Corrected entry: For both opening the Earth gate (they mention having never gotten beyond six symbols), then opening the Abydos gate after Daniel Jackson knows the first six symbols from that cavern, why can't they simply use trial and error to find the seventh symbol? For 40-odd symbols apiece on both, it would only take approximately that many guesses by process of elimination.
lionhead
12th Oct 2023
Stargate (1994)
9th Sep 2022
Stargate (1994)
Other mistake: When the ship lands atop the pyramid and begins to retract and open the topmost sections of the pyramid retract into the lower parts however the upper parts are too long to fit into them. In the next sequence we see the ship and the upper parts are nowhere to be seen.
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Suggested correction: Perhaps the parts fold further in on themselves. Like a retractable ladder.
8th Jun 2018
Stargate (1994)
Corrected entry: The premise for Jackson going on the mission is that once on the other side someone would need to be able to re-open the gate using new symbols, but in reality it would just be a matter for earth to re-open the gate from their end at a predetermined time or times.
Correction: The gateway is a one way trip, you can't go back through the wormhole when the gate has been opened from the other side.
Pure assumption. We don't know exactly how the stargate works. It may actually be possible to go back through the stargate, even if you just came through and it was still open. We just don't know.
It has been well established that Stargate travel is one-way.
Since when?
After Jackson says he doesn't know how to dial back, when they are setting up camp, Brown says "if we're not back soon, they'll just turn on the gate from the other side", and Ferretti tells him "no, it doesn't work that way, you see, if you don't turn it on from here, we're screwed." The one way travel is also stated in the later TV series.
Since always.
21st Jan 2018
Stargate (1994)
Factual error: When they first power-up the Stargate in the military facility (using Jackson's decryption), the thing surges to life, and electrical sparks spray out of overloaded connections all around the control room. This could only happen if there were no fuses or electrical breakers in the military's control system, which is a ridiculous notion for such advanced military technology. In real life, a powerful overload situation would instantly burn out fuses and trip breakers and the whole system would simply go dead (there would be no sparks). Showers of sparks are a common error in many science fiction and space fantasy films dating back many decades.
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Suggested correction: If there would be breakers and fuses then yes, the system would simply go dead and then they would have nothing. They intentionally let the system nearly overload because without power they wouldn't be able to finish the sequence.
No, that's not the way sophisticated (and expensive) electronic technology works. If you have sparks spraying out of electrical connectors, that means you're melting down millions and millions of dollars of hardware. No technician or electrician or even a first-year auto mechanic would intentionally design and hardwire an electrical system without fuses and/or breakers.
They're dealing with Ancient technology. It's quiet possible that such an advanced piece of technology as a Stargate could cause powerful arcs of electricity along lines separated even by tripped breakers.
Ancient technology does not override electrical physics. Modern electrical equipment is protected with fuses and breakers for a reason. If the Stargate technology overrode the parameters of the modern equipment, it would melt down the modern components being protected by the fuses and breakers. Either way, the whole system would shut down.
21st Jan 2018
Stargate (1994)
Corrected entry: The gate appears to have about 40 symbols on it, and they already had the first 6 of the 7 needed for the sequence. After dialing the first 6, Catherine said that was as far as they had ever gotten, so we know they had dialed the first 6 before. Except they didn't need Jackson to figure out the riddle since all they had to do was try each of the remaining symbols as the seventh, one by one, until they found the one that worked. So with a maximum of about 40 tries they would have found it a long time ago, all without Jackson's help.
Correction: The project is in military hands and its quite possible the military decided not to experiment further with the device before they knew for sure they got the correct symbol, considering the shaking that already starts when the 6th symbol is locked. Its possible that dialing it is too dangerous to try 40 times because it endangers the facility or the device itself.
Correction: This mistake has already been corrected, twice. The military in control of the project might not have allowed them to experiment with different symbols simply because they didn't know what it might do. Not fully far fetched since the entire compound starts shaking when entering the 6th symbol. It might explode for all they know.
lionhead
Then the Abydos gate alone. Six symbols down. One to go. 40 odd guesses, easy enough, less than an hour.
dizzyd
You missed the point of the correction. It could have been 4 options and still not worth the risk of entering the wrong symbol.
Bishop73
Well, we don't know if the gate on Abydos makes everything shake. So, I'd say there is a point there. But they only discover the symbols on Abydos till later. By then, they are already at the tribe, I think.
lionhead