“Yes, Stargate SG-1 fans, there is life after Richard Dean Anderson,” TV Guide’s Matt Roush, Ileane Rudolph, and Michael Davis write in the issue. “From the look of things at the sprawling complex in Vancouver where SCI FI Channel’s Friday-night anchor is filming its ninth season, an infusion of new characters — and a villainous race so powerful it has its own planet-size Stargate portal — has created a palpable sense of renewal.”
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The upcoming issue also previews the sophomore season of Stargate Atlantis, which set ratings records for SCI FI when it premiered one year ago. “We get into some pretty hairy danger, and we may lose some people close to us,” co-producer Martin Gero told TV Guide.
“Among the brow-raising Wraith developments,” says the magazine: “The Atlantis explorers will venture into an active hive; encounter an advanced alien culture that’s in cahoots with the Wraith; uncover mistrustful factions among the Wraith who may incite civil war; and begin work on a gene therapy that could devolve the evil race.
The issue’s collector covers feature Amanda Tapping and Ben Browder (SG-1), James Callis and Tricia Helfer (Galactica), and Rachel Luttrell and Joe Flanigan (Atlantis). A fourth cover features Browder, Helfer, and Flanigan.
Stargate has landed the coveted cover of TV Guide just once before, following the premiere of Season Seven two years ago (story)
Read more from the preview at TVGuide.com, and be sure to pick up the magazine on newsstands this weekend for the full story! TV Guide Online has also published a special “Launchpad” section for Battlestar Galactica Season Two, with cast photos and a quick primer for viewers. (Beware of big spoilers for the Season One finale!)
(Thanks to Morjana at SG1-Spoilergate and Diane Denesowicz for the tip!)