Ori (Stargate)

The Ori /ˈɒraɪ/ 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 to 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 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. The Ori fabricated a religion called Origin, which they use in an attempt to control non-ascended beings. The Ori also attempt to destroy any planets and civilizations that reject Origin.

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.

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