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When Roland Emmerich's "Stargate" hit theaters in 1994, it made more money at the box office than industry experts had predicted. The film's critical reception was mixed, as its premise and execution were deemed terribly clichéd and devoid of genuine spectacle. Despite these flaws, "Stargate" grossed $196.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $55 million, which isn't too shabby, considering this is Emmerich's breakthrough project. In a surprising turn of events, "Stargate" ended up spawning a longstanding and beloved sci-fi franchise, eclipsing the scrappy indie roots of the oft-overlooked 1994 film. Everything that followed after, from "Stargate Sg-1" to "Stargate Universe," has helped flesh out a space saga that started with a metallic arch being dug up from a desert excavation site.

As with any long-running franchise, not every "Stargate" series, comic book, or direct-to-video movie is worth your time. Some spin-offs have been completely forgotten due to their inability to bring anything new to the table,...

When Roland Emmerich made 1994's "Stargate," there was no indication the film would spawn a surprisingly expansive sci-fi universe — especially one that was mainly depicted on the small screen. "Stargate" was initially supposed to kick off a trilogy of movies, but after plans for subsequent installments fell through, the property was taken to TV, with "Stargate Sg-1" debuting on Showtime as a continuation of the story begun by Emmerich.

Instead of Kurt Russell and James Spader in the lead roles, however, "Sg-1" had "MacGyver" actor Richard Dean Anderson taking on Russell's role of Colonel Jack O'Neill, leader of the titular squad, and Canadian actor Michael Shank playing Daniel Jackson, the role initially handled by Spader. The pair were joined by Amanda Tapper, who portrayed Colonel Samantha Carter, and Christopher Judge, who played Jaffa warrior Teal'c. While Showtime were no doubt relying on Anderson and his fame to help make the show a success,...

It is impossible to envision the "Stargate" franchise without Dr. Daniel Jackson, the brilliant archeologist who made intergalactic travel through Stargates possible. In Roland Emmerich's "Stargate," James Spader played Jackson as an explorer with tender curiosity, the kind of person brave enough to do the right thing in the face of evil. This endearing bravery is also an integral part of Jackson's character in "Stargate Sg-1" and parts of "Stargate Atlantis," brought to life by Michael Shanks. Although Shanks initially mimicked some of Spader's acting quirks to make his version of Jackson feel grounded, his incredibly ranged performance gradually helped etch the portrait of an increasingly complex protagonist. After all, Shanks' Jackson takes many forms in the "Stargate" shows, from doppelgangers in alternate realities to manipulated vessels for antagonistic beings. In each iteration, Shanks' dynamic performance shines bright.

Things, however, were not always rosy on the set of "Stargate Sg-1.

In 1994, Roland Emmerich gave us "Stargate," a standalone sci-fi adventure replete with lost civilizations across the galaxy and an antagonist masquerading as a god. Although plans for a "Stargate" trilogy unfortunately fell through, the film spawned a long-standing franchise of beloved television shows and tie-in comics. Among these entries, the "Stargate Sg-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" shows do most of the heavy lifting, expanding the foundational lore in Emmerich's film in substantial ways. Although all "Stargate" stories are loosely connected, the only common denominator that binds them together is the titular Stargate, a device that allows instantaneous travel between two distant locations across galaxies. But what exactly is a Stargate and how does it work?

In Emmerich's film, the Stargate expedition team is assembled years after a capstone (also known as cover stone) is unearthed at Giza, Egypt in 1928. While the capstone is found engraved with hieroglyphs, the archeologists also find...

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In the realm of sci-fi franchises, "Stargate" may not get the recognition it deserves. After starting life as a blockbuster movie, it shifted over to the small screen beginning with the wildly successful "Stargate Sg-1." That gave rise to an entire universe filled with spin-offs, with hundreds of episodes of TV being produced over a 13 year span. But all good things eventually end, and the end of this franchise came when "Stargate Universe" was canceled by Syfy after two seasons. Unfortunately, the cast had to find out about it along with everyone else.

Deadline announced the show's cancellation in December 2010, with that news quickly making the rounds on Twitter. As reported by the fansite GateWorld at the time, David Blue, who played Eli Wallace, learned from the social networking site that his show wasn't coming back for a third season.

Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper's "Stargate Atlantis" is a spin-off adventure that bridges the gap between seasons 7 and 8 of the beloved, long-running "Stargate Sg-1." This might give you the impression that "Stargate Atlantis" is a quick, one-shot tale set in space, but this five-season sci-fi series is anything but. Here, things kick off with the discovery of an Antarctic outpost created by an ancient alien race, followed by the unearthing of the lost city of Atlantis, which quickly becomes the base of operations for the Stargate fleet investigating it. Under Major John Sheppard's (Joe Flanigan) capable leadership, the Atlantis team navigates the legendary city and learns that its native inhabitants were forced to flee after an attack by the Wraith. Who are these mysterious beings, and why do they go about exterminating civilizations?

These questions haunt "Stargate Atlantis," and we are soon granted uneasy answers about these formidable antagonists.

This post contains spoilers for the "Stargate" franchise.

While "Stargate Atlantis" ran for five seasons, it still had exciting stories left to tell. The series finale (which is also the show's 100th episode) — titled "Enemy at the Gate" — sets up a decisive battle between the ever-devious Wraith and the Atlantis crew. Here, the stakes are as high as they can get, with Earth's very existence brought into question, only for things to conclude on a promising, celebratory note. When this 100th "Stargate Atlantis" episode was aired, it was followed by a short trailer for 2009's "Stargate Universe," which was set to be the next big addition to the "Stargate" franchise at the time. Unfortunately, the tonally somber (and more expensive) "Stargate Universe" could barely make it past two seasons, ultimately ending with a cliffhanger with no official resolution to date.

After the Atlantis crew saves the day in the series finale,...

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Michelle Trachtenberg tragically passed away last week.

Many of her fans and former costars are still in shock. This was so unexpected.

The 2025 Oscars have come and gone with relatively few surprises in the mix.

But this year’s In Memoriam segment of the Oscars snubbed Trachtenberg. And she was not the only conspicuous exclusion.

Michelle Trachtenberg attends the 28th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party sponsored by IMDb, Neuro Drinks and Walmart on February 09, 2020. (Photo Credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images) Why did Michelle Trachtenberg not appear in the Oscars ‘In Memoriam’ tribute?

On Sunday, March 3, the 2025 Oscars telecast included the familiar tribute to deceased stars — and a few others from within the film industry — who have died over the past year.

The segment used the “Lacrimosa” section from Mozart’s “Requiem in D Minor,” which is often a tasteful decision.

Late titans of...

When Roland Emmerich's 1994 movie "Stargate" made almost $200 million on a $55 million budget it seemed primed to become a franchise. But rather than pump out a sequel, it was decided that the saga would fare better on TV. Unfortunately, Emmerich turned down "Stargate Sg-1," citing a belief that his desired budgets just wouldn't have been feasible within the confines of the small screen.

Emmerich wasn't the only one who didn't come back for the debut of the inaugural "Stargate" series. Kurt Russell chose not to return as lead character Colonel Jack O'Neill, prompting a search for a new actor that had at least some of Russell's gravitas. This resulted in "MacGuyver" star Richard Dean Anderson being drafted in to play the leader of the "Sg-1" crew, tasked with exploring the universe via the titular portal.

Mostly due to "MacGuyver," Anderson was an established star by the time he signed on...

After Roland Emmerich said, "No, thanks" to a TV continuation of his modest box office hit "Stargate," Showtime set about doing it anyway. The network brought in Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner to create what became "Stargate Sg-1," and as it turned out, this was just the beginning of what quietly became one of the most sprawling sci-fi empires of the early 2000s.

"Sg-1" eventually moved to the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy) but the network cancelled the show after its tenth season. By that point, however, it had already spawned the spin-off series "Stargate Atlantis," which debuted in 2004, alongside a couple of direct-to-tv films. More spin-offs would come, too, with "Stargate Universe" debuting in 2009 and "Stargate Origins" arriving in 2018.

In all, then, the "Stargate" universe is impressively expansive. But just because the franchise kept growing doesn't mean things panned out exactly how Wright and Glassner had hoped. For one thing,...

Following its 10th season in 2007, "Stargate Sg-1" was cancelled by the Sci-Fi channel. A 10-season run is impressive, though, especially considering "Sg-1" was almost axed after season 8 to make way for another series. By season 8, star Richard Dean Anderson had decided to step away from his role as Jack O'Neill on "Sg-1," and a new series seemed like the way to go in his absence. A never-realized spin-off series, entitled "Stargate Command," would have seen Ben Browder's Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Beau Bridges' Major General Hank Landry lead an all-new show that incorporated elements of the original. Ultimately, however, the decision was made to continue with "Sg-1," and ideas for "Command" were integrated into the show's final two seasons. But this wouldn't be the first time "Sg-1" writers pivoted from their original plans.

Throughout the series' 10-year run, there were multiple changes and last-minute decisions made that altered the course of the show.

There are a lot of characters in Star Trek. While plenty are dearly beloved, many others are loathed, despised, or simply forgotten. Sometimes, those sentiments are deserved. Sometimes, but not always. Here, we’ll explore some characters that deserve more attention or credit than they get.

Of course, it’s hard to determine what makes a character underrated. In some cases, it can be that the fans don’t rate or praise a character as highly as they deserve. Other times, it’s that the stories themselves underserve the characters in some way. Making these judgments is obviously subjective, but I will try to explain my rationale all the same.

Also, for this list, characters who were introduced in the current era of Star Trek (basically Discovery till now) will not be included. There are certainly underrated characters in these shows, but their newness means that the fandom’s estimation...

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Stargate Sg-1 is a sci-fi action adventure drama series created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner. The Showtime and later Sci-Fi channel series is set in MGM’s Stargate franchise, and it follows Jack O’Neill as he returns to Planet Abydos to find scientist Daniel Jackson. He soon discovers that a series of hieroglyphics could potentially lead them to several Stargates. Stargate Sg-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis, Corin Nemec, Ben Browder, Beau Bridges, and Claudia Black. So, if you loved the space adventure, intensely thrilling story, and compelling characters in Stargate Sg-1, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Dark Matter (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Syfy

Dark Matter is a Canadian sci-fi drama series created by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie. Based on Mallozzi and...

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The "Star Trek" franchise spans more than five decades, starting with "Star Trek: The Original Series" in 1966. The adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the rest of the USS Enterprise crew changed TV as we know it. It centered on an inclusive ensemble cast and featured one of the first interracial kisses seen on TV. It also gave viewers an idea of what the future could look like amid a space race that would include the Apollo 11 crew walking on the moon three years after the show premiered.

The show's themes of inclusivity, curiosity, and hope in the future transcend several TV series and movies. While this rich universe offers plenty of content for fans to binge long and prosper, there are plenty of other shows that boldly go where no one has gone before.

Tony Todd, prolific actor and horror icon, passed away in 2024, leaving behind an impressive filmography full of memorable roles. Beginning with his first real Hollywood role as Sergeant Warren in Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning "Platoon," Todd then began his journey towards becoming a horror legend by playing Ben in Tom Savini's "Night of the Living Dead" remake — a major milestone on his path to playing the titular "Candyman" in Bernard Rose's celebrated 1992 supernatural horror film. He'd continue his run as a staple of the horror genre after that, ultimately becoming the personification of Death in the "Final Destination" film series.

But horror wasn't the only genre that Todd became known for. The imposing, six-foot five-inch star also made a name for himself in beloved sci-fi series, playing Kurn, the Klingon brother of Worf in both "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine." In fact, Todd once...

The sprawling lore of "Stargate Sg-1" can get really confusing after a point. A lot happens in the Syfy channel show's 10-season run, and chaos is bound to follow when you throw alternate timelines and resurrected characters into the mix. During the adventures of the series' titular crew, they cross paths with the Goa'uld, aquatic symbiotes who can take over and control the bodies of other species. Nothing good ever comes from using this ability, as the Goa'uld feel no remorse while enslaving worlds or presenting themselves as the galaxy's tyrannical saviors. They have leaders, of course, known as System Lords, who use their near-immortality to subjugate humanity, such as the false god Ra (Jaye Davidson) in Roland Emmerich's "Stargate."

Although all System Lords are dangerous, the most formidable among them is Anubis, who can easily be classified as one of the biggest antagonists of "Stargate Sg-1." In fact,...

When Roland Emmerich's "Stargate" made just short of $200 million on a $55 million budget, naturally there was talk of a sequel. In fact, Emmerich's modest 1994 sci-fi hit was supposed to kick off an entire "Stargate" film trilogy. But when the decision was made to move the franchise to the small screen, Emmerich turned down the offer to direct, citing episode budgets that weren't quite capacious enough for his ambitious vision.

Plans for a TV show went ahead anyway and in 1997, "Stargate Sg-1" debuted on Showtime. Co-created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, the series used the same premise as Emmerich's film and followed the eponymous crew's exploits as they explored alien worlds by passing through the Stargate portal. While the film had been a solid hit, the show went on to garner a cult following and spawned multiple spin-off series in the forms of "Stargate: Atlantis," "Stargate: Universe," "Stargate: Infinity,...

In Roland Emmerich's "Stargate," Egyptologist and linguist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is invited to decipher markings on a portal-like device known as a Stargate. Daniel succeeds in cracking the code and pinpoints a destination in a distant galaxy, where he travels alongside a special task force led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell). When an eerie turn of events leaves the crew trapped on the desert planet of Abydos, Daniel leverages his extensive knowledge to shift the odds in their favor. While Colonel O'Neil handles matters involving physical combat, Daniel demonstrates incredible bravery by protecting the world's local populace and eliminating the threat once and for all.

This would be the only version of Spader's Daniel to exist on the big screen, as the original plan to make a "Stargate" movie trilogy did not come to pass. However, this wasn't the end of "Stargate" as a franchise; if anything,...

This post contains spoilers for "Stargate Sg-1" and "Stargate: The Ark of Truth."

Morena Baccarin might be most widely known for her role as Vanessa Carlysle in "Deadpool" and its sequels (including "Deadpool & Wolverine"), but she's been a crucial part of several major television shows over the years too. From Inara Serra in "Firefly" to Leslie Thompkins in "Gotham," Baccarin has embodied intriguing, diverse roles across genres since her 2002 television debut. It is no surprise, then, that Baccarin was also part of the long-running and beloved "Stargate Sg-1," a series that expanded upon the premise of Roland Emmerich's "Stargate" (the 1994 sci-fi adventure film that was originally meant to kick off an entire trilogy).

As a quick refresher, "Stargate Sg-1" revolves around the eponymous team, which uses portal-like devices known as Stargates to travel to distant worlds across the galaxy. Over the course of their adventures, the Sg-1 crew comes across different alien species,...

Christopher Judge's Teal'c of Chulak remains a fan-favorite "Stargate Sg-1" character to this day. Even if you've never seen "Stargate Sg-1," chances are that if you were around in the early 2000s you remember the image of Judge in full Teal'c makeup, complete with his golden forehead tattoo, as part of the cultural wallpaper of the era. Judge went on to appear as the character in two episodes of the spin-off series, "Stargate Atlantis," as well as the direct-to-dvd movies "The Ark of Truth" and "Continuum," cementing his status as a series-spanning "Stargate" legend.

Judge also pitched a "Stargate" spin-off that would have changed the franchise and was envisioned as, in the actor's words, "Stargate's take on 'Black Panther.'" As it stands, Teal'c's final appearance was in season four, episode 17 of "Stargate: Atlantis," entitled "Midway," which debuted the same year as "The Ark of Truth" and "Continuum.

Though it was never a mega hit that commanded the kind of wide-ranging cultural influence of many other shows of its generation, "Stargate Sg-1" maintained a cult following throughout its run and remains impressive simply by virtue of what it represented. That is to say, the way in which creators Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner took Roland Emmerich's original 1994 "Stargate" movie and spun a full 10 seasons of intergalactic exploration action was a feat in and of itself.

Emmerich's film was enough of a box office success to prompt talk of an entire "Stargate" trilogy, but the story of the Sg-1 crew would ultimately unfold on the small screen, with Wright and Glassner shepherding the project using a whole new cast of actors that were playing the same characters from the movie. Ultimately, the Syfy channel cancelled Sg-1" in 2007, but by that point the show had run for a full...

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Quite a few shows have been generated from successful movies over the years. Everything from Disney's "Aladdin" to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spawned TV versions of themselves. But few managed to do so as successfully as "Stargate Sg-1," which lasted for 10 seasons across multiple networks from 1997 to 2007. It also generated several spin-offs, creating a full-blown franchise. For as successful as the show was, it had a somewhat rocky start.

In a 2024 interview with "Dial the Gate," director Mario Azzopardi reflected on making the very first episode of "Stargate Sg-1," a made-for-tv movie titled "Children of the Gods" that was intended to kick off the series with a bang. Though successful in the end, getting the project to air was no easy task. "We were rained out of Vancouver," Azzopardi said, reflecting on the terrible weather that they faced on the first day of filming.

Update: Neon has sent out a press release to confirm that the distribution deal has closed and they have acquired the worldwide rights to Together.

The original article follows:

JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to see the body horror film Together at the Sundance Film Festival and said that “horror fans are going to have a blast” with this one when it makes its way out into the world. (You can read his full 8/10 review at This Link.) Now, it’s looking like Neon will be the distributor to bring this good time to horror fans, as Deadline reports that, after “a days long bidding battle,” Neon is close to securing the worldwide rights to the film. WME Independent has been fielding offers from interested distributors ever since Together‘s premiere screening on the 26th, and Deadline reports that all of the major buyers of indie fare were in the mix.

When Roland Emmerich made his 1994 sci-fi adventure "Stargate," he likely never envisioned the sprawling media saga that would follow. In fact, after the film proved a modest success at the box office, there was talk of making a whole "Stargate" trilogy. Instead, Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner took on the task of continuing the story begun by Emmerich. The pair oversaw "Stargate Sg-1," a TV show that launched in 1997 and revolved around the same team from the movie, following their exploits across the universe as they explore strange alien worlds using the Stargate portal. Kurt Russell might've refused to reprise his lead role as Colonel Jack O'Neill for the franchise's small-screen continuation, but Wright and Glassner had "MacGuyver" star Ricard Dean Anderson to help propel their series to success. Indeed, the show proved a cult hit, lasting for 10 seasons before the Sci-Fi channel (now SyFy) cancelled "Sg-1" in 2007.

But that...

Both "Stargate Sg-1" and "Stargate Atlantis" — television shows that continue the premise of Roland Emmerich's "Stargate" — are beloved entries within the franchise." While "Stargate Sg-1" was conceived as a direct sequel to Emmerich's 1994 sci-fi adventure film, "Stargate Atlantis" served as a spin-off to a particular "Sg-1" season finale in which the central crew discovers a lost civilization. There is a lot to love about both entries: the Stargate crew in both shows primarily explore alien planets and often get into conflicts with extraterrestrial races, and these adventures perfectly balance high-stakes thrills with emotional heft. Although some themes in these shows come close to complexity, the emphasis has always been on optimistic reliability, and how the characters feel larger-than-life despite being heroes in a futuristic setting.

Enter "Stargate Universe," a franchise entry meant to sport a completely different tonal identity than its predecessors. Franchise producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper...

A star from a beloved 1990s sci-fi show pitches a reboot idea, but with one caveat. The genre of science-fiction flourished on television during the 1990s, offering audiences imaginative explorations of futuristic technology and alien encounters. Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ended in 1994, set a high bar for sci-fi, while its spin-offs, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, expanded the franchise's universe. Meanwhile, The X-Files captivated viewers with its blend of government conspiracies, paranormal phenomena, and the chemistry between its two leads, Mulder and Scully, becoming a cultural phenomenon.

The era also saw the rise of more diverse sci-fi narratives, such as the epic storytelling of Babylon 5, which helped pioneer serialized television arcs. Stargate Sg-1 debuted in 1997, blending military drama with intergalactic adventure, while Farscape (1999) offered a darker and more surreal take on space exploration. Amid these series, Sliders stood out for its concept of parallel worlds, with each...

"Stargate Sg-1" produced several great episodes before it got canceled after season 10. However, some of the episodes started out as completely different ideas only to take on new forms during the writing process. A key example is the classic "Lost City" two-part episode, which was originally envisioned as a feature film. Elsewhere, season 8's "Sacrifices" was imagined as a comedy called "My Big Fat Jaffa Wedding," but it took on a more somber tone later on.

"Sacrifices" is about Rya'c of Chulak's (Neil Denis) attempt to marry Kar'yn (Mercedes de la Zerda), which doesn't go down well with their families and leads to some disagreements. That said, Christopher Judge, who played Teal'c and wrote the episode, told GateWorld that he realized it couldn't be a comedy as the story explores ideas like war, tyranny, and Moloc's (Royston Innes) enslavement of the Jaffa people:

[As] I started writing it, it didn't turn...

After the immensely popular Syfy series "Stargate Sg-1" concluded its seventh season with the "Lost City" finale, a fresh series spin-off was born. This offshoot series, "Stargate Atlantis," intimately explores the Antarctic outpost discovered by the Sg-1 crew in the parent show, along with the aftermath of unearthing the lost city of Atlantis. You might know that the 1994 Roland Emmerich film "Stargate" kickstarted this particular franchise: in the film, linguist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) got heavily involved with an alien-fueled upheaval on the desert planet of Abydos. In "Stargate Sg-1," Michael Shanks plays a different iteration of Daniel while appearing in a brief cameo in the "Stargate Atlantis" pilot to officially hand off the Atlantis project to a new crew of experts.

The "Stargate Atlantis" military crew is headed by Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), a capable officer with a somewhat tarnished reputation due to an incident that inadvertently led to several casualties.

Stargate is a truly unique franchise in pop culture history. Though the original film by Roland Emmerich received a mixed reception — and didn't receive an intended trilogy — it led to the highly popular Stargate: Sg-1 TV show. Sg-1 led to a fleet of Stargate spinoffs, and gained its own legion of fans. But while the original Stargate is now considered a sci-fi classic 30 years after its release, it's still baffling that it didn't make a bigger impact when it was first released, especially with Kurt Russell and James Spader as part of the cast. Part of that is probably timing; Emmerich had released Universal Soldier prior to Stargate, with the former film spawning its own franchise, and then followed up Stargate with Independence Day. But it also turns out that Spader wasn't a big fan of the material, and Russell had to drag him out of his trailer one day.

Though he may never have hit megastar status, Robert Patrick has been a stalwart presence in Hollywood ever since his biggest role as the T-1000 in James Cameron's seminal "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." So definitive was his performance that Patrick has actually played the T-1000 outside of "T2" multiple times, despite the fact that his character was never officially brought back for any of the sequels.

But any fan of the actor will know that he's also had a consistent and actually pretty darn impressive run of work ever since that 1991 blockbuster. He also remains active today, most recently showing up in season 2 of Prime Video's "Reacher" series, where his primary antagonist was a clear homage to his role in Cameron's classic. Patrick also played a frankly horrible human being in season 1 of "Peacemaker," and could be seen in season 1 of the short-lived HBO series "Perry Mason."

In fact,...

Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner's "Stargate Sg-1" had a great run. The Syfy show ran for 10 seasons between 1997 and 2007 and chronciled the adventures of the titular S-1 special operations team, which used a Stargate device (an intergalactic portal of sorts) to travel to alien worlds. The show had no shortage of material to draw from in its earliest seasons either; it incorporated aspects of everything from Arthurian legend to Norse mythology, spinning fantastical yet grounded stories along the way.

However, by the time the sixth season rolled around, the "Sg-1" writers had begun worrying about the show's longevity. For starters, its episodic themes had started to feel stale. Moreover, the series' tight budget severely limited options for filming locations, which were mostly confined to the woods of British Columbia. Given the futuristic nature of the show, it became increasingly difficult for "Sg-1" to dress up places on Earth...

When it launched in 2004, "Stargate Atlantis" may not have had MacGuyver himself, Richard Dean Anderson, but it did have an early-career Jason Momoa. The show was a spin-off from "Stargate Sg-1," which starred Dean Anderson as Colonel Jack O'Neil (taking over from Kurt Rusell in the original 1994 movie). "Atlantis," meanwhile, saw Momoa play Ronon Dex, a native of the planet Sateda in the Pegasus galaxy who joins the Atlantis expedition shortly after encountering them for the first time in the season 2 episode "Runner."

"Atlantis" ran for five seasons, and Momoa was there from his season 2 appearance right up until the end, when "Stargate Atlantis" was canceled by the Sci-Fi channel (now SyFy) in 2008. During that time he became an integral part of the show, filling the gap left by Aiden Ford's (Rainbow Sun Francks) departure.

During his time with the Atlantis team, Ronon managed to face off against Teal'c of...

Morena Baccarin played an important Marvel Universe character as Vanessa, most recently in Deadpool & Wolverine, but she also played a similar role in the DC Universe. Baccarin rose to prominence with her roles in Stargate Sg-1 and the cult-hit Firefly before moving on to acclaim in Homeland. Baccarin is perfect for the DC Universe, and she has done a number of superhero voice roles, including Black Canary in Justice League Unlimited and Cheetah in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. From there, Baccarin moved into an iconic DC role in 2015.

Many actors have been in projects from both Marvel and DC even in the same year. Performers from Christian Bale to Ryan Reynolds have taken on roles from each studio with varied degrees of success. However, few seem to be as committed to the DC Universe as Baccarin, who most recently lent her voice to Batman Unburied: Fallen City.

Those unfamiliar with the franchise will be shocked to learn the sheer volume of "Stargate" media there is in the universe. The "Stargate" saga began in 1994 with the release of Roland Emmerich's ultra-slick sci-fi movie, a gigantic hit that really thrust Emmerich into the American mass consciousness. The 1994 movie starred James Spader and Kurt Russell as a scientist and a soldier (respectively) who begin dabbling with an ancient Egyptian portal that, they find, grants them instant access to distant planets. They find that Ancient Egypt was once lousy with space aliens, and that creatures from beyond the stars have been influencing human history for millennia. 

The film was only warmly reviewed, but it made almost $200 million on a $55 million budget, and it lodged itself into pop culture, seemingly in perpetuity. In 1997, the TV series "Stargate Sg-1" debuted on Showtime, gaining a passionate cult audience almost immediately. The series greatly expanded the film's lore,...

This post contains spoilers for "Stargate Sg-1."

The best part of "Stargate Sg-1" — apart from its exciting premise about visiting alien worlds — is its central, titular crew. Among them, Teal'c of Chulak (Christopher Judge) is easily a fan favorite. The Jaffa revolutionary has a masterful way of making his presence felt, even when he's lurking in the background of some scenes. Moreover, Teal'c has undergone hell in his journey to defy Goa'uld and a lifetime of indoctrination, which he was able to leave behind to join the Stargate Command. And if you ask me, Teal'c is simply the coolest.

Judge, who portrayed Teal'c with such grace and understated magnetism, went on to reprise the role in the series sequel "Stargate Atlantis" (where he appeared in two episodes), along with the direct-to-dvd "Stargate" films "The Ark of Truth" and "Continuum." The actor, who is best known for playing Kratos in the...

Photo: Benjamin Ayres, Kimberley Sustad

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Allister Foster

Hallmark fans can look forward to lots of laughs and plenty of cuteness in The Santa Class, premiering as part of the 2023 Countdown to Christmas programming event.

Starring Kimberley Sustad as the owner of a struggling Santa School, and Benjamin Ayres who plays her instructor, Dan, who helps an amnesia-stricken Santa Claus.

Read on to find out more about the plot of the movie and its cast and see some gorgeous Santa-filled images taken on the film set.

The Santa Class – a rom-com on Hallmark Channel Photo: Ryan Beil, Benjamin Ayres, Gary Jones, Trevor Lerner, Tom Pickett, Kimberley Sustad, Carmel Amit, Graeme McComb Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Allister Foster

TV Insider has revealed the plot of the new Christmas rom-com, The Santa Class, coming to your small screen soon. In the movie, Kimberley Sustad and Benjamin Ayres are trying to save Christmas.

Hollywood tie-in novelist Tim Waggoner discusses his creative process and the constraints of working within the confines of the movie he's adapting.

Waggoner is an accomplished tie-in novelist, with film novelizations like Halloween Kills, XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Alien, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and television novelizations like Supernatural, Grimm and Stargate Sg-1 under his belt. He's written original fiction as well. Waggoner told The Hollywood Reporter about his experience writing for the A24 film trilogy starring Mia Goth. One of the great challenges of being a tie-in novelist is the lack of communication with the original work's creators.

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Related Terrifier 2 & Ti West's X Trilogy Prove Moviegoers Are Desperate for New Franchises

The success of the recent Terrifier 2 and Ti West's X Trilogy speaks to the fact that audiences are craving new and original stories.

When Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner were tasked with creating a TV spin-off based on Roland Emmerich's 1994 "Stargate" movie, they turned to MacGuyver himself, Richard Dean Anderson, to play Special Operations Colonel Jack O'Neil — the role played by Kurt Russell in the film. "Stargate Sg-1" therefore benefitted from a casting boost before it even hit the airwaves in 1997. But it wasn't just MacGuyver that helped the show become the long-running cult hit it was.

Alongside Anderson's Jack O'Neill, Amanda Tapping's United States Air Force captain Dr. Samantha Carter helped flesh out the central cast. But rather than simply providing a romantic interest for the male lead, Carter was an integral member of the "Sg-1" team, every bit Jack's equal. That said, there was always the implication of some sort of romantic entanglement between the two, even if the writers never really followed through on it.

Throughout its 10 seasons and 214 episodes,...

Sometimes Tim Waggoner can make up scenes, and sometimes he can’t.

Take his work on Terrifier 2, a novelization of the popular 2022 killer-clown slasher movie. The studio wanted a 100,000-word prose adaptation of a film that was under two and a half hours, necessitating some creative license from the author. “If Art the Clown is running around killing people, I can just have him kill some more people,” says Waggoner of that book, which published this past October. “At one point in the movie, he’s driving a van, so I’m like, ‘Oh, where’d he get his van?’ So I wrote a scene where he got the van.”

But on Waggoner’s first published works for A24 — book adaptations of the X trilogy — the mandate was different: Don’t complicate writer-director Ti West’s creative vision. And so in X (published Sept. 24), Pearl (Nov. 19) and the upcoming...

Prolific genre actors are not necessarily contained to a single series. Major science fiction franchises are a great example -- just look at every actor who's been in both "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" over the years. It's arguably even more amusing when an actor who's primarily known from one sci-fi thing turns up in another in such a stealthy fashion that fans don't even realize until the credits roll.

This brings us to the late, great James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader. While he doesn't ever show up onscreen, his iconic, booming voice is an integral part of the "Star Wars" experience, and his slew of other roles mean that his face is immediately recognizable to any fan. As such, you wouldn't expect the man to be able to sneak a cameo in another notable sci-fi property without people immediately noticing. Yet, that's exactly what he did...

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"Stargate" was a surprisingly important sci-fi movie, all things considered. While the 1994 production from director Rolan Emmerich failed to get a sequel, it did serve as a launching pad for a surprisingly enduring franchise. MGM later decided to bring the concept to the small screen in 1997 with "Stargate Sg-1," a show that ran for 10 seasons and more than 200 episodes. While that undoubtedly resulted in a payday for the property's creators, Emmerich's "Stargate" movie co-writer, Dean Devlin, wasn't too pleased with the show.

In a 2019 retrospective with Variety, Devlin reflected on the "Stargate" film's legacy for its 25th anniversary. The piece revealed that MGM didn't want Emmerich or Devlin involved in the spinoff TV series, which was a source of tension. The studio "basically took it from us," Devlin said at the time. "They said we hadn't done TV and they...

Captain Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) first appeared in the brutal Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter, Chain of Command, and he later returned as an admiral in Star Trek: Prodigy. Throughout TNGs run, visiting Starfleet captains and admirals were often used to create conflict and Captain Jellico filled this role in "Chain of Command." In the first half of the Tng two-parter, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) go on a covert mission on a planet along the Cardassian border.

In Captain Picards absence, Starfleet sends Captain Jellico to take command of the Enterprise. Jellico had previously helped establish an armistice between the United Federation of the Planets and the Cardassian Union. As Jellico holds current negotiations with the Cardassians, Captain Picard is captured and taken to Gul Madred (David Warner). Madred proceeds to use various methods of torture as he...

There are several incredible sci-fi shows that see long runs on television, airing without seeing a single bad season. This is in stark contrast to the trend that seems to be developing more and more as of late, where sci-fi shows that don't deserve to be canceled are prematurely ended, and other underappreciated sci-fi shows never get the recognition they deserve. Although some long-running sci-fi shows like Doctor Who have been panned in recent years for poorly written seasons, many sci-fi shows with five seasons or more retain a consistent standard.

Though there are many incredible sci-fi movies set to release in 2025, sometimes a sci-fi TV show with plenty of episodes is exactly what a viewer needs. It is rare to find a series that truly has no bad seasons, remaining of a certain quality all the way through. With so many quality seasons to keep one busy, shows like...

What do you do when the last spinoff of your favorite Canadian sci-fi show ended ages ago and you've worn out your DVD box set rewatching it? If you're as obsessive as I am about my favorite franchises, you might just want to catch up with all the show's stars in their most recent projects. Luckily, when it comes to the cast of "Stargate Sg-1," there are plenty of great post-series movies and shows to choose from.

The long-running "Stargate" saga, based on Roland Emmerich's 1994 movie, has fizzled out a bit in recent years, due in part to apparently complicated rights issues. At its height, the franchise included several TV shows and movies, plus novels, comic books, games, and a web series. None of them were quite as beloved as "Stargate Sg-1," which was nominated for nine Emmys and kick-started the careers of several of its stars. Others involved...

Stargate Sg-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe all had some jaw-dropping twists and turns. Beginning with the 1994 Stargate film, the franchise centers around ancient alien devices called Stargates that allow instantaneous travel across the galaxy. The first show in the franchise, Stargate Sg-1, picks up about a year after the events of the film and follows Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his team as they investigate various alien planets. Sg-1 consists of ten television seasons and two films, making it one of the longest-running science fiction shows of all time.

In Sg-1 season 7, the team discovers an ancient outpost in Antarctica that eventually leads them to the site of the mythical lost city of Atlantis. Located in the distant Pegasus galaxy, this ancient alien city becomes the setting for Stargate: Atlantis, which follows a team as they explore new planets and alien civilizations. Both Sg-1 and Atlantis...

For a staggering ten seasons, "Stargate Sg-1" continued the story that began in Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich's 1994 "Stargate" movie that starred Kurt Russell as Jack O'Neill, a Special Operations colonel who oversaw a program allowing people to travel through wormholes to reach distant planets. Russell refused to reprise his role from the movie in the TV series, stepping aside so "MacGyver" actor Richard Dean Anderson could take over as O'Neill. Among the other actors who joined the show was Teryl Rothery, who played Dr. Janet Frasier on "Stargate Sg-1" for seven seasons and 75 episodes.

As Stargate Command's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Frasier tended to the wounded and became a nice, familiar face in the process. Despite the fact that Rothery technically appeared as a guest star on the show, the number of episodes in which she appeared helped audiences build a relationship with her over time, and after so many appearances,...

Stargate Sg-1 follows a top-secret military operation that explores the galaxy via the Stargate. It creates wormholes that lead to other planets and dangerous enemies. The series was a continuation of the 1994 film Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader. Stargate Sg-1 ran for ten years, making it one of the longest-running sci-fi shows ever; it also had spin-off series and direct-to-dvd movies after the show ended in 2007.

With 10 seasons under its belt, Stargate Sg-1 had its ups and downs. It moved networks, went through major cast changes, and traversed all sorts of alien planets. The series is still arguably one of the best sci-fi shows of all time, but not all the seasons are equal. The best ones balance action, adventure, humor and meaningful storytelling.

Season 9 Tried to Do Too Much Aired in 2005 With 20 Episodes

Season nine of Stargate Sg-1 had a tough job to do following season eight.

Lots of TV series struggle to find their footing during their first season. As charming as the first season of "The Simpsons" is, for example, the show really didn't hit its stride until the second season, and depending on who you ask, only really got going around season four. So, if a show as universally celebrated as "The Simpsons" needed a little time to really come into its own, you better believe the same can be said for "Stargate Sg-1."

Fans of the series will surely agree that season 1 has its fair share of bad episodes, but none are so universally reviled as episode four, "Emancipation." This infamous installment in the series has been ridiculed since its August 1997 air date, and not just by fans. In a 2009 interview, "Sg-1" co-creator Brad Wright even said in response to a fan question, "Sometimes things get made that shouldn't. Emancipation."

What's so bad about this particular episode?...

It's been a few years since sci-fi fans have gotten a new "Stargate" series, and much longer since the franchise was on the big screen. While the "Stargate" franchise originated with Roland Emmerich's 1994 film of the same name, it's now known primarily for its much-loved series "Stargate Sg-1." And while the saga has never reached the ubiquity levels of, say, "Star Wars" or "Star Trek," there are plenty of "Stargate" fans who would be happy to see "Sg-1" continue in movie form or otherwise.

In 2021, a journalist at Polygon asked "Sg-1" actor Christopher Judge what advice he would have for a big-budget movie reboot version of the property, specifically comparing it to J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." Furthermore, Polygon asked Judge what advice he would give an actor taking over the role of Teal'c, the very funny fan favorite Jaffa warrior (and the character at the heart of a...

Veteran actor Tony Todd, who played the titular villain in the Candyman horror movie franchise, has died at the age of 69.

Todd died Wednesday at his Los Angeles home, our sister site Deadline reports. No cause of death has been officially released.

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Todd had memorable roles in films like the 1986 Oscar winner Platoon and a 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead before starring in the 1992 horror classic Candyman,...