EYE OF THE GODS

An Ancient obelisk on P9G-844 had come to be known by the Sodan who later settled there as the Eye of the Gods. Ancient writings inscribed on the face of the obelisk referred to the device as an aperture or gateway to enlightenment, but it was in fact a type of Ancient transporter. The village of the Sodan lay many miles from the stargate, a journey that would take months on foot, but the Eye of the Gods near the stargate could instantly beam individuals to a similar device located near the village.

The transporter is powered by crystals, and emits a recognizable energy signature. A code is entered by pressing three symbols on the face of the obelisk, and as the device activates, it emits a brilliant enveloping light that causes individuals standing near it to vanish and rematerialize near an identical device elsewhere on the planet's surface. Several individuals can be transported at one time. By sliding out a panel on the face of the obelisk, the inner control crystals can be exposed.

When SG-1 first visited the planet, they were ambushed by the Sodan, who captured Mitchell and fled via the Eye of the Gods. A team of scientists, including Carter and Dr. Lee, studied the device, searching for a way to activate it, but after two weeks they made little progress. Attempts to activate the transporter without the proper code triggered a defense mechanism that delivered a few nasty volts to Dr. Lee as he attempted to implement an override. However, during Mitchell's time among the Sodan, he had earned the warriors' trust, and he was granted access to the transporter codes that allowed SG-1, on subsequent visits to the Sodan world, to travel from the stargate to the village. Volnek removed one of the control crystals from the obelisk after he had destroyed the village, and the SG team that was sent to investigate was unable to use the device to return from the village to the stargate. However, when Volnek was at last defeated and killed, Mitchell was able to recover the control crystal and reactivate the Eye of the Gods.

Although not identical in appearance or operation, the Eye of the Gods is very similar in design and function to the Ancient transporter obelisk found on the world where the Sangreal had been concealed, an obelisk that worked in conjunction with the stargate to transport Merlin's cave through a circuit of planets outside the gate network.

Cross Reference: Ancients, Ancient Transporter, Crystals, P9G-844, Sodan

Episode Reference: Babylon, Arthur's Mantle