$W{ ISHTAR GATE
From the Encyclopedia Galactica (Ising University of Antares ed., January 2399) $}

MANUFACTURER: R. Frost Engineering (primary contractor)
CLASSIFICATION: Terran Special-Purpose Installation (Knossos)
ADMINISTRATOR (2399): Rear Admiral Kazi Rakib Ahmed
PERSONNEL: 1,993 (peacetime), 10,102 (war emergency)
ORBITAL DISTANCE: 5.1 AU to Delta Serpentis A, 0.08 eccentricity
ARMAMENT: 22 destroyer-grade heavy beam cannons
          168 point defense and plasma turrets
AUXILIARY CRAFT: Up to 30 fighter squadrons

The Ishtar Gate, reverse-engineered from the Ancient Knossos portal discovered in Gamma Draconis, was built to stabilize the jump node between Delta Serpentis and Sol, reconnecting Humanity with its ancestral home.  Far more primitive than its fully automated forebear, the Ishtar requires multiple destroyer-grade reactors and nearly two thousand personnel just to keep the portal operational at a basic level.  During wartime, the Ishtar accommodates another eight thousand crew to man its arsenal of turrets, and thirty fighter squadrons worth of strikecraft.  

It is the largest, costliest, and most heavily-armed construct in all of human history. 

While all major political parties supported a reunion with Sol, the decision to build a fortress, not just a portal, was a point of contention in the General Terran Assembly.  The Regulus and Luyten delegations in particular heavily criticized the scale of the project.  Maddy Rumely, Leader of the Opposition, made rejection of an armed Ishtar the center of her campaign for Prime Minister in 2390, arguing instead for the funds and weaponry to be redirected to building traditional destroyer groups.  Rumely won the election, dramatically scaling down the Gate's anti-fighter defenses, leading to another delay of the station's construction.

When the Ishtar finally started operating in 2398, the Gate was six years behind schedule and more than 200 percent over budget.