Post by Akren Garkos on Jan 14, 2006 1:03:02 GMT -5
General[/u]
The Tollan are one of the most advanced civilizations of transplanted Humans ever to be encountered by the people of Earth since the inception of the Stargate Program. When first encountered by the SGC, only a handful of survivors were brought back from the ruined devastation that was all that was left their former homeworld of Tollan. After relocating to their new homeworld of Tollana (with some help from the Nox), the Tollan continued to have contact with Earth; the Tau¡¦ri saving them from an attack by the Goa¡¦uuld during the trail of Skarra/Klorell; & again helping them uncover a Curia plot to hand over weapons of mass destruction to the Goa'uuld in exchange for lieancy from the wraith of rogue System Lord Anubis. During the ensuing battle to save Tollana, it is believed that the Tollan were wiped out by the Goa¡¦uuld as they ravaged their homeworld; but, in fact, some of them managed to survive, hiding out or escaping in ships to start afresh once the Goa¡¦uuld had decimated their world. These survivors, of whom few remain, have re-named their scared homeworld New Tollana, in memory of their former homes of Tollan & Tollana, & the lives lost there. In the intervening years since the Great Massacre & re-establishing contact wih the SGC, the Tollan have developed a sophisticated defense network around their planet & beyound; slowly rebuilding their civilization, seeking out new allies to ensure that their way of life is never again threatened by the likes of the Goa'uuld ever again. . . .
Social Interaction[/u]
The Tollan are a highly advanced & socially sophisticated race of Humans whom tend to look down on less-advanced races as ¡¥primitives¡¦. Secure in their arrogance, they can come across as heavy-handed, highbrowed & jaunty in their dealings with others; according respect only where it is due & only then to the point where it is necessary, preferring to keep to themselves as much as possible. In spite of these outward appearances of arrogance & isolistism, the Tollan are a peaceable people whom value & honor all forms of life; & this is reflected in Tollan law, which does not allow for the termination of life, no matter how vile or repugnant that life may seem to others.
Following the near-fatal massacre of Tollana, the Tollan have since begun to rethink their isolationist policies in an effort to ensure the continued survival of their people. The Goa¡¦uuld attack on Tollana left the Tollan sacred, battered & bruised, but not broken, & has shown them that their arrogance & isolationist ways can be disadvantageous as well as beneficial; & have since taken steps to a more balanced approach to their dealings with other cultures & races, whilst still trying to maintain their way of life & their moral standards as much as possible. The result has been a remarkable shift in thinking for such a proud people, & as a result; they are now more cautious, yet at the same time, more open, in their dealings.
They have re-established their dealings with Earth, & become more open to new ideas & alternative ways of thinking. They have expanded their research into defensive weapons & protection systems, & now have a significantly greater number of protective technologies guarding their borders than ever before : & all this whilst loosing little, if any, of their social & moral values they hold so dear. All in all, the Tollan are now a more cautious people, open to embracing strange new concepts & forging new alliances, believing that to ¡¥proceed one step at a time, keeping all options open, yet ready to defend oneself if necessary' is the right course of action for their people; in order to maintain their way of life.
Brief History[/u]
How exactly the Tollan their original world is unknown. Many suspect they may have been a colony of the Ancients, since their world showed no signs of Goa¡¦uuld activity. Whatever the cause, their growing sophisticationh was untempered by forethought or planning. Tollan technological advancements over the ages, including their great flourishing industerial age, did not takr into account the impact upon their world¡¦s natural resources. As a result, the Tollan, secure in their own superiority & arrogance, did not take steps to maintain the natural balance of their homeworld. Once the effects were known, it was too late to reverse the damage. Entire species were wiped out & the air became polluted to the point of toxicity. The Tollan technology made some progress in clean energy sources but it would take thousands of years for the planet to fully heal the damage inflicted.
As the populace grew it became apparent that the Tollan could not meet the needs of the populace. Space exploration, the next great accomplishment of the Tollan, aloowed them to seek out other worlds for colonization. They were surprised to find one such world in their own solar system : Satira populated by an alien soceity of it¡¦s own. The Tollan offered to provide assistance to the Satirans wose own technology was less advanced than theirs. The Tollan showed them the means to develop powerful energy generation & fusion, but the Satirans squandered this knowledge & used it to wage war. The resulting destruction of the planet shifted the orbital alignment of Tollan, plunging it into chaos.
Now the planet of Tollan is but a remnant of it¡¦s former glory. The atmosphere is filled with burnt ash & all wildlife & plant life has died. Acidic rain falls from the sky & the rivers are polluted by sulfur & acid. Earthquakes take place regularly, & erupting voolcanoes dot the surface Even the Stargate has been destroyed, swept away by lava flows. Sulfur & dioxide pollute the atmosphere, turning the very air into poison. Tollan is unsuitable for any life.
Tollana's history is more brief; the Tollan settled there only a handful of years ago. However, it's history is equally as disturbing. With the assistance of the Nox, the Tollan uncovered the lush world, uninhabited & without a Stargate - safe from the Goa'uuld. These first settlers, many rescued from Tollan by the Tauri, arrived & began the long process of rebuilding their society. Through their superior technology, they made rapid progress. New buildings soon as rose as a testament to the Tollan ability to survive, & the lessons of the past were imparted with wisdom & humility. Now the people of Tollan lived with the environment, instead of against it. They realized that a gift so precious as a second chance on a new world should be squandered.
Eventually the Goa'uuld did find Tollana, but the natives' weapons were more than a match for the System Lords. They earned the ire of the Goa¡¦uuld who swore to return. When they did, their defenses were capable of withstanding a Tollan attack. The ruling Curia body of Tollan was blackmailed into providing weapons technology to the Goa'uuld, whom then planned to use it to destroy the planet. Their defense overwhelmed, the Tollan had no choice but to flee their new world as the Goa¡¦uuld bombarded them with devistating weapons. Taking flight in ships (the Stargate was damaged during the intial bombardment), it was unknown until recently how many Tollan were able escape - if any.
Those whom survived the onslaught rose from the ashes to reclaim their decimated home (with alittle bit of help from the Tok'Ra); which they renamed 'New Tollana' as constant reminder of the lives lost in years past, & that - although they have managed to reclaim their war-ravanged home - it will never be the same again. Amassing defensive weapons of great power, they proceed to wrap themselves in a protective net of defensive technologies, slowly rebuilding their civilization after their near fatal-encounter with Anubis' forces. Reconstructing & repairing their unique Stargate, they eventually made contact with the people of Earth; re-establishing old ties & formally petitioning to join the ever-growing alliance of alien species of which the SGC find itself apart.
During the time the two cultures have spent apart, the people of Earth have advanced much; acquiring the defensive Ancient super-weapon found at the Atlantus outpost in Anarticia, having found the Lost City of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, & have benefited much from their alliance with Asgard, developing the first Asgard/Earth hybrid spaceship, the Daedalus, shortly after the defeat of the Replicators & the fall of the Goa¡¦uuld. As a result, the Tollan are now more willing to share their technology with the people of Earth, having seen that they have advanced much since their last contact with the Tauri; although they are still hesitant with exactly what technology they share with others, if any.
All in all, the Tollan are still somewhat arrogant & cautious in their approach to other cultures & races less advanced than their own, but are gradually learning to embrace new ideas & ways of thinking not their own; as they continue to struggle to find a balance between ¡¥compromising¡¦ their belief system & maintaining their way of life without loosing their identity or place in the universe.
Notable Features of New Tollana[/u]
Walll of Remebrance[/i]
The Wall of Remembrance was one of the first sturctures erected on Tollana, & was the first structure to be rebuilt following the reclaiming of their world from the clutches of Anubis & his servants. The large edifice stretches some 200 feet long & stands some 10 feet high, found in the Gardens of Arduinna The wall is made of a milky-white quartz material, polished smooth & reflective in the sun. The names of all whom perished on Tollan & the recent holocaust at the hands of Anubis¡¦ minions are etched on either side of the wall. Each name is so small that they are illegible without the aide of a projection device. Holographic projectors mounted insde the wall illuminate it from the inside, projecting the names into mid air, large enough to read. The emotional impact of the wall can be felt when examines how many names fill just one small sqaure inch of the surface. The lives lost to unsound judgement & arrogant blindness serve as a reminder to every living Tollan.
The centrepiece of the wall is a declairation of the highest laws of the Tollan : the now-forbidden practice of providing advanced technology to any species that is not prepared to use it wisely. Most Tollan visit the wall on average once a week. Some Tollan also visit the wall to give prayer, asking for support & guidance to resolve any important issues that may reside in their lives.
Tollan Stargate[/i]
Created with assistance from the Nox, the Tollan Stargate is a testimony to advanced Tollan science & engineering. With the destruction of the original Tollan homeworld, the Tollan's Stargate was lost. Their new homeworld, Tollana, had no original Stargate, and with the assistance of the Nox, a new gate was built.
The Tollan gate is smaller and slimmer than the Ancient's Stargates, is a pale white color. However, it seems to lack a Dial Home Device, or even an inner track for manual dialing, suggesting control of it is located inside a nearby building using remote dialing. With the unlimited productive energy of Tollan fission generators powering the Stargate & much of their other technologies, this puts almost any world or civilsation within the reach of the Tollan, provided they know the Stargate address of the planet they which to dial.
Whilst this potentially puts planets in the Pegasus & Ida galaxies, & even the Ancient ship Destiny within their reach; the Tollan are reluctant to dial such addresses without precise power requirements & safe gaurds in place (given the near-fatal overload of the planet's power grid during it's 1st & only attempt to dial the 9th chevron during the flight of rogue Tollan scientist Vorek when he connected with Destiny, this is understandable; if not regrettable), although they do allow the dialing of such address (such as eight chveron addresses to connect to destinations in the Pegasus & Ida galaxies) in dire curcumstances, each of which is examined on a case by case basis by the Ministry of Science as granted by the Tollan Curia.
Housing[/i]
All housing on Tollana is provided by the government. Most people resdie in small private units, sparsely furnished; the Tollan have little care for personal belongings. Family units have larger multi-story accomidations. All housing includes basic entertainment & health accomidations, sich as automated food preparation, hygiene facilities, a communal gathering area, & private sleeping quarters. Those who serve in the Tollan government have slightly larger housing closer to the Ministries & the office of the Curia. Serving in such a capacity is considered a great honor.
The Plaza of Ministries[/i]
The Palaza of Ministries is home to the four divisions of government that see to all matters of Tollana. They include the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of Space, & the Ministry of Justice. Each of these ministries is located on one side of the plaza, overlooking the Gardens of Arduinna in the centre & spanning several stories in height. Most are composed of white sandstone or marble & each building is connected to the one next to it via a series of sky bridges;; one can enter any ministry & easily walk to the next.
Each of these ministries fulfills an important task in the governing of Tollana. All ministries answer to the Office of the Curia, the planet¡¦s supreme ruling body. As there is little conflict within the Tollan political structure, there remains little leeway for legal interpretation.
The Ministry of Health oversees the medical & health needs of the Tollan, as well as any visitors to their world. Every Tollan has a medical implant in his body that constantly monitors the subject¡¦s health & records the pertinent bio-readings into the main Tollan computer systems. In the event of an emergency the system can dispact medical officers to the scene immediately, typically in under five minutes. Tollan medical technology is quite advanced, extending their lives & curing most ailments & disease. Most Tollan deaths are natural or accidental in nature; violent crime does not occur on Tollana.
The Ministry of Science is the largest ministry on all of Tollan, responsible for all scientific study & research. It¡¦s endeavors include the understanding of equilibrium physics, the Stargates, the alteration of matter & energy, & advanced fields far beyound the reach of current human civilization. The Ministry of Science is also involved in the creation of weapons for the Tollan society, but ficuses solely on defensive measures such as the ion defense cannons. The building hosts all manner of experiments, allowing scientists to test important breakthroughs & develop new technologies to better Tollan society. The main Tollan computer system, linking all of Tollana together; is also located here.
As of late, the Ministry of Space has become one of the most important aspects of the Tollan government. Tasked with exploring & colonizing other worlds, the ministry has begun the long process of rebuilding the space program. It seeks to identify & classify other inhabited worlds, careful not to intervene for fear of reproducing the events of Satria. The space ministry also sees to the support & continued prosperity of distant colonies, although this apsect has recently been downplayed with re-claimation & re-building of Tollana.
The final ministry, the Ministry of Justice, acts as the judicial authority for all of Tollana. Here the archons debate the merits & inclusions of laws to be voted on by the Curia. In some cases the ministry may be called upon to interpret the law or develop new laws to govern the behavior of the populace. Tollan law currently consists of 1,383 different Conventions, each made up of a series of defined Procedures that can be used to help determine the proper course of action. Since there are no violent crimes on Tollana any breach of the Conventions is usually handled discreetly & fairly. Only the Convention of Responsibility - the Tollan¡¦s highest law that restricts the trade of technology with other cultures - requires the intervention of the Curia. The ministry also operates Tollana¡¦s security forces.
Office of the Curia[/i]
Whereas the Ministries of Tollana perform most day-to-day government operations, the office of the Curia houses the administrative ruling body. The office of the Curia stands on the hills overlooking the major city of Tollana & the Ministry buildings. There, the government makes all major decisions regarding the planet. The Curia is overseen by the High Chancellor, the supreme ruler of New Tollana. He does not have absolute control, however; he merely enforces Tollan law & the wishes of the Curia. The Curia consists of six members, also know as the High Council. Any actions taken by the Curia require a unanimous decision from the Council. Thanks to the strict interpretation of the law by most Tollan & the Ministry of Justice, such unanimous decisions are not difficult to obtain.
The High Chancellor also has the power to negotiate treaties on behalf of the Tollan people, within the confines of the law. All meetings of the Curia are a matter of public record & the government keeps no secerts. In the event that members of the High Council object to the ruling principles of the Curia a formal protest may be entered in the record. Such protests thrn go to each of the Ministries for a ruling. This is one way in which the wishes of the Curia can be overruled.
The office of the Curia has a number of meeting areas, including the official judicature room used for holding Triads. There are waiting areas & internal security when curcumstances dicate. In addition, the office of the Curia (&, in fact, nearly all public government buildings) has weapon sensors that can detect & temporarily disable any weapons found on persons.
Orbital Defense Batteries
Located at strategic points across the surface of the planet, the orbital defense batteries ensure that the people of Tollana remain safe from aggressors. These giant ion cannons fire charged ion particle blasts that can reach into orbit & strike a vessel there. In the past the ion cannons have had to protect Tollana from Goa¡¦uuld attacks, destroying a hat¡¦tak vessel as well as several waves of death gliders. The ion cannons have their own control systems that can operate either individually or in tandem. Each is powered by it's own fusion generator & posseses it¡¦s own target acquisition system. The cannons have slightly overlapping fields of coverage to provide additional protect should a unit be knocked out. The location of the defense batteries are a closely gaurded secert.
Tollan Space Network
The recently re-constructed & re-vamped Tollan space network includes the original Tollan deep space & solar (local star system) satellite networks, as well as several improvements, upgrades & additions; including orbital defense satellites, sophisticated tracking & analytical equipment & other defensive measures like phase-shifting mines & weapons-disabiling beams. In addition, ground-based power stations provide back up &/or supplimental power, as well as helping power the recently-constructed Tollan planetary defense shield.
This restoration & marked upgrade is a massive step forawrd in preventing any would-be agressors from encroaching upon Tollan terratory or causing harm to the Tollan or any allies which may be travelling through their space or visiting their worlds; & is a stark reminder that although the Tollan are a peaceful people, they will not idlely stand by & allow their home, people or way of life to be brought to the verge of extinction ever again. . .
