Goa'uld Empire

The Goa'uld is a race of sentient parasitic beings that take over hosts. Several species can serve as hosts, including humans and Unas. They originated on the planet designated P3X-888. They are also extremely egomaniacal due to their genetic memory and the sarcophagus technology. Goa'uld means "god" in the Goa'uld language. Races which will not serve them are completely destroyed without compromise.

Although the majority of them are one-dimensionally genocidal, megalomaniacal, and in some cases (such as Cronus, and, to a lesser extent, Ra) apparently barely self-aware (living out the patterns of their behavior as they existed thousands of years ago), there were a few exceptions. Apophis at times showed an unusual amount of insight, lucidity, and tenacity for a Goa'uld, escaping from Sokar's imprisonment, and to a small extent, rebuilding his forces. Heru'ur was seen on the battlefield with his Jaffa as an active general, risking his own life alongside them rather than hiding behind them (as Ra in particular had done). Ba'al was also able to survive the demise of the rest of the System Lords (even up until the very end of the series) through being infinitely more flexible and adaptable than any of the others had been, even at times allying with SG-1 when he felt the situation warranted it.


.:: Early Beginnings ::.

The Goa'uld first arose in the waters of P3X-888, originally as predators. Eventually, they began taking the native Unas as hosts, becoming more adaptive. They eventually learned how to operate the Stargate the Ancients placed on P3X-888 and left, taking Unas slave armies with them.

Under the leadership of Atok, the Goa'uld developed the first of their society as conquerors, stealing Ancient technology and adapting it to their purposes. In 22,000 BCE, Atok was killed by his son Apep; he reordered the leadership of the Goa'uld. Apep shared power among his underlings, Ra, Nut, and Thoth. However, around 17,800 BCE, another Goa'uld began to rise in power: Anubis. Apep's powers began to decline in this time, and Anubis gained more power. Anubis then killed Apep, devouring the Symbiote before the eyes of the Goa'uld. However, Ra managed to rally the others in Apep's name. After three centuries of civil war, Anubis was defeated and exiled. Ra organized a new leadership called the High Council of the System Lords. Ra installed himself as the Supreme System Lord of the Goa'uld Empire, and took the Goa'uld Queens Hathor and Egeria as mates.


.:: The Reign of Ra ::.

Around 8,000 BC, Ra discovered a healthy world with a primate race: Humans reseeded by the Ancients before they left Earth. Ra took a young native as a host. Revitalized, Ra began allowing the other System Lords access to the Tau'ri. Some were used as worshipers and slaves in Naquadah mines; others were taken to Dakara, and turned into a genetically altered slave-soldier called the Jaffa, to serve as warriors and incubators for larval Goa'uld. A rebellion in 2,995 BCE ended Goa'uld dominion on Earth, but Humans had already been seeded throughout the Goa'uld Empire, so Ra felt no need to re-conquer the planet.

Soon, however, Egeria began to have doubts about the future of the Goa'uld, and their cruel, destructive ways. Siring a legion of Prim'ta, she in turn named them the Tok'ra, the "resistance against Ra". The Supreme System Lord discovered Egeria's treachery, dispatched a force, and captured her, removing her from her host and placing her in a Stasis jar on Pangar.

In 1994, the Tau'ri reopened the Stargate, and sent a team through to Abydos. Ra captured some of them, and found a nuclear device that Colonel Jack O'Neill had been given in case he found any hostile threats. Ra enriched the device with Naquadah, and prepared to send it through to Earth, but Daniel Jackson had told the Abydonians the truth about Ra. They rebelled, and Ra was forced to flee the planet. However, O'Neill and Jackson killed Ra when they sent the bomb up to Ra's vessel, killing him.


.:: The Reign of Apophis ::.

After the death of Ra, the System Lords warred among themselves to replace him. Eventually, Cronus, Heru'ur, and Ba'al came out stronger than before, but the dominant System Lord was Apophis. After SG-1 caused various setbacks for him, Apophis in turn launched an attack on Earth. However, SG-1 was able to get aboard Klorel's Ha'tak, and sabotage both it and Apophis' Ha'tak. Apophis and Klorel survived, but Apophis was severely weakened. Under assault from Heru'ur and Sokar, Apophis was eventually captured by Sokar and sent to Ne'tu.

When SG-1 arrived to rescue Jacob Carter, Apophis launched a rebellion, and escaped Ne'tu when the Tok'ra destroyed it. Apophis soon took control of Sokar's forces, and then Heru'ur's, after an abortive alliance. After the death of Cronus, Apophis took his fleet to destroy the Tok'ra on Vorash. Major Samantha Carter came up with the plan to destroy Apophis' fleet by causing Vorash's sun to explode. The plan worked, but caused SG-1's Ha’tak to be sent to another galaxy, along with Apophis' Mothership.

The Replicators soon infested Apophis' Mothership, and Apophis took over SG-1's Mothership, but it was also infested with Replicators. SG-1 sabotaged the vessel, causing it to crash into Delmak. Apophis was aboard the Ha’tak at the time, and was killed in the crash. As his body was presumably destroyed in the crash, he was killed beyond being resurrected with a sarcophagus.


.:: The Reign of Anubis ::.

With the three dominant System lords dead, the remaining System Lords began a fierce war among themselves to dominate the others. However, they also began to experience a new threat among themselves, as one enemy attacked using only ships, never with Jaffa. The System Lords eventually called the High Council to deal with the issue. The recently returned Osiris also arrived, revealing the identity of their enemy—Anubis. Osiris gave the others two options: restore Anubis to the state of System Lord, or place themselves at the "mercy" of Anubis. Despite the objections of Lord Yu, Anubis was restored to his former status. What they didn't know was that Anubis had achieved Ascension, only to be cast down by the Others, leaving him unable to use significant powers, but with a great deal of knowledge of Ancient technology, but unable to use any of that knowledge that he would not have been able to know as a Goa'uld.

Within a matter of months, Anubis began a series of attacks against the Tau'ri, the Tok'ra, and the Asgard. He also developed a new Mothership, capable of destroying a planet. Lord Yu at first waged a one man war against Anubis, but eventually managed to rally the other System Lords into a United Alliance of System Lords. However, Yu's powers began to decline, and Ba'al took over the leadership of the System Lords.

Sensing the growing dissent among the Jaffa due to the actions of Teal'c and Bra'tac, Anubis created a new foot soldier called the Kull. They had energy absorbing armor, increased strength, and were utterly loyal to Anubis. The Tau'ri and the Tok'ra were able to make a weapon with the Ancients' healing device, but Anubis now dominated the System Lords.

Fearing that the Tau'ri may have gained Ancient weaponry, Anubis launched a full scale invasion of Earth, using over thirty Motherships and his super Mothership. SG-1, however, discovered the Antarctic outpost left when Atlantis left for the Pegasus Galaxy, using the drone weapons to destroy Anubis' ship and his fleet, presumably killing Anubis. He survived due to his non-corporeal state, but the aftermath of the battle was devastating for Anubis.


.:: Current Events ::.

With the defeat of Ba'al, the vacuum which follows with no clear leadership amongst the System Lords has lead to chaos and fighting amongst the System Lords as they attempt to prove themselves to be worthy of the leadership. However, if there is one thing that the Goa'uld agree upon, it is their hatred and pure desire to completely destroy the Tau'ri. The System Lords and those minor Goa'uld loyal to them have been rebuilding their forces and expanding their realms of control once again from their current weakened state. Meanwhile, they continue to attack the Tau'ri at every opportunity given which means that it is only a matter of time before Earth becomes their prime target.