MGM
While the “Stargate” franchise may not have the same widespread fanbase as “Star Trek” or the cultural impact of “Star Wars,” it has a surprisingly extensive reach. Starting with a single film by Roland Emmerich, the “Stargate” universe quickly expanded to include multiple TV series, direct-to-home-media movies, comics, video games, and books, making it a daunting task for newcomers to navigate.
Fortunately, the golden era of “Stargate” is its early years, particularly Emmerich’s film and the first TV spin-off “Stargate SG-1.” This show, a sequel to the movie, premiered on Showtime in 1997 and continued the adventures of the film’s special operations team as they explored the universe through the eponymous artifact. Richard Dean Anderson, known for his role as MacGuyver, was cast as Colonel Jack O’Neil after Kurt Russell declined to reprise the role, a decision that undoubtedly contributed to the show’s success.
Although Anderson eventually stepped down from the lead role, he played a crucial part in establishing “SG-1” as a cult sci-fi hit. The show ran for an impressive ten years before being canceled, during which it broke a Guinness World Record, only to have it surpassed by Superman a few years later.
Stargate SG-1 broke a Guinness World Record
MGM
During its run, “Stargate SG-1” moved from Showtime to the Sci-Fi channel (now “SyFy”) for its sixth season. It left a significant legacy, inspiring other TV shows like the animated “Stargate Infinity” and the live-action “Stargate Atlantis,” “Stargate Universe,” and “Stargate Origins,” as well as two direct-to-home-media films. Despite its cancellation after the 10th season, “SG-1” had a remarkable run, expanding the “Stargate” universe, inspiring new entries in the franchise, and producing a total of 214 episodes over ten years.
In addition, “SG-1” set the Guinness world record for the Longest Consecutive Running Sci-Fi TV Show. Gateworld, a fan site, reported this achievement in 2007, noting that the show had run continuously for nearly ten years. The 203rd episode, “Company of Thieves,” which aired on September 15, 2006, pushed “SG-1” past the previous record-holder, “The X-Files,” which ran from September 10, 1993, to May 9, 2002, and comprised 202 episodes.
Over time, “The X-Files” surpassed its former rival by increasing its total number of episodes to 218. However, these episodes weren’t consecutive, so “SG-1” would have retained the record if not for another long-running show…
Superman took down SG-1… sort of
Warner Bros.
Despite its superhero roots, “Smallville” was considered a sci-fi series by Guinness. In May 2011, Gateworld reported that “Smallville” was about to conclude, having taken the record for Longest Consecutive Running Sci-Fi TV Show from “SG-1” the previous month. Like “Stargate,” the popular WB/CW series ran for 10 seasons and surpassed its competitor with its 215th episode. By the time “Smallville” ended, it had produced 218 episodes, tying with “The X-Files.” However, unlike its sci-fi counterpart, the Tom Welling-led show was produced consecutively.
According to Gateworld, the main reason “Smallville” outperformed “SG-1” despite both shows running for 10 seasons was because “SyFy reduced its standard episode order from 22 to 20 per year, beginning with the eighth season,” while The CW, which hosted “Smallville,” maintained the industry-standard practice of producing 22 episodes each year. Interestingly, both shows were filmed in Vancouver, Canada. Erica Durance, who played Lois Lane, even made a guest appearance on “SG-1” as Teal’c’s neighbor, Krista, in the season 8 episode “Affinity.”
Despite these achievements, Guinness stirred up some controversy with this record. Fans of “Doctor Who,” which had 694 episodes in its original run, demanded recognition for their show. The British series has since received the world record for “Most consecutive sci-fi TV episodes ever,” with Guinness noting that “Doctor Who” aired “694 episodes consecutively across 26 seasons” between November 23, 1963 and December 6, 1989, and was “on air for 26 years 14 days.” Why this didn’t qualify the show for the “Longest Consecutive Running Sci-Fi TV Show” record remains unclear, but the issue seems to have been somewhat resolved since “Smallville” claimed the win.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
