All you ever wanted to know about the 9th chevron

[skritsys]

Or into Stargate: Beyond!

[Avatar28]

Well one of the theories I did come up with for it is that when the gates were first built, they were going to use a different method of dialing addresses. For example, perhaps the chevrons each represented a point on one corner of a cube (8 points plus PoO). At some point it was figured out that it could instead be done via a different method which conserved two chevrons. Of course you have to wonder why they didn't use that method to begin with, but perhaps the initial technology would not allow for it and as their tech improved they were able to reduce the number of chevrons needed.

Alternatively but along the same lines, the gate network ALWAYS used 7 chevron dialing and the 8th and 9th chevrons were added at the beginning to allow for future expansion. This sort of thing is often done today in technology. For example with a cable, it might have, say, 15 pins of which only 12 are used. The other three are reserved for future expansion. If you want a specific example, when the VGA (HD15) connector for monitors first came out, not all of the pins were used (they're still not). Later down the road, one or two of the pins that weren't being used were changed to support DDE/DDE2, which is what allows your monitor to tell the computer what type of monitor it is and allows for the plug and play monitor standard. Previously in order to get the monitor to work correctly you would often have to install a driver specific for it that told the computer what it's capabilities were (or else manually configure it). If you didn't, it might not work at all resolutions and you could even physically damage the monitor. Now you don't have to do that if you don't want to. It will show up as a plug and play monitor and Windows knows what the monitor's capabilities are and what settings it needs without a specific driver or manually setting it up.

Anyways, point is that maybe the 8th and 9th chevrons were originally left for future expansion. The 8th was used when they needed to add a distance calculation into it. The 9th might not be assigned to do anything still).

[Turboz]

Oh I got another idea.

Maybe it's "Dial 9 to supersize" like at McDonalds. Hit the 9th chevron and the gate grows into a supergate like one that the Ori built.

-Turboz

[Turboz]

Well one of the theories I did come up with for it is that when the gates were first built, they were going to use a different method of dialing addresses. For example, perhaps the chevrons each represented a point on one corner of a cube (8 points plus PoO). At some point it was figured out that it could instead be done via a different method which conserved two chevrons. Of course you have to wonder why they didn't use that method to begin with, but perhaps the initial technology would not allow for it and as their tech improved they were able to reduce the number of chevrons needed.

Alternatively but along the same lines, the gate network ALWAYS used 7 chevron dialing and the 8th and 9th chevrons were added at the beginning to allow for future expansion. This sort of thing is often done today in technology. For example with a cable, it might have, say, 15 pins of which only 12 are used. The other three are reserved for future expansion. If you want a specific example, when the VGA (HD15) connector for monitors first came out, not all of the pins were used (they're still not). Later down the road, one or two of the pins that weren't being used were changed to support DDE/DDE2, which is what allows your monitor to tell the computer what type of monitor it is and allows for the plug and play monitor standard. Previously in order to get the monitor to work correctly you would often have to install a driver specific for it that told the computer what it's capabilities were (or else manually configure it). If you didn't, it might not work at all resolutions and you could even physically damage the monitor. Now you don't have to do that if you don't want to. It will show up as a plug and play monitor and Windows knows what the monitor's capabilities are and what settings it needs without a specific driver or manually setting it up.

Anyways, point is that maybe the 8th and 9th chevrons were originally left for future expansion. The 8th was used when they needed to add a distance calculation into it. The 9th might not be assigned to do anything still).

Yeah but then this would mean that the ancients would need to send engineers to every planet in the galaxy to update each gates hardware right?

It would be a bit longwinded really...

-Turboz

[Three PhDs]

The ninth chevron dials the nearest pizza hut

No no no. It's for dialing up VR sex lines (for a cost of only 4.99 kronegs/min).

What was supposed to be a decent informed and intelligent discussion in Science and Tech turns out to be no better that rambling in Off Topic Chatter.

[Kralizec]

http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=8025

I still think that the ninth chevron is just a backup chevron. If Walter breaks something, all he has to do is rotate the 'gate 40 degrees and no one will ever know...

LMAO! That's hilarious. I like your thinking.

[Avatar28]

What was supposed to be a decent informed and intelligent discussion in Science and Tech turns out to be no better that rambling in Off Topic Chatter.

Only because the question has come up so VERY many times that we have to have some fun with it first to maintain our sanity. You'll note that the discussion settled down to yet another rehashing of various conjectures and theories after a few jokes about it.

[walterIsTheMan]

What was supposed to be a decent informed and intelligent discussion in Science and Tech turns out to be no better that rambling in Off Topic Chatter.

If you had continued to read you would see that I added intelligent discussion in another post, but as usual Three_PhD's you jumped at the first chance to insult someone rather than thoroughly reading.

Also there is nothing wrong with mixing in a little humor in scientific discussion. Mixing science and humor, I think they do that in that one show we watch...what's it called? Oh now I remember, Stargate.

[Kralizec]

If you had continued to read you would see that I added intelligent discussion in another post, but as usual Three_PhD's you jumped at the first chance to insult someone rather than thoroughly reading.

Also there is nothing wrong with mixing in a little humor in scientific discussion. Mixing science and humor, I think they do that in that one show we watch...what's it called? Oh now I remember, Stargate.

Well said.

[Hermiod]

If you had continued to read you would see that I added intelligent discussion in another post, but as usual Three_PhD's you jumped at the first chance to insult someone rather than thoroughly reading.

Also there is nothing wrong with mixing in a little humor in scientific discussion. Mixing science and humor, I think they do that in that one show we watch...what's it called? Oh now I remember, Stargate.

Touché. walterIsTheMan, you are the man!

[Three PhDs]

If you had continued to read you would see that I added intelligent discussion in another post, but as usual Three_PhD's you jumped at the first chance to insult someone rather than thoroughly reading.

I shouldn't have to read that kind of post in a thread within Science and Tech.

Also there is nothing wrong with mixing in a little humor in scientific discussion. Mixing science and humor, I think they do that in that one show we watch...what's it called? Oh now I remember, Stargate.

There's a difference between humour and stupidity.

[Hermiod]

I shouldn't have to read that kind of post in a thread within Science and Tech.
There's a difference between humour and stupidity.

If you don't like what people post in Science and Tech than don't read it. We have a freedom to say what we want, so if someone wants to make a joke they have every right to. It's not against the forum rules and if it was out of place a forum administrator would mention it.

[Eoin]

If you had continued to read you would see that I added intelligent discussion in another post, but as usual Three_PhD's you jumped at the first chance to insult someone rather than thoroughly reading.

Also there is nothing wrong with mixing in a little humor in scientific discussion. Mixing science and humor, I think they do that in that one show we watch...what's it called? Oh now I remember, Stargate.

Very Well said, have some jello

Anyway we all know that the ninth chevron is for

Spoiler:

dialling into another tv show

EDIT:

If you don't like what people post in Science and Tech than don't read it. We have a freedom to say what we want, so if someone wants to make a joke they have every right to. It's not against the forum rules and if it was out of place a forum administrator would mention it.

Aswell nicely said, green also for you

[skritsys]

Personally going by O'Neill's logic, maybe be it is something that needs to be used for the kids to play with.

[srg]

Maybe the 9th chevron is simply a spear in case one of the others malfunctions?