I only got into Stargate-SG1 probably around 3rd or 4th season. I likened it to the adoptive child of the sci-fi series Star Trek: while not related to it's parent, Stargate picked up many of its traits from it's idol. Stargate was optimistic, funny (in fact for their 200th episode they took the liberty of making fun of themselves), and engaging. However, I was sad to see the franchise die so suddenly when there was great potential in it to be right up there with Star Trek (just on its level and not just second).
Stargate-SG1:
The show was based off a movie starring Kurt Russell. At first the series didn't receive that much good feed back but luckily the producers stuck with it and eventually it became a cult phenomenon. Weaving "Ancient Alien Theory" (the idea that aliens visited mankind in the past and were worshipped as gods) into a classic odyssey story that didn't really need a space ship but used an inter dimensional doorway that led the team to other alien worlds. What makes it different from Star Trek is that the Stargate Program was a secret military operation that not even Congress knew much about. It took place in modern time and it took on the reality that if the US government really did find alien technology they would hide it and not reveal it to the public. The general fear would be panic of course and we know how xenophobia works.
This show was the longest running sic-fi TV series with 10 seasons (later broken by Smallville) and part of the reason was the chemistry between the characters and the cast. There was a genuine bond between the SG-1 team that was touching with moments of hilarity. We had two egg-heads, a stoic alien friend, and a leader who was dedicated to his team but also liked to crack jokes half the time (not exactly a Captain Kirk who liked to put a few notches in his belt with every alien encounter but it worked). Jack's story of how he lost his son to gun violence was dark for an optimistic show but it really sent a message on how guns make things worse and violence only causes pain. That's why the Stargate Program was mostly an exploration/good samaritan project. Teams would have guns but they were not encouraged to use them unless in severe danger.
Stargate Atlantis:
Stargate-SG1 ended but the series so good, the SyFy network decided to do a spin off. They kept to the mythology to the Ancients who built Atlantis and put that fortress on a distant planet. More of their journeys took place in outer space but the Stargate was still vital (the show is called "Stargate" for god sakes).
Most of the elements of Stargate was put into this spin off. Except the leader of this team was more like Captain Kirk. Captain John Sheppard was younger than Col. Jack O'Neil but just as gruff and prone to sarcasm when it came to dealing with fights or even his team (especially with the team geniuses). But John had something extra: he had an Ancients' gene, meaning he was a descendent of the Ancients and so could use their gene-based technology.
Unfortunately this spin-off only had 5 seasons but it had a good run with many honors showered upon it. I think Stargate Atlantis was a good effort and should still be up there with it's parent, Stargate-SG1.
Stargate Universe:
While I applaud Stargate Atlantis I will have to wag my finger at Stargate Universe. It went from light and optimistic to plain dark and foreboding to just plain claustrophobic. It was no longer a family that stuck together but just a group of strangers forced onto a drifting ship cut off from civilization. That's too Lost for my taste. It really strayed from what made the franchise great.
While I like the "stranded on an island with strangers" scenario where you have to survive with people you don't know, I believe that would have been best left to another series. It became more of a "Lord of the Flies" situation which was not what Stargate was all about. Stargate suddenly became Battlestar Galactica which was a good series as well but mixing the two together was a mistake. You can't just recreate a series that has been on TV so long that it has created a formula that makes it unique then mess with that formula to get something completely different and cut off from it's origins. Can't be done. That's why I think Stargate Universe only got 2 seasons.
The second season ended with a semi-cliffhanger that was supposed to be turned into a movie but the idea was cancelled. At least Stargate-SG1 had a movie or two and they didn't really need them.
In conclusion, I think Stargate was this generation's Star Trek. It had some of the same traits but many differences that made it unique to its generation. Stargate should be put in the Sci-Fi series Hall of Fame.
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