Ori (Stargate)

The Ori are fictional characters in the science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1''. They are a group of "ascended" beings who use their advanced technology and knowledge of the universe in attempt to trick non-ascended humans into worshipping them as gods.

They first appeared in the ninth season of ''Stargate SG-1'', replacing the Goa'uld as the show's primary antagonists. While the Goa'uld relied solely on stolen technology from other civilizations to pose as gods, the Ori also have paranormal abilities in addition to very advanced technology. As Ascended beings, they live on a higher plane of existence with great power and knowledge and are as close to being "gods" as any non-deific being can be."Origin" (''Stargate SG-1'')
The Ori fabricated a religion called Origin, which they use in an attempt to control non-ascended beings. The Ori are also trying to destroy any planets and civilizations that reject the adoption of their religion, Origin.

Concept and creation

Genesis

Since the eighth season of ''Stargate SG-1'' was intended to be the last, the producers finished it with the defeat of the Goa'uld and Replicators. When the Sci Fi Channel renewed the series, however, the producers had grown creatively tired of writing endings. Having had good experiences with the first season of ''Stargate Atlantis'', the producers hence decided to revamp the series in more fronts than just adding new characters by introducing new villains and new missions. Thus they considered the beginning of Season 9 as the pilot of a new show.

Season Nine was about wiping the slate clean and resetting the story to where ''Stargate SG-1'' was in its first season.The reason was that the SG-1 team was now winning every time, having already defeated the main enemies the previous season.Since ''SG-1'' had always been grounded in Earth mythology, the producers chose the King Arthur mythology for the new season as that had not been done before. Merlin as a famous magical figure was made an Ancient, leading to the Ancients' enemies named the Ori. The Ori are thus "a natural extension of where the Ancient mythology had gone." Up until that point, the story of the Ancients had been kept at arm's length because the show was not about the aliens but "human beings going out into this unexplored, fantastical universe." The producers also acknowledged that a premature full revelation of the Ancients would have caused their story to be less interesting.

Producer Brad Wright believed the Ori are still within the overriding theme of Stargate, as they are "aliens playing gods" and "false gods" and the relationship between aliens as gods and ordinary human folk. The introduction of the Ori was to prepare the viewer for their invasion and overtaking that would take place later.The Ori also served as a challenge for the new heroes in the SG-1 team (Mitchell, Landry, Vala).The writers believed that new bad guys and new obstacles for the characters to overcome would make for a more interesting story.

The name "Ori" comes from the word "Origin", as in the origin of the Ancients. When executive producer Robert C. Cooper looked at the root of "origin", he retcon-invented the word "Origin" as the name of the Ori religion. Cooper said it was an interesting idea for him to address the philosophical arguments with various religious people, seeing the whole challenge as "how do you prove whose God exists or whether God exists at all?" Instead of the Goa'uld, who were proved quickly to not be gods by killing them and figuring out their technology, it would be hard to present the same argument to the Ori followers because the Ori were essentially ascended gods. Even if their gods were dead, it would not make much difference to them, as their followers would continue to believe; without the "magic powers" of the Ori, their followers and the Priors (the Ori's missionaries) could still use the technology and their ships. Cooper said that "it's not necessarily wrong to believe in something ... what's wrong is to murder somebody because they don't believe the way you do." Although Cooper was reluctant to get too serious about the meaning behind the Ori as ''Stargate'' should "first and foremost ..entertain people", he considered it representative of television and the media, "mak ngpeople believe whatever the people in charge of that magic box – whatever they want you to believe they can pretty much convince you, or convince the vast majority of people." For Cooper, "the followers of the Ori were the interesting part", and he "wanted to do a story that was in some way reflective of the differences between people's beliefs that we see around us in our society, and how conflicts arise as a result of that." Cooper was particularly interested in the interaction between Ori followers and other normal human beings, the resulting "mysterious aspect and quality to religious belief and the passion that it invokes." The producers therefore put the Ori in the story background, similar to the way there was very little direct interaction between the actual deities of the religion and mankind in real life.

Cooper was concerned that the distinction between the Ori and the Ori's followers was often overlooked, and that the SG-1 team dealt with the followers, not the ascended gods. If, as "The Shroud" suggested, the Ori were actually destroyed by the Merlin's Ancient weapon, the real issue for the SG-1 teams became the followers. Brad Wright pointed to power corruption, and the catch of the Ori killing unbelievers.

Story ideas

In the original pitch for "Beachhead", Brad Wright had intended to let Ori build the Supergate and come through. It was then decided among the writers to only let the threat of the Ori come through the Priors, and wait for the Ori arrival until the end of the season.

The last ten minutes of "Camelot" should serve as a "great, ominous harbinger of the foe" SG-1 is up against.In Season 10, the Ori sweep through the Milky Way galaxy, forcing SG-1 to start from scratch again to find technology, resources, and allies to fight against them.

If ''Stargate SG-1'' had gone on, the producers would have considered the search for the Ark (of '' Stargate: The Ark of Truth'') as the overriding story for an eleventh season, similar to the Sangraal in seasons nine and ten. The producers did not explore more detailed ideas after the show's cancellation.

Design

Art director James Robbins developed the design of the Ori and the Priors from scratch. At the beginning, he knew a basic description of them and their powers, and that they would carry a staff weapon. The art department first looked at Japanese and Samurai from a costuming point of view. Inspired by remote jungle tribes for the mystical aspects, Robbins came up with the idea of scarification for the Priors and the Doci. The Priors have scarifications on the chin and the cheek, while the Doci also have them on their forehead. Scarification would therefore be a symbol of high establishment. Originally, it was also considered to have scarification on the hands, and to have the Priors have finger extensions, but this became impracticable. When the Prime Jaffa Gerak became a Prior in " The Fourth Horseman", his golden Jaffa tattoo on his forehead was replaced with a Prior scarification, and his makeup was made to look like the gold had melted and become part of his Prior scarification.

Each Prior was given his own unique symbol, which he would wear on his wardrobe and also on his staff weapon. The art department built each staff to have a little orb encased in natural wood, and the orbs start to glow when the actor pushes a little button on the handle.

Music

Composer Joel Goldsmith's inspiration for the Ori themes were the "certain parallels to what's happening today, in modern day". He admits that the music of the Ori was intentionally given a gothic, Gregorian and Christian feel. He tried to meld a few different styles.

Mythology of the Ori and the Ancients

The Ori backstory is elaborate and is explained over Season 9 and 10 and the film '' Stargate: The Ark of Truth''. Robert C. Cooper considered the backstory "pretty complicated" but felt the show gave the answers to the audience members who wanted to delve deeper.

Part of this story returns to the Ancients, whose backstory began in the Season 1 episode "The Torment of Tantalus". Early in Season 9, Brad Wright explained that the Ori are the original Ancients, who would disagree with the Alterans (later to relocate and be known as the Ancients of the Milky Way galaxy) that they shouldn't interfere because interference would mean playing god, which these beings hadn't quite achieved.

The Ori and the Alterans were one race millions of years ago and lived in a single society on an evolutionary path to ascension. ''The Ark of Truth'' shows flashbacks to human Ancients coexisting with the people who eventually became the Ori. However, a philosophical division emerged. The Ori grew more and more fervent in their religious belief, while the Alterans adopted a more scientific/rational outlook to become a more progressive society. The Ancients were well known for their fierce belief in free will" Threads" (''Stargate SG-1'') and had a code to be "fairly non-violent". As such, they do not interfere on lower planes of existence at all, not even to save their own kind from being exterminated by the Ori,"The Pegasus Project" (''Stargate SG-1'') or to prevent all life in the Milky Way galaxy from being exterminated by Anubis. In contrast, the Ori constantly interfere. For example, Origin states that failure to share the secrets of the universe with those on the lower planes of existence is an evil act and that anyone not following it must be eliminated; by this definition, every ascended Ancient was evil and must be destroyed. They also have no rules against taking direct control of living beings or completely changing the living beings to behave as the Ori desire. With the Ori outnumbering the Alterans, their viewpoints ultimately diverged so much that the two groups split apart and began to actively oppose each other, with the Ori attempting to kill the Alterans.

Their fundamentally different beliefs in regards to science led the Alterans to hide their level of scientific belief so that they would not get into a conflict. Eventually, the Ancients decided to build a spaceship and leave rather than to use their technology, like the Ark of Truth, to defeat the Ori. Though they had the ability to stop the Ori, they thought it to be philosophically and morally wrong. The film thus addresses the non-interference policy of the Ancients under the Ori threat, and how they act millions of years later, when SG-1 succeeds in killing the Ori.

After much time, believed by Daniel Jackson to be thousands of years, the Alterans discovered the Milky Way, where they eventually seeded life and built their empire. However, even after the Ori had forced the Alterans to leave their galaxy, the two factions remained bitter enemies. Eventually, the Alterans were afflicted with a terrible plague that wiped out most of their civilization and forced them to relocate again." Window of Opportunity" (''Stargate SG-1'') It would later be discovered that what was known of this plague is very similar to the disease used by Ori Priors against non-believers, which had led Daniel Jackson to speculate that the pre-Ascended Ori might have been responsible for this plague." The Powers That Be" (''Stargate SG-1'')

After millions of years, both the Alterans and the Ori learned how to ascend and evolved, forming two groups that continued to oppose each other, even at the higher planes of existence. According to the Orici Adria, the Ori-Ancient war on the Ascended plane is due to the Ancients' intolerance for those who do not comply with their rules about non-interference."The Shroud" (''Stargate SG-1'') According to Orlin, a de-ascended Ancient, the conflict arises from the Ori's ultimate wish to destroy the Ancients once and for all as they seek to eliminate all who oppose them." The Fourth Horseman" (''Stargate SG-1'')
* Orlin: "He just told you why the Ori are on their way to this Galaxy... they're coming to destroy the Ancients."
* Orlin: "A long time ago, the Ori and the Alterans were one society...human on an evolutionary path to ascension... but a philosophical division grew...the Ori grew more and more fervent in their religious belief. The Alterrans, for lack of a better way of putting it, believed in science... The Ori tried to wipe them out." / Daniel: "So, instead of going to war, the Alterans built a ship, left their galaxy, and came here. We know that both the Alterrans and the Ori eventually ascended and that the Ori passed on their religion called "Origin" to the next evolution of humans they created." / Orlin: "Yes, but the central promise of the religion... everything the Origins follow... devote themselves to... is a lie."
* Carter: "Are you saying there's a real physical transfer of energy to the Ori that occurs simply through a human being's belief in them?" / Orlin: " ..for it to have a measurable effect, it requires massive numbers of humans relinquishing their will... nevertheless, it is one of the main reasons the Ancients have so strongly believed in strict non-interference in the lower planes. ..The Ori empower themselves by sapping the life force of those willing to surrender themselves to them."

When the Ori ascended, they re-created humanity (the second generation of humans) to worship them in the Ori galaxy, and gave their followers the knowledge and technology to essentially enslave others and to force them to believe as the Ori desired. The Ancients shielded the humans in the Milky Way, preventing the Ori from finding out about them and enslaving the people to "Origin", as they had in their own galaxy. The Ancients do not view this action as a violation of their non-interference policies, as the Ori are at a level equal to themselves. However, as the Ancients will not interfere in the lower planes of existence, the Ori are allowed to send their human followers to the Milky Way in order to convert it, and anyone who wishes to worship the Ori will not be prevented from doing so.

According to Orlin, ascended beings can be empowered by massive numbers of humans worshipping them. The Ori fabricated an entire "Origin" religion, based on the false promise of ascension in order to take power from their human followers. The Ancients refrain from interfering in the lower planes of existence because manipulating and aligning lower life forms could result in exactly this type of corruption. According to the Ancient Myrddin, the Ori had the best intentions when they began. Even after the Ori were destroyed, their followers and Priors continued acting in their name to oppress thousands of people since, for the most part, they were ignorant to the demise of their "Gods".

Characteristics

The Ori impose a religion called Origin on sentient beings, promising a guide towards enlightenment that is also known in the series as Ascension. The faith comes with a holy book called The Book of Origin, and the Priors spread the Word of Origin. ''The Book of Origin'' contains tales of how the followers of the Ori returned to the path to enlightenment, and thus achieved Ascension, although some skeptics consider these merely "fables meant to fill a soul bereft of hope with purpose". Several lines from the ''Book of Origin'', or otherwise repeated mantras, are heard on the show. These include variations of "Hallowed are the Ori". The central icon of this religion is fire, something that gives off light and warmth. The fact that on Earth this icon has some evil or Satanic associations in many modern religions prompted Daniel to posit that the Ancients had influenced this negative connotation in order to identify the threat the Ori pose. Among the populations of natives in the Ori home galaxy are groups of heretics who believe they are being suppressed, and seek to discover forbidden historical knowledge to show others that the Ori, despite their power, are not gods.

Ori military tactics varied during the initial incursions into the Milky Way galaxy and the full-scale invasion that was later achieved through the Supergate. The initial incursions were achieved through lone Priors who were sent to worlds in the Milky Way galaxy, preaching to the populace and distributing copies of the Book of Origin. When the people failed to comply, more drastic measures were taken, eventually to the point of destroying the population. The show features powerful Ori weapons in " Ethon", ships in "Camelot", control chairs like that in " Counterstrike" and Supergates in "Beachhead". The Ori can be killed by Merlin's Sangraal weapon, which nullifies ascended beings. As seen in ''The Ark of Truth'', there is also an Ark that Cooper considered "a truly fascinating centerpiece" and "mass brain-washing device" which causes people to see the truth in any given situation. Comparing the Ark to television as it is "a box that light comes out of, and you believe what it says", Cooper left it open whether the choice to do it without guns was ultimately the better method.

Characters

Doci

The Doci (Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), played by Julian Sands, represents the Ori in their home galaxy and leads the Priors. He appears in "Origin", " The Fourth Horseman, Part 1" and '' Stargate: The Ark of Truth''. The Doci is essentially a chief Prior who acts as a mediator or mouthpiece for the Ori. The Doci has brown hair and colored eyes, pale skin and facial markings of a Prior. The Doci was introduced in "Origin", where he was shown to reside in the city of Celestis, with his chambers next to the Ori's ''Flames of Enlightenment''. In one instance, the Ori possessed the Doci to speak to Daniel. Had Julian Sands not been able to come back as the Doci for the direct-to-DVD film ''The Ark of Truth'', the producers had planned to hire another actor as a different Doci in charge in Celestis. Although Sands' availability eventually was a hindrance in ''The Ark of Truth'', the producers felt it was better to include the Doci than to forgo the character.

Priors

The Ori are served by so-called Priors, highly evolved human beings who act as missionaries of the Oriby traveling to different planets to spread the religion of Origin. As the Ori are incapable of directly affecting the material universe in the Milky Way Galaxy due to the protection of the ascended Ancients, they send the Priors as their representatives to circumvent this rule. Cooper said the Priors have "these incredible, superhuman powers", which allows them to perform deeds which they convince people are miracles, attack enemies, and resurrect the dead. They also unleash plagues as punishment for not following the Ori. The Priors believe fervently in their mission, and essentially offer a real religion with big promises. Priors have been encountered on various worlds, trying to convert the local population and fight anyone who tried to stop them, including the Tau'ri and the Jaffa.

As shown in the series, priors are normal humans whom the Ori transform into an evolved state of human to serve as missionaries as a reward for loyalty and devoted service. This process drastically alters their appearance: albino skin and hair, a tracery of raised lines on the chin and cheeks, and indentation of the skull just above and behind the eyes. Their eyes appear as a misty gray pupil without an iris. In " The Fourth Horseman" and The Ark of Truth, SG-1 was able to temporarily disable a Prior's abilities by using ultrasonic sounds to deny Priors access to the advanced areas of their brains.

* Damaris (played by William B. Davis) A Prior who makes contact with the Sodan in "Babylon". SG-1 challenges him in " The Fourth Horseman", where Damaris is killed in self-defense.
* Daniel Jackson (played by Michael Shanks) Is turned into a Prior by Adria in "The Shroud", as part of her plan to convert the Tau'ri to the path of Origin. However, because Merlin had previously downloaded his memories into him, Daniel is able to maintain his own personality and, after exploiting his Prior powers to finish constructing and activating the Sangraal, reverts to his normal form.
* Gerak (played by Louis Gossett Jr.) A Jaffa introduced in "Origin" who, after becoming interested in the promised path of ascension, turns into a Prior in " The Fourth Horseman" and dies in the same episode after turning against Origin. Daniel Jackson speculated that the Ori had included a kill switch when they transformed him into a Prior, to prevent disloyalty.
* Prior #1 (played by Mark Houghton) Visits the village of Ver Eger and revives Vala after her Trial of Fire in "Avalon". He then brings Vala and Daniel to the Doci in the city of Celestis and back to the village to find more heretics in "Origin".
* Prior #2 (played by Larry Cedar) The first Prior to be sent to the Milky Way after the Ori learned of the existence of humans in this galaxy. Cameron Mitchell brings him to Stargate Command in "Origin", where the prior eventually bursts into flames after learning that he would never again leave the planet.
* Prior #3 (played by Greg Anderson) The governor of the village of Ver Eger, introduced in "Avalon" when Daniel and Vala first came to the village. As a reward for doing his duties and putting Vala through a Trial by Fire, he is transformed into a Prior in "Origin". He is later sent to the Milky Way and makes appearances in " The Powers That Be" unleashing a plague in a defiant village, in " The Fourth Horseman" turning Gerak into a Prior, and in "Line in the Sand" ordering the destruction of a village by spaceship. He also appeared in '' Stargate: The Ark of Truth'', in which he was killed.
* Prior #4 (played by Ian Butcher) Tries to convert the people of Kallana in "Beachhead" and later transforms the planet into a micro black hole

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