Disclaimer: I do not own the franchises mentioned in this fanfiction, they are the properties of 343 Industries/Microsoft and Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer/Amazon Respectively
The Goa'uld Empire:
The Goa'uld Empire is the single largest stellar nation in the Milky Way Galaxy, surpassing even their primary rival, the Covenant Empire, in the number of systems and colonized worlds they control. Founded around 22,000 B.C., the Goa'uld Empire has retained its place as the dominant power in galactic affairs for millenia.
The Goa'uld Empire, also referred to as the Goa'uld Domain, or the Realm of the Goa'uld, is a hegemonic empire founded by a number of Goa'uld known as the System Lords. These monarchs rule over their subjects by posing as false gods over countless worlds. Their will was carried out by the Jaffa, a genetically-engineered race of humans to serve the Goa'uld.
The Goa'uld have traditionally been prone to infighting and disputes between the various system lords due to the peculiar form of feudalism prevalent throughout its various territories.
However, the onset of the Covenant as a galactic power forced the Goa'uld to adapt or be destroyed. Early skirmishes between the Goa'uld and the Covenant led the Goa'uld leadership to believe they could overcome the Covenant with numerical superiority but this later proved ineffective when the Covenant showed themselves quite capable of matching them in open combat. Despite possessing the numerical advantage the system lords, led by Supreme System Lord Ra found themselves consistently on the backfoot in terms of quality of ships and soldiers. Jaffa forces, while plentiful, were consistently bested in direct conflict with Sangheili combat units. Meanwhile, the standard Ha'tak class warships fielded by the Goa'uld were noticeably inferior in terms of weaponry and durability as opposed to their Covenant counterparts.
Forced to confront the technological stagnation that had plagued them since their ascension to an interstellar state, the Goa'uld began looking for a way to match the Covenant in battle. These reforms led to the creation of the Shu'tak-series of Goa'uld warships as well as several specially trained and equipped legions of Jaffa in service directly to Ra. These Jaffa were referred to as the Medjay, or Pharoah's Finest. The Medjay were specialized as a form of heavy infantry to face off against stronger Covenant forces such as Sangheili warriors. The Ashraks, specialized Goa'uld assassins utilized by the System Lords, were restructured to be able to counteract the effectiveness of the Silent Shadow, an elite Sangheili unit that operated exclusively for the purpose of infiltration, sabotage, and assassination. These military reforms allowed the Goa'uld use their superior numbers and resources to stand against the Covenant Empire as an equal in power, despite their technological inferiority.