The comings and goings of DHDs

[webmouse]

While watching a rerun of "Disclosure" it caught my attention in the clip from "Touchstone" that the NID had a DHD (all these TLAs :rolly2: ) in the back of a truck in a warehouse within the continental United States.

The SGC uses a computer because they don't have a DHD. The Russians have a DHD. That was a key point in both "Watergate" and "48 Hours."

So where is the DHD that NID was using? Surely SG1 would have nicked off with that along with the touchstone.

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[PTeppic]

Easy one: the NID were using both Antarctic gate and Antarctic DHD.

The gate later went to the SGC to replace the Giza one that SG-1 "borrowed" in "Nemesis", and that later ended up in Russia, who had the Giza DHD. Both came back to the SGC: the DHD to help in "48 Hours" (but was destroyed!) and the gate after the attack in "Redemption 1&2". It is implied that the Antarctic DHD died (power-wise) leading to the conclusions in "Frozen" which would be why it wasn't used in "48 Hours".

 

[webmouse]

Thanks, PTeppic. I know I can always count on you to have all the tech facts straight.

So, the Antarctic DHD's power died -- at least by implication. Still I'm surprised that Sam hasn't found a way to jump-start it with a naquada generator and recharge the -- uh, batteries?

In the real-world though, I suspect that in "Touchstone" the script required some means of making the 2nd gate work, and then the series required that the 2nd DHD disappear, so that future stories would not have the easy out of "oh well we always have our back-up DHD."

I would also hazard a guess that the series chose to dispose of the all-too-convenient extra gate.

Now if the writers could just be as disciplined in their addition and removal of characters.