Jaffa
Summary
The Jaffa were originally human, taken from Earth millennia ago, and were genetically altered to incubate a Goa'uld larva inside a pouch in the abdomen. While a Jaffa carries a symbiote, he or she is given a longer life (estimated to be approximately 135 years), increased strength, and an enhanced ability to recover from illness and wounds. The symbiote acts as the Jaffa's immune system. Once a symbiote has been implanted inside a Jaffa, it cannot be removed without killing the Jaffa. When the symbiote matures, it is removed from the Jaffa and placed in a host, usually a human, thereby becoming a Goa'uld. The Jaffa must then receive a new symbiote or die.
Because of the advantages in strength and healing ability that the symbiote conferred, many of the male Jaffa became warriors serving under a Goa'uld (e.g., Teal'c was in the service of Apophis). The Goa'uld maintained their power over the Jaffa that served them by telling the Jaffa that they were gods. Thus, Jaffa, both male and female, served the Goa'uld by practicing the rituals of worship associated with recognizing the Goa'uld as a god.
Key Jaffa Articles
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- Jaffa (Main Article)
- Rebel Jaffa
- Free Jaffa Nation
- Sodan Jaffa
- Illac Renin
- Goa'uld Language, spoken by the Jaffa
- Chulak and Dakara, key Jaffa planets
- Jaffa Biographies
Alliances
Within the Jaffa themselves:
- Rebel Jaffa - They combined their forces and eventually won their freedom from the Goa'uld.
- Free Jaffa Nation - The Rebel Jaffa and those freed from the fall of the System Lords organized into this nation, run by a council until they decided to elect their leaders democratically.
- Sodan - The Sodan Jaffa were an elite group of warriors who found freedom 5,000 years ago. They were sought out by the Free Jaffa Nation, but all but one of them was killed when the Ori destroyed their homeworld.
- Illac Renin - A group of Jaffa who followed Origin, the religion of the Ascended Beings known as the Ori.
Outside organizations:
- Tau'ri - The humans of the First World, Earth, were instrumental in helping the Jaffa gain their freedom from the Goa'uld.
- Tok'ra - These symbiotes were physically the same as the Goa'uld, but philosophically opposed to them. They were the offspring of Egeria and for about 2000 years, fought the Goa'uld through infiltration. The Tok'ra formulated the drug Tretonin that permitted a Jaffa to live without carrying a symbiote.
Enemies
- Goa'uld - The Jaffa were engineered by the Goa'uld to increase their chances of survival before blending with a human host. The Goa'uld created a religion centered around themselves as gods and the Jaffa were enslaved to serve and worship them. With the help of the Tok'ra and Tau'ri, the Jaffa defeated the Goa'uld System Lords and gained their freedom.
- Ori - These Ascended Beings took advantage in the Jaffa's pursuit of the Path to Enlightenment and targeted the Jaffa strongholds in the Milky Way Galaxy as the first places to conquer in their crusade to convert the whole galaxy into worshippers. With the warriors of the Jaffa, the Ori could have conquered the galaxy much faster, but they were met with outstanding resistence by the Free Jaffa Nation.
Notable Characters
Jaffa
Goa'uld
Other
Episodes
Related Articles
--DeeKayP 12:57, 29 Jun 2004 (PDT)