Stargate
- This article is about the science fiction setting. For other meanings, see Stargate (disambiguation). See Stargate (device) for the fictional device after which the setting is named.
The Stargate fictional universe is originally based on the 1994 science fiction film Stargate. The following works take place in this universe:
- The 1994 film was originally intended as the start of a film franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin moved on to create Independence Day.
- A series of books were published from 1996 to 1999 that were sequels to the film. However, the subsequent TV series was an entirely different development and there was no attempt to reconcile the plot lines.
- The science fiction television series Stargate SG-1 first aired in 1997. Several novels are based on this story of this series.
- The science fiction cartoon television series Stargate Infinity first aired in 2002, but is not canon so the other works that take place in the setting are not reconciled with its story and setting.
- The science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis first aired in 2004.
The televison series Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1 are set in the "present day", and feature characters associated with the United States military and other government organizations that explore the universe through the wormholes created by an ancient "stargate", interacting with aliens and humans that were transplanted from Earth long ago.
In the Stargate universe, most Earth mythologies are based on events and personalities of aliens who visited Earth in the past through these gates, and so, many of the prominent alien characters on the show closely correspond to the gods recorded in Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, and other mythologies.
Many other races refer to Earth's humans as the "Tau'ri", meaning "those of the first world." It was from the abundant life found on prehistoric Earth that an alien race took humans and seeded thousands of other planets. At least initially, all humans who traveled through the Stargate did so as slaves to the Goa'uld, a parasitic race that use humans as hosts slaves.
Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the creators of the original film, had nothing to do with Stargate SG-1 and do not consider it a valid continuation of the film's story even though MGM owns the rights to the franchise. As a result, some fans of the movie reject the series.
The original film did not develop a great deal of the setting's depth, so many minor details of the universe that were introduced in it were changed in the television series. For example, in the movie:
- Ra was said to be the last of his kind.
- The Goa'uld were not named, and were presented as conventional humanoid forms, with Ra using a sort of incorporeal "possession" of a human host instead of direct biological parasitism.
- Colonel Jack O'Neill's name was spelled O'Neil.
- Colonel O'Neill's son was named Tyler, rather than Charlie.
- Kawalsky's first name was Adam, rather than Charles.
- Jackson's wife's name was Sha'uri, rather than Sha're.
- The Stargate's chevrons did not glow red when locked on a symbol.
- Opening the Stargate caused earthquake-like tremors and travellers through the Stargate emerged disoriented and covered in frost.
- The visual effect representing the perspective of the traveller as he passes through the wormhole was slightly different.
- Abydos was "on the far side of the known universe", rather than one of the closest stargates to Earth.
- The Air Force base was under Creek Mountain, rather than Cheyenne Mountain.
Several of these differences were simply ignored by the series, but others have been explained in various episodes of Stargate SG-1. It was mentioned at one point that there is a man named Jack O'Neil in the SGC whose name is often mixed up with Jack O'Neill's, the Stargate's vibration when establishing a wormhole has been suppressed by the development of a vibrational dampening system, and the original movie version of the traveller's-eye-view visual effects were shown again when the Stargate was opened to an unusually distant address. The others were most likely just oversights between the two, such as Jack's son's first name (it was only seen briefly on an award on the wall in his room).
