Last fall, long-suffering Stargate fans finally got to celebrate the big announcement that longtime franchise writer and director Martin Gero would be helming a new revival series for Amazon Prime. On June 2, just 10 months later, Amazon canceled the entire series. Nothing was publicly announced, but various news outlets, including Variety and Deadline, are piecing together the pieces, and for now, it appears Amazon has decided to cancel the series for hardcore sci-fi fans because it was made for... hardcore sci-fi fans.
From fans for fans
Details of Gero's plan for the series, its setting, the franchise's timeline, and its connection to the other three Stargate series were never disclosed. Currently, fans only know that rumor has it that the concept wasn't a good fit for Amazon. This news broke after the script had already been written. It's rare for a series at this stage of development to be canceled instead of being reworked to suit the network's needs, suggesting the differences were considered irreconcilable.
At first glance, it seems like the new Stargate was created for fans «Stargate SG-1» . For those dedicated fans who have supported the franchise for over 30 years, attending numerous conventions every year, buying spin-off novels, binge-watching «Atlantis» и «"The Universe"» , and who consider "Wormhole X-Treme" one of the best episodes of any sci-fi series. This is the audience that should be targeted, not the show cancelled.
The number of science fiction fans will never exceed the number of viewers «Reacher» , but don't forget that Amazon also produces «Fallout» и «"Invincible"» , two niche series. This is the same company that saved «"Space"» , one of the greatest sci-fi series of the last 15 years. However, according to preliminary reports, this is precisely why Amazon has once again decided to disappoint Stargate fans by hinting at a revival.
Stargate fans are used to disappointments.
«Stargate SG-1» и «Stargate Atlantis» didn't achieve the same ratings as Star Trek, but were good enough to last 15 seasons and over 300 episodes in total. «Stargate Universe» , the final series of 2009, lasted only two seasons due to network interference. Since then, Stargate fans have recognized it as a hidden gem. Fans want the return of the Destiny crew, not behind-the-scenes drama.
Once again, Stargate fans will go to bed disappointed. We've become accustomed to this over the past decade. Perhaps one day Amazon will realize the potential of creating a series for fans, which is what the company has done with «Fallout» и «Invincible» . On the other hand, after the announcement of the series' revival, the constant turnover of top management at Amazon led to the departure of many executives who initially approved of Martin Gero's idea. Stargate's main enemy isn't the Goa'uld, but entertainment executives unwilling to give science fiction a chance.
For those who haven't watched it yet «Stargate SG-1» , now's the time to see why it's a classic, as the entire series is now available on Netflix.