Stargates, also known as jump gates, are the primary means of interstellar travel in New Eden.
The theory and technology behind stargates opened up a whole new era in the history of mankind and is readily accepted as being one of the most important discoveries of all times. Jump gates have now been in usage for centuries and new versions appear regularly that make them more sophisticated and safe.
Operational uncertainty
Even if the functions of jump gates are well known from a theoretical point of view, there still remain a lot of unanswered questions about the fundamentals of dimensional inter-connections. Naturally, many theories exist on the subject, but none are comprehensive enough to fully explain how the universe is divided into many dimensions and the connections between them, some also touch upon the subject of hyperspace, an alternative plain in another dimension. About the only statement these theories agree upon is that these issues are definitely not as simple as they seem on the surface. However, these theories are still a topic of research, and stargate technology is being continually refined, with new jump gate designs appearing regularly to improve safety and efficiency.
Part of a stargate's operation involves the use of superheated plasma, which can be vented into space. If vented improperly, it is possible that the plasma may be attracted away from the jump gate's boson sphere toward an approaching ship, where it may react with the ship's shields to produce a harmless visual phenomenon, such as the Lutins observed near the Perimeter gate in Iyen-Oursta.