By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Every long-running franchise is going to have a few stumbles here and there, though Stargate has fewer stumbles than other 30-year sci-fi franchises. It has one that’s so disappointing, it’s not part of the canon. No, it’s not Stargate Universe or any of the direct-to-DVD movies, those followed the footsteps of Stargate SG-1, to mixed results, but they tried. Stargate Infinity, on the other hand, is a children’s cartoon that was made without any of the franchise’s creators, stars, production teams, or even studios involved, making it the strangest, least successful part of the fan favorite franchise.
To Infinity And Beyond
30 years in the future, Stargate Infinity makes it clear from the very beginning this is a show for kids, and not the fans, by stranding a group of teenagers away from Earth. Until they find the evidence to prove that their mentor, former SGC officer Gus Bonner, didn’t send the men under his command into an ambush, they are on the run and investigating other worlds, meeting strange cultures, and educating the audience all at the same time. The well-meaning message of the series was delivered with all the grace and subtlety of a sledgehammer, and if the show’s concept seems far removed from Stargate SG-1, that’s because no one in production was watching the series.
No episode emphasizes the disconnect between Stargate Infinity and the rest of the franchise like episode 7, “Phobia,” when Stacey, one of the teens, beats up a spider-like alien before learning they are not only sentient, but a peace-loving species that then puts her on trial for assault. The lesson about prejudice is so subtle, you may have missed it. Similar plots involving the stranded kids meeting new cultures that turn out not to be what they thought based on appearances play out over and over again, but that was by design, and as it turns out, by law.
Legally Mandated Edutainment
The studio behind Stargate Infinity, DIC, was well known for its animated output, and the production crew were veterans of other shows, including X-Men ‘92 and Exo-Squad, two darker shows aimed at older kids that they thought they’d be emulating for the Stargate franchise. Plots, story beats, and characters were approved by a child psychologist to make sure they were considered educational under the revised Children’s Television Act of 1997. Fans of the franchise hoping for an animated take on the show they loved were sorely disappointed, but even if the production team had free rein, it would have been an odd fit for the franchise.
In later interviews, the writers and producers admitted that no one had seen the entire run of Stargate SG-1 up to 2000, when Stargate Infinity entered production. They were told plotlines for Stargate Atlantis, with the strict rule to stay far away from them, and put together, it was like making a series with one hand behind your back while blindfolded. Today’s world of shared universes and franchises designed to include shows for adults and children from the very beginning means that nothing this disjointed will ever happen again.
By the standards of an early-2000s animated action-adventure, Stargate Infinity isn’t bad, but as the first spin-off of Stargate SG-1, which it technically was even if it had nothing to do with the show, it was disappointing. To its credit, thanks to the nature of animation, fans were finally able to see alien planets that looked truly alien and not like Planet Vancouver. An adult animated series set in the world of Stargate could be spectacular, but with the franchise on ice, that’s never going to happen, so for now, fans can go back and watch life lessons from teens as they wonder what we missed out on.
Stargate Infinity is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
