ALKESH

An alkesh is a Goa'uld mid-range bomber capable of hyperspace travel and equipped with a ring transporter and cloaking capabilities. Able to attack a Goa'uld mothership because of its speed and maneuverability, it is less maneuverable than a death glider, but superior in size and armaments. Often used by the Goa'uld for aerial attacks, the alkesh can also carry vast armies for ground assaults.

SG-1 first encountered an alkesh when they came under attack during the evacuation of Vorash. The Goa'uld frequently used the alkesh during aerial assaults, including the attacks on Revanna, Abydos, P3X-116, P3C-249, P3X-666, P3X-439, P2X-887, the Alpha Site, and the battle above Antarctica. During negotiations with the Rebel Jaffa on P3C-249, O'Neill and Teal'c came under attack from an alkesh. They were able to defeat and capture the ship in a counterattack and return with it to Earth. En route to Atlantis, the Prometheus responded to a distress signal from a disabled alkesh, however the occupant, Vala, commandeered the Prometheus instead and later used the alkesh to make her escape. Osiris had used a cloaked alkesh in Earth's orbit from which to visit Earth, and after she was captured, her ship, equipped with Asgard beam technology, was boarded by members of the Trust who used it as a base of operations from which to launch an attack against Goa'uld-occupied worlds. When the ship was captured, and the Trust members taken as hosts, the alkesh returned to Earth where it engaged in a firefight with the Prometheus and was destroyed. Intending to make contact with SG-1, Ba'al arrived on Earth in an alkesh and allowed his ship to be tracked by NORAD and shot down by two F-16 fighters near Cheyenne Mountain.

Following the defeat of the Goa'uld, the alkesh has also been used by cultures that were formerly under Goa'uld domination, such as the free Jaffa and the Lucian Alliance. The Lucian Alliance has acquired a fleet of alkesh which they use in battle as well as well as to escort cargo transports for the delivery of kassa and other goods. The Jaffa Nation frequently uses alkesh in coordination with their fleet of motherships. Bra'tac provided aerial coverage in an alkesh during the mission to rescue Teal'c from P2M-903, but his ship was shot down and he was captured. During the mission to block the Ori supergate with a wormhole from the Pegasus Galaxy, Teal'c used an alkesh to transport the secondary stargate to the supergate, and by extending the cloaking capabilities of the ship, he was able to hide both the alkesh and the stargate from the approaching Ori warship.

Cross Reference: Crystals, Death Glider, Force Field, Goa'uld Language, Ha'tak, Hyperspace, Teltac

First Introduced: Exodus
Significant Episode Reference: Summit, Last Stand, Full Circle, Avenger 2.0, Heroes, Lost City, Endgame, Prometheus Unbound, Full Alert, Reckoning, The Ties That Bind, Stronghold, The Pegasus Project, Insiders