Puddle Jumper

Puddle Jumper in space

**Puddle Jumpers** are small spacecraft created by the Ancients. Several of these ships were discovered in various hangars in Atlantis, and are used by the Atlantis expedition for various purposes. Puddle Jumpers feature retractable thrusters that allow them to travel through a Stargate, as well as powerful Drone weapons for self-defense and a cloaking device to avoid detection. They are operated via neural interface, and so the Ancient Technology Activation gene is required to activate and pilot the ship.

The Asurans referred to these ships as "Gateships", possibly indicating that the Ancients also called them that in their language.  However, the Wraith are shown to refer to them as Jumpers or Lantean Jumpers.

## Design

The design of a Puddle Jumper is a small, roughly cylindrical shape with an angled front and rear, allowing it to slide perfectly through open Stargates. The front section contains the cockpit of the vessel with all control functions, four seats for passengers, and a large view port at the front of the ship. The aft section contains a passenger and storage area with a hatch in the back to access the ship. Similar to the Tel'tak, the craft is split into two sections, the cockpit and cargo hold, with a bulkhead door to separate them.

Entry and exit to the Puddle Jumper is provided through the use of the cargo bay door in the rear. This door can be lowered and raised in normal operation, or can be jettisoned by use of the emergency release located in the rear section of the cargo bay. A smaller hatch installed by the Tau'ri also exists in the ceiling of the cargo section allowing for entry.

## Variants

### Time Jumper

The Time Jumper is a Puddle Jumper capable of time travel. It was built, or at least reconfigured, by a Lantean scientist named Janus, to make use of a device he invented and installed in the cargo hold. In the main timeline, this experimental, although entirely successful, technology was banned by the Lantean Council in order to prevent dangers associated with time travel.

# Notes

1. ↑ The name "Puddle Jumper" is a combination of a visual pun on the ship's ability to travel through the event horizon of a Stargate (an action also referred to as "Threading the Needle"), which resembles a pool of water, and a reference to the slang term 'puddle-jumper' on earth, which means a small plane intended for short distance flights. It was coined by Major John Sheppard, an experienced pilot, who found a serendipitous double meaning when describing the craft. The nomenclature of the ship was immediately protested by Dr. Rodney McKay and Lt. Aiden Ford, who preferred "Gateship", although their suggestion was rejected. As such, the name, "Puddle Jumper" stuck and has continued to be used to this day.
2. ↑ Tau'ri is the term used by the inhabitants of the Milky Way to refer to human beings from Earth. The word means "first ones" or "those from the first world", in the Goa'uld language, in the sense that all human life in the Milky Way began on Earth. While the term "Tau'ri" originally applied to all human beings in the galaxy, it has come to apply specifically to those who currently live on Earth as the Stargate Program proceeded to explore the galaxy.
3. ↑ Developed by Rodney McKay
4. ↑ Developed by the Atlantis Expedition
5. ↑ Developed by Michael Kenmore
6. ↑ At least one example appeared in Stargate SG-1
7. ↑ More information is available on the Stargate Wiki Puddle Jumper entry
8. ↑ More information is available on the Stargate Wiki Time Jumper entry

# Sources

1. ↑ SGA: "Rising"
2. ↑ Stargate Wiki entry
3. ↑ SGA: "The Return, Part 2"
4. ↑ SGA: "The Third Path"