The Stargate device sets apart "SG-1" from other science fiction shows by allowing modern-day people to travel to other planets in an instant, although scholar Dave Hipple argued that "SG-1" "also deploys fiction stereotypes both to acknowledge forebears and to position itself as a deserving heir". With the help of the central Stargate device, the premise of "Stargate SG-1" combines ancient cultures, present-day political and social concerns, aliens and advanced technologies. Near-instantaneous interplanetary travel allows a fundamental difference in plot structure and set design from other series. There is a disjunction between politics on Earth and the realities of fighting an interstellar war. The Stargate also helps to speed up the exposition of the setting.