Naquadah
Naquadah is an element that features in Stargate.
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History
Naquadah was an element that was known to exist in the universe. It was said to had been used to construct the Stargates. (SG1: Singularity)
The Goa'uld Nirrti enacted a plot to destroy the Tau'ri using a Naquadah bomb. This involved attacking the planet Hanka and implanting a hidden bomb within one of the survivors. SG-1 had traveled to the planet Hanka, where they discovered the lone, young survivor named Cassandra, whose body contained a powerful naquadah-enhanced device that was set to explode when she was safely through the Stargate to Earth. The SGC team, along with the newly arrived Dr. Janet Fraiser, frantically worked against time to understand the device, which they determined was a massive amount of naquadah that would cause a catastrophic explosion if it detonated on Earth. Daniel Jackson theorized that the Stargate itself was made of the same material, a fact previously unknown to the SGC, and they realized they could not send Cassandra back through the gate because the device would explode as it passed the event horizon. The team ultimately devised a plan to open the Stargate and keep it open long enough for the bomb to detonate safely within the wormhole, using the gate's naquadah composition to essentially 'absorb' the blast while Cassandra was saved by Dr. Fraiser removing the device from her body. (SG1: Singularity)
Carter has made progress on her research into naquadah reactors: large-scale application is theoretical but the mineral has incredible potential as an alternative power source. General Bauer, Hammond's replacement at the SGC, is more interested in the ability of naquadah to increase the explosive effect of nuclear ordinance. When weapons grade naquadah is obtained, Carter must enhance a nuclear warhead in order to determine the destructive capabilities of naquadah. She was shocked and furious when Daniel discovers that the planet chosen to conduct the weapons test has an old Goa'uld mine and thus naquadah present in its soil which would cause a chain reaction and possibly destroy the entire planet. For Bauer, this is the point: Goa'uld occupied worlds tend to have significant levels of naquadah and this could prove a very effective weapon against them. Carter warns that the effects of the chain reaction could be translated back through the wormhole to the SGC. The explosion caused by the naquadah chain reaction is immense and as predicted, the Stargate does not disconnect. Ultra-high frequency gamma radiation bombards the gate room, slowed only by closing the iris. Even destroying the SGC and Cheyenne Mountain would not be enough to stop the Stargate pumping through radiation from what Carter theorises to be the test world reduced to a ball of super-heated plasma capable of powering the Stargate for months. Earth is saved only by the 38-minute window: the longest period for which a wormhole may remain engaged. (SG1: Chain Reaction)
Overview
In appearance, Naquadah was an extremely dense, dark gray mineral that bore a striking resemblance to quartz in its unrefined form. (SG1: Singularity)
Naquadah reacts violently with potassium, resulting in massive explosions with radioactive potential. (SG1: Singularity)
A variation of it was Liquid Naquadah that was a liquid solution containing the mineral Naquadah. A green-yellow colored fluid contained in small, single vials serve as the power source. (SG1: The Fifth Race)
Notes
- Naquadah was created by Robert C. Cooper where it featured in the setting of the Stargate SG-1 universe.
Appearances
- Stargate: SG-1:
- Stargate: Atlantis:
External Links
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