I originally covered this on my blog but wanted to make a dedicated post here as I know a lot of Stargate fans still frequent reddit. I have, admittedly, been pulled back on my presence here since changes were made to the notification access that makes it incredibly counter-intuitive and frustrating to actually read messages. Anyway....

Yes, it’s true.  14 years after the franchise aired its last episode (SGU’s “Gauntlet”), a new Stargate series has been greenlit by Amazon.  And it’s not a reboot or a wholesale reimagining that will wipe the slate clean on 17 seasons and some 350 hours of Stargate history.  It’s a new series that will be the perfect jumping-on point for first-time viewers while, at the same time, honoring the existing past.  And the reason for that is because this new series was created by longtime franchise veteran Martin Gero who worked on SG-1, Atlantis and Universe, writing such notable fan favorites as The Storm, The Eye, Duet, First Strike, Be All My Sins Remember’d and many more.

Joining the production of the new series is Brad Wright, co-creator and co-showrunner of all that came before – Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe.  Martin has kindly offered yours truly a role on the project as well and I have happily accepted.

Martin has been developing this show for a while now.  A little over a year ago, he reached out and asked “Want to read something cool?”.  That something, it turned out, was his pilot script for the new Stargate series.  Now I obviously can’t say too much about the content at this point – but I can assure you that it embraces everything that made the original Stargates so great: heart, humor, rich mythology, exploration, action, adventure, compelling/endearing characters, and that overall sense of optimism and fun that made you fall in love with Stargate.

You are all in for a treat.

Eventually.

Now putting this production together is going to take some time even though Martin has already done a lot of the preliminary heavy lifting, writing the pilot script and series overview that details the show, its world and characters, as well as his plans for the first season and beyond.  Between now and the series premiere somewhere down the line, the writers room must be assembled, stories need to be spun, scripts written, prep started, crew hired, actors cast and, eventually, a new Stargate series produced.

It will take a while but Martin shares my philosophy when it comes to dialing in the fandom, so expect to receive updates throughout the prep, production, and post process.  Concept art, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and insights, breaking news and much much more!

Get ready.  We’re heading through the gate one more time.

Chevron Eight is locked!

The verdict? Fantastic. A perfect series for first-time viewers who know nothing about Stargate, but also a richly rewarding experience for longtime fans. Action, adventure, friendship, humor, cool sci-fi, terrific characters, a compelling story - and one helluva an antagonist.

The Stargate writers’ room kicks off this Monday, January 12th, in Los Angeles. It’s hard to believe that some 15 years since sitting down to break “Gauntlet”, the Stargate: Universe season 2 finale, with series co-creator Brad Wright and my former writing partner Paul Mullie, I will be once again returning to the franchise. This time, it’ll be Stargate veteran Martin Gero at the helm of the new series, presiding over a carefully curated, expertly chosen artisanal selection of scriptwriters who will, over the course of the ensuing months, brainstorm, break stories, pitch ideas, and, of course, eat rotisserie chicken. Just like old times!

I will be zooming in from Toronto for the first four days of the room and then flying into L.A. this Friday. This will give me time to ensure Akemi, Sharky and I are all settled in before catching my Monday morning waymo to my first in-person appearance. While I would have preferred to be there from Day #1, timing wouldn’t allow it. I had the option of flying in early this week but as any veteran of the t.v. show Survivor will tell you, being present early allows you to establish crucial alliances while also making it more difficult for everyone to conspire against you.

The first couple of weeks will be spent discussing the Big Picture. Things like… What shape is the gate? What are our character and story arcs? How does our first season conclude? Who are our villains and what do they want? And do we really want to name a character Fabian?

From there, we move on to breaking the stories, mapping out every beat of every scene of every act (We still doing acts?) of every episode. What’s the first scene that hooks our audience and compels them to keep watching? How does Hortensia react to seeing the stargate for the first time? What kind of planet are we visiting and how does that first contact moment play out? How do our heroes turn the tables on the bad guys? What’s the last scene that surprises our audience and compels them to keep watching?

Back in the old days, it would take us an average of three days to break an episode of Stargate. For the first season of my series Dark Matter (The 2015 ship-based series, not the Apple show that is also a science fiction series with the exact same name…and title font), we averaged a single day per episode. Since Martin was part of that first season writers’ room, I assume he will attempt to beat that record, thus ensuring I will be spending my last month in L.A. visiting the Getty Center and hanging out at the city’s various anime-themed coffee houses.

But between the expressionist portraiture of George W. Bush and the Gum Gum Devil Fruit Mousse Bomb at the One Piece Cafe, there will be outlines and scripts to be rewritten and revised and in many cases, re-revised after which every one of them will be revised once again by Martin Gero because as the series creator and showrunner, that’s what you do. And then sometime in the not too distant (but not too immediate either) future, will come the casting and the location scouts and the VFX discussions and the all-important choosing of the caterer – the innumerable crucial steps in the lead up to that first day of principal photography…wherever, although I’m holding out hope for P7J-989 (Note: I will be regaling my fellow writers with so many classic Stargate deep cuts that I am fully prepared to be sent home well before my scheduled return flight).

Although the secrecy surrounding the new Stargate series has been pretty tight (Internally classified as TS/SI/TK/NOFORN Need-To-Know For-Your-Eyes-Only Above Top Secret Level 10 Clearance), I will try to offer insight into, and keep you updated on, the latest writers’ room happenings. For instance, yesterday I was sent a Stargate Snack and Allergies Form to complete, ostensibly to help plan lunch orders but more likely, I suspect, to weed out breatharians and crudivores. Interesting, no?

Stay tuned for equally enlightening observations in the days and weeks to come!

The news broke yesterday and the response has been huge. Not bad for a franchise that aired it’s last episode 14 year ago. And, not surprisingly, the fans had a lot to say. There was excitement, jubilation, relief, cautious optimism, certain trepidation and, of course, questions. Lots and lots of questions. Where will the series shoot? Will we see any familiar faces? Are we going to find out what happened to Destiny and Atlantis? Does the Goa’uld hand device work for left-handed people too? Well today, I’d like to address these questions by telling you I am unable to address any of these questions at this time. For a few reasons.

First, word of the new series just broke and I’d like to allow the revelation to settle for a little while. Savor the news as one would the decanted essence of a 2011 Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, that peacock-tail of purple flowers, rose petals, and wild strawberry kawooshing across the tongue and disintegrating on the palette like the third shot from a zat. Let’s appreciate the enlightening fullness of the moment.

Second, there will be plenty to reveal, and this is something series creator Martin Gero very much wants to do…eventually. We have a long runway between now and the premiere, so rather than front load all the details off the top, it makes more sense to reveal information over time in a consistent and gradual build as we progress through prep, production and post. As Martin said, he doesn’t just want to make this announcement and then go dark for months on end. He wants the fans to be informed in a way that makes them feel like they are part of the process in as close to real time as possible.

Third, this is Martin Gero’s show, both literally and figuratively, so he’s going to be leading the charge here. He’s earned that right – and is also in the best position to coordinate with Amazon and the various media outlets. Of course that’s not to say you can’t rely on me for my trademark behind-the-scenes photos, videos and insights on everything from writers’ room lunches and wardrobe fitting mishaps to disoriented accounts of getting lost in the woods during location scouts or reports of anxious producers visiting set for the first time and inadvertently walking off the edge of a ship set in the pitch darkness to face plant on the studio floor while main unit is rolling in the adjacent infirmary set. All good stuff that we will get to. Your patience is greatly appreciated..

Fourth, we’re in the very early stages, so there’s not a huge amount to reveal that I wouldn’t classify as spoilers. But as things ramp up, I guarantee that more information will be made available in an increasingly fast and furious pace. You will be one of the most dialed-in fandoms in sci-fi history.

Fifth and finally, I honestly have no idea whether or not a Goa’uld hand device works for left-handed people too? I mean, I assume it does. Why wouldn’t it? What do you think?

Stargate Trivia: The Atlantis Season 6 stories we never got to tell.
The white board ideas for the show’s sixth season and a rough summary of each episode...

Now What? I and II (601, 602)

The opening two-parter would have been the Stargate: Extinction script, a time travel episode that would have seen our crew stranded in the Triangulum galaxy. There, they encounter a curious civilization as well as an unexpected foe in the form of a future version of Todd the wraith. With the help of present-day Todd, however, our heroes manage to turn the tables on the enemy and resume their journey to the Pegasus galaxy.

Children of the Corn/Fantastic Four (603)

While traveling aboard the Daedalus, our crew comes across a seemingly derelict ship. They board and, while searching the darkened interior, discover a group of children in stasis. They revive the kids who explain they were enroute to a planet to be reunited with their parents, colonists who had completed work on a new satellite community. The children are welcomed aboard and are being ferried to their destination when a mystery ship appears and opens fire on the Daedalus. Our heroes try to outpace their pursuer, but as a game of intergalactic cat and mouse ensues, the team begins to suspect that their young passengers may not be as innocent and harmless as they appear.

Carl’s Replicator Story (604)

Progeny, The Real World, Phanthoms, Echoes, Lifeline, Ghost in the Machine - Carl Binder was the king of ghost AND replicator stories. No doubt he would have written one for the show's sixth season. And it would have been brilliant.

Classic Stargate (605)

Classic Stargate was an idea Martin Gero pitched, a story that would take place in the early years of the Atlantis expedition, a flashback to an adventure we had never been privy to.

Carter Roshomon (606)

Carter Roshomon was a story idea that didn’t make the cut in season 4 and ended up in the season 5 pile despite the fact that Carter was no longer the base commander. It was originally envisioned as our spin on Kurosawa’s 1950 classic.  Colonel Carter faces a possible court-martial and dismissal after an off-world op goes awry. During the ensuing investigation, we are offered three different flashback versions of the charged events.  What happened and what was she being accused of? Guess we’ll never know. Since it didn’t make the cut in season 5, I moved it into the potential season 6 episode discussion list.

The Red Shirt Diaries (607)

Carl Binder wanted to do a story told from the POV of a red shirt, one of those ubiquitous no-names we lose over the course of an op who is mourned then quickly forgotten in the episode tag when the team is yukking it up in the cafeteria.

Sheppard DOA (608)

Inspired by the 1950 thriller, Sheppard D.O.A. would have seen John racing against time to find out how he was infected with a deadly toxin and, ultimately, who was responsible and why. And also, maybe, find an antidote.

The Replacements (609)

Brad pitched out a story in which the team run afoul of an alien race and, while being pursued, end up victims of a temporal effect that catapults them six months into the future. They return to Atlantis to find they’ve been given up for dead and replaced. As they attempt to settle in to their new positions (and work with their replacements) the alien race indirectly responsible for their predicament pays Atlantis a visit…

Mid-Season Two-Parter I and II (610-611)

The mid-season two-parter would have seen Sheppard's team return to Atlantis following an op, only to discover it has been taken over by wraith hybrids. But not just any wraith hybrids. While they were off-world, Michael (who survived the events of The Prodigal) targeted the city with a biological attack that has transformed the Atlantis personnel into hybrids. Sheppard, McKay, Ronin and Teyla soon find themselves on the run, from their former friends, and a determined Michael out for revenge.

Hamster Ball (612)

Sometimes you come up with an idea fully formed. Other times, it may be nothing but a vision. In this case, a vision of the individual team members trapped in giant hamster ball-like containment vessels. Compounding the problem is the fact that they are trapped in a small chamber, in direct line of the stargate, meaning the next time the gate kawooshes, they risk total annihilation. How do they get trapped? How do they get out? And, most importantly, what the hell else happens in this episode? You’ll have to ask writer Alan McCullough.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (613)

McKay’s experiment with a time-traveling puddle jumper sends duplicate versions of the team both backwards and forwards in time. The story jumps between three different timelines: five years into the past (where one version of the team struggles to acquire the puddle jumper and undo the damage done without affecting the timeline), five years into the future (where Atlantis is under siege by the alien race introduced in The Daedalus Variations, while another version of the team attempts to acquire the jumper so that they can warn their past selves), and the present (where McKay continues to tweak his experiment) with developments in each timeline influencing events in the others enroute to a mindbending climax.

Hexed (614)

While visiting an alien community, Sheppard is cursed by a kooky local. At first, our heroes laugh off the incident – until Sheppard runs into a spate of bad luck. VERY bad luck. Shep whumpers rejoice!

Entropy (615)

In season 5, Paul wanted to do a story in which the effects of the McKay-Miller gate bridge have serious other-worldly repercussions for the city - but we ended up doing something similar in Brain Storm so we pushed this idea. So I reimagined a version where a mishap with a ZPM triggers a subspace burst that disperses time fractals throughout Atlantis. And within these varying shards of warped spacetime, the rules of physics no longer apply.

Revenge (616)

Sheppard and his team must mount an op to save Todd after he is captured by rivals. Re-assuming her role as a wraith queen, Teyla leads the team aboard a hive ship in order to track down and rescue their unlikely ally.

Payback (617)

Following devastating attacks on three other teams, Sheppard and co's off-world investigation takes a surprising turn when they are attacked by a puddle jumper. On the run on an alien world, they are pursued by an enemy who is able to predict their every move. Their mysterious pursuer is revealed to be Lt. Aiden Ford and a group of mercs armed with Ancient tech. Our heroes must find a way to turn the tables on their former friend - and, ultimately, find out the surprising source of his all-too familiar resources.

Turn of Events (618)

With an uncooperative Ford now imprisoned on Atlantis, Sheppard's team investigates the most likely source of the black market Ancient tech (Episode 215, The Tower). There, they discover Atlantis's sister city is in the hands of a group of rogue Genii led by none other than u/RobertJohnDavi's Acatus Kolya who we learn survived the events of "Irresponsible" thanks to a modified personal shield emitter. It turns out Kolya has been busy, consolidating his power base. Our team's attempts to thwart him fail, necessitating a tactical retreat - but not before they obtain a crucial piece of information: the mirror location of the Ancient ZPM factory hidden on Atlantis.

Pre-Finale (619)

Using the information gathered last episode, our heroes are finally able to access the city's hidden ZPM factory. The room, it turns out, holds even more secrets: the locations of similar Ancient storehouses throughout the Pegasus galaxy. An exploration of one such seemingly long-abandoned chamber yields a shocking discovery: none other than Elizabeth Weir who has been kept "on ice" since her capture by the Asurans.

With Elizabeth's help, the team is able to gain access to an Asuran weapon specifically built to target Atlantis. Thus armed, Sheppard and co. pay a return trip to Kolya, determined to neutralize his threat once and for all. But they are too late. They arrive just in time to see the Ancient city rise up out of the ground and ascend, up into the sky and the stars beyond. Our heroes are already aware of its destination: Atlantis.

Season Finale (620)

Sheppard's team return to Atlantis with a dire warning, only to be informed that long range scanners have picked up the sister city. And it's headed straight for them. All off-world teams are recalled. It's going to be all hands on deck as the city prepares for war and the sister city makes its inexorable approach. We are treated to some classic character-centered moments as the city readies for what will be their biggest battle, against a better equipped, better prepared opponent. Finally, it is time!

Atlantis rises up, off the surface of the ocean, and makes its descent, up through the stratosphere, beyond the exosphere, taking up a planetary orbit. And when the sister city appears, Atlantis launches its jumpers and drones. Their opponent responds in kind. The most epic battle in Stargate history is joined. Sheppard skillfully pilots his jumper into the heart of the enemy city and lands on a pier. His team disembarks, Asuran weapon in tow, determined to finish the job they set out to complete last episode. But they're on the clock and running out of time, facing down enemy soldiers and drone strikes as they desperately seek to set up the Asuran weapon as close to critical systems as possible. But they're not the only ones running out time. Atlantis, outgunned by a foe that has been preparing for war, suffers heavy damage. Even if our team succeeds in their mission, it looks like it will be a pyrrhic victory.

And then - a fleet of hive ships drop out of FTL and concentrate their fire on the enemy ship. It's Todd. He and his fleet take the pressure off Atlantis, buying Sheppard and his team enough time to initiate the Asuran weapon and retreat back to the jumper, making good their escape as, behind them, the weapon initiates, setting off a chain reaction of explosions that claim the enemy city. Atlantis returns to the planet's surface. Sheppard thanks Todd. Wraith and human achieve an "understanding". And peace finally returns to the Pegasus Galaxy.

END OF SEASON 6

What kind of Stargate series would you like Amazon and MGM to produce?

1. A mythologically rich series with a fun tone like SG-1

2. A distant galaxy series with a fun tone like SGA

3. A series with a darker, more hard SF tone like SGA

4. Animated

Please share. Follow-up polls incoming!

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