The Ancients are one of the most technologically advanced races in Stargate, and this is reflected in their starships. Duplicates of these ships are utilized by their nanite creations, the Asurans, as they also possess knowledge of Ancient technology.
Puddle jumper
A puddle jumper in motion.
A puddle jumper, rarely referred to as a gateship, is a small spacecraft created by the Ancients. Several of these ships are discovered in Atlantis, and are used by the Atlantis Expedition to travel to other planets. The name "puddle jumper" is applied by John Sheppard in "Rising". Puddle jumpers are cylindrical ships with an angled front and rear that can fit through a Stargate. The interior is divided into the cockpit and the aft section; despite a statement in "Thirty-Eight Minutes", the bulkhead door between the two is airtight and can hold against the pressure of the deep ocean. Access to the jumper is provided by a rear hatch. Puddle jumpers have built-in DHDs that can dial Stargates in both the Milky Way and in Pegasus. The original cockpit console from the first season was made out of plexiglass, while different console designs are seen in later seasons. As with many pieces of Ancient technology, operating a puddle jumper requires the ATA gene; commands can be given mentally or using physical controls. Information is given to the pilot via a holographic HUD.
During normal flight, a puddle jumper is propelled by two sublight engine pods that extend from the hull; these pods are retracted when the ship is landed or needs to move through a Stargate. Puddle jumpers can operate underwater. They have inertial dampeners that negate g-forces inside, which can also be used to change the jumper's weight. After having his mind enhanced by an Ancient device, Rodney McKay develops a way to install a hyperdrive in a jumper. The modified jumper is later used to steal a ZPM from Asuras, though the hyperdrive has a range of only 2,000 light-years and McKay believed they would be lucky to complete two jumps in it. Puddle jumpers are armed with drone weapons housed in two retractable pods forward of the engines. They normally do not have shields, but are equipped with a cloaking device to evade enemies. A puddle jumper's cloaking generator can be set to create a shield instead, but this drains the jumper's power very quickly.[4] McKay has also modified the cloaking generator to generate an Replicator disruptor field. The puddle jumpers used by the Atlantis Expedition are stocked with Earth equipment, including various weapons, emergency supplies, and tools. The Ancient Janus created puddle jumpers capable of traveling through time.
Aurora-class battleship
The Orion prepares to enter hyperspace.
The Aurora-class battleship is a warship utilized by the Ancients at the time of their war with the Wraith, first seen in "Aurora". In that episode, the Aurora is a crippled battleship whose crew have preserved themselves in stasis pods, which self-destructs to avoid falling into the hands of the Wraith. The Atlantis Expedition gains control of an Aurora-class battleship discovered by the Taranians in "Inferno"; it is named Orion by John Sheppard (who dislikes its original name Hippaforalkus). The Orion is barely operational when it is called upon to intercept two Wraith hive ships heading for Earth. Dr. Zelenka brings the weapons online at the cost of the shields, and the Orion manages to destroy one hive ship before being destroyed itself. The battleship Tria is encountered along with its Ancient crew in "The Return". The Travelers take control of a derelict battleship with Sheppard's help in "Travelers". In season 4, it is revealed that the Asurans have built 38 Aurora-class battleships for their war with the Wraith. The Daedalus and the Apollo destroy a few of them, and the rest are destroyed in the explosion of Asuras. One more battleship is known to exist, commanded by a duplicate Elizabeth Weir.
Aurora-class battleships are much larger than an Earth Daedalus-class battlecruiser and are substantially superior to Wraith hive ships. They are armed with drone weapons and are protected by energy shields. Large turrets line the ship, which are seen in action in "Be All My Sins Remember'd". They have intergalactic hyperdrives though they are not designed for such long trips, and their sublight engines can accelerate the ship to 99.9% of the speed of light. They can be powered by a Zero Point Module. The ship can project holograms remotely for communication purposes. They contain numerous stasis pods, which can be connected to allow the crew to interact in a virtual reality. The ship has hangar bays that can accommodate puddle jumpers or Wraith darts.
City ship
An Asuran city ship in space over Lantea.
An Ancient city ship is a city-sized spaceship constructed by the Ancients. The best-known Ancient city ship is Atlantis, once the Ancients' capital in the Pegasus galaxy and the main setting for Stargate Atlantis. The Ancients abandoned Atlantis 10,000 years ago due to Wraith attacks; the city resided at the bottom of the ocean on Lantea until it is occupied by the Atlantis Expedition from Earth in "Rising". A city ship is a snowflake-shaped platform dotted with buildings, with an internal volume comparable to every building in Manhattan. They are powered by three Zero Point Modules. The main defensive systems of a city ship are drone weapons, and an all-encompassing shield. The massive ventral stardrive allows city ships to launch into space and traverse galaxies via hyperspace. The city itself is not airtight, so its shield must be active during space flight to hold in the atmosphere. City ships carry a complement of smaller ships, dubbed "puddle jumpers" by John Sheppard. The Atlantis Expedition has discovered a multitude of advanced technologies on Atlantis, including long-range sensors, internal transporters, and sophisticated computer systems.
In "The Tower", the Atlantis team discovers a second city ship on another planet. Although largely buried with much of its structure collapsed except for the central spire, some systems are still operational and the city's drone weapons and puddle jumpers are transferred to Atlantis. The Asurans were created in a city ship that was leveled when the Ancients deemed their experiment a failure. The Asurans rebuilt the ship, and in "Progeny" it is launched by Oberoth to attack Atlantis. The city ship is destroyed over Lantea when the Atlantis team overload its ZPMs. Another Asuran city ship, a duplicate of Atlantis created by Niam's followers, appears in "This Mortal Coil" and in a prescient vision in "The Seer". It is destroyed by an Aurora-class battleship sent by Oberoth.
Minor ships
Science vessel One of these ships, the Adaris, suffered severe damage fifteen thousand years ago in an encounter with a coronal mass ejection from the Lantean sun. The entire crew was killed except for the pilot, who managed to reach Atlantis and warn them
Transport ship These vessels are mentioned in "Before I Sleep" as carrying the last offworld Ancients to Atlantis for evacuation. They are equipped with cloaking devices, shields, and weapons. The last of these ships is destroyed by the Wraith over Atlantis, with over three hundred people onboard.
