The Abandoned Stargate Movie That Would’ve Combined Atlantis, SG-1 & Universe

The Stargate franchise was a mainstay of the SYFY schedule for the better part of a decade, across SG-1 and its spinoffs Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe among the most iconic original series in network history. But it turns out we almost got one more movie that could’ve wrapped the whole franchise up more than a decade ago.

Original Stargate series producer Brad Wright recently told Gateworld that back in 2011, right around the time Stargate Universe ended after its second season (both SG-1 and Atlantis had already come to an end by that point), he was feverishly pitching a movie idea that could’ve combined cast members and story elements from all three shows to wrap up the cliffhangers left dangling at the end of Universe.

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“If I can get a script in your hands quickly enough, I bet I can get the cast of SGU and bring aboard enough cast members from the other show that I could at least give us a two-hour movie to wrap it up, or a 90-minute movie to wrap up SGU and finish the story that we were trying to tell,” Wright told Gateworld in a recent interview. “I pitched him the rough idea that I had for it – and it was rough. I mean, I was typing as fast as I could. I didn’t whiteboard it. I just had this structure in my head and concept for the characters from the other series that I was going to bring in. And I started laying it out, and it started with McKay and began [with a] recognition that Destiny was in trouble.”

Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson in Stargate SG-1 Photo: MGM Television Prod. / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Back when Atlantis and SG-1 ended, the original idea was to spin the franchise off into more one-off straight-to-DVD and basic cable movies, much like Stargate Ark of Truth and Stargate Continuum continued the SG-1 story once the series wrapped. But when the DVD movie market took a downturn, those plans evaporated, and movies like the one Wright was pitching were left stuck in the idea phase. Thus, this movie didn't happen.

Stargate Universe ended on a fascinating cliffhanger, with the crew going into stasis while the Ancient ship they were stuck on prepared for a length journey between galaxies. The only problem? There weren’t enough stasis pods, and crew member Eli Wallace (David Blue) was left alone to hopefully repair a stasis pod to eventually join the rest of the crew. The series ends with Eli alone, looking off into the vastness of space from the Destiny’s observation deck. To this day, it remains a fitting, final shot in the Stargate franchise.

But had Wright had his way? We might’ve gotten to see how that long-awaited rescue mission could’ve played out.

If you're looking for more space-set action, SYFY's The Ark comes from some of the same creative team that worked on the Stargate franchise. Season 1 is streaming on Peacock, and the series returns with new episodes next year.