system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Stargate] Why are the gates almost never in defensible positions?

I'm only in season 3 of SG1, but have seen some episodes here and there throughout the rest of the different series. But one thing has been pretty common, it doesn't matter what planet they are on, if it's populated or controlled by Goa'uld, or even if they're surrounded by forest, the gate always seems to be in a completely open area.

I don't know what the ancients were dealing with when they put them in, but wouldn't it make sense to place them where they can be easily protected instead of being able to be ambushed upon arrival or during retreat?

Side question: I recently finished the episode where they find the people training with intar, specialized stun weapons used by Jaffa in training. Did the SGC ever reverse engineer these and mass produce them? They seem too useful to just pass up on.
gpt
Just to reiterate, many of the original gate positions were determined long before any modern conflicts. The ancients wanted a convenient and accessible mode of travel, so it was reasonable to put them relatively out in the open. 

But over the eons since they were created, many gates have been relocated. Goa'uld especially have moved them around, and sometimes use them as centerpieces for their religious temples and community centers. That way they could make grand shows of their entrances/exits and reinforce the illusion of their divinity to the unwitting masses they ruled over. 

Also while some gates have been put in defensive positions by various goa'uld, it's also a tactical choice to leave them in the open. An invading force is instantly exposed, for example. And they provide the perfect choke points to corral pursuing enemies in the case of retreat.