Goa'uld Pain Stick

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O'Neill struck in chest with pain stick

Summary

The pain stick is a Goa'uld device that uses electrical energy to torture victims when it comes into physical contact with them. Anyone can use the technology.

Technical Details

The Goa'uld pain stick is an energy powered weapon. The device is made up of a long handle with a small triton at its tip. The two outer prongs of the triton are merely sharp points. However the center prong is slightly longer. When it touches something and pressure is against it, the prong retracts slightly and a painful electrical style energy flows through the device into the subject. Like the staff weapon and zat'nik'tel, a pain stick can be used by anyone, not just someone with naquadah in their blood.

Close up of pain stick triton

The pain stick is used for torture. Victims of the Goa'uld pain stick suffer intensive agony. Even Unas, Jaffa, and Goa'uld/Tok'ra, with their high tolerance for pain, cannot withstand the pain of this Goa'uld device (Chaka and other Unas in 5.07 "Beast of Burden", Teal'c (and Terok) in 4.13 "The Serpent's Venom", Apophis in 3.13 "The Devil You Know", 9.07 "Ex Deus Machina"). The electrical energy of the pain stick can travel beyond the immediate object if it is a proper conduit of electricity. The Unas trader Burrock touched a pain stick to the key hole of the metal barred cells where he detained Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson (5.07 "Beast of Burden"). The electrical energy traveled from the bars through the attached leg manacle and directly into each of them, dropping both Jack and Daniel to the ground in intense agony.

The effect of the pain stick on its subject is graphically visible. Not only do most victims scream in agony, the light of the energy effuses from every orifice, eyes, mouth in a torturous glow.

The pain sticks hold their power for an extensive period of time. Several artifacts were found in an abandoned mine on P3X-403, including a pain stick (7.07 "Enemy Mine"). Although the items had lain untouched for centuries, the pain stick still had power.

Stargate References

The first time SG-1 became aware of the pain sticks was in the alternate reality. Apophis tortured that universe's General Hammond with a pain stick while the man was harnessed and manacled to a yoke-like device, demanding Earth's iris code (3.06 "Point of View"). In this universe, Samantha Carter recalled Jolinar's memories of torture on Sokar's prison world of Netu (3.12 "Jolinar's Memories"). As she later explained: "they tortured her so badly".

Goa'uld took a great deal of pleasure in this torturous device, as Daniel Jackson experienced when he was bombarded with the emotions and genetic memories of the Goa'uld in the dream Shifu sent him (4.17 "Absolute Power"). Teal'c was tortured mercilessly by Terok, several blows to his symbiote pouch left scorching burn marks on his stomach that took some time to heal (4.13 "Serpent's Venom"). The repeated blows, including to his symbiote, weakened him considerably. O'Neill has been the victim of the pain stick the most of the human members of SG-1 (5.07 "Beast of Burden", 5.20 "The Sentinel", 6.08 "The Other Guys").

The Unas, after rising against the Goa'uld remembered the pain stick with horror (7.07 "Enemy Mine"). The Jaffa too, viewed the pain stick with distaste. Gerak took perverse pleasure in using it against his former oppressor, the Goa'uld when he ordered the torture of the Goa'ulded Alex Jameson for Ba'al's whereabouts (9.07 "Ex Deus Machina"). The Lucian Alliance criminal syndicate used Goa'uld pain sticks; their leader Netan tortured Teal'c with the device in frustration after their crippling loss to the Ori (10.01 "Flesh and Blood Part 3"). Teal'c was almost tortured again by the Lucian Alliance with the device when he was captured again by Vashin, but an undercover Mitchell instead attacked Vashin and used the device on him declaring to the watching Netan that Vashin knew nothing of torture (10.09 "Company of Thieves").

Gallery

Teal'c feels effects of pain stick
Burrock tortures Unas with pain stick
Daniel shows Jack pain stick artifact
Pain stick spark upon contact with case
Yat'yir drops pain stick after torturing Jameson for information
Teal'c insists Mitchell maintain his ruse and use pain stick

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--Aurora 20:47, 19 July 2006 (PDT)