Drone Weapon
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In the television series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis drone weapon are devices built by the Ancients that operate like guided missiles, usually swarming a target. A planetary defense system can fire thousands of drones at a time.
Drones can be found on the Ancients' ships and outposts. These devices are incredibly powerful; in one instance, a single drone was able to destroy a Goa'uld mothership. (Though it has been theorised that the Drone merely hit a critical weak spot, since Lost City featured Ha'tak class ships being destroyed only after numerous hits).
Capabilities
It would appear that Drone Weapons are hybrid energy and projectile weapons. They are normally controlled by a throne-like device that reads the operator's mind and can send thousands of drones swarming to attack an entire fleet of targets at once. Smaller ships such as Puddle Jumpers or Aurora-class battle ships also have Drones, with Puddle Jumpers not requiring a full throne device to launch and control them.An active drone is enveloped in a bright yellow glow, and is apparently powered by a Zero-Point module mounted in the control chair. In "Lost City" it is necessary to recover a ZPM to power the control chair in Antarctica's Ancient outpost and use the Drones there to destroy Anubis' fleet. In "The Siege", on the other hand, Atlantis' control chair is powered using an advanced Mark II Naqahdah generator to allow the launch of the city's few dozen remaining Drone weapons. Puddle Jumpers also lack a ZPM, but only bear a handful of Drone weapons themselves. It is speculated that the amount of power that is needed is directly proportional to the number of Drones in flight, and the distance they have to penetrate through shields or solid matter. In "The Tower" Atlantis' sister city launches approximately a hundred drones to attack a nearby settlement, but when the ZPM powering the control chair is drained the Drones shut down and fall from the sky in mid-flight. It's unclear whether this is a result of a shutdown command having been issued or whether the control chair somehow continues providing energy for the Drones after launch.
It is unclear exactly what mechanism Drone Weapons use to cause damage to their targets. A drone was observed causing a relatively small explosion on impact in "The Tower," while a swarm of Drones enveloped a Kull warrior while on its way from Anubis' attacking fleet and appeared to disintegrate it entirely. Conversely, two Drone Weapons are enough to completely destroy a Goa'uld Ha'tak if it hits a critical spot and they can seriously damage a Wraith cruiser. It is possible that Drones are variable-yield weapons - this would explain any perceived disparities in their performance. Drones can bypass shielding (the First Prime of Anubis famously announced "Our shields are of no use!" while Anubis' fleet was attacked by the drone system in Lost City). Drones also have the ability to shield itself from impact with matter to a certain degree, for example ice and the interior of the Ancient outpost on Earth, allowing it to "tunnel" through solid ground.
It is not yet known if the Drones have the capability to penetrate an Ori Battle Cruiser's shields.
As per their name, Drones are partially intelligent weapons that are capable of seeking, tracking, and engaging targets on their own accord, unless they are directed to do differently by the user of the Control Chair. It is currently unknown if there are any differences in controlling a Drone if its launched from a ship as opposed to a Control Chair.
Located
In the Pegasus Galaxy drones are very rare in the aftermath of the loss of the Ancient's war against the Wraith. They have been found in Atlantis where only a few dozen drones were left after the siege by the Wraith over 10,000 years ago. A larger supply was found in Atlantis' sister city and used to replenish Atlantis' armory. They are also found on Puddle Jumpers, Aurora-class battle ships, and Ancient outposts such as the one in Antarctica on Earth.References
| Technology in the Stargate universe | [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ Edit] | |
| Tau'ri technology | GDO | IDC | Stargate Iris | Kull Disruptor | P90 | MALP | Naqahdah Generator F-302 | Prometheus (BC-303) | Daedalus (BC-304)-class Battlecruiser |
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| Goa'uld / Tok'ra technology | Al'kesh | Death Glider | Ha'tak Mothership | Hand Device | Healing Device | Intar | Sarcophagus | Staff Weapon | Tel'tak | TER | Tunnel Crystals | Zat | Zatarc detector | |
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