Tegalus

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Tegalus Stargate activates in Rand Museum

Summary

Tegalus was the home to two rival countries, the Rand Protectorate and the Caledonian Federation, locked in a state of Cold War, until religious fanaticism escalated tensions. Eventually visited by the Ori, Tegalus was also the first known location of an Ori satellite weapon, which destroyed the Earth ship Prometheus.

Factoids

  • Names and Designations: Tegalus
  • Number of Suns: One
  • Number of Moons: One
  • Source of Address: Uncertain
  • Introduced in Episode: 7.12 "Icon"
  • Earth Cultural/Technological Equivalent: Circa post WWII/early cold war
  • Main Interest: Exploration; later Ori battleground
  • Influenced/Dominated by: Formerly Goa'uld; later Rand Protectorate/Caledonian Federation; eventually the Ori
  • History of Stargate: Discovered in the Curillian wastelands over 150 years ago, the "Great Ring of Avidan" was an archeological mystery. Believed to be thousands of years old, historians disputed whether or not it was a place of worship. It was the highlight of the Antiquities collection in a Rand Protectorate museum...until an incoming wormhole activated.

Stargate Glyphs

Unknown

Geopolitical Structure and History

Tegalus was a planet with one large inhabited continent, made up of two warring nations, the Rand Protectorate and the Caledonian Federation. The culture of both countries was thriving, and both were similar technologically and culturally to Earth in the early days of the Cold War (1950s). The Rand Protectorate and the Caledonian Federation were locked in a state of cold war for decades. Each nation had enough weapons to wipe each other off the face of the planet.

Millenia ago, the people of Tegalus served the Goa'uld (8.05 "Icon"). As time passed and the people were left abandoned, their culture began to develop. Some still believed in the "great gods" and that the Great Ring of Avidan (the Stargate) was a source of the gods' power. Some wore necklaces with the Great Ring as a pendant...either because of faith or merely old traditions.

When the SGC activated the Stargate on a first contact mission, it happened in the public museum where the Great Ring was kept. Before this, the people who retained faith in the great gods were dismissed as zealots who took ancient texts too literally. Now the arrival of explorers from Earth fueled the religious underground, proving their faith was correct. Fundamentalists, following Soren, believed all life on the planet was created by ancient gods, and that these gods would someday return and reward them for their faith. The Caledonian Federation enacted a state of martial law when the news broke to prevent religious fundamentalism from taking root. The Rand Protectorate refused to follow that route, and the fundamentalist unrest became an insurrection.

Eventually Soren staged a successful coup, taking out several of the Rand Protectorate government buildings, and cities, including the bunker now housing the "Great Ring". The Caledonian Federation, in fear of the instability of Rand, launched an attack to prevent rogue weapons firing on them. Soren countered with the weapons he controlled. Global war broke out. When the dust settled, Soren was in control of Rand, and the main population centers of both countries were destroyed. Only populations in outlying areas survived unscathed. Soren renamed Rand "Avidan", a Goa'uld word meaning "the gods are just".

Daniel Jackson, injured and stranded on the planet, tried several times to make contact with the SGC using a more primitive Rand radio on the farm of Leda Kane, Jared's wife. Stargate Command attempted to negotiate with Soren, but he refused unless they gave him weapons with which to take over Caledonia. During this time, Daniel finally made contact with home. Daniel, Jared Kane, and a few other loyalists, stormed the bunker in a coordinated attack with SG teams led by Lt. Col Samantha Carter coming through the wormhole. In this attack, Kane killed Soren.

Less than one year later, while still rebuilding from the war, Tegalus was visited by a Prior of the Ori (9.15 "Ethon"). Coming through the Stargate, the Prior first encountered the population of the Rand Protectorate. At first resistant to their demands to serve the Ori, they were struck down by the Prior Plague. Thousands of their population succumbed to the disease before President Nadal of Rand submitted to the Prior, among the casualties was Leda Kane. The Prior wished to spread the word of the Ori to the Caledonian Federation, but old rivalries between the two nations prevented that.

As a reward for embracing the Ori, the Prior offered Rand power. Under the Prior's direction, Rand developed a satellite weapon powered somehow by the Ori. They also wanted Rand to break off all ties with Earth. Since the SGC was not providing them with weapons to fight Caledonia, Rand was more than happy to oblige. Jared Kane, fearful of this new weapon and tired of all the death, secretly came to the SGC to warn them of the Prior and this new weapon.

Kane and Dr. Jackson returned to Tegalus to try and talk President Nadal into dismantling the weapon. They were arrested as spies. Meanwhile, the SGC launched Prometheus to destroy the Ori weapon if Dr. Jackson's diplomacy failed. However, none were aware of the full powers of the weapon and the BC-303 was outclassed. The Ori weapon destroyed Prometheus, though Col. Pendergast was able to beam most of the surviving crew down to Caledonia before dying with his ship.

Minister Chaska of Caledonia provided the survivors of Prometheus refuge. Together they figured out a way to use an F-302 to disable, and hopefully destroy the Ori weapon. Dr. Jackson was able to broker a temporary truce while the weapon was disabled. In exchange for Caledonia not destroying the weapon, Rand would allow those Caledonians who did not wish to follow the Ori to leave. This truce was almost broken by the fanatical betrayal of President Nadal. However, he was stopped, and killed, by his second in command, Pernaux, who insisted the truce be maintained.

During the cease fire, the crew of Prometheus, including SG-1, returned home. Soon afterwards, the peace talks broke down. Caledonia did not wish to leave their home and attacked Rand, which responded in kind. Both countries were destroyed by their weaponry, and the Stargate was presumed buried in the rubble.

Gallery

Daniel in front of map of Tegalus
Jared shooting Soren in Rand bunker
Rand Protectorate pre-war
Caledonia attacks Rand during Soren's insurrection
Caledonia post war
Rand Protectorate post-war
Jared and Daniel in Rand jail
F-302s attack Rand Protectorate's Ori satellite
Prometheus destroyed while orbiting Tegalus

Episodes

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--Aurora 12:33, 6 July 2006 (PDT)