36 best science fiction TV series, ranked worst to first
By Shawn Lealos
Image: Showtime
22. Stargate SG-1
In 1994, Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich brought the world one of the best science fiction action movies of its era with Stargate, a film that introduced a portal that took people to a very different world.
Three years later, the world of Stargate came to television with Stargate SG-1, a series that aired on Showtime as one of their most successful original series before moving to the Sci-Fi Channel in 2002.
Instead of the television show reimagining the movie, it was a direct sequel to the film, starting one year after the movie ended. The show’s premise is that the U.S. Government realized that the Stargate from the movie can open up portals to other planets around the galaxy.
SG-1 is an elite military force that is sent out to explore the galaxy and defend Earth against the possibility of alien invasions and attacks. The show took the action of the movie and never relented with the other draw of the film — mythology.
While the movie was most interested in Egyptian mythology, the science fiction TV series branched out into Greek, Norse and Arthurian legends as well.
Stargate SG-1 lasted a full 10 seasons and aired 214 total episodes with two straight-to-DVD films coming out of the world as well. There was also two spin-offs from the show, including Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe.