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| Stargate article on SF-Fandom.Com |
One of the greatest shows of science fiction television in the past few decades was Stargate SG-1. The show took audiences to new worlds but kept them grounded in the present day, on Earth as we know it, and it explored themes that are still relevant 25 years later. The loyal fanbase has been begging for a revival, reboot, continuation, or spinoff for many years.
Stargate is one of those franchises that constantly spawns rumors and minor news. And some of the rumors paid off through the years. One recent rumor was that Stargate might be returning to production because Amazon bought MGM, which owns the franchise. Even showrunner Brad Wright doesn't know what will happen next, although he recently told Space.com that he had been asked by MGM management to write a pilot for a Stargate project right before the pandemic set in.
Now, unfortunately, with 2 years of pandemic (and counting) disrupting everything from film/TV production to baby formula, it's hard to imagine anything good happening for long. So we're still drifting along in a franchise universe filled with interviews, convention appearances, and articles digging up the most obscure facts about the show anyone can think of.
Fans can binge-watch Stargate SG-1 on Netflix (for now) and Stargate: Atlantis on Hulu (for now). Or you can buy DvDs/Blu-rays and watch the show without using up your Internet bandwidth. I've been tempted to get out my Blu-ray player because much as I love free-streaming services, the ad-supported experience gets old very quickly.
Everyone expects Amazon to bring Stargate home once those streaming contracts are up. Maybe they won't do that, but the whole streaming industry seems to be in cut-throat mode right now.
With new management at MGM even Brad Wright is in the dark about the future of the franchise. A few years ago as fans pestered him about bringing back Stargate: Atlantis (after 5 seasons) he kept pointing out that it had been a successful show. 5 seasons is a great run for any broadcast television program. But now there's a real danger that a new Stargate show might not last more than 2-3 seasons (much like Stargate: Universe).
Netflix has been killing science fiction shows right and left. Amazon has been slow to bring back some of its less popular self-made shows (where is Season 2 of Carnival Row, guys?). The list of challenges for science fiction productions grows ever on.
MGM had a great run with the franchise back in the day, but like so many other companies, they ran into financial problems when the Great Recession slowed the U.S. and foreign economies. The SyFy (formerly SciFi) network proved to be no true friend to science fiction fandom, either, abandoning expensive scripted shows for reruns and movies.
Amazon has the resources to bring back Stargate but the question is whether they see any potential value in doing so.
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