Will Stargate Go Where No Trek Has Gone Before?

The Stargate franchise may soon achieve something the Star Trek franchise was never able to do: produce three series on the air concurrently, with a theatrical movie to launch the newest show.

Gateworld reported that MGM vice president Charles Cohen talked about where the franchise is headed as Stargate SG-1 reaches its 200-episode milestone, saying that MGM has plans to develop a feature film "derived from the series over the last 10 years" to kick off a third Stargate television series. Cohen added that a movie based on SG-1 would "not in any way impair the television run" of the first Stargate show, which was itself based on a 1994 film starring William Shatner (Kirk)'s Boston Legal co-star James Spader.

Though Cohen insisted that three Stargate shows on the air at once could be successful, as the CSI and Law & Order franchises have proven, there has been discussion that climbing star salaries may reduce the profit margin for a long-running series like SG-1. The X-Files returned to television after a successful 1998 movie with the original television stars, but for most genre series, like Star Trek: The Next Generation, the move to the big screen marks the end of that show's run on television as the newer series arrive.

Cohen said that the original Stargate show has evolved enough that it can continue to run on television indefinitely no matter what happens with movie plans. "If you look at SG-1 - with bringing in Claudia [Black], Ben [Browder], and Beau [Bridges] - we've retooled the series with it still being SG-1," he explained. "I'd like to keep it on forever and keep adding to it."

Several Star Trek actors have had guest and recurring roles in the Stargate franchise. Robert Picardo (The Doctor), who first appeared as Richard Woolsey on SG-1, will appear in upcoming episodes on Stargate Atlantis. Connor Trinneer (Tucker) is returning to the role of Michael Kenmore on Atlantis this season. Jolene Blalock (T'Pol) played Ishta in multiple episodes of SG-1. John Billingsley (Phlox), Rene Auberjonois (Odo), John de Lancie (Q) and others have appeared in the franchise as well.

The original item is at Gateworld .

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