Olesia
From Stargate Wiki
| Olesia | |
|---|---|
| Astrographical information | |
| Galaxy | |
| Atmosphere |
Habitable |
| Societal information | |
| Race | |
| Technological period |
Industrialized |
| Earth interest |
Potential trade |
| Under control of | |
| Out of universe information | |
| Appearances | |
Olesia was a world in the Pegasus galaxy populated by humans for centuries up until the early 21st century. They are particularly notable as one of the few human civilizations in Pegasus to reach an advanced stage of industrialization, due to their leaders' Faustian arrangement with the Wraith.
Contents |
History
An arrangement
Centuries ago, the leaders of Olesia came to a creative but morally questionable decision which would both combat violent crime and spare their population from being culled by the Wraith. With the agreement of one particular Wraith, the Olesians made arrangements so that their society's most violent and dangerous criminals would be exiled to an island with the planet's Stargate on it. The arrangement seems to have initially been beneficial to both parties; the Olesians were able to live in peace and prosperity, while the Wraith were both supplied with a ready food source and assured that a more advanced group of humans would not be able to leave their world. (ATL: "Condemned")
Eventually the agreement proved particularly troublesome for the Olesian civilization. The possibility of being condemned to be food for the Wraith turned out to be a much more effective crime deterrent than the Olesian leaders expected, and the crime rate fell dramatically. Faced with the very real possibility of a Wraith attack, the requirement of a crime's severity in order to be exiled was lowered until even the simplest of crimes resulted in exile to the island and certain death. In some cases, there was even evidence to suggest that people innocent of any crime were sentenced to exile. (ATL: "Condemned")
Downfall
In 2005, humans from the Atlantis expedition discovered the Olesian civilization when exploring. Initial arrangements between the Olesian government and Lt. Col. John Sheppard were made when the locals revealed they had been experimenting with a fissionable non-radiactive element derived from an ore native to the planet, piquing the scientific interest of Dr. Rodney McKay. The group boarded their Puddle Jumper to return to Atlantis, to have Dr. Elizabeth Weir continue the negotiations, when they were shot down by the primitive weapons designed by the island's prisoners. (ATL: "Condemned")
While the Atlantis team was held captive by the prisoners, Weir arrived on her own Jumper to begin initial discussions for making a trade agreement between the two parties. Unbeknownst to her or her party, a Dart carrying the Wraith benefactor of the Olesian agreement came through the Stargate while they were visiting, and headed to the Olesian city. Meanwhile, McKay desperately struggled to repair their downed Jumper at prisoner gunpoint. (ATL: "Condemned")
Back in the city, Weir terminated negotiations when she realized the true depths of the Olesian political corruption with regards to prison sentencing. On her way back to the Stargate, her group was forced to cloak their Jumper when a Wraith Cruiser descended over the island prison. Making a quick moral decision, Weir agreed to dial the Stargate to one of their potential alpha sites and allow the Olesian prisoners to evacuate there. (ATL: "Condemned")
With no human prisoners remaining on the island to feed on, the Wraith Cruisers altered course and descended on the Olesian city. (ATL: "Condemned")
Technology
Civilization
The Olesian civilization existed in a state of industrialization comparable to or slightly more advanced than 21-century Earth. The architecture of their civilization indicated an advanced knowledge of construction technique, tempered by an eye to aesthetics. In terms of military technology, the Olesians possessed technology more advanced than many of their Pegasus contemporaries, owning airships which were used to police the island prison. (ATL: "Condemned")
Prisoners
The Olesian prison population, contrarily, was considerably more primitive. Without the benefits of industrialization or trade with the mainland, the prisoners relied on many hand-fashioned weapons and tools, such as bows, crossbows, and primitive telescopes. The height of their achievement appears to have been crude cannons, which launched fused shots that could explode in mid-air, capable of shooting down aircraft. (ATL: "Condemned")