In August 2018, at the Fan Expo Convention in Toronto, Canada -- Stargate SG-1 fans heard
the words they’ve been dying to hear for many, many years: Richard Dean Anderson, who
played Col. Jack O’Neill in Stargate SG-1, is up for a potential return to the Stargate
franchise... should a worthy script merit his involvement.
When asked by a fan about such an opportunity, Anderson replied:
“Yes, immediately I would do that.
I was thinking of dropping Brad Wright a note just to see how he was doing, and touch bases
with him [and] see what his status is in all this.
He’s a brilliant writer.
I really respect him a lot.”
While Anderson’s comments could easily be attributed to hopeful musings in an energized
convention setting, the greater context is just as important as the quotes themselves.
More so than any time in the last decade, new live-action, in-canon Stargate is a real
possibility -- and with it, the return of Stargate Command heroes like the man himself,
Jack O’Neill.
So it’s been twelve years since Stargate SG-1 finished its run on the Sci Fi Channel,
and it’s been over a decade since the last live-action SG-1 adventure was released -- that
being the direct to DVD movie Stargate: Continuum.
So it’s been quite some time since we’ve checked in with Stargate Command.
What have our heroes been up to?
Honestly, that’s anyone’s guess.
While licensed Stargate material like the American Mythology Comics and Fandemonium
Novels have captured our imagination and given us a fresh taste of the galactic adventures
that we miss so dearly -- such properties are not technically canon.
When the Stargate franchise went dormant in 2011 -- and the door closed on any immediate
SG1, Atlantis, our Universe prospects -- Stargate’s canon essentially went dark, and many loose
ends were never resolved.
For all we know, Destiny is still in between galaxies, Atlantis is still perched in the
San Francisco Bay, and SG-1 is still operating unbeknownst to the Tau’ri public as the
Lucian Alliance plots an attack on earth.
In fact, the hope of ANY real answers (in live action form) was almost permanently crushed
when MGM greenlit a Stargate reboot trilogy from Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin back in 2014.
Such a move would have seen the existing TV universe disavowed in favor of a brand new
set of Stargate movies that a) rebooted the original 1994 film, and b) allowed Emmerich
and Devlin to follow through on their original trilogy plans -- one they’ve held since
the mid 90s.
Both men have been vocally regretted not getting to finish their three-film Stargate story,
and they saw this as a second chance.
Thankfully for fans of the TV shows, that trilogy fell apart back in 2016, and the reboot
option was permanently shelved.
So where does that leave us today?
First and foremost, Anderson’s comments are significant because the window for an
SG-1 reunion is fast closing.
Legends may be legends, but they aren’t immortal.
At some point, even if the actors are alive, it will be too late to late to tackle another
live-action Stargate project.
But Anderson addressed his limitations, too, stating that “As far as punching the clock
and going to work, I wouldn’t mind doing a mini-series of some kind -- something that
had a clear beginning and end.
I would do something along those lines.”
While a full season of television is admittedly not in the cards, Anderson added that:
“In all the series work that I’ve done, I’ve enjoyed the process.
And I’ve enjoyed what’s happened over a period of time, which is you become familial.”
He remembered his time on Stargate being “surrounded by a great group of people.
“We all got to like each other and play off each other, and it became a real joy.
I wasn’t sad to leave, only because I was leaving for an excellent reason.”
And since his famed departure after the eighth season of Stargate SG-1, Anderson has been
in a state of semi-retirement -- a choice made largely due to his desire to spend more
time with his daughter, Wylie.
Future health issues and complications from surgery also kept him sidelined from rigorous
full-time work in front of the camera… (the kind he had experienced on Stargate SG-1).
While he made occasional guest appearances on Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe
in the late 2000s, those instances were few and far between, and he soon quit acting altogether.
His last screen credit was for an episode of “Don’t Trust the B In Apartment 23”
which aired in 2013 ….(although it’s worth nothing that he did lend his voice to the
character of Jack O’Neill in mobile game “Stargate SG-1: Unleashed,” released in
the same year).
But fast forward several years to present time: his daughter is now in college, and
his health is vastly improved… it’s fair to say he might actually be up to the task.
He was charismatic and in good spirits at Fan Expo last month, and carried a seemingly
newfound interest in revisiting Jack O’Neill and the greater Stargate universe.
Now, beyond actor availability and fandom nostalgia -- is there another reason
for Jack O’Neill to make a return?”
Quite frankly, yes.
Stargate: Continuum was never supposed to be the last of Stargate SG-1, or the last
of Jack O’Neill, for that matter.
Upon the heels of Stargate: Continuum successful DVD release in July of 2008, a third Stargate
SG-1 movie titled “Stargate: Revolution” was placed on the fast track to production.
The story was alleged to be very “O’Neill-centric,” and would deal with the public
disclosure of the Stargate program.
Furthemore, Producer Joe Mallozzi stated in his blog that Revolution would have see the
long-gestating romantic dynamic between Samantha Carter and Jack O’Neill come to fruition.
So what went wrong?
After two well-received DVD movies and a record-breaking, 10-season run -- why didn’t MGM seize the day ...
especially with Richard Dean Anderson fronting such an epic Stargate story?
Well, to their credit, MGM did jump on the opportunity, but pre-production was short
lived with the culprit being the economic downturn of 2008.
Once the recession settled in, physical media sales plummeted -- throwing both film and
television distribution markets into disarray.
Within a few years, the direct-to-DVD distribution model had all but imploded.
Stargate: Revolution (along with the Atlantis movie, Stargate: Extinction) were victims
of this downturn -- initially put into a holding pattern, and but permanently shelved when
Stargate Universe went off the air in early 2011.
To complicate matters, the studio ALSO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010, affecting
not only Stargate but their Hobbit and James Bond franchises.
Their financial woes kept the studio functioning at a reduced capacity for several brutal years,
and it resulted in Stargate -- an otherwise profitable and safe bet -- becoming stuck
in the throes of development hell.
But the first ray of hope came in the summer of 2017, when MGM announced it would be launching
a brand new digital series Stargate Origins along with a digital distribution platform
hand-tailored for the Stargate franchise -- the now famous “Stargate Command.”
And -- just last month at Gatecon 2018 -- SG-1 co-creator and showrunner Brad Wright announced
that he’s once again “talking” again with MGM about the future of the Stargate franchise.
Though the extent of such “talks” have not been disclosed, representatives of MGM
(on a variety of occasions) have confirmed that various Stargate entities are in development
behind closed doors.
And again, it’s reasonable to assume that all these rumblings are linked to actual conversations
of substance that are part of a greater strategic push to revive the Stargate franchise.
Now, as far as O’Neill’s potential involvement, it’s worth noting that Richard Dean Anderson
isn’t bound to what he said on the convention floor.
There are many ways a deal like this could go awry, and an SG-1 / Jack O’Neill return
certainly isn’t the most cost-friendly avenue.
At the same time, a return of O’Neill and other SG-1 heroes would be the most prudent
a logical step in restoring the franchise to its former glory.
After all, Stargate became a phenomenon because of the charisma and soul of O’Neill and
SG-1, and what better way to usher the franchise into a new era than to visit the past for
one last hurrah -- kicking off a brand new story and introducing fresh, relatable characters
that can carry the franchise for years to come (long after Sam and Jack have retired
at their lakeside cabin).
And speaking of retirement: Anderson comically acknowledge the challenges of returning to
action-adventure franchise (even if he ends up behind a desk).
“It takes so much work to get there — and I’m so lazy,” the actor joked.
“I’d want to lose about 25 pounds before I considered it again.
I want to look like Cary Elwes!”
Or in that case, perhaps Harrison Ford.
In the meantime, stick with GateWorld as we look forward to this new era of Stargate,
and hope, just hope that Anderson’s comments are a good sign of things to come.