10 Massive Stargate Plot Holes

1. Trial And Error Would Have Fixed It

Stargate Daniel Jackson
MGM

This one goes all the way back to the Stargate movie from 1994, however it is a rather big head scratcher! Daniel Jackson is brought on board the Stargate program due to his experience in Egyptian hieroglyphs, coupled with the fact that he is a genius. However, was his genius really required, or would common sense have fixed the issue that had so stumped the scientists?

There are 39 different glyphs on the Stargate's inner ring. A Stargate address requires a combination of six glyphs, with a seventh glyph acting as the point of origin. The team of scientists who are working on the program have had access to the cartouche, on which the order of the first six glyphs were clearly stated.

Even without the seventh glyph written down for them, simple trial and error would have resulted in the team eventually discovering the final symbol. It is not outright stated in the film (later retconned in the series) that they know exactly what the Stargate is, though they are said to have a strong inclination. There is a clear moment of profundity when Jackson identifies the seventh symbol - suggesting it was simply this final symbol that they were looking for.

The moment is a fun reveal early on in the film, leading to the first, beautiful Stargate activation - just don't think too hard on the thinking behind it!

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"