Anubis (Stargate)

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Anubis is a fictional character on the science fiction TV series Stargate SG-1. He is one of the Goa'uld, the dominant evil alien race in the Milky Way Galaxy. Like most powerful Goa'uld, he has assumed (and, possibly, was the origin of) the Egyptian god Anubis.

Anubis, once a powerful Goa'uld, became a being of pure energy or Ascended. He has no physical body and uses a force shield to maintain his form. Anubis appears as a shadowy hooded figure wearing a large black cloak. Instead of a human face, all that can be seen under the hood is a shifting energy field similar to the event horizon of the Stargate. He has been played by several different actors, including David Palffy, Dean Aylesworth, Rik Kiviaho and George Dzundza. Palffy previously played Sokar another extremely powerful Goa'uld who was considered far worse than the majority of his race.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

History

Anubis was exiled by the System Lords for unspeakable and unspecified atrocities. Long thought dead, he returned in the wake of Apophis' defeat and began to dominate the galaxy using advanced technology superior to that of the other Goa'uld; technology and knowledge gained from the Ancients and the information they left behind. He recruited other exiled Goa'uld such as Osiris Tanith, and Zipacna to aid him in conquering the galaxy.[Osiris, a system lord trapped on Earth until recent years, petitioned on his behalf for Anubis' acceptance into the ranks of the System Lords.

Commanding vast legions of Jaffa warriors and space-faring attack vessels (Ha'taks), Anubis is regarded as one of the most powerful of the System Lords, the ruling body of the goa'uld. While all Goa'uld are megalomaniac, egotistical and arrogant, Anubis is cleverer than most, and has a penchant for complex and convoluted schemes. He is also infamous for being even more melodramatic than the rest of the Goa'uld, causing Colonel O'Neill to remark at one point, "Oh, come on. Who talks like that?"

Anubis Ascension

It is eventually revealed that Anubis is a half-Ascended being. Anubis managed to trick Oma Desala, an ascended being who helps humans ascend, by using Ancient research he discovered on Ascension to "cheat" on Oma's spirituality tests. According to the rules of the Ascended, no ascended being is allowed to "accelerate the natural ascension process of those beneath. Oma Desala broke the rules and helped many "lower beings," such as Daniel Jackson, Ascend. Typically, one must be pure of heart to meet Oma's requirements but Anubis somehow deceived her.

Oma Ascended him, only to discover his truly evil nature. Refusing to allow Anubis amongst their ranks, the Ancients managed to "de-Ascend" Anubis, and force him back to a lower plane of existence. They did not cast him entirely back to mortal existence, nor interfere in his later actions in order to punish Oma Desala for her actions. Though her only true failure, the fact that Anubis managed to reach a higher plane was the fault of Oma Desala and evidence that the other Ancients were correct in their original decision to forbid interference on lower planes of existence. They allowed Anubis' continued existense as a reminder of the consequences of her actions.

Being partially Ascended enabled Anubis to gain much of the knowledge of the Ancients. This allowed him to use much of their technology, giving him a significant advantage over the other Goa'uld enabling him to become the most dangerous of all System Lords. Anubis retained much of his Ascended nature, including a spirit-like body (later seen manifesting as smoky black mist when he jumps from body to body for possession) that requires a force field to maintain a humanoid shape.

Daniel Jackson, also Ascended at the time, once saw Anubis's demonic, ghostly face in the episode "Full Circle". Oma de-Ascended Daniel Jackson when he attempted to use his powers to save Abydos by destroying Anubis before he destroyed the planet. Daniel was different from Anubis in that he was fully ascended, but Oma Desala intervened to stop him, choosing to ascend the population of Abydos. Anubis seemed to have been aware that Daniel would not be allowed to stop him, and actually goaded Daniel into an attack knowing that he would be removed by the other Ascended beings. After Daniel was pulled away by Oma, Anubis' First Prime, Herak remarks, "You are indeed all-powerful, my Lord." Anubis' response is "What you just saw, was not my doing. However, this is", and proceeded to destroy Abydos despite Daniel's efforts.

In the course of his galactic conquest, Anubis's most significant achievements included the successful destruction of an Asgard ship, the creation of a new, almost indestructible ground trooper known as Kull Warriors or "Supersoldiers," the destruction of the Tollan civilization as well as the near-destruction of the Tok'ra, and the discovery of a Death Star-like super weapon capable of mass destruction called the Eye of Ra. Thanks to his knowledge of Ancient technology, Anubis was easily in a position to usurp the title that no one had held since Ra's death, Supreme System Lord.

The System Lords initially entertained the idea of accepting Anubis into their ranks. They formally made him a System Lord, by a vote of six to one—Yu being the sole dissenter. Despite their acceptance, they eventually joined forces to oppose him, first under Yu, and then Baal. They also entered into a reluctant alliance with Earth and SG-1. This uneasy alliance succeeded in destroying Anubis' planet-killing ha'tak, but Anubis himself continued to control significant resources with which to battle his enemies.

Anubis's fleet was finally destroyed in the battle over Antarctica in "The Lost City". O'Neill was able to uncover and operate the Antarctic Outpost's Ancient Control Chair, sending out thousands of drone weapons that cut easily through Anubis' shields destroying all his ships. Anubis lost his physical form in the attack but did not die. He reappeared on Earth as a cloud of black energy, possessing the body of a Russian astronaut, and then a Russian officer assigned to the SGC. Anubis possessed several members of the SGC before they locked down the base and devised a plan to expose him. A desperate Anubis managed to dial the stargate and leaves the SGC only to find himself alone on an icy planet.

It is unknown how Anubis managed to leave his icy prison but he returned to power and attempted to destroy all life in the galaxy and recreate it in his own image using the Ancient weapon at Dakara. The Ascended beings made no attempt to stop him but Oma finally took control of the situation, determined to prevent him from further action, even if it meant eternal battle.