Stargate SG-1/The Stargate

The Stargate

Standard Operation

Stargates are large ring-shaped devices made of an element known as naquadah. They are capable of opening wormholes between themselves and any of the other Stargates in the 'Stargate Network'. Connections are established by using a DHD (Dial Home Device) which requires a minimum of seven symbols to activate a wormhole. 6 symbols to locate the object in space, and a 7th to act as a point of origin. An optional 8th symbol may be used on some Stargates to create connections to Stargates in other galaxies. In the Pegasus galaxy, the Atlantis Stargate is the only one with the ability to dial other galaxies. The power needed for intergalactic travel is not normally available to a Stargate, even ones connected to a DHD, and power must be supplemented by secondary sources such as Colonel O'Neill's power supply or more commonly, an Ancient Zero Point Module. Once sufficient power is available, the Stargate can dial and lock the 8th chevron and allow transit to another galaxy, but as the Atlantis expedition found out, there are no guarantees of the availability of a return trip.

Stargate Wormhole Theory

Matter may only pass one way through the stargates; from the originating stargate to the receiving one. Gravitational fields, as well as portions of the electromagnetic spectrum used for radio communications (but not the visual portion) may transit both ways through a wormhole. Upon passing through an active stargate, discrete objects are transformed into energy and transmitted to the other stargate. The energy pattern is then imprinted upon a series of crystals inside that stargate that act as a large computer buffer. The other stargate then reconstitutes the object into matter at the other end of the wormhole. The stargate has many built in safety systems to prevent loss of the traveller or damage to other planets or systems. These safety systems include a mechanism that prevents a stargate from creating a wormhole that travels directly through stars or large gravity wells, preventing the Gate from dialing that destination. When a gate not using a DHD is used, such as at the SGC, it is possible to override almost all of these safeties, but it is extremely hazardous and far from recommended.

Protective Mechanisms

The Stargate, being a relatively easily accessible system, required a safety mechanism to keep enemies from invading Earth. As a result, the Air Force installed a device known as the "Iris", a large trinium shield that when closed sits no more than a few microns from the Stargate's event horizon, preventing matter from reintegrating properly. Radio signals can still pass through the Gate, and offworld teams and allied forces are required to transmit a personalized identification code (more commonly known as its acronym of "IDC") to Stargate Command via a small device not dissimilar in looks to a television remote control and known to SGC personnel as the GDO, or "Garage Door Opener". Without the IDC, anything that comes through the gate reintegrates as a thin smear of matter paste on the backside of the Iris. This system served the SGC very well until the Goa'uld Sokar discovered that his forces could use a particle accelerator to cause immense heat and radiation even through Stargate Command's iris. The iris also proved ineffective against an Ancient weapon that used one Stargate to supercharge another until the energy was released in the form of a violent explosion, causing the destruction of one of Earth's two Stargates. As well, the alien race known as the Tollan were capable of materializing through the Iris through the use of advanced technology.

Related Episodes

• Children of the Gods (Part 1, 2) - 101A, 101B
  
• Solitudes - 117
  
• A Matter of Time - 216
  
• 1969 - 221
  
• Red Sky - 505
  
• 48 Hours - 514
  
• Redemption (Part 1, 2) - 601, 602