanitarian purposes. Prometheus was destroyed after serving Earth for three years (9.15 "Ethon").

Mythological References

Prometheus (literally, "forethought") was one of the Titans from Greek mythology, son of Iapetus and Clymene. Zeus entrusted him with the task of making men out of mud and clay. Out of pity for their state, he gave them fire, stealing it from heaven, and was punished by being chained to Mount Caucasus, where an eagle preyed on his liver (the name of the eagle was Ethon). He was finally rescued by Hercules. (American Concise Encylopedia, © 1996, 1995 by Zane Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Real-World References

NASA has a Project Prometheus (Prometheus Nuclear Systems and Technology) which is the investigation into nuclear-powered spacecraft. Currently, solar power and chemical propulsion technologies are what drive our spacecraft. NASA, along with the Department of Energy's Office of Naval Reactors, is determining the possibility of developing a space nuclear reactor to supply future exploration spacecraft with a significant increase in on-board power and spacecraft propulsion capability. The goal is to see missions leave the solar system and to increase the knowledge gained from each mission.

Stargate References

History of Development

In the episode, 6.11 "Prometheus", Maj. Samantha Carter was approached by a television reporter named Julia Donovan concerning a secret multi-billion-dollar project being conducted in Nevada. Donovan knew about the alien metal Trinium and that the two-year-old project in Nevada was thought to be a fusion reactor. She was threatening to air her report, but a deal was worked out so that she would get an exclusive tour, but would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Carter told Donovan's film crew once they arrived at the site in Nevada, "All the key systems were reverse engineered from a ship that crashed 100 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1978. It was only in the last few years that our technology evolved to a point where we could take advantage of what we had."

The truth of this statement was questioned by Jonas Quinn and Carter said that "Fairbanks" sounded better than "Roswell". Carter also implied that the ship which was found in Fairbanks was of Asgard design.

Carter gave this story about the Prometheus to the news crew with the knowledge that the Air Force intended to destroy the taped footage of the tour. The news crew was under the impression that the footage would be kept by the government until it was deemed appropriate to reveal the existence of the spacecraft, giving Donovan the exclusive. The SGC was in effect operating a double cross in order to find the identity of Donovan's source.

Part of Carter's explanation about the Prometheus was true. She stated that it was the third in a series of designs that incorporated both human and alien technology. Major Paul Davis, when disclosing the Stargate Program to ambassadors of China, Great Britain, and France, stated the same thing. The X-303 was the third in the series, following the development of the X-301 and X-302 intercept fighter spacecraft (6.17 "Disclosure").

Up until this point, the alien technology only included that of the Goa'uld, but since then, the Asgard added some of their technology as thank you gifts for helping them in the war with the Replicators (6.17 "Disclosure", 8.10 "Endgame", 8.11 "Gemini", 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound").

In the episode, 8.19 "Moebius Part 1", it was revealed that the Prometheus has a sister ship, the Daedalus, which has the advantage of being developed with the upgrades already in the design. Basically, Prometheus went through several upgrades and the Daedalus benefited from them.

Bay on Earth

Elevator shack gives access to the subterranean bay	Prometheus in subterranean bay	Large docking clamps secure the spaceship
Bay doors begin to open	Prometheus begins to clear bay roof doors	Prometheus's maiden voyage

The Prometheus sat in a subterranean bay in Nevada (Area 37-92/NV) where it was assembled and maintained (6.11 "Prometheus", 7.22 "Lost City Part 2", 8.10 "Endgame", 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound"). It was held in place with large docking clamps (6.11 "Prometheus"). Access to the subterranean bay was given through an elevator housed in a shack surrounded by an electric fence (6.11 "Prometheus"). The ship entered and exited through large retractable roof doors (6.11 "Prometheus")

The Prometheus's maiden voyage was a result of a hijacking by rogue NID agents working with Col. Frank Simmons and the Goa'uld Adrian Conrad. They felt that it was easier to steal the ship than to gain access to the Stargate. Viewers were given an idea of the massive size of the ship when it rose from its bay. Even though it was not complete on the inside, the Prometheus performed extremely well on its first flight and proved its space-worthiness. (6.11 "Prometheus")

Significant Events

Maiden Voyage: The Prometheus was stolen by a rogue cell of the NID under the command of Col. Frank Simmons. Some of the interior construction was not completed, and the radar system was not operational, but even so, the ship performed well and proved its space-worthiness. (6.11 "Prometheus")
Hala: Thor of the Asgard towed the Prometheus to the Othalla Galaxy where the Replicators had been captured on the planet Hala. SG-1's mission was to reverse the effects of a time dilation device which the Asgard had created to slow down the Replicators' progression until a method of ridding the universe of them was found. The Replicators turned the device in the opposite direction and evolved into human form. SG-1 successfully reversed the bubble and caught the human form Replicators in it. This was the first time that the Prometheus landed on an alien planet's surface. (6.12 "Unnatural Selection")
Upgrade: Back on Earth, the Asgard installed Asgard-designed weapons and shields as a thank-you gift for helping with the Replicators. (6.17 "Disclosure")
Shake-Down Cruise: Col. William Ronson took SG-1 and his crew out on their first mission to test the fully-operational ship. Unfortunately, the naquadria reactor which enabled the ship to travel in hyperspace had to be jettisoned because of its instability. The Prometheus had to land on the planet Tagrea and await parts and repair equipment brought through the Stargate in order to get back home. (6.20 "Memento")
Operational Designation: The Prometheus Project was upgraded from X-303 to BC-303 and was under the command of Gen. Vidrine. (7.07 "Enemy Mine")
Hyperdrive Upgrade: The hyperdrive engine from an al'kesh was used to help the Prometheus get home. Because an al'kesh is one-tenth the size of the Prometheus, the trips in hyperspace had to be done in spurts so that the engines could cool down. (7.09 "Avenger 2.0", 7.13 "Grace")
Return Home: Using the al'kesh's hyperdrive engines, the Prometheus was set on a course that would take it near planets with Stargates so that personnel could be rotated and supplies replenished. Due to the nature of the episode, 7.13 "Grace", whether or not the Prometheus was actually attacked by an alien vessel, trapped in a gaseous cloud, manned only by Maj. Samantha Carter after the rest of the crew was captured by the aliens, suffered severe hull breaches, and existed outside the rest of the universe's normal space-time continuum is left to the interpretation of the viewer. Carter saved the day, even with a concussion, and all of the crew were returned to continue their journey home.
Battle with Anubis: Gen. George Hammond commanded the Prometheus when Anubis attacked Earth with a large fleet. The Prometheus was first sent to Antarctica to protect SG-1 as they gained access to the Ancient Outpost buried within a mile of ice. After SG-1's mission to access the Outpost was successful, the Prometheus entered orbit to directly battle Anubis' mothership. The ship suffered a lot of damage, and Gen. Hammond was prepared to ram the dying ship into Anubis' ship, but that desperate measure was not necessary after Col. Jack O'Neill activated the Outpost's defense weapons and destroyed all of Anubis' ships. (7.22 "Lost City Part 2")
First Line of Defense: Under the command of Col. Lionel Pendergast, the Prometheus was assigned to stay in Earth's orbit and serve as the first line of defense in case Earth was attacked by any remaining System Lords who wished to test if Earth still had the weapons capable of destroying them. (8.02 "New Order Part 2")
Asgard Upgrade: The Asgard High Council agreed to upgrade the Prometheus with their beaming technology, sensors and scanners, and hyperdrive. (8.08 "Covenant", 6.10 "Endgame", 8.11 "Gemini")
Search for Osiris' Al'kesh: The Asgard were still in the process of performing upgrades when the Prometheus was called out to search for the cloaked al'kesh left behind by the Goa'uld Osiris when he/she was probing Daniel Jackson's subconscious for memories of his time as an Ascended Being and the location of the Lost City of the Ancients (7.15 "Chimera"). The al'kesh was found and used by a rogue cell of the NID, operating under the name of The Trust, who used the ship to steal the Stargate from the SGC and launch symbiote poison on worlds thought to be in Ba'al's domain. SG-1 tagged the Stargate with a locator beacon and the Prometheus used the new Asgard beaming technology to reclaim it. The al'kesh, however, jumped into hyperspace and the Prometheus was unable to pursue it because the hyperdrive engines had not yet been installed. (8.10 "Endgame")
Rescue Mission to the Pegasus Galaxy: After the Asgard hyperdrive engines were successfully tested, Gen. George Hammond selected his crew to embark on a rescue mission to the Pegasus Galaxy where the Atlantis Expedition Team was stranded and had not been heard from since they left. While en route, they answered a distress call and were hijacked by the space pirate Vala Mal Doran. Vala stranded the crew on her crippled al'kesh and took the Prometheus to a planet where she intended to sell it for a case full of refined weapons grade naquadah, but her plans were thwarted by Daniel Jackson who was the only crewmember left onboard the ship. While on the planet, the Prometheus sustained hull damage when it was attacked by death gliders and al'kesh. Daniel and Vala were rescued by the crew of the Prometheus who had managed to get their al'kesh repaired. Vala escaped in that al'kesh, and the trip to the Pegasus Galaxy had to be aborted because of the ship's hull damage. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
Search for the Goa'ulds' Al'kesh: The members of The Trust who had escaped with Osiris' al'kesh returned home implanted with Goa'uld symbiotes. It was their intention to start a nuclear war on Earth to gain access to the Antarctic Outpost. The Prometheus, still under the command of Col. Pendergast, was assigned to Earth's orbit to search for the al'kesh. The Prometheus also rescued Daniel Jackson via the Asgard beam transporter when he was about to be taken into the Goa'uld's custody in Moscow. The al'kesh attacked the Prometheus and was destroyed in the battle. (8.14 "Full Alert")
Deep Space Telemetry Research: Lt. Col. Samantha Carter performed deep space telemetry research onboard the Prometheus for a brief while. (9.01 "Avalon Part 1", 9.06 "Beachhead", 9.13 "Ripple Effect")
Search for Avalon: With fully operational Asgard sensors, the Prometheus was called into Earth's orbit to scan Glastonbury Tor, England, for underground caverns. The technology performed admirably and the caverns were mapped out. SG-1's Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell led the mission to explore the caverns, using the ring transporter onboard the Prometheus. (9.01 "Avalon Part 1")
Kallana: The Prometheus was sent to P4C-452 to rendezvous with Lt. Col. Samantha Carter and SG-1, carrying a Mark IX "Gatebuster" naquadria-enhanced nuclear bomb to stop an Ori incursion on the planet Kallana (Kallana's Stargate was not accessible). The ship was used to monitor the progression of an energy force field being built by the Ori as the first step in their plans to send ships to the Milky Way Galaxy. The Prometheus suffered a hull breach on the hangar deck, but survived the Ori's attempt at forming a beachhead. Fortunately, the Ori's attempt at building a Supergate through which a fleet of ships could travel was prevented, and the Prometheus returned home. (9.06 "Beachhead")
Planetary Defense: After the downfall of the System Lords, Ba'al took refuge on Earth. In order that he be left alone, he threatened to blow up a building in Seattle, Washington. The Prometheus was used to transport Lt. Col. Samantha Carter from Virginia to Washington so that she could search for the naquadah bomb. After discovering that the naquadah had been used in the very structure of the building, Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell commanded that the entire building be beamed into space where it could safely explode. Most likely, the Prometheus was also used to collect the debris from the blast and return it to the building's original site. (9.07 "Ex Deus Machina")
Search and Rescue: The Prometheus was sent to P9G-844 to search for Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell after he was captured by the Sodan Jaffa. Scans were made of the planet and several moons and other planets in the system, but Mitchell was not located. He made it home on his own after a two-week ordeal. (9.08 "Babylon")
Rescue: The Prometheus was on stand-by in case SG-1 and SG-5 needed to be rescued from the planet P3X-584 which had a "call forwarding" device attached to its DHD which might have prevented the team from dialing home. Fortunately, the device didn't hinder outgoing wormholes and the Prometheus didn't have to make the two-day trip to pick up the teams. (9.09 "Prototype")
Kallana Singularity: SG-1 and their alternate reality doubles, the only crew onboard the Prometheus, went to the Kallana Singularity in order to detonate a Mark IX bomb attached to an Asgard time-dilation device inside the singularity in an attempt to close the point where alternate realities were converging. It was a dangerous mission and the odds were very low that the ship would survive the detonation. The alternate SG-1, however, had purposefully created the reality confluence so that they could take the Prometheus to the Pegasus Galaxy in order to steal the Zero Point Module (ZPM) powering Atlantis and then take the ZPM to their reality to power their Earth's Antarctic Outpost defenses. At the point of their departure from the Kallana Singularity, it would have taken the Prometheus three weeks to get to Atlantis. SG-1 thwarted their alternates' plan, and after discovering a way to reverse the effects of the confluence, aborted the mission to detonate the bomb. (9.13 "Ripple Effect")
Tegalus: The Prometheus's final mission was to the planet Tegalus to determine the fate of Daniel Jackson after contact was lost with him after he went to the planet to open peace negotiations between two warring nations. Additionally, the Prometheus was prepared to destroy an Ori-designed killer satellite which one country was using against the other to force them to turn to Origin or be destroyed. Using early-stage schematics of the satellite, the remaining members of SG-1 and the Prometheus crew underestimated the satellite's capabilities and the Prometheus was destroyed. There were 76 survivors of the over 115-member crew. Sadly, Col. Pendergast, the commander of the Prometheus, was among those who died in the destruction of the ship. (9.15 "Ethon")

Alternate Reality Versions of Prometheus

The Prometheus was "Air Force One" in an alternate timeline where General Hank Landry, the new commander of Stargate Command in SG-1's reality, was President of the United States and the Stargate Program was public knowledge after Anubis's attack on Earth in the Antarctic. (10.13 "The Road Not Taken")