As a dedicated Stargate SG-1 fan who has witnessed the interstellar adventures of Col. Jack O’Neill and his team for over two decades, I can’t help but ponder what could have been if the creators had decided to take the show in a different direction after Richard Dean Anderson stepped away at the end of Season 8. The tantalizing prospect of a new spinoff series titled Stargate Command would have undoubtedly added another layer to the already rich tapestry of the Stargate universe.
For longtime fans of Stargate SG-1, along with the cast and creators themselves, the conclusion of its 8th season signified a pivotal turning point for the renowned Sci-Fi Channel series (previously known as SyFy).
Since his initial role as Col. Jack O’Neill in 1997 when the series first aired, Richard Dean Anderson stopped being a full-time member of the Stargate SG-1 cast at the end of Season 8. This was after Stargate Command (SGC) had won a respite from years of struggle against the Goa’uld Empire, which they ultimately defeated.
As the primary antagonists of the show, such as the Goa’uld and most of SG-1’s main enemies, were subdued by the end of Season 8, the major storylines seemed ready for a significant overhaul. With key characters like Ben Browder’s Lt Col. Cameron Mitchell, Beau Bridges’ Stargate Command chief Hank Landry, and Claudia Black’s Vala Mal Doran joining the cast, would Stargate SG-1 take a new direction or instead use this opportunity to shift the plot into a completely fresh spinoff (similar to the recently debuted Stargate Atlantis)?
For more on Stargate
1. “I Can’t Believe We Never Got to Explore That Lost Planet in Stargate Atlantis! Creator Teases Possible Scenarios for a Hypothetical Sixth Season”
Stargate Command: The SG-1 Spinoff That Almost Happened
It’s common knowledge now that “Stargate SG-1” didn’t stop there, instead it continued and reached its end through successful 9th and 10th seasons, along with two standalone movies (“Stargate: The Ark of Truth” in 2008 and “Stargate: Continuum”) which brought together both old and new cast members. However, the creative team briefly considered expanding the new plotline they’d established for Season 9 into a separate spinoff series called “Stargate Command”, allowing the end of Season 8 to function as a fitting science fiction finale for “Stargate SG-1” itself.
In a 2014 interview with the Dial the Gate podcast, as reported by GateWorld, producer Robert C. Cooper expressed that since we were changing such a substantial portion of both the cast and the leads, it was going to feel like an entirely different show regardless.
“I grew tired of the repetition of defeating the Goa’uld villains in the show, as their constant defeat made them seem less threatening. A running joke was ‘We win every time!’ So it became crucial to introduce not just new protagonists but also a fresh antagonist, whether the series continued under the name SG-1 or Stargate Command.”
It was demonstrated with the launch of the Atlantis spinoff that introducing a new spinoff under a different title would have generated excitement across the broader Stargate universe. However, it appears there were other factors influencing the decision to stick with Stargate SG-1. In the end, as Cooper pointed out, the potential benefits of splitting up the Season 9 storyline into a separate series didn’t outweigh the possible drawbacks.
According to Cooper, he explained to “Dial the Gate” that ultimately it was the studio and the marketing team who made the decision. Rebranding or launching a new series with a full promotional campaign would be costly and might not significantly boost the franchise compared to the buzz generated by adding new cast members to SG-1. Starting anew meant setting fresh rates for crew, which would increase over time as they received annual raises. This, in turn, would escalate the cost of producing the show. In essence, he suggested that rebranding and starting a whole new series would have reduced the budget of the spinoff show.
Without a doubt, it would have been regrettable since the later seasons of “Stargate SG-1” transformed into an impressive science fiction spectacle. It managed to conquer numerous financial constraints, such as shifting from standard to high definition, which gave the series a more film-like appearance over time. The outcome, naturally, was a 10-season journey, comprising 214 episodes, and two films that were part of the “SG-1” narrative universe. And let’s not forget about the spinoffs!
SYFY Heads Back to Space with The Ark
The Stargate franchise facilitated a prosperous creative reunion in the future, as executive producer of SG-1 Jonathan Glassner (seasons 1-8) and writer of the original Stargate movie, Dean Devlin, later collaborated to initiate their own new science fiction series.
Currently, modern fans recognize the outcome of their Stargate-inspired teamwork as nothing but The Ark, SYFY’s popular original space-exploration series, which is right now engrossed in an intriguing and enjoyable twisty second season.
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2024-08-20 00:31