Stargate SG-1

Summary

Plot

:See Stargate for a general summary of this universe, or List of Stargate SG-1 episodes for a detailed plot analysis.

Related Topics:
Stargate - List of Stargate SG-1 episodes

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The series follows the adventures of four explorers designated as SG-1, one team among fifteen, who use an alien artifact called a 'Stargate' to travel the vast distances between planets, operating under the aegis of the United States government's secret military base, Stargate Command (SGC). The very existence of the SGC and all of its activities are covert and SCI-classified ("Sensitive Compartmented Information").

Related Topics:
SG-1 - Stargate - United States government - Sensitive Compartmented Information

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The primary goal of the SG teams is to travel to other worlds through the Stargate and procure alien technology to help defend Earth against the Goa'uld, who became aware of the planet's now relatively advanced civilization after the recovery of Earth's Stargate and the subsequent destruction of Ra, the supreme Goa'uld System Lord (the events depicted in the 1994 movie). The Stargate teams were frustrated in initial efforts to acquire advanced technology to fight the Goa'uld from more advanced species and offshoots of humanity. Three attempts were made to reverse-engineer alien technology and build its own starships, leading to the production of the F-302 and BC-303 models.

Related Topics:
SG teams - Ra - 1994 movie - F-302 - BC-303

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The four original members of SG-1 were Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, Captain Samantha "Sam" Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, an alien Jaffa. In season three Carter was promoted to major. For season six, Jackson was replaced by Jonas Quinn, an alien human, but Jackson returned to the show for season seven.

Related Topics:
SG-1 - Colonel - Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill - Captain - Samantha "Sam" Carter - Daniel Jackson - Teal'c - Jaffa - Major - Jonas Quinn

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Originally led by Major General George Hammond, Stargate Command is based in the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colorado. The U.S. Air Force is in direct charge of the Stargate program, although from early on there was at least one SG team comprised of U.S. Marines. In later seasons there was considerable participation in the Stargate program by civilians and non-Americans, including at least one Russian SG team.

Related Topics:
Major General - George Hammond - Stargate Command - Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station - Colorado - U.S. Air Force - SG team - U.S. Marines - Russia

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At the end of season seven, Hammond was promoted to Lieutenant General and reassigned to the "Office of Homeworld Security" in the Pentagon. Dr. Elizabeth Weir assumed temporary command of the SGC, after which she was reassigned to the Antarctic base and, subsequently, as leader of the "Atlantis" mission (see Stargate Atlantis). O'Neill was promoted to Brigadier General and he in turn promoted Carter to Lieutenant Colonel and team leader of SG-1.

Related Topics:
Lieutenant General - The Pentagon - Elizabeth Weir - Stargate Atlantis - Brigadier General - Lieutenant Colonel

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For season nine, General Hank Landry replaces O'Neill as commander of the SGC, Dr. Carolyn Lam replaces Brightman and Fraiser as Chief Medical Officer, and Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell is the new Commanding Officer of SG-1.

Related Topics:
Hank Landry - Carolyn Lam - Chief Medical Officer - Lt. Col. - Cameron Mitchell - Commanding Officer

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One of the most endearing qualities of Stargate SG-1 is that it takes place in the present day. Humans, as depicted in the series, are technologically behind some of the alien races the Stargate teams have met, but are rapidly gaining the ability to fight, defend, and benefit from the advances they have been exposed to in both significant and material ways.

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Stargate SG-1 is notable for featuring many actors from other prominent science fiction series as guest stars on its show. These included John de Lancie (', ', ') Jolene Blalock ('), Robert Picardo ('), Adam Baldwin (Firefly) and Claudia Black (Farscape). This trend extends to Stargate Atlantis, which featured Colm Meaney (', ') and Jewel Staite (Firefly), as well as Robert Patrick and Mitch Pileggi (both of The X-Files). The recent incorporation of Ben Browder (Farscape) as a regular character and Lexa Doig (Andromeda) as a recurring character further cements this trend.

Related Topics:
John de Lancie - Jolene Blalock - Robert Picardo - Adam Baldwin - Firefly - Claudia Black - Farscape - Stargate Atlantis - Colm Meaney - Jewel Staite - Robert Patrick - Mitch Pileggi - The X-Files - Ben Browder - Lexa Doig - Andromeda

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The show remains popular despite entering its ninth season on the air. TV Guide recently proposed that its popularity may be exceeding that of the Star Trek franchise. Stargate SG-1 continues to break records in terms of Nielsen Ratings for the Sci-Fi channel, while the eighth season two-part episode "Reckoning" was widely regarded by fans as one of the five best in the show's history. Although Richard Dean Anderson departs the show as a regular in season nine, he appears in the first and third episodes of that season and has left the door open for future appearances.

Related Topics:
TV Guide - Star Trek - Nielsen Ratings - Richard Dean Anderson

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The USAF cooperates closely with the makers of the program. Two successive Chiefs of Staff of the USAF, Generals Michael E. Ryan and John P. Jumper, have appeared in the show, playing themselves. Ryan appeared in the episode "Prodigy" (419) because of his fascination with science fiction, especially space exploration. Jumper made a cameo appearance in "Lost City" (722), the episode that was originally slated to be the show's last. The Air Force Association recognized Richard Dean Anderson at its 57th annual dinner on September 14, 2004 for his work as actor and executive producer of the show and "for the show's continuous positive depiction of the Air Force." http://www.af.mil/mediacenter/pressrelease.asp?prID=123008593

Related Topics:
USAF - Chiefs of Staff of the USAF - Michael E. Ryan - John P. Jumper - 419 - Air Force Association - Richard Dean Anderson - September 14 - 2004

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The SG-1 Fictional Universe

Alien races

While most of the planets in the Stargate universe house transplanted human populations, several alien races are also featured, and a few of them have important roles in the story.

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The chief alien race of SG1 are the Goa'uld, an evil parasitic race that take Humans and some other species for hosts. These aliens often pose as gods to enslave people. Other alien races encountered are the benevolent Asgard, and the incredibly advanced Ancients, who appear mostly in their Ascended forms.

Related Topics:
Goa'uld - Asgard - Ancients - Ascended

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Human civilizations on other planets

In the Stargate universe, the explanation for human presence on other planets is that the Goa'uld used Stargates to transport large numbers of humans to other planets for use as slaves. Most Goa'uld-controlled worlds remain at a lower level of technology than Earth because interference has prevented them from progressing. Their inhabitants are often quite similar to the societies that were imported from Earth, culturally as well as technologically, with some adaptations based on their experiences with the Goa'uld.

Related Topics:
Goa'uld - Slave

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A few of the groups so far encountered were abandoned (usually due to a decline of easily mined naqahdah deposits) and have developed on their own to a level of technology far greater than that of contemporary Earth. The premise is that if Earth had not experienced the Dark Ages, it would also have developed to such advanced levels.

Related Topics:
Naqahdah - Dark Ages

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One of these advanced human races we see repeatedly are the Tollan, a heavily advanced race SG1 saves from the brink of destruction in first contact with them. The Tollan hold a strict policy of not allowing other less advanced races to access their technology for fear the race will destroy themselves with it.

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Humans from Earth are known by alien races as the Tau'ri.

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Technology

There exist a number of more technologically advanced races and societies on the show, who have produced a variety of highly-advanced weapons, tools, and spacecraft.

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Chiefly, the Goa'uld possess massive motherships and Death Gliders, and use Ring Transporters for small-distance movement, as well as Zat guns and staff weapons for attack. Some aliens possess devices that can probe memories, detect lies, hold bodies in stasis, create holograms that can act as perfect avatars for the subject, and teleportation devices that can transport things from anywhere to anywhere else without the device itself being near.

Related Topics:
Goa'uld - Ring Transporters - Zat - Staff weapon

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Planets

A number of different planets are seen throughout the series. Every planet other than Earth is assigned a code of the form P0X-000 (M0X-000 in the Pegasus Galaxy), where "0" is replaced by a number and "X" by any letter; these are derived from the coordinate-adjusting program developed by Samantha Carter to make the Abydos Cartouche gate adresses of any use. However, if the local name of a planet is known then that name is usually used in place of the designator code.

Related Topics:
Samantha Carter - Abydos

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Some of the more important planets are:

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• Chulak: a Jaffa homeworld, formerly controlled by Apophis. Teal'c's homeworld.
• Dakara: Home of an Ancient superweapon. It is also holy to the Jaffa, who have made it the capital of the new Free Jaffa Nation.
• Abydos: the planet visited in the original Stargate film, as well as several times during the series. Homeworld of Sha're and Skaara.
• Tollana: the second homeworld of the technologically advanced Tollan until their destruction.
• Langara: homeworld of Jonas Quinn.
• Orilla: The current Asgard homeworld.
• The Alpha Site: a designation for an uninhabited world with a gate address unknown to the Goa'uld set up in case Earth (or any other human-controlled world) has to be evacuated. In the alternate timeline where it is first introduced, it is called the "Beta Site."