It may not have as wide and dedicated a fan base as the cultural archives of “Star Trek” or “Star Wars,” but the “Stargate” franchise is surprisingly wide-ranging. Although it began with a single film directed by Roland Emmerich, the saga quickly grew to include multiple TV series, direct-to-home-media films, comics, video games, and books. For those unaware, it may seem nearly impossible to figure out the correct order in which to watch the “Stargate” franchise.
Thankfully, the best “Stargate” is the early “Stargate,” aka Emmerich’s film and the first TV spin-off called “Stargate SG-1.” Conceived as a sequel to the film, “SG-1” debuted on Showtime in 1997 and followed the same special operations team from the film as they explored the universe through the titular artifact. Instead of Kurt Russell, who declined to return as Colonel Jack O’Neil for the show, “SG-1” cast Richard Dean Anderson in the role, which undoubtedly helped the series significantly since the man was already Hee was a TV legend to play his role. MacGyver in the show of the same name.
Although Anderson stepped back from leading the series as the show began, he helped solidify its status as a cult sci-fi hit, lasting a full 10 years before its cancellation. During that time, “SG-1” also managed to break a Guinness World Record, which was eventually broken by none other than the Man of Steel a few years later.
Stargate SG-1 breaks Guinness World Record
During the broadcast, “Stargate SG-1” switched from Showtime to Sci-Fi Channel (now “Syfy”) for its sixth season. It also has an impressive legacy, spawning other TV shows including the animated series “Stargate Infinity” and the live-action shows “Stargate Atlantis,” “Stargate Universe,” and “Stargate Origins” – to mention two direct-to-home Hasn’t been -media movies. So, even though the Sci-Fi Channel canceled “SG-1” after its 10th season, it’s a major accomplishment, considering that the show not only extended the “Stargate” mythos and furthered the franchise. Not only inspired the entries, but also included one. A total of 214 episodes during its 10 years on the air.
What’s more, “SG-1” managed to break the Guinness World Record for the longest continuously running sci-fi TV show. fan site gateworld This feat was reported in 2007, noting how the show had “run without interruption” for almost 10 years at that point. The episode that pushed “SG-1” over the edge was its 203rd, “Company of Thieves”, which first aired on September 15, 2006. The second longest-running sci-fi series at the time was “The X-Files”. It ran from September 10, 1993 to May 9, 2002 and consisted of 202 episodes.
As time went on, “The X-Files” actually managed to top its former rival, adding more installments to bring its total number of episodes to 218. But those episodes were not consecutive, so “SG-1” may have kept it. If it weren’t for another long-running show the record…
Superman takes down SG-1… sort of.
“Smallville” may be a superhero story at heart, but it qualifies as a sci-fi series for the Guinness people. In May 2011, gateworld “Smallville” was reported to be coming to an end, having taken the record for the longest-running sci-fi TV show from “SG-1” a month earlier. Like “Stargate,” the hit WB/CW series ran for 10 seasons, surpassing its rival with its 215th episode. By the time “Smallville” ended it had amassed 218 installments, matching “The X-Files” above. However, unlike that other seminal sci-fi series, the Tom Welling-led show was produced continuously.
As GetWorld noted at the time, “Smallville” beat out “SG-1” despite both shows lasting 10 seasons, largely because “SyFy increased its standard episode length starting with the eighth season. The order was reduced from 22 to 20 per year,” while the network that hosts “Smallville,” The CW, “continued the more industry-standard practice of 22 episodes per year.” Interestingly, both shows were produced in Vancouver, Canada, with Lois Lane actor Erica Durance appearing on “SG-1” as Teal’c’s next-door neighbor, Christa, in the season 8 episode “Affinity”. .
That’s all very well, but it seems Guinness has stirred up some controversy with this particular record, as “Doctor Who” fans have demanded recognition of their show, the original version of which consisted of 694 episodes. . The British series has since been handed the world record for “most consecutive sci-fi TV episodes ever”. Guinness Noting how “Doctor Who” – which returns for new episodes in 2024 – aired “694 consecutive episodes over 26 seasons” between November 23, 1963, and December 6, 1989 and was “on the air for 26 years and 14 days ” How this didn’t make the show eligible for the “longest continuously running sci-fi TV show” record is unclear, but at least things have changed in the years since “Smallville” claimed the win. Has recovered to some extent.
