Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1
The original Stargate SG-1 characters. From left to right: Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Teal'c, George Hammond and Jack O'Neill.
Created by	Jonathan Glassner Brad Wright
Starring	Richard Dean Anderson Michael Shanks Amanda Tapping Christopher Judge Ben Browder Corin Nemec Don S. Davis Beau Bridges Claudia Black
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	204 (+10 yet to be aired) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	42 minutes, occasionally extended to 63 minutes
Original release
Network	Showtime (Seasons 1–5) Sci Fi (Seasons 6–10)
Release	July 27, 1997 – present (final Sci Fi season currently being aired)

Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series part of the Stargate franchise. It begins one year after the events of the 1994 science fiction film Stargate.

The series has devices called "Stargates" that use artificial wormholes to allow people and objects to cross vast distances of space in an instant. Although the show has referred to at least 20 SG teams, it focuses on a team called SG-1, who operate from a top-secret U.S. military base called the SGC (Stargate Command), use a Stargate found on Earth to explore other worlds, and defend Earth against alien threats instigated in the original film. Thus, unlike many other science-fiction franchises with an interplanetary-exploration theme, SG-1 is set in the present day, is based on Earth, and primarily involves humans.

Show summary

The original members of SG-1 were Col. Jack O'Neill (Anderson), Dr. Daniel Jackson (Shanks), Capt. Samantha Carter (Tapping) and Teal'c (Judge). For eight seasons, their primary antagonists were the Goa'uld, a galaxy-dominating race of highly intelligent and ruthless snake-like alien creatures who invade and take control of the bodies of other species, including humans on various planets. The original arch-enemy from this race was the System Lord Apophis (Peter Williams).

In the pilot episode of SG-1, the primary goal of the SG teams is established: to travel to other worlds through the Stargate and procure alien technology to help defend Earth against the Goa'uld. This forms the basis of nearly every episode after that point.

It is common for episodes to begin already on another planet, where the viewer is meant to infer that the team is there, as usual, reconnoitering for potentially useful allies or technology. Aside from this, the archaeologist and historian character Daniel Jackson often takes further interest in anthropology, alien society and culture, and even moral issues encountered whilst offworld, allowing for more philosophical or thoughtful episodes.

Nearly all alien planets are depicted as populated by humans that were displaced from ancient Earth, allowing the show to explore real-life ancient cultures such as those of the Aztecs, Mayans, Britons, the Norse, Mongols, Greeks, Romans and most prominently, Ancient Egyptians. Many famous mythical locations, such as Avalon, Camelot and Atlantis, have been found throughout the show. In addition, the show often gives fictional origins for real religions and mythologies.

The series often follows a direct formula in which major events, including the introduction of a villain, are the fault of human curiosity. Including:

• After ignoring it for almost five thousand years, the Goa'uld come to realize that Earth is a threat to them after humanity activates the Stargate and defeats the System Lord, Ra.
• The Replicators are a product of a humanoid android who was created by a human (most probably Alteran) scientist.
• The Ori became aware of the Milky Way galaxy after Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran activate an Ancient communication device that sends their consciousnesses to the Ori galaxy.
• See also Stargate Atlantis.

A recurring motif in the show is the way in which human characters from Earth speak in naturalistic, everyday language, while most characters from other planets, such as Teal'c, speak in a more eloquent, archaic manner. This is also present in Stargate Atlantis and is typically played for humor, especially when characters such as Teal'c attempt to use human slang terms. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule, such as Jonas Quinn and Vala Mal Doran.

The decade-old show remains popular; in 2004, TV Guide suggested that its popularity may be exceeding that of the Star Trek franchise. Testifying to its vigor, Stargate SG-1 broke Nielsen Ratings records for the U.S. Sci-Fi Channel throughout its eighth season, whose two-part episode "Reckoning" was widely regarded by fans as one of the show's five best episodes,. Although Anderson departed as a regular after Season 8, he made guest appearances in several episodes of Seasons 9 and 10 of SG-1 and Season 3 of Stargate Atlantis.

Plot summary

Main articles: List of Stargate SG-1 episodes and Timeline of Stargate

File:Stargatesg1season1title.jpg

The pilot episode's opening title

When Apophis attacks Earth at the beginning of the series (which is set one year after the events of the original film), the SGC military base is brought back into action, and SG teams are created, the prime of which is SG-1, to help defend Earth from the new threat. It is quickly revealed that Apophis is but one of many Goa'uld System Lords who battle for power of the galaxy. It is also discovered that the Stargate is part of a large system of gates that leads to numerous planets.

The Goa'uld are portrayed as parasitic beings that take control of other bodies (usually humans, whom they transported across the galaxy in the distant past). System Lords are shown having vast armies of footsoldiers, the bulk of these forces consisting of modified humans known as Jaffa. Throughout the course of the show, some Jaffa – and then an increasing number – form a Jaffa Rebellion led by Bra'tac and the main character Teal'c, a high-ranking Jaffa who defects to SG-1 in the first episode.

SG-1 and the SGC make several alliances with other races in the galaxy, such as the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra are the same species as the Goa'uld, but they are opposed to the System Lords, and their hosts willingly share their bodies. Other races depicted include the Tollan and other advanced human civilizations. They also meet races that have been surviving in the galaxy for millennia, such as the Nox, the Asgard, and the remnants of an extinct race that come to be known as the Ancients. It is later discovered that the Ancients had been the most advanced race in history, and were the builders of the Stargates.

In the background of the show, there is a constant attempt by forces on Earth to take control of the Stargate. In particular, rogue NID agents, which eventually become the elite syndicate known as The Trust, are constantly trying to steal the Stargate or use alien technology for their own ends. The political powers on Earth are often at odds over the Stargate, particularly after the program is revealed to ambassadors from the other main powers of Earth.

Besides the Goa'uld, another threat arises in Season 3, namely a race of non-sentient machines called Replicators. These Replicators had rarely posed a direct threat to the Milky Way galaxy, but were revealed as being on the verge of wiping out the Asgard.

Engaging with Replicators in the premiere of Season 4, the show begins to spread away from its Goa'uld-orientated roots, instead focusing on stand-alone episodes and explores alternative concepts for episodes. Throughout the season, SG-1 encounters everything from genocidal civilizations, to advanced strength-enhancing gauntlets, to a newly recurring species, the Unas. The season ends with a large battle against the Goa'uld System Lord Apophis.

After Apophis is conquered in Season 5, another Goa'uld System Lord takes his place as the show's main villain, Anubis. Anubis is considerably more evil than Apophis, and has much of the knowledge of the Ancients. The theme of Ascension is introduced fully, explaining that the Ancients survived extinction by Ascending to a higher plane of existence. Anubis tried to do this as well, to harvest the vast knowledge and power in that plane, but was cast down again, leaving him in a dangerous half-Ascended state. Anubis gains great power by using Ancient technology and stealing Asgard technology.

File:Stargate SG-1 Season 8 Title.jpg

Season 6's opening title

Near the end of Season 5, Daniel Jackson dies, but Ascends with help from Oma Desala. In Season 6, his position SG-1 is filled by Jonas Quinn; Jackson is now engaged in cosmic affairs on a higher plane. Occasionally, he appears to his friends to help them out, but only appears to them individually, often causing them to think that they are hallucinating. However, in the Season 6 finale, Anubis threatens to destroy Abydos, the planet most dear to Daniel apart from Earth, and Daniel promises to stop Anubis.

However, Daniel is ultimately unable to keep Anubis from destroying Abydos as the other Ascended beings have a rule against interfering in the affairs of mortal beings and stop him from using his abilities to intervene. His transgression causes him to be cast down by the Ancients to the human plane of existence allowing him to re-join SG-1 again. Soon after Daniel's return, Jonas Quinn is finally accepted back on his home world and leaves the SGC. Throughout Season 7, Anubis consolidates his power by wiping out other System Lords, whilst Daniel and the SGC search for the Lost City of the Ancients, where powerful technology will be found that can defeat Anubis. In the Season 7 finale, an Ancient Outpost is located in Antarctica, and Jack O'Neill is able to use the weapon there to annihilate Anubis's entire fleet.

In Season 8, the System Lord Ba'al subsumes much of Anubis's power, but Anubis is discovered not to be dead due to his half-Ascended state. He eventually comes to rule secretly over Ba'al as well. Alongside this, the Replicators escape and begin to conquer the System Lords. A human-form Replicator ("RepliCarter") is created in the image of Samantha Carter, and this Replicator becomes the most powerful force in the galaxy.

Towards the end of Season 8, Anubis seeks to destroy all life in the galaxy so he can remake it as he sees fit, and he seeks to do this using the Dakara Superweapon. However, SG-1 reaches the weapon first and realigns it to destroy only the Replicators across the galaxy. They achieve this end, but not before Daniel is killed by RepliCarter. Once again, he finds himself in the Ascended plane (again Oma has helped him), where Anubis is finally stopped in his plans by Oma. Daniel Jackson then is de-Ascended once more and arrives at the SGC. Ba'al has to flee under the total success of the Jaffa Rebellion, as the System Lords were severely weakened in their battle against the Replicators and now that the Replicators are gone the Jaffa gain much of their lost strength.

File:Stargate SG-1 Season 9 Short Title.jpg

Season 9's 10-second opening title

File:Stargate SG-1 Season 9 Title.jpg

Season 9's extended opening title

In Season 9, Jack O'Neill leaves the SGC and SG-1 to be replaced by Cameron Mitchell (Ben Browder), with Hank Landry (Beau Bridges) taking control of the SGC itself. It is discovered that Ba'al fled to Earth and is rebuilding his power from there, whilst many Goa'uld have infiltrated The Trust.

Due to an accidental visit to a distant galaxy, Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran draw the attention of a cosmic group of evil Ascended beings, the Ori, to the Milky Way. The Ori influence the mortal world through commanding mortals that they evolve and enhance. These mortals are called Priors, and uphold a religion that worships the Ori, called Origin. Followers of this religion are falsely promised Ascension, and unknowingly enforce the power of the Ori, who begin to make incursions into the Milky Way, with the ultimate goal of converting all humans and destroying the Ancients.

When SG-1 learns that Merlin, a formerly Ascended Ancient and founder of the Arthurian legends, had been working on a weapon to incapacitate Ascended beings as a means of defense against the Ori, they head to the planet where he was said to have left it. There they find a village with a sword in a stone – the true Camelot – where they discover that the "weapon" is no less than the origin of the Holy Grail myth, and is long lost. Meanwhile the Ori manage to open a Supergate into the Milky Way and send a fleet of Ori battlecruisers on an evangelical crusade; they effortlessly wipe out the ships that had been waiting on the other side to defend the Milky Way.

File:Sg1 cast1-1-.jpg

Season 10 cast of SG-1

In Season 10, Vala joins SG-1 after it is revealed that her daughter, Adria, has been rapidly aged by the Ori and made the leader of their forces in the Milky Way. As the Ori continue to invade, SG-1 continues its search for Merlin's anti-ascended being weapon, the Sangraal (Holy Grail). However, they must now contend with Ba'al and his clones, who are attempting to steal the weapon for their own purposes.

Following a visit to Atlantis, Daniel has been told of two planets that may contain the weapon. The information came to him via an ascended ancient known throughout history as Morgan Le Fay. But before she could help Daniel further, she was taken back by the Ancients, presumably to be punished for interfering in mortal affairs (It should also be pointed out that episode 3 of this season marks the first visit of SG-1 to the Pegasus galaxy and Atlantis... although Teal'c didn't make this trip. It also features the first joint adventures between both shows). The 200th episode was aired during this season.

Impending cancellation

On August 21, 2006, the Sci Fi Channel confirmed that Stargate SG-1 has been canceled after ten seasons. However, Executive producer Robert C. Cooper told GateWorld that they are hard at work looking for a new outlet for the story to continue.

"As far as the future, I can't comment yet because nothing has been confirmed", Cooper said. "What we want to emphasize is that the franchise is not dying. SG-1 will go on in some way. We're just not ready to announce how." Cooper also emphasizes that, though emotions are running high among Stargate fans who have just learned the news, it is important to keep the show's ratings strong throughout the remainder of its run on SciFi. "What's most important is that fans don't take out their frustration with SciFi by not watching", he said. "In fact, what they need to do is watch both SG-1 and Atlantis LIVE and make sure the ratings stay strong. That helps prove to other outlets that might be interested in SG-1 that the show is still as strong as we think it is."

Mark Stern, executive VP of original programming for the Sci Fi Channel stated that the cancellation "was not a ratings-based decision", adding that the production staff have been given enough time to tie up all the loose ends and to create a good ending for the show. Stern has also said that SciFi plans to use some SG-1 members on the still-continuing spin-off Stargate Atlantis. However, the term "cancellation", as applied by Sci Fi Channel, are orders for SG-1 episodes from MGM/Sony. They have merely cancelled their order for new episodes. MGM, the rights holder, has expressed a desire to continue SG-1 through another outlet, suggesting that another network may pick up the series. This means that the series is not actually cancelled, but simply on hold. MGM announced that they wish to continue the SG-1 series, either as a movie, mini-series or an eleventh season on some other network, suggesting that G4 and Showtime have presented interest in such an option. However, the Sci Fi Channel is attempting to block the action, citing their contract with MGM.. On Tuesday September 26 gateworld.net released news that IGN had reported that there will not be an eleventh season but rather that there will be a series of SG-1 TV Movies, the report cites an unnamed cast member.

On December 20, 2006, [confirmed reports from GateWorld confirmed the production of Two Movies that filming is expected to begin on in late April of 2007 and the regular cast of stargate would be part of the cast. Executive producer Robert C. Cooper will both write and direct the first movie. The first movie storyline "has to do with wrapping up the Ori storyline, which is the storyline that has taken prominence for the last two years of the show,". The second movie starts shooting June 1. Executive producer Brad Wright will write the second film, with Martin Wood directing. That story is a time travel story taking SG-1 to the past. It has something to do with our main villain Baal [Cliff Simon] doing something in the past,". "He basically finds a way to lift the Stargate from Earth so the Stargate Program never happens, and I imagine the characters will have to go through some process to reset the clock and fix everything."

Fictional universe

SG-1 has a rich backdrop of aliens, planets and technology. For more information, see the relevant articles:

• Aliens in Stargate
• Technology in Stargate
• Planets in Stargate
• Human civilizations in Stargate SG-1

Show history

Developed for television by Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright, the series is produced by MGM and filmed at Bridge Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The first episode was broadcast on July 27, 1997 on Showtime in the US and December 3, 1997 on the Seven Network in Australia. Showtime produced and aired the series' first five seasons. Since season six, it has been produced and aired by the Sci Fi Channel. SG-1 recently became the longest-running North American science fiction series on television, surpassing The X-Files' 9 seasons and 202 episodes. It is also listed in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the "longest running science fiction show (consecutive)"; Doctor Who fans dispute this claim, as over 600 episodes of the British show were produced and shown consecutively between 1963 and 1989. [1] A spin-off series, Stargate Atlantis, began airing in 2004. The two shows now run in tandem, with plots that are occasionally interconnected, and story timelines that are simultaneous.

On August 21, 2006 the Sci-Fi channel announced that it would not be renewing the show for an eleventh season; however, executive producer Robert C. Cooper has said that SG-1's story will continue in a yet-to-be-announced form. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has announced that they are very keen to carry on the Stargate SG-1 story, and that they "intend to vigorously find a way to extend the franchise." The last day of shooting for season 10 was on October 5, 2006.

In December 2006, [it was hinted] that a Stargate: Third series was being developed by the team behind Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.

Cast

Main article: List of Stargate SG-1 cast

Regular characters

Character	Actor	Length of time
Col./Brig. Gen./Maj. Gen. Jack O'Neill	Richard Dean Anderson	1997 – 2005 (recurring afterwards)
Dr. Daniel Jackson	Michael Shanks	1997 – 2002, 2003 – present, (recurring otherwise)
Capt./Major/Lt. Col. Samantha Carter	Amanda Tapping	1997 – present
Teal'c	Christopher Judge	1997 – present
Maj. Gen./Lt. Gen. George Hammond	Don S. Davis	1997 – 2004 (recurring afterwards)
Jonas Quinn	Corin Nemec	2002 – 2003
Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell	Ben Browder	2005 – present
Maj. Gen. Hank Landry	Beau Bridges	2005 – present
Vala Mal Doran	Claudia Black	2006 – present (recurring previously)

In Children of the Gods, the pilot episode for the series, when Samantha Carter sees a DHD for the first time, she comments on how it took "fifteen years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on Earth." This is a reference to Anderson's well-known portrayal of the TV character MacGyver.

Throughout the show, there are many references to The Wizard of Oz, mainly stated by Col. O'Neill. As well as many references to The Simpsons as Jack O'Neill's favorite television series -- it is, in fact, Richard Dean Anderson's as well. In Citizen Joe, Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, made a guest appearance as Joe Spencer. In turn, Richard Dean Anderson later made a guest appearance on The Simpsons in the seventeenth season episode Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore as himself.

The USAF cooperates closely with the makers of the program. Two successive Chiefs of Staff of the USAF, Generals Michael E. Ryan and John P. Jumper, have appeared in the show, playing themselves. Ryan appeared in the episode "Prodigy" because of his fascination with science fiction, especially space exploration. Jumper made a cameo appearance in "Lost City", the episode that was originally slated to be the show's last. The Air Force Association recognized Richard Dean Anderson at its 57th annual dinner on September 14, 2004, for his work as actor and executive producer of the show and "for the show's continuous positive depiction of the Air Force." Many of the extras portraying US Air Force personnel are in fact real US Air Force personnel.

Other characters

Main article: Characters in Stargate

Broadcasters

• Argentina: Telefé, Fox Broadcasting Company
• Australia: Sci Fi Australia, Channel Seven
• Austria: ATV+
• Belgium: Kanaal Twee (Dutch-speaking Belgium), RTBF (French-speaking Belgium)
• Brazil: Fox Broadcasting Company
• Bulgaria: Nova Television (season 1)
• Canada: Space, CityTV Toronto CITY and Vancouver CKVU Tuesdays at 8:00pm E/P, Calgary CKAL and Edmonton CKEM Saturdays at 8:00pm MT (and starting with Season 9 in HDTV on ASN, Movie Central (English); Z Télé, TQS (French Canada)
• Chile: Fox Broadcasting Company (Sg1 6-8,Atl 1-2) Axn (Sg1 1-2) La Red
• Costa Rica: Repretel
• Czech Republic: TV Nova (until season 6) Prima TV (until season 6)
• Denmark: Kanal 5 (until season 5)
• Finland: MTV3 (until season 6 - has ended) SubTV (until season 6 - has ended)
• France: M6
• Germany: RTL II, Tele5
• Hungary: Tv2
• Iceland: Skjár Einn
• Israel: Channel 1
• Italy: Fox (Sky Italia)
• Ireland: Sky One/Sky Two/Sky Three, RTÉ Two
• Japan: AXN
• Lithuania: TV3
• Malaysia: TV3
• Mexico: Fox Broadcasting Company (Sg1 1-8,Atl 1-2)
• Morocco: 2M
• Netherlands: Veronica
• New Zealand: TV 2, SKY 1
• Poland: HBO, HBO 2 and TVN (seasons 1-2),
• Portugal: SIC (seasons 1-3), SIC Radical (seasons 4-6), AXN (seasons 7-8)
• Romania: Antena 1, TVR 2
• Slovenia: Kanal A
• Slovakia: (TV JOJ,TV Markíza) (until season 6)
• South Africa: M-Net Series (DStv)
• Spain: AXN (cable/satellite), TV3/K3/300 (Catalonia), Canal 9 (Valencian Community), ETB2 (Basque Country)
• Sri Lanka: Rupavahini (First season only)
• Sweden, TV3 (First season only)
• United Kingdom: Sky One/Sky Two/Sky Three, Channel 4 (Presented in HDTV)
• United States: Showtime (seasons 1-5), Sci Fi Channel (seasons 6-10)
• Uruguay: Fox Broadcasting Company

Spin-offs

The Stargate SG-1 story and surrounding mythos has spawned many subsidiary productions which are often considered canon, with the occasional obvious exceptions.

Television shows

• Stargate Atlantis
• Stargate Infinity - animated; not considered canon.
• Untitled third series

Games

• Stargate SG-1 Roleplaying Game
• Stargate Adventure (video game)
• Stargate SG-1: The Alliance (video game; production cancelled as of February 2006)
• Stargate Worlds (MMORPG)
• Stargate: The Last Stand (Half Life 2 Modication Game)

Literature

Main article: Stargate literature § Stargate SG-1

Several novels has been published based in Stargate SG-1. From 1999 to 2001, ROC published four novels 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 comics has also been published by Avatar Press.

Differences between the film and series

The original film did not develop as much of the setting's depth as would be needed in a television series. MGM, which owned the rights, took Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's product and handed the reins to a new team of creators (Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner). This new team introduced many new concepts to make the Stargate universe into a workable weekly science fiction show. Also, certain details were changed.

For example, in the film:

• Ra's species was not named, and Ra was presented as using a sort of incorporeal "possession" of a human host instead of direct biological parasitism.
• The symbols on the Abydos Stargate in the film were different from the symbols from Earth's Stargate. (In the series all the symbols are the same)
• A few names were spelled differently or changed, which has been a source of in-jokes and pedanticism ever since:
  • Colonel Jack O'Neill's name was spelled O'Neil.
  • Colonel Jack O'Neill's wife/ex-wife was named Sarah rather than Sara.
  • Colonel Jack O'Neil's son was named Tyler rather than Charlie.
  • Dr. Jackson's wife's name was Sha'uri, rather than Sha're.
• A Goa'uld shown briefly in the movie was humanoid instead of snakelike.
• According to the film, Abydos was located in the Kaliem galaxy, "on the far side of the known universe", but in the series it is one of the closest Stargates to Earth, in the Milky Way Galaxy.
• The Air Force base was under Creek Mountain in the film, but in the series it is Cheyenne Mountain.
• The first time Daniel Jackson sees the Stargate is after he figures out the seven-coordinate address system, but in the TV episode "Lost City", he tells Elizabeth Weir that "I remember when we were first trying to get the Stargate to work, I would just come here, and stare at it for hours."
• In the episode "The Torment of Tantalus", it was clearly stated Catherine Langford was twenty-one in 1945, which would make her about four years old in 1928. However, she is much older in the opening sequence of the film, which is set in that year.
• In the episode "Children of the Gods", O'Neill told General Hammond that their "first clue" Ra was an alien was the fact that his eyes glowed. In the film, O'Neill did not encouter Ra until after Daniel Jackson had discovered he was an alien. It is likely that O'Neill was merely using a figure of speech.

Several of these differences were simply ignored by the TV series, but others have been addressed in various episodes of Stargate SG-1. For example, it was sarcastically mentioned at one point that there is another Colonel named Jack O'Neil whose name is often mixed up with Jack O'Neill's (and who "has no sense of humor"). Other changes have been explained as advances in technology, such as more precise "aiming" by Earth's dialing computer (to compensate for the drift of the planets in 10,000 years) that prevents the frost effect seen in the movie. Others are most likely just oversights.

Because of these differences, some fans of the film consider the television series as its own separate entity, rather than a proper sequel to the film. Using some of Emmerich's notes, Bill McCay wrote a series of five novels continuing the story the original creators had envisioned. However, recently Dean Devlin stated that there was an interest in creating the original sequels and that the McCay books were not correct.

DVD releases

Main article: Stargate SG-1 DVD

External links

• SciFi Channel Stargate Website
• Stargate SG-1 Official Site
• GateWorld
• Stargate Information Archive
• TV.com's SG-1 Section (good episode guide)