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It's been established that the unstable wormhole created during the activation of a stargate will vaporize anything in its path. If so, how does the ramp in the SGC gate room, which goes right through the ring, survive?

gate room

On a related note, how on Earth does the iris close with this thing? Does the rear part retract?

Jenayah
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HNL
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1 Answers1

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As you can see from the image below, the unstable wormhole vortex (known colloquially as the "kawoosh") comes out from the centre of the puddle, then retracts back into the centre. The ramp is below the area affected.

The ramp isn't a single piece, it has a small split in the middle through which the wormhole (and iris) can extend.

Kawoosh!

It was a production oversight in the earliest episodes that the ramp went through the gate. In later episodes, you can see the split more clearly.

BEFORE Ramp going through the gate

AFTER ramp is a bit off the gate

You can also see in this original concept art, that even offworld (typically stone) gate platforms are built with a small gap to allow the vortex to form

gate concept art

Jenayah
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Valorum
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    And yes, I'm aware that this hasn't always been the case. That's a simple production error; http://www.gateworld.net/gallery/albums/sg1_season1/102-TheEnemyWithin/screencaps/normal_sg1_102_463.JPG – Valorum Sep 01 '14 at 11:38
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    Upvoted for the "kawoosh" (also because it's a good answer, but that's less fun). – Moogle Sep 01 '14 at 11:52
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    @moogle - I like that it's Carter, basically one of the only people in the world who actually understands the underlying physics, that comes up with such an unscientific name for it! – Valorum Sep 01 '14 at 11:57
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    @Richard That last comment would be valuable just sitting as part of the end of your answer, e.g.: "This hasn't always been the case. That's a simple production error." - as is it might get obscured via the various comment-hiding mechanisms. It's also pretty valuable in explaining the photo in the question! – doppelgreener Sep 01 '14 at 14:31
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    The ramp is still effectively burying the gate. This has always bothered me. It's also true of any off-world gate where the bottom section is entirely encompassed in the stone that makes up the ramp. – Lightness Races in Orbit Sep 01 '14 at 19:38
  • @LightnessRacesinOrbit - That's true, but the vortex is only a micron thick. That kind of gap in a stone platform would be essentially invisible to the naked eye. – Valorum Sep 02 '14 at 12:13
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    @HNL: Am I the only one who doesn't see what is supposed to be different between the BEFORE and AFTER captures? – ThePopMachine Sep 02 '14 at 16:15
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    @Thepopmachine - The piece of metal grating running through the gate in the earlier episode is contiguous. In the later episodes, there is a small split where the face of the wormhole would be. – Valorum Sep 02 '14 at 16:20
  • That is ridiculously subtle. – ThePopMachine Sep 02 '14 at 16:21
  • @Richard: It seems unlikely that the gap would only be a micron thick as the alignment requirement would then be incredibly strict. – Lightness Races in Orbit Sep 02 '14 at 17:49
  • @ThePopMachine, it's kind of subtle, but when I realized what Richard was pointing out, it was such a 'duh' moment for me that I immediately saw the split. – HNL Sep 04 '14 at 04:45