SNAPSHOT
In 1939, Professor Paul Langford and his daughter Catherine are still grappling with the mysteries of the ancient relic they discovered in the Egyptian desert more than ten years ago. With war looming in Europe and funding running out, these brilliant minds are approaching their lowest ebb. Little do they know, answers are about to present themselves in a dangerous form, when the Nazi Occultist Dr. Wilhelm Brücke approaches their facility with a sinister motive.Enlisting the help of two young soldiers, Catherine must use all of her wit and nous as she and her new allies embark on an adventure into the unknown to rescue her father, and save the Earth from an unimaginable darkness. (synopsis via Stargate Command)
As sci-fi premises go, it’s hard to go past the idea of a series of portals that you can take anywhere in space, ushering in of course, endless possiblities for amazing storytelling.
The Stargate franchise, which kicked things off with the film in 1994 starring James Spader and Kurt Russell, has made excellent use of this imaginative premise, through multiple engaging iterations – yet even Universe was worth watching once it found its feet and sense of self; too bad it was cancelled just as it did so – and now it is back with Origins, the latest trend in genre TV, the prequel.
In this case though, with so much of the Stargate mythos resting on that fateful discovery in the sands of Egypt, it’s a great decision, filling in far more of the details around Catherine Langford and her father and the fact that the discovery of the Stargate was far more than just another momentous archeological wonder seeing the light of day once again after millenia hidden away.
The trailer certainly adds to both the wonder and imminent danger of the Stargate’s unearthing, with a lovely Indiana Jones feeling to proceedings that augurs well for a franchise that has always beautifully-balanced swashbuckling derringdo, humour and the dark march and fight back against tyrannical monsters.
Created by Mark Ilvedson and Justin Michael Terry, and starring the likes of Ellie Gall as young Catherine Langford and Connor Trinnear as Professor Paul Langford, Stargate Origins gives every impression of being a more than worthy addition to an already much-storied franchise.
Let the adventures commence anew!
Stargate Origins begins streaming its 10-episode first season worldwide on 15 February via Stargate Command.