53~The canon version (dialogue paraphrased)~
Unlike most of the planets SG-1 visited, this one had people immediately outside the gate. They were the usual array of dirt farmer peasants that seemed to inhabit every world; conveniently, their ethnic type and clothing very clearly placed them as descendants of a particular culture: the Vikings. Oddly enough, they were pointing at SG-1 and laughing. Just as unusual as laughing Viking peasants, immediately in front of the gate there was a stone obelisk with some sort of fancy cross up at the top.
"What are these dirt farmers doing here?" Sam asked. "There're no buildings or anything in sight, so why would a crowd happen to have been standing by the gate waiting for us to come through? I mean, they have a cart, but it's empty, so it's not like they were taking goods to market or something. So...why were they were just randomly standing around the gate?"
"That is an excellent question, Captain Carter," Teal'c said.
Thirty-two seconds after SG-1 emerged from the Stargate, the obelisk started humming as though it were building up a charge.
"It sounds like it's building up some kind of charge," Sam said.
"All right, we're out of here," Jack said. "Daniel, dial us home."
"Why?" said Daniel, utterly failing to pick up on the 'strange looking artifact humming like it's building up to explode' thing that Sam had just said.
"Just do it, it's an order," Jack said.
Daniel shrugged, went to the DHD, and started pushing buttons at his usual arthritic-snail pace.
Eighteen seconds after the obelisk started charging, almost an entire minute after the arrival of the potential threat that the obelisk was supposed to protect against, it actually emitted a beam. The beam spent four entire seconds scanning Daniel, moved leisurely over to Sam, then to Jack, and finally to Teal'c. Fortunately, the trained and experienced soldier-explorer members of SG-1 were polite enough to stand still while the unknown and probably hostile artifact did its unknown and probably hostile thing.
The beam lingered on Teal'c for two seconds before noticing his symbiote; fortunately, the former First Prime of Apophis—one of the most dangerous and veteran warriors of a warrior race—stood still while the unknown and probably hostile artifact did its unknown and probably hostile thing. When it finally did notice the symbiote, Teal'c started screaming and thrashing but remained in place without even attempting to escape.
For the next seven seconds, everyone stood and stared as their friend suffered. Finally, in the eighth second, Jack ran over and tackled Teal'c at exactly the right moment for both of them to vanish.
"Damnit," Sam said. "Why didn't we move?"
"An excellent question, Sam," Daniel said. "Come on, let's see if we can find them."
Wait, that was stupid, and this is supposed to be a rational story. Let's try again.
Thirty-two seconds after SG-1 emerged from the Stargate, the obelisk started humming as though it were building up a charge.
Jack had been a black ops shadow warrior for over a decade; when something near a stargate started to hum, you didn't just stand there like an idiot. Nor did you waste time trying to dial home at the usual arthritic-snail pace.
"Take cover!" he shouted. SG-1 promptly dove behind the massive bulk of the Stargate and hunkered down.
Eighteen seconds after it started humming, a scanning beam came out of the obelisk. It flicked around the Stargate platform a few times like a clueless hound that couldn't find the scent, then shut off.
"Well, that was surprisingly easy," Teal'c said.
"Yes," Sam said, nodding. "Good thing we didn't just stand there, huh? I mean, that beam could have disintegrated us, or burned us to ash, or—"
"Or teleported us," Daniel supplied.
Jack snorted. "Teleported us? Don't be ridiculous. Obviously that thing was put here to guard the gate. If it didn't like us it would have killed us, not teleported us."
"An excellent point, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "I would suggest we leave now, either into the gate or away from it. In either case, we should move quickly; it apparently takes eighteen seconds for the obelisk to charge, so we should have time."
"Good point, Teal'c," Jack said. "Okay, let's get out of here. Daniel, dial us home. And try to move faster than an arthritic snail this time."
Hm, that was rational, but maybe there's another option?
"It sounds like it's building up some kind of charge," Sam said.
Zap! went Teal'c staff weapon. The top of the obelisk shorted out and the charging noise stopped.
"Well, that was surprisingly easy," Teal'c said. "Come, let us investigate the area. Daniel Jackson, perhaps you could attempt to speak with the dirt farmers?"