Brad Wright Movies

Younger in tone than previous Stargate series, this sci-fi drama follows a group of scientists, soldiers, and ordinary people who are forced to travel through a Stargate when they come under attack. Emerging on an archaic starship headed away from Earth, the group soon find that their destiny has been sealed, as the ship's course is locked. Now they must fight for survival against hunger, dehydration, the twisted secrets of the Stargate, and even each other. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

The Stargate saga continues as an elite military unit races back to Earth following the mysterious disappearance of two key team members, only to find themselves in an alternate reality where the Stargate has never been invented. Somewhere in deep space, the SG-1 team is in serious trouble. Two team members have vanished without a trace, and now the SG-1 unit's only hope for survival is to get back to Earth as quickly as possible. Upon touching down the team is relieved to be home, but deeply disturbed to learn that the reality they just returned to isn't the same one they departed from. In this reality, the Stargate has never been discovered and neither the government nor the military has never even heard of the SG-1 unit. But who altered the Earth's timeline, and why? Upon discovering that a malevolent alien known as Ba'al has been meddling with the planet's timeline in an attempt to conquer Earth, the team must race against time to defeat the most powerful adversary that they have ever faced. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the two-part opener of Stargate Atlantis' first season, scientist Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) organizes a new Stargate team to journey through a newly discovered "time portal" and explore the lost city of Atlantis -- not on Earth, but somewhere in the Pegasus Gallery. Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and his cohorts Lt. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) and Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlitt) have volunteered for the mission despite the foreknowledge that they will not be able to return to Earth unless they locate the advanced technology left behind by the ancient alien race who built Atlantis in the far-distant past. As it turns out, the wondrous city is populated by a variety of beings who'd been lost in space, including a few Earthlings. And what happened to the original Atlantans? This question is answered during the Stargate team's stopover at a primitive planet populated by a vicious and voracious race known at the Wraith, who have gobbled down a number of space dwellers and undoubtedly intend to add the people of Earth on their list. Early attempts to experiment with the alien technology come a cropper, the Stargate ship is imperiled by a variety of unforeseen circumstances, and the crew persons are constantly under attack by strange and deadly alien life forms. On the plus side, they have picked up a valuable new crew member, a fiercely independent native of the Pegasus Galaxy named Teyla (Rachel Luttrell). As the season progresses, the Stargate team comes across a planet populated by a lemming-like race whose members commit suicide upon turning 25; an alien drug which may repel the Wraith has unexpected side effects; General George Hammond (Don S. Davis) from the original Stargate SG-1 makes a guest appearance in the story of a strange fog with stranger powers; investigating a crippled Wraith ship, the crew members meet their enemy face to face with surprising results; a visit to a world without technology may provide a safe harbor from the Wraith, but of negligible value if the means to return to Earth are never discovered; and upon recovering a woman held in suspended animation, the team is shocked to find that she is none other than their mission leader, Dr. Weir! The season's finale is the two-part cliffhanger "The Siege," wherein a military force from Earth arrives in Atlantis to help the team fend off a full-frontal assault by the Wraith -- but even these reinforcements may prove useless unless Dr. McKay can activate an orbital-weapons platform after thousands of centuries of disrepair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Season Eight of Stargate SG-1 begins, Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) must take charge of the SG-1 team while Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) hovers between this world and the next, while a concerted effort to rid the universe of Anubis once and for backfires disastrously. A few episodes later, Jack O'Neill, now promoted to General, is placed in full command of the Star Gate base just as the personnel faces the double threat of a fast-growing alien plant and a hostile takeover. Later on, the crew makes another foray into "virtual reality" at the hands of the Gameskeeper, a character introduced way back in Season Two. Also, Jaffan crew member Teal'c (Christopher Judge) tries to intervene in an earthbound domestic dispute and ends up facing a murder and kidnapping charge; Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping) considers a serious marriage proposal; and a UFO-obsessed industraliat must be persuade by O'Neill that yes, aliens exist, but, no, you can't tell anyone, ever! Plus, SG-1ers face such relatively new threats as the devour-and-engulf coalition The Trust, and those omnipresent Replicators, who can make themselves look like anyone and whose intentions are strictly dishonorable. Finally, a variation on the old Star Trek episode "Mudd's Kingdom" finds eternal con artist Harry Maybourne (Tom McBeath) appointing himself king of an obscure planet--and in the process seriously imperiling the secrecy of SG-1's time-travel technology. The traditional cliffhanger finale begins with a journey back into time that seriously alters events in the future (actually, our "present"), such as: Star Gate Command has never existed; Daniel Jackson is employed teaching English to foreigners; Sam Carter is a prim proofreader; and Jack O'Neill is a salty charter boat captain. It is up to Teal'c to convince these alternate-world versions of his old comrades in arms to reform into a team for the purpose of defending Mankind. And in a "full circle" development, two of the main characters resurface in the same circumstances that surrounded them in the original Stargate film way back in 1995--and one of the two isn't going to be back for Season Nine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To compensate for the temporary defection of Stargate SG-1 regular Michael Shanks, the series' producers contrived to have Shanks' character Daniel Jackson lay down his life to save his SG-1 comrades, whereupon his soul passes to "another plane of existence." Thus, the series' sixth season finds Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec), emissary from the planet Kelowna, taking Jackson's place with the SG-1 team--mainly because Quinn feels responsible for Jackson's death. Team leader Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is agreeable to Quinn's decision, inasmuch as he needs all the help he can get to vanquish the evil Anubis (David Palffy), who possesses the power to potentially cause all Stargate portals in the universe to destroy one another. Also, O'Neill is a bit worried over the loyalties of Jaffan crewman Teal'c (Christopher Judge), who, brooding over the death of his wife, is wondering if it was a good idea to renounce his loyalty to the hated Goa'uld and cast his lot with the Stargate crew. This season, the SG-1 personnel come across a small alien town that, in true "Cold War" fashion, is a living laboratory for a sinister secret experiment. Also, an assassin plagues Stargate Command's Alpha Site, but no one knows whose side the killer is on; later, O'Neill himself is implicated in a plot to assassinate the pesky senator who has continually blocked funding for the Stargate project. Plus, redoubtable intergalactic con artist Maybourne (Tom McBeath) hoodwinks Jack into transporting him to a "utopian" planet that is anything but; and Teal'c is tormented by weird dreams in which the SG-1 crew have all become firefighters--but is it truly a dream? The sixth season of Stargate SG-1--which, incidentally, is the series' first season at its new cable home, the Sci-Fi Channel--finds the "deceased" Daniel Jackson back on the planet Abydos, site of the original 1995 Stargate movie, bracing himself and the locals against an assault from Anubis--a plot development that is intimately linked with Jonas' discovery of the all-powerful Eye or Ra, which will of course become all-deadly in the Wrong Hands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although Stargate SG-1 had only been contracted to run four seasons on Showtime,the series' vast popularity dictated a fifth season--and of course a satisfactory resolution for the "cliffhanger" that had closed out the action the year before. Well, what could be more satisfactory than the death of despotic warrior king Apophis--and with Jacob Carter (Carmen Argenziano), the newly regenerated father of SG-1 crewperson Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), leading the final assault against Apophis and his minions? In fact, the producers of the series were so juiced on this season opener that they allowed to it spread over two hour-long episodes! But though Apophis is gone, the parasitic Goa'uld race is still a menace to those alternate-universe planets on the other side of the Stargate portals throughout the universe, and thus the mission of SG-1 leader Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his crew is far from over. Subsequent adventures include one which casts the spotlight on longtime series featured player Teryl Rothery), who in her role as Dr. Frasier, aide to Stargate Project head Gen. Hammond (Don S. Davis), must save a modern-day Cassandra (named Cassandra!) from being killed by her own visions of doom. Later, an episode titled "2001 hasn't got much to do with Stanley Kubrick), but instead is concerned with a strange and possibly universe-altering bargain from the hitherto unknown Ashen Confederacy. And in a fascinating, Pirandellian episode, O'Neill must prevent the filming of a TV show about Stargate SG-1. The most significant development of Season Five occurs during the 2-part cliffhanger finale, in which the crew comes to the aid of the planet Kelowna to forestall its destruction. In the course of the action, O'Neill's comrade in arms Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) sacrificially absorbs a fatal dose of radiation--which causes Kelownan diplomat Jonas Quinn (Corin Nemec) to offer his services as an SG-1 team member to compensate for his guilt over indirectly causing Jackson's demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Claiming to represent an advanced race on the planet Euronda, Alar (Rene Auberjonois) offers to share his people's technology with the Earth. In exchange, Alar solicits Earth's support in winning a war on his planet by defeating a "dangerous" enemy race. O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is agreeable to this exchange, but Jackson (Michael Shanks) suspects that Alar is not telling the whole truth--and, as usual, Jackson is right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As Season Three of Stargate SG-1 gets under way, Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and the SG-1 team manages to wriggle out of the trap set at the end of season two, and to save the world from being overtaken by Replicator bugs -- but they still may have to destroy a bug-infested Russian submarine, which act could forever damage US-Soviet relations. In a later episode, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine regular René Auberjonois shows up as the self-proclaimed leader of an advance race who offers to share his technology with the Earth -- but at what price? Later still, the SG-1 crew briefly takes on superhuman powers and finds that they're far beyond their capabilities...but then they can't shake those troublesome powers to save their lives. And even later than that, Jaffan crew member Teal'c (Christopher Judge) has a less than fond reunion with his lost love. Also: another of those pesky time loops in space forces O'Neill and Teal'c to continue reliving the same ten hours over and over again; the SG-1 tries to intervene in a planetary war that is destined to totally annihilate both sides of the conflict; and a mass attack of amnesia has O'Neill, Teal'c, Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) convinced that they are lifelong slave laborers in an underground alien power plant. Plus: Stargate Project leader Gen. Hammon (Don S. Davis) is replaced by warhawk Gen. Bauer (Lawrence Dane), who has no patience with SG-1 peaceful mission and is determined to destroy all "unfriendly" planets, real or imagined; and in a story set ten years in the future, SG-1 is deactivated when the "benign" Aschen race established universal peace -- but of course, someone in these parts has an ulterior motive. In Season Four's two-part cliffhanger finale, SG-1 undertakes the secret evacuation of the Tok'ra, a Goa'uld resistance group. But evil Goa'uld chieftan Apophis (Peter Williams) tumbles to the secret -- and to prevent Apophis from wiping out the Tok'ra, the crew must take action so drastic that it could result in an apocalyptic chain reaction! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The SG-1 lands on Edora, a planet travelling in an asteroid belt. Upon discovering that the planet is in imminent danger from "The Rain", a cataclysmic meteor shower that occurs every 150 years, the SG-1 hurries to evacuate the Edorans. Alas, in his effort to rescue the planet's leader Laira (Michele Greene), O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) is left stranded on Edora, with no hope of rescue--and the helpless SG-1 crew must struggle with the acceptance of the Inevitable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Resolving the cliffhanger ending established at the end of season two, season three of Stargate SG-1 finds evil Goa'uld queen Hathor (Suanne Braun) still trying to win SG-1 teammates Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), and Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) over to her side -- while the team's Jaffan ally Teal'c (Christopher Judge). In the midst of this tense situation comes some good news; Carter's father Jacob (Carmen Argenziano) -- saved from the brink of death when his body became host for Selmak, a leader of the Goa'uld resistance movement Tok'ra -- has now joined his daughter and her comrades in the ongoing battle to protect Earth from hostile aliens who've penetrated the many Stargate portals throughout the galaxy. In later episodes, a killer parasite plunges Jackson into madness and threatens the sanity of the other team members, which may force General Hammond (Don S. Davis) to kill them all "for the greater good"; Hammond himself later becomes a liability to the Stargate Project thanks to a race of "morphing" aliens; the Quantum Mirror, a device introduced during the series' first season, once again causes profound personality changes in the protagonists when they pass into an alternate-reality Earth; and in a plot right out of a WWII spy picture, O'Neill and his crew come face to face with young alien warriors who've been trained to impersonate Stargate personnel for the purposes of infiltration and ultimate domination. Also, Jackson must make a crucial decision about his future after Teal'c is forced to kill Jackson's alien wife Sha're (Vaitaire Bandera). A "necessary" bit of thievery results in O'Neill's resignation in disgrace from the Stargate program -- and into the greedy clutches of con artist supreme Col. Maybourne (Tom McBeath). And in the two-part "Jolinar's Memories," the fate of the crew as they attempt to infiltrate the (literally) Hellish prison moon Sokar is in the hands -- and the mind -- of Samantha Carter. Likewise offered as a two-parter is the season's cliffhanger finale, in which the Earth is once again threatened with invasion -- this time by metallic Replicator bugs. In order to save mankind, O'Neill and the team may be forced into an act of mass suicide! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Quantum Mirror, introduced in the first-season Stargate SG-1 installment "There But for the Grace of God", is brought into play in this episode. The mirror leads to an alternate-reality Earth, in which deceased Stargate Command officer Major Kawalsky (Jay Avocone) still lives and SG-1's Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) is a Major. When the "other" Earth faces invasion from Goa'uld, SG-1 races to the rescue. But because of the peculiarities which separate the two worlds, only one of the Samantha Carters has a chance for survival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After the Stargate malfunctions, O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and Carter (Amanda Tapping) are trapped near a crevasse on a frozen, uncharted planet. Despite the bitter cold, Carter is able to keep her wits about her--a good thing, too, since O'Neill is seriously injured an cannot be moved. Back at SG-1, Teal'c (Christopher Judge) and Jackson (Michael Shanks) conduct a frenzied search for their missing comrades, but with millions of planets to choose from, it is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack--and that "needle" is getting colder with each passing minute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Depressed and suicidal, Mason Stark (Mitchell Lawrence) is stopped short of taking drastic action when he is whisked into a strange new dimension where everybody looks and sounds exactly like him -- albeit each with an entirely different personality. The leader of this alternate universe is also named Stark, and also closely resembles Mason (as well he should, since he is played by Mitchell Lawrence's brother, Matthew Lawrence). Stark offers Mason the opportunity to improve his "real" life, but only if he commits murder -- and the intended victim is his "other" self. Originally filmed for The Outer Limits' third season, "In Another Life" was not telecast until season four on February 16, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide