Question propagation...

[eve11]

From a flist entry: Hey stargate peeps, does anyone know if it has been definitively explained why the Iris in the Stargate does not get vaporized in an initialization of a wormhole? I understand the idea that the placement so close to the formed wormhole prevents total rematerialization and hence stops projectiles and such, but how powerful, canonically, is the opening ka-whoosh? I know we've seen it vaporize people; what about other things?

Comments

[dunv-i.livejournal.com]

I think one handwave is that if it's close, it gets vaporized, but if it fully covers it, and is close enough, nothing happens.

Mostly, the writers just ignored that, I think.

[dunv-i.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry for the double. I think the most logical way to do it would be for the iris to be open when the wormhole initializes, and then immediately shut.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

There is SO MUCH that contradicts itself!

The IDIC nearly always shows up on the computer before the chevrons finish locking. There's no explanation how the Stargate knows to even start spinning (or have chevrons locking) before the people on the other side even finish dialling. The iris is usually opened for the kawhoosh and then cycled shut, but not always!

From 48 Hours, we learned that by moving the iris just a little bit inside the Gate, it served as the equivalent of burying it, so that a connection couldn't be made. Logically speaking, though, if the iris is closed when the kawhoosh goes off, then yes, it ought to be vaporized.

To the best of my knowledge, we've seen non-organic matter destroyed in the kawhoosh three times: in 100 Days, when, after Sam's doodad melted the naquadah asteroid "iris" off Edora's Stargate, the kawhoosh formed the cavern in which Teal'c tried to get to the surface; in some ep in S6 or other, where (from clips) we see the team lying huddled in the pit dug out by the kawhoosh from a toppled Stargate; and (S9 spoilers ahead!) in Origin, when Teal'c and Mitchell vaporize what Ivory Gates calls the "Ori hookah" to wake Daniel and Vala up just in time.

Hope that helps!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Spinning v non-spinning: Maybe it's connected on the other side, but this is the dialing delay? And we have a rotary model stargate while some other ones have touchtone? I try not to think about it too closely.

Yeah, if a rock is heavy enough, it will permanently bury the Stargate. That's why the iris is offset normally.

I think in 100 days, it was able to break through because it wasn't solidly buried. The Stargate was just toppled over on dirt in Death Knell, so that just made a hole in ground (I do wonder though what they thought they could do if there was Jaffa. They'd be killed by the kawhoosh in trying to redial if using it as a foxhole).

But yes, any object, organic or not would normally be destroyed in the kawhoosh. Such as what happened to the Ancient Communication device.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

we have a rotary model stargate while some other ones have touchtone

Hee hee hee! And besides, "cooling is so much cooler than not spinning!"

[eve11]

The iris is usually opened for the kawhoosh and then cycled shut, but not always!


Yeah, I know there are examples of hostile or unknown incoming connections where they just keep the iris closed, and you hear the iniiation and the kawhoosh behind the iris.

I'm sure Sam Carter could give us an explanation...

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced her contact information... ;)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

I always figured it didn't start lockign chevrons until the other side had finished dialing (actually, don't they all lock on at once when someone dials in?) ....*is confused now*

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they play around with closing it before or after the kawhoosh in canon.

According to The Enemy Within (http://www.stargate-sg1-solutions.com/wiki/1.03_%22The_Enemy_Within%22_Transcript), the iris is set "Less than three micrometers from the event horizon. It won't even allow matter to fully reintegrate."

So *handwave* maybe it's semi blocked? The event horizon can form, but the iris is wide enough to disappate the kawhoosh effect blah blah...

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

This has always driven me nuts. by which I mean, "I have no clue, but if you can come up with a handwave that makes sense, I'd love to hear it"