The Asgard cloning programme repeatedly copies earlier copies, with degradation eventually threatening the species. The criticism is that the programme has no protected original template to check against or return to if the process fails. Original bodies and genetic data stored in several places could provide that fallback. The cloning problem precedes the Replicators in this account, so their later attacks do not explain the absence of a backup. Storage also needs protection from well-meaning attempts to recycle equipment or delete apparently obsolete data. A preserved original would function as a scientific control as well as a recovery resource.
Notable Point · 3:23:34-3:35:14
The Asgard bet their species on cloning without a control
Repeated copying degraded the Asgard genome, yet the civilization kept neither original bodies nor distributed genetic data as a recovery baseline.