Inside Stargate’s San Diego Comic-Con Panel

I’m always interested in hearing about San Diego Comic-Con, but I never have any intention of going — that is until I heard there was going to be a Stargate 20th anniversary panel.

After frantically searching, a friend was able to add me as her plus-one, so I got a last-minute ticket to the con and literally went because I needed to be there for Stargate. I drove down Wednesday afternoon, got a good night’s rest, and spent all of Thursday in the room waiting for the Stargate panel to start. I sat through some pretty cool panels, and slowly made my way to the front row.

As the day went on I noticed more and more people in the room had Stargate shirts on, and I knew I wasn’t alone. I was among people who would understand my references, for crying out loud! The anticipation grew as it got closer to 6 p.m.

As soon as the panel started, one of the first announcements made was a very vague “Stargate is back,” and the room erupted with cheers. The panelists explained a little about what Stargate Command will be, and I thought to myself, “Oh, so Stargate ‘coming back’ means that we’ll just be able to watch more interviews and behind the scenes” … and I was a little disappointed.

But next they introduced Sam Toles, MGM’s Senior Vice President of Digital. His news completely floored me: he confirmed a new show, Stargate Origins! Someone mentioned the “first origin story” will be about Catherine Langford, and it sounds like there will be more origin stories to come! I assume that’s if this one does well, at least.

What I love is that we, the fans, will be able to interact with the show through Stargate Command. I can’t wait to see how that will work once it’s up and running!

After the panel, I walked to the after-party a few blocks away. It was in a bar that had Stargate props, costumes, a photo booth, and TVs playing what looked like the first DVD from SG-1 Season One. The bar staff were wearing Stargate Origins t-shirts, and the panel members were in attendance. I said hi to Sam Toles, told him about how I got into Stargate, and thanked him for listening to the fans and helping bring back my favorite franchise. Stargate Origins writer Mark Ilvedson and director Mercedes Bryce Morgan were also around and chatting with fans, as well as Kieran Dickson, the editorial director.

Towards the end of the party, there was some impromptu trivia, and I won some screen-used Replicator blocks. To be honest I didn’t really care about them being screen-used, I was just excited to have a few of Reese’s pieces (thankfully, they had been disabled when O’Neill shot her!).

Now that the initial excitement of Comic-Con has died down a bit, and I’ve let the news of Stargate Origins sink in, I am really looking forward to what this new show will bring to the table. I am a die-hard Stargate fan, and will eat up anything that the franchise has to offer.

I hope this can live up to my expectations, and am excited to see what other stories are to come!