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We proudly bring you the Stargate Universe Forum, a home away from home for fans of Stargate around the world. |
On August 22, 2006, SciFi announced that it would not renew Stargate-SG1 after the 2006-7 broadcast season. Check out the Stargate-SG1 Cancelled! A call to arms! discussion.The Stargate phenomenon took off in unexpected directions. When Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich produced the 1994 "Stargate" movie, they never anticipated a television series. Instead, they thought they might film 1 or 2 sequels to the project and then move on. But plans change, as Colonel O'Neil (played by Kurt Russell) told Catherine Langford (played by Vivica Lindfors). So did cast, names, and concepts. The gorgeous Mili Avital, who charmed male hearts as Dr. Daniel Jackson's love interest, Sha'uri, went on to other projects. James Spader, who starred as Jackson in the movie, also moved on. And so did Kurt Russell. In fact, the only two movie actors to appear in the television series were Erick Avari (who played Sha'uri's father, Kasuf) and Alexis Cruz (who played her brother, Skaara). For the series, Sha'uri's name was changed to Sha're. Jack O'Neil became Jack O'Neill. Jack's son Tyler became Charlie. The StarGate Command was moved from a refurbished missile silo to Cheyenne Mountain, the home of NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command). General West (Leon Rippy), who commanded the military side of the project in the movie, was replaced by General Hammond (Don S. Davis) in the series. The gate addressing system was refined. Or expanded. Or simply changed. Many a fan discussion has clattered across the Internet about how the symbols on the Stargate were used in the movie (they represented constellations as seen from Earth) and how they are used in the television series (they are sort of a fixed-point, numerical system). But the most drastic change, and one which was deemed absolutely necessary for the television series, was that the nature of the primary villain was altered. In the movie, an advanced alien whose species is dying out finds the primitive humans on Earth. As his ship approaches a camp at night, a brave young boy approaches the mysterious craft and is taken by the alien. The alien discovers that it can inhabit the boy's body, controlling him completely, and by using its technology can keep the boy healthy and young indefinitely. The alien, a humanoid itself, thus somehow merges with the boy like a parasite and becomes Ra, chief of the gods of ancient Egypt. Ra enslaves mankind and founds a civilization in what would later become Egypt about 5,000 years earlier than modern archaeologists believe civilization could exist there. Eventually, mankind rebels against Ra, who has been exporting his slaves through the Stargate to another world (and possibly more). The Stargate on Earth is buried in the sands of the Egyptian desert so that Ra can never return through it (no one thought about his spaceship, though). Time passes. In 1924, archaeologists dig up the Stargate and take it to the West. In time, the United States government takes control over the artifact. By 1994, Catherine Langford (whose father had led the Stargate expedition in Egypt) is now an archaeologist herself, and she is leading the civilian side of the project to discover the Stargate's ancient secrets. Dr. Daniel Jackson, a radical thinker in the archaeology community, has uncovered almost conclusive proof that the pyramids of Egypt are more ancient than current theory holds. But the stodgy, stuffy scientific community doesn't want to listen to him because they are afraid they will be asked to accept theories about ancient space-faring civilizations colonizing Earth. So, Jackson is ostracized and left penniless. Langford recruits him to help with the Stargate project, and Jackson determines how to activate its addressing sequence by identifying a symbol on the gate itself as the final symbol required. Colonel O'Neill leads a team through to another world, called Abydos in the television series, and there Dr. Jackson and O'Neill disover the truth about the Stargate. They also meet Ra, still very much alive, who decides that the rebellious humans on Earth have become too advanced. He seizes a nuclear bomb O'Neill was supposed to set up to destroy the Abydos gate and plans to use it to destroy or severely damage Earth. O'Neill and Jackson barely defeat Ra in time, using the bomb to destroy his ship. Ra's humanoid shape in the movie was abandoned for the series. His species was renamed the Goa'uld (pronounced goh-uh-oold) and they became snakelike parasites who invade the bodies of their hosts. All of the Egyptian gods were now brought out as Goa'uld System Lords (that is, they are the elite leaders of their society -- lesser Goa'uld serve them as functionaries, soldiers, and assassins). Ra's human slaves were designated members of a subservient class called Jaffa, and the Jaffa were now said to be used by the Goa'uld as incubators for their young. Hence, the Jaffa were almost guaranteed to be loyal to their Goa'uld masters, because accepting a symbiote required that the host's immune system be destroyed. Every ten years, the Jaffa would have to change out symbiotes as the creatures matured. Some fans disliked the changes made in the concepts of the Stargate universe. In the Directors' Cut of the Stargate movie DvD, Devlin and Emmerich distanced themselves from the television series. But the show has proven to be extremely popular and successful around the world. Stargate-SG1 utilizes cliches from UFO and paranormal studies, science fiction fandom, and the television industry itself to poke fun at its own concept and to spin very entertaining stories. The unfolding drama of the conflict between humanity and the Goa'uld captures the audience's imagination. As the seasons pass by, Earth's secret Stargate Command discovers that humanity has been spread across the galaxy by the Goa'uld. In some cases, other worlds have succeeded in throwing of Goa'uld supremacy, or were simply abandoned by the Goa'uld. The complex diplomacy which the Stargate Command must cope with provides foils and barriers which require O'Neill and his companions to bend or break rules. They make enemies both on Earth and throughout the universe. But they also make many friends and important allies. The evolution of the story has led to unanticipated but enjoyable and satisfying drama, comedy, and suspense. Now a third phase in the Stargate adventure begun: Stargate Atlantis. Once again, the old legends are being mined for inspiration and a change in direction. We are looking forward to the new revelations Stargate Atlantis will have for the growing Stargate world and audience. In the mean time, feel free to join us in our Stargate forum. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the shows (and the original movie). 
Stargate SG-1 10 in. x 8 in. Buy this Photo at AllPosters.com Framed Mounted So what are you waiting for?
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