Cooper: Ori take Stargate to a new level

Stargate SG-1‘s newest foe has taken the show’s mythology to a whole new level, according to executive producer Robert C. Cooper. In an interview with Stargate SG-1: The Official Magazine, Cooper talked about the sinister Ori and how they provided the show with a natural evolution of its premise.

“The Ori are evil — they do some pretty horrible things and we won’t figure out just how bad they really are until later in the season,” Cooper told the magazine. “But on the surface, what they’re offering is wonderful. All they are doing is saying, ‘We know more than you. We’re willing to share that with you. All we’re asking for in return is to show us some respect.'”

Cooper likes this angle because it is in keeping with the Goa’uld and what the show has always been about, while taking it to the next level. While the Goa’uld were merely aliens using advanced technology, who could be exposed for what they really were without much effort, the Ori are noncorporeal beings with powers that make them appear truly god-like.

“It puts us in a very awkward position,” Cooper said. “How do you convince people that these aren’t gods, when they are what we have defined as being a god?

“I think that’s fascinating, and it’s a level of Stargate SG-1 that this show hasn’t gone to. It also feels very like Stargate SG-1. It’s something that feels organic to where we’ve been before, but takes us to a new level.”

Look for the complete interview with Robert Cooper in the new issue of Stargate SG-1: The Official Magazine (#7, November/December 2005), now on news stands! New episodes of Stargate SG-1 resume on The SCI FI Channel in the U.S. in January.