Reminiscing about the greatest TV show of all time
When I was growing up, I moved between Australia, Poland and the Philippines a bit. I first saw the gate in 1994, a trailer for the original motion picture film, Roland Emmerich’s Stargate, came on. Something about the gate itself, perhaps the use of practical water effects, left an impression on me that lasted years. I wondered for a long time what ever happened to that cool film I saw a trailer for, but I couldn’t even remember it’s name by the time I saw it again.
Two years later, in 1996, I was living in Poland. I still hadn’t found that film but I had my fix for scifi. History was another fascination of mine, so any story that involved ancient civilisations with advanced technology was my jam. I got my first PC and it shipped with a game called Inca 2. I wasn’t smart enough to figure out the puzzles, but I enjoyed it’s world building and style. Polish TV was a bit behind, perhaps due to relying on dubs of English language shows. The Mysterious Cities of Gold was often airing on free to air, and it’s themes blew my young mind.
I was living back in Australia by 1998. While starting my first full year of school in 1999, a trailer for something incredibly interesting came on — Stargate SG-1. Little did I know then that this was the beginning of a lifetime of enjoyment. I watched SG-1 as often as I could, but being a silly kid at 11 years old I couldn’t always catch every episode. I think at some point I’d clicked that this was the TV show of the film trailer I’d seen long ago, but I’m actually not too sure when that particular penny dropped. Though I didn’t catch it all, I’d say I’d seen at least seasons 1–4 on TV by year 2001.
Everything changes and it does so incredibly fast when you’re a teenager. I don’t remember when I stopped paying attention to the show, but I remember the feeling it stirred when I saw it again. I was at a friend’s house and season 7’s Evolution Part 1 came on. I had no idea what was going on as I was so far behind, but I knew I had to catch up. In 2003, renting DVD’s was the norm and so that’s how I was able to bring myself up to speed. Through mysterious and fortunate ways, I was also able to watch the latest US episodes as they aired from then on.
I’ve spent much of my life in a romantic relationship, and of those I’ve forced every partner to watch Stargate with me. From guys I dated while I was in high school from 2003 to 2005, through to more serious ones in my adult life. Back in 2006, I was 18 and earning minimum wage in a call center job and so it became a tradition with that boyfriend to buy a new Stargate box set every month so we could get through the series together. In 2007, the unthinkable happened — Stargate SG-1 was cancelled by the Syfy channel.
Since the final episode aired, I’ve watched the show countless times. It’s a great accompaniment to house chores, programming work and simply for a nostalgic watch. Last year, I moved down the road from my neighbourhood Stargate, which is literally a giant gate inspired public artwork in front of the local shopping center. Living so close to it was a happy coincidence that you could call fate. I’m 33 now and have been thinking about getting my first tattoo,
IF FOUND, RETURN TO <Earth’s Address in the series>
My own creative projects are heavily influenced by Stargate, most noticeably some of the visuals in Kamigen which are quite similar to Stargate Atlantis, with my own Filipino take on the advanced ancient humans trope.
I know it’s possible the show will get a reboot, but I’m not holding my breath given how things have been handled with Star Trek and Star Wars. The 10 seasons we got are excellent and combined with it’s spin off shows and movies enough content that I can generally watch it all through once or twice a year without getting bored of it. Whatever happens next or what the future brings, Stargate SG-1 will always be a part of my life.
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