The Stargate is officially dialing back in, as Amazon is reviving the beloved science fiction franchise with a new series in development for Prime Video. This project brings together a powerhouse creative team, uniting the original 1994 film’s creators, Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, with Stargate television veterans Martin Gero, Brad Wright, and Joe Mallozzi. Gero, who worked on SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, will serve as the showrunner for this new chapter. The team has made it clear that this will not be a reboot but a continuation of the existing television canon, designed to be accessible for new viewers while rewarding long-time fans. While plot details remain under wraps, the revival marks a significant moment for the property, which has been largely dormant since Stargate Universe concluded in 2011.
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With three television shows, two direct-to-DVD movies, and a prequel web series, the Stargate franchise is a sprawling saga that can appear intimidating to newcomers. This guide provides the ideal chronological path through the canon, offering a clear roadmap for anyone looking to explore the universe before the new series arrives. The animated series Stargate Infinity is excluded from this timeline, as it is not considered part of the official canon by the franchise’s creators.
1) Stargate
The journey begins with the 1994 film that started it all. Directed by Roland Emmerich, Stargate introduces the core concept of an ancient alien device that creates a wormhole for instantaneous travel across the cosmos. The movie follows Colonel Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell) and the brilliant but socially awkward Egyptologist Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) as they lead the first-ever expedition through the Stargate. They arrive on the desert planet of Abydos, where they discover a civilization of humans enslaved by a powerful alien posing as the Egyptian sun god Ra (Jaye Davidson). The film establishes the foundational lore of the franchise, including the Goa’uld, the mechanics of the gate, and humanity’s first steps into a much larger universe. It’s a classic piece of 90s sci-fi action that perfectly sets the stage for the decades of adventure that would follow, making it the essential starting point for any viewing marathon.
2) Stargate Origins
Released in 2018 as a web series, Stargate Origins is a prequel that delves into the early history of the gate on Earth. The story is set in the late 1930s and follows a young Catherine Langford (Ellie Gall), the daughter of the archaeologist who discovered the Stargate in Giza. When her father is captured by Nazis who intend to use the gate as a weapon, Catherine must embark on a dangerous mission through the portal to rescue him. This series provides crucial backstory on the program’s earliest days, long before the establishment of Stargate Command. Though it was produced years after the other shows, its place in the timeline is firmly before the events of the original film and the subsequent television series, offering a glimpse into the initial discovery and the human conflicts that surrounded this powerful technology decades before its potential was fully realized. We still recommend watching it after the original movie, as the prequel series assumes the public is already aware of the main story beats.
3) Stargate SG-1 (Seasons 1-7)
Stargate SG-1 picks up the story one year after the events of the 1994 film, establishing a new status quo and a vastly expanded universe. The series recasts its lead roles, with Richard Dean Anderson taking over as Colonel Jack O’Neill and Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson. They are joined by the brilliant astrophysicist Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and the stoic alien warrior Teal’c (Christopher Judge) to form the flagship team, SG-1. For its first seven seasons, the show builds an intricate mythology centered on the war against the Goa’uld, a parasitic alien race that has enslaved countless worlds. This era of the series is foundational, introducing key allies like the Asgard and the Tok’ra, and formidable new enemies like the Replicators.
4) Stargate SG-1 (Seasons 8-10) and Stargate: Atlantis (Seasons 1-3)
This is where the timeline becomes interconnected. The eighth season of Stargate SG-1 introduced a new spin-off series, Stargate: Atlantis, and the two shows were designed to be watched in tandem. The two-part SG-1 season seven finale, “Lost City,” serves as a direct prequel to Atlantis, with the team discovering the location of the legendary lost city of the Ancients in the Pegasus galaxy. This discovery leads to the formation of a new international expedition led by Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) to explore this new frontier. For the next three years, the shows aired concurrently, and while they largely tell separate stories, there are several crossover episodes and character appearances that bridge the two series.
The most effective way to experience this era is to alternate episodes between the two shows, starting with the first episode of Stargate SG-1 Season 8, followed by the first episode of Stargate: Atlantis Season 1, and so on. This method perfectly replicates the original viewing experience and ensures that story developments and character crossovers land with their intended impact. For example, this order preserves the context for moments like Daniel Jackson’s visit to Atlantis or when the Earth ship Prometheus makes a crucial journey to the Pegasus galaxy. Following this alternating pattern for SG-1‘s seasons 8 through 10 and Atlantis‘s seasons 1 through 3 is the definitive way to watch the interconnected period of the franchise.
5) Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Immediately following the conclusion of Stargate SG-1‘s tenth and final season, the story is wrapped up in the direct-to-DVD movie Stargate: The Ark of Truth. This film serves as the definitive finale to the series’ primary narrative arc, focusing on the team’s final confrontation with the Ori, a race of ascended beings who have been waging a holy war across the Milky Way galaxy. The movie sees SG-1 travel to the Ori’s home galaxy in search of a powerful Ancient weapon known as the Ark of Truth, which has the power to end the conflict for good. Stargate: The Ark of Truth provides a satisfying conclusion to the character journeys that began in the final two seasons of the show, resolving the central conflict that dominated the latter part of SG-1‘s run.
6) Stargate: Atlantis (Season 4)
With the Ori threat now concluded, the timeline shifts its full attention back to the Pegasus galaxy for the fourth season of Stargate: Atlantis. This season can be watched as a single block, as it deals with the fallout from the Atlantis expedition’s war with the Asurans, a race of self-aware Replicators. The season is notable for introducing Colonel Samantha Carter as the new commander of the Atlantis base, directly connecting the events of SG-1‘s finale to the ongoing mission in Pegasus. This transfer of command is a significant moment that bridges the two shows, bringing one of the franchise’s most beloved legacy characters into a new leadership role.
7) Stargate: Continuum
After the fourth season of Stargate: Atlantis, the timeline takes a brief detour for one last adventure with the original SG-1 team. Stargate: Continuum is a standalone movie that sees the team grappling with the final remnant of the Goa’uld, Ba’al (Cliff Simon). During an execution ceremony, Ba’al travels back in time and alters history, creating an alternate reality where the Stargate program was never established. The remaining members of SG-1 are forced to navigate this new timeline and find a way to restore history before their world is conquered. While it is largely disconnected from the main arcs of Atlantis, its placement here is ideal as it serves as a celebratory send-off for the original cast and their long-running battle against the Goa’uld, providing a fun and action-packed epilogue to their story.
8) Stargate: Atlantis (Season 5)
The final season of Stargate: Atlantis brings the expedition’s journey in the Pegasus galaxy to a dramatic close. This season picks up after the events of the fourth season and focuses on the team’s ongoing struggle against the Wraith, a vampiric alien race that has plagued the galaxy for centuries. As the team searches for a way to defeat their oldest enemy, they uncover new secrets about the Ancients and face off against a powerful new faction of Wraith led by the enigmatic Michael (Connor Trinneer). The fifth season is the culmination of the show’s five-year narrative. It resolves the central conflict of the series and brings the Atlantis expedition’s story to a satisfying, if somewhat abrupt, end, marking the final chapter for this corner of the Stargate universe.
9) Stargate Universe (Seasons 1-2)
The final entry in the established canon is Stargate Universe, a series that takes the franchise in a darker direction. The show follows a group of soldiers, scientists, and civilians who are forced to evacuate through the Stargate during an attack on a secret off-world base. They arrive on the Destiny, an ancient starship traveling on a pre-programmed course millions of light-years from Earth. Stranded and unable to return home, this unprepared crew must learn to survive aboard the ancient vessel as it carries them deeper into the unknown reaches of the universe. The series ran for two seasons before its cancellation, ending on an unresolved cliffhanger.
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