RUSSIAN STARGATE

The original stargate from Giza was lost in the Pacific after the crash of Thor's ship, and it was recovered by the Russians. It was made operational using the DHD from Giza that was discovered by the Germans in 1906 and confiscated by the Soviets after World War II. Vital intelligence and gate addresses were provided by Colonel Maybourne, who was sent covertly to work for the Russians after NID access to the beta gate was shut down. The gate was set up in a decommissioned experimental power station on the Siberian Plateau at 97° E longitude, 72° N latitude, near the Kuybyshev Airbase.

Dr. Svetlana Markov, chief science officer and second in command to Colonel Sokalov, helped establish the Russian stargate program against the wishes of powerful people in the government who wanted to expose the US program to force the sharing of technology. The program was in operation briefly, running concurrently with the US program by carefully scheduling the connection of the DHD to make the Russian gate temporarily dominant. During this period, certain hard-line factions of Russian military intelligence secretly orchestrated the missions, including the capture of one of Cronus's Jaffa, and the first mission to P2X-338. After 37 days and 7 explored planets, a malfunction would not allow the gate to close its connection to the Water Planet, and SG-1 was called in to deactivate the gate. Forty seven people at the Russian base were killed in the disaster following the mission to the Water Planet, and Russia was reluctant to continue to incur the expense and risk of running its own stargate program.

Through a US-Russian agreement, the Russians ceased stargate operations in exchange for continued sharing of information and technology, leaving the US with the only operational gate. Russia reluctantly agreed to the SGC's emergency use of their stargate and DHD when Teal'c became trapped within the stargate matrix, however the rescue attempt caused a power overload which destroyed the Russian DHD. When Anubis used an off-world weapon to destroy the SGC stargate, the Russian gate became the only remaining gate on Earth. However, the Russians had no interest in maintaining an active stargate program, and arrangements were made to return the stargate to the SGC in exchange for a financial settlement, the plans to the X-302 and X-303, and the promise of more Russian participation in the SGC.

Location: Port Mann Power Station

Cross Reference: Beta Stargate, Alexander Britski, Colonel Chekov, Adrian Conrad, DHD, Valentine Kirensky, Svetlana Markov, Harry Maybourne, P2X-338, Russians, Russian Officers, Stargate, Water Planet

Episode Reference: Watergate, The Tomb, Desperate Measures, 48 Hours, Redemption