Stargate Operations

A Stargate is an Einstein–Rosen bridge portal device that allows practical and rapid travel between two distant locations. The Stargate is a device created by the Ancients that permits nearly instantaneous travel between two planets or other bodies inside a stable wormhole established with a second Stargate. The usual method of rendering a Stargate inoperable is to bury it so that there is no room to establish a stable wormhole.

STARGATE OPERATION

The Stargate itself was invented by an Alteran named Amelius millions of years ago (possibly as long ago as 50 million years). He got the inspiration for the device on the eve of his people's exodus from their home galaxy in a single spaceship. The Alterans traveled for thousands of years and then settled in the Milky Way, where they began to be known as the Ancients and they built the Stargate network. (Stargate: The Ark of Truth, 9.01 "Avalon Part 1")

The Stargate, made of naquadah (a quartzite metal not found on Earth) and weighing about 64,000 pounds, is shaped like a monumental standing ring. The stationary outer ring and concentric spinning inner ring work together to set coordinates that permit interstellar travel. The outer ring contains nine chevrons that lock on an inner ring symbol, or glyph. Seven are used to set a destination within Earth's galaxy, and eight are used to set a destination in another galaxy, although such intergalactic travel requires a tremendous amount of energy (2.16 "The Fifth Race"). The ninth chevron enables a connection to a specific Stargate with its own unique nine-symbol address, regardless of distance or location.The inside ring has thirty-nine symbols called glyphs, that refer to constellations. These symbols may also be pronounced in the Ancients language (7.22 "Lost City Part 2"). For a normal address, the first six symbols set a coordinate in a volume of space, and the seventh refers to the point of origin.

The naquadah material of the Stargate stores vast amounts of energy: enough to form a wormhole. With properly regulated energy distribution, it is safe, but since it is a very powerful superconductor, imprudent application of energy could cause it to explode catastrophically (5.14 "48 Hours").

When activated, the Stargate creates a wormhole between two Stargates that permits near-instantaneous travel from one to the other. When the Stargate activates, a blue whoosh of energy emanates out from the Gate, destroying anything in its path. After this initial burst of energy, an event horizon, a two-dimensional energy field that permits entry to the wormhole and that looks like rippling blue water, is created within the ring of the Gate itself, and the traveler simply steps through. Anything that goes through the Gate will arrive on the other side at the same velocity at which it entered. Arrows, bullets, and energy blasts can be transported through the Stargate just as well as a person, or things can be thrown through the Gate.

As a means of protection against hostile arrivals, the SGC built an iris over its Stargate. It sits less than three micrometers from the event horizon, so, while an incoming wormhole can still form, any matter sent through will not be able to re-materialize (1.03 "The Enemy Within"). This has proven deadly to some would-be allies whose people have died when their energy signatures impacted the iris and were destroyed (4.02 "The Other Side").

The length of time a traveler stays inside the wormhole varies according to the distance to be traveled. For travel in our galaxy, the average travel time is 0.3 seconds (9.14 "Ripple Effect"). However, since the traveler has been converted to energy for the trip, he or she is not aware of the passing time or the nature of the experience.

Although travel can only be in one direction, the Gate permits several forms of energy to traverse in both directions through an open wormhole. This includes radio waves and TV signals and allows people to stay in contact. It also allows Stargate Command (SGC) to send through probes, such as a Mobile Analytic Laboratory Probe (MALP) or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and analyze the data sent back before committing to sending a human team.

Although the Stargate can be dialed manually by providing a power source and physically moving the inner ring around (a technique used in emergencies), usually a Dial Home Device (DHD) is used. These waist-high freestanding structures are generally located next to the Gate itself. The Stargate system has a built-in system of checks and balances: if, as one attempts to specify an address, the Stargate detects something that would result in unsafe travel to that destination, it will not permit the address to be dialed.

Although most Stargates that the SGC encounters are fixed in place on land or inside structures, they may also be located on starships, underwater, or in orbit. They may also be located on worlds that don't permit human life to exist. In addition, although Stargates are usually set up so that they are standing circles, it's also possible to activate them while they are lying on their sides, as long as there is room for an event horizon to form.

When someone offworld activates the Gate, the recipient of the wormhole can't turn the Gate off. Only the activator of the Gate can terminate the link, although the wormhole will automatically disengage after thirty-eight minutes. One strategy of harassment is to continually dial someone's Gate so they can't get out.

Forcing A Gate to Jump

A "jump" is the term coined by SG-1 for the transfer of an active wormhole from one Stargate to another. The phenomenon was first observed as a result of Goa'uld weapons fire striking an outgoing gate on P4A-771 while SG-1 attempted to escape back to Earth; the energy caused the wormhole to jump from the alpha Stargate in the SGC to the beta gate, then located inside a glacier in Antarctica. Captain Samantha Carter compared this to a lightning bolt jumping from point to point in mid-strike. (SG1: "Solitudes")

After dialing P3W-451 which was being sucked into a newly-formed black hole, Carter came up with the plan to use a shaped charge to make the wormhole jump to another Stargate as it was impossible to disconnect it. Though Colonel Frank Cromwell died in the process, the plan was successful and the wormhole jumped from P3W-451 to P2A-870 after which it was finally shut down. (SG1: "A Matter of Time")

It is also possible to jump a wormhole from a Stargate to a Supergate although the energy required is substantially greater. (SG1: "The Pegasus Project")

To jump a gate, requires either a Technical, Engineering: Stargates, Science: Wormholes, Science: Stargates, Science: Wormhole Physics, or Science skill roll against Heroic difficulty. To jump a Stargate to a Supergate: Heroic or 40+.

Left to Right: Milky Way, Pegasus, and Destiny Gates

Addresses

Each location in the Stargate universe has its own unique "address", which is a combination of six or more non-repeating symbols appearing on the dialing stargate. By "dialing" these symbols in the correct order, the traveler selects a three-dimensional destination.

The SGC's Dialing Computer compiling the address of the planet Abydos. The symbols dialed are often referred to as "coordinates", and are written as an ordered string; corresponding to the constellations of Taurus, Serpens Caput, Capricornus, Monoceros, Sagittarius and Orion. As explained by Dr. Daniel Jackson in the movie, the Stargate requires seven correct symbols to connect to another Stargate. As shown in the picture opposite, the first six symbols act as co-ordinates, creating three intersecting lines, the destination. The Stargate uses the seventh symbol as the point of origin allowing one to plot a straight line course to the destination. With the stargates of the Milky Way, with 38 address symbols and one point of origin, there are 1,987,690,320 possible six symbol co-ordinates. With the stargates of the Pegasus or Destiny, with 35 address symbols and one point of origin, there are only 1,168,675,200 possible six symbol co-ordinates.

This diagram illustrates how Stargate symbols translate to physical coordinates.

By identifying six constellations in space, a single sextangulation point can be interpolated that corresponds to the destination desired. As only a small portion of the possible combinations of Stargate symbols represent valid addresses, dialing the Gate at random is largely futile. In "Children of the Gods", SG-1 discovers a room on Abydos with a list of valid Stargate addresses and (luckily) a map that allows the SGC to compensate for thousands of years of stellar drift. In the series, the fictional planet Abydos could be dialed because it is relatively close to Earth, although in the film, Abydos was located in the Kaliam Galaxy. It was initially believed that the Goa'uld created the Stargates, but this was proven false in "The Torment of Tantalus" when the SGC discovered that Earth had accidentally dialled an address in 1945 that was not on the Abydos cartouche. Following this revelation, a larger list of Stargate addresses is provided by Jack O'Neill in "The Fifth Race" from knowledge downloaded into his mind by a Repository of the Ancients, allowing them to travel to worlds unknown to the Goa'uld. In "Rising", a list of Stargate addresses in the Pegasus galaxy is found in the Atlantis database. The SGC assigns designations to Stargate-accessible planets in the form Pxx-xxx or Mxx-xxx; P standing for Planet and M for Moon. Samantha Carter explains in "The Broca Divide" that the designation "is based on a binary code the computer uses for extrapolation".

Eight-symbol addresses are introduced in "The Fifth Race", opening up new plot lines by connecting Stargates to different galaxies. The additional symbol acts as a type of "area code". Such connections, in comparison to seven symbol codes, require substantially more energy to complete a functional wormhole – much more than any standard dialing method can provide. In the first instance, opening an intergalactic wormhole is shown to exceed the total power generation capacity of the SGC at the time. O'Neill fashioned an additional power source using spare parts and the liquid naquadah power core of a staff weapon using the same enhanced knowledge that had allowed him to determine this address in the first place, but this new power source only functioned twice and required repair work to operate the second time. A fully charged Zero Point Module (ZPM) can provide enough power for regular travel between galaxies. The 8th chevron is a key element in the Stargate Atlantis series, allowing travel to the Pegasus Galaxy. With the stargates of the Milky Way, with 38 address symbols and one point of origin, there are 63,606,090,240 possible seven symbol coordinates. With the stargates of the Pegasus or Destiny, with 35 address symbols and one point of origin, there are only 33,891,580,800 possible seven symbol coordinates.

Stargate Universe introduces the concept of a nine-symbol address, the purpose of the ninth chevron never having been explored in the previous series.The nine-symbol addresses act as codes to dial specific Stargates, with the only two known nine-symbol addresses used to dial from the Milky Way galaxy to Destiny, a massive Ancient vessel that was part of a project to explore the universe, with the project being abandoned when they started researching into ascension among other things, and from Destiny to Earth. Like eight-symbol addresses, the dialing of this address requires a significant amount of power, such that the scientists on Icarus Base had to tap into the planet's naquadria core. With the stargates of the Milky Way, with 38 address symbols, there are 1,971,788,797,440 possible eight symbol destinations. With the stargates of the Pegasus or Destiny, with 35 address symbols, there are only 948,964,262,400 possible eight symbol destinations. Provided the ninth symbol is your point of origin. If the ninth symbol can also be added to the destination, even 59,153,663,923,200 combinations with a Milky Way stargate or 25,622,035,084,800 combinations with a Pegasus or Destiny stargate are possible.

Dial-Home Device

The Dial-Home Device

There are a handful of methods used in the shows to dial a Stargate, and the most common is with the use of a Dial-Home Device. Almost always referred to as the "DHD" for short, it is depicted as a pedestal-shaped device with a round inclined control panel on top, consisting of two concentric circles of "keys" and a translucent red (Milky Way) or blue (Pegasus) hemisphere in the center; the keys represent the symbols on the rim of the Stargate. By pressing these keys a traveler builds an address. The central hemisphere serves as an "Enter" key to activate the Stargate once a destination has been dialed. Each DHD only has 38 keys, 19 on each ring. According to Dr. Zelenka, dialing an address leaves a small imprint on the control crystals of the DHD, and about fifty addresses can be recovered from a DHD using the proper equipment. However, this gives no indication of the order in which the addresses were dialed, and no guarantee can be made as to the accuracy of the recovered addresses.

Pegasus/Atlantis puddle jumper DHD console.

The Atlantis DHD is more similar to the Earth's dialing computer than an actual DHD, and looks more like a set of crystal panels. It can block out certain gate addresses. The Atlantis DHD also has an extra control-crystal allowing the dialing of an eighth chevron during the dialing sequence and is the only DHD in the Pegasus Galaxy capable of dialing Earth. A similar DHD is also used on Puddle Jumpers, where the set of used glyphs corresponds to the galaxy of the Puddle Jumper. The Wraith also travel through Stargates in small spacecraft called darts and have some means of remote-dialing them in a manner similar to Ancient ships.

The show makes it clear that every Stargate originally had its own DHD, located directly in front of the gate and facing it. Over time, however, some DHDs have been damaged or lost. This has been the source of plot difficulties for the protagonists on several occasions, as it is still possible to travel to a Stargate that lacks a DHD, meaning that dialing home again will be much more difficult, if not impossible. One of the primary functions of the MALP that precedes an SG team is to confirm the presence of a DHD. In the absence of a DHD, a user must select the address by manually rotating the inner ring of the Stargate, and use an external power source, as the ring will not rotate unless it is energised. Pegasus Galaxy Stargates do not have a movable ring, so manually dialing these is impossible. Travelers can also emulate a DHD through a Dialing computer as present at Stargate Command. Remote dialers have been used by several races like the Goa'uld and Asgard in various episodes. As the Stargates in Stargate Universe are a different (less advanced model) the crew of Destiny are forced to use such a device as no planet visited so far has any variation of DHD present.

Each DHD glyph lights up as it is pressed. The glyphs stay lit after the wormhole engages, giving some indication of what address was just dialed. However the order of the glyphs is not indicated by the lighted panels. So, it is not possible for someone coming upon a just-dialed gate to know precisely what address was dialed, but only which glyphs were involved. As McKay noted, the number of possible addresses represented by a single set of six glyphs is 6!, or 720 (Atlantis 1.02 "Rising Part 2").

DHD Characteristics

The DHD works within the Stargate network to correct the glyphs' coordinates for stellar and planetary shifts that over time would make the original constellations incorrect (1.01 "Children of the Gods Part 1").

The Stargate network is just that: a network. DHDs may communicate with each other over this network, for example, to propagate changes to their Stargate's coordinates that other DHDs need to know about. Such an event is called an automatic correlative update and occurs approximately every 200 years. This communication capability had disastrous consequences when the SGC's Dr. Felger used the dialing computer to scramble the coordinates of the DHD on one of Ba'al's principal mining planets. It worked, but Ba'al used the Stargate network to propagate the virus to all DHDs, using the correlative update logic. Carter and Felger had to reset the mining planet's DHD and propagate the virus-free logic throughout the system in order to fix the problem (7.09 "Avenger 2.0").

The inter-DHD communication and Ba'al's knowledge of it were critical to the final destruction of all Replicators in our galaxy. Once Carter and Jacob configured the Ancient's weapon with an energy beam that would only kill Replicators, Ba'al showed them how to force the Dakara DHD to dial all other DHDs in the galaxy simultaneously. They then sent the energy beam through the wormholes and destroyed the Replicators (8.17 "Reckoning Part 2").

If a DHD is damaged or destroyed while its Stargate's outgoing wormhole is engaged, the Stargate may lose power and sever the wormhole prematurely. Depending on the timing, the receiving Stargate will store the energy signatures of any matter that was en route inside the wormhole. A DHD on the receiving Stargate can compensate for the loss of power and allow the gate to finish the matter reintegration process (5.14 "48 Hours").

During the process of dialing an address, even after the Stargate's inner ring has begun spinning, any incoming wormhole will override the dialing sequence and form an event horizon. This will reset the outgoing dialing sequence and prevent any further dialing. This feature was often used by the Goa'uld to prevent their enemies from dialing out (2.17 "Serpent's Song" and others).

If there are two Stargates on a planet, only one may be active at a time. If only one has a true DHD, that one will become the primary Stargate and prevent the other from operating if both are dialed at precisely the same time (4.07 "Watergate"). Also, in the event of a malfunction, travelers might be sent to the second Stargate, since it has the same address (1.18 "Solitudes").

Like the Stargate, the DHD is made of naquadah. It has control crystals inside and is powered by an internal naquadah power source (1.11 "The Torment Of Tantalus" and others). A DHD has a master reset switch to interrupt the power and 're-boot' the device (1.18 "Solitudes").

The SGC Dialing Computer

Before they knew of the existence of DHDs, US military personnel reverse engineered the interface to the Stargate and created a computer program to read or emulate some of the signals that a DHD exchanges with a Stargate. Instead of lighted glyphs, the dialing computer uses a front-end keyboard and monitor to enable input of the Stargate address and monitor the progress of the dialing sequence. It took fifteen years and three supercomputers to 'MacGyver' the system to the point where it was minimally functional (1.01 "Children of the Gods Part 1"). During development, the scientists generated a series of instructions based on electrical impulses to which the gate crystals would respond. These signals and their purpose were found mostly by trial and error over a great deal of time (5.14 "48 Hours").

At first the ride through the SGC's gate was rough and the traveler arrived covered with frost (1.01 "Children Of The Gods Part 1"). However that was corrected as the planetary drift calculations of the computer were made more accurate (5.05 "Red Sky"). The computer was also tuned to dial the gate faster than it did at first; now the dialing speed is nearly as fast as a DHD (2.17 "Serpent's Song"). The SGC presumably learned more about the internal workings of a DHD when O'Neill used his Ancients knowledge to draw detailed plans of one in order to suggest a repair; this might have contributed to improvements to the dialing computer (2.16 "The Fifth Race").

Still, five years into the Stargate Program, McKay noted that the dialing computer ignored 220 of the 400 signals that the gate could emit during any given dialing sequence (5.14 "48 Hours"). That was why Carter and her team had to override some of the dialing protocols of the gate to get a lock on K'Tau. The Stargate system sensed a problem, but the dialing computer did not have a complete interface, so it did not report what the problem was: that the current alignment of the two planets would cause the wormhole to travel through K'Tau's sun, causing catastrophic changes (5.05 "Red Sky").

Also, the Earth Stargate draws 10% more wattage than off-world gates, and Carter speculated that this is because the DHDs are somehow producing a purer, more efficient form of power than the SGC system is able to deliver (7.17 "Heroes Part 1").

The interface includes connections to Stargate internal sensors, for example to measure energy signatures within the wormhole; the computer can store them for later study (9.09 "Prototype" and many others). This sort of graphical analysis of what is transpiring within the wormhole shows one advantage the dialing computer has over the 'black box' nature of the DHD. In fact the positive attributes of the computer are significant enough that, while it has a functioning DHD, the Alpha Site uses a dialing computer to operate its Stargate (8.11 "Gemini").

The SGC dialing computer has been used to dial locations outside of our own galaxy. In both cases, eight glyphs were used to define the address, and an exceptional level of power was required to form a stable wormhole to the unimaginably distant destination (2.16 "The Fifth Race", Atlantis 1.01 "Rising Part 1"). Presumably a DHD could do the same thing, but that capability has never been shown.

Dialing Chart

Action	Time
Focused Dialing with DHD	2 actions, moderate concentration check
Distracted Dialing with DHD	4 actions, allows returning fire
Integrated Dialing Computer	2 chevrons a round
Dialing Manually	1 character to rotate ring, STR Very Difficult check, can be broken into a coordinated effort, each successful check, a chevron locks

Opposed Dialing

DHD vs. Dialing Computer	DHD wins, if all factors equal
Same method, DHD or Dialing Computer	Highest Initiative
Same method, Manual Dialing	Whichever completes sequence first

Wormhole

Side-on view of a stargate as an unstable vortex is ejected

Once an address is dialed, the gate is said to have created a "stable wormhole" between itself and the gate dialed. The creation process is depicted with great consistency, and hence has become one of the defining motifs of Stargate, at times being central in both the SG-1 and Atlantis title sequences. It involves the generation of the "puddle of water" portal which lasts roughly 2 seconds, and is completed by the ejection of an unstable energy vortex resembling a surge of water or quicksilver. The vortex is portrayed as a symbol of the stargate's power, invariably causing characters to become affected by awe. Any matter which comes into contact with the vortex is annihilated on a molecular level, as is dramatically demonstrated by a pair of smoking shoes in the episode "Prisoners". In season 9's "Crusade", the unstable vortex was onomatopoeically referred to by Col. Carter as the "Kawoosh", emulating the sound of the initial vortex. This aspect has been used in some cases to dispose of highly hazardous materials. The vortex is also used on one occasion to dispose of a body in a formal funeral service - the body was placed on a pyre in front of the gate, which was then activated.

The actual portal of a Stargate appears inside the inner ring when an address is correctly dialed. This has the appearance of a vertical puddle of water which represents the "event horizon" in the show. In non-fictional parlance, an event horizon is the perimeter around a black hole or wormhole beyond which the gravitational pull of the singularity would be too strong to overcome. The wavering undulations characteristic of water are supposed to represent the "fluctuations in the event horizon". This puddle may then be entered (usually accompanied by a watery squishing sound), and the traveler will emerge from a similar pool at the destination stargate.

The show makes it clear that transit is strictly one-way; an attempt to travel "backwards" causes the traveler to be destroyed. Although in the first episode the Goa'uld who come through at the beginning of the first episode appear to walk back through the event horizon after taking a hostage, in actuality, they dialed out again using a hand-held device (the whooshing sound is audible in the background). As matter is only transmitted through a stargate once the whole object has passed the event horizon, a person or object could be retrieved from the event horizon before entering completely, as the stargate would automatically reintegrate the traveler.

Original wormhole travel from the Stargate movie and SG-1 1.-8.season.

Passage through a Stargate's wormhole is depicted as a visual effect of shooting through a tunnel in space, although this is just a visual aid as travelers are not conscious during the trip. The average travel time between Stargates is 3.2 seconds. In the movie and early SG-1 episodes, travelers exit from the Stargate "frozen stiff" and at high speed (often being knocked from their feet), feeling as though they have been on a "roller coaster ride". The character Major Charles Kawalsky describes Stargate travel as worse than pulling "out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at eight-plus g". In later episodes the experience is no different from stepping through a door, explained as a result of refinements made to the dialing computer at the SGC.

Under normal circumstances, a wormhole can only be maintained for slightly more than 38 minutes. Extending the wormhole duration beyond that requires tremendous amounts of power, such as that provided by a nearby black hole.

Other variants

●      Orlin's Stargate In the Stargate SG-1 episode "Ascension", the outcast Ancient, Orlin, builds a miniature Stargate in Samantha Carter's basement. Its stated components included 100 pounds of pure raw titanium, 200 feet (61 m) of fiber optic cable, seven 100,000 watt industrial strength capacitors, and a toaster. This gate was hooked up to the main power supply of the house and only connected once, to Velona, before burning out.

●      Tollan Stargate In "Pretense", the advanced Tollan civilization is shown to have a new Stargate, built with the assistance of the Nox. Jack O'Neill sarcastically mocks the Tollan gate, saying "Ours is bigger". The Tollan Stargate is destroyed by the Goa'uld in "Between Two Fires".

●      Ori "Supergate" In the ninth season of Stargate SG-1, the Ori were introduced as the new main enemy for the show. The Ori employ extremely large Stargates to move their fleet of warships from their home galaxy to the Milky Way. Dubbed "Supergates", these devices are composed of 90 individual segments and are powered by a quantum singularity.

●      McKay-Carter Intergalactic Gate Bridge (main article) Introduced in season 3 of Stargate Atlantis, the Gate Bridge is a chain of Stargates placed between the Milky Way and the Pegasus galaxies, allowing movement between Atlantis and Earth without the need for a ZPM or the Daedalus. Halfway along the Bridge is Midway Station, where travelers switch from one galaxy's gate system to the other. The Bridge is hijacked by the Wraith in the episode "Midway", and the Midway Station is destroyed as a result of Wraith tampering in the control systems. As a result of the destruction of the Midway Station, the gate bridge has since become inoperative.

●      Asuran satellite weapon In the Stargate Atlantis season 3 finale, "First Strike", the Asurans send a satellite weapon to attack Atlantis in response to the Apollo's bombing of their homeworld. The weapon consists of an eight-chevron Stargate, hyperdrive, shield, and a navigation system. Once it reaches its target, the Stargate activates and the Asurans fire an energy beam through.

●      The Stargate Atlantis series finale demonstrates the wormhole drive, essentially taking the Stargate concept and applying it to an interstellar vessel. The drive allows Atlantis to move from the edge of the Milky Way galaxy to Earth in moments, similar to a Stargate, but uses a tremendous amount of power. It also requires precise calculation to successfully arrive at the target destination without destroying the ship.

Odyssey Entering a Supergate

The History of the SGC's Stargate

Earth's Stargate unburied in Giza, Egypt, in 1928

Earth had at least two Stargates at one time. For centuries, they lay buried, rendering them inoperative. The primary Gate, housed for many years in the SGC, was found by archaeologist Professor Langford on a dig in Giza, Egypt, in 1928 (Stargate: The Movie). Another, in Antarctica, was inadvertently discovered by Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill in 1.18 "Solitudes." The SGC transported their Gate to Thor's ship in 3.22 "Nemesis Part 1" in order to make an escape from the crippled ship which was about to be destroyed in the Earth's atmosphere. The Giza Gate was thought to be lost and the SGC replaced it with the Gate found in Antarctica. The Giza Gate, however, survived the destruction of Thor's ship in the Earth's atmosphere and was found underwater by the Russians when they salvaged the remains of the crashed Asgard ship (4.07 "Watergate"). In 6.02 "Redemption Part 2," the SGC was forced to blow up the Stargate. They then leased the Russians' Stargate, returning the SGC's original Gate to its home.

The SGC's Gate was the subject of many years of fruitless study. Despite years of research, nobody was able to figure out how to work it, although the Gate was dialed once in 1945 and a young researcher sent through. However, the technicians could not repeat this experiment, thus stranding the researcher, Ernest Littlefield, on the other side of the Gate (1.11 "The Torment Of Tantalus").

Professor Langford's daughter, Catherine Langford, an expert in Egyptology herself and for many years the leader of the research team studying the Stargate, contacted Dr. Daniel Jackson and offered him a job translating artifacts related to the Stargate. In Stargate: The Movie, Daniel made several leaps crucial to making the Gate work: before he even knew about the existence of the Stargate itself, he figured out that the coverstone associated with the 1928 Giza dig site referred to constellations and he deduced that the seven symbols that comprise a Gate address refer to six coordinates that fix a point within a volume of space (as in the six sides of a cube), plus the point of origin. With all seven symbols in hand, it was possible to dial the Gate.

When the Gate was dialed in Stargate: The Movie, it was assumed that the Gate permitted travel only between Earth and Abydos. However, in 1.01 "Children Of The Gods Part 1," it was realized that the presence of the cartouches on Abydos meant that the Stargate could go to millions of other worlds. Because Earth and Abydos are close to each other, the Stargate system could obtain a lock. But the system needed to be updated with centuries' worth of drift, so Earth's Gate hadn't been able to lock on worlds farther away, thus partially explaining previous researchers' inability to dial out.

Stargates in the Pegasus Galaxy

Atlantis Stargate

Some five to ten million years ago, Ancients left Earth in their city-ship Atlantis and went to the Pegasus Galaxy to settle down (SGA 1.01 "Rising Part 1", SGA 1.15 "Before I Sleep"). Because they're in a new galaxy, the glyphs on the Stargates in Pegasus are relative to constellations in that galaxy, rather than being identical to the glyphs on the Milky Way Stargates.

Another difference between the two types of Stargates is that the Stargates in Pegasus have 36 symbols rather than the 39 of the Stargates in the Milky Way. Showing themselves to be even more "modern", there is no spinning of an inner ring either. Instead, the glyph being dialed lights up and then the glyphs in succession along its path to its designated chevron blink on. When the chevron locks, the glyph dialed stays lit, while the ones along the path that are not part of the address stay dark.

The Ancients programmed their Stargates in Pegasus in such as a way as to require a very specific type of crystal to dial outside the galaxy and to dial Earth specifically. Therefore, only the Stargate in Atlantis can dial Earth. When the Ancients abandoned the city after submerging it, they programmed the Stargate in Atlantis to only allow travelers from Earth. Because of this extra precaution, the city stayed submerged for 10,000 years until those from the Stargate Program discovered its address and dialed it from Stargate Command on Earth.

The Stargates on planets in Pegasus have Dial Home Devices (DHDs) that look very similar to the ones in the Milky Way and operate identically. In addition to these large DHDs are the small console DHDs found in Atlantis and in the Ancients' Puddle Jumpers, small space shuttles that can fit through the Stargate. These mobile DHDs come in handy when dialing a Stargate that is in orbit over the planet rather than being present on the ground. The Stargates in orbit maintain their positions with automated stabilizing thrusters. As it turns out, the Wraith, the Ancients' enemy—and the reason why they abandoned their city 10,000 years ago—were also able to dial the Stargates that were in orbit from their small fighters called "darts".

An orbital Stargate in the Pegasus galaxy, with 3 station-keeping rocket packs attached evenly around the rim,

Because of the amount of power needed to dial the Atlantis Stargate to Earth, alternate ways of getting to and from the Milky Way were explored. One such way was the use of the Daedalus-class starships, but that trip required about three weeks one way. Another method used the Stargates from both galaxies in a chain hung in the void with a space station in the middle that linked the two systems. The Intergalactic Gate Bridge and the Midway Space Station were functional for a brief while, but the Wraith managed to get to Earth through them. They also managed to destroy Midway, so the Bridge was no longer usable. (SGA 3.03 "Irresistible", SGA 4.17 "Midway")

Stargates of the Destiny Era

Destiny Stargate

The Destiny is an exploration ship launched unmanned by the Ancients millions of years ago from Earth (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1"). This ship followed a group of unmanned Stargate-planting ships, referred to as "seeder ships", that created and placed Stargates on inhabitable worlds as the group moved farther out into the universe one galaxy at a time. One of the first galaxies that the Destiny-era ships traveled through was Pegasus, where the Ancients themselves fled in their city-ship Atlantis when the Milky Way was hit by a devastating plague (5 to 10 million years ago) (SGA 1.01 "Rising Part 1", SGA 1.15 "Before I Sleep"). The Destiny-era ships themselves had moved on long before that time, however, so the Ancients of Atlantis, or Lantians, didn't see the need to follow, but they did record into their database the Stargate address of Destiny itself (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1").

The Database in Atlantis is huge and several years of study has already gone into it by the Atlantis Expedition and other scientists of the Stargate Program, including Dr. Daniel Jackson, who determined the destination of Atlantis itself (SGA 1.01 "Rising Part 1"). The Atlantis Expedition regularly sent portions of the Database that included diverse subjects, from the journals of Lantians (SGA 5.10 "First Contact") to medical data on the Ancients' physiology (9.09 "Prototype"), which was close to modern humans'. Sometime during all of this study, Destiny's code was found, but its destination was not apparent (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1").

The nine-chevron code needed to dial Destiny was finally used by the Icarus Project in 2009 (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1"). The code used Earth's Point of Origin symbol as the ninth chevron, even if the originating Stargate was not located on Earth. This might explain why Earth's symbol is on the Atlantis Stargate, even though the rest of the symbols are relative to constellations of Pegasus, just as the glyphs on Milky Way Stargates represent constellations of that galaxy. Because Destiny itself is not dedicated to a particular galaxy, so the code to get to it and its very symbols are not galaxy- or constellation-specific.

The Destiny Stargate has 36 coded symbols, the same number as the Pegasus Stargates, but fewer than the 39 of the Milky Way Stargates (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1"). When the ship stops by a planet with a Stargate, it uses seven symbols to dial the destination (SGU 1.02 "Air Part 2"). The Stargates on the planets, however, are not paired with Dial Home Devices (DHDs) (SGU 1.03 "Air Part 3"). Instead, a hand-held remote DHD must be used by explorers on the planet in order to dial home to the Destiny.

The entire Stargate itself spins in place in order to lock its chevrons, rather than the inner ring's spinning of the Milky Way Stargates or the no spinning at all of the Pegasus Stargates (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1"). One similarity with the Pegasus Stargate, however, is that the dialed symbols light up and stay lit during activation.

Dr. Nicholas Rush, the scientist who led the Icarus Project to dial the Destiny code and subsequently traveled to Destiny himself, speculated that the Stargate on Destiny was the original Stargate model, or prototype (SGU 1.01 "Air Part 1"; Kino 1.04 "The Stargate Room"). Unfortunately, Rush has not explained why he believes this to be so, given that the Ancients settled in the Milky Way before they sent out the seeder ships and Destiny from Earth.

SGC OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

In order to safeguard lives, the SGC has established a number of operational procedures to guide team members in the completion of their duties. These procedures have been refined based on the experience of SG teams and mission reports. In most cases all SG teams will strictly adhere to these procedures as part of standing SGC policy, though they may be relaxed at the discretion of the Base Commander as necessary. Upon joining the SGC, all personnel must become familiar with these procedures. Atlantis Base and Destiny survivors also follow these procedures to similar degrees. 

World Discovery

The discovery of a new world via the Stargate typically happens in one of two ways: a new address is found through intelligence-gathering means or the SGC base computer calculates a new valid address, cross-referencing against the Abydos map room and data from the Ancients. In either event, once a new gate address has been calculated and verified, a number of stipulated procedures take place.

Plotting

A new world is plotted on the SGC computers and its location calculated using the stellar constellations in conjunction with the world's address. The SGC then cross-references the location of the world against any Stellar data or information obtained from the Tok’ra, Ancients,  Asgard, or even from stolen Goa’uld sources.

The plotting of a gate address allows personnel to make sure that the world is not near any known stellar anomalies (such as a pulsar or black hole) in which case establishing a wormhole between the two points could prove dangerous. Also a number of Worlds have been classified as off-limits by the base computer for a variety of reasons usually based on intelligence data, Tok’ra information, or consultation with additional sources. These worlds may lead to potentially hostile situations or pose a direct risk to the safety of the Earth.

Once it has been determined that the position of the world relative to other known worlds possesses no inherent danger the next step is initiated.

Establish Wormhole

At this point SGC Personnel actually dial the gate address (all dialings to this point have been simulated to see if the Stargate generates an error code and to ensure the address is validity). Once a wormhole is established (with the iris closed) background radio signals, and EM field levels (among others) are recorded. Provided that all levels appear normal a radio transmission is sent through the Stargate to the other side to see if there is any sign of civilization that may pick up the signals. This process is repeated twice more at 1 and 2 day intervals to ensure the planet remains in proper alignment, that the radiation levels are not transient, etc. In some cases it could be weeks before the next stage is initiated.

MALP Deployment

After a wormhole has been successfully established at least three times and there has been no response from the radio signals, a MALP probe then travels through the gate. The MALP provides the first hard data on the atmosphere, temperature, pressure, and a visual record of the other side of the wormhole.

Visual telemetry is one of the most important aspects of sending a mouth through. Even if all other environmental conditions check out, an SG team will not be sent on a mission to the new world unless the MALP can't confirm the presence of a functional DHD. The MALP also provides visual records of the Stargate on the other side filming all 39 glyphs. This step helps establish the correct address to dial home, since every planet has a unique point of origin glyph.

If the sensor data shows an environment that can support human life (with or without environmental gear) then the return Stargate address is calculated. Once everything checks out a briefing packet is assembled for a new world exploration mission profile.

Mission Briefing

At this point the planet has checked out as suitable for human life and a functional DHD has been identified on the other side, as well as a valid Stargate address to return home. The Base Commander then assigns the mission packet to a SG team, organizing a briefing with the team members. At the briefing the team goes over the collected data and discusses the actual mission. Provided the team commander has no objections, the mission to the world is cleared and a departure time set. The team of then preps for embarkation.

Game-wise, at this point, players and teams can use their Renown and request Resources or Equipment for the mission.

Embarkation

Prior to leaving on a mission, several additional steps take place - behind the scenes - that insure a mission's success. Without these steps an SG team might walk into a hazardous situation ill-prepared to protect themselves.

Pre-Departure Meeting

All SG teams have a private pre-departure meeting prior to going off-world, typically held in the SG team's locker room or just after the mission briefing with the Base Commander. Three important items are reviewed:

●      Confirmation of the team’s EDO code

●      Confirmation of the team's return gate address

●      Confirmation of the team's rally point or alternate gate address

The first of these, the confirmation of the team's Iris code is perhaps the most important. Every team has a unique GDO code which, when transmitted, opens the iris on the Earth's Stargate. Traveling through the Stargate with the iris closed results in the matter stream dispersing as subatomic particles instant death. the GDO code is never written down or pre-programed for security purposes: every team must memorize that code and repeat it from memory. Since codes are periodically changed for security purposes this step takes place prior to each and every mission.

The next step, confirmation of the Stargate return address, might actually hold greater importance than the iris code. Without the proper gate address the team cannot dial back to Earth. When possible, SGC personal use the MALP Telemetry images to identify the unique point of origin glyph, and verify the placement of all the glyphs on the DHD, allowing team members to be prepared in the event that they must dial home, quickly. All members memorize the return address to Earth and may not write the address down.

The final stop is the confirmation of a rally point in case the team become separated and a check-in schedule. Should the team split be split up and lose contact, they will meet at a specific time and place in order to rally together - usually the Stargate or some other nearby structure found on the MALP. In some rare circumstance the rally point may actually be on another planet. This typically happens on a world without indigenous life or limited resources such as oxygen. As such, the rally point is on another pre-determined planet of a neutral nature.

All team members synchronize their watches against the base chronometer before preparing for the next step.

Equipping

The SG team prepares for departures by selecting their “uniform of the day” and any required personnel supplies. This includes filling canteens, procuring emergency rations, and confirming working radio communications.

The team then proceeds to the Armory to check out any weapons or ordinance required on the mission. The briefing (see above) outlined any equipment required, subject to approval by the team and Base Commander. Unapproved equipment will not be dispersed from the Armory without the permission of the Base Commander or Duty Officer.

Team members are responsible for any last-minute checks of their equipment and other team members, and ensuring that everything appears to be working order.

Once satisfied the team leaves for the embarkation room.

Departure

The pre-departure and equipping meetings typically take place 30 minutes prior to the scheduled Mission departure. At this point the SG team arrives at the embarkation room ready for deployment. If not done already, the destination address is dialed and the Stargate activated. If particularly sensitive or important missions the Base Commander may personally see the team off, confirming any last-minute operational orders.

Currently, the SG team steps through the Stargate and travels to their designated destination across the Galaxy.

Arrival

The first priority of on coming through the Stargate is to identify any life-forms or alien Personnel near the structure and secure the Stargate itself. The team generally set up a perimeter around the gate, verify that no unauthorized person that personnel are in the area and no immediate threats exist. Is a star gate remains open the team commander can contact the SGC to verify that everything is “five-by-five”.

A secondary, but equally important concern is to leave the area immediately in front of the gate in the event that another incoming Wormhole is established. Matter caught in front of the gate during the generation of the wormhole’s vortex is vaporized on contact.

Once the team has secured the perimeter, the acquisition and verification of a functional DHD takes top priority. If the master control Crystal remains in place and the DHD appears to be functional, then the team can continue with their mission.

Mission

The actual scope of a mission through the Stargate varies based on the mission profile as discussed earlier. In most cases the first visitors through a Stargate consists of an exploration team tasked to survey the surrounding area., check for any signs of life or civilization, and conduct a basic reconnoiter. This process can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours on most worlds.

Returning to Earth

After the completion of a mission and at the appointed time, the SG team returns to the Stargate to dial Earth. In the event that the team has not had an opportunity to complete the mission it is within the purview of the team commander to extend the mission. In such instances the team commander should make reasonable efforts to dial the gate and contact the SGC, advising them of the delay and their new arrival time.

In most exploration missions, however, the mission is easily completed in the appointed time and the team returns to earth. Personnel must inventory and return with all equipment they took with them on assignment unless authorized by their team commander to leave it behind. As strange as it may sound, this includes any trash and other discarded materials so as not to leave any signs of SG team activity.

On most worlds the Stargate is a central structure along a major throughfare or well-known to local inhabitants (if any). As such, returning to this Stargate May sometimes prove difficult if the gate is under guard. Depending on the circumstances at hand, a distraction may be called for to allow access to the gate.

Dialing the Stargate

As outlined earlier in this chapter the dialing of a Stargate is a simple process but also somewhat time consuming. Provided the Stargate is not active in the DHD is functional, dialing of the gate can be as little as 2 actions.

Typically, one SG team member dials the address while the other team members cover the unit, taking flanking positions to either side. It is the responsibility of the team member that dialed out the gate address to be prepared prepared with the GDO to enter the correct iris code. Once the team member gives the signal the team is then free to enter the Stargate back to Earth.

Use of Force

The SGC has always been reluctant to authorize the use of force, but leaves such actions in the hands of their team commanders. While the use of force on a mission is regrettable, sometimes it becomes necessary in order to safeguard the lives of SG personnel, property, or innocents.  In the event that deadly force is used, all SG team members must give a full accounting of their actions after the mission and are interviewed in debriefing to determine if the use of force was justified. And nearly all cases team members exhausted all other options available to them prior to using deadly force. Also upon returning to base from all off-world missions, the SGC inventories all equipment, including the number of spent rounds. In the event of any discrepancies the Sgt members must submit a report to account for the variances. The unauthorized use of force by a SG team member when deemed unnecessary by the team commander can result in relieving a team member from active duty until an investigation can take place. If the member is found to have exceeded their authority, they may face formal charges up to and including a court-martial and dismissal from the SGC. Civilians can face similar charges.

Return of Personnel

In the event that additional non-SGC Personnel accompany a team back to Earth, the team must notify the SGC via radio communications that such personnel are in transit. If unable to do so, then an SG team member should be the first through the Stargate and provide verbal and visual indication that the personnel immediately behind them, are in fact, authorized. In the event of a security breach the armed response units in the embarkation room are authorized to shoot any non-SGC Personnel on sight.

Should the team return through the Stargate under fire, the rapid deployment of the iris may be required. In such cases the SG team can give orders from the floor of the embarkation room to close the iris, although the final decision rests in the hands of the base commander (if present) or duty officer. In most cases these personnel defer to the returning SG team members. Once the iris is deployed, the personnel recovered, and the Stargate shut down, armed response units stand down.

Mission Debriefing

Depending on the nature of the mission a debriefing takes place immediately, or after the SG team has had a chance to be checked out in the base’s infirmary. In either event the SG team must exit to the Armory to return all remaining ordinance.

If the briefing is scheduled immediately, then the SG team provides the base commander or duty officer with a verbal account of the mission in their own words. This briefing is recorded as a matter of legal record should it become necessary. Personnel must also submit an after mission log record within 12 hours of returning to the SGC. These files go directly to the duty officer and are reviewed by the base commander. For security purposes, the team commander may not review the reports of other team members or alter their accounts.

Team members may be asked to return for a second debriefing to go further into detail about their reports or explain any discrepancies with other team members’ reports. Should any injuries or casualties occur on a mission, a mandatory review of all SG team member reports is required as well as a private interview with the team commander.

Immediately after the briefing (or prior if the briefing is scheduled for a later time) all SG team members must report to the base infirmary for an after mission medical evaluation. These tests duplicate those taken prior to the mission departure and include a complete body scan for any new scars are potential Goa’uld symbiote entry points, blood work analysis, and reflex tests. The base doctor has authorization to hold any or all SG members in quarantine until satisfied with their medical results.

After these steps have been completed the team stands down and begins preparations for their next mission.

Foothold Condition

In the event that an alien aggressor compromises SGC security, a foothold situation is initiated. This unlikely condition is a direct response to the threat of the Reetou who gained entry to the SGC in 1998 through the Stargate and potential access to the surface. A Foothold situation denotes that the SGC has been compromised and that SGC Personnel may be collaborating with the aliens, possessed, or even duplicated. As such, until the Foothold situation has been resolved all SGC Personnel - or anyone whom the SGC personal have contacted - may be affected.

Once word of a Foothold situation reaches sources outside the SGC or if enough evidence suggests that the SGC may be in the midst of a Foothold, the alert condition can be given. Similar to a quarantine condition, the entire Mountain Facility is sealed and a military containment team dispatched. The containment team seals the surface entrances and guards all possible methods of egress from the base. They close down all roads to and from the Mountain Facility and roadblocks checks all identification.

After the base has been sealed, orders may be given to retake control of facility once the nature of the foothold is determined. In most cases this requires the containment team to enter the base and proceed from level to level, securing the facility. The use of deadly force is authorized and, if necessary, may shoot SGC Personnel that resist.

To date, only one Foothold condition has taken place and the situation resolved is thanks to the quick thinking of SGC Personnel were able to contact help.

SGC Alert Conditions

The following alert conditions are used to place the SGC in a state of Readiness at a moment's notice. Code One: Security breach, all personnel must show identification to security Personnel when moving from area to area on the base. Code Two: As a code one except that additional guards are activated for roving patrols and all weapons are removed from their safety condition. The Army Armory is secured and a threat Response Team stands by in the embarkation room. Code Three: Heightened state of internal alert, all elevator shafts are lockdown and guards posted at the stairwells. Roving patrols move through all spaces searching for any possible intruders. All non-essential Personnel are confined to quarters. Code Four: A code four alert is a base quarantine condition. All methods of egress from the base are sealed. Including the main blast doors at the surface. Guard at checkpoints at the surface are closed down to prevent access to the mountain facility and a military containment team activated. Code Five: As a code four. The base is placed under lockdown alert; any personal attempting to leave our shot on sight. Code Six: Unauthorized Stargate activity or offworld activation. Level 28 is sealed and a threat response team is dispatched to the embarkation room. The iris is closed immediately. Code Seven: Unauthorised base access. As a code five except the base is considered under attack and must prepare to repel Invaders from the surface and or through the Stargate. All SG teams are activated and all off-world teams recalled the Earth (if possible). Internal roving patrols are outfitted with weapons and body armor and are authorized to shoot any non SGC personnel on-site. Explosive charges placed in the elevator shafts may be detonated to seal access to the lower levels and the Stargate or to keep lower levels isolated. Code Eight: as a code seven except the base’s self-destruct sequence is activated, the countdown interval determined by the base commander. Code Nine: The highest state of readiness, a code nine alert condition signals the prelude to alien invasion. The base is shut down as per Code Four and all SG teams activated. The Pentagon is notified of the possibility of alien attack. At the recommendation of the base commander the nation's Defcon status can be set to condition one. The Alpha site personnel go to standby Alert in case an off-world evacuation is authorized.

Base Quarantine

The nature of exploration through the Stargate exposes SGC Personnel to any number of alien bacterial or viral infections. After every mission in SG teams must report to the infirmary for a checkup and blood work analysis. If the base doctor has reason to suspect that one or more team members may be infected, they may initiate quarantine for all the team members.

If after quarantine the base doctor feels that any potential contamination has been averted the base may continue to function as normal. In some instances, however, a highly contagious or infectious pathogen may require an entire level or the base itself to be sealed off. In most cases, in the interest of public safety, the base commander will err on the side of caution and initiate alert code four if the potential spread of the contaminate threatens those beyond the base.

In those rare instances when a particularly deadly contaminate poses a threat to the surrounding area, nation, or planet, the base commander can authorized Alert Code Five. In such a case of the base is sealed and personnel within must resolve the quarantine with only the personnel and equipment on hand unless the base commander authorizes the use of the Stargate. If the situation cannot be resolved then the Mountain Facility will be permanently sealed. This may also lead to a Wildfire condition.

Wildfire Directive

In the event of the escape of any infected personnel from the SGC ( i.e. potential carriers of an infectious pathogen) a Wildfire condition may be set. The Wildfire condition requires the total destruction of personnel and property through incineration.

If a Wildfire directive is initiated from within the SGC then signs of contaminant containment failure outside the base trigger the Wildfire condition. The base automatically activates its self-destruct mechanism, incinerating the SGC and its contents destroying the pathogen. This condition of the Wildfire directed may not be disabled from within and requires authorization from the surface to deactivate.