Stargate Is Becoming A Forgotten Sci-Fi Franchise?
A new article from Paste Magazine questions whether or not Stargate has been completely forgotten.
As far as science fiction franchises go, many people often think of Star Wars or Star Trek when looking for something to become a fan of. However, there is quite the cult following for a franchise built from the 1994 film Stargate, starring Kurt Russell, James Spader, and a young Jaye Davidson. Although the Stargate franchise has been financially successful for the past three decades, Paste Magazine reports that it has become eclipsed by other science fiction content in recent years, leading viewers to forget that it exists.
Stargate was released in theaters on October 28, 1994, and quickly became one of the biggest movies in the career of acting legends Kurt Russell and James Spader. Grossing over $196 million against a budget of $55 million upon its release, Stargate launched a media empire that has included several television shows, books, video games, and direct-to-DVD sequels. But Paste Magazine argues that because the franchise has not been heavily promoted in recent years with no new entries to add to its series of films and television products, audiences are essentially forgetting about Stargate altogether.
In comparison, Star Wars is owned by Disney and is heavily featured as part of Disney+’s catalog, available to stream at any time, including new television shows like Andor. Similarly, Star Trek seems to keep cranking out new installments for their loyal fanbase to enjoy, such as Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, all of which are currently available to stream on Paramount+ with new episodes. Stargate is presently owned by MGM, which was acquired recently by Amazon, so many fans of that franchise are most likely hoping to see more content produced to add to Amazon Prime Video.
The original Stargate was directed by Roland Emmerich, who would go on to give the world classic science fiction disaster movies like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. Stargate embodied a militaristic approach to the science fiction genre centered around an ancient device that enables users of the device to travel all over the universe. The film is notable as the last major screen appearance by actor Jaye Davidson who retired from acting altogether.
Even though audiences may have forgotten that the franchise existed, Stargate may soon end up seeing a reboot. Giant Freakin Robot reported on an exclusive a few months back that details Amazon Prime Video’s intention to reboot the franchise and possibly bring some of the 1994 original actors back to reprise their roles. So far, there haven’t been a lot of discussions outside of this revelation, but all of the existing television series within the Stargate franchise are available to stream on Pluto TV, with some–like Stargate SG-1–available on Amazon Prime Video so fans can enjoy them once again.
