Goa'uld

The Goa'uld are a species of eusocial parasitic sapients that are the first revealed and primary villains for much of the Stargate franchise.

Attributes

Goa'uld resemble lampreys about thirty centimeters long. They are capable of entering the body of a humanoid to commandeer control of it. Once established, the parasite increases the host's lifespan, strength, and general health. Advanced technologies, such as sarcophagi, further increase the host's life expectancy.

History

Native to P3X-888, the Goa'uld emerged as a powerful faction after the collapse/Ascension of the Ancient civilization. Using the Stargate network, the Goa'uld managed to come across ancient Earth and posed as gods among several early Terran civilizations. They relocated populations of humans to various other worlds, transplanting human civilizations across the galaxy and eventually abandoning Earth. The Goa'uld established a feudal empire over most of the Milky Way, keeping themselves in power via armies of Jaffa and religious indoctrination, with human serfs under the Goa'uld worshiping them as gods.

Organization

Goa'uld society was feudal, but far from united. The Goa'uld sphere of influence was divided into different kingdoms consisting of several planets ruled by a System Lord, who in turn had several administrators ruling over smaller domains within the kingdom. Various staffs of officers, administrators and scientists served these administrators. Beneath them were the Jaffa, who served the Goa'uld in a military capacity, and human serfs and slaves.

Under normal conditions, the Goa'uld system lords were constantly at each other's throats, vying for power in a semi-ritualised form of warfare, cooperating only in the face of major threat to their status-quo.

Goa'uld of Note

• Ra
• Ba'al
• Apophis
• Anubis
• Yu
• Sokar