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By Jonathan Klotz | Published
24 years after the sudden cancellation of Stargate UniverseThe beloved sci-fi franchise returns thanks to Amazon. The megacorporation acquired the rights to the entire franchise when it bought MGM in 2022, and since then there have been rumors that a new series is coming to Amazon Prime Video. Today it was confirmed, and Stargate will return as a streaming series that’s being billed as its own entry in the franchise, with new showrunner Martin Gero bluntly saying, “It’s not a reboot.” Long-suffering fans have waited decades for more from the hit franchise, and the rest of today’s news proves it was worth the wait.
The original Stargate creative team is back
First of all, there’s the fact that Martin Gero is the new showrunner. Gero started in Hollywood on Atlantis Stargate and would go on to write episodes for each series in the franchise, directing the Atlantis episode “Brain Storm” and even serving as a creative consultant for the second half of Stargate SG-1. If anyone were to bring the franchise back, it should be someone who helped bring it to life in the first place, so it’s especially impressive that Gero isn’t the only one returning to Stargate Command.
Before SG-1, stargate was a hit sci-fi action film directed by Roland Emmerich, and now, 31 years after he first opened the door, Emmerich is back for the Amazon series. Joining him is his longtime collaborator Dean Devlin, who not only worked on the original film but also created a generation of fun, light-hearted cable shows, including Leverage and The librarians. If anyone is going to nail Stargate’s unique tone, it will be those three.
Even then, they are not alone. Brad Wright, co-creator of the Stargate television universe, is on board as a consultant, and during the Amazon event, he explained that their goal is to do things they couldn’t do in 1997. He echoed Gero’s enthusiastic statement that the new show won’t be based on 350 episodes of accumulated lore, but rather will be enjoyed fresh and then, wait for it, everyone will want to go back and watch the franchise from the beginning.
The possibilities are endless
Beyond the creative team, little is known about Amazon’s new Stargate series. Will it provide closure for the Destiny crew? Stargate Universe? Will we return to Atlantis and the Specters? Will we see the officers of Stargate Command again and, after all these years, will we meet General Samantha Carter? The most important thing is: will all the planets look like Vancouver?
Given how each of the shows ended, there’s a lot to flesh out in the new series, even if it will be an entry point for newcomers. The Goa’uld and Ori stories ended up in the direct-to-DVD movies, continuous and ark of truthbut who is to say that another lord of the system has not appeared in the following years? Stargate Universe revealed more about The Ancients and who knows what technology is out there waiting to fall into the wrong hands.
Stargate fans have a lot to speculate about, as the new series is still in an early stage of development and there is no release date. There’s no cast, no setting, and no characters, but none of that matters, because finally, 14 years after the franchise went dormant, fans can celebrate. Stargate is back.
