Apr 04 2009
Zero Point Module
An Ancient power source used to power their cities and outposts. ZPMs extract vacuum energy from a small artificially-created region of subspace, and based on the concept of zero-point energy. ZPMs are more powerful and efficient than Naqahdah generators or any energy source on Earth, and can last for thousands of years.
The first ZPM is found by Jack O’Neill in the SG-1 season 7 finale “Lost City” at an abandoned outpost, and used to power Ancient weaponry left behind on Earth to repel Anubis’ attack on Earth. The same ZPM allows Stargate Command to open a wormhole to Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, at the cost of draining it completely. Another is found on Earth in an alternate timeline and allows Earth to send supplies and reinforcements to Atlantis. The finding and recapturing of ZPMs is a recurring theme on Stargate Atlantis, being a necessary asset to protect the city from attacks and invasion, to power the city for e.g. space travel and to accelerate Earth ships in-between galaxies. However, they also have destructive powers, which has been misused by Camulus, the Trust, and McKay aboard an Asuran City ship.
Most of the Atlantis characters and aliens pronounce ZPM as Zee-P-M (with an American accent). The team’s Canadian scientist, Rodney McKay, on the other hand, pronounces the abbreviation in the standard English fashion, Zed-P-M. Actor David Hewlett stated in an interview that when he was cast as McKay for Atlantis, he talked with the producers how to set his character’s Canadian origin apart. In his opinion, there is no such thing as a Canadian accent despite a few differences in pronunciation, which is mirrored in the show in the pronunciation of ZPM as “Zed-P-M”.
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