HISTORY OF THE STARGATE COMMAND

Writing Credits:  Information borrowed from
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OVERVIEW
The SGC is located one thousand meters beneath the Cheyenne Mountain. This protects it from most forms of attack, including indirect nuclear detonations, and allows containment of biological or chemical hazards generated by gate travel (the base may be 'locked down'). However, it was shown in an alternate universe (seen via the use of an alien device in the episode "There But For the Grace of God") to be unable to withstand a direct Goa'uld attack.

The primary function of the base is to secure the Stargate (by locking it under 1000 meters of rock inside a secure military base) and protect the Earth. Simultaneously, it exists to coordinate exploration and diplomatic relationships through the Stargate; i.e. it is the core of the Stargate Program, the mission of which is to procure technology that can defend Earth, and make off-world allies.

The SGC serves as one location for researching alien technology with larger or longer term research projects being conducted at Area 51 off-site in Nevada. On more than one occasion, SGC personnel have had to recapture alien technology that has escaped into the outside world. Many cover stories have been generated to keep the general populace, even high-ranking government officials, unaware of the goings on within the SGC.
 

HISTORY OF THE SGC

The Stargate, originally found in 1928 in Giza, Egypt, was stored in various locations by the United States Air Force--including Washington, DC--before it was installed in the Creek Mountain facility. While the Stargate had been previously studied (most notably in the 1940s as a potential weapon), no one was able to make it reliably function until Egyptologist and Archaeologist Daniel Jackson was introduced to Project Giza, predecessor to the SGC in the early 1990's. Jackson intuited the strange symbols around the perimeter of the Stargate device were actually representations of constellations rather than hieroglyphs, and the device could 'dial' another Stargate by 'locking' seven (or, much later, up to eight) of its chevrons onto these symbols, like a combination lock. This 'dialing' activates a wormhole between the dialer's Stargate and one of thousands of other Stargates across the cosmos, allowing for near-instantaneous travel to other planets.

Subsequently, Major General West ordered USAF Colonel Jack O'Neill and a team of military personnel accompanied by Daniel Jackson were sent from the Creek Mountain Facility through the Stargate to Abydos, where they encountered Ra. Ra was a Goa'uld, an alien race that uses Stargates to transport slaves and goods throughout the galaxy.

The name and location of the Stargate changed between the movie and the Stargate SG1 TV series. It was changed from the Creek Mountain Facility to Cheyenne Mountain. This is just one of many inconsistencies between SG1 and the movie. It is long pointed out in SG1 that the current SGC facility in Cheyenne Mountain is the same facility used in the movie. In the period between the movie and SG1, the Stargate Program was mothballed since the Air Force inaccurately believed the only connecting point for the Stargate (the Abydos gate) was inaccessible.

The Stargate and any related programs remained dormant until 1997, when the Goa'uld Apophis dialed the Earth Stargate and kidnapped one of the Air Force Security Forces personnel assigned to guard it. When it was confirmed that Apophis had not arrived via the Abydos Stargate but instead a planet called Chulak, it was realized that the Stargate was capable of connecting with multiple destinations. Colonel O'Neill, since retired, was recalled to active duty and assigned to head the rescue mission where he convinced Teal'c, Apophis' First Prime, to defect from the service of the Goa'uld.

Realizing the Goa'uld threat, Stargate Command (SGC) was formed with a contingent of SG teams, of which the primary team, SG-1, consisted of Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter and Teal'c. Their standing orders, along with the SGC, were to acquire weapons or technology that could help Earth in the fight against the Goa'uld, including establishing alliances.

From that point forward, the SGC began exploring hundreds of worlds, and after encountering a few advanced races, researching and developing many alien/human-hybrid devices, such as fighter-jets capable of spaceflight, and Earth-designed battlecruisers, late in Season 6.

About a year and a half after the first activation of the Stargate and the mission to Abydos (about half a year after the creation of the SGC and the SG teams), a second Stargate was found on Earth, in Antarctica. This Stargate was sealed until Season 4, when it was unsealed after the original Giza gate had crashed into the Pacific Ocean aboard the Asgard vessel Beliskner. Russia, performing deep-sea research in the area, discovered the Giza gate and began using it in conjunction with the DHD they had captured from Germany after World War II. Eventually, the Antarctic gate was destroyed by a device controlled by Anubis, and the Giza gate was returned to the United States from Russia for rent and an agreement to share plans for the F-302 space fighter-interceptor and BC-303 interstellar battlecruiser (by this point, however, the DHD was destroyed rescuing Teal'C.) This agreement also called for the formation of a Russian SG team at the SGC. Renewal of this agreement in Season 9 led to Russia acquiring a Daedalus class battlecruiser, the Korolev.
 

SGC FACILITIES & TECHNOLOGY
LEVELS
The SGC extends many levels beneath the ground, officially called sub-levels. Summary:
  • Level 1- Entrance, air conditioning/purification system, elevator (1-12), cargo elevator (1-12)
  • Level 2- NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) The nearest secure phone above the SGC commander's office is there. ("A Matter of Time")
  • Level 3- Accounting department
  • Level 4- International Oversight Advisory (IOA) sub offices, secondary mess hall
  • Level 5- Homeworld Security sub offices, main storage part A

  • Level 6- Main storage part B
  • Level 7- Main storage part C, specialized and non-perishable foodstuffs storage
  • Level 8- Internal power generation plant, internal reactor
  • Level 9- Internal power distribution grid
  • Level 10- Secondary air flow system, water purification and storage tanks part A
  • Level 11- Elevator to surface (1-11), security checkpoint, water purification and storage tanks part B, electrical substation (1-11)
  • Level 12- On base housing for mission/critical personnel cargo elevator (1-12) & (12-28)
  • Level 13- On base housing for mission/critical personnel
  • Level 14- On base housing for mission/critical personnel
  • Level 15- On base housing for SGC civilian personnel
  • Level 16- Secondary command bunker/security station, holding/isolation cells, small mess hall
  • Level 17- Meeting room, firing range. This level is currently undeveloped, set aside for future use. As necessary, Level 17 may be used as a storage facility, makeshift triage centre or indoor firing range. When the Asgard Thor brokered a treaty between Earth and the Goa'uld System Lords, represented by Cronus, Nirrti and Lord Yu, portions of this level were converted into a meeting room for the delicate negotiations.
  • Level 18- SGC Department Of Research And Development, civilian science labs, Dr. Daniel Jackson's Lab
  • Level 19- Science Labs: Lt. Col Samantha Carter, Dr. Jay Felger, Dr. Bill Lee, observation rooms, diagnostic imaging, secondary base armory, emergency hazmat station
  • Level 20- Base Manufacturing Station
  • Level 21- Infirmary, isolation/quarantine rooms, intensive care, gym/physical rehabilitation, surgical facilities, medical labs, CMO (Chief Medical Officer) offices,
  • Level 22- Main mess hall, officers mess hall/commissary, foreign/off-world delegates quarters, main kitchen
  • Level 23- Emergency battery power, secondary and emergency engineering and power grids. Level 23's power resources were utilized by aliens to operate their transformation technology during a foothold [alien incursion of the SGC] situation (3.14 "Foothold").
  • Level 24- Main archive storage, UAV, MALP and FRED drone bays, maintenance garages, SGC mainframe computer.
  • Level 25- On-base housing for senior Staff/VIP/SG teams, SG teams staging and locker areas
  • Level 26- Additional senior housing, storage
  • Level 27- Briefing room, senior staff offices
  • Level 28- Embarkation room, Stargate control room, MALP room, armory, SGC self-destruct
The Embarkation Room, also called the Gate Room, houses the Stargate and Control Room (command deck). The Gate is dialed from a Control Room above using the Dialing Computer, from where Commanders are also able to use a microphone to give orders (usually "Move out!").
There is a long ramp in the middle of the Gateroom leading up to the Stargate, allowing vehicles (such as the MALP robot probe) to enter the Stargate. As a relic of the days when the complex was a missile silo, the ceiling opens and the Stargate may be lifted in and out of the Embarkation Room.
IRIS TECHNOLOGY
Hostile aliens such as the Goa'uld are usually prevented from entering the SGC through the Stargate by use of 'the Iris'. This is a device that creates a barrier a few micrometers in front of the 'event horizon' of the Stargate, keeping any matter from fully rematerializing, thus preventing the passage of dangerous objects and/or entities. The iris also prevents the formation of the 'sideways flush' usually seen when the wormhole is first established. It can be opened for the return of an SG team, but is closed if there is an alien attack.

In the event that either the Iris is penetrated or must be kept open because an SG team is returning under enemy fire, standard procedure dictates that a heavily armed defense team must be present, with their weapons ready, in order to provide defense in case of hostiles coming through the Stargate.
 

SELF DESTRUCT
If the SGC is threatened with invasion, the facility has a self-destruct mechanism which has been activated more than once. It requires at least two high-ranking officers to initiate or deactivate (although the computer system may be manipulated so as to avoid this requirement.). Alien takeover of the SGC is referred to as a "foothold" situation (see the episode "Foothold"). However, according to Col. Carter, the self-destruct is not powerful enough to destroy the Stargate (Requiring a Mark V warhead) and has only a minimal chance of disconnecting an active wormhole. It would bury the gate under 1000 meters of rock so it would stop the any more incoming travelers. Even with these shortcomings, it remains the best backup plan in available in the event of a hostile alien takeover of the SGC.
 
ALTERNATIVE SITES
  • Alpha Site -The last line of defense for the SGC is an off-world base, called the "Alpha Site", which was initially set up as a settlement to evacuate a select number of the academic elite of the United States to in case of Goa'uld invasion. It was later established as a back-up in case anything were to happen to the SGC. The Alpha Site was also known as the "Beta Site" in the alternate universe mentioned in the episode "There But For the Grace of God". After the first and second Alpha Sites were destroyed, the replacement was built into a mountain much like the SGC.
  • Gamma Site - The Gamma Site was an off-world research base equipped with F-302 fighters but was destroyed via self-destruct after the events unfolding in the episode "The Scourge". However the Gamma Site was mentioned in "The Pegasus Project," so it appears to have been rebuilt or relocated.
  • Omega Site - The Omega site, similar to the third Alpha Site, is set up like a larger version of the SGC at Cheyenne Mountain, and was also built inside a mountain complex. However, this complex is meant to be able to sustain full off-world operations of the SGC in the event that the Earth should fall into enemy hands or its forces destroyed. The Omega Site, also boasts a full complement of defensive installations, as well as, repair and manufacturing capabilities to ensure its own defenses and ability to function independently should the need arise.
POLITICS
Attempted shutdowns and takeovers of the SGC
On many occasions the very existence or control of the SGC has been in threat. Senator Robert Kinsey has often made strong efforts to close down the entire Stargate Program, (succeeding in the episode "Politics", only for it to be reopened), arguing that the existence of the Stargate is far too great a threat to Earth. Richard Woolsey, an inspector, recommended the closure of the SGC to the President of the United States, arguing that SG-1 were a reckless team that more than once had caused the Earth great threat. Kinsey later on tried various methods of putting himself in power of the SGC, mainly through links with rogue NID leaders, who have tried to sabotage the base on many occasions, once even succeeding in stealing the Stargate itself.

On a few occasions, aliens have managed to permeate the Iris. The Tollan possess technology capable of allowing people to pass through matter, but were never considered a threat owing to their friendship with Earth. At least once, the base was compromised by aliens with unforeseen abilities (for instance in the episode "Foothold"). Anubis, a powerful System Lord with access to Ancient technology, has tried to destroy the SGC via various methods, including the detonation of the Stargate itself. All attempts to subsume or destroy the SGC to date have failed.
  

COMMANDERS
In chronological order, the leaders of the SGC:
  • Major General West (1994-1996 - "Present Day" in Stargate is 1994) Then known as the "Stargate Project".
  • Major General George S. Hammond (1997-2004) — Promoted to head of what is (jokingly) called the "Department of Homeworld Security".
  • Major General Bauer (briefly replaced General Hammond in 2000)
  • Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the SGC's first civilian commander (2004)
  • Brigadier General Jack O'Neill (2004-2005)
  • Major General Hank Landry (2005-present)
DEPARTMENT OF HOMEWORLD SECURITY
Stargate Command was originally overseen directly by the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (as stated in Children of the Gods), but after Anubis's attack on Earth (in Lost City), Henry Hayes established the top-secret Department of Homeworld Security. Its first leader was General Hammond, but he eventually moved on to another position and was (presumably) replaced by Jack O'Neill. The Department of Homeworld Security controls the Stargate Program as well as the F-302/BC-304 program. It has no direct authority over either the Antarctic base or the Atlantis expedition, as these are controlled by the IOA.