Major Road not Taken plothole

[Ranlier]

So as I understand, Sam used Merlin's phase tech to shift Earth just as the Ori fired right on their location, allowing them to visibly remain unaffected as the fire passed through both them and the device.

However, in "Arthur's Mantle", there were two versions of the device- one on each reality.

If there was still a device in the AU plane with the Ori, wouldn't it have been destroyed?

[Daniel Jackson]

It's not a plot hole. In "Author's Mantle," the device existed in such a way that it could be accessed by whoever's in the other dimension. In "Line in the Sand" and "The Road Not Taken," the device itself slips into the other dimension. There is no plot hole.

[Mitchell82]

It's not a plot hole. In "Author's Mantle," the device existed in such a way that it could be accessed by whoever's in the other dimension. In "Line in the Sand" and "The Road Not Taken," the device itself slips into the other dimension. There is no plot hole.

Right. Sam manipulated the device so it works differently than in "Arthurs Mantle".

[Ranlier]

Still sounds like a plot hole, though- Merlin built the device to hide his research- hence the information only being accessible from the "shifted" side. I don't understand why the device would have a dual-dimension default if merlin could just take the whole of the device with him into the second dimension. The duality of the device seems to have only been put in by TPTB so that Daniel and Sam could commuicate. Why would Merlin have designed it that way if he was doing research alone?

[Avenger]

I think you're missing the part where Sam manipulated the device to work differently.

[Daniel Jackson]

Lt. Col. Samantha Cater altered the deice! It now functions differently than it did in "Author's Mantle."

That's not a plothole, it's continuity.

[freetoken]

There are plenty of plotholes in that episode (and most SG episodes of late), but what you are objecting to is not a serious one IMO, as Merlin's device could (and now obviously has) various modes of operation.

Mode 1: send ("phase") whatever *organic* molecules within a given radius to another dimension (that itself is a problem but let's not get into it here.) We see this in the first instance of Merlin's device.

Mode 2: send (phase) whatever molecules within a given radius to another dimension. We've seen this now in the latest two episodes.

Likely Merlin's device can do other things too.

Of course, the big (logical) issue with ether mode above is why the phased (transformed) objects just don't fall right through the floor to the center of gravity (i.e., the middle of the Earth.)

[Avenger]

If they're phased to another reality, it's not unsafe to assume that the planet is there in the alternate reality.

[Pharaoh Atem]

It's not a plot hole. In "Author's Mantle," the device existed in such a way that it could be accessed by whoever's in the other dimension. In "Line in the Sand" and "The Road Not Taken," the device itself slips into the other dimension. There is no plot hole.

Right. Sam manipulated the device so it works differently than in "Arthurs Mantle".

yup green for you both
'
and it works well

[RDAOWNS]

If they're phased to another reality, it's not unsafe to assume that the planet is there in the alternate reality.

They're not phased to another reality. They're phased to another dimension.

[Mitchell82]

yup green for you both
'
and it works well

Thank you and green back to you.

[FallenAngelII]

There are plenty of plotholes in that episode (and most SG episodes of late), but what you are objecting to is not a serious one IMO, as Merlin's device could (and now obviously has) various modes of operation.

Mode 1: send ("phase") whatever *organic* molecules within a given radius to another dimension (that itself is a problem but let's not get into it here.) We see this in the first instance of Merlin's device.

Mode 2: send (phase) whatever molecules within a given radius to another dimension. We've seen this now in the latest two episodes.

It phases everything. For one thing, why the hell would Merlin need to phase only himself? What about his research? For another, I doubt everything they were wearing was organic.

Regarding this "plot hole" in general. Did people completely miss the fact that the device now looks totally different from the one in "Arthur's Mantle" not to mention the fact that they have more than one?

Sam didn't just alter the device, she made a completely new one. It's just based on Arthur's device.

[petemoretti]

Doesn't the device work by translating subjects in another dimension which is not the same (at least in modern physics) as alternate reality
TPTB should hire other scientific consultants.

[-[SpArkY]-]

wow, I don't think that she made a completely new one?
She just hooked up some naquadah generators and other computer stuff.
some alterations but not a new device though

[Lida]

wow, I don't think that she made a completely new one?
She just hooked up some naquadah generators and other computer stuff.
some alterations but not a new device though

Funny, they use asphalt where I live to fix potholes, um, err, potholes in the roads.......however, in this case, no fixing is needed.