Now on Netflix: Stargate SG-1 Seasons 1-10

Today is the Day: Stargate SG-1 makes its return to Netflix in the United States, after a multi-year absence from the streaming giant.

Starting today Netflix has all ten seasons of the show available for streaming. SG-1 picked up where the 1994 feature film left off, airing for five years on Showtime (1997-2002) before moving to SCI FI Channel (now Syfy) for another five years (2002-2007). The show built a sprawling mythology, mixing action and adventure with good humor and character drama.

Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver) takes over the leading role of Colonel Jack O’Neill, with Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson. New to the television series are their teammates Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and the alien warrior Teal’c (Christopher Judge), along with base commander General George Hammond (Don S. Davis).

Episodes are also available to download for offline viewing.

A few notes for those who keep track of episode variants:

• The pilot movie, “Children of the Gods,” is the original Showtime version — the only episode the show ever did with nudity. The pilot was recut in 2009 as Children of the Gods: Final Cut, with updated visual effects and the nudity removed from what would go on to become a family show. (That version is on Amazon Prime.)
• “Threads,” the pivotal episode in Season Eight, is the standard broadcast version — same as is available on Amazon and Hulu. SCI FI Channel originally broadcast an extended cut that is 20 minutes longer; that’s currently available only on DVD.

English subtitles are available on Netflix as dynamic closed captions.

Aspect Ratio: Netflix’s episodes are presented in 4:3 aspect ratio for Seasons One through Four. Curiously, starting with Season Five they switch to 16:9 widescreen.

Stargate SG-1 was originally shot and edited for both 16:9 widescreen and 4:3 aspect ratios. In the earlier seasons the former aired on premium cable and were released on DVD, while the latter was distributed for nationwide syndication (and later Syfy Channel, when the basic cable channel picked up the series in 2002).

Quality: Netflix’s episodes are presented in 480p standard definition through the first seven seasons. These are clean, digital copies and look good for their era — but they don’t benefit from any remastering or upscaling.

Stargate SG-1 was shot with traditional film cameras through its first seven seasons, switching to HD digital cameras with Season Eight (in 2004). In recent years MGM has upscaled the quality of those first seven seasons to 720p high definition, though the improved visual fidelity is not available everywhere. (In the U.S. they are on Amazon, but not Hulu or Netflix.)

That means that if you live in the U.S. and have an Amazon Prime account, Prime Video is still the best way to watch the complete series.

Outside the U.S., check your local listings and your local Netflix for availability. Rights differ from country to country.

Ready for your binge? Whether you are brand new to Stargate or heading back to the beginning for another rewatch, GateWorld has you covered. We have an extensive episode guide with plot analysis and behind-the-scenes details (which really kick into gear starting in Season Four).

If you don’t plan to watch all 214 episodes but only want to watch those connected to the main storylines, check out our Key Episodes watch list. And be sure to join us over at GateWorld Forum to talk about each season as you go!