All you ever wanted to know about The Iris and the Wormhole

[GbaGuy]

Ra was on Earth when the rebellion took place. He left, and didn't bother to come back because Earth had nothing of value left. The Goa'uld originally came to Earth to get human slaves and hosts. They already had taken millions of humans to other worlds by that point, and the humans of Earth were so pathetic and worthless, Ra simply picked up and left. We weren't even worth 'punishing'. He could've done it, but he probably decided that keeping up with Earth was pointless, and that he had other better things to do. So he left, and that was that.

That's a good point. I would agree with
it, adding, that the second Earth proved it had advanced to the point of being
a threat, Apophis personally took just two ships to reconquer it. Earth was lucky
Daniel had his little alternate universe thingy.

[drronin112]

The reason they gave in "A Hundred days" that they were able to establish a wormhole to the planet and use the particle beam cannon thingy to vaporize the rock there was that since the gate had been open when the meteor hit, all the matter that normally would have gotten in the way of the "bubble" forming inside the gate was moved through the gate and hardened. I believe Sam explains it as having formed a natural iris over the gate.

I think the reason that makes a difference is, if a gate is buried it is encased in rock and dirt and has stuff between the sides of the inner ring. Like putting a 'Cork" in the Bubble ring stick. If it's just covered up by stone and there's a space for the Hyperspacial "Soap" to coalesse and form into the event horizon, it'll form a gate, but either things will fall back through it...or will splatter against whatever is above it.

If you remember in the episode: "New Ground" (Season 3, Ep 19) Carter says that when they tried dialing that gate before that they got a "Busy signal" where the gate wouldn't lock. And it starts off with the gate being slowly cleared away of the stone that it had been encased in. So Chevron 7 won't engage if the gate is encased in debris (AKA has a cork stuck in it) But if there's space enough for it to form a event horizon (AKA Soap film) it will.

[Wyrminarrd]

In response to Wyrminnard (you must be a 'Dune' fan... me too. ) :

Ra was on Earth when the rebellion took place. He left, and didn't bother to come back because Earth had nothing of value left. The Goa'uld originally came to Earth to get human slaves and hosts. They already had taken millions of humans to other worlds by that point, and the humans of Earth were so pathetic and worthless, Ra simply picked up and left. We weren't even worth 'punishing'. He could've done it, but he probably decided that keeping up with Earth was pointless, and that he had other better things to do. So he left, and that was that.

I am a Dune fan but what made you think I was one?

And as for Ra not feeling Earth was worth it, I´d think it would just be the principle of the thing. It sets a very bad example to just let people get away with rebeling aginst you, both in the eyes of other slave populations but more importantly it would be a sign of weakness in the eyes of other system lords.

And in the movie I´m pretty sure that Ra wasn´t on Earth at the time of the rebellion....

EDIT: Just read Drronin´s post, it does answer my question and make enough sense for me to accept it.

[Seastallion]

I am a Dune fan but what made you think I was one?

And as for Ra not feeling Earth was worth it, I´d think it would just be the principle of the thing. It sets a very bad example to just let people get away with rebeling aginst you, both in the eyes of other slave populations but more importantly it would be a sign of weakness in the eyes of other system lords.

And in the movie I´m pretty sure that Ra wasn´t on Earth at the time of the rebellion....

Your handle actually... It reminded me of the original 'Dune' movie, where the Baron Harkonnen's mentat assasin Piter De Vries was saying that it would be better for Paul and his mother to die in the "innards of a worm". As soon as I read your name my mind immediately associated it with the phrase.

Perhaps, but there have been many examples where human slaves have rebelled on other worlds, and the Goa'uld didn't bother to punish them or go back simply because the worlds were no longer worth bothering with. For one thing, their slaves on other worlds would have no way of knowing anything that took place anywhere other than their own world (do we??). For another, a System Lord has hundreds of planets to oversee as well as rivals to occupy their attention. A System Lord would consider an abandoned planet to still be his, even if he wasn't actually doing anything with it at the moment.

As Teal'c has said, the Goa'uld often abandon planets and the slaves they had brought there once the resources of that planet no longer could be obtained. The only reason to hold such planets after that would only be for strategic reasons. Earth, by the time of the rebellion was so far outside the wider Goa'uld domain that it was in fact an imposition for Ra to remain on Earth. He was probably planning to leave anyways eventually, but the rebellion just sped things up.

Ra might have decided to 'punish' Earth, but if he had other things preoccupying him, he wouldn't. He was in the process of moving his seat of power, he had the other System Lords to contend with. He probably didn't want to sacrifice any military hardware to blowup a backwater planet while he needed them to defend his position against the other System Lords and possibly outside threats, such as the Asgard. We have no way of knowing precisely what the politics of the galaxy were at the time, except to say we know what did happen. Ra didn't come back. Obviously that means Earth wasn't worth bothering with, regardless of what reason you ascribe it to.

What in the movie made you think that? The Movie never said one way or another, wether Ra was on Earth at the time. Also, where the movie contradicts the Series, it is not considered Canon. The TV Series takes priority over the Movie, so that anything that was established in the movie that was then contradicted by the series, is no longer valid. Only the TV series matters for discussion here. The movie lasted for 2 hours. The TV series has lasted for 179 (hours) episodes and counting.


As to the thing in "One Hundred Days" yes, the molten Earth created a natural iris over the open gate's Event Horizon that enabled the gate to still be activated but no travel. They then used the particle beam to cut enough of the molten rock face (the 'natural' iris) so that the vortex would be able to form, thus eating through molten rock and dirt. They then shut down the gate, and sent Teal'c into the cavity left behind by the Vortex of the reactivated gate. It would be like putting a big dent in the middle of the Earth gate's Iris. Such a dent would allow the vortex to form thus causing the Iris to be consumed.

[Qasim]

Thanks qasimjavid

Did you just think of it, or took it from any explanation that TPTB may have given?

Got it from http://www.gateworld.net/faq.shtml

[Dr Weir]

I just read the transcript of Children of the Gods, and I wondered how it is possible that the energy vortex of the incoming wormhole does not destroy the iris.
The first iris was made of titanium, and the second one of a trinium-titanium alloy, but for what I know, the vortex destroys everything in his path.
I have seen in some episodes that the iris is closed before the vortex appears, so....
Could someone bring some light to this question?

If this discussion was set before, my apologies.

I thought in the first ep there was no sheild on the stargate and that it wasn't put in until the second ep. Am I wrong?

[Lucreleia]

Nah... no TPTB really. I just watch a lot of Stargate, have a decent understanding of physics, and think waaaay to much. I also have a natural gift to sometimes be able to take complex ideas and explaining them in less complex terms. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... I'm glad it worked this time.

I personally don't think that there is anything called overthinking

If I wasn't overthinking myself, I probably would not care about things like physical explanation to vortexes....

I don't consider myself a geek, the tipe you would see in Conventions asking the writers how could that engine achieve so much speed with the configuration it had... (for further reference, see Galaxy Quest), but then, there are not Stargate Conventions in Argentina, so I guess I shouldn't talk in advance...

[Lucreleia]

I thought in the first ep there was no sheild on the stargate and that it wasn't put in until the second ep. Am I wrong?

It appeared in Children of the Gods part 1, when Jack and company returned from Abydos after picking Daniel.

[Ancient 1]

Again with this question? A quick SEARCH would turn up 4 or 5 discussions on this subject; all saying the same thing.

[Lucreleia]

Got it from http://www.gateworld.net/faq.shtml

Thanks for the tip, I've hadn't seen the FAQs...
Yes, kind of stupid, I know, being the first place to look....

Ancient1: Hey, just don't get mad, I'm not so used to using all the tools of the Forum, I didn't know how to search for this...

[plaw15]

I have always thought that the splash thing should leave a big hole in the iris. I might be wrong but it sort of makes sense.

[Kralizec]

I have always thought that the splash thing should leave a big hole in the iris. I might be wrong but it sort of makes sense.

That's the magic of the movies and television. It doesn't have to make sense. Logically, it should blow right through the iris (but not the shield in Atlantis), but TPTB (The Powers That Be) decided that it doesn't, so it doesn't. They also don't have to spend $$ on SFX, saving $$ for better things.

[Lt. Colonel Ryu Gaia]

More or less, the flush simply cannot form. The event horizon will open, but the kafwoosh is reflected backwards before it can reassemble. Matter won't pass, not of any kind.

[Lucreleia]

I've been said that this question was asked and anwered many times before..... when I opened a thread asking the exact same thing!!!

But don't worry, every once in a while, someone asks this....

So, instead of explaining what was explained to me, just visit Why isn't the iris destroyed by the energy vortex?, and you will find some answers... then you decide if they are convincing enough.

And also, as I was informed (because I missed it too ), this particular answer is at the FAQ Section! Yes, I know, we NEVER read that...

I hope this helps... and pass the wisdom to the next that posts this question!

[babaganoosh]

Maybe the kawoosh is created several more microns beyond what the iris currently sits at. The kawoosh can't form and the iris is left intact.