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An activated Stargate, the central object of the fictional Stargate universe, here depicted in the SG-1 television series.

Stargate refers to the science fiction media franchise owned by MGM that began in 1994 with the feature film Stargate. The subsequent body of works detail an elaborate fictional universe where Earth battles hostile aliens possessing superior technology or supernatural powers. The film's story is continued in novel form, in two live-action television series (Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis), one animated series (Stargate Infinity), and in other derivative works. Due to multiple developers working separately and independently on the franchise over the years, the various Stargate productions are not entirely consistent with each other: no set of works forms a "correct" or official canon.[1] The largest fanbase exists for the story that begins with the original film, and continues with Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007) and Stargate Atlantis (since 2004).[2]

Stargate productions centre on the premise of a "Stargate", a ring-shaped alien device that creates a wormhole enabling personal teleportation to complementary devices located cosmic distances away.[3] Under the control of the United States government, the Stargate's existence is kept secret from the public. This allows storylines to present no contradiction between depicted events and reality,[4] an effect compounded by setting Stargate in the present day, and depicting Earth accurately, with any unrealistic technology originating solely from alien civilizations.[5] These extraterrestrial civilizations are however more often pre-industrial than scientifically advanced, and are almost invariably human. Together, this allows for stories predominated by human interaction in Earth-like environments, an unusual feature for a science fiction franchise.

In the story, this is explained as being the result of alien interference in Earth's distant past. Many ancient mythologies are shown to be the result of aliens who had visited Earth posing as gods[6] by using their technology to give the impression of deific power.[7] Whilst some of these aliens had benign intentions, a race later known in Stargate SG-1 as the "Goa'uld" used Stargates to move slaves from Ancient Egypt to other habitable planets, simultaneously being responsible for the Egyptian religion and culture. Following a successful rebellion, they fled Earth, and the Stargate was buried and forgotten until modern times, when the United States acquire it following an archaeological dig. Rediscovering the function of the Stargate, the galaxy is begotten as a source of knowledge as well as threats, and the attention of the Goa'uld is drawn once more to Earth.

Films

Stargate

Poster for Stargate.
Main article: Stargate (film)

In 1994, the science fiction/action feature film Stargate was released, directed by Roland Emmerich and co-written by Dean Devlin. This marked the beginning of the Stargate franchise. Originally intended as the first of a trilogy of films,[8] creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin ultimately moved on to produce Independence Day, and it was not until 2006 that Devlin showed renewed interest in developing sequels.[9] In the intervening time, as MGM owned the rights to the franchise, the television series Stargate SG-1 succeeded the film without the input of Emmerich and Devlin. Stargate took in $16.7 million on its opening weekend,[10] and received mixed reactions from critics; whilst it was panned by the likes of Roger Ebert,[11] several positive reviews[12] counterbalanced this leading to a score of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.[13]

The film lays the foundation for all the Stargate productions that come after it, by explaining the notion, function and history of the Stargate. The opening scenes of the film depict the unearthing of the Stargate at Giza in 1928, being the effective beginning of the entire Stargate story. Later in the Present Day (i.e. 1994), the main character Daniel Jackson is introduced as a failing egyptologist who is defending outlandish theories about the builders of the Pyramids, alluding to a non-human origin. His theories are noticed by the U.S. Air Force, who hire him to help decipher the heiroglyphs present on the cover stones that were found with the Giza Stargate, now housed at a military base.

Jackson manages to correctly translate the name "Stargate" from the stones, and furthermore discovers that the symbols depicted on the inner ring of the Stargate correspond to constellations. These symbols are found in groups of seven on cartouches, causing Jackson to theorise that the first six constellations mark six points in space that can be used to extrapolate a singular new location, and a seventh to mark the current location ("point of origin"), thereby describing an interstellar journey. At this point he is shown the Stargate itself, which, when powered, can be operated so that up to seven of the symbols on its ring "lock" into place. Before Jackson's revelation, only six had ever been successfully "locked". Jackson is able to identify the seventh and final constellation marking the point of origin (i.e. Earth), and the Stargate opens.

A watery vortex forms inside the inner ring. A probe is pushed through, and its position is tracked on a screen; it is shown to be travelling across the galaxy, finally stopping a cosmic distance away. Footage sent back from the probe reveals a habitable atmosphere inside what appears to be a temple on another planet. Colonel Jack O'Neil is ordered to take a team through the Stargate to identify if there are any military threats on the other side. If so, he is to destroy the Stargate at the destination with a nuclear bomb, making it impossible for those threats to travel backwards through the gate to Earth. As the Stargate works only in one direction at a time, Daniel Jackson is incorporated into Jack O'Neil's team so that he can decipher the cartouche they hope to find on the other end, thereupon allowing the team to return home.

On the other side, O'Neil's team discovers a slave civilization serving an alien who is posing as the Egyptian god Ra. He and his minion-gods take human form, commanding the slaves with brute force from a mothership that uses a Pyramid as a landing-pad (confirming Daniel Jackson's theories), and several smaller attack ships. The team befriend these people, and Jackson is even unwittingly married to a local woman. However, the team is ultimately captured by Ra's forces, who also take possession of O'Neil's nuclear weapon, which Ra intends to send back to Earth through the Stargate with an enhanced warhead increasing its destructive power a hundredfold. After much struggle, O'Neil's team are able to instigate a slave rebellion, overwhelming Ra's forces and causing Ra to escape in his mothership. Unable to disarm the warhead, O'Neil is able to instead teleport it on-board Ra's ship, where it detonates in orbit. With Ra dead, the civilization can live in peace; O'Neil and his team return home through the Stargate, but Daniel Jackson stays on the planet with the wife he has fallen in love with.

Television

Stargate SG-1

The original starring cast of Stargate SG-1.
Main article: Stargate SG-1

In 1997, Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright co-developed Stargate SG-1, a television series intended to continue the story laid down by the original film. Although new actors were cast, several roles from the film were reprised, including the main characters Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill (which was re-spelled to include an extra "L"; this variation goes alongside a host of differences between the original film and SG-1 that are documented on several fansites).[14] The series debuted on Showtime on July 27 1997, and moved to the Sci-Fi Channel after its fifth season.[15] It starred Richard Dean Anderson (as O'Neill) and Michael Shanks (as Jackson), alongside Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis playing the new characters Samantha Carter, Teal'c and George Hammond.

The cast has remained fairly regular for most of SG-1's run, but has experienced some changes. Michael Shanks left the show at the end of Season 5 and was replaced by Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn. Shanks returned at the beginning of Season 7 and Nemec was written out. At the end of Season 7 Davis left the show and Anderson filled the gap he left in the story. Season 9 saw the departure of Anderson, but added new regulars Beau Bridges and Ben Browder. After a debut episode in Season 8, followed by appearances in eight episodes of Season 9, Claudia Black's popular reaction[16] earned her a position in the regular cast in Season 10.

MGM put an average of $1,400,000 into each episode of the show, and regards it as one of its most important franchises.[17] It has won the Saturn Award for Best Syndicated Television Series on numerous occasions, and its cast has won similar awards for acting.[18] More recently it has received acclaim for its visual effects, which increased in quality and realism as the show gained a larger budget.[19]

The series begins one year after the original film in its internal chronology. It chronicles the activities of SG-1, the first exploratory team of the newly-formed Stargate Command, after an enemy attack through the Stargate alerts the United States Air Force that Ra was not the last of his species (as was stated in the film). The series continues where the film left off, creating a full and rich mythology and a strong cast of recurring characters.

Stargate SG-1 proved to be very popular. Each year from Seasons 5 to 8 the show was repeatedly expected to end, but ratings continued to be high, allowing the show to break records and enter its tenth and final season (surpassing The X-Files as the longest running United States science-fiction series).

Guinness World Records recognized Stargate SG-1 as the longest currently running consecutive sci-fi series in 2006. The show is second only to the Doctor Who series, which holds the title for longest running sci-fi show overall.

On August 21 2006, the Sci Fi Channel announced that it would not be renewing Stargate SG-1 for an eleventh season after a series of poor performances in the Nielsen Ratings.[20] Many fans were enraged at the news, even creating reactionary websites to exhibit their commitment to the series.[21] Spokesmen for the production have said all options for the continuation of SG-1 are being considered, including complete digital broadcasting.[22] Executive producer Robert C. Cooper told the fansite GateWorld exclusively that he was working to continue SG-1.[23] Currently, no network or company has ordered new episodes of SG-1, so the show is on hold until a new buyer can be found. However, SciFi has attempted to block other networks from taking up the show, citing its original exclusive contract with MGM.[24]

Stargate Atlantis

Main article: Stargate Atlantis
File:Sga poster 1.JPG
The original starring cast of Stargate Atlantis.

Stargate Atlantis began as a spin-off television series from Stargate SG-1 that was originally intended to succeed it following a second feature film. The second movie was planned for after the sixth season and, when SG-1 was renewed for another year, for after the seventh season. When SG-1 was renewed again for an eighth season, the intended film became the episode "Lost City", a two-part season finale, and the setting of Stargate Atlantis was moved to the Pegasus galaxy. [25] This allowed the two shows to exist side-by-side within the same fictional universe, and later on the two shows even began to be interconnected. The show is developed by most of the same people as SG-1, and is produced in the same studios.

Atlantis debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 16, 2004, starring Joe Flanigan and Torri Higginson in the lead roles, with Rainbow Sun Francks, David Hewlett, and Rachel Luttrell alongside. Hewlett and Higginson had previously been characters in SG-1. In Atlantis' second season, Paul McGillion and Jason Momoa (replacing Francks) were added as regulars. At the end of the third season, Higginson and McGillion were removed as regulars, both serving recurring roles in the 4th season. Season 4 brought in Amanda Tapping, reprising her role as Samantha Carter from SG-1, and Jewel Staite in a recurring role. The series' 5th season will begin airing this summer on the Sci Fi Channel.

The plot follows the adventures of the "Atlantis expedition", a combination of military forces and civilian scientists that travel to the Pegasus galaxy in search of the Lost City of Atlantis, left behind by the powerful race known as the Ancients. The finding of the city had been a plot arc for most of SG-1's Season 7, and the Ancients themselves had been a long-running facet of the SG-1 setting. Arriving at the City, the expedition discover that the Pegasus galaxy is dominated by a terrible enemy known as "the Wraith" whom they must defend themselves against despite being vastly outnumbered.

The series has won several awards for its actors, visual effects and directors, including a WorldFest Platinum Award for David Winning's direction of an early Season 1 episode. Atlantis proved to be equally as successful as SG-1, with Nielson Ratings consistently in the regions of 1.9.

Stargate Universe

Main article: Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe is the working title for a third Stargate series which is currently in development. According to producer Robert C. Cooper, the concept will revolve around the ninth chevron on the Stargate.

Stargate Infinity

Main article: Stargate Infinity

Stargate Infinity was an animated series spin-off from Stargate SG-1 intended for children aged 9 to 11. It ran from 14 September, 2002 to June 2003 on the FOX Network. Even though the series was produced by MGM with DiC Entertainment, none of the writers and producers of Stargate SG-1 were involved with Infinity, and it is not considered official Stargate canon.[26] The show was canceled after 1 season for its poor reception and ratings.

Set 30 to 40 years in the future, Infinity tells the story of a team of young recruits led by a veteran member of Stargate Command that are framed for a crime they did not commit. The team must travel from world to world trying to find a way to clear their name, while protecting a strange alien being discovered in the first episode, which is believed to hold the secret to mysteries surrounding the Stargates and the Ancient race that built them. Due to its cancellation, none of the major plot arcs of the series were concluded.

The series featured a strong moral and educational theme, purposely summarizing each episode with a distinct lesson for its young audience to learn. It focused primarily on the importance of working together and accepting differences in other cultures or people, whether they be aliens or members of one's own team.

DVD Movies

Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Main article: Stargate: The Ark of Truth

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a direct-to-DVD movie written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1's Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of Truth was released as a Region 1 DVD release on March 11, 2008. Sky One has broadcast the film on March 24, 2008, to be followed by the Region 2 DVD release on April 28, 2008 with the Region 4 DVD release on April 9,2008.

Stargate: Continuum

Main article: Stargate: Continuum

Stargate: Continuum is a planned direct-to-DVD movie written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. Some scenes for this movie were already shot at the end of March 2007, but the original start date was set for May 22 at Vancouver's Bridge Studios. The production budget was $7 million.[27] The movie will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 29, 2008,[28] followed by possible TV broadcasts.[29] According to Robert C. Cooper, it is planned to have them released internationally on DVD by MGM at the same time. Distribution and domestic release will occur through FOX. Cooper mentioned that nothing has been finalized though.[30]

Third Stargate Feature

The third film has yet to be officially confirmed however, executive producer Brad Wright revealed that a third film, centric to Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson). It would also depend on the availability of Christopher Judge and Michael Shanks, who are currently working on Rage of Angels, whilst Amanda Tapping is working on Sanctuary.[31] There has also been interest in a full reworking of the show's pilot "Children of the Gods", which would also be fully re-released if it were to happen.

Books

Main article: Stargate literature

There are three series of novels based on the Stargate franchise, one based on the original Stargate film and two based in the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis television shows. Short fiction has also been published in the official Stargate Magazine.

A series of books written by Bill McCay were published from 1996 to 1999 that were unofficial sequels to the film. These were produced by consulting the original notes made by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, in an attempt to envision where the film "would have gone". Neither party has commented on whether McCay's interpretation was correct. Despite the fact that he attempted to remain close to the original vision, the subsequent television series Stargate SG-1 (which began under an entirely independent development) developed the story along different lines, making no attempt to reconcile the plot lines of the books. This marked the first major branching of the franchise.

Later, from 1999 to 2001, ROC published four novels based in Stargate SG-1 written by Ashley McConnell. In 2004, UK-based Fandemonium Press started a new series of licensed tie-in novels based on Stargate SG-1. Due to the conflict with ROC's license, these books were available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK, but not in the US. Fandemonium books became available in the US in 2006.

The official Stargate Magazine, produced by Titan Publishing, began publishing short stories written by Fandemonium authors in their 8th issue. The stories alternate between both SG-1 and Atlantis.

Comics

Main article: Stargate Comics

A series of comic books, based on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, began to be published by Avatar Press in 2003. Five have been published to date, with stories by James Anthony and artwork by Jorge Correa.

Audio books

Main article: Stargate audiobooks

In February 2008 it was announced that Big Finish Productions would be releasing officially-licensed audiobooks featuring members of the cast reading new stories. The first two stories, available on CD and digital download, are Gift of the Gods read by Michael Shanks and A Necessary Evil read by Torri Higginson.

Games

Future productions

Charles Cohen, executive vice president of MGM Television, has voiced plans to develop further Stargate films and produce a third television series to be titled Stargate Universe (discounting Infinity as a Stargate television series), currently in a pre-production concept phase.[34][35] Additionally, Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, developers of SG-1 have signed a contract with MGM to produce an additional SG-1 direct to DVD film titled Stargate: Continuum.[36]

Plans for producing two sequels of the original film were announced by the original film's creator Dean Devlin at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con. He has said he is currently in talks with MGM to produce four films and he would like two of them to be the final two films in his envisioned Stargate trilogy.[37] In an interview with Sci Fi Wire, Devlin says that should the sequels be made, he hopes to enlist Kurt Russell and James Spader in the two sequels. These sequels would ignore the 11 years of mythology created by SG-1 and Atlantis if they are produced.[38]

In the meantime, Lionsgate remains the major rights holder to the original film; this was due to the fact that its predecessor, Live Entertainment, owned home video rights to the Carolco Pictures library and had also owned international distribution rights, although Carolco itself was on the brink of bankruptcy when they produced this film.[citation needed]

It was announced on 10 January 2008 that a series of original Audio Dramas will be produced by British company Big Finish Productions, who are famous for producing Audio Dramas for other (mostly British) Science Fiction franchises such as Doctor Who, 2000 AD, and The Tomorrow People. These will be made available for purchase via download and also as a CD release. The initial run of six plays will take place in both the existing SG-1 and Altantis continuities, and will feature members of the original cast.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Wright, Brad (July 2002). (Interview). Interviewed by Darren Sumner. {{cite interview}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |subjectlink= ignored (|subject-link= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "GateWorld Omnipedia FAQ".: FAQ #5 summarises canonicity
  3. ^ "Stargate SG-1 Official Site". FAQ Section
  4. ^ "Interview with Brad Wright". GateWorld.
  5. ^ "Summary of Stargate". New York Times.
  6. ^ "Stargate Primer". GateWorld.
  7. ^ "Mythological References in Stargate SG-1". StargateFan.
  8. ^ "Mania.Com Cinescape Exclusive". Devlin on potential Stargate trilogy.
  9. ^ "ComingSoon.Net". Devlin Announces Plans for Stargate Sequels (2006-07-20).
  10. ^ "L. A. Times Archive". "Stargate" has MGM starry-eyed.
  11. ^ "Chicago Sun Times". Roger Ebert Movie Review of Stargate.
  12. ^ "Time Out London". Stargate Review.
  13. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Stargate Movie Reviews.
  14. ^ "Stargate - The Motion Picture". Differences from TV.
  15. ^ "Announcement from SciFi Channel". SciFi Wire.
  16. ^ "Interview — Vala joins SG-1 regulars". SciFi World.
  17. ^ "Stargate 200: 10 years of Stargate success". MultiChannel.
  18. ^ "Stargate SG-1 Awards and Nominations". IMDb.
  19. ^ "Stargate grows cutting edge VFX industry". GateWorld.
  20. ^ "Stargate SG-1 Said To Be Axed". MultiChannel News.
  21. ^ "Fans Rally: SaveStargateSG1". GateWorld.
  22. ^ "MGM Insists Stargate Won't Shut". MultiChannel News.
  23. ^ "Cooper: SG-1 will go on". GateWorld.
  24. ^ "MGM Considers Stargate SG-1 Future". GateWorld.
  25. ^ Gosling, Sharon. "Watergate". Stargate Atlantis: The Official Companion Season 1. London: Titan Books. pp. 10–14. ISBN 1-84576-116-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |origdate= (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  26. ^ GateWorld — Interviews: Brad Wright
  27. ^ "Tapping discusses SG-1 movies". gateworld.net. August 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
  28. ^ "Wright: Continuum is classic Stargate". gateworld.net. November 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Stargate goes nuclear". playbackmag.com. April 2, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
  30. ^ "New directions Part 2. Gateworld talks with Robert C. Cooper". gateworld.net. July, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Wright: Stargate movies need O'Neill". gateworld.net. May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  32. ^ Posts by the Adelrac Entertainment staff on their boards
  33. ^ GateWorld — News: MGM announces Stargate MMORPG
  34. ^ MGM planning Stargate film, third series. Gateworld.net
  35. ^ Exclusive: Third Stargate series in development. Gateworld.net
  36. ^ Stargate SG-1 movies coming to DVD Gateworld.net
  37. ^ Devlin Announces Plans for Stargate Sequels
  38. ^ SciFi Wire Interview with Devlin
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