Something I don’t get about Stargate SG1 weapons

Staff weapon from Stargate I was reading an article the other day regarding the staff weapons that are featured in Stargate SG1, the basic idea of the piece was that the staff weapon would be a very ineffective weapon for day to day use and that one would have to be trained from a very young age to be a skilled warrior with one.

There were all good points made in the article and I can see why the SGC (Stargate Command) wouldn’t want to change over from the weapons that they usually use which are Heckler & Koch MP5s (at least up till season four). But I can’t work out why they wouldn’t have swapped over to the other Goa’uld weapon that the team recovered.

Zat gun from Stargate SG1 The zat’nik’tel (Zat gun) which is a hand held pistol like device that has three degrees of effect when firing upon someone, the first shot stuns a person, the second shot kills and the third disintegrates. Apparently later on in the series they retcon (rewrite history) the disintegration part for some reason.

Even with the stun and kill aspect intact surely this is a superior weapon to the ones that SG1 carry around? One shot and a dude goes done? They make what appears to be half the noise of a machine gun and generally you can short out electrical devices.

It’s the problem I’ve seen over and over especially in but not limited to science fiction and it’s something that us gamers already know, if your enemy has a better gun or weapon and drops it, you pick it up and use it! Imagine playing Doom and looking at the BFG9000 and going nah, I’ll stick with my stupid pistol!?

Over and over in science fiction shows and movies the aliens have awesome weapons and we ignore them and don’t trade up.

I’m happy to entertain ideas though if anyone has any ideas on why in Stargate SG1 they don’t use Zat guns as standard issue?

Marcus

the resign they use there own is because they are skilled with the P90. even in training they use it. All you sees is p90 (excepte T'lks) you would not what to try and teach a new weapon.What i do not get is why don't they take the naquda from the staff weapon and try to use it?

CyberHULK

I remember they did switch over to the Zat, sure they kept their P90s but only because it's more accurate and a lot lighter hence easier to wield. Have you watched every episode of SG1? Because I am dead certain that they used them (Zats). In the episode where they accidentally get sent back to the 60's and the meet up with Hammond as a young grunt, they Zat him so that it looks like he didn't help them. I tell you what, I'd never switch to a staff weapon for several reasons. They are too long to carry, too inaccurate and the rate of fire is appalling. Give me a P90 any day, and the Zat as a backup.

Luke

A bit of topic but I've always wondered why so many Go'ould planets don't have permanent security at their Stargate. Sometimes they do, but it seems like most of the time SG-1 or other teams can walk right through the gate of a Go'ould planet and there's no one guarding it, yet the planet is full of Jaffa ready to attack elsewhere.

Surely these planets wouldn't just keep permanent security at their gate (they only need 3 or 4 people) at all times. But I guess if that was the case the series wouldn't be as interesting...
.-= Luke´s last blog ..The Dell Media Remote =-.

Uncle Noah

Jack O'Neill kind of addresses this in one early episode where they train some off-world folks on the use of the MP5s -- he states that the Goa’uld employ "weapons of terror" that are designed to frighten and intimidate the enemy. O'Neill goes on to describe SGC's weapons as "...weapons of war...designed to *kill* the enemy."

Eric

This episode was called "The Warrior" - the one with K'tano and a Jaffa resistance - and O'Neill was actually talking about P-90s, not MP5s. The only reason I mention it is that the P-90 packs a lot more punch than MP5s do.

Lee

Ahhh see I haven't seen that far along I don't think (I'm almost at the end of season three as I write this).

Jayne

Not so much SG1 but some sci-fi shows try to paint the alien technology and weapons as "pure evil" and make a point as how they wouldn't stoop so low to use "pure evil" weaponry.
And then they get their arses kicked cos they're so stupid :P
.-= Jayne´s last blog ..An apple a day will increase global warming =-.

Lee

Yeah that's an interesting observation, I can't think of a series off hand but i know what you mean (will look out for it now!)

Arjan

I think at least SG1 should have zats as backups (even as extra's to their hand guns) because they are invaluable.

The up thing about the staff weapons is/was that they impose fear..and well they áre trained with it from young age :P
But yes, always change up when possible (they did with weapons on their space ships!, although they should've used ring-transports before they had the other teleport tech).

talking about trading cards, you remind me that the 'Kindle-pose' is still on my to-do list. I got my cam back, I got some time on my hands..it will be done soon.
.-= Arjan´s last blog ..Pinkpop (music festival) =-.

Lee

!!! You are right, the ships that they build/get from the Asgard can certainly be considered an upgrade!

arkonbey

Oooo! Like a SG1 no-prize!

I think the real reason is that there are a limited number of Zat guns and are all recovered weapons. Earth has no capacity to manufacture said weapons and are totally dependent on capturing weapons which is not a reliable supply source. Unless a manufacturing facility is captured, on-demand supply is not possible.

Even assuming they have captured enough Zat guns to equip all teams, they would be a liability. Training and tactics would have to be adjusted for using the weapons and the teams would become dependent on them. And if, for some reason, a number of Zat guns become disabled, damaged or lost without replacement, the teams would have to end up with one or more of their members without Zat guns, changing the tactical demands on the team. This is true even if each team uses a Zat gun as a dedicated squad support weapon.

If, however, they use weapons readily available (MP5s and later P90s) but use Zat guns as an emergency backup or as a mission- /situation-specific weapon, their training and logistics would remain constant.
.-= arkonbey´s last blog ..Strangers in a Strange Land =-.

Jeff

Yeah, I gotta say, this is a darn good answer.

Also, their power cells do eventually get depleted, and we can't replace them.
.-= Jeff´s last blog ..Happy Fathers Day =-.

Lee

The staff weapons never seem to run out of power though (at least up till season 3 so far!) and they don't use the Zat guns enough to work out its power requirements.

It's just one of those little things that as a whole doesn't really detract from the series for me but it's interesting to think about.

Lee

All valid points regarding their deployment.

My impression is that they do have a lot of them and at the very least they should be doing raiding parties whenever they encounter the Zats.

I would have thought at least SG1 would use them, especially Daniel who only ever carries a pistol (I couldn't find out what type - pfft where's a gun nut when you need one??) which has to be fairly useless in most situations.

But a very sound answer!

You tell me what character and I'll send you an artist trading card

Eric

RE: SG1 using Zat guns for sidearms

Look carefully, and you'll notice that Teal'c almost always carried his staff weapon, and always wore a zat gun at his hip. Obviously, he feels most comfortable with these weapons since he has trained since childhood on them.

Look even more carefully and you'll find that Carter carries a zat gun at her hip as well. She switches from the Beretta M9 to the Zat gun early on in the series. Colonel Jack O'Neill even mentions in dialogue in one episode when he says, "Carter, give him your Zat" - though I can't recall which episode. The team had some fifth person with them who was unhappy about being unarmed, and O'Neill gave the order to make him shut up. It may have been Thor's Hammer, but I can't swear to it.

Anyway, Zat guns have relatively low rates of fire compared to convential weapons. However, they do have all the strong points previously mentioned, so I believe that they should have been distributed to at least 1 or 2 members of each SG Team as resources allowed in case the teams ever ran into a situation where they'd come in handy.

Eric

Okay, I did a little research. O'Neill instructed Carter to give her zat gun to Lt. Tyler in the episode "The Fifth Man."

Lee

Thanks for taking the time to work all that out, I found it interesting and I certainly don't think I paid close enough attention after reading it :)

arkonbey

Daniel could totally get away with the Zat gun as a sidearm. What else is he gonna do?

He probably just carried a Beretta M9 (standard U.S. Forces issue for sidearm).

Are you going to address the stupid design of the Zat guns? :-)
.-= arkonbey´s last blog ..Strangers in a Strange Land =-.

Lee

I am pretty certain you are right regarding Daniel's pistol.

LOL the Zat guns are pretty much the ugliest weapon on any show, I know what they are going for but really?!?

Oh another thing that the article talked about is the complete lack of innovation regarding the weapon design, thousands of years and yet no improvements of changes in the weapons!

I also have a problem with the guard's helmets - they don't seem very practical in battle.

Mistress B

'I’m happy to entertain ideas though if anyone has any on why in Stargate SG1 they don’t use Zat guns as standard issue?'

Cos they are 'tards?
.-= Mistress B´s last blog ..Denial. =-.

Tracey

Not exactly 'on topic', but picking up on your theme it's similar to the kind of thing that happens in horror / scary movies where things don't always make sense - don't open the door to random strangers, don't run up the stairs, don't just stand there and scream...
.-= Tracey´s last blog ..Oh the weather outside is frightful… =-.

Lee

I think that's why I always enjoyed A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (which was banned in Queensland) - the kids in that film decide to fight back within their dreams and use the same powers that Freddy has access to because anything is possible in the dream world, if you want to you can dream about having extreme strength or a magician etc.