It’s launch day for a brand new (and unauthorized) look inside the Stargate franchise. Unauthorized Offworld Activation: Exploring the Stargate Franchise is a volume of collected essays from 17 different authors, examining the Stargate television and film franchise through the lenses of science, mythology, religion, politics, humor, and much more. What makes this science fiction world special? Were Atlantis’s leaders under-utilized by the writers? Why doesn’t our beloved franchise have more merchandise? And what about those Furlings?

The book is published by fan entertainment publisher Sequart Organization under the stewardship of editors Rich Handley and Joseph Dilworth Jr.

Unauthorized Offworld Activation also includes a forward by “Skaara” actor Alexis Cruz, who describes himself as “a pen-and-paper gamer nerd from the Bronx.” Stargate has been a part of his life since he appeared in Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich’s feature film, at the age of 19.

Here’s what is in the book:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

“Chevron One Encoded: A Forward”
… by Alexis Cruz

“Snakes on a Train: An Introduction”
… by Rich Handley

“Taking the Space Out of Deep Space”
… by Ren Cummins

“Vivid Determination: The Power of Women in Stargate“
… by Bryanna Elkins

“Inhabiting This Human Form: The Metaphysical Personhood of Ra”
… by Kelli Fitzpatrick

“The Furlings: From Paradise Lost to Lost Opportunity”
… by Jo Duffy

“Star Gods: Do They Live Up to Their Hype?”
… by Frank Schildiner

“Ancient Astronauts and Project Stargate: The Mythology Behind the Franchise”
… by Edward Dodds

“Faith and False Gods: Religion in Stargate SG-1“
… by Darren Sumner

“Infinity and Beyond the Pale”
… by Rich Handley

“Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis and the Ideals of Modern Science in Stargate Atlantis“
… by Anastasia Klimchynskaya

“Lonely at the Top: The Underused Leaders of Atlantis“
… by Keith R.A. DeCandido

“A Wolf in Sheep’s Spacesuit: Nicholas Rush and the Dark Side of Stargate Universe“
… by Robert Jeschonek

“Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Stargate‘s Revolving Cast of Characters”
… by Joseph Dilworth Jr.

“Stargate Merchandise: Why Isn’t There More Stuff?”
… by Mark L. Haynes

“”Fear and Loathing in Cheyenne Mountain”
… by Brandon Jerwa

“Gates, Galaxies, and Globalization: SG-1 and Science Fiction in the Digital Age”
… by Val Nolan

“Same Gate Time, Same Gate Channel: Resurrecting the Brand (Twice) with a Serial Flair”
… by Robert Jeschonek

“Chevron Seven Locked: An Afterword”
… by Joseph Dilworth Jr.

On a personal note, it was a real pleasure to contribute an essay to this volume myself. I’ve been running GateWorld for more than 20 years, while in real life my day job is in academics — particularly, the field of religion and theology. So penning the essay “Faith and False Gods” has allowed me to bring my two worlds together, and do some analysis of Stargate‘s treatment of religion that has been a focus of my own love of SG-1 since I started watching in 1998.

When I recovered a lost interview on the topic with Stargate SG-1 writer and executive producer Robert C. Cooper, I knew just what I wanted to write about.

Take a closer look at the book over at Amazon and Amazon UK! Unauthorized Offworld Activation is available today in paperback and Kindle ebook formats.

GateWorld earns a commission on items purchased through our affiliate links. Thank you for supporting independent fan journalism!