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The Tau'ri 'tɔːɹi (sometimes spelt Tauri, and often spoken as "People of the Tau'ri") is a widespread term used to refer to humans of Earth by many alien races in the science fiction universe Stargate SG-1. With the exceptions of Teal'c, Jonas Quinn and Vala Mal Doran, the team denoted SG-1, the protagonists of the show, are members of the Tau'ri (i.e. normal humans), but due to often being the sole ambassadors for Earth, some offworlders use "Tau'ri" to refer just to them, or just to the SGC.
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Overview
In the Stargate universe there are humans on many other planets throughout the Universe; in the Milky Way, they were transplanted from Earth to these other planets by the Goa'uld ["Children of the Gods" (Stargate SG-1)] in the Pegasus Galaxy it was the Ancients ["Rising" (Stargate Atlantis)]; and the Ori have human subjects in their home galaxy ["Avalon" (Stargate SG-1)]. The word Tau'ri specifically refers to Earth humans, especially in the sense that human life began on Earth. The word "Tau'ri" literally means "the first ones" or "those of the first world" in Goa'uld.
Most worlds which did not know about Earth until SGC personnel made contact with them typically refer to the Tau'ri as "Earth people" or something similar. ["Collateral Damage" (Stargate SG-1)] the peoples of planets under the protection of the Asgard call Earth "Midgard." ["Thor's Hammer" (Stargate SG-1)] ["Red Sky" (Stargate SG-1)] The Pangarans call them Earthans. ["Cure" (Stargate SG-1)]
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History of the Tauri
Millions of years ago, the Ancients came to the planet Earth which they named Avalon or Terra. Centuries later, the Ancients left for the Pegasus Galaxy. When the Ancients came back after the war with the Wraith, they interbred with the primitive people and passed on a gene to activate their technology.
According to Jaffa legend, and writings found on Abydos, a very long time ago the Goa'uld race was dying. One Goa'uld, Ra travelled to Earth and encountered a primitive race of ancient Egyptians. With his knowledge and technology he discovered that he could sustain a human body indefinitely. Ra took a young human as a host and became ruler of the people. Ra (and other Goa'uld) transplanted many thousands of humans to other worlds, using an interstellar transportation device called a Stargate. Some of those taken were used as Goa'uld hosts; others were modified to become Jaffa, and the rest were made into slaves. Eventually, the people of Earth rose up in rebellion and forced the Goa'uld from Earth. ["Stargate"] Through the second gate (in Antarctica), the Goa'uld continued to take the ancient cultures of Earth throughout the galaxy, since the one in Egypt was buried to prevent the return of the Goa'uld and the position of the Antarctic Gate prohibited large-scale Goa'uld intervention. ["Solitudes" (Stargate SG-1)]
The Tau'ri rediscovered the Stargate in 1928 [, and the truth about sixty years later: the galaxy is populated with the ancient peoples of Earth, and the Tau'ri were their only hope of eventual freedom from the Goa'uld. The U.S. commissioned nine teams (With twelve more in later episodes) to go offworld to assess threats to Earth, open negotiations with other civilizations, and procure technology to protect Earth. The first mission was headed by SG-1 and SG-2 who went to Chulak. However, SG-1 got captured, but was later freed by Teal'c, First Prime of Apophis, who joined the team. ]["Politics" (Stargate SG-1)] SG-1 however disobeyed orders and went through the gate to the co-ordinates Daniel found in an alternate reality. With the help of Bra'tac, Teal'c's teacher, they destroyed Apophis' two motherships. ["The Serpent's Lair" (Stargate SG-1)] The Tau'ri later came in contact with Asgard, who however at the time believed they were too young of a race to ally with. ["The Fifth Race" (Stargate SG-1)] Then they met the Tok'ra, a race of Goa'uld who are opposed to the System Lords' enslavement of the galaxy. They eventually formed an alliance and fought against the System Lords. ["The Tok'ra" (Stargate SG-1)]
SG-1 encountered the Replicators in 2000, small robotic insectoid race impervious to most weapons, however vulnerable to projectile weapons. Using Naquadah-enhanced bombs, they eventually blew up the visiting Asgard ship previously commanded by Thor, that was infested with Replicators. ["Nemesis" (Stargate SG-1)] This was the first of many victories over the Replicators, until they were eventually defeated by the Tau'ri. ["Reckoning" (Stargate SG-1)]
After eight long years of fighting against the Goa'uld, the Tau'ri were eventually able to defeat the System Lords, along with the Replicators, aided by the Jaffa Resistance, the Tok'ra and the Asgard, and using the Ancients' Dakara Superweapon.
After the defeat of the Goa'uld, Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran eventually contacted the technologically superior Ori and alerted them to the human presence in the Milky Way. The Tau'ri subsequently were forced to battle against the Ori and their servants, the Priors, looking for a weapon to effectively fight them. ["Origin" (Stargate SG-1)]
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Relationships with other cultures
The Tau'ri had a strong alliance with the Jaffa Rebellion, after effectively being responsible for its creation, beginning with Teal'c's defection. ["Babylon" (Stargate SG-1)], continued by smaller rebellions such as the battle of Tazek'sur on Chulak where several Jaffa, including Gerak's father, died for their eventual freedom. ["The Fourth Horseman" (Stargate SG-1)] Nevertheless, the Tau'ri are largely responsible for the eventual formation of the modern Free Jaffa Nation. ["The Changeling" (Stargate SG-1)]
The relationship between the Tau'ri and the new Free Jaffa Nation however has been more difficult. Many Jaffa continue to view the Tau'ri with a certain amount of mistrust, ["Counterstrike" (Stargate SG-1)]
In 1998, the Tau'ri made contact with rebel Goa'uld known as the Tok'ra, whose goal it was to overthrow the System Lords. The Tau'ri and the Tok'ra eventually signed a treaty, and they have been valuable allies ever since. ["Camelot" (Stargate SG-1)]
The Tau'ri also had strong ties with the Tollan before the destruction of their society by the Goa'uld Anubis. ["Between Two Fires" (Stargate SG-1)]
The Asgard once described the Tau'ri as being well on their way to becoming the "fifth race", a reference to the alliance of Four Great Races of which both the Asgard and Ancients were members. Although the Asgard originally were hesitant to form an alliance with the Tau'ri, as the difference in level of technology was at the time too great ["Small Victories" (Stargate SG-1)] In return, the Asgard have become one of Earth's most powerful friends, and have shared many technologies, most notably Asgard hyperspace technology. ["The Siege, Part III" (Stargate Atlantis)]
In 2002, it was discovered that Earth was also the homeworld of the Ancients after they left their own galaxy for the Milky Way. The Ancients, the most advanced civilization to ever live within the Milky Way, were the original constructors of the Stargates and continue to affect the societies of the galaxy. Although not necessarily direct ancestors of the Tau'ri, the Ancients consider human beings in general and the Tau'ri in particular to be the "second evolution" of their species. ["Frozen" (Stargate SG-1)] Some Tau'ri possess genetic markers (called the ATA gene) unique to the Ancients that allow them to use Ancient technology, possibly as a result of interbreeding with a group of Ancients that returned to Earth ten thousand years ago from their city of Atlantis.
In 2004, the arrival of SG-1 in the Rand Protectorate through the Rand Stargate provoked war between the Rand and their neighbours, the Caledonian Federation eventually resulting in all out nuclear war between the two powers, and allowing the religious zealot Soren to take power. The Tau'ri promised to provide assistance in rebuilding Rand after helping remove Soren from power. ("Icon")
However, in 2005 the Rand fell to the Ori in exchange for technology capable of defeating their enemies. This allowed them to construct an orbital weapons platform using Ori technology with the intention of using it against the Caledonians. The Tau'ri attempted to intervene, but the Rand turned the weapon against the Prometheus, destroying the ship. Daniel Jackson was able to negotiate a temporary peace where the Rand would give the Stargate to the Caledonians and allow any Caledonian who refused to believe in Origin to leave the planet. However, shortly after the Prometheus' crew returned to Earth, the peace negotiations broke down and contact was lost. ("Ethon")
In 2006, the Lucian Alliance, a highly organised group of drug dealing criminals that had stepped in to fill the power vacuum left by the Goa'uld, made a failed attempt to capture the Battlecruiser Odyssey, resulting in the death of its commander Colonel Paul Emerson. As a result, the Tau'ri have declared war on the Alliance, something the Alliance was seeking to avoid. The leader of the Alliance, Netan had sent a lieutenant Avateo on what he had hoped would be a fools errand, believing that the Tau'ri were too strong for the plan to succeed. This backfired on Netan as Avateo almost succeeded in taking the ship. ("Company of Thieves")
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Public knowledge of the SGC
Throughout the series, all attempts have been made to ensure that the public is completely oblivious to the facts about the Stargate, owing to the mass panic that would in all likelihood ensue. The SGC has been remarkably successful at this, even when Earth was under direct attack by Anubis and when a skyscraper disappeared in downtown Seattle with no apparent explosion. Nevertheless, conspiracy theorists, especially those with business ties to the U.S. Air Force like Alec Colson, have continued to insist that some kind of extraterrestrial activity is going on at the highest levels of the military. However, there are a very few select civilians who are aware of the SGC's existence, such as Martin Lloyd and a Joe Spencer and his wife.
In the year 2010 of an alternate timeline in which the Goa'uld had been defeated by an alliance between the Tau'ri and the Aschen, the entire Earth knew about the Stargate, and appeared to treat it in much the same way as air travel.
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Political climate
The United States, by virtue of its control of the Stargate, was largely responsible for Earth's interstellar policy. However, more nations have gradually come to take part in its use. After an Asgard ship crashed into international waters ["Watergate" (Stargate SG-1)] After System Lord Anubis became an increasing threat and his planned attack on Earth seemed to be coming in the immediate future, the United States and Russia informed the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council; the United Kingdom, France, and the People's Republic of China. This was done in the hopes of pooling their combined military resources to defend Earth against Anubis' fleet. ["Disclosure" (Stargate SG-1)]
As a consequence of this, the eventual arrival of Anubis' fleet prompted the US President to inform these 5 nations, as well as long-time ally Canada, about Stargate Command's fleet engagement plans.
The three main branches of Earth's involvement with alien technology include:
Oversight of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica
The efforts of the United States in these three branches are coordinated by the Department of Homeworld Security. ["New Order" (Stargate SG-1)]
Many of the nations that are now aware of the existence of the Stargate still don't agree on many issues regarding interstellar and domestic policy. From the onset, China has expressed its distaste at not informing the public about the Stargate's existence; however, they have deferred to the United States, as they have seen that this could create mass panic. ["Icon" (Stargate SG-1)] ["Ethon" (Stargate SG-1)]
Russian officials have intimated in private that one of their major motivations in supporting the United States' control of access of advanced alien technologies is that they want the USA to be the one that spends billions of dollars and risks a great deal developing prototype technologies, such as for the BC-303's, and that once they are perfected the Russians plan on building their own BC-303's, for half the cost and no risk. ["Crusade" (Stargate SG-1)]
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Technology
The Tau'ri have developed many technologies based on what SG teams have brought back from trips to other planets via the use of the Stargate on Earth. Whilst Earth's level of technology prior even to Stargate travel far supersedes the level found on most planets throughout the galaxy (and indeed others), Earth's technology still remains crude compared to the larger races that they do not surpass.
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Military Strength
Earth has several offworld teams, mostly under the control of the SGC, who are to open negotiations with other planets and procure advanced technology that can defend Earth. ["Redemption" (Stargate SG-1)] A few offworld bases have a number of military personnel to operate the bases. ["The Scourge" (Stargate SG-1)]
Earth also operates a modest fleet of starships, consisting of the Daedalus, the Odyssey, the Korolev (destroyed) and the Apollo (under contruction).
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The Atlantis Project
The Atlantis Project, also called the Atlantis Expedition, is Earth's international mission to the Ancient city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. The impetus for the creation of the expedition was the discovery of the Ancient outpost in Antarctica.
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Leaders of the Expedition
Any expedition requires leadership. Unlike Stargate Command, which is a command of the United States Air Force, the Atlantis Expedition has a civilian head. However, two military officers figure prominently in the affairs of Atlantis.
replaced Colonel Sumner as Chief Military Officer after he was killed in action.
For more information see Tau'ri personnel of Atlantis
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The International Oversight Advisory
The committee created to oversee the Atlantis Project has gone beyond its original purpose and has actively affected other areas of Earth's offworld affairs as the International Oversight Advisory, or I.O.A. Its core is composed of representatives the Big Five: the United States, represented by Richard Woolsey; the United Kingdom, represented by Russel Chapman; France, represented by Jean LaPierre; Russia, represented (it is assumed) by Col. Chekov, the Russian military liaison to Stargate Command (now deceased); and the People's Republic of China, represented by a woman by the name of Dr. Chen Xiaoyi.
The I.O.A. recently agreed to provide Stargate Command with funds which General Hank Landry and Daniel Jackson stated was necessary for the SGC to remain important; since Congress would not appropriate these funds, the committee agreed to on the condition that a civilian watchdog would be permitted to watch over SGC affairs. That watchdog is generally accepted to be Richard Woolsey, the United States representative.
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See also
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