Puddle Jumper (Stargate)

In the science fiction television show Stargate Atlantis, the Ancient Puddle Jumper is a small craft about the size of a van capable of space travel. It was named by Major John Sheppard, an Air Force pilot, in the Stargate Atlantis pilot "Rising". The nomenclature of the ship was protested by Dr. Rodney McKay, who preferred the name "Gateship," but Sheppard's name appears to have stuck.

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Television - Stargate Atlantis - Ancient - Space travel - John Sheppard - Rising - Rodney McKay

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Originally discovered at Atlantis, later episodes of Stargate SG-1 ("It's Good to Be King" and "Moebius") show the appearance of the vessel. SG-1 encountered a Puddle Jumper on the planet that Colonel Harry Maybourne was sent to live. They later found it had time travel capabilities (presumably installed by the Ancient Janus) but did not exploit this capability until "Moebius." It was rediscovered in a slightly different reality after SG-1 used it to go back in time to find a ZPM. In an extremely altered reality, (due to SG-1's attempt to recover the aforementioned ZPM) it was found instead of a Stargate at Giza. The ship was designated Gateship-1.

Related Topics:
Harry Maybourne - ZPM

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Puddle Jumper" is a generic phrase used to describe small commuter aircraft, but the name is also a pun on the ship's ability to travel through Stargate event horizons, which visually resemble pools of water. The vessel is tube-shaped with an angled front and rear allowing it to slide perfectly through open Stargates. Several of these ships were discovered in the Atlantis hangar, located above the control room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Puddle Jumpers have two retractable thruster pods (not unlike warp nacelles of Star Trek ships) that power the craft to sublight speeds allowing interplanetary travel, and uses an inertial dampening system to shield its passengers from sudden accelerations and stops. While the thruster pods are responsible for propelling the craft, the pods must be closed to allow the ship to fit through the Stargate. Limited thrust is apparently possible with retracted pods, as seen on several occasions in the Atlantis control room. The thruster pods also house at least eight Ancient Drone Weapons, and must be extended to use the weapons.

Related Topics:
Warp - Star Trek - Inertial dampening - Ancient - Drone Weapon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Puddle Jumpers have a mental interface that essentially reads the pilot's thoughts and controls the ship based on those commands, assisted by two control joysticks built into the ship's "dashboard". Like a great deal of Ancient technology found in the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies, the Puddle Jumper requires pilots to possess the Ancient Gene to activate or control the ship.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each jumper has a cloaking device that allows it to become invisible and (as of yet) otherwise undetectable.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Much like the Tel'tak (the Goa'uld cargo ship), the Puddle Jumper is divided into two major sections -- the flight deck, and the cargo area. Due to the size of the ship, the cargo area is only a fraction of the Tel'tak's. A central door is in place to separate the two sections of the ship; this door is capable of holding back the vacuum of space (as seen in The Siege, part 1). Entry and exit to the Puddle Jumper is provided through the use of the cargo bay door on the rear. The cargo bay door can be lowered and raised in normal operation or can be jettisoned by use of the emergency release located in the rear section of the cargo bay.

Related Topics:
Tel'tak - Goa'uld

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Puddle Jumper also has the ability to remote-dial any Stargate by use of the DHD built into the console. Wraith Dart ships also possess this technology which they presumably stole from the Ancients.

Related Topics:
Stargate - DHD - Wraith - Dart ships

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Originally, one of the Puddle Jumpers had an experimental time travel device installed. The Ancient who built the time machine was named Janus. In the Stargate Atlantis episode "Before I Sleep", it was utilized by some of the alternate Pegasus team members to go back in time. Due to concerns about altering history any more, it was evidently dismantled by the Ancients before departing for Earth. However, there was another secretly built, to be found later by SG-1, who used it to go back to ancient Egypt for a ZPM in the Stargate SG-1 two-part episode "Moebius".

Related Topics:
Ancient - Before I Sleep - Ancient Egypt - ZPM - Moebius

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~