Stargate

"That is how we're supposed to travel light years across the galaxy to other planets." ―Cameron Mitchell

Stargates, also called Astria Porta in Ancient and Chappa'ai in Goa'uld, as well as various other names across the universe, are a series of devices built by the Ancients which create wormholes, allowing for near-instantaneous transportation between two distant points in space. The Stargates are often considered to be the Ancients' greatest creation and thus, the Ancients are often referred to as the Gate Builders. The Ancients, the Asurans, the Tollan with the help of the Nox, and the Ori are the only known races capable of constructing Stargates.
The original Stargate design was created by an Alteran named Amelius, from an idea he formulated the night before the Alterans left their home galaxy for the Milky Way. However, it is unknown if he actually established the first of the Stargate Network. They are among the oldest examples of Ancient technology found in the Milky Way galaxy; the Stargate found in Antarctica on Earth has been estimated to be over 50 million years old, while the Stargates used in the "Destiny mission" are even older.
The Ancients placed Stargates on thousands of worlds across several galaxies. They have long since reached Ascension, but the network remains accessible to any with the knowledge of how it works, and continues to be a convenient form of travel for many races. Some races, such as the Goa'uld, grew their ways of life around the gates, which became integral to the functioning of their culture.
In turn, most races developed their own names for the Stargates. The Ancients called them "Astria Porta". The English word "Stargate" is a calque of the Goa'uld word "Chappa'ai". Courtesy of a direct translation by Dr. Daniel Jackson, and "Chappa'ai" is itself a calque of "Astria Porta". The K'Tau call their Stargate "the annulus," which means ring in Latin. In the Pegasus galaxy, villagers know them as Rings of the Ancestors and variations thereof. They are also commonly referred to as simply "the ring" or "the gate". The Wraith call it the Portal. The inhabitants of M7G-677 call it the Wraith Well.
Although Stargates are present on many planets, most of the races which use them are relatively primitive, and view the technology as divine in nature, as evidenced by such names as "Ring of the Gods" and "Circle of Darkness". In many cases the references to gods or evil in the names come from the Goa'uld, or in the Pegasus galaxy, legends of the Ancients or their present use by the Wraith.

Utility

Travel between worlds and galaxies

Manufacturing

The process of making these gates is currently unknown except to the Nox and the Ancients.