10 Most Disturbing Stargate Moments

The Prometheus was Earth's first large-scale starship, equipped with hyper-drive engines. It allowed the storytelling potential of Stargate to expand beyond having to step through the gate to encounter new worlds and civilizations, while still keeping the show grounded where it needed to be. It became something of a symbol for the earlier to middle age of the show, bulky but still fully functional.

That changed with the arrival of the Ori. The Prometheus suddenly found itself vastly outmatched, very very quickly. While it had weathered battles against the Goa'uld, it proved ineffective against the weaponry of these ascended beings.

In orbit of the Tegalus, an Ori Satellite, controlled by one of two warring factions on the planet below, swiftly crippled the vessel when it exited hyper-space. Another shot destroyed the vessel's engines. A third shot destroyed the ship itself, killing Colonel Pendergast and leaving the survivors stunned.

Though the human personnel were able to escape back to Earth after a supposed cessation of hostilities, later inspection showed that the planet had been destroyed in a cataclysmic crossfire between the two factions. The power of the Ori was demonstrated through a remote weapon and Earth had found itself startlingly unprepared.