Prometheus: Construction Features and Compartments
Summary
Earth's first intergalactic spaceship was built using both Earth-based and alien technology. Without the engineering of Earth's alien allies, the Prometheus would never have been possible. This article covers the construction and layout of Earth's first line of defense against alien incursion in space.
Stargate References
Hull
The Prometheus has two hull layers, called the outer hull and the inner hull. It is possible for the outer hull to suffer damage, while the inner hull maintains the ship's integrity and life support. (7.13 "Grace")
When Daniel Jackson explained to the Unas clan leader Iron Shirt on the planet P3X-403 that the SGC needed naquadah to build spaceships, he most likely was referring to the composition of the Prometheus' hulls (7.07 "Enemy Mine"). The Goa'uld also use naquadah in the building of their spaceships (7.04 "Orpheus").
Asgard shields protect the Prometheus, but if the shields are not engaged during a battle, the Prometheus will suffer hull damage from weapons fire from Goa'uld al'kesh and cargo ships, corrosive gases, and impacts of solid objects. The ship is not able to use the hyperdrive when there are hull breaches. (7.13 "Grace", 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound", 9.06 "Beachhead")
The most severe hull breach occurred in the episode, 7.13 "Grace". Based on the nature of this episode (i.e., hallucinations), whether or not the Prometheus was actually critically wounded to the point that inner hull breaches were imminent remains within the realm of viewer interpretation. In this episode, several outer hull breaches were created when the hull was corroded after the Prometheus entered a gaseous cloud to hide from an alien spaceship which had attacked without provocation or warning. Those sections affected by the corrosive gases were sealed off, but even with shields, this type of breach cannot be contained, and eventually the inner hull also would be breached. The only way for the ship to remain intact was to remove it from the gaseous cloud which was causing the corrosion. Carter saved the ship and its crew, and all returned home safely.
Outer hull breaches were sustained after the Prometheus landed on a planet and its shields were not in use after it was hijacked by the space pirate Vala Mal Doran and programmed to land automatically. Vala reprogrammed the access codes so that only she could pilot the ship, but she refused to reveal these codes even after Daniel Jackson, the only crew member left onboard, confined her to the brig. Because of the hull damage, the Prometheus could not continue with its rescue mission to the Pegasus Galaxy and had to return home for repairs. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
The hull to the hangar deck was breached when it was struck by one of the segments of the Ori's Super Stargate being constructed near the planet Kallana. This collision also disabled the scanners and reduced the shields to 20% of their operational capabilities, but these systems were brought back up afterwards and the crew successfully completed their mission. (9.06 "Beachhead")
Overall Interior Design
The bulkhead is composed of a trinium alloy which reinforces the insides of the ship and separates the compartments (6.11 "Prometheus"). Trinium is an alien material which is 100 times lighter and stronger than steel (2.13 "Spirits"). For the most part, bullets bounce off of the bulkhead, but a plasma cutter can cut through it (6.11 "Prometheus", 8.14 "Full Alert").
Seen on the walls in nearly every compartment are various boxes, electronic indicators, and vents which have to do with power, lighting, safety, security, and environmental controls. Most every inhabitable room also has a fire extinguisher and a phone mounted on a wall.
Airlocks
Several airlocks line the slender mid-section of the ship. Airlocks may be vented through initiating a Venting Sequence controlled through the computer consoles (7.13 "Grace"), or performing a manual override to open the door via a control keypad (6.11 "Prometheus").
There have been two occasions in which an airlock has been vented:
When Col. Frank Simmons stole the Prometheus in order to go to a planet thought to have a cache of Ancient weapons and technology, he coordinated his efforts with the Goa'uld who had taken the billionaire Andrian Conrad as a host (5.11 "Desperate Measures"). This Goa'uld and Simmons got into a fight on the bridge and Simmons killed Conrad. The symbiote jumped into Simmons and then went after Col. Jack O'Neill and Teal'c who had boarded the ship secretly through the lower bay with a death glider. In their struggle, Jack initiated a manual venting by entering the control sequence on a keypad to open the doors. Col. Simmons was sucked out into space. (6.11 "Prometheus")
The second occasion in which the airlocks were mentioned was in the episode, 7.13 "Grace". Because of the nature of this episode, whether or not all events onboard the Prometheus were real or imagined by a concussed Maj. Samantha Carter is left to viewer interpretation. The use of the computer-controlled Venting Sequence was invoked by Carter as a way to move the ship which was stuck in a gaseous cloud. The venting of Airlock 3 failed, however, to break the ship free.
Armory
There are most likely several armories on the Prometheus. The number of armories is not known, but we've been given glimpses of one of the armory rooms, which appears to be small and packed with various weapons and munitions.
After Vala Mal Doran boarded the Prometheus in a Kull Warrior's armor, Daniel Jackson gained access to an armory to obtain a P-90 (submachinegun) fitted with a Kull Warrior nullifying weapon. He also grabbed a vest, but the contents of the vest were not identified. The anti-Warrior weapon was operational, but was not effective because the person inside the armor was not a Kull Warrior. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
Those onboard the Prometheus usually don't carry weapons on a regular basis, except for the security detail; these personnel use sidearms, usually a Beretta (9mm handgun). (8.14 "Full Alert")
One of the armory rooms was seen being used by Daniel Jackson, Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, and Teal'c while they prepared to investigate the underground caverns of the Glastonbury Tor (also called "Avalon"). Each man equiped himself with a vest, which included a radio and flashlight, as well as P-90s. Other weapons seen stored in the armory included M-16A2 assault rifles. (9.01 "Avalon Part 1")
When alternate reality versions of the SG-1 teammembers were onboard the Prometheus to assist in closing the bridge between realities at the Kallana Singularity, the team devised a plan to steal the Prometheus and take it to the Pegasus Galaxy to acquire the Zero Point Module (ZPM) which was powering the defense shields at Atlantis. In order to take control of the ship, the Carter of the "black" team gave her teammates access to the armory through a 5-digit access code (25567) which she input into the navigator's console on the bridge. Once inside the armory (Room NS7-22 on Deck 6 which appeared to be located in the slender midsection of the ship), the alternate team armed themselves with zats. (9.13 "Ripple Effect")
Bridge
The bridge of the Prometheus has stations of several types to support the ship's missions. In the front, right up under the observation windows, are several stations, mainly for battle situations. The commander sits in the center of three chairs which are situated in the bridge's front and center. The command chair has various controls, including communications, on the arms. On the commander's right there sits a helmsman, and on his left, the navigator. Behind these chairs is a star map. Large display screens adorn several of the walls of the bridge, the largest being directly opposite the door to the bridge, to the commander's left.
All of the systems for the ship are protected with control access codes (6.11 "Prometheus", 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound").
Briefing Room
The briefing room in the Prometheus is designed with small groups in mind. There is a large built-in display monitor which serves as a map to the Prometheus itself. Next to this display is a wall-mounted communications phone (in later versions of this room). This large display is on the same wall as the entrance and is directly opposite of a large, six-paneled window. A large rectangular conference table, able to seat up to twelve individuals confortably (two at each end and four on each side), sits in the middle of the room. There is room between the end of the conference table and the windowed wall for additional seating and standing room. Various electronic control panels and ventilation covers decorate the walls of the briefing room.
The briefing room was first seen when SG-1 and the crew of the Prometheus were given historical records of the planet Tagrea to sift through in order to find references to the Stargate that they believed was buried there. The Prometheus was stranded on this planet because they had to jettison their naquadria reactor which powered their hyperdrive engines. The investigation was held at a table which had a clear glass top and curved-back armchairs with casters. This same room might have served as a dining room when the Tagrean representatives visited the ship, with the glass table covered with a white tablecloth for the occasion, but it is just as possible that this gathering was held in a similarly configured room (see also "Mess Hall" section below). The communications phone was on the right-hand wall next to the window in this particular briefing room. (6.20 "Memento")
Two years later, the briefing room went through some changes and was possibly moved from its previous location. Instead of a glass-topped table, a black table with a matte finish was centered in the room. The chairs also appeared to have been replaced with those with higher backs with an oblong hole near the top which acted as a handle or grip. There were only four panels of the large window open for viewing the outside as the outer two were covered by single-panel, built-in shutters which matched the surrounding bulkhead. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
Daniel Jackson used portable audio/video equipment to present his mission briefing on their rescue mission to the Pegasus Galaxy. This equipment included a large flat-screen monitor which displayed his briefing graphics and a hand-held remote control, and was on an audio/video cart for ease of handling. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
Brig
When Daniel Jackson was left alone on the Prometheus with the space pirate Vala, he confined her to one of the brig rooms which was located on Deck 5. The room is quite generous in space and is equipped with a toilet and sink. There is a surveillance camera and microphone securely fastened to the room's ceiling. The camera's output can be seen on one of the video monitors on the bridge. The brig room is also equipped with a speaker which permits two-way conversation. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
When alternate reality versions of SG-1 took control of the Prometheus, they captured SG-1 and placed them in a brig. This brig was configured differently than the one in which Vala had been confined, thus supporting the supposition that there are several brig rooms on the ship. Teal'c destroyed the camera so that their movement and escape would not be observed. Carter, having had an active role in designing the ship, hotwired the controls to the door in order to escape. She also knew how to lock out the controls on that level when they confined the alternate team to the very same room or one identical to it. (9.13 "Ripple Effect")
Cargo Bay and Hangars
The cargo bay and hangars (most likely for the complement of eight (8) F-302 intercept fighters) are in the forward section of the Prometheus. This area is seen labeled in the Venting Sequence display screen as "Fwd Cargo Hangar" in the episode, 7.13 "Grace".
We've yet to see an F-302 enter or exit the Prometheus, but have seen a Goa'uld death glider make its approach to the lower cargo bay in the episode, 6.11 "Prometheus". Col. Jack O'Neill and Teal'c used a death glider from Anubis' crashed ha'tak (6.03 "Descent") to secretly board the Prometheus after it was stolen by a rogue cell of the NID under the leadership of Col. Frank Simmons. Their approach was possible because the radar systems for the Prometheus were not yet operational as the ship was still under construction when it was stolen.
The cargo bay was mentioned in the episode, 8.10 "Endgame", when it was used to hold the Stargate after the Stargate and SG-1 were beamed out of a Goa'uld al'kesh which was under the control of The Trust. The crew of the Prometheus intercepted a locator beacon signal in order to use the newly-installed Asgard beaming technology. The size of the object must have been determined by this beaming technology control system because the Stargate would most likely not have fit anywhere else on the ship. The Stargate is 22 feet in diameter.
The hangar deck suffered a hull breach when a segment of the Super Stargate being constructed by the Ori collided with the Prometheus on its way to join others. These segments were sent through the Stargate on the planet Kallana and didn't have any crew, but were automated to intercept with each other near the singularity which Kallana would become through the Ori's use of a planet-collapsing force field. It was the intention of the Ori to power the Super Stargate with the resulting black hole and send a fleet of large ships through the wormhole to invade the Milky Way Galaxy. Vala Mal Doran concluded that a Goa'uld cargo ship could replace one of these segments, so she piloted one into the formation. Because the cargo ship was not meant to endure the electrical force used by the segments to maintain integrity, the Super Stargate did not form correctly and blew apart when the shock wave of the singularity's formation hit it. The Prometheus survived the Super Stargate's destruction, but Vala's ring transporter matter stream was drawn into the singularity. (9.06 "Beachhead")
Control Room and Auxiliary Control Rooms
Crew Quarters
The size and composition of the crew vary based on the mission. The history of the crew and the ship's missions are covered in separate articles (see "Prometheus Collection" for selection).
The crew's quarters are located at the rear of the spacecraft, above the two large sublight engines (based on display graphics seen in the episode, 7.13 "Grace"). We have not yet seen the interior of one of these compartments.
Elevators
Elevators on the Prometheus are called through the use of a keycard which is swiped through a card reader, just like those in the SGC base, except that a secondary swipe isn't necessary once inside the elevator (as was seen when O'Neill used his card to call the elevator on Level 19 and also had his card read inside the elevator to get to Level 28 in the episode, 6.22 "Full Circle"). The card reader on the Prometheus also has a keypad, whereas the card readers at the SGC do not. The elevator has the same number of buttons on its panel as the one at the SGC (28), even though it is not apparent that the Prometheus has the same number of levels (or decks). There are opposing doors (a "front" and a "rear" set) in the elevator seen being used by Dr. Daniel Jackson and Dr. Lindsey Novak on their ride to Deck 5 in the episode, 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound".
In case the elevators are not operational, personnel may use access passageways equiped with ladders (see the "Maintenance Accesses" section below) (6.11 "Prometheus").
Engine Room
Infirmary
The Prometheus infirmary needs to be prepared for any eventuality, from combat injuries, to common illnessess, to exposure to alien issues. It is likely well stocked for the long voyages from Earth. It has a full complement of medications and monitoring equipment, and several beds. It would very likely also include a surgical bay. (7.13 "Grace", 9.06 "Beachhead")
The first time the infirmary was mentioned was when Carter suffered a concussion and Col. Ronson instructed that she be escorted to the infirmary. (7.13 "Grace")
The infirmary was first seen when Daniel was confined there after being severed from his link to Vala Mal Doran through the residual effects of kor mak bracelets (she placed these bracelets on him in order to make sure he didn't get too far from her in search of a treasure). As soon as Vala's distance from Daniel was increased when she was drawn into the gravitational effects of a black hole, Daniel collapsed. Medical personnel are seen working in the background as Daniel's future teammates come to visit him. Fortunately, the residual effects were weak and Daniel made a complete recovery. Vala, on the other hand, had an unknown fate, but it was speculated that she survived and was sent to a far galaxy. (9.06 "Beachhead")
Maintenance Accesses
Mess Hall
The mess hall of Prometheus is furnished with several small cloth covered tables. Most often the tables are set up next to each other to make long rows of dining areas at which the crew can eat. The condiments displayed and decor are similar to the SGC commissary.
The mess hall, kitchen and pantry were presumably some of the last things installed in the Prometheus. When Thor of the Asgard shanghaied the ship and SG-1 for a vital mission, he beamed aboard supplies with no thought to necessary refrigeration, and a lot of ice cream was melting quickly in a supply room. (6.12 "Unnatural Selection")
When the Prometheus was stranded on the planet Tagrea because of the loss of their naquadria reactor, the crew entertained the planet's leaders onboard the ship. It is possible that they used their briefing room for the occasion, but since all the compartments seem to be very similar, it is just as possible that this room was a mess hall or officer's dining hall. (6.20 "Memento")
Any mess line has not been visible in parts of the room showed to date, however, there are coolers with sandwiches and fruit available during irregular chow times. Although there was no refrigeration available when the Prometheus was stolen, there are now coolers and fresh fruit available for the crew during their long interstellar voyages (7.13 "Grace", 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound"). There is at least one exterior window in the room (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound", 9.13 "Ripple Effect").
Samantha Carter took a brief respite in the mess hall to have some food when she was the only crew member left on board after an alien attack. While there, she was visited by hallucinations of her father and the strange girl Grace, which could have been a result of either her concussion or the strange nebulous area the ship was stuck inside. (7.13 "Grace")
When Vala Mal Doran was hungry, Daniel Jackson provided her a wide selection of foods, which she enjoyed ravenously. They sat at one of the longer tables, so Daniel could best keep an eye on his prisoner. Daniel sat with his back to the large display screen which adorned one side of the room, opposite the large window. (8.12 "Prometheus Unbound")
When SG-1 and another SG-1 from an alternate reality traveled on Prometheus, the Cameron Mitchells of both teams sat and traded identical reminisces over coffee in the Mess Hall while stars streaked by from the hyperspace effect through the window outside. (9.13 "Ripple Effect")
Supply and Utility Rooms
Prometheus Collection
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- Mythological References :: Real-World References :: History of Development :: Bay on Earth :: Significant Events :: Alternate Reality Versions of Prometheus
- Anti-Gravity Pod :: Deceleration Thrusters, Inertial Dampeners, and Artificial Gravity :: Hyperdrive Engines :: Landing Gear :: Sublight Engines
- Asgard Beaming Technology :: Communications :: Escape Pods :: Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) Equipment :: Ring Transporter
- Hull :: Overall Interior Design :: Airlocks :: Armory :: Bridge :: Briefing Room :: Brig :: Cargo Bay and Hangars :: Control Room and Auxiliary Control Rooms :: Crew Quarters :: Elevators :: Engine Room :: Infirmary :: Maintenance Accesses :: Mess Hall :: Supply and Utility Rooms
Episodes
- 6.11 "Prometheus"
- 6.20 "Memento"
- 7.07 "Enemy Mine"
- 7.13 "Grace"
- 8.10 "Endgame"
- 8.12 "Prometheus Unbound"
- 8.14 "Full Alert"
- 9.01 "Avalon Part 1"
- 9.06 "Beachhead"
- 9.13 "Ripple Effect"
Notable Characters
- Col./Brig. Gen. Jack O'Neill
- Dr. Daniel Jackson
- Maj./Lt. Col. Samantha Carter
- Teal'c
- Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell
- Jonas Quinn
- Anubis
- Atlantis Expedition Team
- Adrian Conrad
- Iron Shirt
- Robert Kinsey
- Dr. Lindsey Novak
- SG-1
- Col. Frank Simmons
- Thor
- Vala Mal Doran
Related Articles
Keywords
- Al'kesh
- Alternate Realities
- Beretta
- Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy
- Ancients
- Asgard
- Asgard Beam Transporter
- Avalon
- Cargo Ship
- Daedalus
- Death Glider
- F-302
- Goa'uld
- Kallana
- Kor Mak Bracelets
- Kull Warrior
- Kull Warrior Nullifier
- M-16A2
- Naquadah
- Naquadria
- NID
- Ori
- P-90
- P3X-403
- Stargate
- Stargate Command (SGC) Base
- Super Stargate
- Tagrea (P3X-744)
- Trinium
- The Trust
- Zero Point Module (ZPM)