Prim'ta
The pact between a Jaffa and his symbiote
- Applies to
- The Jaffa
- Benefits
- Strength, healing, longevity
- Price
- Life-or-death dependence on the symbiote
The secret of the Jaffa's strength, and their chain. Every Jaffa warrior carries a young Goa'uld symbiote in his belly. This passenger gives him iron health, a long life and extraordinary vigor, but it also makes him a slave, dependent on the Goa'uld to survive.
Overview
The larval symbiote makes a Jaffa a formidable soldier: he heals quickly, rarely falls ill, lives a very long time. The Prim'ta ceremony, in which a young Jaffa receives his first symbiote, is a sacred moment in their culture. But behind the gift lies a leash.
History
Without a symbiote, a Jaffa's immune system collapses and he dies. That is how the Goa'uld held an entire people: by making them dependent on them to live. The whole Jaffa rebellion will hinge on this, up to tretonin, a drug that finally allows them to do without the symbiote, and therefore without their false gods.
Themes
