Stargate SG-1

"SG1" redirects here. For other uses, seeSG1 (disambiguation).

For the cancelled video game, seeStargate SG-1: The Alliance.

Stargate SG-1(often stylized in all caps, or abbreviatedSG-1) is amilitary science fictionadventuretelevision series withinMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer'sStargatefranchise.The show, created byBrad WrightandJonathan Glassner,is based on the 1994 science fiction filmStargatebyDean DevlinandRoland Emmerich.The television series was filmed in and around the city ofVancouver,British Columbia,Canada. The series premiered onShowtimeon July 27, 1997, and moved to theSci Fi Channelon June 7, 2002; the final episode first aired onSky1on March 13, 2007.

Stargate SG-1
Genre	Action/adventure Science fiction
Created by	Brad Wright Jonathan Glassner
Based on	Stargate byRoland Emmerich Dean Devlin
Starring	Richard Dean Anderson Michael Shanks Amanda Tapping Christopher Judge Don S. Davis Corin Nemec Ben Browder Beau Bridges Claudia Black
Theme music composer	Joel Goldsmith David Arnold
Composer	Joel Goldsmith
Country of origin	Canada United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	10
No.of episodes	214 + 2DVD films(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jonathan Glassner(1–8) Brad Wright(1–6, 8–9) Robert C. Cooper(5–10) Joseph Mallozzi(8–10) Paul Mullie(8–10) Richard Dean Anderson(2–8) Michael Greenburg (1–8)
Running time	44 minutes
Production companies	MGM Television Double Secret Productions Gekko Film Corp. (1997–2005) (seasons 1–8) Sony Pictures Television (2005–2006) (season 9) Showtime Networks (1997–2002) (seasons 1–5) Sci-Fi Originals (2002–2007) (seasons 6–10)
Original release
Network	Showtime(Seasons 1–5) Sci Fi(Seasons 6–10)
Release	July 27, 1997(1997-07-27)– June 22, 2007(2007-06-22)
Related
Stargate Stargate Atlantis Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: Continuum Stargate Universe

The story ofStargate SG-1begins about a year after the events of the feature film when the United States government learns that an ancient alien device called theStargatecan access a network of such devices on a multitude of planets and in space. SG-1 is an elite United States Air Force special operations team, one of about 20 teams from Earth who explore the galaxy and defend against alien threats such as theGoa'uld,theReplicatorsand theOri.The series draws uponEgyptian,GreekandNorse mythology,as well as thelegend of King Arthur.

The series was a ratings success for its first-run broadcasters and in syndication and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia.Stargate SG-1's awardsinclude eightEmmynominations. It also spawned the animated television seriesStargate Infinity,the live-action spin-off TV seriesStargate Atlantis,Stargate Universe,andStargate Originsand thedirect-to-DVDfilmsStargate: The Ark of TruthandStargate: Continuum.Merchandise forStargate SG-1includes games and toys, print media and an original audio series.

Series overview

Main articles:List of Stargate SG-1 episodesandMythology of Stargate

The series' main cast

The plot ofStargate SG-1picks up a year after the conclusion of the events recounted in theoriginal feature film.It follows the adventures of SG-1, a military team from Earth. SG-1 and a dozen other SG teams venture to distant planets using an alien portal known as aStargate,which in the series is housed in a top-secretUnited States Air Forcemilitary base known asStargate Command(SGC) in the undergroundCheyenne Mountain ComplexinColorado Springs, Colorado.In the first eight seasons, the mission of the SG teams is to explore the galaxy and search for alien technology and allies to defend Earth against theGoa'uld,a snake-like parasitic alien race from planet P3X-888 that takes humans as unwilling hosts. As explained in the series' backstory, the Goa'uld had transported human slaves fromEarthto other habitable planets across the galaxy thousands of years ago and now pose as gods of old Earth mythologies, particularlyAncient Egypt.SG-1 eventually learns that highly evolved human-like beings, known as theAncients,had originally built the Stargate network millions of years earlier, beforeascending to a higher plane of existence,after which they pledged not to interfere in the lives of other species. TheOri,a faction of the same race as the Ancients who instead use their powers to subjugate other species by religious indoctrination, assume the role of the main antagonists inSeason 9andSeason 10.

Goa'uld Arc

TheCheyenne Mountain ComplexinColorado,United States is home to Earth's fictional Stargate Command in theStargateuniverse.

Main article:Goa'uld

The pilot episode ( "Children of the Gods"), set one year after the events of the original feature film, introduces the Goa'uldSystem LordApophis(Peter Williams) as the main villain when he attacks Earth's mothballed SGC military base through the Stargate and kidnaps an airman. The SGC is brought back into action when the Stargate is revealed to be part of an interplanetary network connecting countless planets. SG teams are created to help defend Earth against the Goa'uld, who have interstellar pyramid warships and vast armies ofJaffa(hereditary slaves and human incubators to the Goa'uld) at their disposal. Earth's flagship team SG-1, which includes Apophis's defected First Prime (lead Jaffa soldier)Teal'c,initiates several alliances with other cultures in the galaxy, such as the Goa'uld-like but truly symbioticTok'ra,the advanced humanTollan,the pacifistNox,the benevolentRoswell-alienAsgardand remnants of the powerful Ancients. Another alien threat arises in theSeason 3finale ( "Nemesis") in the form of sentient machines calledReplicators.Meanwhile, rogue agents of a shadowy intelligence agency on Earth, theNID,repeatedly attempt to take control of the Stargate and other alien technology. Despite Apophis's death in the beginning ofSeason 5,theGoa'uld Empireremains a major foe inStargate SG-1until the end ofSeason 8.The only influential Goa'uld in the last two seasons ofStargate SG-1is the System LordBa'al(Cliff Simon), who is defeated in the direct-to-DVD filmStargate: Continuum.

Anubis Arc

Main article:Anubis (Stargate)

After Apophis's defeat in theSeason 5premiere ( "Enemies"), the half-Ascended Goa'uld System LordAnubis(David Palffy) assumes the role of the primary antagonist of the show. This new villain possesses much of the knowledge of the Ancients and their technology. While Earth builds its first interstellar spaceship (thePrometheus) in seasonsSeason 6andSeason 7,Anubis creates an army of almost invincibleKull Warriorsand wipes out or subordinates most of his adversaries amongst the System Lords. In the Season 7 finale ( "Lost City"), SG-1 discovers a powerful weapon in an Ancient outpost in Antarctica that annihilates Anubis's entire fleet and also sets the stage for the spin-off seriesStargate Atlantis.Ba'al subsumes much of Anubis's power inSeason 8,while Anubis, who survived the destruction of his fleet in a disembodied form, quietly begins to re-assert his influence. 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. Near the end of Season 8 ( "Threads"), it is revealed that the benevolent Ascended beingOma Desala(Mel Harris) is responsible for Anubis's original ascension. When she engages Anubis in an eternal stalemated battle on the Ascended plane to prevent his acting on the mortal plane, the Replicators and most System Lords have already been annihilated and the Jaffa win their freedom from Goa'uld rule.

Ori Arc

Main article:Ori (Stargate)

The original SG-1 team disbands after the events of Season 8, but slowly reunites under new team leaderLt Col. Cameron Mitchellafter the SGC inadvertently draws the attention of the Ori to the existence of sentient life in the Milky Way; the Ori are revealed to be a faction of ascended Ancients residing in another galaxy that are diametrically opposed to the Ancients' belief in strict noninterference in the lower planes of existence, sapping the energy from untold billions of "lower beings" (non-ascended sentient beings) by means of their worship in a religion called Origin. While the Ori send enhanced human beings namedPriorsto the Milky Way to convert the galaxy to Origin, Ba'al and some minor Goa'uld infiltrate Earth throughThe Trust(a coalition of rogue NID operatives) to rebuild their power. At the end ofSeason 9( "Camelot (Part 1)" ), the Ori begin an evangelistic 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 ofSeason 10( "Flesh and Blood (Part 2)" ). 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 AncientMerlin(Matthew Walker), SG-1 finds the construction plans of the Sangraal and sends a working version to the Ori galaxy. Shortly thereafter, Adria ascends. The direct-to-DVD filmStargate: The Ark of Truthends the Ori Arc.

Main cast and characters

Main article:List of Stargate SG-1 characters

Character	Portrayed by	Seasons										Films
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	I	II
Jack O'Neill	Richard Dean Anderson	Main								Guest		Does not appear	M
Daniel Jackson	Michael Shanks	Main					R	Main
Samantha Carter	Amanda Tapping	Main
Teal'c	Christopher Judge	Main
George Hammond	Don S. Davis	Main							R	Guest		Does not appear	A
Jonas Quinn	Corin Nemec	Does not appear				G	M	R	Does not appear
Cameron Mitchell	Ben Browder	Does not appear								Main
Hank Landry	Beau Bridges	Does not appear								Main			A
Vala Mal Doran	Claudia Black	Does not appear							G	R	Main

• Richard Dean AndersonasJonathan "Jack" O'Neill(Seasons 1–8 main, Seasons 9–10 guest) – AUnited States Air Forcecolonel and anAir Force Special Operationsveteran who led the original mission through the Stargate inStargate(where he was played byKurt 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. The series repeatedly alludes to romantic feelings between O'Neill and his second-in-command, Carter, but the relationship is never shown as consummated outside alternate reality scenarios. O'Neill is reassigned to Washington, D.C. before Season 9 and receives a promotion to major general. He appears in a recurring role in Seasons 9 and 10 ofStargate SG-1,as well as inStargate: Continuumand in Seasons 1 and 3 ofStargate Atlantis.O'Neill appears as a lieutenant general in multiple episodes ofStargate Universewhere he is in command of the Department of Homeworld Security.
• Michael ShanksasDaniel Jackson(Seasons 1–5 and 7–10 main, Season 6 recurring) – A brilliantEgyptologistwhose far-fetched theories about Egyptian pyramids having been built by aliens led to his participation in the original Stargate mission in the feature film (where he was played byJames Spader). He joins the SG-1 team to facilitate his search for his wife, who was kidnapped by Apophis in the pilot episode, but his naïveté and curiosity regularly create obstacles for the team.He gradually evolves from being an archaeologist and translator, into the moral conscience for the team,and remains part of SG-1 until heascends to a higher plane of existenceat the end of Season 5. Following his forced de-ascension at the beginning of Season 7, he rejoins SG-1 for the remainder of the series. The last three seasons show, he has a flirty, yet antagonistic relationship with Vala Mal Doran.Daniel also appears in both direct-to-DVD films, in Seasons 1 and 5 ofStargate Atlantisand in threeStargate Universeepisodes.
• Amanda TappingasSamantha "Sam" Carter(Seasons 1–10 main) – A brilliant young astrophysicistand initially a United States Air Force captain, who joins SG-1 under the command of Colonel 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. Carter assists Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell in Seasons 9 and 10. After her appearance inStargate: The Ark of Truth,she is promoted to full colonel and becomes the new commander of the Atlantis expedition in Season 4 ofStargate Atlantis,before joining SG-1 again forStargate: Continuum.Carter appears in a recurring role in all seasons ofStargate Atlantis(and as a regular in Season 4) and in the first episode ofStargate Universeas commander of the starshipGeorge Hammond.
• Christopher JudgeasTeal'c(Seasons 1–10 main) – A quiet and strongJaffaalien who defects from his position as the First Prime of theGoa'uldApophis.He joins SG-1 after the first episode, in hopes of leading his race to freedom. Despite achieving 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 ofStargate Atlantisas a mentor forRonon Dexduring an interview for the IOA.
• Don S. DavisasGeorge 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 ofStargate SG-1,he appears in Season 1 ofStargate Atlantis.Davis died from a heart attack in June 2008, making his appearance inStargate: Continuumhis last.
• Corin NemecasJonas Quinn(Season 6 main, Season 5 guest and 7 recurring) – A humanoid alien and scientist from the country of Kelowna on the planet Langara. Daniel sacrifices his life (leading to his ascension) at the end of Season 5 in an attempt to save Kelowna, but the following gleeful reaction of the Kelownan leaders causes Jonas to turn his back on Langara. Jonas 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 BrowderasCameron "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 Lieutenant Colonel Carter's assistance) until the end of Season 10. He is promoted to full colonel between his appearances inStargate: The Ark of TruthandStargate: Continuum.
• Beau BridgesasHenry "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 officerCarolyn Lamand appears in both direct-to-DVD films and in Seasons 2 and 3 ofStargate Atlantis.In Season 10, Episode 13 Hank Landry was President Of The United States, as well as Major General Hank Landry.
• Claudia BlackasVala Mal Doran(Season 10 main, Season 8 guest and 9 recurring) – A con artist from an unnamed planet and a former human host to the Goa'uldQetesh.Her first appearance in Season 8's "Prometheus Unbound"is the beginning of her flirty yet antagonistic relationship with Daniel.In her recurring role in Season 9, she and Daniel unintentionally set off the newOrithreat. She is unwillingly impregnated by the Ori, gives birth to Adria and watches helplessly as Adria grows to adulthood in a few days time. 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.

Production

See also:List of Stargate SG-1 episodes

Conception

Stargate SG-1was co-created byBrad Wright(top) andJonathan Glassner(bottom).

Main articles:Children of the GodsandStargate SG-1 (season 1)

Brad WrightandJonathan Glassnerhad worked together on theMGMtelevision seriesThe Outer Limitssince 1995. Upon hearing of MGM's plan to create a television spin-off series of the feature filmStargate,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.The show was namedStargate SG-1after Wright flightily agreed to Symes's pitch question of whether the team should be called "SG-1". MGM released posters titledStargate SG-1within the next week without the knowledge of Wright or Glassner.

John Symes approached Michael Greenburg andRichard Dean Anderson,former star of the long-runningMacGyver.Anderson agreed to become involved if his characterJack O'Neillwere allowed more comedic leeway thanKurt Russell's character in the feature film. He also requested thatStargate SG-1be an ensemble show, so that he would not be carrying most of the plot alone as he had onMacGyver.The American subscription channelShowtimemade a two-season commitment for 44 episodes in 1996.Principal photography began in Vancouver in February 1997.

Casting and cast changes

After Anderson accepted the part, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner reviewed several thousand taped auditions and invited approximately 25 promising actors to screen tests in Los Angeles.Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping and Christopher Judge are said to have gravitated towards each other during the casting process before they knew that they would ultimately be cast.The producers found Judge the easiest to cast due to his muscular presence.Shanks was cast because he did "the perfect imitation of James Spader", according to Wright.The producers knew Don S. Davis from his work as a stand-in and stunt-double forDana ElcarinMacGyverand approached him to read for the role of George Hammond.

Showtime's announcement that it would not renewStargate SG-1after Season 5 coincided with Michael Shanks's decision to leave the show over concerns of being underutilized.TheSci Fi Channelpicked up the showand substituted a new character, played byCorin Nemec.Casting agents had met Nemec in the courtyard of MGM'sSanta Monicaoffices by chance and had offered him the role of Jonas Quinn.Addressing rumors that it had forced Shanks's departure, Sci Fi said in February 2002 that the network had "absolutely never requested that any cast changes be made... and although we regret the loss of Michael Shanks, we think that Corin Nemec will be a great new presence in the cast."Nemec's early appearances, beginning with the penultimate episode of Season 5 "Meridian",failed to win over some of the show's fans.Nemec was willing to continue playing the character after Season 6 or in a feature film or a spin-off series.However, the producers reached an agreement with Shanks to return full-time in Season 7, leaving Nemec with a recurring role.Don S. Davis leftStargate SG-1after Season 7 for health reasons,but appeared in a recurring capacity until his death on June 29, 2008.

Due to prior engagements,Claudia BlackofFarscapefame could not accept the offers to guest-star onStargate SG-1until the Season 8 episode "Prometheus Unbound".The producers liked the on-screen chemistry between Black's Vala Mal Doran and Shanks's Daniel so much that they re-introduced her in a six-episode story Arc to cover for the maternity leave of Amanda Tapping at the beginning of Season 9.At the same time, Richard Dean Anderson left the show to spend more time with his daughter (his schedule had been reduced incrementally since Season 6).The role of the leading man was filled withBen Browder(also ofFarscapefame), who had met with theStargateproducers as soon as the introduction of new main characters for Season 9 was discussed.The producers had met him during sci-fi conventions and had previously discussed casting him in otherStargateroles.The producers approachedEmmy Award-winning actorBeau Bridgesdirectly to play the role of Hank Landry.Claudia Black's guest appearances were so popular with the cast, crew and audiencethat the actress returned for the last two Season 9 episodes (with her pregnancy worked into the plot) and she joined the cast full-time in Season 10.

Crew

Robert C. Cooper becameSG-1's show runner in Season 7.

Most of the producers, crew members and guest actors involved inStargate SG-1were Canadian.Creators Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner were executive producers and show runners ofStargate SG-1in the first three seasons, having the final say (besides MGM and the network) on stories, designs, effects, casting, editing and episode budgets.After Glassner's departure, Wright ranStargate SG-1alone for three seasons. Executive producerRobert C. Coopertook over as show-runner in Season 7 when Brad Wright took time off to develop thespin-offseriesStargate Atlantis.Cooper and Wright remained show-runners of their respective shows until the end ofSG-1.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 teamJoseph MallozziandPaul Mullie(Seasons 7–10).

AlthoughStargate SG-1employed freelance writers, most of the 214Stargate SG-1episodes 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 Woodand Peter DeLuise directed the 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 theshow-within-a-showdirectors in the cameo-heavy milestone episodes "Wormhole X-Treme!"and"200".Andy Mikitahad been an assistant director since the pilot episode and directed 29 episodes from Season 3–10.SG-1director of photographyPeter Woesteand camera operatorWilliam Waringdirected 13 episodes each. Most staff writers and staff directors held producer positions. Several cast members also contributed story ideas and directedSG-1episodes.

Filming

Stargate SG-1was filmed at The Bridge Studios inBurnaby,British Columbia,Canada.

Stargate SG-1was filmed in and aroundVancouver,British Columbia,mainly atThe Bridge Studiosand NORCO Studios,which offeredStargate SG-1tax breaks throughout its run.The cost of anSG-1episode increased from US$1.3 millionin the first seasons to an estimated US$2 million per episode in Season 10, partly due to unfavorable exchange rates.Many Vancouver area landmarks were incorporated into the episodes, such as the campus ofSimon Fraser University,which became the setting of the capital of theTollan,an alien civilization.Production faced many weather problems because of the moderate oceanicclimate of Vancouver,although rain could be eliminated from film. The Season 3 episode "Crystal Skull"was the first episode to be filmed on a virtual set.

The main setting ofStargate SG-1,the fictionalStargate Command(SGC) at the (real)Cheyenne Mountain Air Force StationnearColorado Springs, Colorado,was filmed at stage 5 of The Bridge Studios.Martin Wood filmed half a dozen stock shots of the real Cheyenne Mountain complex 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 thatStargate SG-1would be cancelled after each current year.By then, visitor questions and fan theories about the existence of a Stargate at the real Cheyenne Mountain complex had become so common that Cheyenne Mountain had installed a seemingly high-security door labeled "Stargate Command" for one of their storage rooms holding brooms and detergent.

The first seven seasons had 22 episodes each, which was reduced to 20 episodes for the last three seasons. Episodes of the first seasons were filmed over a period of 7.5 working days, which decreased to a targeted average of six working days in the last seasons.All episodes were filmed in16:9wide-screen, althoughStargate SG-1was broadcast in4:3aspect ratio in its first years.The transition to the broadcast of episodes in the wider 16:9 ratio gave directors more freedom in frame composition.The first three seasons ofStargate SG-1were filmed on16 mm film,notwithstanding scenes involving visual effects that had always been shot on35 mm filmfor various technical reasons. After a test run with the Season 3 finale, "Nemesis",Stargate SG-1switched to 35 mm film for all purposes at the beginning of Season 4.Digital HD cameras were used for filming beginning with Season 8.

Production design

See also:Stargate (device)

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.Stargate SG-1employed about 200 Canadian union workers, although that number could exceed 300 when new sets were built.Lead production designer Richard Hudolin joined the project in October 1996. Bridget McGuire,SG-1's art director since the pilot episode, took over as lead production designer in Season 6.

Hudolin flew to Los Angeles in 1996 to gather material from the feature film as reference and found the original Stargatepropstored outside in the Californian desert. Although the prop had severely deteriorated, he was able to take a detailed mold forStargate SG-1production to build its own prop. The new Stargate was engineered to turn, to lock the chevrons and to 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.Since visual effects are sometimes faster and cheaper,a computer-generated Stargate was occasionally used in on-location shoots in later seasons.

The SGC set had to be twice as high for shooting as the 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) Stargate prop,but one of Hudolin's original plans of a three-level set was rejected in favor of a two-level set.The gateroom was the biggest room on set and could be redesigned for other scenes.Two multi-purpose rooms were frequently redecorated into the infirmary, Daniel's lab, the cafeteria or the gym.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.The SGC set would be largely dismantled in late 2008 to make room for the Icarus Base set ofStargate Universe.

Make-up and costumes

Most of the mainSG-1characters are USairmenand wear authenticUnited States Air Forceuniforms. During missions, the members of the SG-1 team normally wear olive greenBattle Dress Uniforms.Richard Dean Anderson and Don S. Davis received a regular military-style haircut on set.Amanda Tapping had her hair comparably short until the filming of the direct-to-DVD films. Playing a civilian, Michael Shanks adopted James Spader's hairstyle from the feature film but cut it short for the Season 2 finale and subsequent seasons. The Jaffa alien Teal'c (Christopher Judge) was the only main character whose look required more than basic make-up. His Egyptian look was reflective of the Goa'uld Ra from the feature film and was complemented with a forehead symbol and a gold skin tone, although his make-up process was simplified over the years.Judge shaved his head at home each day until the producers allowed him to let his hair grow in Season 8.As a trained nurse, key make-up artist Jan Newman could make burns, cuts, bruises and the SG-1 team's other wounds look authentic.

For the look of aliens, the make-up department collaborated with prosthetics companies from Vancouver and Los Angeles, including Todd Masters. While the human origins of many alien races and human civilizations were left recognizable, the recurring characters who were members of theUnasrace required elaborate prosthetics and make-up work.To convey the cultural origins of the various fictional human civilizations living on different planets after their displacement from Earth, the costume designers combined elements of their respective Earth cultures with modern fabrics, elaborate trims and chains to produce a historically rooted yet otherworldly appearance.The look of the Goa'uld such as Apophis was initially based on the look of Ra in the feature film.For the design of the Ori and the Priors in Season 9, the art department looked at Japanese and samurai garments for costume design. Art director James Robbins found the face painting, scarification and burns of remote jungle tribes mystical and these served as inspiration for the face scarification of the Priors and the Doci. Early ideas to include finger extensions and scarification on these characters' hands were discarded as impracticable.

Visual effects

Stargate SG-1was one of the biggest employers in the Vancouvervisual effectsmarket,spending $400,000 per episode.The largest role was played byRainmaker Digital Effects,whose senior digital compositing artist,Bruce Woloshyn,worked approximately 10 months a year in close collaboration withSG-1'svisual effects supervisor/producer James Tichenor and visual effects supervisor Michelle Comens.Many companies were hired to create the Stargate's water-like event horizon in the beginning, but Rainmaker eventually became the only company to create those visual effects.Rainmaker's regular effects shots included the activation and use of the Stargate itself (with well over 300 event horizon shots in the first few years), the transport rings and the blast shots of the staff weapons and zat guns. They created the visual effects for Goa'uld cargo ships and death gliders on a less regular basis.

Lost Boys Studios provided visual effects forSG-1from the very beginning of the series up to the end of Season 5,andImage Engineworked on the show from Season 2.Stargate SG-1andStargate Atlantiswere responsible for an estimated 30% to 40% of the business ofAtmosphere Visual Effects.James Tichenor considered the few episodes with big visual effects budgets the most likely works to contain visual cues that would impress award judges.Stargate SG-1helped win the local post production shops industry recognition, with Season 4's "Small Victories",Season 5's"Revelations"and Season 7's"Lost City"receiving the most visual effects awards and nominations(seeList of awards and nominations received by Stargate SG-1).

Music

According to composerJoel Goldsmith,Stargate SG-1had 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".Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner had known Goldsmith since the second season ofThe Outer Limitsbefore they approached him to work on the pilot episode ofStargate SG-1.Goldsmith andDavid Arnold,the composer of the original feature film score, discussed themes for a television adaptation. The main titles ofStargate SG-1were a medley of several themes from the feature film, although Goldsmith also wrote a unique end title forSG-1to establish the show as its own entity.MGM eventually insisted on using Arnold's score in the pilot episode instead of Goldsmith's, but Brad Wright's 2009 direct-to-DVD recut ofChildren of the Godsuses Goldsmith's original score.

For each episode's score, Goldsmith simulated a real orchestra with a synthesizer palette of an eighty-piece symphony orchestra for budgetary reasons,although he occasionally used two or three musicians for added orchestral authenticity.Goldsmith's long-time assistant Neal Acree started composing additional music forStargate SG-1in Season 8.The amount of composed music varied between 12 and 33 minutes out of a 44-minute episode, with an average of around 22 to 26 minutes,making the full symphonic score ofSG-1more time-consuming to create than for general TV shows.Since Goldsmith lived a thousand miles away from Vancouver, he and the producers discussed ideas over the phoneand exchanged tapes viaFederal Expressfor several years until the show switched to Internet file transfers.

Goldsmith's reliance on Arnold's score decreased over the seasons whenStargate SG-1departed from the Goa'uld theme and introduced new characters and races. Goldsmith had a thematic approach to races and spaceships.For example, he wanted a mechanical, repetitive musical motif for the Replicators;Gothic,Gregorianand Christian themes were the inspiration for the Ori motif.The Ancient theme was deliberately carried over toStargate Atlantis.The end of "Lost City" has a basic melody that would become part of the main title ofAtlantisper a suggestion by Goldsmith's assistant.Non-original music was rarely used onSG-1,although Goldsmith chose the aria "Vesti la giubba"fromLeoncavallo'sPagliaccifor season 3's "Shades of Grey".Additionally,Lily Frost's song "Who am I" played in Season 7's "Fragile Balance"andCCR'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 2001.In Season 1 Episode 7, "The Nox",the music that played when The Nox appeared was Spinning The Silk from the album Chrysalis by 2002.

Opening title sequence

Stargate SG-1has had several opening title sequences, which are generally preceded by ateaser act.The credits are normally sixty seconds long. Richard Dean Anderson was the onlySG-1actor whose name appeared before the show's title. Michael Shanks' 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 earlySG-1seasons have different opening credits from the television versions, as do the direct-to-DVD films. Composer Joel Goldsmith adaptedDavid Arnold'sStargatefeature film score forSG-1's opening title theme, which remained the same during the run ofStargate SG-1and its direct-to-DVD films.

The opening credits ofStargate SG-1'sfirst five seasons show Ra's mask in close-up, which is similar toTutankhamun's golden mask (pictured).

The first opening title sequence, used in the first five seasons, shows a slow-pan camera move overRa's mask. TheStargate SG-1producers had run out of time before the premiere of Season 1 and simply re-used the accelerated opening title sequence of the feature film.Ra's mask had been created in the feature film's model shop and had originally been filmed with amotion-control camera.Partly becauseRa's mask looked cross-eyed, Brad Wright approached the art department in the following years to produce a new opening title sequence; however, the sequence remained the same until the show's move to the Sci-Fi Channel. During the first five seasons when the show was syndicated, a separate introduction was used; this intro is still used by Sci-Fi for Seasons 1–5. This version uses action shots of the original cast.

The opening title sequence of the first two Season 6 episodes shows a turning Stargate, for which aFrazier lenswas put as close as1⁄8inch (3.2 mm) to the Stargate prop.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 reinstated the full opening credits after strongly negative fan reactions.The writers poked fun at this move inSG-1's milestone episode "200"in Season 10, showing a five-second clip instead of the full titles.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.

Collaboration with the military

GeneralsMichael E. Ryan and John P. Jumper, USAF Chiefs of Staff, appeared as themselves in "Prodigy" (2001(2001)) and "Lost City" (2004(2004)).

TheU.S. Department of the Air Force,through the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, Entertainment Liaison in Los Angeles, co-operated closely with theStargate SG-1producers. Before the beginning of the series, the Air Force 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, plot lines and military relationships and decorum on an active military base.The USAF flew up severalT-38 Talon,F-15andF-16fighter jets to Vancouver for various episodes and direct-to-DVD films.Many of the extras portraying USAF personnel were real USAF staff.

Two successiveChiefs of Staff of the Air Force,GeneralsMichael E. RyanandJohn 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 real-world conflicts in theMiddle East.TheAir Force Associationrecognized 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 positive depiction of theUnited States Air Force.General Jumper made Anderson an honorary brigadier general, matching his on-screen promotion to that rank.

Several scenes of Season 4's "Small Victories"were filmed aboard and outside a decommissioned RussianFoxtrot-class submarine,which had been brought fromVladivostokto Vancouver by a private owner.TheUnited States Navyinvited the cast and producers to film aboard the nuclear submarineUSSAlexandria(SSN-757)and at theirApplied Physics Laboratory Ice Stationin theArcticfor the direct-to-DVD sequelStargate: Continuum.

Themes and allusions

Main article:Mythology of Stargate

ManySG-1stories are built around Egyptian gods, such as (from left to right) Osiris, Anubis and Horus.

Stargate SG-1takes place in amilitary science fictionenvironment and employs the common science fiction concepts of strongly differentiated characters fighting an unequivocally evil enemy (theGoa'uld). However, it links alien races with well-known Earth mythologies, by use of the central Stargate device. Near-instantaneous interplanetary travel allows quick narrative shifts between the politics on Earth and the realities of fighting an interstellar war.Stargate SG-1gradually evolves the basic premise of theStargatefilm into its own unique mythological superstructure,expanding uponEgyptian mythology(notably the godsApep/Apophis andAnubisas Goa'uld villains),Norse mythology(notably the godThoras anAsgard ally) andArthurian legend(notablyMerlinas anAncient allyagainst the god-likeOri), among others.SG-1introduces new alien races (as opposed to alien human civilizations) less often than other science fiction television series and integrates newly encountered races or visited planets in stand-alone episodes into its established mythology while leaving the plotlines accessible for new audience members.Despite the show's extensive intergalactic mythology and science fiction elements, scholar M. Keith Booker consideredSG-1ultimately character-driven and heavily dependent on the camaraderie among the SG-1 members.

The producers embraced humor and wantedSG-1to be a fun show that did not take itself too seriously.Brad Wright regardedSG-1as a family show with adequate violence as opposed to random or gratuitous violence.Christopher Judge did not considerSG-1as a "message show by any stretch of the imagination, but occasionally there are messages there".Aimed at a popular audience,Stargate SG-1emphasized its present-day-Earth story frame by frequently referring topopular culture,likeThe X-FilesandBuffy the Vampire Slayerhad done before.Jonathan Glassner had writtenThe Wizard of Ozreferences into his own scripts since the first season, which the other writers imitated after Richard Dean Anderson began referring to the film on his own.O'Neill refers to Richard Dean Anderson's favorite television series,The Simpsons,throughout the show.SG-1makes meta-textual references to the process of writing and filming a science fiction TV series in several episodesand alludes to the main actors' previous TV roles in thepilot episode(Carter: "It took us fifteen years and three supercomputers toMacGyvera system for the gate on Earth ")and in aFarscapevignette in the milestone episode "200".

Broadcast and release

See also:List of Stargate SG-1 episodes

Showtime and US syndication (1997–2002)

The American subscription channelShowtimeordered the first two seasons ofStargate SG-1with 44 episodes total in 1996.The two-hour pilot episode received Showtime's highest-ever ratings for a series premiere with an audience of approximately 1.5 million households in the 8 p.m. Sunday slot of July 27, 1997.According to theSG-1producers, a broadcast network would have cancelledSG-1after a few episodes, but Showtime put no pressure on the show to "deliver the meteoric ratings the way network shows do".The show was consistently the channel's most-watched program (including theatrical movies),so Showtime ordered a third and fourth season of 22 episodes each in July 1998.

SinceStargate SG-1was expensive to produce, MGM arranged an agreement with Showtime thatSG-1could air in syndication six months after their premiere on Showtime.All 22FOXowned-and-operated local stations aired the first seasons after their Showtime debut, providing a clearance of 41% of the United States.The show was also available on non-FOX affiliated stations in other markets.

TheSci Fi Channelmade its largest single programming acquisition of $150 million in 1998 by buying the exclusive basic cable rights to the MGM packageStargate SG-1,The Outer LimitsandPoltergeist: The Legacy.Showtime decided to end its association withStargate SG-1at the end of Season 5, saying that the show still had a sizeable viewership but could no longer draw new subscribers due to its availability in syndication.

Sci Fi Channel and US syndication (2002–2007)

SinceSG-1'sratings were good from a financial standpoint, the Sci Fi Channel picked up MGM's offer to continue the show into a sixth season, yet with a slightly reduced budget.Sci Fi aired new episodes ofStargate SG-1in the 9 p.m. Friday slot betweenThe Dead ZoneandFarscape,while it aired olderSG-1episodes in a four-hour block every Monday at 7 p.m. Episodes were broadcast in US syndication six months after their premiere on Sci Fi.The sixth season was supposed to be the show's last,but Sci Fi renewedSG-1at the last minute.The sixth and seventh seasons madeStargate SG-1Sci Fi's highest-rated original series with an average of 2 million viewers in over 1.3 million households,elevating Sci Fi into the top 10 cable networks in the United States.For the next few years, the producers believed each current season to be the show's last and repeatedly wrote big series finales,but the success ofStargate SG-1put off their plans of ending the show to write a newStargatefeature film.Sci Fi cut the length of anSG-1season from 22 to 20 episodes from Season 8 onwards.

Originally envisioned as a replacement forSG-1,thespin-offseriesStargate Atlantisbegan airing in tandem withSG-1'seighth season in summer 2004, setting a series record of 3.2 million viewers forSG-1and a Sci Fi record as most-watched episode of a regular series ever (at the time) forAtlantiswith 4.2 million viewers.Battlestar Galacticajoined the twoStargateseries in January 2005, making Sci Fi the leader among basic cablers on Friday nights over the summer of 2005.The producers considered replacingStargate SG-1with a new show namedStargate CommandafterSG-1's eighth season,but the Sci Fi Channel decided to continueSG-1with a slightly changed cast for a ninth season instead. Season 9's average slipped from 2.4 million viewers in late 2005to 2.1 million viewers with 1.8 household rating during early 2006, which Sci Fi's Mark Stern attributed to the "tech-savvy, toy-loving, time-shifting audience" whose use of digital video recorders excluded them in ratings compilations.Meanwhile, the decline ofSG-1's2005–2006 syndication household ratings was consistent with the overall decline in syndicated sci-fi action hours.Sci Fi ordered a record-breaking tenth season ofSG-1in 2005, but announced it would not renew the show for an eleventh season in summer 2006(seeCancellation and future).The finalSG-1episode, "Unending",premiered onSky1in the UK on March 13, 2007, and attracted approximately 2.2 million viewers on the Sci Fi Channel on June 22, 2007.

International broadcast

According to Wright and Cooper, the worldwide popularity of science fiction was a factor inSG-1'ssuccess and the good international reception helped keep the series on the air in the beginning.Several newspapers reported in 2005–2006 thatStargate SG-1aired in over 100 countries with a weekly worldwide viewership of around 10 million,butThe New York Timesgave different numbers in 2004, saying that the show was broadcast in sixty-four countries with more than 17 million viewers a week.Stargate SG-1had a particularly fervent response in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia.

Stargate SG-1aired in the United Kingdom onSky Onewith repeats onSky Two,Sky Mix,Sky Max,Sky Sci-Fi,andChannel 4.Sky One broadcast new episodes of the second half of most seasons before their American premiere. Brad Wright found it "almost embarrassing" thatStargate SG-1was much more popular in the United Kingdom than in Canada,where the show aired onSpace,Citytv,A-Channel,Movie Centraland French-language channelsTQSandZtélé.Stargate SG-1aired in Australia onSci Fi AustraliaandChannel Seven.It aired inIndiaonSTAR World Indiaand inIsraelonChannel 1.

Cancellation and future

On August 21, 2006, a few days after the premiere ofSG-1'smilestone episode "200",the Sci Fi Channel confirmed thatStargate SG-1was not being renewed for an 11th season.While news outlets cited declining ratings, expensive production and lack of promotion as possible reasons for the cancellation,the Sci Fi Channel's Mark Stern merely stated the decision was not ratings-based.Instead, he said the production staff was given enough time to tie up all the loose ends of the story andSG-1cast members were planned to be incorporated into the renewedStargate Atlantis.Meanwhile, theSG-1producers and rights-holder MGM expressed a desire to continueSG-1as a movie, mini-series, or an eleventh season on another network.Brad Wright confirmed the production of two direct-to-DVD films in October 2006,and Amanda Tapping joined theAtlantiscast for their fourth season. The first film,Stargate: The Ark of Truth,was released in March 2008 and wraps up the Ori storyline. The second film,Stargate: Continuum,is an alternate time-linetime travelstory and was released in July 2008. A special edition of the two-hour pilot episode "Children of the Gods"with re-edited scenes and a different score has also been produced.

In April 2009, MGM confirmed a third newSG-1film that Brad Wright had first announced in May 2008.Joseph Mallozzi revealed the working title asStargate: Revolution.The film was planned to be written by Wright and formerStargate Atlantisexecutive producerCarl Binder.Martin Wood would serve as director.The premise of the film would have been the "possibility of the Stargate program going public".According to Wright, the film would center on the Jack O'Neill character and would reunite as many of theSG-1cast as possible, depending on the cost of the film and actor availability.The character ofVala Mal Doranwould not appear in the film.Amanda Tapping confirmed her appearance in thisSG-1film and the firstAtlantismovie in September 2008,and Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) confirmed his and Richard Dean Anderson's participation in January 2009.No contracts had been signed by April 2009,but Wright stated that he "can almost guarantee we are proceeding with theSG-1movie this year [2009] ".Nevertheless, production was put on hold. Wright explained that thelate-2000s recessionmade DVD premieres less lucrative for MGM than in the years before,and he also pointed to the financial crisis of MGM as reason for the delay.Wright and Joe Mallozzi expressed optimism that production would eventually start,until Wright announced in April 2011 that theSG-1film project was permanently shelved, along with plans for futureAtlantisandStargate Universefilms and a cross-over film incorporating elements from all three series.By then, neither theAtlantisnorUniversetelevision series were produced anymore. Still, Wright did not rule out futureStargatefilms, saying; "It's a franchise.Stargateis not over. Somebody smart from MGM is going to figure it out and something will happen. "

Home media

Main article:DVD and Blu-ray releases

Stargate SG-1was first released onDVDin some European nations in volumes of typically four episodes each, beginning with "The Best of Season 1" as Volume 1 in the United Kingdom in 2000. Each following season was released as six individual volumes (except Season 10 with five volumes), beginning with the first four episodes of Season 2. In 2000, the series was first released in the United States on DVD with only three episodes. The following year, Seasons 1–8 were released in five-discamaraybox 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 usually released half a year after a season's last volume release in the UK.Stargate SG-1was also released in DVD season box sets in Australia.

Most DVDs contain behind-the-scenes features, audio commentaries for nearly all episodes beginning with Season 4 and production galleries. The box sets of the first eight seasons were re-released with slim packaging in all regions, beginning in the United States in summer 2006.A complete series set was first released in the United States in October 2007, containing 50 discs from the ten seasons ofStargate SG-1and four bonus discs with content not part of the original sets.More than 30 million copies of DVDs had been sold by 2006.

On June 15, 2020,Visual Entertainmentre-released the complete series, without the films, on DVD.On December 18, 2020, the company released the entire series, again without the films, on Region A Blu-ray.

Online distribution

New episodes ofStargate SG-1were first released oniTunesin the US in August 2006, each time one day after their premiere on the Sci Fi Channel. The commercial-free episodes were priced $1.99 each, while a season pass with twenty episodes cost $37.99.A release on iTunes UK followed in October 2007.All ten seasons ofSG-1were available on iTunes andAmazon Unboxby January 2008.Stargate SG-1made its debut onhuluin March 2009, starting with the first season. At first, viewers in the United States could only watch episodes of the first seasons, but as of December 2009all episodes of Seasons 1–10 were available free of charge with a small number of commercials on Hulu, through January 31, 2011.Free access to all SG-1 episodes continued until July 31, 2011, when the episodes were finally removed. As of 1 February 2011,all episodes of the entire Stargate franchise were available onNetflix's subscription-based online video streaming service in the US.As of 15 August 2012Netflix removed Stargate SG-1 from its online video streaming service. As of May 2013,Amazon Videohas Stargate SG-1 available for online streaming.As of August 2014SG-1 is available on Netflix UK. The pilot episode "Children Of The Gods" though has been replaced with the 2009 updated final cut with updated CGI and the full frontal nudity removed. As of July 2015,Hoopla Digital,an online library media database, has all ten seasons of Stargate SG-1 available to watch free without commercials, for those who have cards with a participating library. The first two episodes are the edited versions, in which full frontal nudity has been removed.In September 2017, MGM launched its own online streaming service called Stargate Command, making available all episodes of Stargate SG-1 along with Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.The show returned to Netflix in the United States on December 1, 2020, with a TV-MA rating because of the full frontal nudity in the first episode.

The series currently airs on theCometdigital network.

Influence

Critical reception

Stargate SG-1,particularly during earlier seasons, did very little to attract much in the way of attention from the mainstream media.The show's July 1997 pilot, "Children of the Gods"received mixed responses from publications such asThe New York TimesandVariety.While there was only passing interest from mainstream publications, science fiction publications such asStarburst,Cult TimesandTV Zoneregularly reviewed and featuredSG-1.Sharon Eberson of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette,wrote that "Stargate SG-1's place in the sci-fi universe can be measured in longevity, spot-on cast chemistry, rabid fans who call themselves Gaters and the tough subjects it has tackled ", going on to note that the show" had rarely been a critical darling ".

Despite the lukewarm reaction to the pilot, various critics and publications later recognized thatSG-1had surpassed the 1994 film on which it was based.Writing forThe Guardianin 2009, Emily Wilson labeled the original film "pretty dire", believing that the series had far outshined it. Wilson appreciatively teasedSG-1's format of visitingslightlydifferent, English speaking alien worlds, with similar caves and studio-flat floors, writing that "what makes it good are the jokes, the actors, and the great ideas the writers keep throwing out".What CulturebelievedSG-1to be the best entry into theStargatefranchise, surpassing both the film and spinoff series, putting it #10 on their 25 Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time list.

Rolling Stonecalled the series "one of the unlikeliest success stories in sci-fi TV history", ranking it #36 on their 50 Greatest Sci-Fi Series of All Time list.SyFy Wiredescribed the show as "sci-fi comfort food in the best possible way" comparing the way the show examined morality to that ofStar Trek: The Original Series,placing the show 20th on their Greatest Sci-Fi TV Series of the Past 25 Years list.In 2003, after spinoff seriesStargate Atlantiswas greenlit,SG-1enjoyed more mainstream exposure. The July issue ofTV Guideproclaimed on the front cover "ForgetTrek!Stargate SG-1is now sci-fi's biggest hit! ".

In the show's later seasons, it was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel on the same night as the 2004 reimagining ofBattlestar Galactica.Galacticawas critically acclaimed for its dramatic, often dark, take on science fiction television.Peoplecalled Stargate SG-1 "the anti-Battlestar Galactica", praising it for being accessible, comforting and captivating.According to Melanie McFarland of theSeattle Post-Intelligencer,SG-1'srecords did not earn it "the kind of wide-ranging respect a successful series with a 200-episode run deserves";SG-1rarely occupied a slot on 'best show' lists because the show remained "relegated to the back of the bus in terms of popularity" behind the glory ofGalactica,although every week, the show attracted an average of 10 million viewers worldwide.IndieWirelauded the series for itscamp,self-aware style, calling this "its saving grace compared to other excellent, but heavy sci-fi series likeBattlestar Galactica",ranking the show #18 on their list of the 20 Best TV Shows Based on Movies of all time.

The show has also gone on to be featured on various lists of works considered the best. In 2019,Popular MechanicsrankedStargate: SG-1the 14th best science fiction television show ever.Insiderincluded the show in their The 19 Best Sci-fi Shows of All Time.GoliathrankedSG-1#10 in their 15 Favorite Sci-Fi Shows of All Time.Pasteranked it #24 out of 100 on their 2017 list of Greatest Sci-fi television.ShortListincluded SG-1 in their 15 Best Sci-Fi TV shows list.In 2011,IGNranked it #19 in their Top 50 Sci Fi Shows of All Time.Stargate SG-1ranked #28 onTV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.In 2005,SG-1andAtlantisshared the number four spot in a poll about the "most popular cult TV shows" on the BritishCult TVwebsite.SG-1was also included in the list of "17 All-Time Great Cult TV Shows You Say We Missed" byEntertainment Weeklyin 2009.In aDigital Spyuser poll, the show ranked as the 4th Greatest Sci-fi show of all time.Amazon Primealso conducted a user-poll in 2019, with the show voted the 3rd Greatest Sci-Fi of all Time.

Awards and nominations

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Stargate SG-1

Stargate SG-1was nominated for numerous awards during its ten-season run. Its nominations for sevenEmmysin 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.SG-1won twoGemini Awards,twelveLeo Awardsand fiveSaturn Awardsout of over thirty nominations each.Stargate SG-1was also nominated for twoVES Awardsin 2003 and 2005and for twoHugo Awardsin 2005 and 2007.

Fandom

Fans costuming as SG teams at Dragon Con in 2008

Main article:Stargate fandom

Brad Wright used the term "Gaters" to refer to fans ofStargate SG-1in 2001,but the term did not become widespread. 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".The fansiteGateWorldbecame a major franchise news site with special arrangements with MGM; GateWorld's founder Darren Sumner was later hired to serve as a news editor for the officialStargate SG-1magazine and to checkStargatecomic books for continuity errors with the TV shows before publication.Late Night with Conan O'Briengraphic designerPierre Bernardgained notoriety amongStargatefans for devoting several of his "Recliner of Rage"Late Nightsegments toSG-1.The producers invited him to make cameo appearances in the episodes "Zero Hour"and"200".

Established in 2000,Gateconis the world's longest-runningSG-1fan convention. It is held in the Vancouver area, (plus two in the UK), with more actor and crew member participation than other conventions.SG-1conventions byCreation Entertainmentwere also marketed as "The OfficialStargate SG-1andStargate AtlantisTour ", which mostly took place in the United States until Creation Entertainment acquired the license for Vancouver conventions in 2005. Wolf Events organized manySG-1conventions in Europe, particularly in the UK and Germany.

Merchandise

Main articles:Stargate literature,List of Stargate comics,andStargate games

Stargate SG-1spawned an industry of spin-off products. From 1999 to 2001,ROCpublished fourStargate SG-1novels written byAshley McConnell.In 2004, UK-basedFandemonium Presslaunched a new series of licensed tie-in novels based onStargate SG-1,although these books were unavailable in North America until 2006 when the license conflict with ROC expired.Titan Publishing publishes the officialStargate Magazine,whileAvatar Presspublished aseries ofStargate SG-1comics.British companyBig Finish Productionsbegan to produceStargate SG-1audio adventuresin early 2008, voiced by members of theSG-1cast.AStargate SG-1roleplaying gameand aStargatetrading card gamewere released in 2003 and 2007. Diamond Select Toys andHasbrolaunched a series of toys in 2005 and 2006, respectively.The planned video gameStargate SG-1: The Alliancewas cancelled in 2005 and the futures of theMMORPGStargate Worldsand the Third Person Shooter from the same studio (Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment) namedStargate Resistancewere made clear in November 2010 following MGM's decision not to renew CME's Stargate license. Four amusement rides are based onStargate– theStargate SG-3000theme park ride operating at Space ParkBremenin Germany and atSix Flagstheme parks inChicago,San FranciscoandLouisville.

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.

CreatorBrad Wrightin 2006

Stargate SG-1spawned the animatedStargate Infinity,and the live-action spin-off TV series'Stargate AtlantisandStargate Universe.BySG-1'stenth season in 2006,Stargate SG-1andStargate Atlantiswere said to have brought US$500 million in production to British Columbia.MGM executive vice president Charles Cohen describedStargate SG-1and its spinoff series as the television counterpart of theirJames Bondfranchise, being very profitable and improving their image.

According to Stan Beeler and Lisa Dickson in their 2005 bookReading Stargate SG-1,the only science fiction shows to exceed the staying power ofSG-1areDoctor Whoand theStar Trekfranchise, althoughThe X-FilesandBuffy/Angelmight have comparable longevity.Brad Wright cited continuity in the creative team and fan loyalty as reasons for the show's longevity.With its 202nd episode, "Company of Thieves",Stargate SG-1surpassedThe X-Filesas the longest-running North American science fiction series on television, until passed by the final season ofSmallvillein 2011, which was in turn passed by the eleventh seasonrevivalofThe X-Filesin 2018.Doctor Whofans disputeSG-1'slisting in the 2007Guinness World Recordsas the "longest-running science fiction show (consecutive)", as 695 episodes of the British show were produced but not shown consecutively between 1963 and 1989.Scott D. Pierce fromDeseret Newssaid that the series never made a "sort of cultural impact" asStar Trekbecause the show was "pretty derivative" which he further stated it became "more so over the years."

The astronomersDavid J. TholenandRoy A. Tuckerenjoyed theSG-1arch villainApophisso much that they named their discoverednear-Earth asteroid"99942 Apophis".

Reflecting onSG-1in 2020,Dean Devlin,co-creator of the 1994 original film, recalled that initially he had been very hostile to the series, likening his experience of it to "watching someone else raising your child" and pointing out that the full-frontal nudity featured in the pilot episode was not what he thought Stargate should be about. But he had come to believe, he said, that the passion ofSG-1's fanbase reflected the fact that Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner had created a really good show, thus reaching out to Glassner for the first time.

Bibliography

• Beeler, Stan (May 2008). "Stargate SG-1 and The Quest For The Perfect Science Fiction Premise". InTelotte, J. P.(ed.).The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader.United States:University Press of Kentucky.p. 370.ISBN978-0-8131-2492-6.OCLC229064465.Archivedfrom the original on August 4, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2016.
• Beeler, Stanley W.; Dickson, Lisa, eds. (2006).Reading Stargate SG-1.London:I.B. Tauris.p. 308.ISBN978-1-84511-183-0.
• Booker, M. Keith (2004).Science Fiction Television.Praeger Publishing.p. 238.ISBN0-275-98164-9.Archivedfrom the original on August 4, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 25,2016.
• Gibson, Thomasina (2003).Stargate SG-1: The Illustrated Companion Seasons 5 and 6.London: Titan Books.ISBN978-1-84023-606-4.
• Storm, Jo (December 6, 2005).Approaching the Possible: The World of Stargate SG-1.Toronto, Ontario, Canada:ECW Press.p. 534.ISBN1-55022-705-X.

External links

• Media related toStargate SG-1at Wikimedia Commons
• Quotations related toStargate SG-1at Wikiquote
• OfficialStargatesiteat MGM
• "Stargate SG-1".(Sci Fi Channel) official site, original version. Archived fromthe originalon April 1, 2003.Contains episode guide through Season 6 and other deleted content.
• Stargate SG-1atIMDb
• Stargate SG-1episode guideatGateWorld