Ascension (Stargate)

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Image:Maternal Instinct Meditate.jpg

"Ascension" is also the title of a Season 5 episode of Stargate SG-1.

In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 Ascension is a process by which sufficiently-evolved sentient beings may shed their physical bodies and live eternally as pure energy on a higher plane of existence full of knowledge and power. The higher plane is inhabited by several different races, but the Ascended beings most commonly encountered and referred to are the Ancients and the Ori.

At some point in their history, the Ancients were afflicted by a plague that for all their technological advancement they could not cure; fortunately, they had discovered the method of Ascension. The vast majority of Ancients Ascended in order to avoid certain death from the plague.

In spite of its spiritual nature, Ascension is a physical process; a human who evolves the ability to use approximately 90% of their brain capacity can learn to ascend all by his or herself. Others may ascend only with the help of already-ascended beings. Typically, a being who Ascends by assistance of the Ancients must be pure of heart.

Plot

The introduction of Ascension

Image:Maternal Instinct Monk.jpg The first appearance of what was to later become a strong recurring theme in Stargate SG-1, occurred when the show's protagonists, the team SG-1, arrive on the legendary planet Kheb, where they find the Harcesis, offspring of the Goa'uld System Lord Apophis and Daniel's kidnapped betrothed Sha're, in the episode "Maternal Instinct". There they find a Buddhist temple in the woods where a monk has residence. This suggests that Buddhism was founded upon the studies into Ascension that the Ancients made.

Image:Maternal Instinct Daniel.jpg Not responding to interrogation, and masking his speech with Zen koans, Daniel Jackson, the expert linguist, theologian and archaeologist of the team, decides to sit with the monk and learn about Oma Desala, or Mother Nature. He learns too how the monk is able to stroke a fire with his mind, and Daniel manages to imitate this effect.

Image:Maternal Instinct Bratac.jpg Image:Maternal Instinct Oma.jpg When the Goa'uld find the temple, they kill the monk, who is seen to lose physical form and vanish (he Ascends). The sky develops a storm and Daniel, understanding what this is, tells SG-1 to lower their weapons and allow the Jaffa to fire on them. When they do, a thunderhead strikes down the staff-weapon blasts and each of the Jaffa. The storm vanishes, and a flying, glowing being with white flowing tendrils takes the Harcesis and goes through the Stargate, pausing before entering to show a woman's face in the midst of the being.

Image:Ascension Orlin.jpg A long time later, in the episode "Ascension", Samantha Carter is stalked by the alien Orlin, who made himself look human because he was in love with her. He reveals that he was one of the Ascended, but was punished (expelled from the community of the Others) for helping a lesser race build a weapon that the race misused and accidentally destroyed itself. He serves as an example that even an Ascended can make mistakes, and break rules.

Even in Orlin's fallen state, he could still disappear and reappear and pass through matter. Daniel Jackson, who later Ascended, could not do this when even later he was de-Ascended for breaking the rule of non-interference. This is explainable by that someone can be 'half-Ascended' - apparently those with the power to de-Ascend someone can choose what level of existence to place them at, and can also choose what powers they may have. This is seen in the half-Ascended Anubis.

Orlin also demonstrated a great knowledge of technology (the knowledge of the Ancients), as he used a microwave, toaster, and large amounts of optical fibre and titanium to make a huge emerald for Sam, and a small Stargate in her basement so that they could stop one of the SG teams from reactivating Orlin's weapon. He chose to become fully human to be with Sam, so he lost his alien abilities, but apparently he was given the ability to Ascend again by the others after he tries to unplug the unstable device and is shot: he turns into a glowing being, shedding his clothes, and takes the power core into the sky where it explodes; he saves Sam among others.

Ascension as a central theme

On of the most endearing facets of Stargate SG-1 is the frequently philosophical nature of its episodes and storylines, often favouring Dualism. Ascension became a central theme of Stargate SG-1 (uniquely marking it out from other science fiction series). This has been particularly marked since the discovery of Atlantis at the end of Season 7.

Image:Meridian Oma.jpg Image:Meridian Ascension.jpg In "Meridian", Daniel Jackson, with critical timing, takes out a naqahdriah fuel core from a reactor, without a radiation suit, saving millions of alien-human people but ending up on his death bed. As he is dying he is contacted by Oma Desala in a vision, who offers to help him Ascend. Daniel chooses to Ascend instead of die, so he can help more people.

This marked Daniel's departure from the series for Season 6, to be replaced in SG-1 by Jonas Quinn. However, he frequently reappeared as a vision to his friends from his Ascended state of being. He was first seen again in the episode "Abyss", when Jack O'Neill is being tortured by being killed and revived again and again by Baal. Daniel appears to him but cannot help him, for that is not allowed by the others.

Image:Abyss Daniel.jpg Image:Full Circle Daniel Attacks.jpg Daniel offers to help O'Neill out by making him Ascend as well, and he describes the process as opening one's mind. Jack implores him to use his powers as an Ascended being to "bust [him] out", but that is not allowed by the others. Eventually Jack makes it out on his own. However, Daniel later breaks his own (and the others') rule by fighting the half-ascended, (possibly resurrected) Goa'uld System Lord Anubis before he destroys Abydos in "Full Circle". He is stopped by Oma, who de-Ascends him into human form on Earth, but she also saves Abydos by Ascending its entire population before Anubis' mothership incinerates the planet. Nothing is left (not even the Gate), but they reappear by the will of the Ascended one last time to say goodbye to Daniel Jackson, most dear to the Abydonians.

As of Season 8, the Ascended Ancients are split into two groups: the others and the renegade Ancients who follow Oma Desala, and while they still are limited from interfering in the lives of those beneath them they are able to help others Ascend. On several occasions the others have had to intervene to stop the renegades from interfering in the lower plane.

In Season 9, the Ori prove that a pure heart is not necessary for self-Ascension, and are in fact at least as parasitical, bloodthirsty, and power-hungry as the Goa'uld. However, they and the fact that the Ancients' existence has become common knowledge across the galaxy has turned Ascension into the final spiritual and technological goal of all inhabitants of the Milky Way, including the international committee on Earth; Richard Woolsey encourages taking enormous risks to study someone who has the possibility of unlocking some of the secrets of Ascension to humans.

Powers of the Ascended

Image:Reckoning Probe Mind.jpg The Ascended have many powers, and some more than others (there appears to be a rank system). It has been seen that they can make entire planets reappear after destruction, halt the timers in self-destruct bombs, attack with glowing balls of energy, help other people Ascend, and de-Ascend transgressors of the rules.

The rules of the Ascended are that one may not interfere in mortal affairs, a rule that is often broken, causing a de-Ascension (which usually involves regaining material form, naked).

Ascension is described as having all the knowledge and power of the universe, which is essentially an infinite knowledge (and, possible, power), as seen when the RepliCarter tries to download the Ascended knowledge from Daniel Jackson's subconscious mind, but finds that there isn't enough memory in the entire Replicator army to hold it.