Tok'ra
From Stargate Wiki
| Tok'ra | |
|---|---|
 A Tok'ra symbiote  Garshaw, a host
| |
| Societal information | |
| Species | |
| Distinctions |
Serpentine shape, genetic memory, long life |
| Language | |
| Form of government | |
| Alliances | |
| Status |
Alive |
| Out of universe information | |
| First appearance | |
- "Basically, they're an offshoot of the Goa'uld who oppose them philosophically in every way."
- — Samantha Carter
The Tok'ra are a race of symbiotes who philosophically opposed the Goa'uld.
Contents |
Overview
Physiology
The Tok'ra have a physiology very similar to the Goa'uld, sharing the same shape, abilities and physical need of their brethren. Tok'ra do not use the sarcophagus as the Goa'uld do or forcibly take hosts so they are unable to reach the same ages of some of the older Goa'uld. Like the Goa'uld they also release Naquadah into the bloodsteam of their hosts which allow them to use specific technology. Tok'ra are also asexual and the only means of reproduction lie with the specific subset in their species, the Goa'uld queen, of which there has only been one - Egeria. (SG1: "In the Line of Duty", "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "Need", "Thor's Chariot", "Crossroads", "Cure")
Culture
The majority of the Tok'ra culture revolved around bringing an end to the Goa'uld. There appeared to have very little leisure or pleasure technologies, no apparent forms of art and very few personal effects. Unlike the Goa'uld, the Tok'ra hold the belief that they should not force themselves onto others or use others against their wills, as hosts or as slaves, finding the idea quite sickening. (SG1: "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "The Tok'ra, Part 2", "Abyss")
Social Structure
The Tok'ra have a very small structure among their society. The highest echelon is the Tok'ra High Council, who decide on all matters of their civilization, sending spies and operatives out to infiltrate the System Lords, gather intelligence and, on occasion, assassinate. Some members of the High Council themselves were involved in these activities, but to a lesser degree. The next ranks are the operatives, scientists and guards, who carry out the orders of the High Council and protect the bases. (SG1: "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "Tangent", "Summit")
Technology
Tok'ra technology makes use of some of the Goa'uld technology, but have created their own unique technologies to suit their goals of espionage, intelligence gathering, subterfuge and infiltration such as the memory recall device, subspace receiver, tunnel crystals and a radioactive isotope. They have also developed some offensive technologies such as the symbiote poison. Some of their technology requires Naquadah in their blood to operate, but it appears that most of the technology that they developed does not require it. (SG1: "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "The Tok'ra, Part 2", "Jolinar's Memories", "Reckoning, Part 1", "Summit", "Fallen")
History
Beginnings
Around 2,000 years ago, the Goa'uld Egeria began to feel that the Goa'uld dominance over other beings and their forced taking of hosts was wrong, so she sired a group of symbiotes, withholding some parts of her genetic memory in order to remove the inherited aggressive behavior. The Tok'ra spread out before the System Lords were able to discover what she had done, but she was captured, removed from her host and imprisoned. The Tok'ra began to infiltrate the operations of the Goa'uld and gather intelligence on fleet and troop movements throughout the galaxy. The Tok'ra Jolinar amassed an army to overthrow the System Lords but was defeated when Apophis joined the fight against her. Jolinar was able to escape as her armies were being slaughtered and became one of the most wanted and hated of the Tok'ra. (SG1: "Crossroads", "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "Cure", "In the Line of Duty", "The Tok'ra, Part 1")
Alliance
The Tok'ra Jolinar was being tracked by an Ashrak and made first contact with the Tau'ri, taking Samantha Carter as a host. Some time later the Tau'ri tracked down the Tok'ra hoping to make an alliance with them, however the Tok'ra believed they were offering themselves as hosts. Jacob Carter, who was dying from cancer, was allowed to go to their planet and become host to create a kind of ambassador from Earth. They offered help when it was dscovered that the Reetou rebels were planning to attack Earth and passed on some intel that SG-1 were being held by Hathor. (SG1: "In the Line of Duty", "The Tok'ra, Part 1", "The Tok'ra, Part 2", "Show and Tell", "Into the Fire")
The Tok'ra enlisted help from the Tau'ri in tracking down the Goa'uld Seth who was hiding on Earth. Some time later Sokar discovered that a Tok'ra was in his midst and the Tok'ra had to escape. Selmak, the Tok'ra inside Jacob Carter was on a mission to gather intelligence on Sokar's fleet and was captured, a rescue mission was undertaken by SG-1 and Martouf and the Tok'ra High Council authorized the use of a weapon to take out Sokar and stop him from gaining control. The Tollan contacted the Tok'ra for help in removing the Goa'uld Skaara from Klorel and later enlisted SG-1's help in testing devices to augment their strength and speed. (SG1: "Seth", "Deadman Switch", "Jolinar's Memories", "The Devil You Know", "Pretense", "Upgrades")
The Tok'ra were also contacted when Stargate Command discovered that the Jaffa Shan'auc had communicated with her symbiote and convinced it that the Goa'uld were evil. This Goa'uld, Tanith, deceived the Tok'ra into believing that he was one of them, but was found out and used to send misinformation back to the Goa'uld. The Tok'ra later signed a treaty with the Tau'ri. The Tok'ra learned that Apophis was meeting with Heru'ur to discuss an alliance, and SG-1 and Jacob Carter reprogrammed a space mine to attack Apophis' ship to make him think that Heru'ur was attacking him and end the alliance. The Tok'ra Aldwin examined Shifu in an attempt to discover if her was a Harsesis. (SG1: "Crossroads", "Divide and Conquer", "The Serpent's Venom", "Absolute Power")
When SG-1 captured Cronus' Ha'tak, they allowed the Tok'ra to use it to move to a new world that was previously Off the grid, but when Tanith was told that the Tok'ra knew that he was Goa'uld, he contacted Apophis who came to Vorash. The Tok'ra took the opportunity to cause the star to go supernova and destroy Apophis and his fleet. Later the Tok'ra discovered that the System Lords were meeting and enlisted Daniel Jackson to go undercover and release symbiote poison and take them all out at once, but the plan was called off when Anubis was revealed to have created a powerful army. Many Tok'ra died in an attack on Revanna, severely diminishing their numbers. (SG1: "Exodus", "Enemies", "Summit", "Last Stand")
The Tok'ra would help out the Tau'ri when contacted, sending a ship to retrieve SG-1 from an asteroid, coming to attempt to heal Dr. Jackson and offering for Jack O'Neill to become a host to Kanan to save his life. Anubis began to attack the Tok'ra, removing some operatives from his ranks and destroying one of their bases and sending an Ashrak to kill them. The Tok'ra were called in to examine a Goa'uld queen who was being used to create Tretonin, when it was discovered that the queen was Egeria and they demanded that she be released. Kelmaa gave her life and her host to Egeria who communicated how to undo the damage that Tretonin had been doing. (SG1: "Fail Safe", "Meridian", "Descent", "Frozen", "Abyss", "The Other Guys", "Allegiance", "Cure")
The Tok'ra gathered some intelligence on Anubis' Flagship and passed it on to the Tau'ri. Selmak came to Earth to examine a super soldier that Anubis had created and later went undercover to the planet where these soldiers were being created and gathered more intelligence on how they were created. After an attack on the Alpha Site killed more Tok'ra, the alliance was disbanded and the Tok'ra left the Beta Site for another world. Selmak later stole a subspace receiver and took it to Earth to allow the Tau'ri to track Goa'uld movements as they battled with the
Replicators. Some time later the Tok'ra aided in the extraction of a Ba'al clone from Adria. (SG1: "Fallen", "Evolution, Part 1", "Evolution, Part 2", "Death Knell", "Reckoning, Part 1", "Reckoning, Part 2", "Dominion")
Freedom
The Tok'ra set up a city on a planet above the ground. The final Ba'al clone was brought here to be removed from his host, watched by some of the Tok'ra, SG-1 and General O'Neill. (Stargate: Continuum)
Known Tok'ra
Alternate Timelines
- In an alternate timeline in the year 2010 where Earth was part of the Aschen Confederation, the Tok'ra had almost completely disappeared and Earth had no contact with them or knew exactly where any survivors were. The Tok'ra were most likely killed from the Aschen bio-weapons that targeted the Goa'uld. (SG1: "2010")
