The Ambitious 1994 Epic That Launched a Decade-Long Stargate Franchise

Roland Emmerich’s 1994 film Stargate, co-written with producer Dean Devlin, opened a cinematic door to intergalactic travel, alien civilizations and ancient mysteries. Released on October 28, 1994, the adventure received mixed reviews on arrival but steadily built a devoted audience.

The cast includes Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Alexis Cruz, Mili Avital and Viveca Lindfors. The movie grossed $196.6 million worldwide against a $55 million production budget and holds a 53% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stargate expanded into a broad franchise: the 1997 sequel series Stargate SG-1 created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner ran for 10 seasons, followed by Stargate Atlantis in 2004, Stargate Universe in 2009, the 2018 prequel web series Stargate Origins, and direct-to-DVD films including Stargate: Children of the Gods, Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.

Decades after its release, the original film has resurfaced on streaming charts.

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