Why is the SGC Based on Earth?

[TheBoxSeat]

Gidday everyone

Operating the SGC is dangerous - Yes Senator Kensey is right (but oh what a Git!)

The amount of times the self destruct has been armed is ridiculous

If you add up all the alien intrusions, diseases (biological and nanotech), incoming radiation and gravity wells, it is impossible to justify having the SGC based on earth

An alpha site exists - Why not conduct operations from there

[Steve_the_Wraith]

My best guess

The infrastructure needed to maintain a facility as big as the SGC is huge. Power, Water, Food, Research, Accomdation for all the soldiers and support staff and tons of things I haven't even thought, supplying a similar base off-world would probably take as much if not more effort

[TheBoxSeat]

Yeah that would be the only reason, but the cost of just one of those disasters could be extinction of the species - in several episodes it was admitted that even using the Self-Destruct would not prevent the damage

[RA the sun god]

i thought they wanted to keep the power center on earth just because contact is easier and they are always there to help earth if need be...

[Pharaoh Atem]

i would think it would be cool if something happen to the SGC and there did have to operate out of another planet or would have to rebuild the SGC a little

[The Signal]

It may well happen in the future that the SGC needs to move to a new site offworld, but how they would keep a new base the size of the SGC running offworld is beyond me unless they fiind a stockpile of ZPMs

[Ace]

Gidday everyone

Operating the SGC is dangerous - Yes Senator Kensey is right (but oh what a Git!)

The amount of times the self destruct has been armed is ridiculous

If you add up all the alien intrusions, diseases (biological and nanotech), incoming radiation and gravity wells, it is impossible to justify having the SGC based on earth

An alpha site exists - Why not conduct operations from there

My best guess would be that it would be a terrible waste of resources. Yes... you can have the SGC at the Alpha Site and conduct operations from there. However anything you bring back as in technology, or ambassadors from another planet, even the Asgard or Jaffa would all have to eventually go back to Earth.

The sole purpose of the Stargate program is to aquire advance technologies to protect Earth. You would still have to have a Stargate program on Earth to receive the technologies and ambassadors that the Alpha Site would attain.

Not to mention it's probably easier to have scientists or experts in a certain field flown in around the world to solve a problem or expirement with stuff without having to tell them of the stargate program and send them through the gate to the Alpha site.

If the SGC ran from the Alpha site, they would only be able to send stuff that could fit through the Stargate. And if they sent a Battle Cruiser, well that's a lot of money and a waste of resources when all of it can be done cheaper and easier right here on Earth.

Besides the people at Stargate Command have been able to handle every situation where the self-destruct was activated or a foothold situation. There is no reason to believe they won't be able to keep it that way in the future.

Ace

[Three PhDs]

An alpha site exists - Why not conduct operations from there

And how would they get stuff to and from it?

If the SGC ran from the Alpha site, they would only be able to send stuff that could fit through the Stargate.

Well, no they wouldn't... since there'd be no stargate on Earth...

[newtrekker]

Well, no they wouldn't... since there'd be no stargate on Earth...

I think Ace meant by moving the operations to another planet for 'safety' reasons, leaving Earth out of 'danger'.

[PG15]

Then what do we do with the Earth gate? Bury it?

[Major Tyler]

Then what do we do with the Earth gate? Bury it?

Obviously not, just use it to transport material and personnel to and from the off-world facility. If the Stargate only ever receives people from just one planet, it is far less likely to let something nasty through.

[PG15]

But what if there is a Lockdown (or whatever that prevents a team from going through) at the Alpha Site SGC, and a team needs to get through to Earth? Wouldn't the same problem still exist?

[SmallTimePerson]

Then what do we do with the Earth gate? Bury it?

we could still use the earth gate, but by using the gate it would defeat the purpose of relocating SGC to the alpha site...

[newtrekker]

we could still use the earth gate, but by using the gate it would defeat the purpose of relocating SGC to the alpha site...

By averting 'danger' from Earth, that's the purpose of relocating the SGC.

[Major Tyler]

we could still use the earth gate, but by using the gate it would defeat the purpose of relocating SGC to the alpha site...

It wouldn't defeat the purpose at all. We use the Earth Gate to keep the off-world facility supplied and staffed like we do for Atlantis. Anything bigger than the gate could be transported by one of our ships. The only incoming wormhole we'd accept would be from the Alpha Site, which obviously eliminates almost all risk. Anyone that wants to go to Earth will have to go through the Alpha Site first, where they can be tested and searched to minimize risk.