why doesn't it nip them in the butt?

[twiggy]

when they go through the Stargate, why does it turn off right when they get there?

I can see how they do it from Earth, cause the puters control it, same thing with coming back to Earth. But when you go from one planet to another, how does it know *just* when to turn off? Shouldn't they have some sort of "turn off device" that they have to bring with? otherwise, every wormhole should be on for 38 minutes.

[Avatar28]

I think that's one of the great unanswered questions. At a guess, there's some sort of sensor so that the gate knows how many more people are on the platform. Although that wouldn't explain someone standing off the platform and the gate staying open to wait for them. :-P It's just a big plot hole. You can find it in the same vicinity of why does everyone speak English? Probably will never be explained.

[Dotus5]

A wormhole usually (and I use that loosely because of the writers use for storylines) stays open as long as there is something transmitted through it; radio waves, people, equipment.

If there is a continuous energy forced into the stargate like radio waves, the wormhole will stay open for the 38 minutes. Now if someone walks through the stargate and they were the only one, the gate should shut down as soon as the person is rematerialized and walks out.

Now because of story purposes, sometimes the gate will stay open longer, but generally, it should shut down when there is nothing left to transport.

[twiggy]

oooooooooo, thanks

[Crazedwraith]

A stargate needs something going through to keep it open as wel las energy to keep the wormhole in exsistance. Also Stargate travel is not instanteous.

So say SG-1 go through. Say Teal'c is the last to step through/ By the the time Teal'c exits on P-Whatever. The earth gate knows nobody else has stepped in and so it shuts down.

Of course this is a rather simple explanation which has proberly being broken dozens of times. Its not my fault TPTB can't stick to a set of rules...

[_Owen_]

The Stargate can stay open for 38 minutes but only if there is matter that is partially crossed the event horizon or if matter is constantly coming through. The gate is Ancient technology, this knows when no matter is coming through and it shuts down. It is smart.

Owen Macri

[buckner]

It also has tv magic!

[_Owen_]

That's true, they don't need the gate to stay active any longer than it has to.

Owen Macri

[buckner]

But I hate when the gate shuts off before the jaffa or enemy get to it.

[_Owen_]

Ya but there are sometimes that they get through and then get destroyed by the lack of rematerialization, which is pretty cool, even though the bangs on the iris, are completly implausible.

Owen Macri

[buckner]

ya I guess that makes up for it

[_Owen_]

In most cases.

Owen Macri

[~Thor~]

If there is a continuous energy forced into the stargate like radio waves, the wormhole will stay open for the 38 minutes. Now if someone walks through the stargate and they were the only one, the gate should shut down as soon as the person is rematerialized and walks out.

Radio waves and light waves are both EM waves therefore light entering the gate should keep it open. Also why is the puddle there since radio wave can travel both ways so should visible light, the gate should be more like a window

[_Owen_]

Actually the gate shouldn't necesarily be like a window, remember the event horizon is created by the stargate to de and re materialize matter, the event horizon could be made to look however the ancients wanted it to, if they wanted they could have made it clear, if they wanted they could have made it black, but they wanted it blue, for some reason. Also I would assume that the gate has failsafes to detect if just regular light is entering the stargate otherwise, yes, the gate would stay open for 38 minutes every time you dialed and you would have to shut it down manually from the dialling end every time.

Owen Macri

[6thMonolith]

I'm pretty sure taht the Ancients didn't have THAT much controll over the gate to start. The event horizon also doesn't send anything until it is fully demolecularised, so I'm not surprised that light doesn't go through. And there would be no failsafe if a DHD wasn't attached, like the earth gate.