Stargate

Stargate began as a novel before giving rise to a feature film and two popular television series.

In the film, the protagonists (Colonel Jack O'Niel and archaeologist Daniel Jackson) are wrapped up in the discovery of an ancient alien artifact, the Stargate, which provides entry to a network of wormholes that can transport people and objects to other gates on other planets. It is also revealed that the Pyramids of Giza, among many other ancient monuments, were built by humans living under the rule of the alien Goa'uld, or 'Gould,' which are nervous system parasites that can 'possess' a living host.

The first of the two series, Stargate SG-1, follows the exploits of a top-secret team of agents under the command of the United States military. The team is initially composed of O'Niel and Jackson, plus Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c, a human born and raised off-world in a society ruled by Goa'uld overlords. The composition of the team varies across seasons, with Carter and Teal'c being the only members to remain constant throughout.

The first several seasons of the series follow the team's exploration of other worlds, seeking technology and allies to help them ward off the threat of the Goa'uld. Several Goa'uld leaders rise and fall during this time. In later seasons, other threats are interwoven with or replace the Goa'uld: the Replicators, advanced machines bent on assimilating technology and resources; Anubis, a mysterious leader of the Goa'uld who is not a Goa'uld himself; and the Orii, a group of evangelists proclaiming a faith based on powerful, hyper-technological beings. The primary allies of the Stargate team are rebels fighting the Goa'uld from within, and the powerful alien Asgard, who are in a perpetual state of tension with the Goa'uld. Various other factions, friendly, neutral, and hostile, occur frequently throughout the series.

Stargate SG-1 ran for ten seasons and produced over 200 episodes, a remarkable feat for a science-fiction drama.

The second series, Stargate Atlantis, follows a large expeditionary team who travel to the city of Atlantis, a place once part of a huge empire (that of the Ancients) which has since either crumbled or 'Ascended' to a higher state of being. The team's objective is to collect information and technology from the Pegasus galaxy where Atlantis is located, but they have to contend with the voracious, life-sucking Wraith as well as various other local factions.

Record 56 - universe - Last update 10 Nov 2007, 12:38:21

Entry written by: Torvus

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