Hi, I’m considering getting into Stargate. I only know it’s based on a movie and the franchise consists of 3 tv shows. I don’t know anything about the setting / plot.
I’m a massive Star Trek and Babylon 5 geek. I don’t know if Stargate is for me, though and I don’t want to invest many hours before I might find it’s not for me.
Maybe you people here can provide some info about the plot, pros & cons of the franchise and explain to me what got you hooked.
Looking forward to your replies.
PS: I don’t live under a rock, but somehow I managed to dodge everything about the franchise.
PSS: would I start with the movie and then SG-1? Are there other critical things to know?
I recommend first watching the feature film, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, then SG-1, then the two SG-1 movies, then Atlantis, then Universe.
Elevator pitch: the ancient Egyptians were enslaved by a race of alien beings who ruled by posing as gods with their advanced technology. The pyramids were their landing pads. The Egyptians eventually revolted and the aliens fled in ships, leaving the Egyptians to bury the Stargate, which is an advanced portal that lets people cross instantly between worlds through a wormhole. In modern times, a dig discovers this Stargate and the American military, with the help of an archaeologist disgraced for his theories about ancient Egypt, figure out how to use it to travel to other worlds themselves.
I’d suggest skipping the original movie entirely. Maybe watch it at the end for a laugh. It’s so utterly different to the rest of the series.
The first/pilot episode Children of the Gods is a 1 and a half hour movie of its own and serves as a better introduction to Star Gate.
As for the plot:
The movie can be a little dated, and it has a fairly different tone from the sequel series. It’s arguably not the greatest introduction to the franchise, but it does set the stage with the premise.
Once you get into the sg-1 series, it gets closer to the Deep Space 9 formula. Episodic, but there’s long running story arcs for each season.
I liked it a lot because it was a more modern setting for the sci fi, which was a fun way to tell the story. Like Star Trek, it’s very much the ensemble that makes it work well.
Some people didn’t enjoy when there were cast changes, particularly Richard Dean Anderson’s departure in season 9. He is certainly missed, but I thought they did a good job creating a similar tone without making a carbon copy of his character.
Atlantis was also quite good. Universe was a very strong tonal shift, and the transition wasn’t easy for fans at the time, but I think the show benefits from binge watching. Sadly, it feels like just as it finds it’s footing in season 2, it gets cancelled instead
Honestly, I think Atlantis was peak Stargate. Great stories, visuals and characters that got you really invested, though one certain arc felt a bit slow / drawn out. But I also never got warm with the replacement for O’Neil, so that was a bit of a weaker era of SG-1.
