I believe it was stated in an episode that the knowledge to create ZPMs was in the Atlantis database. I believe it was in one of the late Season 1 episodes were Weir talked about deciding what data they should back on up to their computers should they be forced to abandon and destroy Atlantis. It is probably just beyond their capabilities to construct ZPMs. Though I don't think it would hard to plug the data into the Asgard Computer Core and replicate some.
How did the Ancients make ZPMs?
- Thread starter BlobVanDam
- Start date
That would only be valid if the Asgard tech would be capable of replicating the ZPM's.
Given the level of technology of the Ancients, the Asgard were close to them in terms of technological development, but not on the same level.
Of course, we don't know exactly just how many advances did they make in the 10 000 years since Atlantis was originally abandoned (if they even did due to their own problems of preserving themselves), so either way, I think it will be possible for Humans to start producing the ZPM's eventually.
They already have the necessary information, the rest is just a matter of making them.
And since at the end of Atlantis series, humans had a wealth of Asgard technologies along with Atlantis itself... I think it won't take too long.
As for why not give Atlantis it's own power source... they did.
It's the ZPM's.
The Ancients to my recollection used them to power virtually everything that required enormous amounts of power... and keep in mind that 3 of them in Atlantis would be able to sustain the shield for LONG periods of time (we're talking about a century - which is no small feat).
And almost any power source with finite amounts would be eventually depleted.
The ZPM's are no different... and let's face it, the Atlantis expedition was able to do plenty with just 1 of those things without having the other 2 most of the time.
I think that Weir's decision to give the other 2 ZPM's to Earth and the kids was a bad move (after the replicators took control of Atlantis and subsequently lost it).
The outpost on Earth could have continued to go by with it's original ZPM as would the EM dampening field with the kids.
Given the level of technology of the Ancients, the Asgard were close to them in terms of technological development, but not on the same level.
Of course, we don't know exactly just how many advances did they make in the 10 000 years since Atlantis was originally abandoned (if they even did due to their own problems of preserving themselves), so either way, I think it will be possible for Humans to start producing the ZPM's eventually.
They already have the necessary information, the rest is just a matter of making them.
And since at the end of Atlantis series, humans had a wealth of Asgard technologies along with Atlantis itself... I think it won't take too long.
As for why not give Atlantis it's own power source... they did.
It's the ZPM's.
The Ancients to my recollection used them to power virtually everything that required enormous amounts of power... and keep in mind that 3 of them in Atlantis would be able to sustain the shield for LONG periods of time (we're talking about a century - which is no small feat).
And almost any power source with finite amounts would be eventually depleted.
The ZPM's are no different... and let's face it, the Atlantis expedition was able to do plenty with just 1 of those things without having the other 2 most of the time.
I think that Weir's decision to give the other 2 ZPM's to Earth and the kids was a bad move (after the replicators took control of Atlantis and subsequently lost it).
The outpost on Earth could have continued to go by with it's original ZPM as would the EM dampening field with the kids.
I doubt the Asgard technology could replicate a fresh ZPM. Considering the technology required to generate the energy, it doesn't seem like something easily replicated. I would guess that at best it could replicate the basic empty ZPM, but to actually power it probably requires some funky magical process.
That would only be valid if the Asgard tech would be capable of replicating the ZPM's.
Given the level of technology of the Ancients, the Asgard were close to them in terms of technological development, but not on the same level.
Of course, we don't know exactly just how many advances did they make in the 10 000 years since Atlantis was originally abandoned (if they even did due to their own problems of preserving themselves), so either way, I think it will be possible for Humans to start producing the ZPM's eventually.
They already have the necessary information, the rest is just a matter of making them.
And since at the end of Atlantis series, humans had a wealth of Asgard technologies along with Atlantis itself... I think it won't take too long.
As for why not give Atlantis it's own power source... they did.
It's the ZPM's.
The Ancients to my recollection used them to power virtually everything that required enormous amounts of power... and keep in mind that 3 of them in Atlantis would be able to sustain the shield for LONG periods of time (we're talking about a century - which is no small feat).
And almost any power source with finite amounts would be eventually depleted.
The ZPM's are no different... and let's face it, the Atlantis expedition was able to do plenty with just 1 of those things without having the other 2 most of the time.
I think that Weir's decision to give the other 2 ZPM's to Earth and the kids was a bad move (after the replicators took control of Atlantis and subsequently lost it).
The outpost on Earth could have continued to go by with it's original ZPM as would the EM dampening field with the kids.
Again... had Atlantis run on gas, or nuclear power, or even fusion power, at some point any of the materials needed for that would have run out. And then the "acquire ZPM missions" episodes would have been replaced by "acquire fuel rods for the nuclear reactor" episodes. Same thing.
Seeing as it was depleted I think not.
Checkmate
Commodore
Unless it was an actual renewable, persistent power source. It wouldn't have to be "tremendous" power source, just enough to run the city's basic systems. Using ZPMs for certain systems that require "tremendous" amounts of power is one thing. Having the whole city dependent on them is ridiculously stupid.
It's like having the entire Earth dependent on a single coal-burning power plant, all the while ignoring solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear, and whatever other power plants you can think of. God forbid something happened to that coal plant, or coal reserves dried up sometime down the road.
Intelligent races need to be written by intelligent people. Not the knuckleheads who've been in charge of this franchise.
There's no reason to believe that ZPMs were difficult for the Ancients to manufacture. In fact, it would make no sense for their technology to depend on ZPMs if they were hard to make. Given that ZPMs are apparently of modular design and very much "plug and play" it implies a standardized manufacturing process.
Just because no ZPM factories were found doesn't mean they didn't exist at one point. Pegasus and the Milky Way are big. That multiple ZPMs were found in both galaxies, thousands of years after the departure of the Ancients, indicates that they weren't particularly rare. They're just rare now.
A more apt analogy would be a small town relying on one power source, which is exactly what Atlantis is, and is exactly what we currently do.
I think they've pulled the ZPM enough times to show that Atlantis retains some level of power without them for the basic functions, so I think it's capable of storing energy, rather than relying on a steady incoming power supply.
And they've even mentioned that Atlantis stores power from lightning strikes in giant capacitors too (In The Storm and The Eye), so that is likely.
And remember they also had a geothermal power station not far from Atlantis, that they even used to get the stardrive working, so there was plenty of power coming from there.
So there are three different power sources that Atlantis used and were mentioned in the series. Good enough for ya?
Seems that Atlantis isn't written by knuckleheads after all.
A more apt analogy would be a small town relying on one power source, which is exactly what Atlantis is, and is exactly what we currently do.
I think they've pulled the ZPM enough times to show that Atlantis retains some level of power without them for the basic functions, so I think it's capable of storing energy, rather than relying on a steady incoming power supply.
And they've even mentioned that Atlantis stores power from lightning strikes in giant capacitors too (In The Storm and The Eye), so that is likely.
And remember they also had a geothermal power station not far from Atlantis, that they even used to get the stardrive working, so there was plenty of power coming from there.
So there are three different power sources that Atlantis used and were mentioned in the series. Good enough for ya?
Seems that Atlantis isn't written by knuckleheads after all.
I seem to remember the city possessing solar panels that were used in The Fifth Man as well.
I believe you mean The Last Man (The Fifth Man was an episode of SG-1 though, so close enough). I'd forgotten about that one.
So we have Atlantis harnessing battery, solar, geothermal, and lightning power. That's four different power sources mentioned in the show.
I assume that only the geothermal plant and the ZPMs provide high enough levels of power to sustain the major systems though, since without the ZPM they had no shields. The rest are probably just supplemental.
So we have Atlantis harnessing battery, solar, geothermal, and lightning power. That's four different power sources mentioned in the show.
I assume that only the geothermal plant and the ZPMs provide high enough levels of power to sustain the major systems though, since without the ZPM they had no shields. The rest are probably just supplemental.
After the Replicator take over, the 3 ZPMs they installed, one was kept on Atlantis, the other 2 going to the Antarctic Outpost and the Odyssey.
The kids kept their nearly depleted ZPM, which had been configured to tap the electromagnetic field or somesuchwhich, of their planet.
The device was tuned to the planet's electromagnetic field. The ZPM could power Atlantis's shield for only a few hours, making it all but useless.
They also had some naquida generators that provided supplemental power tot he outpost that were sent along with the original expedition, I can imagine they added a few more in season 2.
star trek ships rely on anti-matter for energy... that's their primary and virtually only power source.
Granted, there are others, but the writers seldom take advantage of them in order to keep things 'simple'.
My theory would be that the ZPM's would in fact be the only viable energy source for Atlantis and it's systems.
Naquida generators are in fact quite powerful, but they can only supply power to low-key systems... everything else requires much more, and other energy sources would be useless.
Furthermore, we are coming back to the age-old premise that whatever energy source the city used, unless it was auto-renewable and 'endless', then it would run out of 'steam' sooner or later.
Granted, there are others, but the writers seldom take advantage of them in order to keep things 'simple'.
My theory would be that the ZPM's would in fact be the only viable energy source for Atlantis and it's systems.
Naquida generators are in fact quite powerful, but they can only supply power to low-key systems... everything else requires much more, and other energy sources would be useless.
Furthermore, we are coming back to the age-old premise that whatever energy source the city used, unless it was auto-renewable and 'endless', then it would run out of 'steam' sooner or later.
Saquist
Commodore
Vacuum energy should be infinite.
If virtual particles exist and self annihilate in in every cubic measure of space and time then your energy supply is effectively infinite unless a ZPM has a limited life to draw from that source.
In the episode where McKay blew up that solar system, they explained that ZPMs work by creating a very small pocket universe, and then drawing the vacuum energy out of that. Attempts to draw it out of our own universe directly, as in the case of experiment McKay used to blow up a solar system, didn't go too well.
<Rodney>Not the ENTIRE solar system!<Rodney>
And when they tried to draw power out of a whole alternate universe, a different McKay asked them politely to stop since it would have blown up, not five-eighths of a solar system, but an entire universe.
And when they tried to draw power out of a whole alternate universe, a different McKay asked them politely to stop since it would have blown up, not five-eighths of a solar system, but an entire universe.
A) they weren't invented yet when Destiny launched.
B) The Icarus expedition was under attack and had to leave most of their equipment
C) They didn't know Destiny existed.
