- "Way smarter than us."
- ―Daniel Jackson
The Tollan were an advanced civilization encountered by the SGC, who possessed massive technological superiority over the Goa'uld. This had resulted in them being stubborn to the point of arrogance, believing any species with lesser technology than theirs to be inferior. Also, they generally preferred isolation from the rest of the galaxy, depending on their advanced defensive technologies to keep their homeworld, Tollana, safe from external threats. However, this reliance on a single tactical advantage and arrogance made Teal'c note that the Tollan "do not think strategically", and it was this that led to their eventual destruction by the Goa'uld.
History
The Tollan are peaceful and governed by the Curia, a democratic panel of Tollan officials. Unlike the Nox, they are not pacifist and will destroy any vessel that poses a threat to their planet. However, they aren't outwardly aggressive and are not at war with the Goa'uld, although they apparently have an alliance with the Tok'ra.
The Tollan are a secluded race as many in the Curia believe strongly in a isolationist lifestyle. Their highest law states that they cannot share technology with a less advanced race. This law came about when the Tollan gave technology to their neighboring planet, Serita. The people of Serita used the technology to wage war and in doing so destroyed themselves, shifting the orbital path of Tollan. They were forced to evacuate their people to a planet which they named Tollana.
A team was sent back to their planet to bury the Stargate, but got incapacitated instead. They were rescued by SG-1, who just arrived on Tollan. They provided medical assistance but because of their lack of interstellar technology, the Tollan called them "primitive". They even rejected help from the even less advanced cultures on another planet, who were willing to offer them sanctuary.
The US government, interested in the Tollan technology, planned on interrogating the Tollan, but Daniel Jackson helped contact the Nox, who assisted the Tollan in leaving.
They are much more advanced than Earth, even reverse-engineering an ion cannon proved impossible. They constructed their own Stargate, with help from the Nox. Tollan technology doesn't include wires, moving parts or anything like Earth's technology.
The Tollan's literary language
In 2000, two Ha'tak motherships in the service of Heru'ur was pursuing a death glider into Tollan space. The automated defense systems shot it down, but the glider, carrying Skaara, the host of Klorel pleaded to his rescuers for help. The Tollan then began a triad, a type of trial, to determine which sentient mind should keep the body. Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill represented Skaara while Zipacna represented Klorel. In a deciding vote, Skaara got to keep his body. However, Zipacna had plans to conquer Tollana, having his Jaffa paint the Tollan ion cannons for destruction, leaving the planet defenseless. But Teal'c, with the help of the Nox Lya, hid one cannon, which destroyed the mothership in orbit.
A year later, another mothership approached Tollana but its shields were too strong for the cannons to penetrate. The Curia had no choice but to surrender to the outcast System Lord Anubis, whose emissary Tanith, ordered them to construct phase weapons to penetrate the SGC's iris. One of the Curia, Omoc, whom was among those freed by SG-1, opposed this collaboration. He was murdered by the Curia to silence him. But SG-1, along with Narim, destroyed the weapons, sealing the fate of the Tollan, who were wiped out from orbit. The Tollan managed to evacuate the planet, but many were shot down. It is unknown if any survived the attack.
Considering the fact that the name Tollan is the name used to describe two capitals of pre-colombian mesoamerican empires, specifically Teotihuacan and Tula-Hidalgo, the Tollan may be descended from ancient Central Americans (possibly the Nahua, Otomi or, Totonac) who were brought to Tollan by the Goa'uld around two thousand years ago. Daniel Jackson speculated that they may have become more advanced than Earth by continuing to advance while Earth fell into the Dark Ages.
- The novel Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods establishes the Tollan as one of the human civilizations that were sheltered by the Omeyocan and the crystal skull transport network, making the Tollan descendants of a native Central American society".
Society
Government
- Main article: Tollan government
The Tollan were governed by a panel of high-ranking Tollan officials, the Curia. However, this Curia has limited power. For example, it cannot make a contract with the Goa'uld. Many of the members believe strongly in their policy of isolation, sometimes bordering on xenophobia; even trade with other species is out of the question. All sessions of the Curia are, in theory, recorded and available publicly. Concealing such records, or tampering with them, is a crime of such magnitude that murder apparently pales in comparison. The High Chancellor, Travell, is the head of the Curia and apparently the head of the Tollan government. Also, an official protest of Tollan policy is filed with every level of every branch of the government.
Less advanced cultures
- "As you may recall from our last encounter, it is forbidden for the Tollan to give our technology to any culture less advanced than our own."
- ―Narim
According to Tollan law, the sharing of technology with a less-advanced culture, such as the Tau'ri, is strictly forbidden. This often frustrating attitude however has its history. The original Tollan homeworld was destroyed by giving a neighboring planet, Sarita, a device to produce unlimited productive energy. The people of Sarita used this technology to make war and destroyed themselves, shifting the orbital path of Tollan, forcing the Tollan to eventually evacuate to another world.
Technology
- "...they all emit low levels of radiation indicating an operative energy source, but there's no circuitry, moving parts or chips. We've never seen anything like it."
- ―Samantha Carter on the nature of Tollan technology
Tollan technology was very advanced, and superior to that of most other Milky Way civilizations. In the year 2001 Tollan technology was so far ahead of Tau'ri technology that reverse-engineering a Tollan Ion Cannon for mass production was well beyond the current level of advancement of the Tau'ri. However, after the Tau'ri gained the superior knowledge and technology of both the Asgard and the Ancients, their technology level has leaped far beyond that of the Tollan. (SG1: "Between Two Fires")
One of the most impressive examples of Tollan technology is the ion cannon. These powerful weapons are capable of destroying a Goa'uld Ha'tak with even a single shot and have served in Tollana's defense several times. The Tollan have also constructed their own Stargate with the help of the Nox, since their new homeworld did not originally possess one. The most important Tollan buildings were protected by technology that disabled all weapons it detected (including Tau'ri projectile weapons and Goa'uld staff weapons) while leaving the hand weapons carried by their own security forces unaffected. They also developed emotion-recording technology and phase-shifting devices that allowed the user to walk through solid matter, including Earth's iris. Also, every Tollan had a small implant in his/her body that monitored the carrier's health. In case of a medical emergency, this implant would automatically alert the emergency services. This small device could also be used to track one's position, although this was highly illegal.
Tollan technology contains no wires, moving parts, circuitry, or anything else found in normal mechanical devices, decreasing the possibility of compatibility with technology from other cultures. Most of it is constructed from an alloy composed of trinium and various other elements.