Stargate: 10 Times The Show Made Huge Mistakes
9. Why Isn't This Working?
Stargate characters seem to have something of an issue when it comes to swipe cards. Early in the show, Teal'c struggles with a pass to get through a locked door. That is to say - he doesn't struggle to get through the door - the lock simply forgot which side of the card it was supposed to scan!
A similar event takes place in the fourth season episode 2010 (sidenote: anyone else remember when 2010 was in the future?)
Sam and Joseph sit in a restuarant talking as the episode begins. After they get ready to leave, Joseph hands his credit card to the waitress to cover the bill. One of the drawbacks of nice and clear imagery in Stargate - is that we can see the waitress clearly scans the credit card upside down, with the magnetic stripe on the wrong side when she swipes it.
One has to feel somewhat sorry for her, as it was very possible that when Joseph and Sam leave that she would have to cover their bill - as there's no way that credit card worked!