David Farnor | On 21, Jul 2017

Stargate is officially coming back. The sci-fi franchise, which began all the way back in the 1990s with the James Spader movie, is being revived by MGM – and in more ways than one.

MGM has commissioned a brand new series, called Stargate Origins. Written by Mark Ilvedson and Justin Michael Terry and directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan (Virtual Morality), the 10-episode series will explore a new chapter in Catherine Langford’s early history with the intergalactic portal. It will see young Catherine go on an unexpected adventure to unlock the mystery of what lies beyond the Stargate in a quest to save Earth from “unimaginable darkness”.

The surprise announcement was made by MGM at its Comic-Con panel, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the series Stargate SG-1. It will be produced by New Form and MGM’s Digital Group, with shooting to begin next month.

“We’ve been eager to revisit the Stargate franchise, and create an all-new story that honors the founding mythos and gives loyal fans more mystery and adventure,” said Kevin Conroy, President of Digital & New Platforms at MGM. “We view Stargate Origins as a thank you to fans who have been keeping the spirit of the franchise alive for nearly 25 years.”

While a new programme might be par for the course for a long-running franchise, though, MGM is going one step further, with the launch of a brand new streaming platform. Stargate Command will be a subscription VOD service dedicated entirely to Stargate. It will be the exclusive home of the new series, but will also offer access to Stargate content from the franchise’s past. With almost a quarter of a century’s worth of content to choose from there’s certainly enough to fill up a streaming service: Deadline clocks it at 380 episodes over 20 seasons, with not only Stargate SG-1 but several other spin-off series also inspired by the original movie.

Pricing on Stargate Command is yet to be announced, but it will launch this autumn. It marks a potentially significant milestone in the TV industry: while companies such as CBS have used long-running franchises such as Star Trek to launch their own SVOD service (CBS All Access), this is the first major subscription platform driven by just one franchise.

“With the increasing popularity of digitally native content that can be streamed to any device, MGM is committed to the production of premium linear mid-form content and are proud to launch with Stargate Origins,” added Conroy.

“We saw a need for a definitive hub for the Stargate fanbase to continue to enjoy news and content, both old and new,” added Chris Ottinger, President, Worldwide Television Distribution & Acquisitions, MGM. “Stargate Command will open a new door for the community to celebrate and interact with all content in a way that has never been done before.”

We’ll bring you more details as they come, including its availability outside of the US. In the meantime, heres the teaser trailer for Stargate Origins:

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