Stargate: Ruminations.

Now that SGU is on hiatus for a bit, I thought I'd bring up some things I've been wondering about since it came on. I really began to question this stuff around episode 7 or so, and while it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the show, some questions were just kind of nagging at me. I didn't really want to broach the subject while they were actually running new episodes, however, because I didn't want to "Insult the living by speaking of the dead" as they say. Now that we've got some time to catch our breath, however:

1) What the hell is SG1 doing these days?

We've seen a lot of Jack, and we've seen a bit of Carter and Daniel, but what about the others? The two straight-to-DVD movies were strongly implying that SG1 was still a going concern, still SG1ing around the galaxy doing stuff, so where are they?

- Obviously, Jack's been out of that for a long time now (And for what it's worth, I like him in the General Hammond role on SGU).
- Carter appears to have been re-assigned to the Hammond, her second major re-assignment since the show ended, so it would seem that she's out of SG1 permanently.
- Daniel is obviously still running around.

What about Teal'c? Will we ever see him again? It seems unlikely, as there's probably little in the way of Ancient Tech Problems that would really require a Jaffa's insight, but still, what's he up to?

What about the newbies? Where's Cam and Valla? Yes, I know the "Fargate" years weren't as popular, nor as iconic as the main sequence of the show, but let's be honest here: They were not at all a disaster. It's not like we're talking the last couple sesons of X-Files! I think the bad reputation those seasons have with some fans is simply the result of the show getting truncated in mid-transition. The thing is, I really liked those two, I thought they brought a lot to the show, and I'd really like to see them again.

I'd hate to see them as orphan characters.

2) What's going on with Atlantis?

When last we saw it, Area 51 had been destroyed, and Atlantis was parked in the Pacific off the San Francisco coast. There was talk of trying to send it back to the Pegasus galaxy again.

- Is it still there?
- Is Woolsey still in command?
- What of the Wraith war?
- What of the new "Federation" they'd developed in the Pegasus Galaxy? Did it fall apart when Atlantis left?
- What about Shepherd's team? Have they been re-assigned, are they still together, or what?

I realize that most of this is incidental to the SGU story, but there is literally no one alive who knows more about Ancient tech than Rodney McKay. Is it too much to ask that he show up in at least one episode of SGU? It seemed odd to me in episode 7 ("Earth") that we'd have had a new, bald, Russian IOA guy introduced in what was traditionally the Woolsey capacity.

I'm not saying that I need resolution to all these issuse on SGU, mind you, it's not keeping me awake at night, and as I've said, I really like the new show. That said, however, we've seen three major vintage SG1 characters (And Walter, and Dr. Lee!) in the new show, and all Atlantis got was a namecheck in the first episode. I don't want SGU to become Atlantis: TNG, and truth be told, I was never anywhere near as big a fan of SGA as I was of SG1, but to me the Gateverse feels a little off balance if we only get guest stars from one show.

3) The Movies: What's the deal with the Stargate Straight-to-DVD movies, anyway? Word on the street is that there's a 3rd SG1 one which is primarily about Jack, and won't involve Valla at all. Theyv'e been talking about an SGA movie for quite a while, presumably to resolve the Wraith War thread, but I've heard no mention of progress on either film for quite some time, and I don't know if they're even still going ahead. Were I a betting man, the SGA one seems more likely to come to fruition than the SG1 movie, but given the mad rush to abandon SGA a year early and jump on with SGU (Which shows every sign of becoming a better show, so I'm not complaining about the decision), the whole of SGA is beginning to feel nearly as "Orphaned" as poor Vala and Cam.

4) General Landry:

Landry was the main point of continuity and contact between SG1 and SGA, and after SG1 ended, between SGA and the SGC. I liked the character, I like the actor, but though namechecked a few times, he was conspicuously absent in SGA's final season, and he hasn't been referenced at all on the new show. This is logical, as the Icarus/Destiny project seems to be run directly by the Office of Homeworld Security, rather than through the SGC. Again, I'm not complaining. I'd just like to see him in some capacity somewhere in the run of the show since, once again, I think he added to much to the Gateverse to end up as yet another orphan character.

5) Is SGU the end of Stargate?

The producers have said they hope SGU will run at least three seasons. And then what? Is there a concept for another show after this one? Is this an ongoing, eternal franchise like Dr. Who and Trek? Or will they simply be SG'ed out, and decide to do that sitcom about a sarcastic robot living secretly with a suburban family that they've been daydreaming about since college*? Where do we go from here?

So that's what I've got. Do any of you have any lingering Gate-related issues that are nagging at you?

*- that was a joke. No such show exists. I made it up.