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In the science fiction television show Stargate SG-1, the System Lords are the main leaders of the Goa'uld, the dominant and evil alien race of the Milky Way Galaxy. As the title implies, for a Goa'uld to qualify as a System Lord, that individual must be extremely powerful and must control several star systems. While there are tens of thousands of Goa'uld ruling across the galaxy, only dozens hold the rank of System Lord.

History

The Goa'uld Ra held the rank of Supreme System Lord for several thousand years, a position likely due to having saved his race from extinction by discovering humans as hosts. Ra arrived on Earth over 10,000 years ago and took on the identity of the Egyptian god. He took a human boy as a host and brought humans through the stargate from Egypt to Abydos where he enslaved them and used them to mine naquadah.

Like Ra, other goa'uld took on the personas of Earth deities, mainly Egyptian, and took thousands of humans from Earth to be used as slaves on distant planets throughout the galaxy. As a result, planets formerly occupied by goa'uld system lords represent the cultures of the place on Earth they were taken from.

The gods and cultures the system lords represent are varied, showing the degree to which they infiltrated earth culture and religion and the many thousands of years they exploited humans on Earth. Even after the rebellion that led to the Stargate at Giza being buried, and Ra's abandonment of Earth, humans were taken from Earth by other goa'uld System Lords through the Antarctic Stargate. SG-1 has discovered civilizations similar to Minoan, Mongolian, Egyptian, Norse and even Medieval European.

When SG-1 killed Ra in the movie Stargate, it shook the balance of the System Lords and fighting amongst them increased. The System Lords do not trust each other and are always seeking for a means to increase their power, ideally at the expense of another System Lord whose territory and wealth they can add to their own. Other lower level goa'uld hope to one day become system lords but they face considerable difficulty as they require military might and territory. They must also gain the acceptance of the other System Lords.

Goa'uld society is hierarchal with lower ranking goa'uld in service to the System Lords. The right hand of each System Lord is his First Prime, the lead Jaffa and general of the System Lords' armies. They also have ranked personal servants, the highest of which is known as a Lo'tar. Lo'tars hope to one day become a goa'uld host. They view it as the highest honor.

Notable System Lords

System Lords include but are not limited to the following:

• Apophis - A powerful system lord who attacks the SGC in "Children of the Gods. Apophis was the series' first villain and Teal'c's former master. He is believed to have been killed when his ship crashed into the planet Delmak.
• Anubis - An outcast Goa'uld who tricked Oma Desala into ascending him. Anubis used Ancient knowledge to dominate the galaxy. He attempted to destroy the galaxy and is engaged in what may be an eternal battle with Oma Desala
• Amaterasu - One of the System Lords who attempted to create an alliance with Earth against Baal.
• Baal - Allied himself with Anubis but turned against him when he discovered his intention to destroy the galaxy. Baal survived the fall of the goa'uld and cloned himself several times.
• Camulus - requested asylum with the SGC. He is presumed dead after trying to kill Baal.
• Cronus - An enemy of Apophis who killed Teal'c's father.
• Hathor - A goa'uld queen, found on Earth, who took control of the SGC by manipulating the men with a powerful pheromone.
• Heru'ur - Son of Ra and Hathor, Heru'ur was killed by Apophis.
• Kali - A System Lord who voted to accept Anubis as a System Lord
• Nirrti - Experimented on humans in the hope of creating a hok’taur.
• Olokun - A System lord who voted to allow Anubis to rejoin the System Lords
• Osiris - found in a stasis jar in Egypt, he took over the body of Sarah Gardner and became a servant of Anubis and his representative at the System Lord's summit.
• Sokar - An outcast goa'uld who took on the identity of the Christian devil, Sokar transformed the moon Netu into a hellish prison for his enemies. On his death, his armies were taken over by Apophis whom he had imprisoned on Netu.
• Yu - One of the oldest system lords, Yu became confused and forgetful in his last years. He opposed Anubis' return to the ranks of the System Lords.

Key Episodes

• "Fair Game"
• "The Serpent's Venom"
• "Summit"
• "Last Stand"
• "Full Circle"