TV normally sucks balls. Fortunately every so often there’s some programming that doesn’t suck. In the case of the Stargate (television) franchise, the programming was just plain awesome. The first spin-off SG1 hooked me during my early days of TV on DVD. I had just finished watching my way through Star Trek DS9 and I was hungry for another long-running sci-fi series. Enter Stargate SG1. I had never really watched MacGuyver, but I knew all about Richard Dean Anderson (called RDA by Stargate fans). He was basically the lead of the show for the first 7-8 seasons. Season 8 was kind of phoned in as he was in the process of retiring from daily acting work. So I watched most of the seasons and got hooked, then I watched them again. I tend to repeat-enjoy literature and media that I really really like.
Then as all things do the show was cancelled after it’s 10th season (longest running sci-fi show ever). But not before spinning off another hugely successful Stargate Atlantis TV show. Now Atlantis (which also hooked me) has done the same. It’s going off the air after this season, currently in season 5. But like SG1 it’s spun off another show called Stargate Universe. We’ll see if the show takes hold with the fans. I’m sure we’ll see at least two to three seasons of it.
Another great new show has just launched from Stargate beginnings. Former writer Damian Kindler started an online show called Sanctuary with Stargate director Martin Wood and Stargate lead Amanda Tapping. The show has featured many Stargate guest stars. The show was picked up by Sc-Fi and just started it’s TV run. We’ll see if fans like it. It’s pretty good, so I’m sure it will do well.
Hi, I’m also a Stargate fan. I wrote a review of the first episode of Sanctuary. You’ll have to check it out and tell me what you think. I was so looking forward to Sanctuary, but I don’t believe Sci Fi channel can really be trusted with good stuff. The people in charge of the network seem to want cutting edge stuff or just plain garbage, like ECW wrestling? What is that? Who made THAT call? Mark Stern I hear. I love Stargate…I’m not happy with the cancellations. Stargate Atlantis seems like it’s just getting off the ground, not coming to an end. Of course, I’ll give the new series a chance, but I’m not excited about it. I want to be, but Sci Fi keeps letting me down. I wrote a brief thing about this new series getting the go ahead as well. You can find that stuff on my blog at http://athenaspsyche.blogspot.com/. Check it out if you have time.