SG-1: Solitudes

[Darth Wedgius]

The big question is: Since they now had a functional DHD after this episode, why'd they keep using that jerry-rigged system that took like half a minute to open the gate and would sometimes screw up in weird ways?

I think in a later episode they say that the Antarctic DHD died.

Found it. In SG-1's episode "Frozen" Carter said:

The one found with the Antarctic Gate died shortly after it was brought back to Area 51. It was used a few times and then just ran out of energy. That was the first indication we had that the power sources fueling the Gate technology have a limited life span. We've run a number of tests comparing the power source to other off world DHDs. We think we now have evidence that the Gate we found down there is one of the oldest in the entire system. It could be as much as 50 million years old.

But they might have wanted to keep to the dialing computer anyway.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

It's a low-key episode, but it's constructed very well. Stargate writers tended to do well at utilizing in-universe rules and technology to put an interesting spin on the problems/scenarios of the week.

Except that the fact, that the Antarctic Gate is in, well, Earth's Antarctic, would be immediately apparent to Carter and quite likely even O'Neal as soon as they had found the DHD. Why? Simple. Very simple. Remember how Stargate-adresses are described? That each pictogram coresponds to a constellation of stars? These constellations are obviously unique to every planet everywhere and that there's not just one or two, but all of the constellations that are on Earth's primary gate are also on the DHD to this gate, is a dead giveaway.

Even if you want to argue that the Antarctic Gate is so old, that the constellations are not up to date anymore and current Earth's gate was replaced and the pictograms "updated" way later, after the Ancients realized that Earth's original gate was not adressable anymore, there's still one more obvious clue. The seventh pictogram is always the point of origin, yet another symbol that is exclusive to each and every planet. Even if a number of constellations are visible almost identical on several nearby planets and thus you could argue that symbols could repeat on different gates, this one symbol is always unique to the planet. The presence of Earth's symbol on the DHD is impossible to ignore to a military unit whose very symbol is identical to Earth's symbol on Earth's stargate. They carry it on their damn patches.

I don't remember all the details of the dialing system and obviously not all the details are spelled out, and no doubt they contradicted themselves numerous times throughout the series. My understanding is that the point of origin is unique to each gate rather than to each planet. The beta gate is actually supposed to have a different origin symbol.

If you wanted to really examine that stuff and hold it to what was originally said, they probably contradict themselves more often than not. Despite what they say about constellations in the very beginning, the show usually seems to implicitly assume that each gate has only one constant "address" no matter where you are in the galaxy (outside the point of origin. The writers had a six-point address for earth, for example.

All that isn't really what I meant when I said the show is good at creating puzzles with in-universe rules and tech. All I meant is that despite things like stargates, goa'uld, etc. not existing in real life, they can create strong drama revolving around those things and devise solutions that feel organic to the universe.

[Durandal_1707]

The big question is: Since they now had a functional DHD after this episode, why'd they keep using that jerry-rigged system that took like half a minute to open the gate and would sometimes screw up in weird ways?

I think in a later episode they say that the Antarctic DHD died.

Wait, I thought that it was what the rogue agents were using to dial out in that one story arc a few seasons later, were they were stealing stuff and pissing off the allies? Or was that something else?

[Darth Wedgius]

The big question is: Since they now had a functional DHD after this episode, why'd they keep using that jerry-rigged system that took like half a minute to open the gate and would sometimes screw up in weird ways?

I think in a later episode they say that the Antarctic DHD died.

Wait, I thought that it was what the rogue agents were using to dial out in that one story arc a few seasons later, were they were stealing stuff and pissing off the allies? Or was that something else?

That makes sense, though in "Frozen" Carter said the Antarctic DHD gave up the ghost after being moved to Area 51 and I couldnt find anything in the "Touchstone" transcript about where the NID got their DHD. I have to just shrug on this one.

[ijffdrie]

The presence of Earth's symbol on the DHD is impossible to ignore to a military unit whose very symbol is identical to Earth's symbol on Earth's stargate. They carry it on their damn patches.

The antarctic stargate has a different Point of Origin on it (which the stock footage screws up when they start using the antarctic gate as their primary gate).

The show is also kinda inconsistent on whether DHDs have distinct Points of Origins on them to begin with. Many episodes show people pressing six buttons and then the big red button in the center

[nlinecomputers]

My only gripe with the episode is why Carter didn't just dial a more hospitable planet and go there. You can't get to earth and you are freezing to death here so go to a better planet. Leave a note on the DHD in case they send a Malp or team to your location.

[clearspira]

My only gripe with the episode is why Carter didn't just dial a more hospitable planet and go there. You can't get to earth and you are freezing to death here so go to a better planet. Leave a note on the DHD in case they send a Malp or team to your location.

My guess is that its another thing that got retconned later on. Carter is too smart to not think that, so my guess is the same force that was stopping the DHD overwriting the Earth gate like it does later on is the same force that was stopping them from dialling anywhere else. Pretty much everything about this episode is overwritten by the time we reach Atlantis.

[Nealithi]

My only gripe with the episode is why Carter didn't just dial a more hospitable planet and go there. You can't get to earth and you are freezing to death here so go to a better planet. Leave a note on the DHD in case they send a Malp or team to your location.

First she was chased from a previous mission and came through a rough ride to land in sub zero wonder land. She is extremely cold, hungry, and frustrated. To her the failure to reach earth was not a dialing issue. It was technical. So she fixated on it. In a way her training to focus was working against her. She focused on what will get help. Fix the device, get home. Not step back, big picture time.

[Megabeatman]

My only gripe with the episode is why Carter didn't just dial a more hospitable planet and go there. You can't get to earth and you are freezing to death here so go to a better planet. Leave a note on the DHD in case they send a Malp or team to your location.

First she was chased from a previous mission and came through a rough ride to land in sub zero wonder land. She is extremely cold, hungry, and frustrated. To her the failure to reach earth was not a dialing issue. It was technical. So she fixated on it. In a way her training to focus was working against her. She focused on what will get help. Fix the device, get home. Not step back, big picture time.

Plus there is the fact that O’Neill was badly injured and getting him straight home was probably on her mind as well.

[clearspira]

My only gripe with the episode is why Carter didn't just dial a more hospitable planet and go there. You can't get to earth and you are freezing to death here so go to a better planet. Leave a note on the DHD in case they send a Malp or team to your location.

First she was chased from a previous mission and came through a rough ride to land in sub zero wonder land. She is extremely cold, hungry, and frustrated. To her the failure to reach earth was not a dialing issue. It was technical. So she fixated on it. In a way her training to focus was working against her. She focused on what will get help. Fix the device, get home. Not step back, big picture time.

I don't agree. Carter is one of the smartest women alive. ''Try the Alpha site'' is not big picture time. Its ''the obvious second step.'' Especially as the whole point of the Alpha site is where off-world teams go when Earth is for some reason inaccessible.
Sorry, i'm sticking with retcon and/or plot hole.