The Goa'uld rule an empire whose size and organization exceed those of the medieval states used as the starting comparison. Some minor Goa'uld appear able to gain authority by proving competent, creating a limited form of advancement within the hierarchy. That does not explain where the clerks, records, communications, and routine administration needed to govern many worlds come from. A hierarchy that rewards useful subordinates is still different from the durable bureaucracy required to turn territorial reach into lasting power.
Notable Point · 3:21-4:40
The administrative paradox behind the Goa'uld empire
The empire's scale implies far more bureaucracy than the story shows, even though promotion among capable minor Goa'uld suggests a limited meritocratic channel within its feudal hierarchy.