What Do Stargate Fans Want?

Stargate SG-1: “Death Knell”

Amazon MGM Studios is taking its time in determining the next steps for the Stargate franchise: movie or streaming series? Continue the mythology, or reboot the universe? While many fans (including us here at GateWorld) have been rallying for a continuation for years now, series co-creator Brad Wright has made it known that the studio passed on his pilot script for a fourth show.

So what now? Will a new team of creatives continue the mythology? And if not, will fans accept a reboot of the Stargate story … and in what form?

Earlier this year we posted a series of polls to gauge fans’ interests for the future of Stargate. Would you watch a reboot? Should the Stargate be made public? and what about a brand new cast? Here, at long last, are the results!

If you didn’t have a chance to vote yet, these polls are still open at the bottom of this post. Thousands of fans have weighed in so far, and I found some of the results surprising. Check out the video version of this analysis, or continue reading below to see how the votes are shaking out:

Let’s use these poll results as a chance to continue the conversation about what we hope Amazon MGM Studios will do with the sci-fi universe we love so much. It’s very clear to me that there are different kinds of Stargate fans, who love different things about the franchise, and who are never going to agree on what the next series ought to be. I hope everyone will treat one another with kindness and show off the best of our fandom.

Check out the poll results, then add your thoughts to the comments below.

WHAT KIND OF REBOOT?

The biggest surprise for me in the poll results is the percentage of fans who are open to rebooting Stargate in some way, shape, or form. Many in the online community have been vocal for years about our desire to see a continuation of the franchise rather than a reboot. But not all reboots are the same.

Aside from what you might think of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek films, one thing I think they did right was tie the new Kelvin timeline to what had come before. The story of 2009’s Star Trek begins with a temporal incursion, as Nero’s Romulan ship arrives from the 24th century to destroy the U.S.S. Kelvin and set history on a different path. Leonard Nimoy appeared in the film not just as Spock, but our Spock from that same future — the character whose adventures we have followed since the franchise’s debut in 1966.

That’s a different sort of reboot than, say, Battlestar Galactica. Ron Moore’s 2003 miniseries started from scratch, remixing some characters and plot points and telling a different version of the story of the Twelve Colonies.

Stargate, I think, could benefit from this sort of “soft reboot” — one that clears the board, but maintains a vital connection to the characters and stories the audience is invested in. I don’t know if that’s a multiverse story, or time travel, or a show set in the future. It’s up to the writers to craft a world in which to tell stories. And its understandable that new writers might feel hamstrung not just by the mythology that runs more than 350 episodes deep, but also by just how advanced Earth had become. A fleet of ships, the knowledge of the Asgard, the Goa’uld defeated, and a colony in another galaxy that has spent decades uncovering Ancient technologies … I would understand the desire to take Stargate back to basics.

Fans voted, and nearly one-third of them say they are fine with a reboot. Another 54 percent could get on board with a reboot that is done right, which honors what has come before. That’s a pretty solid turnout for fans who want Amazon MGM Studios to just. do. something. And make it good.

OLD AND NEW FACES

Of course, a new show is going to cast a new troop of actors for its story. I’m excited to get to know some new names and new faces (both the characters and the actors who will play them). That is bound to be the case regardless of whether the next show continues the mythology or reboots it from zero.

But what about the opportunity to bring in some old faces every now and again? Ideally cast members from SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe would play their character on the new show, whether it is set in the present day or through some time travel or multiverse shenanigans. But even a total reboot could welcome them — like original Apollo actor Richard Hatch playing a totally different character on the new BSG, or Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder making guest appearances on Smallville.

So we asked fans if the cast of a new show would be a deal-breaker. Not surprising here, far and away the winner (68 percent) is the desire to have former cast make guest appearances on the new show. Only 16 percent say they won’t watch if the next cast doesn’t have a previous cast member on it full-time.

Every now and then I see comments online insisting that Amazon MGM brings back Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge for the new show — effectively, SG-1 Season 11 or Bust. I have to say, while I love that show and those people, in 2024 that is unrealistic. Anderson is retired, Tapping is thriving in her directing career, and none of them are likely to sign up for 14-hour days filming 22 episodes each year like they did when they were 30. While I would flip for a Picard-style reunion storyline, in my opinion the fourth Stargate series doesn’t have to be that in order to be worth watching.

PUBLIC STARGATE

Brad Wright co-created all three Stargate television series, and it was always his intention that eventually the super-secret Stargate program would be revealed to the world. A few alternate universe stories toyed with this over the years, usually when aliens showed up to invade (“There But For the Grace of God,” “The Road Not Taken,” Continuum). But Wright held back on the permanent reveal in our universe, knowing that it was a story that could only be told once.

In fact, this plot development seems to have been part of Wright’s plan for a fourth show. But what about a new film or series with different creatives at the helm? If the story is continued with a show set in the present day (or the future), or rebooted and retold, should the Stargate become public knowledge?

Nine percent of fans answering this question specifically want the next show to take the Stargate public. And 24 percent would rather maintain the secret, something that has always been a central element of Stargate’s storytelling.

Interestingly, however, most fans are agnostic about this question: two-thirds voted that it didn’t matter to them either way. Great Stargate stories could be told in either situation — a setting where the gate remains a closely guarded secret (still in the hands of the U.S. Air Force, or perhaps now operated at a neutral location by an international coalition), or one where the average citizen knows about gate travel and alien worlds.

SET THE TONE

Stargate’s fandom was divided by the 2009 premiere of Stargate Universe, which set a very different tone for how it told stories — from the writing and acting to the direction, lighting, and cinematography. For some SGU was a breath of fresh air, and it drew in new fans who hadn’t found the lighter, action-adventure style of its predecessors all that appealing.

For others, of course, it was far too big a change — no longer Stargate as they knew it and loved it. Shouldn’t Stargate be about hope, teamwork, and integrity? I think it’s clear that SGU was growing its characters into this ethos, but their journey was cut short when the series was cancelled after only 40 episodes. So: what about the next show?

More than a quarter of voters (27 percent) said they want a show in the vein of SG-1 and Atlantis — that lighter, action-adventure series that has humor as a pillar. Only 6 percent said they specifically want a darker character drama in the vein of Stargate Universe. But far and away the biggest vote-getter in this fourth and final poll is the last option: “I’ll try either — it just needs to be good.”

I find that result really encouraging. I would love to see a show of either sort (or hey, how about one of each?). Most fans seem to want a new series to love, with new characters to get to know and a new adversary to fight against, and it doesn’t necessarily matter which style the producers choose for telling those stories.

IT’S AMAZON’S BALL

Stargate fans, you’re kind of amazing. I know there is only so much we can learn from four little polls on a fan site, but what I see here is a broad and generous attitude toward telling new stories in the Stargate universe — or, in an evolving Stargate multiverse. Whatever comes next could be familiar or brand new, top-secret or public, funny or serious, with a new cast and some old favorites. Fans are ready for what comes next, and while we certainly have our preferences, I think most viewers and long-time fans are open to seeing what the writers come up with — and at least give it a chance.

Then that show (or movie, or miniseries), whatever it looks like, will have to stand on its own feet and prove itself.

Now the ball is in Amazon’s court. Behind the scenes, studio executives and creatives are navigating these and other issues we probably know nothing about. Hopefully the result will be a new Stargate project that is built on a firm foundation, honoring the past three decades of stories while forging a path forward. I hope those decisions are wise, and that Stargate is put into the creative hands of people who love it.

Fans want not just the next show, but a world where many more shows, movies, books, comics, video games, and more will find fertile ground.

Amazon: let’s have it.

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ADD YOUR VOTE!

Haven’t voted in these polls yet? Add your votes, then post your thoughts on the results so far. Are you surprised by what fans are saying here?