The movie was released October 28, 1994, according to Wikipedia. That sounds about right. What I remember is being in high school, and having one of my most influential teachers get me excited about seeing this. I was already into sci-fi at this point, and at the time, enjoying the heck out of "The X-Files." So, when this one came around, I was eager to see what it was all about. To the best of my recollection, it was going to be the first time I saw James Spader in a movie. Boy, was I going to be shocked by his choices leading up to this one, and even afterwards.
I walked out of the theater blown away by the idea, the concept, and the sense that I had just seen something amazing. I was in awe at the idea that somebody came up with this idea and made a movie out of it. It was brilliant, I wanted it to be real and go on those trips myself! In my opinion, that's a good sign for any movie.
Fast forward a few years later and "Stargate: SG1" was created for television, and started to air on the Showtime network. I didn't have cable at the time and couldn't watch it. I would try and arrange visits to friends places on the nights it would air and they just so happened to have that channel, but that plan didn't work out too well. Five years later it moved to the SciFi channel, and I was thrilled. I got caught up on past episodes and became engrossed in the new ones. That run lasted another five years, and 2 movies, and I was pleased.
The "Stargate: Atlantis" spin off never held my attention, even though I tried really hard to make it stick, I just couldn't get into it. It wasn't until "Stargate: Universe" came along that I was ready to jump back into this universe they created. In the time that I had started watching SG1 to the now defunct Universe, I had grown quite a bit. My taste in the sci-fi genre had become somewhat refined, and perhaps critical. I would dare say that I also got a little more entrenched within the culture that comes along with being an avid sci-fi fan, but not too much. I'm reminded of this when those who are far more hard core than I, recall specific scenes from movies long since abandoned by popular culture and myself.
Still, even after all that time, and all that had changed in the world within and around me, I was able to sit back and enjoy what SGU had to offer. It was a new story set in a time I was already familiar with, with characters I had not yet come to know. The brilliance behind it was exactly what thrilled me about the original film all those years ago. It was a story about people, in a fantastic situation, that could in fact happen. Granted, it could only happen in that universe in which the story is set, but think of it. You exist in a world where stargates are real, and when your base is attacked, you flee to safety through one. It just so happens you end up on a ship travelling the universe, cut off from all that you have ever known.
At the heart of the show, it's a story about the journey this group of people make from one point to another, and discover how to survive. They learn to survive with not only each other, but with themselves, and emptiness around them. It was brilliant! It kept the universe of SG1 alive, but removed them from anything familiar, thus forcing the characters and the writers to experience new things. It was almost "Star Trek" in that regard, but because of how the franchise started, you knew it wasn't. There was a solid history behind it that helped lend credibility and plausibility to what you saw happening to this humans. You would empathize and marvel at the trials they would face and how they dealt with it.
Granted, the show wasn't perfect, but now that it is no more, I tend to only see the good things. But, it was just getting started. As with most new shows, it takes a little time for everyone to find their way and set a course of character and plot development. With what they had to work with, the crew both and on and off camera did a wonderful job. I commend them on not only a fitting series finale, but a series worthy of the Stargate legacy.
