%7E03%7Eolddramaseries action fandomresource fandomresources research resource sci-fi scifi serialy series sg-1 sg1 stargate tv

My tags:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stargate SG-1
Format	Military science fiction
Created by	Brad Wright Jonathan Glassner
Starring	Richard Dean Anderson Amanda Tapping Christopher Judge Don S. Davis Michael Shanks Corin Nemec Ben Browder Beau Bridges Claudia Black
Country of origin	Canada  United States
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	214 (List of episodes) 2 DVD films
Production
Running time	approx. 43 min.
Broadcast
Original channel	Showtime (Seasons 1–5) SCI FI (Seasons 6–10)
Original run	July 27, 1997 – March 13, 2007
Chronology
Preceded by	Stargate (1994)
Followed by	Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008)
Related shows	Stargate Atlantis Stargate Universe
External links
Official website

Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is an American-Canadian military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Wright, Glassner and Robert C. Cooper served as showrunners at different times of production. The first five seasons of the television series were broadcast by Showtime before the series moved to the Sci Fi Channel for its last five seasons, making the show the longest-running North American science fiction series on television. Stargate SG-1 premiered on Showtime on July 27, 1997; its final episode premiered on Sky1 in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2007. The television series was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada.

The story of Stargate SG-1 begins one year after the events of the feature film. A network of ancient alien devices called Stargates connects the far reaches of several galaxies, opening the door for near-instantaneous interstellar travel. Stargate SG-1 chronicles the adventures of SG-1, the flagship team of over two dozen teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend Earth against alien threats such as the Goa'uld, Replicators and later the Ori. The composition of the SG-1 team is stable in the show's first five seasons but changes annually in the remaining seasons. The series expands upon many Ancient mythologies such as Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, and Arthurian legend. The 2008 direct-to-DVD films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum continue the adventures of SG-1; a third yet unnamed direct-to-DVD film is planned.

The series was a ratings success for Showtime and the Sci Fi Channel but received little critical response despite its popularity with fans, particularly in Europe and Australia. Stargate SG-1 was nominated for and won numerous awards in its ten-season run. Stargate SG-1 spawned the animated television series Stargate Infinity in 2002, and the live-action spin-off TV series Stargate Atlantis in 2004. A live-action TV series named Stargate Universe is in production for a 2009 premiere. Merchandise for Stargate SG-1 includes games and toys, print media and an original audio series.

Contents 1 Series overview 1.1 Goa'uld arc 1.2 Anubis arc 1.3 Ori arc 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Conception 3.2 Casting and cast changes 3.3 Crew 3.4 Filming 3.5 Production design 3.6 Make-up and costumes 3.7 Visual effects 3.8 Music 3.9 Opening title sequence 3.10 Collaboration with the military 4 Themes and allusions 5 Broadcast and release 5.1 Showtime and US syndication (1997–2002) 5.2 Sci Fi Channel and US syndication (2002–2007) 5.3 International broadcast 5.4 Cancellation and future 5.5 Home release 5.6 Online distribution 6 Impact 6.1 Critical reception 6.2 Awards 6.3 Fandom 6.4 Merchandise 6.5 Legacy 7 References 7.1 Notes 7.2 Bibliography 8 External links

[edit] Series overview

Stargate SG-1 follows the present-day adventures of SG-1, a military team from Earth that, along with two dozen other SG teams, ventures to distant planets. They use an alien device known as a Stargate, which is housed in a top-secret U.S. military base known as Stargate Command (SGC) underneath Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The mission of the SG teams is to explore the galaxy and search for technology and form alliances with friendly advanced races for defense from the Goa'uld, a snake-like parasitic alien race that started taking humans as unwilling hosts thousands of years ago. The Goa'uld transported human slaves to other habitable planets across the galaxy and pose to them as gods of Earth mythologies such as Egyptian mythology, Greek mythology and Roman mythology. Later in the series, Stargate SG-1 also expands upon Norse mythology via the fictional Asgard race and Arthurian legend via the fictional Ancients and Ori.

[edit] Goa'uld arc

The pilot episode, set one year after the events of the original film, introduces the Goa'uld System Lord and main villain Apophis (Peter Williams) as he makes a violent visit to Earth. When the Earth Stargate is revealed to be part of an enormous intergalactic network connecting countless planets, the SGC military base is brought back into action. SG teams are created to help defend Earth against the Goa'uld, who have interstellar warships and vast armies of Jaffa (hereditary slaves and human incubators to the Goa'uld) at their disposal. Earth's flagship team SG-1, among them Apophis's defected lead Jaffa soldier Teal'c, initiates several alliances with other races in the galaxy, such as the Goa'uld-like but truly symbiotic Tok'ra, the advanced human Tollan, the pacifist Nox, and the Roswell-like Asgard. SG-1 also encounters remnants of the Ancients, a nearly extinct race of Ascended Beings with extraordinary powers who originally built the Stargate network. Another alien threat arises in season 3 in the form of sentient machines called Replicators, who are on the verge of wiping out the Asgard. Meanwhile, rogue agents of Earth's NID organization repeatedly attempt to take control of the Stargate and other alien technology for their own ends. Despite the death of Apophis in the season 5 premiere, the Goa'uld remain a major foe in Stargate SG-1 until the end of season 8. The System Lord Ba'al (Cliff Simon) is the only influential Goa'uld in the last two seasons of Stargate SG-1. He is defeated in the direct-to-DVD film Stargate Continuum.

[edit] Anubis arc

After Apophis's defeat in the season 5 premiere, the half-Ascended Goa'uld System Lord Anubis (David Palffy) becomes the new main villain. Anubis has much knowledge of the Ancients and their technology, with which he creates an army of almost invincible Kull Warriors to wipe out many of his fellow System Lords in season 6 and 7. SG-1 discovers a powerful weapon in an Ancient Outpost in Antarctica in the season 7 finale and annihilates Anubis's entire fleet. While Ba'al subsumes much of Anubis's power in season 8, Anubis secretly regains control of his forces. Human-form Replicators begin to conquer the System Lords, but SG-1 finds and adjusts an Ancient weapon to destroy all Replicators throughout the galaxy. The end of season 8 reveals the Ascended Being Oma Desala (Mel Harris) to be responsible for Anubis's original ascension. While she engages Anubis in an eternal stalemated battle on the Ascended plane to prevent his acting on the mortal plane, the System Lords have already been decimated, the Replicators annihilated, and the Jaffa win their freedom from Goa'uld rule.

[edit] Ori arc

The SG-1 team disbands after the events of season 8, but an Ancient communication device in the SGC inadvertently draws the attention of the Ancient-like Ori from another galaxy to the existence of sentient life in the Milky Way. While the Ori send advanced human beings named Priors to the Milky Way to spread a religion that augments the Ori's power, Ba'al and some minor Goa'uld infiltrate Earth through the Trust (a coalition of rogue NID operatives) to rebuild their power. At the end of season 9, the Ori begin an evangelical crusade with their warships and effortlessly wipe out the combined fleet of Earth and its allies. The leader of the Ori, Adria (Morena Baccarin) is introduced in the premiere of season 10. SG-1 searches for the Sangraal, an Ancient weapon that might defeat the Ori, while Ba'al and his clones attempt to find the weapon for their own purposes. With the help of the powerful Ancient Merlin (Matthew Walker), SG-1 finds the construction plans of the Sangraal and sends a working version to the Ori galaxy. The Ori arc and Adria's ascension in the penultimate season 10 episode are wrapped up in the direct-to-DVD film Stargate: The Ark of Truth.

[edit] Cast

United States Air Force officer ranks and insignia

General

Lieutenant General

Major General

Brigadier General

Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel

Major

Captain

First Lieutenant

Second Lieutenant

• Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O'Neill (seasons 1–8 main, seasons 9–10 recurring) – A United States Air Force Colonel and special ops veteran who led the original mission through the Stargate in Stargate (where he was played by Kurt Russell). He is coaxed out of retirement in the pilot episode and serves as the leader of the SG-1 team in the first seven seasons. He takes charge of Stargate Command (SGC) after his promotion to Brigadier General at the beginning of season 8. At the beginning of season 9, he is reassigned to Washington, D.C. and is promoted to Major General. He appears in seasons 9 and 10 of Stargate SG-1, as well as in Stargate: Continuum and in seasons 1 and 3 of Stargate Atlantis. O'Neill will appear as a Lieutenant General in multiple episodes of Stargate Universe.^[1] A third yet unnamed direct-to-DVD SG-1 film will center on O'Neill.^[2]
• Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson (seasons 1–5 and 7–10 main, season 6 recurring) – A brilliant Egyptologist whose farfetched theories about pyramids led to his participation in the original Stargate mission in the feature film (where he was played by James Spader). He joins the SG-1 team in the search of his kidnapped wife in the pilot episode and remains part of SG-1 until his ascension to a higher plane of existance at the end of season 5. Following his forceful de-ascension at the beginning of season 7, he rejoins SG-1 and stays a team member until the end of the series. He also appears in both direct-to-DVD films and in seasons 1 and 5 of Stargate Atlantis. He is confirmed to appear in the third SG-1 film and in the pilot episode of Stargate Universe.^[2]
• Amanda Tapping as Samantha "Sam" Carter (seasons 1–10 main) – An brilliant young astrophysicist^[3] and United States Air Force Captain who joins SG-1 under the command of Col. O'Neill in the pilot episode. Following her promotion to Major in season 3, she is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel early in season 8 and assumes command of SG-1. She assists Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell in seasons 9 and 10. After her appearance in Stargate: The Ark of Truth, she is promoted to a full-bird Colonel and becomes the new commander of the Atlantis expedition in season 4 of Stargate Atlantis before joining SG-1 again for Stargate: Continuum. Carter appears in all seasons of Stargate Atlantis and will also appear in the first Atlantis direct-to-DVD film and in the third SG-1 film.^[4]
• Christopher Judge as Teal'c (seasons 1–10 main) – A silent and strong Jaffa alien who defects from his position as the First Prime of the Goa'uld Apophis. He joins SG-1 after the pilot episode in the hope to lead his race into freedom. Despite succeeding in this goal at the end of season 8, he remains a member of SG-1 until the end of the series. He also appears in both direct-to-DVD films and in season 4 of Stargate Atlantis.
• Don S. Davis as George Hammond (seasons 1–7 main, seasons 8–10 recurring) – A United States Air Force Major General (later Lieutenant General) who commands Stargate Command in the first seven seasons. Besides recurring in seasons 8 through 10 of Stargate SG-1, he appears in season 1 of Stargate Atlantis. Davis died from a heart attack in June 2008, making his appearance in Stargate: Continuum his last.^[5]
• Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn (season 6 main, seasons 5 and 7 recurring) – An alien who leaves his home planet Langara at the end of season 5 after witnessing Daniel Jackson's lethal sacrifice and the following gleeful reaction of his planet's leaders. He is a fast learner and fills Daniel's empty spot on SG-1 in season 6. Following Daniel's return, Jonas returns to his planet and remains a recurring character in season 7.
• Ben Browder as Cameron "Cam" Mitchell (seasons 9–10 main) – A United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who is assigned as the new commanding officer of SG-1 at the beginning of season 9. He struggles to reunite its former members under his command and commands SG-1 (with Lt. Col. Carter's assistance) until the end of season 10. He is promoted to full-bird Colonel between his appearances in Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.
• Beau Bridges as Henry "Hank" Landry (seasons 9–10 main) – A United States Air Force Major General and the commander of Stargate Command in seasons 9 and 10. He is the estranged father of the SGC's medical officer Carolyn Lam and appears in both direct-to-DVD films and in seasons 2 and 3 of Stargate Atlantis.
• Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran (season 10 main, seasons 8–9 recurring) – A sexy con artist from an unnamed planet and a former human host to the Goa'uld Qetesh. Her first appearance in season 8's "Prometheus Unbound" is followed by a recurring role in season 9, where she and Daniel unintentionally set off the new Ori threat. She joins SG-1 after giving birth to the new leader of the Ori at the beginning of season 10, and appears in both direct-to-DVD films. As of March 2009, she is the only former main cast member whose non-participation in the third direct-to-DVD film has been confirmed.^[6]

[edit] Production

[edit] Conception

Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner had worked together on the MGM television series The Outer Limits since 1995. Brad Wright saw a wide range of possible sci-fi storylines in the original Stargate feature film that could take place in present-day.^[7] Meanwhile, Jonathan Glassner was interested in the feature film's theme that Ancient Egypt had been partially or completely built by aliens.^[8] Upon hearing of MGM's plan to create a television spin-off series of the film, Wright and Glassner independently and unbeknownst to each other approached MGM and proposed their concept for the television series. MGM president John Symes greenlit the project on the condition that Wright and Glassner work together as executive producers of the new show.^[8] The show was named Stargate SG-1 after Wright flightily agreed to Symes's pitch question if the team should be called "SG-1". MGM released posters titled Stargate SG-1 within the next week without the knowledge of Wright and Glassner.^[9]

John Symes approached Michael Greenburg and Richard Dean Anderson of MacGyver fame.^[8] Although Richard Dean Anderson was never a real fan of the science fiction genre, he believed the original feature film to be a good vehicle for a series.^[7] Anderson agreed to become involved with the project if his character Jack O'Neill was allowed significantly more comedic leeway than Kurt Russell's character in the feature film. He also requested Stargate SG-1 to be more of an ensemble show, so that he would not be carrying the plot alone as on MacGyver.^[10] The American subscription channel Showtime made a two-season commitment for 44 episodes in 1996.^[8] Principal photography would begin in Vancouver in February 1997.^[11]

[edit] Casting and cast changes

After Anderson was cast, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner reviewed several thousands of taped auditions and invited approximately 25 promising actors to screen tests in Los Angeles.^[12] Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping and Christopher Judge said to have gravitated towards each other during the casting process before they knew that they would ultimately be cast.^[13] The producers found Judge (Teal'c) the easiest to cast due to his muscular presence.^[8] Shanks (Daniel Jackson) was cast because he did "the perfect imitation of James Spader", according to Wright.^[8] The producers knew Don S. Davis from his work as a stand-in and stunt-double for Dana Elcar in MacGyver and approached him to read for the role of George Hammond.^[14][15]

When Michael Shanks announced his decision to leave Stargate SG-1 at the end of season 5 for concerns over being under-utilized,^[10] the Sci Fi Channel wanted to fill the void with a new character for season 6. Casting agents met Corin Nemec at the courtyard of MGM's Santa Monica offices by chance and offered him the role.^[16] Nemec first appeared as Jonas Quinn in the penultimate season 5 episode "Meridian" and was open to continue playing the character after season 6 or in a feature film or a spin-off series,^[16] but a new contract was reached with Michael Shanks for Daniel to return in season 7, leaving Nemec with a recurring role in season 7.^[17] Don S. Davis decided to leave Stargate SG-1 after season 7 for health reasons^[18] but appeared in a recurring capacity until his death on June 29, 2008.

Claudia Black of Farscape fame guest-starred as Vala Mal Doran in the Daniel-centric season 8 episode "Prometheus Unbound" after the Stargate producers had unsuccessfully approached her several times before.^[19] The producers liked the on-screen chemistry between Black and Shanks and re-introduced Black in a six-episode story arc to cover for the maternity leave of Amanda Tapping at the beginning of season 9.^[20] Meanwhile, Ben Browder (also of Farscape fame) and Emmy Award-winning actor Beau Bridges joined the main cast in season 9 after Richard Dean Anderson's departure from the show (Anderson's schedule had been reduced incrementally since season 6 so he could spend more time with his daughter).^[21] The producers had met Browder during sci-fi conventions and had previously discussed casting him in other Stargate roles.^[22] After the cancellation of Farscape, Browder got together with the Stargate producers as soon as the introduction of new main characters was discussed.^[23] The producers approached Beau Bridges directly to play the role of Hank Landry.^[24] After appearing in the last two episodes of season 9, Claudia Black joined the cast full time in season 10.

[edit] Crew

Most producers, crew members and guest actors behind Stargate SG-1 were Canadian.^[25] Creators Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner were executive producers and show runners of Stargate SG-1 in the first three seasons, having the final say (besides MGM and the network) on stories, designs, effects, casting, editing, and episode budgets.^[26] After Glassner's departure, Wright ran Stargate SG-1 alone for three seasons. Executive producer Robert C. Cooper took over as show-runner in season 7 when Brad Wright took time off to develop the spin-off series Stargate Atlantis.^[27] Cooper and Wright remained show-runners of their respective shows until the end of SG-1.^[28] Also serving as executive and co-executive producers were Michael Greenburg and Richard Dean Anderson (seasons 1–8), N. John Smith (seasons 4–10), and the writer team Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie (seasons 7–10).

Although Stargate SG-1 employed freelance writers, most of the 214 Stargate SG-1 episodes were written by Brad Wright (seasons 1–10), Jonathan Glassner (seasons 1–3), Katharyn Powers (seasons 1–6), Robert C. Cooper (seasons 1–10), Peter DeLuise (seasons 4–8), Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie (seasons 4–10), Damian Kindler (seasons 6–10), and Alan McCullough (seasons 9–10). Martin Wood and Peter DeLuise directed most episodes, with 46 episodes (seasons 1–10) and 57 episodes (seasons 2–10), respectively. Wood and DeLuise regularly made cameo appearances in their episodes and notably played the show-within-a-show directors in the cameo-heavy milestone episodes "Wormhole X-Treme" and "200". Andy Mikita had been an assistant director since the pilot episode and directed 29 episodes from season 3 through 10. SG-1 director of photography Peter Woeste and camera operator William Waring directed 13 episodes each. Most staff writers and staff directors held producer positions. Several cast members contributed story ideas and directed SG-1 episodes.

[edit] Filming

Stargate SG-1 was in and around Vancouver, Canada, mainly at The Bridge Studios and NORCO Studios.^[29][30] Many Vancouver area landmarks were incorporated into the episodes, such as the campus of Simon Fraser University as the setting of an alien civilization's capitol.^[31] Production faced many weather problems because of the moderate oceanic climate of Vancouver, although rain could be made to not show up on film. The late season 3 episode "Crystal Skull" was the first episode to be filmed in a virtual set.^[29]

The main setting of Stargate SG-1, the fictional Stargate Command (SGC), was filmed at stage 5 of The Bridge Studios.^[30] The story establishes the SGC as part of the (real) Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station near Colorado Springs, Colorado, who in reality deny fan theories of the existence of a Stargate in their Command Center.^[32] Martin Wood filmed half a dozen stock shots of the real Cheyenne Mountain complex on location for use in the series approximately ten days before the premiere of the pilot episode. Although these shots wore out over the years, the producers did not film new shots until the beginning of season 9, thinking that Stargate SG-1 would be cancelled after each current year.^[33][34]

Seasons 1 through 7 had 22 episodes each (season 1 had a two-hour premiere and 20 regular episodes), and seasons 8 through 10 had 20 episodes. All episodes were filmed in 16:9 wide-screen, although Stargate SG-1 was only broadcast in 4:3 aspect ratio in its first years.^[35] The first three seasons of Stargate SG-1 were filmed on 16 mm film, apart from scenes involving visual effects, which had always been shot on 35 mm film for various technical reasons. After a test run with the season 3 finale, "Nemesis", Stargate SG-1 switched to 35 mm film for all purposes at the beginning of season 4.^[36] SG-1 was filmed in HD beginning with season 8.^[37]

[edit] Production design

Stargate SG-1 employed about 200 union workers from Canada, although that number could exceed 300 when new sets were built.^[25] Lead production designer Richard Hudolin joined the project in October 1996. Bridget McGuire, SG-1's art director since the pilot episode, would take over as lead production designer in season 6.^[11][38] The art department generated all of the concepts and drawing for the prop department, the set decoration department, the construction department, the paint department, and the model shop. They also collaborated with the visual effects department.^[29] An SG-1 episode cost $1.3 million to produce in the first seasons.^[39] Unfavorable exchange rates decreased the costs advantages of filming in Vancouver, although production could still benefit from tax breaks. The production cost of an episode was estimated at around US$2 million in season 10.^[25][40]

Hudolin flew to Los Angeles in 1996 to gather material from the feature film as reference and found the original Stargate prop stored outside in the Californian desert. Although the prop had severely disintegrated, he could take a detailed mould so that Stargate SG-1 could build their own prop. The new Stargate was engineered to turn, lock the chevrons, and be computer-controlled to dial specific gate addresses. A portable Stargate prop was built for on-location shoots and required six workers and one full day to set up.^[11][8] Since it is sometimes faster and cheaper to create visual effects than to build,^[11] a computer-generated Stargate was occasionally used in on-location shoots in later seasons.^[41]

The design of the SGC base should match the real Cheyenne Mountain complex as much as possible.^[11] Since the Stargate prop is 22 feet tall, the set had to be twice as high for shooting.^[12] One of Hudolin's original plans of a three-level SGC set was rejected in favor of a two-level set.^[11] The gateroom was the biggest room on set and could be redesigned for other scenes.^[41] Two multi-purpose rooms that were frequently redecorated into the infirmary, Daniel's lab, the cafeteria or the gym.^[11][42] The SGC set and all other sets from the pilot episode were constructed within six weeks in January and February 1997, incorporating some original set pieces from the feature film.^[11] The design of Earth starships and jet fighters in later seasons was based American aircraft carriers and fighters, although the Goa'uld glider origins of the story were left recognizable.^[43] The SGC set would be largely dismantled in late 2008 to make room for the Icarus Base set of Stargate Universe.^[44]

[edit] Make-up and costumes

Because the fictional human races had been displaced and had developed independently from their Earth equivalent, the costume designers took elements of e.g. Egyptian, Roman or Mongolian cultures, used modern fabrics and gave them a historical bent, and added elaborate trims and chains. This combination gave the costumes an otherworldly appearance. Over a hundred costumes were created for the pilot episode.^[45]

The make-up department, lead by Jan Newman, sometimes collaborated with prosthetics companies from Vancouver and Los Angeles, including Todd Masters. The only main character to have much make-up was Teal'c, who had a forehead symbol, an Egyptian look, and a gold skin tone. Teal'c's make-up process was simplified over the years.^[46] Christopher Judge shaved his head at home each day. Richard Dean Anderson's hair was usually cut short at the beginning of each episode, and Don S. Davis's hair was clipper-cut to a very short military style. Amanda Tapping wore her hair short.^[47]

[edit] Visual effects

Stargate SG-1 was one of the biggest employers in the Vancouver visual effects market,^[48] spending $400,000 per episode for visual effects.^[49] The largest role played Rainmaker Digital Effects,^[48] whose senior digital compositing artist, Bruce Woloshyn, worked approximately 10 months a year on the show and worked closely with visual effects producer James Tichenor and visual effects supervisor Michelle Comens.^[50] Many companies were hired to create the Stargate puddle passings in the beginning, but Rainmaker eventually became the only company that still created the visual effects of the puddle.^[35] Rainmaker's regular effect shots included the activation and use of the Stargate itself (with well over 300 puddle shots in the first few years), the transport rings, staff weapons and zat guns. They did Goa'uld cargo ships and death gliders on a less regular basis.^[50] Lost Boys Studios provided visual effects since the pilot episode, and Image Engine worked on the show since season 2. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were responsible for an estimated 30% to 40% of the business of Atmosphere Visual Effects.^[48]

Stargate SG-1 helped win the local post shops some industry recognition with one Gemini Award win and seven Emmy nominations (see #Awards). James Tichenor considered the few episodes with big visual effects budgets the most likely works to contain visual cues that impress Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy Awards) voters.^[51] After the visual effects team had begun researching and developing computer-generated Asgard in season 3, the first fully walking, talking, acting computer-generated character, Heimdall, was featured in the season 5 finale "Revelations".^[52] The late season 3 episode "Crystal Skull" was the first episode to be filmed in a virtual set.^[29]

[edit] Music

Composer Joel Goldsmith had known Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner since the second season of The Outer Limits before they approached him to work on the pilot episode of Stargate SG-1. Goldsmith and David Arnold, who had composed the original feature film score using the London Symphony Orchestra, discussed themes for a television adaptation. The main titles of Stargate SG-1 were a medley of several themes from the feature film, although Goldsmith also wrote a unique end title for SG-1 to establish the show as its own entity.^[53] Joel Goldsmith gave Stargate SG-1 a traditional action-adventure score, "with a sci-fi, fantasy flair" that goes "from comedy to drama to wondrous to suspense to heavy action to ethereal".^[54] However, MGM insisted (against Brad Wright's wishes) to use Arnold's score instead of Goldsmith's adaptation in the pilot episode. Brad Wright would consider Goldsmith's music "so beautiful and so understated in comparison" that the recut Children of the Gods will use Goldsmith's original score.^[55]

Goldsmith simulated a real orchestra with a synthesizer palette of an eighty-piece symphony orchestra for budget reasons (the direct-to-DVD films had a higher budget that allowed a real orchestra).^[53] Goldsmith generated most of the music himself but brought in two or three musicians for more orchestral authenticity.^[56] Goldsmith's long-time assistant Neal Acree started composing additional music for Stargate SG-1 in season 8.^[57] The amount of composed music per episode varied between 12 and 33 minutes out of a 44 minute episode, with an average of around 22 to 26 minutes,^[57] making the full symphonic score of SG-1 more time-consuming to create than for general TV shows.^[53] Since Goldsmith lived a thousand miles away from production in Vancouver, he and the producers discussed ideas over the phone^[56] and exchanged tapes via Federal Express for several years until the show switched to internet file transfers.^[58]

Goldsmith's reliance on Arnold's score decreased over the seasons when Stargate SG-1 departed from the Goa'uld theme and introduced new characters and races. Goldsmith had a thematic approach to races and spaceships.^[53] Goldsmith wanted a mechanical, repetitive ostinato sound for the Replicators.^[58] The inspiration for the Ori themes were gothic, Gregorian, and Christian.^[53] The Ancient theme was deliberately carried over to Stargate Atlantis. The end of "Lost City" has a basic melody that would become part of the main title of Atlantis per a suggestion by Goldsmith's assistant.^[58] SG-1 only rarely used non-original music. Goldsmith chose the aria "Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's "Pagliaccio" for the season 3's "Shades of Grey".^[26] Season 7's "Fragile Balance" played Lily Frost's song "Who am I", and CCR's song "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" played in the series finale "Unending". A television soundtrack with Goldsmith's adapted score was released in 1997, followed by a best-of release in 2003. The soundtracks of Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum were released on CD in 2008.

[edit] Opening title sequence

Stargate SG-1 has several opening title sequences, which are preceded by a teaser act. The credits are normally sixty seconds long. Richard Dean Anderson was the only SG-1 actor whose name appeared before the show's title. Michael Shanks's name was moved near the end of the opening credits with the appendage "as Daniel Jackson" after his return to the show in season 7. Some DVD versions of early SG-1 seasons have different opening credits to the television versions, as do the direct-to-DVD films. Composer Joel Goldsmith adapted David Arnold's Stargate feature film score for SG-1's opening title theme, which remained the same during the run of Stargate SG-1 and its direct-to-DVD films.

The first opening title sequence, used in the first five seasons, shows a slow-pan camera move over a pharaoh's mask. The Stargate SG-1 producers had run out of time before the premiere of season 1 and simply re-used the accelerated opening title sequence of the feature film.^[59] The pharaoh mask had been created in the feature film's model shop and had originally been filmed with a motion-control camera.^[60] Partly because the pharaoh mask looked cross-eyed, Brad Wright approached the art department in the following years to produce a new opening title sequence, but the sequence remained the same until the show's move to the Sci Fi Channel.^[59][61]

The opening title sequence of the first two season 6 episodes shows a turning Stargate, for which a Frazier lens was put as close as 1/8 inch (3 mm) to the Stargate prop.^[61] The opening credits of the following episodes intercut this material with live-action shots of the characters from previous seasons and ended with the SG-1 team stepping through the Stargate. The opening credits stayed the same in the next two seasons except for minor clip and cast changes. The opening credits of season 9 intercut shots of the Stargate with action sequences similar to the previous opening credits, although the Stargate was visibly computer-generated. The Sci Fi Channel cut the opening credits from sixty to ten seconds in their original broadcast of the first half of season 9, but re-instated the full opening credits after strong negative fan reactions.^[62] The writers poked fun at this move in SG-1''s milestone episode "200" in season 10, showing a five-second clip instead of the full titles.^[63] Beginning with season 10's "Company of Thieves", the last clip of the opening credits shows Vala Mal Doran almost missing SG-1's trip through the Stargate.

[edit] Collaboration with the military

The United States Air Force (USAF) cooperated closely with the Stargate SG-1 producers. Before the beginning of the series, the USAF granted production access to the Cheyenne Mountain complex to film stock shots. They also read every script for mistakes and provided help with plausible background stories for all characters, ribbons, uniform regulations, hair advice, plotlines, and military relationships.^[64] For season 6's "Redemption" and season 9's "The Fourth Horseman", the USAF flew up several T-38 Talon and F-16 fighter jets to Vancouver.^[65][66] Many of the extras portraying USAF personnel were real USAF personnel.^[67]

Two successive Chiefs of Staff of the USAF, Generals Michael E. Ryan and John P. Jumper, appeared as themselves in season 4's "Prodigy" and season 7's "Lost City", respectively. General Jumper's second scheduled appearance in season 9's "The Fourth Horseman" was cancelled due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.^[66] 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.^[67]

Stargate SG-1 also received support from the US and international navy. Several scenes of season 4's "Small Victories" were filmed aboard and outside of a Russian Foxtrot class submarine, which had been brought from Vladivostok to Vancouver.^[11] For Stargate: Continuum, the United States Navy invited the cast and producers to film in the USS Alexandria (SSN-757) and at their Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station in the Arctic.^[68]

[edit] Themes and allusions

The Stargate device sets apart SG-1 from other sci-fi shows by allowing modern-day people to travel to other planets in an instant,^[12] although scholar Dave Hipple argued that SG-1 "also deploys [science fiction] stereotypes both to acknowledge forebearers and to position itself as a serving heir".^[69] Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner tried to stay true to the feature film, but also wanted the new television series to be unique in its own way.^[8] Stargate SG-1 gradually evolved away from the basic premise of the film and developed its own unique mythological superstructure.^[70] The series expands upon the Egyptian mythologies presented in the Stargate film (notably the Egyptian gods Ra, Apep/Apophis, and Anubis as Goa'uld villains), Norse mythology (notably the gods Thor and Freyr as Asgard allies), Arthurian legend (notably Merlin and Morgan le Fay as Ancient allies), and many other mythologies like Greek and Roman mythology. Most civilizations that the Goa'uld had transplanted maintain much of their original Earth culture, and Stargate SG-1 does not equate civilization with technology like many other sci-fi shows do.^[3]

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.^[70] According to one critic in 1997, Stargate SG-1 was designed to have no nationality, which might appeal to viewers all over the world.^[71] The final episodes of season 7 (2004) brought a more global approach to the scenario when the Stargate Program was revealed to the fictional rest of the world, which further helped the international appeal of Stargate SG-1.^[72] The writers had to strike a balance in the interaction between SG-1 and advanced races (of which there were only few in the story) so that alliances could be developed where the advanced races do not give Earth all their technology and knowledge.^[73]

Bill Keveney of the USA Today described the series formula as "a mix of sci-fi adventure, relationships and humor".^[74] Christopher Judge did not consider SG-1 as a "message show by any stretch of the imagination, but occasionally there are messages there".^[75] The producers embraced humor and wanted SG-1 to be a fun show that does not take itself too seriously.^[25] Brad Wright also described SG-1 as a family show with adequate violence as opposed to random or gratuitous violence.^[76] Stargate SG-1 rarely focuses on love scenes^[77] and had somewhat of a reputation as a sex-free family show, so Robert C. Cooper was aware that the introduction of the sexy Vala Mal Doran character in season 8 might cause the strong audience reaction that it did.^[78] According to scholar M. Keith Booker in Science Fiction Television, SG-1 is ultimately character-driven despite its extensive intergalactic mythology and science fiction elements and depends heavily on the camaraderie among the member of the SG-1 team.^[3] O'Neill struggles with being a special ops military man and a humanitarian at the same time.^[77] Daniel Jackson, who was originally conceived as an archaeologist and translator, gradually evolves into the moral conscience for the team.^[8]

Stargate SG-1 emphasized its present-day-Earth storyframe by frequently referencing popular culture, like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer had done before.^[69] Richard Dean Anderson's favorite television series is The Simpsons, which O'Neill references throughout the show.^[79] Jonathan Glassner had written The Wizard of Oz references into his own scripts since the first season, which the other writers imitated after Richard Dean Anderson caught on to it on his own.^[80] The main actors' previous notable roles were referenced when Captain Carter mentioned in the pilot episode that it had taken them "fifteen years and three supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on Earth" and when a clip in the milestone episode "200" parodied Farscape.^[69][81] "200" also spoofed Star Trek, The O.C.-type teen shows and made many more obscure and self-referential allusions.^[81]

[edit] Broadcast and release

[edit] Showtime and US syndication (1997–2002)

The American subscription channel Showtime, who would produced the first five seasons of Stargate SG-1, ordered two seasons of Stargate SG-1 with 44 episodes total in 1996.^[8] The two-hour premiere, which aired on July 27, 1997 at 8 p.m,^[82] received Showtime's highest-ever ratings for a series premiere and ranked as the highest-rated original movie to premiere on Showtime in 3-1/2 years at the time. The show got a 10.5 rating in Showtime's approximately 12 million U.S. households, which equaled approximately 1.5 million homes in total.^[83] Showtime ordered another two seasons of 22 episodes each in July 1998.^[84] According to Robert C. Cooper in 2006, Showtime put no pressure on Stargate SG-1 to "deliver the meteoric ratings the way network shows do".^[85] Brad Wright was sure that SG-1 would have been cancelled after a few episodes if it had started out on a broadcast network as opposed to Showtime.^[85]

Since Stargate SG-1 was expensive to produce, MGM arranged an agreement with Showtime to run SG-1 simultaneously on Showtime and in syndication, giving Showtime at least a six-month exclusive window to each hour.^[86] All 22 FOX stations aired reruns of the first four seasons after their Showtime debut, providing a clearance of 41% of the US.^[87][88] Stargate SG-1 ranked second as new syndicated hour-long programs.^[7] The Sci Fi Channel made its largest single programming acquisition by buying the exclusive basic cable rights to the MGM package Stargate SG-1, The Outer Limits, and Poltergeist: The Legacy for $150 million in 1998. Sci Fi aired SG-1 five times a week.^[89] SG-1 averaged a solid 2.8 household rating in rerun syndication in 2000–01, with a 1.9 rating in adults 18–49.^[90]

The second season of Stargate SG-1 was the most widely watched program (including theatrical movies) on the Showtime network, although the show had received almost no media mention outside hard-core science fiction circles.^[91] Stargate SG-1 consistently pulled higher ratings than any other Showtime original series, although its ratings dropped 17% from season 3 to 4.^[92] Showtime decided to end its association with Stargate SG-1 at the end of season 5.^[65] Then-Showtime programming chief Jerry Offsay explained that "Although the audience is still there for it, it's not helping us draw new subscribers in the door when the show is available in syndication and [will be] on Sci Fi."^[40]

[edit] Sci Fi Channel and US syndication (2002–2007)

MGM wanted to continue the show beyond a fifth season since the ratings were good from a financial standpoint.^[65] The Sci Fi Channel offered to pick up the show with a reduced budget that was still big enough to convince Richard Dean Anderson to continue the series, and that made production possible without much loss in quality.^[65] Stargate SG-1 averaged the best series ratings in the history of the Sci Fi Channel. The first 10 episodes of season 6 averaged 1.32 million households, making SG-1 the seventh highest-rated scripted series in all of basic cable. In the adults 18-49 category, SG-1 averaged 1.063 million and made fifth place overall. In addition to the weekly slot at 8 p.m. Fridays between The Dead Zone and Farscape, the first five seasons of Stargate SG-1 were aired in a four-hour block every Monday night at 7 p.m.^[39][85] Stargate SG-1 became the Sci Fi Channel's highest-rated original series, averaging a 1.7/1,353,000 HHs/2,032,000 P2+ for its sixth and seventh season.^[93] With the help of SG-1, the Sci Fi Channel became one of the top 10 cable networks in the U.S.^[94]

For the next few years on the Sci Fi Channel, the producers believed the current season to be the show's last, so they repeatedly wrote big series finales instead of season finales.^[85] The success of Stargate SG-1 also put off Wright and Cooper's plans of writing another Stargate feature film.^[95] The season 7 finale "Lost City" was their first pitch to MGM for an SG-1 feature, and their second attempt became the two-hour opener of the spin-off series Stargate Atlantis.^[95] Originally envisioned as a replacement for SG-1,^[95] Stargate Atlantis began airing in tandem with SG-1's eighth season in summer 2003.^[93] Stargate SG-1's season 8 opener scored a series-record 3.2 million viewers, followed by the two-hour premiere of Atlantis, which became Sci Fi's most-watched episode of a regular series ever at 4.2 million viewers at the time.^[95] Battlestar Galactica began airing in tandem with the two Stargate shows in January 2005,^[96] making Sci Fi No. 1 among basic cablers on Friday nights over the summer of 2005.^[97]

The writers considered replacing Stargate SG-1 with a new show named Stargate Command after SG-1's eighth season,^[78] but the Sci Fi Channel decided to continue SG-1 for a ninth season and eventually a tenth season. By the start of season nine in summer 2005, episodes of SG-1 averaged 2.5 million viewers and a 2.1 household rating.^[40] SG-1's ninth season averaged 2.4 million viewers per episode on Sci Fi.^[97] The ratings dipped to 2.1 million total viewers with 1.8 household rating during early 2006, which Sci Fi Channel's Mark Stern attributed to the "tech-savvy, toy-loving, time-shifting audience" using digital video recorders who thus get missed in ratings compilations.^[40] Meanwhile, new episodes of Stargate SG-1 re-ran once a week in US syndication six months after their premiere on Sci Fi.^[39] In 2005-2006, the household rating in syndication slipped to a 1.6, consistent with the overall decline in syndicated sci-fi action hours.^[90] The final SG-1 episode "Unending" of season 10 attracted approximately 2.2 million viewers on the Sci Fi Channel on June 22, 2007, after the episode had already premiered on Sky1 in the UK on March 13, 2007.^[98]

[edit] International broadcast

Wright and Cooper attributed the popularity of science fiction in the world markets as a factor in SG-1's success and said that the good international reception helped keep the series on the air in the beginning.^[72] Several premium newspapers reported in 2005–2006 that Stargate SG-1 aired in over 100 countries with a weekly viewership of around 10 million worldwide,^[25][72][85] but The New York Times gave different numbers in 2004, saying that the show was broadcast in 64 countries with more than 17 million viewers a week.^[99] Stargate SG-1 had a particularly fervent response in Australia, Germany, France and Great Britain.^[85][95][99]

Stargate SG-1 aired on the United Kingdom on Sky One with repeats on Sky Two, Sky Three,^{[citation needed]} and Channel 4.^[72] In all seasons except seasons 1 and 9, Sky One broadcast new episodes of the second half of the season before Showtime or the Sci Fi Channel did.^{[citation needed]} Brad Wright found it "almost embarrassing" that Stargate SG-1 was much more popular in the United Kingdom than in Canada, where the show had aired opposite Friends for a long time and only got resurgence from DVD sales.^[25] Stargate SG-1 aired in Canada on Space, Citytv, A-Channel, Movie Central, and French language channels TQS and Ztélé.^[94] Stargate SG-1 aired in Australia on Sci Fi Australia, Channel Seven, and Golden West Network.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Cancellation and future

On August 21, 2006, a few days after the premiere of SG-1's milestone episode "200", the Sci Fi Channel confirmed that Stargate SG-1 was not being renewed for an eleventh season.^[100] The Sci Fi Channel's Mark Stern stated that the decision was not based on ratings, and that production staff was given enough time to tie up all the loose ends of the story. Stern also announced Sci Fi's plans to incorporate some SG-1 cast members on the still-continuing spin-off Stargate Atlantis (which would be realized as Amanda Tapping joining the cast of Atlantis in season 4).^[90] The SG-1 producers and rights-holder MGM expressed a desire to continue SG-1 through another outlet in the form of a movie, mini-series, or an eleventh season on some other network.^[101][102] In October 2006, Brad Wright confirmed the production of two direct-to-DVD films for a 2008 release.^[103] The first film, Stargate: The Ark of Truth, wrapped up the Ori storyline. The second film, Stargate: Continuum, was a alternate time travel story. A special edition of the two-hour pilot episode "Children of the Gods" with re-edited scenes and a different score is in the works.^[76]

Brad Wright announced his plans of a third new SG-1 film in May 2008,^[104] although MGM has not officially confirmed the film as of March 2009. Wright will co-write the still unnamed film with former Stargate Atlantis executive producer Carl Binder.^[105] Martin Wood will serve as director.^[6] According to Wright, the film would center on the Jack O'Neill character and will reunite as many of the SG-1 cast as possible, depending on the cost of the film and actor availability.^[104] Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) has confirmed his and Richard Dean Anderson's participation.^[2] Amanda Tapping stated that she will be appearing in the third SG-1 movie and the first Atlantis movie, with both to film at the same time.^[4] According to Wright, the character of Vala Mal Doran will not appear in the film.^[6]

[edit] Home release

Stargate SG-1 was first released on DVD in some European nations in volumes of four (sometimes three or two) episodes each, beginning with "The Best of Season 1" as Volume 1 on January 14, 2000 in the United Kingdom.^[106] Volume 2 represented the first four episodes of season 2, and each following season was released as six individual volumes except season 10 with five volumes. Beginning in 2001, seasons 1 through 8 were released in five-disc amray box sets in the United States. MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) began releasing complete season box sets (including season 1) alongside the individual volumes in 2002. The British season box sets were generally released half a year after a season's last volume release in the UK.

Most DVDs contain behind-the-scenes featurettes, production galleries, episode previews, and audio commentaries for nearly all episodes beginning with season 4. The box sets of the first eight seasons were re-released with slim packaging in all regions, beginning with the United States in summer 2006.^[107] A complete series set was released on October 9, 2007, containing 50 discs from the ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 and four bonus discs with content not part of the original sets.^[108] More than 30 million copies of DVDs had been sold by 2006.^[25] Although the two direct-to-DVD films were also released on Blu-ray, a Blu-ray release of the ten seasons of SG-1 has not been announced as of April 2009.

[edit] Online distribution

New episodes of Stargate SG-1 were first released on the US iTunes in August 2006 one day after their premiere on the Sci Fi Channel. The commercial-free episodes were priced at $1.99 each, while a season pass cost $37.99 for twenty episodes.^[90][109] A release on iTunes UK followed in October 2007.^[110] All ten seasons of SG-1 were made available on iTunes and Amazon Unbox in January 2008.^[111] Stargate SG-1 made its debut on hulu.com in March 2009, starting with the first season. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the episodes free of charge but with a small amount of commercials.^[112]

[edit] Impact

[edit] Critical reception

In his review for the pilot episode "Children of the Gods" in 1997, Variety's Tony Scott criticized that "superficial characters wander through their roles without stirring a modicum of conviction". He mocked that the wooden acting, "pedestrian writing, pulp-mag plotting, shopworn characters, hackneyed dialogue [...] and Mario Azzopardi's broad direction will all undoubtedly delight billions and billions". He predicted that the series is "essentially for young people", and that "if no one else, the kiddies are probably watching" as long as the producers stop blatantly showcasing naked young women.^[113] Reviewing the same episode, Will Joyner of The New York Times considered Stargate SG-1 as a "challenging, if derivative, mix" that is "more than a Stargate [feature film] fan might expect but certainly less than one would hope for". His opinion about the main cast was mixed, and he found it disturbing that SG-1 used shock tactics to make up for its lower television budget. He would not recommend the show for children because of the horror-like "grotesque physical attributes in the new villains" and the "gratuitous use of sexual implication and nudity".^[82] (According to Brad Wright, the Showtime network had insisted on the full frontal nudity despite Wright's vocal opposition, and he will cut the nudity scene from the 2009 direct-to-DVD recut of the pilot episode.)^[76]

Although Stargate SG-1 was the most widely watched programme on Showtime, the show received almost no media mention outside hard-core science fiction circles.^[91] Stargate SG-1 gained media attention when Stargate Atlantis was greenlit, most notably by the cover of the July 26 2003 TV Guide issue proclaiming "Forget Trek! Stargate SG-1 is now sci-fi's biggest hit!",^[114] but Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star maintained in 2006–2007 that American and Canadian critics showed no greater respect to Stargate SG-1^[115] and that "Nobody seemed to like [the show] but the fans; it somehow always slipped under the radar of most TV critics."^[116] Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said in 2006 that "SG-1 remain[ed] relegated to the back of the bus in terms of popularity. Occupying a slot on "best show" lists is a rarity. That glory usually goes to Battlestar Galactica. [...] It may take a little longer for mainstream audiences to recognize its greatness. Because regardless of its records, it still isn't getting the kind of wide-ranging respect a successful series with a 200-episode run deserves."^[85]

[edit] Awards

Stargate SG-1 was nominated for numerous awards during its ten-season run. Its nominations for seven Emmys in the "Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series" category and one Emmy for "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)" did not result in a win.^[117] SG-1 won two Gemini Awards,^[118] twelve Leo Awards^[119] and five Saturn Awards^[120] out of approximately thirty nominations each. Stargate SG-1 was also nominated for two VES Awards in 2003 and 2005^[121][122] and for two Hugo Awards in 2005 and 2007.^[123][124]

[edit] Fandom

Brad Wright used the term "Gaters" to refer to fans of Stargate SG-1.^[64] Some fans' belief that there was a real Stargate device under Cheyenne Mountain inspired writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie to come up with their own conspiracy story for season 4's "Point of No Return".^[64] The fansite GateWorld became a major franchise news site with special arrangements with MGM; GateWorld's founder Darren Sumner serves as a news editor for the official Stargate SG-1 magazine and reviews and edits every Stargate comic books for continuity errors with the TV shows.^[125]

Until 2005, Gatecon was the main SG-1 fan convention. It was held in the Vancouver area, with more actor and crew member participation than other conventions. SG-1 conventions by Creation Entertainment were also marketed as "The Official Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis Tour", which mostly took place in the U.S. until Creation Entertainment acquired the licence for Vancouver conventions in 2005. Wolf Events organized many SG-1 conventions in Europe, particularly in the UK and Germany.^[126]

Several storylines and cast changes received particularly strong fan reactions. Showtime's announcement to not renew Stargate SG-1 after season 5 coincided with Michael Shanks's decision to leave the show and be replaced with Corin Nemec's Jonas Quinn, and panicking fans started massive write-in campaigns to save the Daniel Jackson character and the show, partly conflating the two issues.^[127] The introduction of Samantha Carter's love interest Pete Shanahan in season 7's "Chimera" was met with strong antipathy by shipper fans, while others (including Amanda Tapping) welcomed the writers' decision to finally give Carter a personal life.^[128] Although fans, actors and writers hailed season 7's "Heroes" as one of the show's best episodes ever, the violent and abrupt death of the supporting character Janet Fraiser in the episode garnered strong fan reactions.^[128] Claudia Black's guest appearances as Vala Mal Doran in seasons 8 and 9 were so popular with the cast, crew and audience^[129][130] that she was made a full-time cast member for season 10.

[edit] Merchandise

Stargate SG-1 spawned an industry of spinoff products. From 1999 to 2001, ROC published four Stargate SG-1 novels written by Ashley McConnell.^[131] In 2004, UK-based Fandemonium Press launched a new series of licensed tie-in novels based on Stargate SG-1, although these books were unavailable in North America until 2006 when the license conflict with ROC expired.^[132] Titan Publishing publishes the official Stargate Magazine,^[25] while Avatar Press published a series of Stargate SG-1 comics.^[25] British company Big Finish Productions began to produce Stargate SG-1 audio adventures in early 2008, voiced by members of the SG-1 cast.^[133]

A Stargate SG-1 roleplaying game and a Stargate trading card game were released in 2003 and 2007. Diamond Select Toys and Hasbro launched a series of toys in 2005 and 2006, respectively.^[134][135] The planned video game Stargate SG-1: The Alliance was cancelled in 2005, and the future of a MMORPG named Stargate Worlds is uncertain after financial problems in late 2008.^[136] Four amusement rides are based on Stargate – the Stargate SG-3000 theme park ride operating at Space Park Bremen in Germany, and at Six Flags theme parks in Chicago, San Francisco and Louisville.^[25]

[edit] Legacy

"We were off the radar for so long. [...] We were like the slowly burning candle. We're not a huge hit by any means. We're a nice little show that does well and makes MGM a lot of money." —Creator Brad Wright in 2006[25]

Stargate SG-1 spawned the live-action spin-off TV series Stargate Atlantis and the animated Stargate Infinity. A new live-action TV series named Stargate Universe is in production. By SG-1's tenth season in 2006, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were said to have brought US$500 million in production to British Columbia.^[25] For MGM executive vice president Charles Cohen, "Stargate on the television side represents the same type of dynamic franchise [as the James Bond movies]. It's enormously important both in terms of what it contributes financially but also what it does for our image."^[40]

According to Stan Steller and Lisa Dickson in their 2005 book Reading Stargate SG-1, the only science fiction shows to exceed the staying power of SG-1 are Doctor Who and the Star Trek franchise, although The X-Files and Buffy/Angel might have a comparable longevity.^[70] Brad Wright cited continuity in the creative team and the loyal fan following as reasons for the show's longevity.^[25] With its 202nd episode, "Company of Thieves", Stargate SG-1 surpassed The X-Files as the longest-running North American science fiction series on television. Doctor Who fans dispute SG-1's listing in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the "longest-running science fiction show (consecutive)", as 694 episodes of the British show were produced and shown consecutively between 1963 and 1989.^[137][138]

Stargate SG-1 has become a part of popular culture itself. Stargate SG-1 ranked as number 28 on TV Guide's 2007 list of "The 30 Top Cult Shows Ever".^[139] The astronomers David J. Tholen and Roy A. Tucker enjoyed the SG-1 arch villain Apophis so much that they named their discovered near-Earth asteroid "99942 Apophis".^[140] Richard Dean Anderson appeared as his animated self at a (fictional) Stargate SG-1 convention and in a MacGyver scenario in season 17's "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore" of The Simpsons. Stargate SG-1 was also briefly mentioned the Bones episode "The Superhero in the Alley" and in "The Cushion Saturation" of The Big Bang Theory.

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Beeler, Stan (2008). "Stargate SG-1 and The Quest For The Perfect Science Fiction Premise". in Telotte, J.P. The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader. United States: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813124921. http://books.google.com/books?id=cFQicvXd5bwC&printsec=frontcover&lr=&ei=oE3XSYq2IqbmygSjufS8AQ. 
• Beeler, Stanley W. and Dickson, Lisa, ed (2005). Reading Stargate SG-1. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1845111830. http://books.google.com/books?id=MO30KAzBb_MC&printsec=frontcover&as_brr=3. 
• Booker, M. Keith (2004). Science Fiction Television. Praeger Publishing. ISBN 0275981649. http://books.google.com/books?id=WyJf3m1G0ksC&printsec=frontcover. 
• Gibson, Thomasina (2003). Stargate SG-1: The Illustrated Companion Seasons 5 and 6. London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-18402336064. 
• Storm, Jo (2005). Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-705-X. http://books.google.com/books?id=T196lU-jXI8C&sig=mWvOnd7b6Kgru829GLVX6hSxyps#PPA268,M1. 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stargate SG-1

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Stargate SG-1

• Official site at mgm.com
• Official site at scifi.com
• Stargate SG-1 at the Internet Movie Database
• Stargate SG-1 on Stargate Wiki, an external wiki
• Stargate SG-1 episode guide at GateWorld
• Stargate SG-1 at TV.com

v • d • e Stargate Franchise Stargate · SG-1 · Atlantis · Universe · Infinity · Worlds · Comics · Literature · Audiobooks · GateWorld SG-1 Awards · Characters · Episodes (Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10) · The Ark of Truth · Continuum Samantha Carter · George Hammond · Daniel Jackson · Hank Landry · Vala Mal Doran · Cameron Mitchell · Jack O'Neill · Jonas Quinn · Teal'c Atlantis Characters · Episodes (Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5) Carson Beckett · Samantha Carter · Ronon Dex · Teyla Emmagan · Aiden Ford · Jennifer Keller · Rodney McKay · John Sheppard · Elizabeth Weir · Richard Woolsey Universe Characters · Episodes Chloe Armstrong · Ronald Greer · Tamara Johansen · Nicholas Rush · Matthew Scott · Eli Wallace · Everett Young Mythology Stargate Program · Ancients (chars) · Asgard · Asurans · Genii · Goa'uld (chars) · Jaffa (chars) · Kull Warriors · Ori · Replicators · Tok'ra · Wraith Technology Stargate · Ancient technology · Earth technology · Goa'uld technology · Starships (Atlantis · Earth ships)