SG-1 Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe all had some jaw-dropping twists. Starting with 1994 Stargate In the film, the franchise revolves around ancient alien devices called Stargates, which 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 several alien planets. SG-1 It consists of ten television seasons and two films, making it one of the longest-running science fiction shows of all time.
In SG-1 In 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 feature teams of military and civilian officers as they uncover long-forgotten truths about human history. The third Stargate show, Stargate Universe, follows a crew who become stranded several billion light years from Earth on an ancient alien ship called Destiny.
10
The Ancients launched Destiny to seek the origin of the universe
Stargate Universe Season 2 Episode 7 – “The Greater Good”
In a darker tone than its predecessors, Stargate Universe focused more on the interpersonal relationships between the makeshift crew of the Destiny. Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), in particular, caused a lot of friction among the crew, as he was more interested in the Ancient One’s technology than finding a way home. Rush has been studying Destiny, trying to figure out why the Ancients created such a huge ship and then left it flying through space.
In “The Greater Good”, Rush reveals that the Ancients discovered a pattern in the cosmos that defies the laws of physics and it could not have occurred naturally. The Ancients created Destiny to travel the universe collecting fragments of this pattern, hoping to gain a better understanding of the universe and its creation. Rush wants to continue this mission, but Colonel Everett Young (Louis Ferreira) remains focused on returning to Earth. Why Stargate Universe was canceled after just two seasons, Destiny’s ultimate fate remains unknown.
9
Michael Kenmore is a ghost
Stargate Atlantis Season 2, Episode 18 – “Michael”
With the Goa’uld threat mostly resolved in the Milky Way, Stargate Atlantis introduced new alien villains called Wraith. In “Michael,” Lieutenant Michael Kenmore (Connor Trinneer) wakes up with no memory of his past or identity. As the Atlantis crew works to help Michael reintegrate into life aboard the station, he begins to have strange dreams about the Wraith. When Michael takes a look at his own medical files, he discovers the truth – he is a Wraith who was transformed into a human.
After the Atlantis crew discovered that the Wraith had human DNA, they began working on a way to transform a Wraith into a human. Michael was their guinea pig, and he attacks after learning what was done to him. He eventually escapes, stops taking the drug that made him human, and returns to the Wraith. Because of the procedure, Michael only partially transforms into a Wraith, which later makes him an outcast among his own people.
8
The SG-1 team finds a second Stargate on Earth
Stargate SG-1 Season 1, Episode 17 – “Solitudes”
When the Stargate malfunctions, Colonel O’Neill and Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) are trapped in an icy cave on an unknown planet. As Daniel Jackson (Micahel Shanks) tries to find a way to locate his missing team members, Carter finds the Dial Home Device for the Stargate they emerged from and tries to dial Earth. Daniel realizes that seismic activity has occurred at Stargate Command and soon discovers similar activity in Antarctica.
In the end, Dr. Jackson realizes that Carter and O’Neill have been on Earth the entire time, having emerged from a second Earth Stargate buried in Antarctica. Believing they are trapped on an ice planet with no way home, Carter and O’Neill resign themselves to their fate, but a Stargate team arrives to rescue them just in time. This second Stargate would later be extremely useful, and its discovery remains one of the SG-1 better early comebacks.
7
Colonel Steven Caldwell is a Goa’uld spy
Stargate Atlantis Season 2, Episode 13 – “Critical Mass”
When the Atlantis team discovers that there is a bomb hidden in the city, they fight to find the culprit and stop the explosion. As Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) questions several crew members in search of the saboteur, Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) discovers that the city’s failsafe system has been disabled. If they don’t enter a specific code, Atlantis’ energy systems will overload and destroy the city.
With ten minutes left, Weir and McKay discover that Colonel Steven Caldwell (Mitch Pileggi) is responsible for everything. That would be shocking enough in itself, but Caldwell reveals that he was possessed by a Goa’uld. After being electrocuted, Caldwell overpowers the Goa’uld long enough to tell McKay the correct code, which he enters to save the city.
6
Vala Mal Doran returns and is spontaneously pregnant
Stargate SG-1 Season 9, Episode 19 – “Crusade”
A skilled con artist and thief, Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) first appeared in SG-1 Stargate in season 8, but ended up becoming a main character. In SG-1 season 9, episode 6, ‘Beachhead,’ Vala apparently sacrifices herself to prevent the powerful Ori from gaining a stronghold in the Milky Way. In reality, she was transported to a village in the Ori galaxy, where she soon discovered she was pregnant, despite having done “none of the required bits.”
Having found a way to communicate with SG-1 by speaking through Daniel Jackson, Vala tells her story to the shocked members of Stargate Command. She reveals that the Ori have been building ships and training their followers to embark on a massive crusade against Earth. Vala eventually discovers that the Ori impregnated her with a baby destined to become the leader of the Ori.
5
Oma Desala was responsible for the rise of Anubis
Stargate SG-1 Season 8, Episode 18 – “Threads”
After Stargate Command defeated the Goa’uld known as Apophis (Peter Williams), a new villain named Anubis (David Palffy) emerged as the show’s main villain. In “Topics”, Dr. Daniel Jackson is killed (again) and finds himself in a strange restaurant where he discovers a disturbing truth about Anubis. Daniel reunites with the ascended Elder named Oma Desala (Mel Harris), who previously helped him ascend to a higher plane of existence.
While in this restaurant between life and death, Daniel also encounters a man named Jim (George Dzundza), who is later revealed to be Anubis. Anubis tricked Oma Desala into helping him ascend, but he is only half-ascended. With Anubis threatening the entire galaxy, Oma Desala agrees to fight Anubis to keep him in the Ascended realm to keep it away from Earth.
4
Dr. Janet Frasier is killed on a mission
Stargate SG-1 Season 7, Episodes 17 and 18 – “Heroes”
As Chief Medical Officer of Stargate Command, Dr. Janet Fraiser (Teryl Rothery) became one of the Stargate SG-1 most important recurring characters throughout the series’ first seven seasons. In the two parts of season 7, “Heroes”, a journalist named Emmett Bregman (Saul Rubinek) visits Stargate Command to film a documentary showing the inner workings of the Stargate program. When a Stargate mission goes wrong, Colonel O’Neill and his team are sent to help and Dr. Fraiser joins them to tend to the injured.
The team returns with a lifeless body on a stretcher, but the episode does not immediately reveal the identity of this body, suggesting that the fallen crewman could be Colonel O’Neill. Bregman tries to figure out what happened, speaking passionately about the importance of media. When Daniel Jackson finally agrees to show him the mission tape, Bregman is horrified to see Dr. Fraiser shot and killed in SG1. Fraiser was a heartwarming supporting character throughout the series, and his death came as a huge shock.
3
Teal’c is alive and has returned to Apophis
Stargate SG-1 Season 5, Episode 1 – “Enemies”
After a massive battle against Apophis and his fleet, SG-1 Stargate season 4 ends on a huge cliffhanger that leaves several plot threads hanging in the balance. During the battle, Teal’c (Christopher Judge) appears to have been killed in an ambush, although he is later presented as a gift to Apophis. The first episode of season 5 picks up right where the cliffhanger left off, with the SG-1 team believing that Teal’c is dead.
They are overjoyed when he contacts them later, but Teal’C quickly grabs Colonel O’Neill’s gun and points it at him. O’Neill and his team watch in shock as Apophis enters, informing the team that Teal’c returned to his position as First Prime of Apophis, or second in command. The team realizes that Teal’c has been brainwashed into believing that he has always remained loyal to Apophis. His loyalty does not waver even when Apophis is killed, and it takes a long and arduous Jaffa ritual to undo the brainwashing.
2
Carson Beckett is alive (sort of)
Stargate Atlantis Season 4, Episode 18 – “The Kindred, Part I”
Carson Beckett (Paul McGillion) served as Atlantis’ Chief Medical Officer, treating the inhabitants’ illnesses and researching any potential medical discoveries found in the Pegasus galaxy. In Atlantis season 3, episode 17, “Sunday”, Beckett is killed while trying to free himself from an explosive tumor. Beckett’s death is a shocking moment in and of itself, but her “return” a season later is even more surprising.
At the end of “The Kindred, Part I”, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his team encounter Dr. Beckett as a prisoner of the Wraith. When they arrived at their cell, Beckett exclaims: “Finally! It’s about time! What took you so long?!” The Atlantis team eventually discovered that the human/Wraith hybrid Michael had created a clone of Carson Beckett, although this Beckett believed himself to be the real thing and had the same memories.
1
Apophis returns
Stargate SG-1 Season 3, Episode 12 – “Memories of Jolinar”
Apophis served as the main antagonist throughout SG-1 first few seasons, but his reign of terror came to an end with his death in SG-1 Season 2, Episode 17, “Serpent Song.” However, like many science fiction properties, death does not always mean the end in Stargate universe. Nearly a year after Colonel O’Neill and his team watched Apophis die, they embarked on a mission to rescue Carter’s father, Jacob (Carmen Argenziano), from the Goa’uld.
The Stargate team finds Jacob, but ends up being captured. They soon manage to escape, but just before they are to be transported back to their ship, a Goa’uld named Na’onak captures them again. When Na’onak removes his helmet, he reveals himself to be Apophis, now sporting a horribly scarred face. Jacob and the SG-1 team are shocked as the episode cuts to black. THE Stargate The franchise has had some pretty shocking twists and cliffhangers, but Apophis’ return remains one of the best.
-
- Cast
-
Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis, Gary Jones, Teryl Rothery, Ben Browder
- Release date
-
July 27, 1997
- Seasons
-
10
- Presenter
-
Brad Wright
-
- Cast
-
Chuck Campbell, David Hewlett, David Nykl, Rachel Luttrell, Paul McGillion, Joe Flanigan, Jason Momoa, Torri Higginson
- Release date
-
July 16, 2004
- Seasons
-
5
- Presenter
-
Brad Wright