David Gerrold: On Stargate SG-1

"When you talk about science fiction on television, there's Star Trek---and then there's everything else. And that's unfortunate, because a lot of the "everything else" is pretty damn good---often times even better than Star Trek. Case in point: Stargate SG-1."

 

-David Gerrold, Stepping Through The Stargate: Science, Archaeology And The Military In Stargate SG-1, Stargate Trek (p.9)-

Writer David Gerrold makes a terrific point regarding the uphill battle science fiction television always seems or seemed to have in the wake of Star Trek (1966-1969) which cast a relatively long shadow. As an example, Babylon 5 (1993-1998) struggled for a foothold against the likes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999).



Only today does a franchise like Stargate or Battlestar Galactica feel as though it holds a place in the great pantheon of science fiction. Rather than being merely "everything else," these science fiction enterprises are special in their own right with clearly enduring identities.