Cancellation doesn't mean the end of "Stargate: Atlantis"

Thursday, Aug. 21 

I love press releases that attempt to bury the bad news.

Sci Fi Channel sent out this interestingly worded release today:

"Building upon the successful Stargate franchise, SCI FI Channel today announced it has greenlit a two-hour movie based on the hit science fiction adventure series ‘Stargate: Atlantis.' SCI FI will have the exclusive worldwide television premiere of the yet to be titled ‘Stargate: Atlantis' film, which will then be released on DVD by MGM. The movie will be written by Stargate Atlantis' executive producers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, who also serve as series showrunners. The movie is set to follow the fifth and final season of Stargate Atlantis, as it draws to its thrilling conclusion in January 2009. ..."

Isn't the news there that the series has been canceled?

Maybe the folks at Sci Fi learned a lesson from the cancellation of "Farscape" after four seasons, with a fifth one already announced. Fan uproar eventually led to a miniseries that capped "Farscape" in 2004, two years after it was cancelled. So this is a way of easing the blow.

Besides, everyone knows that Stargate franchises have a way of re-inventing themselves, as "SG-1" did after 10 years on first Showtime and then as a Friday-night staple on the Sci Fi Channel. When SG-1 ended it's run with the aptly named episode "Unending," along came two straight-to-DVD films, "Ark of Truth" and the recently released "Continuum." The latter finished No. 3 for MGM in DVD sales it's first week, behind the theatrical releases "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" and "21."

"Continuum" was released July 29 and, according to the-numbers.com, it opened with 367,030 and earned $6,353,675. So moving "Atlantis" into the realm of movies seems to irk fans more than TV and studio execs.

"We share in the producers' enthusiasm to move forward in this direction and we look forward to a strong and continued relationship on Stargate Atlantis in this new format," said Sci Fi's Thomas Vitale, senior vice president programming & original movies, in a statement.

"Atlantis" had undergone a "Law & Order"-style revolving door recently, with first Tori Higginson's Dr. Weir making way for "SG-1's" Amanda Tapping. Then Tapping left to get her new Sci Fi series, "Sanctuary" up and running, and Robert Picardo moved to "Atlantis" full-time.

The show, about a team of of military and civilian explorers who travel the distant Pegasus galaxy by means of a "stargate," which creates a wormhole linking worlds, will reach its 100th episode in January 2009.

But wait - there's more Stargate to come. Unlike "Law & Order," which spins off to different branches of the justice system, or "CSI," which heads to different U.S. cities, Stargate is heading into the past with the upcoming spinoff "Stargate: Universe."

In April, details were released explaining that "Universe" would explore how an alien race known as the Ancients arranged Stargates throughout multiple galaxies millions of years ago. Apparently, they sent out two ships: an automated ship to seed Stargates throughout multiple galaxies in our universe and a second ship to follow up and explore, according to gateworld.net.

It also will introduce the Stargate's ninth chevron: A standard, seven-symbol gate address allows for travel within the same galaxy. The eighth chevron allows for travel to a different galaxy. And the ninth chevron will allow a team to reach this second, still unmanned Ancient ship.

All of this happy talk about the expansion of the Stargate universe is probably little solace to "Atlantis" fans. I know how annoyed I was when "Farscape" was unexpectedly cancelled.

But I also know that, as TV editor Rob Owen keeps reminding viewers whose favorite shows are cancelled or whose favorite channels are moved around the dial, it's all a business. If more people watched "Farscape" or "Atlantis" or "SG-1" and they attracted more advertisers, then they'd all probably still be on the air. And in the end, it's not like, say, "Now and Again" or "Sports Night," which never saw the light of day again.

At least the "Stargate" franchises give us movie send-offs.