NID

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The NID is a fictional shadowy intelligence agency in the television series Stargate SG-1. It is an independent government agency similar to the DIA, CIA or NSA, but with questionable accountability and more comparable to Star Trek's Section 31. The NID seems to be based either in The Pentagon or in an office complex in or near Washington, D.C.. Officially, their mandate is to provide vital civilian oversight of top secret military operations.

Within the show, the NID is represented by two groups:

  1. An official and responsible operation that seeks to investigate and exploit technology brought back through the Stargate by the SGC while, at the same time, observing the members of the United States military to ensure that their actions are the 'correct' ones. The official agency has a number of Men in Black-style agents, like Agent Malcolm Barrett, and bureaucrats like Richard Woolsey.
NID

Universe

 Stargate

Type

 Intelligence agency

Founded

Location

 Washington, D.C.
Area 51

Key people

 Colonel Harry Maybourne (rogue)
Colonel Frank Simmons (rogue)
Malcolm Barrett (official)

Purpose

 Provide vital civilian oversight of top secret military operations (officially)
Procure alien technology and intelligence (rogue)

Technologies

 SGC technology

Affiliations

 SGC (official)
The Committee, The Trust (rogue)
  1. A set of well resourced rogue cells that use unscrupulous methods to procure alien technology, develop weapons, and gather intelligence. Despite its illegality, and the efforts of the legitimate branches of the NID to hunt down and destroy the cancerous organization, the rogue cells make extensive use of NID operatives and resources. Initially they operated using the second stargate unearthed in the episode "Solitudes". Later they were based either 'off world' or in disused warehouses throughout the Earth.  
Throughout the series the work of the rogue group has been associated with Colonel Harry Maybourne. The rogue elements justify their unscrupulous methods claiming that, like the SGC, they are just trying to defend Earth from the Goa'uld. They criticize the SGC saying that their modus operandi of diplomatic contact and negotiation is too slow. However, it seems that far from patriotism, the rogue NID were linked to various individuals and corporations who wished to exploit alien technology for financial gain. These corporations and individual businessmen are the rogue NID's leading shadow group, "The Committee", which eventually evolved into The Trust when the SGC managed to arrest and imprison the majority of its upper echelon.

In the episode "Touchstone", General Hammond comments: "Back when the SG program began there was a philosophical skirmish about its mandate. Some people wanted to make sure that any and all discoveries were brought back regardless of considerations like inter-planetary diplomacy." Hammond also comments that he thought that there was a politician or politicians pulling strings behind the scenes, this was later revealed to be Senator Robert Kinsey. Another prominent member of the group was Colonel Frank Simmons, played by John de Lancie.

Currently, the NID has become a more legitimate organization which works for the security of the Stargate program and to aid the SGC on operations on Earth such as interrogation of prisoners. Recently, their main goal seems to be neutralizing the threat posed by The Trust.